Way of the Thief

Where other ways of monastic tradition teach their pupils to become masters of using the magical force in all living things, the tradition known as the Way of the Thief teaches its pupils to take advantage of weakness, and that no trick is too dirty if it means success and survival. Many other monasteries disapprove of this way of thinking, and may even consider those who take this path failures. Regardless, they learn to overpower the strongest foes and to withstand blows much stronger than themselves, and to throw punches that throw foes off of their game. Sometimes known as street monks, the students of this school stand up against the harsh system of a civilized world, fighting against a world that tries to keep them under others. What they learn is that when you don't have any further to fall, it's a hell of a lot easier to stand back up.

Breaking Tradition

When you take this tradition at 3rd level, you can use your Intelligence modifier in place of your Wisdom modifier for you Unarmored Defense feature.

Fighting Dirty

Starting at 3rd level, you can unleash a flurry of sneak attacks. When you have advantage on an attack roll you can apply your Martial Arts die again to each attack that hits. You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Thieves' Cant

Starting at 3rd level, you've learned thieves' cant, a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code that allows you to hide messages in seemingly normal conversation. Only another creature that knows thieves' cant understands such messages. It takes four times longer to convey such a message than it does to speak the same idea plainly. In addition, you understand a set of secret signs and symbols used to convey short, simple messages, such as whether an area is dangerous or the territory of a thieves' guild, whether loot is nearby, or whether the people in an area are easy marks or will provide a safe house for thieves on the run.

Brace

As a street monk, you know how to take a beating and how best to absorb the damage of even the hardest hits. Starting at 6th level, as a reaction to taking damage, you can spend 1 ki point to gain resistance to the damage dealt by one attack or damaging effect until the start of your next turn.

Take an Angle

Starting at 11th level, you can spend 3 ki points and an action to identify your opponent’s weak point. You learn what their weakest stat is, and treat all attacks you make against that creature for the rest of the encounter as using that stat in place of the Dexterity portion of their AC.

Life in the Fast Lane

When you reach 17th level, you have become adept at laying ambushes and quickly escaping danger. You can take two turns during the first round of any combat. You take your first turn at your normal initiative and your second turn at your initiative minus 10. You can't use this feature when you are surprised.