Way of the Bladeless Sword

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 re-sheathing 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 without needing to use 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 deftest 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.