Monk Monastic tradition - Way of Mind and Blade (PEACH)

[Yaalsh]

I recently found a thread that tried to create a 5e version of a class named Soul Knife that existed in 3.5.
personally I haven't heard of the class until I stumbled this thread and just from the name it sounded to me like a pretty cool Monk archetype.
disclaimer: I don't know any thing about the class except it's name.

Spoiler: First Draft

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Way of Mind and Blade
Monks who follow the Way of Mind and Blade learned how to use their Ki in such a way that expands their mind and allows them to shape their Ki into blades sharper than any blade. These monks tend to travel light like nomads and have no monasteries in the traditional way, they teach their ways to any interested creature they encounter after he has proven himself to the master.

Tuned Mind
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn how to create links between your mind and the mind of others. You can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see within 100 feet of you. You don’t need to share a language with a creature for it to understand your telepathic utterances, and the creature understands you even if it lacks a language. You can allow a creature to respond to you telepathically, but it must understand at least one language in order to communicate this way. You can only communicate telepathically with 1 creature at a time. As an action, you can spend 1 Ki point and see through a willing creature's eyes and hear what he hears gaining the benefits of any special senses that the creature has. During this time, you are deaf and blind in regard to your own senses.
Ki Blades
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level you learn how to shape Ki into blades, as a free action you can create a Ki blade around your fists changing the damage type of your unarmed strikes from Bludgeoning into Force.
Iron hide
At 6th level you've learned how use you Ki in such way that allows you to deflect certain attacks, as a reaction you can spend up to 6 Ki points, gaining +1 AC for each Ki point you spend. You spend these points after learning the attack’s result but before applying its effects.
Mind Over Matter
At 11th level your Ki is weaved all around defends you from harms of spells. You gain advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Psi Blades
At 17th level your Ki blades became an extension of your body. Your unarmed strike count as a weapon with the Reach property. Additionally, as a bonus action you can spend 3 Ki points creating a storm of Ki blades around you forcing all creatures within 10' of you must succeed a Dex save. On a failed save they take 3d10 Force damage and are pushed 10' away from you.

Edit:
Changes:

• Changed Force damage to Slashing damage
• Changed Iron hide to Mental barrier(refluff)
• Removed Mind over Matter since it gave 14th or higher level monks almost immunity to spells
• Added Undeceivable Mind, giving monks at 11th level short ranged blindsight
• Changed the Psi blades storm feature from "creatures that failed Dexsave are shoved 10' away" to "creatures that failed the Dex save can't take reactions until the end of your next turn.

Spoiler: Second Draft

Show

Way of Mind and Blade
Monks who follow the Way of Mind and Blade learned how to use their Ki in such a way that expands their mind and allows them to shape their Ki into blades sharper than any blade. These monks tend to travel light like nomads and have no monasteries in the traditional way, they teach their ways to any interested creature they encounter after he has proven himself to the master.

Tuned Mind
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn how to create links between your mind and the mind of others. You can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see within 100 feet of you. You don’t need to share a language with a creature for it to understand your telepathic utterances, and the creature understands you even if it lacks a language. You can allow a creature to respond to you telepathically, but it must understand at least one language in order to communicate this way. You can only communicate telepathically with 1 creature at a time. As an action, you can spend 1 Ki point and see through a willing creature's eyes and hear what he hears gaining the benefits of any special senses that the creature has. During this time, you are deaf and blind in regard to your own senses.
Ki Blades
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level you learn how to shape Ki into blades, as a free action you can create a Ki blade around your fists changing the damage type of your unarmed strikes from Bludgeoning into Slashing.
Mental Barrier
At 6th level you've learned how use you Ki in such way that allows you to block physical attacks, as a reaction you can spend up to 6 Ki points, gaining +1 AC for each Ki point you spend. You spend these points after learning the attack’s result but before applying its effects.
Undeceivable Mind
At 11th level your Ki flows all around you, allowing you to feel and see things the way they truly are. You gain Blindsight to a range of 30'
Psi Blades
At 17th level your Ki blades became an extension of your body. Your unarmed strike count as a weapon with the Reach property. Additionally, as a bonus action you can spend 3 Ki points creating a storm of Ki blades around you forcing all creatures within 10' of you must succeed a Dex save. On a failed save they take 3d10 Slashing damage and can't take reactions until the end of your next turn.

I also made it in a pretty website for homebrew stuff for 5e: http://www.naturalcrit.com/homebrew/share/E1njyA_3x (Edit: sadly the link will only show the latest draft)
Thanks in advance for any help

[PallentisLunam]

Hey, I object to the characterization of my thread as an attempt to recreate the Soul Knife

OP for the inspiration thread.

This is definitely a different direction than I want to go but it's still pretty cool. Mind if I steal it as an option for future campaigns?

A couple of things that I notice that maybe could use tweaking:

• Wouldn't Psychic damage make more sense than Force for the Ki Blades?

• Iron Hide doesn't really seem to fit well in the archetype. Maybe it just needs refluffing though

• I like the Psi Blades power, a nice little AoE, but will 3d10 really do that much at 17th level? And maybe include a miss effect? This one I'm in favor of being Force because of the push effect

[JNAProductions]

Mind Over Matter is too much, especially combined with Monk's proficiency in all saves.

I'd make it slashing damage, since they are blades.

3d10 at level 17 is still pretty good. But I'd make it a tad cheaper.

[Yaalsh]

Hey, I object to the characterization of my thread as an attempt to recreate the Soul Knife

OP for the inspiration thread.

This is definitely a different direction than I want to go but it's still pretty cool. Mind if I steal it as an option for future campaigns?

Firstly, as long as it is not commercial use you have my full permission to use this archetype.

Damage type

• Wouldn't Psychic damage make more sense than Force for the Ki Blades?

• I like the Psi Blades power, a nice little AoE, but will 3d10 really do that much at 17th level? And maybe include a miss effect? This one I'm in favor of being Force because of the push effect

I'd make it slashing damage, since they are blades.

I changed the damage type to slashing after looking at your comments and looking at the spells that deal force and psychic damage at the PHB and deciding that they both don't fit well with the theme since Force damage is usually blunt magical objects, and Psychic damage is a mental attack targeting the mind of the target not her body. Additionally I changed the shove of Ki blade storm into no reactions until the end of the monks next turn because as you said the shove fits the Force damage.

Iron hide
refluffed and renamed Mental Barrier

Mind over matter

Mind Over Matter is too much, especially combined with Monk's proficiency in all saves.

I hadn't thought about it and after rereading the Diamond soul feature I concluded that Mind over Matter would practically give the monks spell immunity, so I changed this feature entirely.

[ThatKreacher]

not sure how I feel about Iron hide. It's a really ****ty shield, which is a 1st level spell that grants you +5 AC for the rest of the turn. 2 ki points is equal to a shield spell I believe(1 + x ki points per spell level?) or something like that. If anything, I would make it a 1 ki activation for uncanny dodge, or a ki-activated proficiency bonus to AC, basically defensive duelist but with ki blades? a direct transcription of the ability wouldn't be overpowered or unbalancing I don't think. You'd get it a level later, and it's how the DMG recommends it? 1 ki point for an uncanny dodge? Just a thought