Warrior of the Blade's Path

The path to the peak is walked along a razor's edge. 

Level 3: Path of the Blade

You have devoted yourself to walking the long and treacherous path of the blade. Those who walk this path gain the following benefits:

Expanded Forms. You gain proficiency with Longswords if you don't already have it, and they are treated as Monk weapons for you. 

Foundations of Mastery. You have honed your blade techniques and gained unique mastery over the Longsword. When you roll damage for an attack you make with a Longsword, you can treat any 1 or 2 on a damage die as a 3. Additionally, you gain usage of its Weapon Mastery property. 

Level 3: Blade Arts: Beginner

You have begun grasping the Path of the Blade. Your understanding allows you to use the unique techniques known as Blade Arts.

Blade Arts: Flashstrike. You can make an attack with a Melee weapon as a Bonus Action. 

Blade Arts: Steel Flicker. When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can substitute your Unarmed Strikes with Melee weapon attacks.

Blade Arts: Quicksilver Form. When you take the Attack action on your turn with a Melee weapon, you can use it to defend yourself. You gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class until the start of your next turn, while the weapon is in your hand and you don't have the Incapacitated condition.

Level 6: One with the Blade

Your skill with the blade has grown to the point where you now understand how to cut anything. You gain the following benefits:

• Your attacks with Monk weapons ignore Resistance to Slashing damage.
• Whenever you deal damage with a Monk weapon, it can deal your choice of Force damage or its normal damage type.
• Your attacks with Monk weapons now score a Critical Hit on a roll of 19-20 on a D20 Test. Additionally, when you score a Critical Hit, you regain 1 Focus Point.

Cloud Slash. When you use your Step of the Wind, you can make one Melee weapon attack with a Monk weapon as part of the same Bonus Action.

Level 6: Blade Arts: Intermediate

Your understanding of the Path of the Blade has deepened, allowing you to use the Intermediate Blade Arts.

Blade Arts: Keen Edge. Once per turn when you hit a creature with a Monk weapon and deal damage, you can expend 1 Focus Point to deal extra damage equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die plus your Wisdom modifier. The damage has the same type as the weapon used for the attack.

Blade Arts: Steel Retribution. As a Bonus Action, you can expend 1 Focus Point to sheathe your blade if it isn't already, and take a stance to counter your foes at inhuman speeds. You gain a bonus to your Armor Class equal to your Proficiency Bonus until the start of your next turn, or until you have the Incapacitated condition. For the duration, any time a creature within your Melee weapon's Reach misses an attack against you, or attacks a creature other than you, you can expend 1 Focus Point to rapidly draw your weapon and make a Melee weapon attack against them, before sheathing the weapon again and resuming your stance. Making an attack in this manner does not use your Reaction. 

Level 11: Honed Edge

You gain the ability to truly have the blade become an extension of yourself. You can expend up to 3 Focus Points on your turn to extend your soul and consciousness into one of your Melee weapons, empowering it for 1 minute (no action required). For the duration, that weapon gains a bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to the number of Focus Points expended. Additionally, when you expend 3 Focus Points empowering a weapon using this feature, the weapon gains the following benefits:

• If you hit a creature with a melee attack roll using this weapon, you can make a melee attack roll with the weapon against a second creature within 5 feet of the first that is also within your reach. On a hit, the second creature takes the weapon’s damage, but don’t add your ability modifier to that damage unless that modifier is negative.
• If your attack roll with this weapon misses a creature, you can deal damage to that creature equal to the ability modifier you used to make the attack roll. The damage has the same type as the weapon used for the attack. 
• Attacks made with this weapon score a Critical Hit on a roll of 18-20 on a D20 Test. 

Level 11: Blade Arts: Advanced

You have come far on the Path of the Blade, and now understand how to extend your blade's reach even further, controlling more of the world around you. 

Blade Arts: Void Slash. You can expend 2 Focus Points (no action required) to extend the Reach of a Melee weapon to 30 feet until the end of your turn, as your slashes with that weapon send out shockwaves of pressurized air. 

Blade Arts: Steel Serpent. When a creature enters the Reach you have with your Melee weapon, you can expend 1 Focus Point to use your Reaction and make an Opportunity Attack against that creature. If you use this Blade Art during the duration of your Blade Arts: Steel Retribution, you can use this ability without expending a Focus Point. Additionally, you can make this attack with Advantage, and sheathe the weapon again after the attack, resuming your stance. 

Level 17: The Path's Summit

You have reached the pinnacle of the Path of the Blade. 

The Carved Path. You have Advantage on Melee weapon attacks against creatures that are Bloodied. 

The Summit. When you make an attack roll, and the result is higher than the target's Armor Class by 10 or more, the attack becomes a Critical Hit.

Level 17: Blade Arts: Master

You have walked the Path of the Blade to it's peak and learned to use the ultimate Blade Arts. 

Blade Arts: Omnislash. When you take the Attack action, you can expend 2 Focus Points to forego your second attack and focus all of your intent on a single, powerful slash. This attack has Advantage and scores a Critical Hit on a hit. When you roll damage for this attack, you can instead use the highest number possible for each damage die. 

Blade Arts: Steel Mirage. As an Action, you can expend 6 Focus Points to take a stance and prepare to strike your foes with the superhuman swiftness and precision you have mastered with the blade. You draw your blade and vanish, leaving an afterimage in your place briefly. You then make 5 Melee weapon attacks against targets that you can see within 60 feet of yourself. You can attack one target or several. After each attack, you leave a brief afterimage of yourself within 5 feet of the target, regardless of whether the attack hit. After all 5 attacks are made, you appear in place of one of the afterimages. The other afterimages remain until the start of your next turn. While you are within 5 feet of an afterimage, attacks against you have Disadvantage. A creature who starts their turn within 5 feet of an afterimage must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature believes the afterimage is real. Any creature who attacks an afterimage with a Melee attack takes Slashing damage equal to your Monk level, as the afterimage dissipates.