Way of The Hidden Serpent

Martial Inspiration: Pencak Silat + Snake Style Kung Fu

The serpent strikes not in fury, but with rhythm and poison. Practitioners of the Hidden Serpent move through silence and shadow, coiling around defenses, breaking balance, and delivering disabling strikes with unnerving precision. To strike you is to strike empty air. To ignore you is to invite death.

(3rd Level)

Coiled Fang Initiate

Martial Arts Weapons:
You are proficient with the serpent-dagger, hooked shortblades, and chain-darts. These are martial arts weapons for you.

Serpent’s Coil
When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or a martial arts weapon, you may immediately impose one of the following (no save, once per turn):

• Unbalance: The target cannot take reactions until the start of its next turn.
• Flicker: You may move 5 feet without provoking attacks.
• Feint: You have advantage on your next melee attack against that creature before the end of your next turn.

Poison Dance
When you deal damage with an unarmed strike, you can choose to deal poison damage instead of the normal type. If the target takes poison damage twice in one turn, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + Proficiency + Wisdom) or become Poisoned until the end of your next turn.

(6th Level)

Hidden in the Slither

Shadow Flow
If you take the Hide action on your turn, you may spend 1 Focus Point to immediately make an unarmed strike or martial arts weapon attack from hiding. On a hit, the target takes extra damage equal to your Martial Arts die and must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be grappled by a coiling constriction of shadow-energy until the start of your next turn.

Split Vision
You gain Blindsight 10 ft as long as you're not blinded or restrained. You also gain advantage on initiative rolls.

(10th Level)

Serpent Mirror Technique

Your body reacts before thought, your motions unreadable.

• When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and 1 Focus Point to make a free melee attack against them. If it hits, they must make a Wisdom saving throw or be Staggered (speed halved and disadvantage on opportunity attacks) until the end of their next turn.
• When you take the Dodge action, you can disengage as part of the same action without spending movement or Focus.

(14th Level)

Shroud of the Serpent God

You fully awaken the serpentine motion of the ancestral Taipan. You become a living spirit of evasion and dismemberment.

As a bonus action, you may spend 3 Focus Points to enter the Serpent Shroud for 1 minute:

• You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from weapon attacks.
• You can’t be grappled or restrained unless you allow it.
• When you hit a creature with two melee attacks in a turn, it takes an extra Martial Arts die of poison damage and must save or be poisoned for 1 minute (Con save ends at end of each turn).
• When poisoned creatures attack you, they have disadvantage.

You may use this ability once per long rest without spending Focus Points.