This is a monk to effectively be a force user, as from the Star Wars universe.
I wanted to make this to try and emulate some of the powers and features from the Star Wars of universe. There is a spoiler from the The Last Jedi film. I thought that the ability to telekinetically affect your environment is too cool a concept to be left to mage hand, bigby's hand and the spell telekinesis, so I wanted to create a martial class that could utlisise these concepts.
My main concern is that is is a lot more flexible than most other monk subclasses, as well as having a lot of text (only slightly less than the base monk class).
So my questions are:
How does this compare to the published monk classes in terms of combat power and flexibility, and utility out of combat?
What language or mechanics in this homebrew aren't in a 5e style? (such as the use of contested checks instead of a save DC)
For balance, what I am most worried about is the range of flexibility the Telekinesis abilities give, from limited self-propulsion to grabbing objects and creatures from far away and moving them to anywhere else within a large radius.
Way of the Force
Monks that follow the Way of the Force have learnt how to use their ki to manipulate their surroundings with their mind, tapping into the energy that inhabits all things.
Telekinesis
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can use your ki to telekinetically manipulate the world around you. You gain the mage hand cantrip if you don’t already know it, and it is invisible.
Force Radius. A force radius of 30 ft that is centered on you defines where you can use ki specific force features. Your force radius increases to 60' at level 11, and increases to 120 ft at level 17.When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks to spend 1 ki point to achieve one of the following effects against a Large or smaller creature, or an object, in your force radius.
Force Shove. You make a Wisdom check (with proficiency) contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (their choice). If you win the contest, you can do one of the following: knock the target prone, push the target up to half your Force Radius directly away from you, or pull the target up to half your Force Radius directly towards you. Unattended objects automatically fail this contested check, and if an object is held by a creature the creature makes the check.
Force Grab. You make a contested Wisdom check against the target’s choice of Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). If you win the contest(see Chapter 7) the target is grappled for one minute while you concentrate on the effect (as if concentrating on a spell). The target can use an action to try and break the grapple, forcing a repeated contested check.
Unattended objects automatically fail this contested check, and if an object is held by a creature the creature makes the check. All objects held in this way can be moved anywhere within your Force Radius of you as an object interaction, and stay aloft in the air at the end of the move if you wish.
You are proficient with both Force Grab and Force Shove.Greater Force Connection
Mind Powers. At level 6 your connection to the Force grows. You gain the ability to cast Charm Person (1 ki point) and Suggestion (2 ki points) using Wisdom as your spellcasting ability modifier. You can cast Charm Person at higher levels by spending one ki point for every level above first level you wish to cast it at, to a maximum total number of ki points of your proficiency modifier.
Life Sense. You can concentrate for a minute and learn the number of creatures within double your force radius, as well as their locations relative to your own. This does not work against undead creatures nor constructs.
Greater Telekinesis. Your Telekinesis abilities now work on Huge or smaller creatures and objects, and you can move creatures with Force Grab as well as objects. When moved in this way, you must use an attack to repeat the contest check against a held creature, but they have disadvantage on the check and nothing happens if they succeed on the check. If they fail, they are moved to a location of your choice within your force radius.
Force Prowess
You can concentrate on any number of effects that you have created via your ki, losing the effects of all of them if you are forced to drop concentration on any of them. You only roll one concentration check for the purposes of maintaining concentration while using this feature.
Additionally, you can apply the effects of Telekinesis to additional creatures beyond the first by spending one ki point for each additional creature, up to a maximum of your proficiency modifier.
Your Telekinesis abilities now work on Gargantuan or smaller creatures and objects.
Finally, when you attempt to Force Grab a creature, you can increase the number of ki points you spend to 3 ki points and try to hold a creature more fully. Instead of being grappled when you succeed on the contested Force Grab check, a target is restrained, and repeats the contested check at the end of each of their turns. When you target additional creatures with this effect you must spend 3 additional ki points for each additional creature.Force Mastery
At 17th level your mastery over your ki and the ki of others is legendary.
- The radius of your life sense increases to 1 mile.
- Creatures remain unaware of the effect you have had on their mind when you use Greater Force Connection abilities on them.
In addition to the features above, you can choose to gain one of the following features:
Force Choke. When a creature is held and restrained by your Force Grab, you can choose to start choking them. As an action on your turn, you can choose one creature that is under the effects of your Force Grab, and start choking them. All breath leaves them, they begin choking, and they become paralyzed. Additionally, you can use an action on following turns to crush the windpipe of any creature that has started choking in this way, reducing them to 0 hit points. Creatures that don't need to breath cannot be reduced to 0 hit points in this way, but can still be paralyzed by this feature. If a creature manages to escape your Force Grab, they are no longer choking.
Force Lightning. As an action on your turn, you can spend 5 ki points to start spewing lightning at your foes, concentrating on this effect for up to one minute. A beam of lightning flashes out from your hand in a 5-foot-wide, 120-foot-long line. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 10d6 lightning damage. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage. You can create a new line of lightning as your bonus action on any subsequent turn until your concentration ends, without having to spend further ki points. These lines of lightning vanish at the end of your turn.
Spoilered feature below
Additional Force Mastery feature (17th level) option:
Force Projection. As an action on your turn, you can cast Mislead by spending 5 ki points. Instead of the duplicate appearing where you are, however, you can choose to make the duplicate appear within 30ft of an ally you are aware of on the same plane of existence as yourself.