Path of the Stoneheart

"Gloridar snarled as the gnolls charged up the hill toward his camp, adjusting the grip on his warhammer as the enemies drew near. With a ferocious scream, he alone stood and challenged the pack as they advanced, banging his hammer against his shield. The gnolls rushed forward, their flint-tipped spears gleaming as they attempted to prod him. Each attempted strike did little to nothing, causing grazing cuts into Gloridar's flesh even as they plunged straight on. His skin was fortified like a stony carapace, and their spears could hardly even hurt his strong and vital body. One gnoll at the back waggled a long stick with a green pumpkin on one end of it, and cast a ray of flames at him, yet even these scorching licks did little to no harm. As the gnolls swarmed in around them, he grinned, bearing the beating they were attempting to bestow with relative ease, and waiting for the sign. His patience was rewarded in the next moment as a hail of javelins and stones rained from the sides of the path as his tribe ambushed the invaders. Another tribe of gnolls would be removed from the mountains today, ensuring that Gloridar's Goliath tribe would have less competition for resources. As the mongrel-like warriors screamed in anguish from the sudden attacks, he reared up and began smashing into them with strike after strike. In seconds, they all lay decimated, even the one with the pumpkin-stick. Gloridar spat upon their corpses and stood back as his tribesmen collected up their bodies to dispose of them. "Fools," he thought to himself. "When on the mountain, expect boulders to block your path.'"

In days long ago considered ancient, the giants dominated much of the world. In those days, despite their knowledge and skill, these beings were still very much warlike and tribal. They innovated many battle techniques, but few were as capable of standing stalwart on the front lines of conflicts as the Stoneheart Warriors of the mountain tribes. These extraordinary warriors excel in defense, and are some of the toughest combatants found anywhere. In modern times, the oral traditions that cultivate this way are mostly only taught by Goliath tribes, some lesser factions of giants, and a rare few Earth Elemental warriors.

Withstanding the onslaught of war can be nigh-impossible at the best of times. The sting of incoming arrows, the cutting force of blades, the striking might of hammers, and so on. The Path of the Stoneheart resists such damage with toughened skin and powerful martial tactics that defend themselves and allies in incredible ways. Particularly advanced followers of this path go beyond being dense and defensive, and even learn techniques to shrug off magical damage easily.

Defensive Attack

3rd-level Path of the Stoneheart feature

At 3rd level when you choose this path, you learn to attack far more carefully in order to maintain your best defensive options. Whenever you make your first attack roll on your turn, you can choose to impose disadvantage on all attack rolls you make this turn. If you do, melee attack rolls made against you have disadvantage until you use your movement to move more than 5 feet or until the beginning of your next turn, whichever occurs first. This feature cannot be used at the same time as the Reckless Attack feature. 

Additionally, creatures who are within your melee weapon's reach always provoke opportunity attacks when they leave your reach, even if they possess the Mobility feat or similar features that would allow them to escape without opportunity attacks.

Stoic Rage

6th-level Path of the Stoneheart feature

While many barbarians enter a howling, fury-filled rage that decimates foes with sheer wrathful menace, the purveyors of this level of the Path of the Stoneheart enter a cold, channeled fury that enables them to better remain focused on defense. When you enter a Rage, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Barbarian level. Additionally, when you gain this feature at 6th level, choose one of the following benefits:

- If you are wielding a shield when you enter a Rage, you gain resistance to all damage except Psychic damage until your Rage ends.

- If you are wielding a two-handed weapon when you enter a Rage, you are treated as if you are proficient with all saving throws until your Rage ends.

- If you are wielding a one-handed weapon in one or both hands (but not a shield) when you enter a Rage, you do not provoke opportunity attacks from creatures you hit with melee attacks until the end of your turn.

Reinforced Strength

10th-level Path of the Stoneheart feature

Through your knowledge of how to strike the most brutally with a weapon, you also learn to protect yourself from such damaging blows. Whenever an enemy hits you with a critical hit, you may roll a number of d10's equal to the number of dice granted by your Brutal Critical feature and reduce that damage by an amount equal to the roll. This reduction in damage cannot reduce the attack to less than 1 damage.

Additionally, your regimented training in nearly supernatural toughness and defense make you immune to exhaustion.

Mountain Mindset

14th-level Path of the Stoneheart feature

At 14th level, you have learned to "become one with the mountain" and stand like a stone in front of magical attacks when you rage. When you enter a Rage, you gain the ability to shrug off the damage inflicted by magic, gaining resistance to magic damage which reduces incoming damage before any other resistance applies. If a magic source would deal you damage, you reduce that damage before applying any further resistance you may have. Treat the total magic damage dealt after this special magical resistance as if it were the amount of original incoming damage, then apply resistance normally.

Additionally, you cannot be forced to move from spells or effects that would push, pull, or slide you, you cannot be lifted off the ground against your will but can still be knocked prone or fall, and also your hit point maximum cannot be decreased.

Lastly, you add twenty hit points to your hit point maximum.