The Way of the Binding Embrace teaches its students to manipulate ki to assist in subduing their enemies in an anchored hold, cutting off their airflow and rendering them immobile. Monks that follow its techniques are often employed as guards or keepers of the peace, whilst the less successful are streetfighters and ruffians. Tales of these teachings speak of abilities that could wrench dragons from the skies and bind giants to the earth.

A Monk of the Binding Embrace hones their body to be a fixed point in the shifting tides of battle and to placate their combatants, wrapping their bodies around them in a near-unbreakable hold of controlled ki. Unmoving sentinels, the most dedicated and patient of this monastic approach can guard citadels and forgotten temples for tens, if not hundreds, of years.

Iron Clutch

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can manipulate the flow of ki to anchor your opponents in place with a grapple. Whenever you attempt to grapple an opponent, instead of rolling a Strength (Athletics) check, you can instead choose to roll a Dexterity (Acrobatics).

In addition, you can expend 1 ki point, as a reaction, when the grappled creature rolls to escape, to impose disadvantage on the roll.

Deadlocked Arms

Starting at 6th level, your grapples can lock a creature’s soul in place, making even magical means of escape futile and allowing you to grapple otherwise nonphysical creatures. 

You can prevent a creature you have in a grapple from using any method of extradimensional movement, including teleportation or travel to a different plane of existence, without first succeeding a Charisma saving throw. The saving throw DC equals 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus. 

In addition, you can grapple creatures of size Huge or smaller, and ignore immunity to the grappled condition. Furthermore, any creature you have grappled is also considered restrained.

Suffocating Grasp

At 11th level, you grow emboldened by your ki and can crush the life out of an opponent.

As an action, you can expend 1 ki point to attempt to suffocate a creature you are grappling. The creature must immediately make a Constitution saving throw against your ki save DC. On a success, the creature can attempt to escape the grapple as a reaction. On a failure, they gain one level of exhaustion. Any levels of exhaustion caused by this ability go away 10 minutes after the grapple ends.

Binder of Titans

At 17th level, your mastery over the art of grappling is so complete that you have the power to grapple a foe regardless of its magnitude, as you manipulate the lifeforce around it to hold it in place. You can grapple any creature, regardless of size, and can grapple creatures of a size or more smaller than you with advantage.

Additionally, you can expend 2 ki points to cast the spells Earthbind or Hold Person, or 5 ki points to cast Hold Monster. The saving throw DC for these spells equals 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus.