Monastic Tradition
Comments from the Finger: I know, I know: we already did this one. Well, joke’s on us, because we needed to take another crack at it. Some playtesting has pointed out some problems with the previous build, plus we generally wanted to simplify it down and balance it more tightly. After all, the Soul Knife is the Jedi of the D&D world, so we really wanted to get this one right.
Way of the Soul Knife
Though monks of every tradition are known for their immense force of will, only those that devote themselves to the Way of the Soul Knife can truly say that their mind is their deadliest weapon. Warriors who follow this ancient tradition learn to focus their willpower into a scintillating weapon, capable of cleaving through armor and flesh with relative ease. With focus and discipline, they can channel their ki to manipulate the minds of others or shape their weapon into a myriad of forms, each more deadly than the last.
Psychic Blade
Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to manifest a weapon of psychic energy. On your turn, you can create a luminous weapon made of pure psionic energy in your empty hand (no action required). This weapon lasts until you dismiss it (requiring no action), you release your grip on it (vanishing at the end of your turn), or you fall unconscious.
Your psychic blade is a one-handed monk weapon which deals 1d6 slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage on a hit (your choice when you manifest the weapon), and it is treated as magical for the purposes of overcoming damage resistance and immunity. As a bonus action when you use the Attack action to make an attack with your psychic blade, you can spend 1 ki point to make an additional attack with it.
Your psychic blades damage die gets larger at you gain levels in the monk class. It increases to 1d8 at 5th level, 1d10 at 11th level, and 1d12 at 17th level.
Psionic Savant
Starting at 6th level, you can use your ki to duplicate the effects of certain spells. As an action, you can spend 2 ki points to cast charm person, invisibility, levitate, or thunderwave without providing somatic or material components, and you gain the mage hand cantrip. When you cast mage hand, you can choose to make the spectral hand invisible. If a spell requires a saving throw to avoid its effects, the saving throw is made against your Ki save DC.
Shape Blade
Starting at 11th level, when you manifest your psychic blade, you can choose to shape your blade into a form of your choosing, selecting from one of the following options when you manifest it:
Duality Blades. You manifest a pair of identical psychic blades, one in each hand. The damage die of these psychic blades is 1d6, even if your Martial Arts damage die is larger. You can make three attacks, rather than one, when you use your bonus action to attack with your psychic blades.
At 17th level, the damage of these weapons increases to 1d8.
Id Cleaver. Your psychic blade crystallizes into a scintillating construct, brimming with power. On a hit with your psychic blade, you deal an additional 1d4 psychic damage.
Mind Javelin. Your psychic blade gains the Thrown (60/120) property, and it returns to your hand immediately after each attack. Additionally, the javelin curves through the air in response to your thoughts. Ranged attacks made with your mind javelin ignore half and three-quarters cover
Psychic Glaive. Your psychic blade becomes a two-handed weapon, gains the Reach property and counts as a polearm. You can use your action to make a melee attack with your psychic blade against any number of creatures within your reach, with a separate attack roll for each target.
Mindbreak
Starting at 17th level, once on each of your turns when you hit with your psychic blade, you can spend 4 ki points to cast the spell feeblemind on the target.
Changelog:
12/2/17: Psychic Blade: Damage progression was missing! Psychic blade is always one step better than unarmed strike. Treated as magical from level 3
Psionic Savant: Thunderwave added
Shape Blade: Simplified
Knife to the Soul: Replaced with Mindbreak
12/3/17: Mindbreak: Cost increased to 4 ki points
12/4/17: Psionic Savant: Doesn’t require somatic components
