Credit: Kyounghwan Kim

The Way of the Fiery Serpent

Disciples of the Fiery Serpent tradition, though best known for their intricate tattoos and long meditations in the baking sun, are feared among the most formidable practitioners of martial arts, as their ability to corrupt another's Ki is unrivaled. Focusing their own Ki, their lighting fast melee strikes and caustic ranged attacks can tear their foes apart from both within and out, often leaving them debilitated and begging for mercy.

Emulating the various serpents from which they take their name, they also develop defenses and senses that augment their potent abilities.

Fiery Serpent Technique

When you select this tradition at level 3, your gain certain aspects of the venomous serpents you emulate. You learn the Acid Splash cantrip, mimicking the caustic spit of the cobra. When you cast this cantrip, any creature that fails its saving throw by more than five is blinded until the end of its next turn.

Additionally, whenever you strike an opponent with your Flurry of Blows ability, you can spend 1 ki point to add your Wis modifier in necrotic damage (minumim 1).

Blood of the Kingsnake

At level six your constitution allows you protection against certain damaging effects, akin to a Kingsnake's immunity to other venoms. You may choose to have resistance to either acid or necrotic damage. You also gain the ability to cast Detect Poison and Disease for 2 ki points without the need for material components.

Eyes of the Viper

Your body and mind become perfectly in tune with your surroundings. At 11th level you gain blindsight out to 10 feet. This range increases to 15 feet at level 14 and 20 feet at level 17.

Bite of the Cobra

Starting at 17th level, you are able to lethally envenom a target. When you strike a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you can spend 5 ki points to fatally corrupt the ki in its body. When it is struck, and for the next five rounds, the creature takes 2d10 necrotic damage at the beginning of its turn. When it takes this damage it must role a constitution saving throw. Every failure adds one level of exhaustion to the creature. After 2 successful saves the creature no longer need make the saving throw, but will take one additional 2d10 in necrotic damage, after which the effect ends.

A creature can only be under the effects of one Bite of the Cobra at a time. Constructs and undead are immune to this ability.