Chef

As the gnome and her companion stride through the town, all eyes are drawn to them. Her diminutive form is completely dwarfed by the colossus behind her. She shifts slightly as she hears the twang of a bow string, and spots an arrow flying towards her, seeking her heart. Suddenly, the massive form behind her moves in a blur. The sound of the arrow head striking a much larger metal object rings out as the golem deftly blocks the deadly projectile. The gnome pauses for a moment, then shakes her head and smiles as the metal giant begins lumbering towards the source of the arrow. 

Standing at the base of a craggy cliff, muttering words of powers, a leather clad elf holds his arms out to his sides as thick gauntlets made of dark wood envelope his hands and forearms. He flexes his now doubly thick fingers and begins climbing hand over hand with great ease as the wood shapes itself to grip the rough surface. behind him are a pair of small creatures seemingly made of folded and creased paper. They swiftly ascend, following their master's unspoken command.

A grizzled old dwarf spits out the blood welling up in his mouth. The goliath brute that has just struck him down towers over him, laughing at his supposed weakness. Unseen by the goliath and the lookers on, three tine spherical stones with spidery legs take up positions surrounding the unprovoked attacker. The sward stands slowly, turning around and beginning to walk away without a word. The goliath's cry of outrage turns to a grunt of pain as a sparkling blue field of energy leaps up from the tiny spheres knocking him to the ground and into unconsciousness.

Though they may seem frail and unintimidating at first, golemancers are never far from their true source of power, Whether they command one hulking brute, two dexterous tricksters, or three finely tuned field emitters, a golemancer is never truly alone. Able to imbue a semblance of life into their artworks, they are invariably master craftsmen whose passion, drive, and innate magical essence make them unrivaled in the arts of transmutation and sculpture.

A Soul Divided 

A golemancer gains their unique magical abilities from an inner force known as their magical essence. It is honed through meditation on the nature of matter and grows as the golemancer's skill as an artist improves. A major event in the life of a golemancer is the day they first imbue one of their artworks with life. As they work on a project of particular importance to them, focusing all that they are into their work, they feel a portion of themselves slip into the artwork, which then animates as the golemancer wishes.

Some view the magical essence of a golemancer as an extension of their soul, and the act of imbuing a golem with life as 'pouring their soul into their work". At some point in their life, a golemancer learns of their intrinsic division: the number and size of the pieces of their imbuement essence is broken into. They find that they can never imbue more golems than their division allows, and that the size and power of a golem is dependent on the size of the divided pieces. The fewer the dvision, the larger the size of their golems. 

Artisans First, Adventurers Second

Golemancers are first and foremost artists. The feverish pursuit of their artistic talents is what caused them to unlock their magical abilities in the first place. As such, many golemancers are content to stay home and continue perfecting their art, learning to use their magical essence to shape raw materials with greater and greater precision. Some Golemancers however, are called to an adventuring lifestyle whether they like it or not. A golem is a powerful weapon, eben if the one creating and commanding it leaves something to be desired in terms of battle prowess. 

The Golemancer

Golemancers are often drafted into armies, or are pulled into adventures by a sense of moral obligation. They will often go on adventures and even enjoy seeing strange sights and meeting exotic creatures, but throughout their journeys ,their minds will remain focused on one thing: furthering their artistic abilities. Most golemancers will usually spend their free time inspecting art they might find on their adventures or discussing how an item might have been crafted. 

Creating a Golemancer

There are two very important aspects to consider when creating a golemancer character. The first is their favored art medium. Although their material alignments doesn't appears until 2nd level, it plays a central role in the life of a golemancer long before that. Are you a hardened smith, preferring to work with the malleable, yet durable form of metal. Or are you a master sculptor, chiseling away at a block of stone to reveal the form hidden within? Or are you a simple carpenter, choosing to work with both plain and exotic wood. 

The second consideration is the nature of tour intrinsic division. Is your essences whole and unbroken, allowing you to imbue a single hulking protector? Perhaps your essence is split in two, granting you a small pair of tricksters that work in tandem. Or is your essence split into three pieces, allowing you to imbue three miniscule golems capable of emitting concentrated bursts of energy? Finally, consider what caused you to start adventuring. Most golemancers would be more than happy to stay in their workshops and refine their artistic skills. What was it that drew you out into the world? Are you searching for a long lost masterwork? Are you conscripted into a lord's army and haven't found your way back home yet? Or maybe your home town was under attack, and you chose to rally to its defense. 

Class Features

As a cleric, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d6 per golemancer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per golemancer level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Three sets of artisan's tools
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Perception, and Sleight of Hand

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a  light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) one Medium sized clay golem or (b) two Small sized clay golems, or (c) three Tiny sized clay golems
• (a) a scholar's pack or (b) dungeoneer's pack
• Leather armor, two light hammers, and a set of artisan's tools that matches one of your proficiencies. 
• A shield and a holy symbol

Golemcraft

At 1st level, you have learned to use your magical essence to manipulate raw materials, briefly animate tiny constructs, and focus your power through them. You learn the mending cantrip as well as the focused force, minor imbuement, and sculpt cantrips all three which are detailed at the end of the class description. 

Imbuement 

You have learned to harness a small portion of your magical essence and house it in effigies made of clay, mud, or a similar material with semblance of life. The resulting golem has an innate connection to you and will willingly obey you.

You can use an action to recall your imbuement essence from a golem in your command range. If your imbuement essence returns to your body from an imbued golem for any reason, you can not use that protion of your essence to imbue a golem until you finish a long rest.

As long as you and one of your golems are on the same plane of existence, you know how far away and in what direction they are from you.

While you are within 120 feet of one of your golems, you can mentally command it at any time as a free action and it will follow your orders to the best of its abilities. A golem will follow the last simple command it was given until you give it a new command.

In combat, your imbued golems will always act immediately after your initiative and will act as a until with a single shared turn. If an imbued golem is reduced to 0HP, it begins making death saving throws until it regains 1 or more HP or is no longer imbued. If it received two failures, its imbuement essence returns to your body and the golem is no longer imbued.

If a golem feature or action requires a saving throw, the DC is equal to your spell save DC.

Thanks to their connection to you through your magical essence, your imbued golems can be healed while you rest. during a short rest, you can expend a hit die and forego healing yourself to instead spend a hit die for each golem you have imbued. Your imbued golems also heal fully when finishing a long rest. A golem must remain inactive for 6 hours of the long rest to receive this benefit. 

The mending cantrip has no effect on an imbued golem. 

Intrinsic Division

The essence you can use to imbue golems with life is innately divided one of three ways. Choose from Single Imbuement, Double Imbuement, or Triple Imbuement, each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 5th, 10th, and 14th level.

Golemic Alterations

As your artistic abilities and the strength of your essence grow, you begin learning how to alter your golems to suit more specific purposes and increase their power. At 2nd level, you have a budget of 1 alteration point/ When you gain certain golemancer levels, your alteration budget increases as shown in the Alteration Budget column of the Golemancer table.

There are 2 types of alterations: minor alterations, and major alterations. Minor alterations have a cost of 1 alteration point and major alterations have a cost of 2 alteration points.

When you imbue a golem, you can add any number of alterations to the golem, provided that the total cost of the alterations is not greater than your alteration budget and the golem does not have more major alterations than minor alterations. 

Material Alignment

Also at 2nd level, you have learned to align your magical essence with a family of materials in order to create golems of that material. Choose from Metal, Stone, or Wood each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 15th level. 

Essence Casting

At 3rd level your skill at manipulating your magical essence has grown to the point that you can use it to manifest spells. See chapter 10 of the PHB for the general rules of spellcasting and the end of this document for the golemancer spell list

Spell Slots

The Golemancer table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these golemancer spells, you must expend a spell slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st level spell create or destroy water and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast create or destroy water using either slot.  

Spells known of 1st level and higher

At 3rd level, you know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the golemancer spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Golemancer table shows when you learn more golemancer spells of your choice of 1st level and higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the golemance spells you know and replace it with another spell from the golemancer spell list, which must also be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your gomenacer spells, so you use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a golemancer spell you case and when making an attack roll with one. 

                                     Spell save DC=8 + your proficiency bonus + you Intelligence modifier

                                     Spell attack modifier=your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use artisan's tools that you are proficient with as a spellcasting focus for your golemancer spells

Golemic Transmutation

Also at 3rd level, you learn how to make due when you lack raw materials for a golem. When you imbue a clay, mud. or similar golem. you can expend a spell slot of 1st-level or higher to transmute the material in the golem into a material you are aligned with. The transmutation lasts until the golem is no longer imbued. Pieces that are sheared off of the golem revert back to the original material.

Masterwork Artisan

Also at 3rd level, you have honed your artistic abilities to the point of being able to produce masterworks. Choose one set of artisan's tools that you are proficient with. Whenever you make a check with those tools, you add double your proficiency bonus. 

Ability Score Improvements

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. 

Essence Driven Blows

At 6th level, your golems' weapon attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Mechanical Mindset

At 7th level, your knowledge of the complex mechanics required to build your golems has given you insight into mechanical traps. Whenever you make a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check to find mechanical trap, you can add your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). In addition, you may make a Dexterity (artisan's tools) check to disarm the trap, provide the artisan's tools would be appropriate for the task (DM's discretion).

Possess Golem

Also at 7th level, you can perform a 10 minute ritual at the end of which you possess one of your imbued golems that is within your command range. You can see and hear as if you were in the golem's space and can continue to control the golem as usual. You can also cause your voice to emanate from the golem. Your body becomes incapacitated while you are possessing your imbued golem and you cannot cast spells. 

If the golem you are possessing leaves your command range as determined by your physical body or if your physical body takes any damage, you immediately return to your body as a free action on your turn. 

Magic Resistance

Starting at 9th level, your magical essence has begun to resist magical effects. Your imbued golems have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. In addition, if you and one or more of your imbued golems are targeted by the same spell or other magical effect, you also have advantage on the saving throw.

Damage Transference

At 10th level, the deep connection you share with the golems housing a portion of your magical essence has given you the ability to transfer physical harm that you take to their hardy forms. As a reaction when you take damage equal to your golemancer level or higher, you can cause one of your imbued golems within commanding range to take the damage instead. You may use this feature twice. You regain all uses when you finish a long rest. 

Dimensional Shunt

At 13th level, you gain the ability to store your golems in a pocket dimension. The pocket dimension has 4 areas that can store golems. Each area can store 1 Large golem, 2 medium golems, 4 small golems or 8 tiny golems. As an action, you can chose any number of imbued golems within 15 feet of you to be stored in a single area of your pocket dimension. They disappear from their space, and your magical essence is immediately returned from them to you. 

In order to summon one or more golems from your pocket dimension, you must perform a 10 minute ritual, at the end of which all of the golems from one area of your pocket dimension appear into spaces within 15 feet of you that you designate. You may use this feature to summon one or more golems a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. 

Signature Alterations

Starting at 17th level, you have frown as accustomed to altering your golems upon their creation, that you have learned to include some features innately. Choose two minor alterations or one major alteration. Every golem you create has your chosen alterations. These alterations do not count towards your alteration budget. 

Authoritive Work

At 18th level, you have learned to impart your knowledge and store the residual portion of your magical essence into Manual of Golems. In order to write a Manual of Golems, you must spend a number of days equal to 2 times the number of days it would take a user to create the golem, only resting for 6 hours each day (but still gaining the benefits of a long rest). Each day, you must expend 6 5th level spell slots, one every three hours you are awake. Upon completion, you are able to use the Manual of Golems without requiring material cost and in 1/30th of the time typically required. Anyone else using the Manual of Golems treats is as it appears in the DMG.

Total Imbuement

At 20th level, your control over your magical essence has grown so precise and so great, that when you imbue a golem, you can choose to permanently transfer the entirety of your magical essence, including your soul and consciousness.

Your body dies and you gain all of the traits of the golem, but keep your mental stats as well as all of your class abilities and feats. You lose all racial benefits except bonuses to mental stats. You can sue this feature once every 5 years.

Golemic Alterations

If a golemic alteration has prerequisites, you must meet them to use it when imbuing a golem. The golemic innovations are split into Minor Alterations and Major Alterations and are listed in alphabetical order

If an alteration grants a feature with a damage roll, it will be written as XdLarge/Medium/Small/Tiny + modifiers, where X is the number of dice and each number after "d" corresponds to the size of the golem. For example, 3d10/8/6/4 +STR/DEX would mean a Large golem would deal 3d10+either strength or dexterity and a Small golem would deal 3d6+either strenght or dexterity.

A golem can only have one "construction" alteration since the golem must be primarily made of that material. 

Minor Alterations

 Aluminum Construction

Prerequisites: 6th level, metal Alignment

The golem is made primarily ouf og aluminum and gains the following features in addition to the ones gained by being made of metal:

• +1 AC
• +10 feet of movement
• Low Density. The golem counts as one size smaller when determining its weight

Aquatic Adaptation

The golem has a swimming speed equal to its movement

Charcoal Construction

Prerequisites: 6th level, Wood Alignment

The golem is made primary out of charcoal and gains the following feature in addition to the ones gained by being made of wood:

Configuration. When the golem takes fire damage it ignites. While it is on fire, any creature that starts it turn within 5 feet of the golem must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d8/8/6/6 fire damage. A creature takes half as much damage on a success. At the start of the golem's turn, it takes 4/4/3/3 fire damage. The golem can make a DC 10 constitution saving throw at the end of its turn to snuff out the flames. 

Climbing Spikes

The golem has a climbing speed equal to its movement

Diamond Construction

Prerequisites 6th level, Stone Alignment

The golem is made primarily out of diamond and gains the following feature in addition to the ones gained by being made of stone. 

• Action: Dazzle. Each creature within 5 feet of the golem must make a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of their next turn. The golem must finish a long rest before using this action again. 

Elemental Burst

Prerequisite: Triple Imbuement

The golem can change the damage type it deals. Whenever it takes Force Burst (Field) action, it can choose to deal Acid, Cold, Fire, Force, Lightning, or Thunder damage

Extra Limb

The Golem gains the follwing features:

• Additional Hand. The golem has an additional hand ot hold things, inclduing shields and weapons if proficient. Any attack made with the additional hand, regardless of what it is holding, must be the Extra Limb attack.
• Bonus Action: Extra Limb. Melee weapon attack: +STR/DEX +G-PB, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8/6/4/0+1 bludgeoning damage.

Fungal Construction

Prerequisites: 6th level Wood Alignment

The golem is made primarily our of fungus and gains the following feature in additional to the ones gained by being made of wood:

• Saprovore. If the golem stands on top of a dead creature made of flesh or plant matter that is its size or larger for 1 minute, it can regain a number of HP equal to is maximum number of hit dice. It must finish a short or long rest before using this feature again. 

Greater Command

A golem can have up to 3 instances of this alteration, with each one increasing the command range for the golem to 300 feet, to 1 mile, and 10 miles respectively

Hyperextention

Prerequisite: Wood Alignment

When the golem uses its bonus action Stretch it can choose to gain +10 feet of movement and +10 feet of reach until the end of its turn instead of the usual options. The golem must finish a short of long rest before it can use this feature again.

Magic Item Incorporation

The golem can attune to and use a magic item, provided it makes sense for the item to work with the golem (DM'S discretion). The golem must have proficiency to attune a shield or weapon. While the golem is attuned to the item, you have one less attunement slot.

Projectile Thrower

Prerequisite: Double Imbuement

The golem has some form of projectile throwing device (i.e crossbow, catapult, etc). It gains one of the following features:

• Action: Bludgeoning Shot. Ranged weapon attack: +DEX+G-PB to hit, range 30/60 ft., 1d-/12/10/-+DEX bludgeoning damage. The golem can't use this attack again until it uses a bonus action to reload
• Action: Piercing Shot. Ranged weapon attack: +DEX+G-PB to hit, range 80/320 ft., 1d-/12/10/-+DEX piercing damage. The golem can't use this attack again until it uses a bonus action to reload

Quicksilvering

Prerequisites: 6th level Metal Alignment

The golem gains the following feature:

• Liquid Metal. The golem can squeeze through spaces smaller than 1 inch. When it deals damage with a melee weapon attack, it can choose to deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. 

Reflexive Surge

Prerequisite: Double Imbuement

The golem gains a reaction and you can no longer use your reaction to grant it a reaction. Instead, you can use your reaction on its turn to grant the golem a bonus action.

Sapphire Construction

Prerequisites: 6th level, Stone Alignment

The golem is made primarily out of sapphire and gains the following feature in addition to the ones gained by being made out of stone:

• Reaction: Shield. The golem can case the shield spell without expending a spell slot or requiring any of the components. It must finish a short of long rest before using this reaction again. 

Self Destruct

Prerequisite: Triple Imbuement

The golem gains the following feature while below half of its maximum HP:

Action: Self Destruct. the golem pulses with energy for a brief moment and explodes in a violent burst. Creatures within 10 feet of the golem at the time of the explosion must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes force damage equal to three times the golem's current HP and is pushed 10 feet directly away from the explosion. If a creature fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it lands prone after being pushed. On a success a creature takes half damage and is not pushed. The golem is immediately reduced to 0 HP and gains three death saving throws. 

Set in Stone

Prerequisite: Stone Alignment

Using the golem, you can case the augury spell without expending a spell slot or requiring material components. When you choose to cast the spell, the golem takes 5 force damage as the answer is caved into the golem's surface. The golem must finish a long rest before you can cast the spell with it again.

Shield Proficiency

Prerequisite: Single Imbuement

The golem gains proficiency with shields. If a golem is wielding a shield in its main hand or off hand, its attack damage dice are reduced by one step (ex. d8 to d6) 

Snake Form

Prerequisite: 5th level Single Imbuement

At leas some portion of the golem has the form of a snake like structure. The golem replaces Extra Attack with the following features:

• Multiattack. The golem can make one slam attack and one bite attack or one constrict attack
• Action. Bite. Melee weapon attack: +STR+G-PB to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit 1d10/8/-/-+STR piercing damage
• Action Constrict. Melee Weapon attack: +STR+G-PB to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10/8/-/-+STR bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 10+STR). Until this grappled ends, the creature is restrained, and the golem can't constrict another target. 

Steel Contruction

Prerequisites: 6th Level, Metal Alignment

The golem is made primarily out of steel and gains the following features in addition to the ones gained by being made of metal:

• +2 AC
• Keen Edge. Whenever the golem hits with a melee weapon attack it can choose to deal bludgeoning or slashing damage

Tandem Acrobatics

Prerequisites: Double Imbuement

The golem gains the following features:

• +5 feet of movement
• Bonus Action: Toss. The golem can grab a willing creature one size larger than it or smaller and throw it up to 15 feet in any direction. The creature must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone when it lands.
• Practiced Landing. If the golem is subjected to the Toss bonus action, it automatically succeeds on its saving throw. 

Ventriloquism

When speaking while this golem is in your command range, you can choose to have your voice emanate from it instead of you. Additionally, you can cast spells with a range other than self that have verbal only components as if you were in this golem's space.

Weapon Proficiency

Prerequisite: Single Imbuement

The golem gains proficiency with martial melee weapons. Attacks made with a martial melee weapon deal their regular damage unless the golem has the Enlargement alteration, in which case they deal +1 damage. 

Wings

Prerequisite: Tiny Golem (determine by weight)

The golem has a flying speed equal to their movement speed. 

Major Alterations

 Adamantine Construction

Prerequisites: 11th level, metal Alignment

The golem is made primarily out of adamantine and gains the following features in addition to the ones gained by being made of metal

• +3 AC
• Adamantine Construction. Any critical hit against the golem becomes a normal hit

Damage Equalization

Prerequisite: Double or Triple Imbuement

Each golem that has this alteration adds its HP to a shared pool of total HP. The pool's maximum HP is equal to the sum of the maximum HPs of golems that are a part of it.

Whenever a golem in the pool takes damage or regains hit points, the shared pool of HP is reduced ore restored instead.

As long as 1 HP remains in the pool, all golems that are a part of it remain functional. When the pool is reduced to 0, all of the golems in the pool start making death saving throws individually and are no longer part of the pool. When a golem regains HP after beginning to make death saving throws, it rejoins the shared pool.

Dirty Tricks

Prerequisites: Double Imbuement

The golem gains the following features:

• Bonus Action: Entangle. Ranged weapon attack: +DEX+G-PB to hit, range 20/40 ft., one creature. Hit. The target is restrained b the device. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC (+10+G-INT) STR check, breaking free on a success. The device can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10+G-INT; HP G-Level, immunity to poison and psychic damage). The golem must finish a long rest before using this bonus action again.
• Bonus Action: Trip. The golem attempts to deploy a device that trips up another creature. one creature within 15 feet of the golem must succeed on a DEX saving throw or fall prone. The golem must finish a short of long rest before using this bonus action again.

Duskwood Construction

Prerequisites: 11th level, Wood Alignment

The golem is made primarily out of wood from the Shadowfell, known as duskwood and gains the following feature in addition to the ones gained by being made out of wood:

• Action: Shadow Shift. The golem phases to be half in the Shadowfell and half in your current plane, becoming a shadowy version of itself. The phase shift lasts for 1 hour or until it attacks or uses a damaging ability. While it is shifted, it is invisible in dim light and darkness. The golem must finish a short or long rest before using this ability again.

Emeral Construction

Prerequisites: 11th level, Stone Alignment

The golem is made primarily out of emerald and gains the following features in addition to the ones gained by being made of stone:

• +1 AC
• Action: Touch of Poison. Melee weapon attack: +DEX/STR+G-PB to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:3d10/8/6/4+STR/DEX poison damage. If the attack hits, the target must make a CON saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hr. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each turn, ending the effect on itself on a success. The golem must finish a long rest before using this action again.

Enlargement

Prerequisite: 12th level

The golem is one size larger than what your Intrinsic Division typically allows. This makes its hit dice and attack damage dice one step larger (ex. d6 to d8)

Fine Tuned Resonance

Prerequisite: Stone Alignment

The Golem gains the follwing features:

• Vibration Dampening. The golem loses its vulnerability to thunder damage
• Thunder Crack. When the golem takes thunder damage, it stores some of the vibration energy. The next time it hits with an attack, the vibration energy is unleashed and the attack deals and additional 2d6 thunder damage.

Got Your Back

Prerequisites:  Double Imbuement

The golem gains the following feature:

• Bonus Action: Defend. Choose one creature within 5 feet of the golem. until the start of the golem's next turn, while it is within 5 feet of the target, weapon attacks against the target are made with disadvantage. 

Gravity Burst

Prerequisites: Triple Imbuement

The golem gains the following feature:

• Action: Gravity Burst (Field). The golem emits a field of energy in a special area. Creatures in the effected area must make a STR saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 1d-/-/8/6+2 force damage and is knocked prone. On a success, a creature takes half damage and is not knocked prone. The golem must finish a short or long rest before using this action again.

• Saprovore. If the golem stands on top of a dead creature made of flesh or plant matter that is its size or larger for 1 minute, it can regain a number of HP equal to is maximum number of hit dice. It must finish a short or long rest before using this feature again. 

Green Wood

Prerequisite: Wood Alignment

The golem gains the following features:

• Greenwood. The golem loses its vulnerability to fire
• Heat Blast. When the golem takes fire damage from a creature other than itself, it stores some of that heat. The next time it hits with an attack, the heat is unleashed and the attack deals an additional 2d6 fire damage.

Heavy Artillery

Prerequisite: Single Imbuement

The golem has some form of heavy artillery built inti its construction. It gains one of the following features.

• Action: Ballista Shot. Ranged weapon attack:+STR+G-PB to hit, range 200/800 ft., 2d10/8/-/-+STR piercing damage. The golem or the golemancer must use an action to reload the ballista before the golem can use this action again.
• Action: Cannon Shot. Ranged weapon attack:+STR+G-PB to hit, range 150/600 ft., 2d10/8/-/-+ STR bludgeoning damage. If the target is size Large or smaller, it must succeed on a CON saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn. The golem must finish a short or long rest before using this action again.

Mithral Construction

Prerequisite: 11th level Metal Alignment

The golem is made primarily out of mithral and gains the following features in addition to the ones gained by being made of metal:

• +2 AC
• +10 feet of movement
• Low Density. The golem counts as one size smaller when determining its weight

Overwhelming Burst

Prerequisite: Triple Imbuement

The golem gains the following feature

• Action: Overwhelming Burst (Field). The golem emits an overclocked burst of energy in a special area. Creatures in the effected area must make a DEX saving throw. A creature takes 3d-/-12/10+3 force damage on a failure and half damage on a success. The golem is incapacitated until the end of its next turn and must finish a short or long rest before using this action again.

Paper Construction

Prerequisites: 11th level Wood Alignment

The golem is made primarily out of paper and gains the following features in addition to the ones gained by being made of wood:

• -1 AC
• Light Footed. The golem counts as two sizes smaller when determining its weight. If this feature makes it smaller than Tiny, it is considered to weigh next to nothing.
• Nimble Form. The golem has advantage on DEX saving throws. In addition, it can use a bonus action to take the Dodge action
• Slow Faller. The golem is always under the effect of the feather fall spell, and can carry one creature of its size or smaller while falling. Creatures being carried by the golem while it is falling are also under the effect of the feather fall spell.

Persistent Imbuement

The golem gains the following features:

• Hard to Kill. The golem must fail 3 death saving throws rather than 2 before your essence is returned to you
• Nonfunctional but Stable. If the golem gains 3 successful death saving throws, it does not need to continue making them, but remains nonfunctional.

Piloting Chamber

Prerequisites: 15th level, Single Imbuement

The golem has a chamber inside of it large enough for a creature one or more sizes smaller than it to fit in. While inside, the creature has total cover and is protected from all attacks and magic that occur outside of the chamber. The chamber can be sealed from the inside and has a magical image to allow whoever is inside to see through the golem's eyes. if the golem is reduced to 0 HP with a creature inside, the creature is expelled and falls prone within 5 feet.

Mending Matrix

Prerequisite: Single Imbuement

The golem's form is laced with a weave of your magic essence designed to quickly repair damage. It gains the following features:

• Preemptive Bolstering. The golem gains 1d6/4/-/- temp HP at the start of each of its turns
• Repairing Flux. When the golem is reduced to 0 HP, it immediately regains a number of HP equal to G-Level. The golem must finish a long rest before using this feature again. 

Ruby Construction

Prerequisite:  11th level, Stone Alignment

The golem is made primarily out of rubies and gains the following features in addition to the ones gained by being made of stone:

• +1 AC
• Reaction: Counterspell. The golem can cast the counterspell spell without expanding a spell slot or requiring any components. If the spell it is countering is 4th level or higher, the counterspell fails. The golem must finish a long rest before using this reaction again.

Shock Absorber

Prerequisite: metal alignment

The golem gains the following features:

• Capacitor. The golem loses its vulnerability to lightning damage
• Charged Up. When the golem takes lightning damage, it stores some of that electrical energy. The next time it hits with an attack, the electrical energy is unleashed and the attack deals an additional 2d6 lightning damage. 

Spell Conduit

You can cast spells with somatic and/or material components as if from the golem's space. If you also have the ventriloquism alteration, you can cast any spell with range other than self as if you were in the golem's space. 

Thunder Burst

Prerequisites: Triple Imbuement

The golem gains the following feature:

• Action: Thunder Burst (Field). The golem emits a cacophonous noise in a special area. Creatures in the effected area must make a CON saving throw. On a failure a creature takes 1d-/-/8/6+2 thunder damage and is deafened until the start of the golem's next turn. On a success, the creature takes half damage and is not deafened. The golem must finish a short or long rest before using this action again. 

Clad in plate armor that gleams in the sunlight despite the dust and grime of long travel, a human lays down her sword and shield and places her hands on a mortally wounded man. Divine radiance shines from her hands, the man’s wounds knit closed, and his eyes open wide with amazement.

A dwarf crouches behind an outcrop, his black cloak making him nearly invisible in the night, and watches an orc war band celebrating its recent victory. Silently, he stalks into their midst and whispers an oath, and two orcs are dead before they even realize he is there.

Silver hair shining in a shaft of light that seems to illuminate only him, an elf laughs with exultation. His spear flashes like his eyes as he jabs again and again at a twisted giant, until at last his light overcomes its hideous darkness.

Whatever their origin and their mission, paladins are united by their oaths to stand against the forces of evil. Whether sworn before a god’s altar and the witness of a priest, in a sacred glade before nature spirits and fey beings, or in a moment of desperation and grief with the dead as the only witness, a paladin’s oath is a powerful bond. It is a source of power that turns a devout warrior into a blessed champion.

The Cause of Righteousness

A paladin swears to uphold justice and righteousness, to stand with the good things of the world against the encroaching darkness, and to hunt the forces of evil wherever they lurk. Different paladins focus on various aspects of the cause of righteousness, but all are bound by the oaths that grant them power to do their sacred work. Although many paladins are devoted to gods of good, a paladin’s power comes as much from a commitment to justice itself as it does from a god.

Paladins train for years to learn the skills of combat, mastering a variety of weapons and armor. Even so, their martial skills are secondary to the magical power they wield: power to heal the sick and injured, to smite the wicked and the undead, and to protect the innocent and those who join them in the fight for justice.

Beyond the Mundane Life

Almost by definition, the life of a paladin is an adventuring life. Unless a lasting injury has taken him or her away from adventuring for a time, every paladin lives on the front lines of the cosmic struggle against evil. Fighters are rare enough among the ranks of the militias and armies of the world, but even fewer people can claim the true calling of a paladin. When they do receive the call, these warriors turn from their former occupations and take up arms to fight evil. Sometimes their oaths lead them into the service of the crown as leaders of elite groups of knights, but even then their loyalty is first to the cause of righteousness, not to crown and country.

Adventuring paladins take their work seriously. A delve into an ancient ruin or dusty crypt can be a quest driven by a higher purpose than the acquisition of treasure. Evil lurks in dungeons and primeval forests, and even the smallest victory against it can tilt the cosmic balance away from oblivion.

Creating a Paladin

The most important aspect of a paladin character is the nature of his or her holy quest. Although the class features related to your oath don’t appear until you reach 3rd level, plan ahead for that choice by reading the oath descriptions at the end of the class. Are you a devoted servant of good, loyal to the gods of justice and honor, a holy knight in shining armor venturing forth to smite evil? Are you a glorious champion of the light, cherishing everything beautiful that stands against the shadow, a knight whose oath descends from traditions older than many of the gods? Or are you an embittered loner sworn to take vengeance on those who have done great evil, sent as an angel of death by the gods or driven by your need for revenge? The Gods of the Multiverse section lists many deities worshiped by paladins throughout the multiverse, such as Torm, Tyr, Heironeous, Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, Dol Arrah, the Silver Flame, Bahamut, Athena, Re-Horakhty, and Heimdall.

How did you experience your call to serve as a paladin? Did you hear a whisper from an unseen god or angel while you were at prayer? Did another paladin sense the potential within you and decide to train you as a squire? Or did some terrible event—the destruction of your home, perhaps—drive you to your quests? Perhaps you stumbled into a sacred grove or a hidden elven enclave and found yourself called to protect all such refuges of goodness and beauty. Or you might have known from your earliest memories that the paladin’s life was your calling, almost as if you had been sent into the world with that purpose stamped on your soul.

As guardians against the forces of wickedness, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you pursue your holy quest and the manner in which you conduct yourself before gods and mortals. Your oath and alignment might be in harmony, or your oath might represent standards of behavior that you have not yet attained.

QUICK BUILD

You can make a paladin quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the noble background.

The Paladin Table

BREAKING YOUR OATH

A paladin tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but even the most virtuous paladin is fallible. Sometimes the right path proves too demanding, sometimes a situation calls for the lesser of two evils, and sometimes the heat of emotion causes a paladin to transgress his or her oath.

A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric who shares his or her faith or from another paladin of the same order. The paladin might spend an all-night vigil in prayer as a sign of penitence, or undertake a fast or similar act of self-denial. After a rite of confession and forgiveness, the paladin starts fresh.

If a paladin willfully violates his or her oath and shows no sign of repentance, the consequences can be more serious. At the DM’s discretion, an impenitent paladin might be forced to abandon this class and adopt another, or perhaps to take the Oathbreaker paladin option that appears in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Class Features

As a paladin, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per paladin level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per paladin level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) a priest’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• Chain mail and a holy symbol

Divine Sense

The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.

Lay on Hands

Your blessed touch can heal wounds. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your paladin level × 5.

As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool.

Alternatively, you can expend 5 hit points from your pool of healing to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. You can cure multiple diseases and neutralize multiple poisons with a single use of Lay on Hands, expending hit points separately for each one.

This feature has no effect on undead and constructs.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Spellcasting

By 2nd level, you have learned to draw on divine magic through meditation and prayer to cast spells as a cleric does. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the paladin spell list.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Paladin table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your paladin spells. To cast one of your paladin spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of paladin spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the paladin spell list. When you do so, choose a number of paladin spells equal to your Charisma modifier + half your paladin level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 5th-level paladin, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of paladin spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your paladin spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a paladin spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a holy symbol (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your paladin spells.

Divine Smite

Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend, to a maximum of 6d8.

Divine Health

By 3rd level, the divine magic flowing through you makes you immune to disease.

Sacred Oath

When you reach 3rd level, you swear the oath that binds you as a paladin forever. Up to this time you have been in a preparatory stage, committed to the path but not yet sworn to it. Now you choose the Oath of Devotion detailed at the end of the class description or one from another source.

Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 15th, and 20th level. Those features include oath spells and the Channel Divinity feature.

Oath Spells

Each oath has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the oath description. Once you gain access to an oath spell, you always have it prepared. Oath spells don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

If you gain an oath spell that doesn’t appear on the paladin spell list, the spell is nonetheless a paladin spell for you.

Channel Divinity

Your oath allows you to channel divine energy to fuel magical effects. Each Channel Divinity option provided by your oath explains how to use it.

When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Channel Divinity again.

Some Channel Divinity effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your paladin spell save DC.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Aura of Protection

Starting at 6th level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Aura of Courage

Starting at 10th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can’t be frightened while you are conscious.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Improved Divine Smite

By 11th level, you are so suffused with righteous might that all your melee weapon strikes carry divine power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 radiant damage.

Cleansing Touch

Beginning at 14th level, you can use your action to end one spell on yourself or on one willing creature that you touch.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Aura Improvements

At 18th level, the range of your auras increase to 30 feet.

Optional Class Features

Additional Paladin Spells

2nd-level paladin feature
The spells in the following list expand the paladin spell list in the Player’s Handbook. The list is organized by spell level, not character level. Each spell is in the Player’s Handbook, unless it has an asterisk (a spell in chapter 3 of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything). Xanathar’s Guide to Everything also offers more spells.

Fighting Style Options

2nd-level paladin feature
When you choose a fighting style, the following styles are added to your list of options.

Blessed Warrior
You learn two cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. They count as paladin spells for you, and Charisma is your spellcasting ability for them. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of these cantrips with another cantrip from the cleric spell list.

Blind Fighting
You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn’t behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

Interception
When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Harness Divine Power

3rd-level paladin feature
You can expend a use of your Channel Divinity to fuel your spells. As a bonus action, you touch your holy symbol, utter a prayer, and regain one expended spell slot, the level of which can be no higher than half your proficiency bonus (rounded up). The number of times you can use this feature is based on the level you’ve reached in this class: 3rd level, once; 7th level, twice; and 15th level, thrice. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Martial Versatility

4th-level paladin feature
Whenever you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace a fighting style you know with another fighting style available to paladins. This replacement represents a shift of focus in your martial practice.

Sacred Oaths

Becoming a paladin involves taking vows that commit the paladin to the cause of righteousness, an active path of fighting wickedness. The final oath, taken when he or she reaches 3rd level, is the culmination of all the paladin’s training. Some characters with this class don’t consider themselves true paladins until they have reached 3rd level and made this oath. For others, the actual swearing of the oath is a formality, an official stamp on what has always been true in the paladin’s heart.