The monks who follow the Way of the Iron Body are masters of physical endurance and resilience. They train to harden their bodies, turning their flesh and bones into a living fortress that can withstand even the strongest blows. In battle, these monks stand firm against their enemies, trading blows in a relentless contest of strength and endurance. They are unyielding, unbreakable, and fierce in their determination to protect their allies and overcome their foes.

Iron Body Technique

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn how to harness your ki to improve your defenses. You can use your ki to dodge attacks with ease or reduce damage with your iron will. You also learn how to use your defensive skills as part of your offensive arsenal. Whenever you use the Patient Defense feature, or take the Dodge action, you gain the following benefits until the start of your next turn:

• If you use the Dodge action, it counts as if you have taken the Attack action on your turn, for the purposes of allowing you to benefit from the Extra Attack and the Martial Arts features. You also can instead of using the Extra Attack feature use the Dodge action after attacking in your turn.
• Once per Round, you can choose to reduce one stance of damage by your Constitution Modifier, and if the attacker is within 5ft of you, it makes a Constitution saving throw or receives the damage reduced in Force Damage, with no action or reaction required.

As dodging and defending yourself is part of the base training of this tradition, you can use the Patient Defense Feature without spending Ki points a number of times equal to your Monk Level per short rest.

Iron Shirt Stance

At 3rd level, you learn how to use your ki to fortify your body when you are not wearing armor with a stance that grants you enhanced strength and durability for a short time. As a bonus action on your turn, you can enter the Iron Shirt Stance, only if you haven't moved yet. This stance lasts for 1 minute, or until you move willingly or are knocked unconscious. While in this stance, you gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws.
• You can add your Constitution or Strength modifier to the damage roll of your unarmed strikes.

• You can add your Constitution modifier to your AC while in this stance. This bonus ends when you move or when the stance ends.

You can use the Iron Shirt Stance a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier per long rest, Once you have used this feature that number of times, you can spend 1 ki point to use it again.

Defensive Flurry

At 6th level, you learn how to use your reaction to deflect or reduce incoming damage from melee attacks. You can also use your ki to disarm or knock down your attackers when you successfully block their strikes. When you use your reaction to reduce damage from a melee weapon attack using the Deflect Missiles feature. When you do so, you can choose to make a Defensive Flurry, rolling your Martial Arts die. You gain a number of uses of Defensive Flurry equal to the result of your Martial Arts die roll until the start of your next turn.

Each use of Defensive Flurry reduces damage from a melee weapon attack by a number equal to your Dexterity modifier plus one roll of your Martial Arts die. You can use multiple instances of Defensive Flurry in response to the same creature's attacks, but you cannot apply it to the same instance of damage more than once.

Additionally, when you successfully use Deflect Missiles or Defensive Flurry to reduce incoming damage to zero, you can choose one of the following options:

• Spend 1 ki point to attempt to disarm the attacker. The attacker must make a Strength saving throw against your Ki save DC, or it drops its weapon at its feet. If the attacker fails the saving throw by 5 or more, the weapon takes a -1 penalty to attack rolls (if it's not a magical weapon). If the weapon's penalty reaches -2, it breaks and becomes unusable.
• Spend 1 ki point to attempt to knock the attacker prone. The attacker must make a Strength saving throw against your Ki save DC, or, is knocked prone and takes damage equal to the roll of this instance of the Defensive Flurry.

You can use the Defensive Flurry a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per short rest. Once you used this feature that number of times, you can spend one ki point to use the Defensive Flurry again.

For example, If you are being attacked by a Bandit Captain and one Bandit, and you rolled a 4 on your Martial art die, you will have 4 uses of Defensive Flurry until the start of your next turn, so if all three attacks of the Bandit Captain hits, you can apply the Defensive Flurry feature to his three attacks, and then when the Bandit attacks you can apply your forth and last use of the Defensive Flurry on his attack as well.

 

Counter Stance

At 11th level, you learn how to create a ki barrier around yourself that harms anyone who tries to harm you. You can also use your ki to cast spells that retaliate against your enemies with forceful blasts. As an action, you can spend 2 Ki points to cast the Armor of Agathys spell on yourself without requiring any material components. The spell does Force damage instead of Cold damage. You can spend additional Ki points to cast the spell at a higher level, spending 1 additional Ki point for each level above the first.

Additionally, when you use the Deflect Missiles feature you can spend 2 Ki points to cast the Hellish Rebuke spell as part of that same reaction, dealing Force damage instead of Fire damage. The spell uses your Ki save DC. You can spend additional Ki points to cast the spell at a higher level, spending 1 additional Ki point for each level above the first.

Finally, while under the Iron Body Technique feature effects, you also gain the benefit of the true strike cantrip once per turn, without requiring concentration.

Perfect Defense

At 17th level, you master the defensive techniques of the Iron Body tradition. You can maintain your iron body technique for longer periods of time and apply it against any type of damage. You can also use your ki to protect you from harm and allows you to share its benefits with others.

• When you use the Iron Body Technique feature, you keep their effects for 1 minute, not requiring to use the dodge or the Patient Defense feature on the following turns to reactivate it, unless you are unconscious, incapacitated or your speed is reduced to 0.
• The Deflect Missiles and Defensive Flurry now can be used against all sources of damage.
• You can use your action to spend 3 ki points and cast Stoneskin on yourself without requiring material components.
• When the Evasion class feature reduces damage from a Spell or another area effect to zero, and you can see the source of the area effect, you can use your reaction to spend one available use of Defensive Flurry to cast Hellish Rebuke as a 9th level spell using only 3 Ki points against the attacker if it is in reach of the spell. In doing so, you grant the benefits of the Evasion feature to any creatures you choose inside the area of effect, as you protect them from the damage by masterfully controlling the flow of Ki in the ambient and within yourself to redirect and unleash all harmful effects at the aggressor with concentrated power.