Jiu Jitsu - Way of the River's Embrace

Monks of the Way of the River's Embrace are trained to be dynamic and dominant grapplers, like the water of a river, by using fluid artistry to guide their might. Their skills in taking opponents to the ground and manipulating their bodies to execute precise and devastating attacks are rivaled by no other monastic tradition.

Technique over Might

At 3rd level, you learn to protect yourself even while seemingly vulnerable during ground combat. You gain proficiency in the Jiu-Jitsu skill* (which uses your Wisdom modifier to calculate its bonus) and you may use this skill when making checks on a shove or grapple attack instead of using the Athletics skill. When prone and grappling a single prone opponent, attackers do not receive advantage against you because you're prone. In addition, features from The Way of the River's Embrace function as spells for use with the War Caster feat: you gain advantage on Constitution saving throws made to maintain your concentration on a feature from The Way of the River's Embrace when you take damage and when a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to make a grapple attack against the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack.

*You can create a custom skill with proficiency and Wisdom as its primary stat at the bottom of the Skill section of your character sheet

Jiu-Jitsu

At 3rd level, your ability to control your opponent in a grapple develops into an art form.  You may use any of the following features to modify your grappling combat.

Takedown. Take your opponent down to the ground with you. While grappling a creature, you may spend 1 ki point as a bonus action to perform a shove attack to knock your opponent prone and follow them to the ground, becoming prone yourself.

Pull Guard. Position yourself for defensive grappling. While prone and grappling a single prone creature, you may spend 1 ki point as an attack action to get into a defensive position. While using the Pull Guard feature, you are considered having half cover against attacks made by anyone you're not grappling. If the creature you're grappling is a size category larger than you, you are considered having three-quarters cover against attacks made by any creature you're not grappling. This feature counts as an attack for the purposes of using Flurry of Blows. The Pull Guard feature's effects end if the grapple ends, you use movement to stand up, or you use the Mounted Position feature.

Sheltered Guard. Use your grappled opponent to absorb attacks directed at you. If an attack made against you by a creature you're not grappling fails to equal or exceed your Armor Class, but equals or exceeds the Armor Class of the creature you're grappling while using the Pull Guard feature, you may cause the grappled creature to take the damage dealt by that attack as a reaction.

Mounted Position. Mount your opponent on the ground for a dominant attack position. While prone and grappling a single prone creature, you may spend 1 ki point as an attack action to make attacks against that creature as if you were not prone, therefore gaining advantage on those attack rolls. This feature counts as an attack for the purposes of using Flurry of Blows. This effect ends if the grapple ends, you use movement to stand up, or if you use the Pull Guard feature.

Breaking Point

Beginning at 6th level, your ability to manipulate bodies in a fight evolves to wreak catastrophic damage. While grappling a creature using the Pull Guard or Mounted Position feature, you may spend 2 ki points as an action requiring concentration until your next turn to perform one of the following features on that creature:

Choke Hold. You attack your opponent's neck by constricting flow to their brain, attempting to knock them out. While grappling a creature using the Pull Guard or Mounted Position feature, you may spend 2 ki points as an action requiring concentration until your next turn and cause that creature to immediately make a Constitution saving throw. If they fail the saving throw, they become unconscious at the beginning of your next turn. Before becoming unconscious, failing the Constitution saving throw causes the opponent to be unable to speak or perform verbal spell components. If before your next turn the grapple ends, you are unable to maintain concentration on this feature, or you perform any action or reaction, this effect ends. At the end of the target's turn, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect of the Choke Hold feature on a success. Creatures immune to the paralyzed condition cannot be affected by this feature.

Joint Lock. Your positioning and leverage allow you to snap your opponent's limbs like twigs. While grappling a creature using the Pull Guard or Mounted Position feature, you may spend 2 ki points as an action requiring concentration until your next turn to attack an arm or leg on that creature and cause them to immediately make a Strength saving throw. If they fail the saving throw, at the beginning of your next turn, they take 2d10 force damage and lose functionality of the attacked limb. If before your next turn the grapple ends, you are unable to maintain concentration on this feature, or you perform any action or reaction, this effect ends. At the end of the target's turns, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect of the Joint Lock feature on a success. Flexible limbs such as pseudopods or tentacles are not affected by this feature. Weapons, shields, and items may not be used by an arm broken by a joint lock. If both arms have been affected, the opponent may no longer perform somatic components. A bipedal opponent's movement speed is halved if a leg has been affected by a joint lock and they are considered prone and have a movement speed of 0 if both legs have been affected. A Lesser Restoration spell or similar higher level spell or feature can heal a limb break caused by the Joint Lock feature.

Ground and Pound

At 11th level, you become a force of destruction when raining down blows during ground combat. While using the Mounted Position feature, whenever you hit your grappled opponent with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you can roll 2d10 damage in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon, regardless of your current Martial Arts die.

Expert's Focus

Starting at 11th level, the artistry of your techniques surpasses the limits of your strength. You may spend 1 ki point as a reaction while performing a grapple or shove check to add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with the Jiu-Jitsu skill for as long as you maintain concentration on this feature.

Weight of Attrition

Starting at level 17, your crushing grappling abilities become overwhelming to defend against. When grappling a creature, you may spend 3 ki points as an action to initiate another grapple check against that opponent. If the creatures fails the contested grapple check, that creature suffers a level of exhaustion and takes 2d10 force damage. If the creature succeeds on the grapple check, they take half as much damage and suffer no exhaustion.  If the creature succeeds on the check, they are still affected by the grappled condition.