The Temple Assault You have been tasked to stop the Clasped Cabal, a misled fringe sect from the Monastery of the Whole from enacting a long-lost ritual. The ritual is to strengthen a warrior - normally used to empower a chosen warrior before a crucial conflict. The empowerment causes gradual madness, so the owner of the ritual tattoo traditionally commits ritual suicide before they go insane. A recent development revealed the perfect opportunity to spring a trap. After setting a subtle ambush, you've tailed a heretic to their hidden hideout. Your goal is to infiltrate the temple, take out the guards, and fight your way to where the Cabal's leader is attempting the ritual - and put it all to an end. Starting the adventure: The cool night air carries the feeling of dread - you have reached the imposing barred wooden door of the Cabal's temple, magically hidden but a moment before. The night sky above you darkens as the moon glistens with a sanguine hue. The ritual had begun. No more time. You and your team don hoods and throw some grappling hooks over the wall. Peeking over, you see several monks patrolling in the patio below. Dianne, your leader, spots a more promising entry point and you clamber on after her. Over the wall the five of you go. A soft rustle behind you as a startled monk, features hidden in shadow, raises his arms to defend himself. Quick as his reactions were, Dianne was first to act. Roll Initiative.

Entering the Temple Before turns go through initiative, have Dianne (lvl 6 monk) make 4 attacks on the monk. Statistically, this is very likely to kill him and gives the group an idea of how much health the monk initiates have (see the next section on statblocks). Next, describe the scene in front of them. They are hidden in bushes near the eastern-most part of the Bamboo Steppes section (south-west section). There are a couple of monks on low alert on the steppes above them. Diane turns to them hands them 4 superior healing potions, and says: You must hurry. I must go and alert the elders that we have found their temple. You must stop the ritual, or at least hinder the cult leader. Fight him if you have to, we will be back soon with reinforcements. Oh, and you'll need these. (4 potions) Recommended Stealth Rules Stealth check is equal to highest passive perception in the NPC group. Your group succeeds if half or more succeed.

Minor fail : a fail of less than 5, that enemy hears a sound that could be misconstrued as innocuous, or sees a glimpse of movement from the PC with the lowest roll.

: a fail of less than 5, that enemy hears a sound that could be misconstrued as innocuous, or sees a glimpse of movement from the PC with the lowest roll. Major fail: a fail of 5 or more, or a fail that includes a natural 1, one of them spots the PC with the lowest roll. Behavior and Distractions Roll 2d4 plus the NPC's wisdom modifier and choose from the table below. If on low alert, roll 3d4 drop highest, and on high alert, drop lowest. You only have to roll once an enemy sees a PC. Map Outer Section: Dim sum restaurant, Street, Front door, Rock Pavilion, Gate tower, Scaffolding + Bell tower, Bamboo steppes (three levels below bell temple), Bell temple, Entry Dojo, Pergola (above entry dojo) Inner Section: Cherry Hall lower, Cherry Hall upper, Cherry tree Glen, Pagoda, Cherry tower, Garden, Meditative Rock, Inner Pergola, Main dojo, Dojo dungeon, Inner Dojo. Outer Section This is supposed to feel stealthy, with tension. Enemies here will act similar to guards and will do their best to prevent entry. In addition to the set piece encounters, you can have occasional solo guards (initiate) that the party will get to stealth kill. Passing through the barrier between sections grants the benefits of a short rest. Inner Section This section is completely hidden from the outside world due to demi-plane like magic. Enemies are less searching for you and will just challenge you to fights if you walk through their area - although they will do their best to prevent you from just running through. Here the fights should feel more heroic and have a "fighting upwards until the final boss" feel. You get the benefits of a long rest right before approaching the final boss. Predesigned Encounter Array You can build your own encounters using the next section, or use these preselected ones (balanced for a party of 4 lvl 6): Encounter name Location Composition Perimeter Guard Various 3x Initiate (any)

1x Adept (Magi) Bow Sisters Bell Tower 2x Elite (Bow),

3x Initiate (Brute) Brute Bros Pergola 2x Stoneheart.

1x Elite (Magi) Food Fight Entry Dojo 2x Adept (Drunk),

1x Elite (Brawler) Training Cherry Pavilion 10x Initiate (10 hp +

no multiattack) Burning Hall Inner Pergola 2x Elite (Fire) Spider Trap Cherry tower 1x Elite (Spider) Release the Prisoner Dojo Dungeon 1x Tattooed Monk,

1x Adept (needle) Guard Behavior Roll Type Minor fail Major fail 3 Distracted No reaction One turn later, does a double take 4 Afraid Makes a search check. On a success, he becomes "Paranoid" - either way he tries to run back to the group (he doesn't tell them, or they don't believe him) Freezes and tries to figure out if you realized he saw you. If you allow him to, he will tell the others. 5 Reckless Investigates on his own Engages immediately while alerting others 6 Normal Makes a search check. On a success he notifies other that he is going to take a closer look. He cries out for backup and joins his group. 7 Leader All nearby enemies within line of sight of hidden monk act as if they had minor fail Sends out a global alarm if possible, making all normal behavior monks Alert. 8-9 Paranoid He cries out for backup and joins his group. Is frightened, alerts nearby enemies. 10-11 Crafty Pretends to have seen them despite not being sure Raises a silent alarm, or pretends not to notice anything but returns to the area with a group

Monk NPCS and Stat blocks How to use For the temple section, we use the monks generated by selecting a base and a template. The template grants the monk flavorful abilities, but does not significantly affect CR. In any particular set piece or encounter, if you eschew the recommended composition, you can roll for the monks or choose them yourself. We recommend choosing only one or two variations per encounte. Template monks We have provided three monk "bases" below, one for a scout, another for a more experienced guard, and lastly an experienced member. Most templates have unarmored defense and unarmored movement, which are listed below and not included in any of the template stat blocks to save space. Unarmored Defense. While the monk is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom modifier and uses its Constitution modifier in place of its Dexterity modifier. Unarmored Movement. While the monk is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its walking speed increases by 10 feet (included in its speed). Initiate (tier 1) Medium [race], chaotic neutral Armor Class 14 (rags)

14 (rags) Hit Points 21 (6d8-6)

21 (6d8-6) Speed 30

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (0) 16 (+3) 9 (-1) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) Saving Throws Dex +5

Dex +5 Skills Perception +3

Perception +3 Senses passive Perception 13

passive Perception 13 Languages Common

Common Challenge 1 (100 XP) Actions Multiattack. The monk makes two unarmed strikes. If both attacks hit, the monk can make an additional unarmed strike. Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. Adept (tier 2) Medium humanoid [race], lawful neutral Armor Class 15

15 Hit Points 65 (10d8+20)

65 (10d8+20) Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) Saving Throws Con +5, Wis +5

Con +5, Wis +5 Senses passive Perception 12

passive Perception 12 Languages Common

Common Challenge 2 (450 XP) Actions Multiattack. The monk makes two unarmed strikes. If both attacks hit the same target, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of their next turn. Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage Elite (tier 3) Medium humanoid [race], lawful neutral Armor Class 17

17 Hit Points 85 (13d8+26)

85 (13d8+26) Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 18 (+4) 15 (+3) 12 (+1) 17 (+3) 10 (+0) Senses passive Perception 16

passive Perception 16 Languages Common

Common Challenge 3 (700 XP) Actions Multiattack. The monk makes two unarmed strikes. If both attacks hit the same target, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of their next turn. Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage Reactions Hard Head. End either the stunned or incapacitated condition afflicting this creature and take 10 psychic damage.



Template Variants A monk gains the Variant features that correspond to its tier and all the tiers below it. For example, an Elite monk gains all of the features listed under its Variant. Features can be additional actions (action), traits (traits), stat block changes (stat), and so on. (multi) refers to effects that alter or add onto the Multiattack feature. Monk Feature name and Description Magi

(Constellation)

(1) Dispelling Fist. (multi) If both unarmed strikes hit, the monk can cast dispel magic on target creature (no action required).

(2) Sense presence (action) 1/day, the monk can cast detect thoughts without expending a spell slot.

(3) Spellcasting. (trait) Spellcasting. After a hit with an melee attack, the monk can cast a spell or cantrip with a bonus action without requiring any components targetting the attacked creature. The monk is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The monk has the following spells prepared: Cantrips (at will): shocking grasp, true strike 1st level (4 slots): command, charm person, sleep 2nd level (3 slots): crown of madness, levitate, hold person 3rd level (2 slots): bestow curse, vampiric touch Bow

(Sure Strike)

(1) Bow. (attack) Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 120/240 ft., one target. Hit: [2x unarmed strike] piercing damage and the creature is marked until it breaks line of sight of the monk. An Bow attack with this monk attack on a creature that is marked deals an additional 11 (2d10) damage.

(2) Make Space (attack) Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage and the target is pushed back 15 feet. Can be used with Multiattack.

(3) Eagle eye (trait) An attack on a creature that hasn't moved in its last turn is at advantage, and crits on a 18-20.

Brute

(Brute)

(1) Strength Monk. (trait) The monk's strength is 16, and it can attempt to grapple or shove instead of an unarmed strike.

(2) Might (trait) Attacks on grappled creatures are at advantage, and attacks on prone creatures crit if they hit.

(3) Catch Blow. (reaction) The monk uses its reaction to reduce the damage of a melee attack by 11 (2d10). If it reduces the damage to 0, it is considered to be grappling the target. This special form of grapple can end early if the creature drops their weapon. Until the grapple ends, the creature can't attack with the trapped weapon.

Drunk

(Drunken Fist)

(1) Stumble (trait) After any unarmed strike the monk stumbles. The monk moves 5 feet in a random direction after each unarmed strike, without provoking opportunity attacks.

(2) Lucky dodge. (reaction) When the monk is targeted by an attack, it immediately stumbles and can choose to fall prone.

(3) Stumbling gait. (trait) If the monk stumbles into a creature’s space, that creature must make succeed on a DC15 Strength save or be pushed 5 feet back and fall prone.

Brawler

(Brawler)

(1) Throw Junk. (attack) Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: unarmed strike damage, and the target must succeed on a DC15 Strength save or be pushed 5 feet back.

(2) Don't Care (trait) If the monk has disadvantage on the attack roll of an unarmed strike, it gains advantage on that attack roll.

(3) Knock heads (multiattack) If the monk makes its two attacks on different creatures within 5 feet of each other, and hits both, each creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or stunned until the end of their next turn.

Fire

(Blazing Cinders)

(1) Flame strike. (trait) Unarmed strikes deal an additional 1d4 fire damage.

(2) Ignite (multiattack) If both unarmed strikes hit, the target is on fire and takes 7 (2d6) damage at the start of its turn until it or a creature 5 feet of it uses its action to put it out.

(3) Spreading flames (trait) The monk's unarmed strikes gain 5 feet of reach. When the monk hits an unarmed strike on a creature that is on fire, it can use a bonus action to spread the fire to a creature within 5 feet of the target.

Spider

(Runemarked)

(1) Spellcasting. (trait) Spellcasting. The mage is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The mage has the following wizard spells prepared: Cantrips (at will): Acid spray, thorn whip 2nd level (3 slots): spider climb, Acid Arrow, Web

(2) Palm Sigil. (Multi) The monk casts three cantrips.

(3) Garrote (trait) If the monk hits with an unarmed strike at advantage, the monk can use a bonus action to grapple the target (escape DC 13). Until the grapple ends, the target can't breathe or talk, and you have advantage on attack rolls against it.

Needle

(Golden Needle)

(1) Golden Needle (attack) Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 50/100 ft., one target. Hit: unarmed strike damage. Treated as an unarmed strike for purposes of multiattack.

(2) Healing (trait) The monk can target an ally with its Golden Needle Attack. Instead of rolling an attack roll, that creature gains 11 (2d10) temporary health.

(3) Block Chakra. (trait) A target hit with an attack by this monk has disadvantage on their next saving throw from a hostile creature until the end of their next turn.

Handcrafted monks Stoneheart Monk Medium humanoid (goliath), lawful neutral Armor Class 14

14 Hit Points 32 (5d8 + 10)

32 (5d8 + 10) Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) Skills Athletics +5, Perception +4

Athletics +5, Perception +4 Senses tremorsense 10 ft., passive Perception 14

tremorsense 10 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages Common, Giant

Common, Giant Challenge 2 (450 XP) Enlarge (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). As a bonus action, the monk magically increases in size for 1 minute, along with anything it is wearing or carrying. While enlarged, the monk is Large, doubles its damage dice on Strength-based weapon attacks (included in the attacks), and makes Strength checks and Strength saving throws with advantage. If the monk lacks the room to become Large, it attains the maximum size possible in the space available. Stoneheart Defense. While the monk is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom modifier and uses its Constitution modifier in place of its Dexterity modifier. Unarmored Movement. While the monk is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its walking speed increases by 10 feet (included in its speed). Actions Multiattack. The monk makes two melee attacks. If both attacks hit a Medium or smaller target, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or stunned until the end of their next turn. Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage, or 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage while enlarged. Reactions Parry. The monk adds 2 to its AC against one melee or ranged weapon attack that would hit it. To do so, the monk must see the attacker.



Tattooed Monk Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral Armor Class 13

13 Hit Points 52 / 52 / 52 (24d8 + 48)

52 / 52 / 52 (24d8 + 48) Speed 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 3 (-4) 11 (+0) 6 (-2) Skills Athletics +5, Perception +4

Athletics +5, Perception +4 Senses tremorsense 10 ft., passive Perception 14

tremorsense 10 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages Common, Giant

Common, Giant Challenge 4 (450 XP) Paragon Fortitude. The monk has multiple pools of hit points, each of which is tracked separately. All damage and healing must be completely applied to only one pool. When a pool is reduced to zero, all ongoing conditions and effects affecting the creature end. Once a pool is reduced to zero, that pool cannot receive any healing until after a long rest. If all hit point pools are reduced to zero, the creature is killed. Paragon Insanity. The monk may take two additional turns in each round of combat. The creature gains a +15 to initiative for its first turn. Each subsequent turn the creature gains is inserted immediately after any one PC’s turn in the initiative order. For each hit point pool that has been reduced to zero, the creature spends one of its turns per round under the effect of the confusion spell. Hallucinations. At the end of its turn, the monk is blinded to creature that the monk hit with an attack, until the end of the monk's next turn. Blurring Speed. This monk's teleportation is considered nonmagical. Actions Multiattack. The monk makes two unarmed strikes. If both attacks hit, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or stunned until the end of their next turn. Alpha Strike (Recharge 5-6). The monk teleports up to 25 ft. as many as three times and uses an unarmed strike after each teleport. Roll recharge at the end of each turn. Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.