Monastic Tradition
Way of the Iron Mountain
Monks of the Way of the Iron Mountain are stalwart pugilists, unflinching in their resolve. These martial artists have muscles and hearts of iron, standing still where others would bend or break. This tradition was first developed by dwarves who sought to forge themselves as their kin forged masterworks of weapon and armor, but the halls of their monasteries are open to all determined to cast off the slag of frivolity and indecision.
Iron Mountain Stance
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you have learned to steel the ki that flows in your body at the expense of your mobility and flexibility. While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Constitution modifier + your Wisdom modifier.
Additionally, at the start of your turn, you can choose to lower your speed to 0 and gain the following benefits until the beginning of your next turn:
- You have advantage on all Strength checks and Strength saving throws, but disadvantage on all Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws. However, you can not be knocked prone as the result of a failed Dexterity saving throw.
- You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your monk level + your Constitution modifier.
- When you make an unarmed strike using Strength, you deal an extra d4 of damage.
Deflect Blows
At 6th level, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch an unarmed strike or weapon when you are hit by a melee weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d4 + your Constitution modifier + your monk level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt to grapple or shove your attacker as part of the same reaction.
Avalanche Strike
Beginning at 11th level, you have learned to break your falls on your enemies. As part of the same reaction as when you reduce falling damage with your Slow Fall feature, you can spend 2 ki points to make one unarmed strike against a creature you land adjacent to.
If that unarmed strike hits, the target takes an additional amount of damage equal to how much falling damage you would have taken yourself if you had not used your Slow Fall.
If the unarmed strike misses, you take the full falling damage yourself and crash prone.
Back Breaker
At 17th level, you can deliver a debilitating blow to a creature by hoisting them up and shattering them on their way back down. As an action while you are grappling one creature that is prone or incapacitated, you can spend 3 ki points. When you do so, that creature takes damage as if you had hit it with an unarmed strike plus an additional 2d10 bludgeoning damage, and it must make a Constitution saving throw.
If it fails its saving throw, the creature has its speed reduced to 0, it can't benefit from from any bonus to its speed, and it has disadvantage on all Dexterity saving throws while its speed is reduced in this way. Its speed can be restored by effects that can restore severed or missing body parts, such as the spell Regenerate.
Level 1 & Level 2 Monks
The Way of the Iron Mountain provides a new option for how a Monk can calculate their unarmored AC. Specifically, such that Iron Mountain Monks can prioritize ability scores such as Strength or Constitution instead of Dexterity. However, often times campaigns start at level 1, and for a character who intends to follow the Way of the Iron Mountain, their first 2 levels will be particularly harsh compared to typical Monk builds.
At your DM's discretion, you can commit to taking the Way of the Iron Mountain at level 1. When you do so, you can not level in another class until you gain the Monastic Tradition class feature. However, starting at level 1, the AC provided by your Unarmored Defense class feature equals 10 + your Constitution modifier + your Wisdom modifier, as with the Iron Mountain Stance feature you will gain at level 3.