Way of the Forge
Ingenious Smith, by Nicholas Elias © Wizards of the Coast LLC
The Way of the Forge is for monks who meditate over the anvil, supplementing their mystical training with the ring of the hammer and the heat of the forge.
Forge monks are brawlers (unsurprisingly), dealing fire damage, knocking down enemies, and even employing a little magical expertise.
Design-wise: Fireforged Spirit starts the subclass off, with excellent smithing ability, some thematic monk-weapon additions, and the ability to use Strength for unarmored defense (enabling strength-first builds). Unbearable Heat is your primary damage tool, straightforwardly adding bonus fire damage onto any bludgeoning strikes you make. Forge Magic also supplies some limited spellcasting - enabling just a few thematic spells (all included) at a half-caster progression. Hammer Blow gives you a dual-purpose tool at 6th, upgrading Unbearable Heat to knock enemies prone or deal bonus damage to enemies already on the ground. Furnace's Fires at 11th lets you ignite yourself, blasting nearby enemies with flame and activating a fire-damage aura. And Forgewrought Soul at 17th is a big boost to your saving throws (on top of Diamond Soul, which you've already got by this level) and lets you swap Forge Magic or Furnace's Fires into your regular attack loop.
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