Cheat Death worked really well for Rogues in WoW and blizzard managed to balance it to the point where it didn't become OP'ed. I don't think it will be an issue for Monks. It's a really nice fall back for when you get a unlucky dogde chain. Unlike the Barb who midigates damage via armor at more consistant rate, the Monks relies on dodge which is a lot more random. A few burst hits that dont doge could kill you.
I agree that Near Death would prolly have some problems in PvP. It seems pretty obvious that some people are going to cry OP about this passive. Just from the fact that your spirit is also restored, I feel that you can just go "Oh, I died. Let's wait for Near Death to kick in then just heal back up using Breath of Heaven, Transcendence, and Mantra of Healing." Of course, I'm not really aware of the exact numbers of those skills, or how they synergize with each other, so I may be completely wrong :/
PvE, on the other hand, doesn't seem to hold that many problems. Sure it will probably end up as a crutch for many new players in Normal, and maybe Nightmare, but I feel that in the higher difficulties it won't help out that much, especially if Inferno is what Blizz is making it out to be
PvE, on the other hand, doesn't seem to hold that many problems. Sure it will probably end up as a crutch for many new players in Normal, and maybe Nightmare, but I feel that in the higher difficulties it won't help out that much, especially if Inferno is what Blizz is making it out to be