Many people believe that becuase you know how to fight you should be the one to throw the first punch, but the path to victory isn't always the most direct and patience can be the tipping of the scales.

Monks of the Patient Palm learn that the best offence is a good defence, training that leads to a common motto among their ranks, "beware the person who stands aside, as their bark is rarely worse than their bite". They are trained in defensive combat to return a jab between the enemies lowered guard.

These monks more than most believe in the path of least aggression to usually be th prefered outcome, though tend to hold high codes of honour choosing violence if the alternative brakes their values.

Defensive Stance

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you gain a new stance in combat, using your action you can switch between your standing aggressive stance and your new defensive stance. In defensive stance you gain the following effects.

• a bonus to your AC, starting at 3rd level with a +1 which increases at multiple intervals (+2 at 5th, +3 at 12th, +4 at 17th).
• You gain the riposte ability allowing you to take an attack against a creature that misses an attack against you.
• You may also expend a ki point to riposte against a creature that hits its attack.
• On a riposte attack you may expend ki points to trigger abilities you may otherwise make on an attack.
• Whilst in this stance your movement speed is decreased by 15ft.
• In addition you cannot take normal attacks of opportunity.

Hardened Spirit

At 6th level, you gain the ability to manipulate your ki whilst in defensive stance. Hardened Body - As an action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to three times your monk level. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again. Hardened Blows- you may expend 1 ki point to increase your damage on a riposte, equal to your martial arts die.

Fast reactions

Beginning at 11th level, your ability to counter has become so ingrained your reflexes have become unnaturaly fast, using your ki you can gain additional reactions to a maximum of 2 additional reactions per round. Cost - 2 ki points

Paralyzing Rebuttal

At 17th level, you gain the ability to manipulate the ki energy flowing through your enemy to futher inhibit their movement. Triggering a few extra nerves in your stunning strike that are only open after an attack. On a riposte you now have the ability to paralyze for 2 additional ki points on top of your usual 1 ki point for stunning strike.