Way of the Empty Mind

It is often said that monks of the Way of the Empty Mind never strike first. While this idea is a falsehood, their mastery of the counter attack certainly is not.

Whether they prefer a cerebral method of safely screening for opportunities, or fighting in a deliberately reckless way to force them, these monks all seek to achieve the state of the 'Empty Mind'. It is this state of mind in which a monk is no longer shackled by thought or emotion, achieving true freedom to react to all things with cold precision.

Empty Mind Techniques

Starting when you take this tradition at 3rd level, your defence becomes a tool for offence. When a creature attacks you while you are under the effects of Dodge (including Patient Defence), you may spend a reaction to contest your Wisdom (Insight) check against that creature's Charisma (Deception) check. On success, choose one of the following :

Read your opponent's movements and exploit them. Gain advantage on rolls for any actions against your target.

Absorb the enemy's ki and redirect it. Gain 1 ki point to use against the target.

Taunt them. The target creature now has disadvantage on attack rolls for creatures other than you. In addition, you may give it advantage on attack rolls against you.

These benefits all disappear at the start of your next turn.

Simultaneous Counter

Beginning at the 6th level, you can strike at the same time as the enemy in order to create devastating collisions that use their own power against them. Whenever a creature you can see hits you with a melee attack, you may spend 1 ki point and your reaction to make your own melee attack against them before the damage is rolled.

Instead of using your own damage dice for the counter, you may choose to roll the damage dice of the target creature's attack. If the opponent is incapacitated or killed by your attack, you take no damage. If not, resolve the triggering attack's damage as normal.

At 15th level, you add your Wisdom Modifier to the total damage result of the Simultaneous Counter as well as the Deflect Missiles Attack.

If you use the Ready action to perform a Simultaneous Counter, you do not spend ki to perform the ability.

Enhanced Insight

At the 11th level, you can enhance your intuition with ki. Whenever you make a Wisdom ability check you can spend 1 ki point to roll it on advantage.

In addition, whenever you roll a 20 for the Empty Mind Techniques contest, you may take a second effect granted by the Empty Mind Techniques contest.

Mushin

Starting at the 17th level, you reach the pinnacle of the Empty Mind way. You gain the following benefits:

Your Wisdom score increases by 2, up to a maximum of 22.

If you use Empty Mind Techniques against a target that already has disadvantage on attack rolls, you automatically roll a 20 on contest.

You can spend 1 ki point to take an additional reaction.

Mastering the Counter Attack While Simultaneous Counter is perfectly fine on its own, it is made more effective when augmented by benefits granted from the Empty Mind techniques feature. With an advantage roll, you can make sure that your Simultaneous Counter hits while also increasing the chances of a critical hit.

If you wish to conserve ki, taking the one ki point option to use for the Simultaneous Counter is effective. If not, it can be spent on a Stunning Strike should things go awry.

The last benefit is the high risk, high reward option. Apart from being able to taunt your desired target, it also increase the odds of a hit from the enemy to counter. This does come at the risk of suffering a critical hit, so caution!

It should also be noted that these are all applicable to Deflect Missiles too.