Oath of the Iron Fist (5e Subclass)
Oath of the Iron Fist[edit]
Paladin Subclass
The Oath of the Iron Fist binds a paladin to the endless pursuit of perfection of the body, mind and soul, to allow themselves to be a vessel for their deity's will. Every challenge and hardship they face is simply another opportunity to hone themselves for this purpose. They seek not glory, nor fame, nor riches, nor conquest, only enacting the will of their god. While not required by the tenets, many will give up their material possessions, and choose not to waste their time on trite pleasures. Some may even give up their weapons and armor, to seek the purest form of strength. They have no need for such things, and any time spent not in pursuit of their tenets is time wasted.
- Tenets of the Iron Fist
A paladin who takes this oath swears to forge their body, mind and soul into a perfect tool and weapon for their deity.
Forge the Body. Like unworked iron, your body must be put through the forge.
Temper the Mind. True strength lies not in overwhelming power, but in patience and perfect form.
Cleanse the Soul. Purity lies in fighting with nothing but your faith, and your body.
Oath Spells[edit]
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | shield, mage armor |
| 5th | enlarge/reduce, magic weapon |
| 9th | elemental weapon, remove curse |
| 13th | aura of purity, stoneskin |
| 17th | holy weapon, steel wind strike |
- Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Divine Growth. You can use your Channel Divinity to strengthen your body, increasing your size to Large for 1 minute. Additionally, your carrying capacity is doubled, and you can add your Charisma modifier to any Strength checks you make, as well as to the damage of your unarmed strikes. If there is not enough space to become Large, you remain the same size, but still gain the other benefits.
Fetters of Iron. As an action, you present your holy symbol while raising your fist, using your Channel Divinity. Each creature of your choosing within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be grappled by you, as spectral iron gauntlets grab at them. Once they are grappled, the usual rules for grappling apply, except they are being grappled by these spectral gauntlets, which drag the grappled creature(s) at a distance of 10 feet from you. Additionally, the creatures are restrained while grappled this way. These spectral gauntlets disappear if the grapple ends.
- Living Weapon
At 3rd level, your unarmed strikes are considered weapons for the purpose of being targeted by spells and features that only target weapons. Additionally, while not wearing armor or using a shield or weapon, your AC is increased by 2, and you may use your Charisma bonus instead of Dexterity for Mage Armor (this increase does not apply if you benefit from a feature that modifies your AC while unarmored).
- Iron Defense
By 7th level, your supernatural strength allows you to shield yourself from attacks using creatures you grapple. As a reaction when you take damage while grappling a creature and that creature was not the source of the damage, you can force the creature to take half of that damage, reducing the damage you take by half as well.
In addition, your body is blessed, causing your unarmed strikes to be considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage, and your body is considered a weapon for the purpose of qualifying for your spells, with the benefits applying to your unarmed strikes.
- Overwhelming Technique
Starting at 15th level, once per turn when you successfully grapple or shove a creature, you can then immediately attempt to grapple that same creature or shove it prone. If this also succeeds, the creature takes damage as if you hit them with your unarmed strike.
- Divine Brawler
At 20th level, you can temporarily gain an angelic physique and divine technique, growing a few feet in height and gaining several pounds in flawless muscle. As an action, you gain the following benefits for 1 minute:
- Your carrying capacity doubles, and you can grapple and shove creatures as if you were 1 size larger.
- When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can then attempt to grapple or shove that same creature as part of the same attack.
- Creatures you grapple also become frightened of you until the grapple ends.
- When you grapple a creature who is prone, or you successfully shove a creature you are grappling, you can cause that creature to become restrained until it is no longer grappled by you. While restrained this way, the creature is immune to the prone condition, and your speed becomes 0. At any time, you can end this restrained condition without ending the grapple, in which case the creature then becomes prone, if able to.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
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