Way of the Flowing Mind

Monks of the Flowing Mind ride combat like a song they already know. Each breath tightens focus; each step refines posture; each exchange feeds a calm, predatory rhythm called Flow. These street-born savants learn to press an opening, chase a stagger, and keep tempo long after lesser fighters tire.

FLOW

Flow Pool. Your Flow represents fight momentum. Your maximum Flow equals your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus.

Gaining Flow. You gain 1 Flow (each trigger at most once per turn) when:

• You hit a creature with an unarmed strike.
• You take Patient Defense and at least one attack against you misses before your next turn.
• You use Step of the Wind and move 20 feet or more that turn.

Crits Feed Flow. When you score a critical hit with an unarmed strike, you gain 1 additional Flow from that hit (2 Flow total), and you don't lose Flow to end-of-turn decay this turn. However, if you are crit you lose 2 flow. 

Slip of the Beat. If you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll with an unarmed strike or on a saving throw, you lose all Flow.

Decay. If your turn ends and you neither hit a creature nor took Patient Defense, you lose 1 Flow. You lose all Flow if you become incapacitated.

Momentum Step. While you have at least 1 Flow, your speed increases by 10 feet.

Opening Read

“Set the tempo, then make them dance.”

Centering Beat. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki to steady yourself; you gain 2 Flow (this can’t exceed your maximum).

String Techniques. Once per turn when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend Flow to apply one of the following effects (choose after you hit):

1 Flow — Angle Out. Move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. Footwork is a verse all its own.

1 Flow — Sharp Impact. Add your Martial Arts die to the damage of the hit. Snap the wrist; hear the note ring.

2 Flow — Off-Balance. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone. Beat their heel, topple their rhythm.

3 Flow — Break the Rhythm. If you also use Stunning Strike on this hit, the target has disadvantage on that saving throw. Silence the drum before it thunders.

Iron Frame

Iron Frame. Your hit point maximum increases by 3 per monk level you have. Each time you gain a monk level thereafter, your maximum increases by 3 more. This increase is retroactive when you first choose this tradition.

“Hard lessons, harder bones.”

Rushdown & Edge

“If they stagger, you are already there.”

Edge of Flow. While you have 4 or more Flow, your unarmed strikes score a critical hit on a roll of 19–20. This expanded critical range doesn’t stack with other features that change your critical range; if you have multiple such features, use the best range.

“Trust the groove—greatness lives between heartbeats.”

Pressure Advance. When you use Step of the Wind, until the end of your turn: difficult terrain doesn’t cost extra movement; opportunity attacks against you have disadvantage; and the first time you hit a creature with an unarmed strike this turn, you can push it up to 10 feet (Strength save negates the push). Whether or not it succeeds on the save, you may then immediately move up to the pushed distance toward that creature without provoking opportunity attacks from it. If you end this movement adjacent to the target, you gain 1 Flow (once per turn with this feature).

“Crowd them, hound them, ground them.”

Perfect Rhythm

“Let their miss become your melody.”

Beat the Beat. When a creature within your reach misses you with a melee attack, or when you succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against an effect that targets only you, you can make one unarmed strike against that creature as a reaction. You can enhance this strike by spending Flow: +1 Flow for advantage on the attack roll; +2 Flow to slide the target up to 10 feet on a hit; +3 Flow to apply Stunning Strike on that hit without spending ki. You can stack these by paying the total Flow, but still make only one reaction attack.

Composed Frame. If you start your turn with 3 or more Flow, you gain a +1 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn.

“Calm hands, faster strikes.”

Peak Flow

“You do not chase the moment—you become it.”

Peak Flow. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki to enter Peak Flow for 1 minute. While in Peak Flow: at the start of each of your turns, you gain 1 Flow and your Flow cap increases by 2 for the duration; you don’t lose Flow to end-of-turn decay; once on each of your turns when you hit with an unarmed strike, you can spend up to 3 Flow—for each Flow spent, add one roll of your Martial Arts die to the damage and choose one String Techniques rider to apply (you can repeat riders); and when you take Patient Defense, you also gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until the start of your next turn.

You can activate Peak Flow once per long rest without spending ki; additional uses require ki.

“Every breath, a blade.”