Way of the Bladeless Sword (5e Subclass)
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Way of the Bladeless Sword[edit]
Monk Subclass
The Way of the Bladeless Sword’s name comes from a different place than most. Instead of a deeper meaning related to its practice, it is closer to a demonstration. Acolytes of the tradition specialize in a very specific practice with melee weapons, unsheathing, attacking, and resheathing so fast that it’s nearly impossible to tell they’ve swung. Such odd techniques allow them to strike without anyone seeing a hit coming.
- Bladeless Fundamentals
No acolyte can practice these techniques without knowing how to use a weapon. At 3rd level, you gain the following benefits.
- You gain proficiency with martial melee weapons without the heavy property. They count as monk weapons for you.
- You do not need to hold a weapon to make attacks with it, so long as it is on your person, and the hands you would need to hold it are empty.
- Predictive Stance
Also at 3rd level, you can take a bonus action and spend a ki point to enter the bladeless stance until the start of your next turn. While you have a monk weapon on your person, and a creature willingly enters within 10 feet of you, you may make an opportunity attack against them, using a reaction.
- Gathering Storm
Starting at 6th level, you gain the following benefits.
- Attacks you make with monk weapons count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage.
- Whenever you hit something from an opportunity attack granted by Predictive Stance, you deal an extra die of damage, as the same damage die for the weapon.
- Honed Strikes
You have learned to strike so fast that even the most deft can’t imagine blocking the hit. Starting at 11th level, when you make an attack with a monk weapon, you may spend 2 ki points to ignore the target’s bonuses to AC from things such as a shield, the haste spell, the Parry reaction, and other effects which directly increase AC. This does not affect the AC granted by armor, natural armor, or otherwise.
- First Strike
Every part of you moves as fast as your sword. Starting at 17th level, when you roll initiative, you may spend 4 ki points to treat your initiative score for this round as if it were the highest. The first hit you land with a monk weapon deals an extra 5d10 damage for that round.
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