Lacer

As a lacer, you have the supernatural ability to manipulate your element. When you take your 1st level in this class, you must choose an element: fire, air, water, or earth. From that point on, you are a firelacer, airlacer, waterlacer, or earthlacer. You can't choose another element, even if you later get to choose again.

Bonus Proficiencies

You gain several bonus proficiencies, which vary depending on your element:

If you already have proficiency in the skills you gain for your lacer bonus proficiency, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses that proficiency.

Basic Lacing

You gain your element's Basic Lacing abilities (Firelacing, Airlacing, Waterlacing, Earthlacing).

At 1st level, your practice with lacing allows you to blast an opponent with an elemental strike. You can use your elemental strike when you make an attack. Your elemental strike has the following properties:

• You roll a d6 for the damage of your elemental strike. This die changes as you gain lacer levels, as shown in the Elemental Strike column of the Lacer Table. Your elemental strike deals bludgeoning damage.

• Your elemental strike is a ranged weapon with a normal range of 20 feet or a long range of 60 feet. When attacking a target beyond the normal range, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. You can't attack a target beyond the strike's long range.

  Despite being a ranged weapon, you do not have disadvantage on attack rolls with your elemental strike when a hostile creature is within 5 feet of you, nor when attacking a creature that is prone within 20 feet of you.

• You can use Strength instead of Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls of your elemental strike.
• When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can choose to avoid killing them with your elemental strike, leaving them unconscious.
• When you take the Attack action with a weapon with which you have proficiency on your turn (including your elemental strike), you can make one elemental strike as a bonus action.

Ki points represent the mystical energy that affords you power over your element. You begin with 1 ki point and gain additional ki points as you gain lacer levels, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Lacer table.

You can spend these points to fuel various ki features. You start knowing three such features: Deflection, Power Blow, and Surprising Angle. You learn more ki features as you gain levels in this class.

When you spend a ki point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended ki back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest quietly meditating to regain your ki points.

Some of your ki features require an attack modifier or require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The ability modifier you use is different depending on your element. Firelacers and earthlacers use their Charisma since their ki is powered by their strength of spirit and force of will. Airlacers and waterlacers use Wisdom, as their power comes from intuition and insight.

Firelacers and Earthlacers

Ki Save DC = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Charisma Modifier

Ki Attack Modifier = Proficiency Bonus + Charisma Modifier

Airlacers and Waterlacers

Ki Save DC = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Wisdom Modifier

Ki Attack Modifier = Proficiency Bonus + Wisdom Modifier

Deflection

You can spend 1 ki point as a reaction to deflect or dissipate an elemental strike, form attack, or spell attack that would deal damage to you. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your ki ability modifier + your lacer level.

Power Blow

When you hit an enemy with an elemental strike, you can spend 1 ki point to force the enemy to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the enemy is pushed 10 feet away from you.

Surprising Angle

When you make an attack against a creature with an elemental strike, you can spend 1 ki point to hit the target from any angle, not simply in a straight line. This allows you to ignore the effects of any amount of cover except for total cover.

At 2nd level, you begin to develop your own fighting style. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

• Archery
• Defense
• Power Strikes
• Superior Range

At 2nd level, you begin to wield absolute control and authority over your element. In addition to basic effects, you learn amazing powers to drive your foes before you.

Form Levels

Forms Known

You know three 1st-level forms of your choice from your element's form list.

Initiating Forms

Your forms are ki features, and so you must spend ki points to initiate these forms. You spend the number of ki points shown on the Form Levels table in order to initiate a form.

Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with an elemental strike, you can expend 1 ki point to deal an additional 1d8 damage to the target.

You can spend 1 additional ki point on this ability at 5th, 11th, and 17th levels. For each ki point you spend, you deal an additional 1d8 damage on the attack.

At 3rd level, you begin to follow a style of lacing, mastering the forms of those who have come before you. Many lacers choose Ten Animals style, mimicking animal movements with their lacing forms. Lacers of each element have also studied styles unique to their element. Eastern Shaolin (fire), Eight Palms (air), Moon (water), and Western Mantis (earth) styles are available to lacers of the appropriate element. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Many lacing styles arose in various combative sporting arenas around the world. Different lacers began to develop their own styles, and then copy one another until some similar fighting styles emerged. The most popular style is called the Ten Animals, so named because practitioners of this style learn various powers that mimic animal movements and abilities.

Other styles have been developed by those who follow only certain elements. Firelacers developed the Eastern Shaolin style, modeled on draconic might and power. Airlacers formed the Eight Palms style, meant to keep those who practice it out of harm's way. Waterlacers created Moon style, which follows the push and pull of battle. Earthlacers developed Western Mantis style, which is all about waiting and and listening to one's opponents.

As you gain levels, you begin to unlock features that vary depending on your element. These features follow the skandha, the five aspects that constitute a person's being. At 3rd level, you gain the first of these, the skandha of matter.

Fire. When you successfully attack an enemy, you can spend 2 ki points to force the enemy to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the enemy is knocked prone. Whenever a target is knocked prone in this way, the target has disadvantage on the first attack it makes before the end of its next turn.

Air. You can spend 2 ki points as a reaction whenever you are subject to a melee weapon attack to take the Disengage action and move up to half your speed, avoiding the attack.

Water. You can spend 1 ki point to use waterlacing to perform a grapple against a target within 20 feet of you so long as you have at least one hand free. You may substitute a Wisdom (Athletics) for your Strength (Athletics) rolls to grapple until the grapple ends. While grappling a target in this way, you can substitute any amount of your own movement to move your target anywhere within range on your turn. You are still limited to half of your normal movement for grappling a creature.

Earth. You can spend 1 ki point as a reaction whenever you are hit with an attack to gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Charisma modifier until the start of your next turn, including against the triggering attack.

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Starting at 7th level, you are able to push yourself past your normal limits. As a bonus action, you can regain 2 ki points, up to your maximum number of ki points. When you use this feature, you must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, you suffer one level of exhaustion.

Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.

At 7th level, you gain the skandha of sensation for your element.

Fire. When you make your first elemental attack on your turn, you can choose to attack recklessly. Until the end of your turn, you have advantage on elemental attack rolls, but attack rolls against you have advantage.

Air. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only take half damage if you fail.

Water. You gain a swim speed of 30 feet and have advantage on all Athletics (Swim) checks made to swim. Ice and snow are no longer difficult terrain for you.

In addition, you have advantage on elemental strike attacks made while both you and your target are underwater.

Earth. When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack's damage against you.

At 11th level, you gain the skandha of cognition for your element.

Fire. You can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack with your elemental strike against any creature that strikes an ally within 20 feet of you.

Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against the effects of extremely hot environments.

Air. If you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 60 feet of you.

Additionally, you are acclimated to altitudes up to 20,000 feet.

Water. You can spend 1 ki point to take the Help action as a bonus action. You can take the Help action to aid a friendly creature in attacking a target within 20 feet of you which doe not have total cover from you.

Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against the effects of extremely cold environments.

Earth. You cannot be surprised by creatures which are touching the ground within 30 feet of you.

Additionally, you are unaffected by heavy precipitation and can make Wisdom (Perception) checks normally in such conditions.

At 15th level, you gain the skandha of volition for your element.

Fire When you are prone, you can stand up using only 5 feet of movement.

Air Your ki sustains your body so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can't be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however.

Water. Your knowledge of how to read people allows you to use Wisdom in place of Charisma when making Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion checks.

Earth. Whenever you make an Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion check related to stonework, earthlacing effects, or spells that alter the earth, you are considered proficient in the skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check.