Way of the Palm
Where most fighting traditions meet force with force, the Way of the Palm teaches something subtler: that force, properly received, can be turned against itself. Palm monks train to yield without surrendering, to absorb without being broken, and to redirect without the attacker ever realizing what has happened.
This path demands an unusual quality of awareness. A Palm monk must remain calm at the moment of impact, reading the angle, weight, and intention of a strike in the instant it arrives. The hands are kept open — not as a gesture of peace, but as a reminder that control, not power, is the foundation of this art.
Practitioners of the Way of the Palm are often mistaken for passive fighters until the moment they are not. Their style looks almost defensive until an opponent finds themselves redirected, unbalanced, and struck before they can understand where the counter came from.
| Monk Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Redirect Force, Flowing Defense |
| 6th | Iron Palm |
| 11th | Empty Palm Stance |
| 17th | Absolute Stillness |
Subclass Features
Redirect Force
3rd-level Way of the Palm feature
When a creature hits you with a melee attack, you can spend 1 ki point as a reaction to add your Wisdom modifier to your AC against that attack. If this causes the attack to miss, you can immediately make one unarmed strike against that creature as part of the same reaction.
Flowing Defense
3rd-level Way of the Palm feature
When you successfully use your Patient Defense feature, you can also move up to half your speed as part of the same bonus action. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Iron Palm
6th-level Way of the Palm feature
Your open-handed strikes carry devastating force behind their apparent softness. When you make your bonus action Martial Arts attack, your unarmed strikes deal one additional die of damage.
In addition, when you deal damage with an unarmed strike while your Patient Defense is active, the target's speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
Empty Palm Stance
11th-level Way of the Palm feature
You can spend 2 ki points as a bonus action to enter a state of perfect centered stillness. This stance lasts for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated.
While in this stance: - You cannot be grappled or restrained by nonmagical means. - Creatures that miss you with a melee attack provoke an opportunity attack from you. - Your unarmed strikes have a reach of 10 feet.
Absolute Stillness
17th-level Way of the Palm feature
When you spend ki points during your turn, you can choose to stop completely and let perfect stillness flow through you. Until the start of your next turn, attacks against you have disadvantage and you have advantage on all saving throws.
While using this feature, you cannot move and you cannot take reactions.