Ascetic

A would-be monk, disillusioned with the callous treatment of her peers who were unable to complete the training, ventures off in search of a new master. After weeks of braving the high altitude and freezing winds of some remote mountain range she finally sees her new master. A human wearing a few thin simple robes, legs crossed, eyes closed, levitating 10ft above the peak of the mountaintop.

An elf, sensing danger encroaching in on her weary party, closes her eyes, steps forward and strikes a defensive stance while a warm alluring glow surrounds her body - daring anyone to attack her.

A Githyanki warrior is taunted by his Githzerai prey who steps through a portal only to reemerge behind the warrior, blasting him with a powerful burst of ki.

Ascetics are masters of meditation and ki manipulation. While monks harness the ki produced from their own bodies, through meditation and study ascetics have learned to pull ki energy from their surroundings. After channeling the ki through their bodies they can manipulate it to augment natural abilities or to alter reality around them. Because the source of their power is from their surroundings and not their own body, an ascetic can almost never be caught unprepared.

Studies and Meditations Like monks, ascetics are typically found in monasteries. There they take on a variety of roles from record keeper to healer to spiritual leader. When not preforming chores for the monastery, an ascetic can usually be found in a lesson with a student or master, reading some ancient text, or meditating. While every member of a monastery meditates to some extent, it can be said that the ascetics have perfected the art of meditation. A true ascetic will be able to calm their mind in an instant and remain focused as long as they desire. Some orders are even formed entirely around this purpose and have their students train in the layers of Pandemonium and Limbo. The uninitiated might believe an ascetic's meditation to be relaxing; simply thumbing through prayer beads or muttering a mantra under their breath. In reality their mind is singly focused on understanding a particular lesson from their master, a passage from a text, or a technique they are trying to perfect. This type of meditation is more akin to practice for an ascetic than the sleep-like trance that elves are accustomed to.