Monks of Ilmater often travel as wanderers, begging
for alms, seeking enlightenment, and relieving the suf-
fering of others. They tend to follow the Way of the Open
Hand, as described in the Monastic Tradition class fea-
ture in the Player's Handbook..THE SUN SOULS
The Sun Soul monks follow a monastic tradition that
they believe has its roots in the ancient empire of Neth-
eril. In their philosophy, living things harbor a fragment
of the sun's mystic essence within them. Just as the body
has a shadow, so too does the spirit have a light. That
light is called the sun soul. Brothers and sisters of the
Order of the Sun Soul train to tap into the "spiritual
light within" and manifest it as supernatural feats of
prowess and endurance. Members of this order follow
the Way of the Sun Soul, which is described in the "Mo-
nastic Traditions" section below.
To get in touch with their internal light, Sun Soul
monks follow a strict code of ascetic conduct called the
Precepts of Incandescence. It emphasizes three pillars:
Seek physical perfection. To open the way for the
sun soul to manifest, one should strive to make the
body beautiful. Fitness, cleanliness, and well-honed
physicality create a clearer window through which the
light can shine.
Seek spiritual virtue. Recognize the light in others, not
just the darkness. Grant and take each new chance to
be virtuous.
Shine light into darkness. Share the soul's light with
the world. Light up dark places with your presence
and banish shadow.
Due to the precepts' similarity to the teachings of
some faiths, the Order of the Sun Soul has long had
associations with temples and the faithful of three par-
ticular deities: Sune, SelQne, and Lathander. The dictate
to seek physical perfection and recognize hidden virtue
has similarity to Sune's teachings about physical and
spiritual beauty. Followers of SelQne recognize their
goddess's exhortation to battle darkness and seek vir-
tue. And of course, Lathander's association with the sun
links to the Sun Soul philosophy, but more critically for
worshipers of Lathander, they see the idea of granting
and taking new chances as similar to Lathander's em-
phasis on new beginnings.LONG DEATH MONKS
Followers of the Way of the Long Death worship the
principle of death more so than any deity of death.
These monks seek the secrets of life by studying death
itself. It is the condition of being dead that concerns
them most, and not what lies beyond; the afterlife holds
little interest for them. Their monasteries are full of
decaying, dying, and dead animal and plant specimens,
which they study with detached interest. They frequently
purchase rare specimens from adventurers and mer-
chants that they can't obtain easily themselves. But such
studies are only part of the monks' daily life: They seek
to understand death as it pertains especially to intelli-
gent living beings, and to this end they eagerly welcome
the diseased and the dying so that they might watch and
CHAPTER 4 I CLASSES
record their deaths. If such unfortunates seek release
from pain through death, the monks provide it. They
view death as a gift that they bestow on those who are
ready for it. Their means of determining readiness vary
from one sect (or even one monk) to another.
The monks suffer no moral qualms about these deeds,
for death is the most natural thing in the world, from
their perspective, and to expire in service to its principle
is one of the most profoundly holy experiences a living
being can hope to enjoy. It is for this reason that the
monks themselves do not fear death.
Most of the order's members are either scholars who
share mutual fascination with death and dying or clergy
who worship one of the deities concerned with death.
Some of the monks consider themselves to be nothing
less than visionaries whose work will pave the way for
a better future for all FaerQn. When death is truly un-
derstood, it can be harnessed and used as a tool for the
betterment of all, or so they rationalize to themselves.
Monks of this tradition follow the Way of the Long
Death, which is described in the "Monastic Traditions"
section below.THE YIELDING WAY
The monastic order of Eldath is the Disciples of the
Yielding Way, sometimes known as the Brothers and
Sisters of the Open Palm. These monks guard sacred
sites where many priests dwell, and they travel the coun-
tryside gathering information for isolated groves and
fastnesses. They don't ever seek to provoke violence,
but are quite deadly when defending themselves, their
charges, and their holy sites.MONASTIC TRADITIONS
Monks in the Forgotten Realms have the following
Monastic Tradition options, in addition to those in the
Player's Handbook.WAY OF THE LONG DEATH
Monks of the Way of the Long Death are obsessed with
the meaning and mechanics of dying. They capture
creatures and prepare elaborate experiments to capture,
record, and understand the moments of their demise.
They then use this knowledge to guide their understand-
ing of martial arts, yielding a deadly fighting style.TOUCH OF DEATH
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level,
your study of death allows you to extract vitality from an-
other creature as it nears its demise. When you reduce
a creature within 5 feet of you to 0 hit points, you gain
temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier+
your monk level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).HOUR OF REAPING
At 6th level, you gain the ability to unsettle or terrify
those around you as an action, for your soul has been
touched by the shadow of death. When you take this ac-
tion, each creature within 30 feet of you that can see you
must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be fright-
ened of you until the end of your next turn.