Monks of The Way of the Intercepting Fist condition their minds and their bodies to operate with unnatural speed, and unparalleled intelligence, granting them near-precognitive abilities in battle. In combat, they are philosophical in their approach, academic in their study, and absolutely brutal in execution. They have the ability to quickly identify and exploit their opponent’s weaknesses while harnessing their ki to deliver lethal blows and punishing counters.

Intercept

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, your exceptional speed grants you the ability to anticipate combat and counter melee weapon attacks made against you. You gain the following benefits:

• You become proficient with Improvised Weapons.
• You gain +5 movement speed.
• You cannot be surprised.
• Whenever a creature makes a successful melee weapon attack against you, the damage is reduced by an amount equal to your Monk level plus your Proficiency Bonus. Additionally, you can use your reaction to attempt a melee weapon attack against that creature if it is within 5 feet.

Formless

At 6th level, your exceptional physical and mental speed grant you advantage when you roll for initiative, as well as the following abilities:

• Flow - You can spend 1 ki point to increase your movement speed by +10 until the end of your next turn. Your movement while Flowing does not provoke opportunity attacks and you are unaffected by difficult terrain.
• Adapt - You can spend 1 ki point to observe a creature’s every move and exploit the weaknesses in their technique, granting your next successful melee weapon attack against that target additional damage equal to your Monk level plus your Proficiency Bonus.
• Feint - You can spend 1 ki point to distract a creature within 5 feet of you, granting advantage to the next attack against the creature.
• Redirect - When a creature within 5 feet of you succeeds on a melee weapon attack against a target other than you, as a reaction, you can spend 2 ki points to attempt to redirect the attack. The target must make a saving throw against your Ki save DC to resist the effects of your Redirect. On a failed save, the damage of the creature's attack on its target is reduced by half.

Sage Combatant

Beginning at 11th level, you are better able to read the battlefield. At the beginning of an encounter, time slows as you examine your opponents. You may choose one of the following questions to ask your DM:

• Which opponent appears to be the most dangerous?
• Which opponent looks the best defended (Highest AC)?
• Which opponent looks the least defended (Lowest AC)?
• Which opponent looks the healthiest (Highest health)?
• Which opponent looks the least healthy (Lowest health)?

Per DM discretion, ability checks on the information learned can reveal additional details.

Fury

At 17th level, you have mastered The Way of The Intercepting Fist and can exploit a creature's vulnerabilities to deliver a decisive strike with such speed and savagery that it can be felt by nearby enemies. You can spend 4 ki points to immediately make a single unarmed strike on a creature for 8d10 thunder damage. The creature must also succeed on a saving throw against your ki save DC or fall prone. All other hostile creatures within a 10 foot radius must also succeed on a CON saving throw or be pushed 5 feet away from you in a straight line.