Argent Fist
A human man adorned in half-plate stands firm, clenching his empty fists. Before him stands an ancient green dragon, laughing its menacing laugh. The human smirks, stretching his arm in preparation. The dragon thinks it's looking at an easy meal. The human thinks, "Not today," as his fists erupt with silver fire.
Hundreds of people walk this street every day, and only a few ever notice the beggars. The poor, the destitute, living on society's table scraps. But one of them always turns down gold, telling the offerer to give it to another. "He must secretly be loaded to turn down free money like that," the thief says to himself, figuring the unarmed unarmored beggar will make an easy target. He will soon find out just how wrong he is.
Creating an Argent Fist
Argent Fist is a Hybrid Class of Monk and Paladin, sometimes affectionately called "Monkadin". They swear sacred vows to the Silver Flame, a divine force which rewards their self-discipline with special abilities.
Life for an Argent Fist is easiest for those who are Lawful Good. Chaotic or Evil alignments may struggle with keeping the necessary vows, but so long as they do so they are not forbidden from taking this class.
Quick Build
You can make an Argent Fist quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength (or Dexterity if you plan to take the Vow of Poverty), then Constitution. Second, choose the Acolyte background.
Class Features
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per Argent Fist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Argent Fist level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light, Medium
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Shortswords
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Strength
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a shortsword or (b) any simple weapon
- (a) any simple weapon or (b) five javelins
- (a) a priest's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
- a chain shirt and a holy symbol
If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4 x 10 gp
Sacred Fists
At 1st level, your practice of divine martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don't have the two-handed or heavy property.
You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and not wearing heavy armor or wielding a shield:
-
You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage die of your unarmed strike or monk weapon. This die changes to a d6 at 10th level. If you are wearing gauntlets, you may increase the die by one step for unarmed strikes made with empty hands (1d4 becomes 1d6, 1d6 becomes 1d8).
-
When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.
Certain monasteries use specialized forms of the monk weapons, such as a club with a chain called a nunchaku. Whatever name you use for a monk weapon. you can use the game statistics provided for the weapon in chapter 5.
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 Wisdom modifier. When you finish a long rest,
you regain all expended uses.
Lay on Hands
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to channel the divine energy of the Silver Flame to 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 Argent Fist level x 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.
Argent Fist
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Sacred Fists, Divine Sense | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Lay on Hands | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Sacred Vow, Divine Spellcasting, Silver Flame Smite | 2 | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 3 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Divine Strike, Divine Grace | 3 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Sacred Vow Feature, Divine Health | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | Divine Flurry | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Stunning Smite, Stillness of Mind | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Slow Fall | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | Sacred Vow Feature | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 14th | +5 | Tongue of the Silver Flame | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 15th | +5 | Improved Silver Flame Smite | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 17th | +6 | Sacred Vow feature | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 18th | +6 | Divine Spirit | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 20th | +6 | Embrace of the Silver Flame | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Sacred Vow
When you reach 3rd level, you swear the vows that bind you to the Silver Flame forever. Up to this time you have been in a preparatory stage, committed to the path but not yet sworn to it. Now you swear the Vow of Nonviolence, the Vow of Poverty, or the Vow of Vengeance, all detailed at the end of the class description.
Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 13th, and 17th level. The Channel Silver Flame feature is included with your Sacred Vow.
Channel Silver Flame
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to channel the divine energy of the silver flame burning within you to fuel magical effects.
When you use your Channel Silver Flame, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use this feature again. The DC for any Channel Silver Flame effect equals your Argent Fist spell save DC.
You start with the following Channel Silver Flame options. Each Sacred Vow adds an additional option.
Talon of the Silver Flame. As an action, you can cause one of your hands or one monk weapon you are holding to erupt in silver flames, using your Channel Silver Flame. This fire gives off no heat but sheds light as a torch. You can add your Wisdom modifier to attack rolls made with that weapon (with a minimum bonus of +1). If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration.
The silver flames burn for up to a minute. You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends.
Fear of the Silver Flame. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer censuring fiends and undead, using your Channel Silver Flame. Your holy symbol erupts with silver flame that gives off no heat but sheds light as a torch. Each fiend or undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage.
A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can't willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can't take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there's nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.
Silver Flame Smite
Starting at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one Argent Fist spell slot to cause the weapon to erupt in silver fire that deals radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-levei spell slot, plus ld8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by ld8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.
Divine Spellcasting
At 3rd level, your your sacred vows to the Silver Flame allow you to cast spells as a paladin does.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Argent Fist table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your Argent Fist spells, 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 Argent Fist 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 Wisdom modifier + half your Argent Fist 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 7th-level Argent Fist, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 14, your list of prepared spells can include five spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-levei 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 Argent Fist spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Argent Fist spells. The power of your spells comes from your sacred vows. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an Argent Fist spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell Save DC
Spell attack modifier
Spellcasting Focus
You can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus for your Argent Fist spells.
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.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Divine Strike
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Divine Grace
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 Wisdom modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus.
At 18th level, you gain advantage on all saving throws. You must not be wearing heavy armor or wielding a shield to gain advantage on Dexterity saves from this feature.
Divine Health
By 7th level, the divine magic flowing through you makes you immune to disease.
Divine Flurry
Beginning at 9th level, as long as you are unarmed or only wielding monk weapons, not wearing heavy armor, and not wielding a shield, you may spend an Argent Fist spell slot immediately after taking the Attack action on your turn to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.
Stunning Smite
Starting at 10th level, your unarmed smite is empowered to disrupt an opponent's body. When you hit another creature with an unarmed strike and use Silver Flame Smite, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn. The DC for this saving throw is your Argent Fist spell save DC.
Stillness of Mind
Starting at 10th level, you can use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.
Slow Fall
Beginning at 11th level, as long as you are not wearing heavy armor or wielding a shield, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your Argent Fist level.
Tongue of the Silver Flame
Starting at 14th level, the divinity burning within you allows you to understand all spoken languages. Moreover, any creature that can understand a language can understand what you say.
Improved Silver Flame Smite
By 15th level, you are so suffused with righteous might that all your unarmed strikes carry divine power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, the creature takes an extra ld8 radiant damage. If you also use your Silver Flame Smite with an attack, you add this damage to the extra damage of your Silver Flame Smite.
Divine Spirit
Beginning at 18th level, you are always under the effects of a protection from evil and good spell.
Embrace of the Silver Flame
At 20th level, as an action, you can become engulfed in silver flames. This fire gives off no heat but shines bright as sunlight. For 1 minute, bright light shines from you in a 30-foot radius, and dim light shines 30 feet beyond that. Whenever an enemy creature starts its turn in the bright light, the creature takes l0 radiant damage. In addition, for the duration, you have advantage on saving throws against spells cast by fiends or undead.
As part of the same action, you may use any number of other Argent Fist features with "Silver Flame" in its title.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until
you finish a long rest.
Broken Vows
An Argent Fist tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but sometimes the right path proves too demanding, or a situation calls for the lesser of two evils, or the heat of emotion causes an Argent Fist to transgress his or her vow.
An Argent Fist who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric or paladin who shares his or her faith or from another Argent Fist of the same order. The Argent Fist 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 Argent Fist starts fresh.
If an Argent Fist willfully violates his or her vow and shows no sign of repentance, the consequences can be more serious. At the DM's discretion, an impenitent Argent Fist loses all class features with "Divine" or "Silver Flame" in their title until they repent, and if they continue in impenitence they might be forced to abandon this class and adopt another.
Sacred Vow
Becoming an Argent Fist requires taking sacred vows, committing yourself to a path of righteousness.
In addition to their crucial Sacred Vow, all Argent Fists vow to uphold the following values:
Honesty. Don't lie or cheat. Let your word be your promise.
Honor. Treat others with fairness, and let your honorable deeds be an example to them. Do as much good as possible while causing the least amount of harm.
Preservation. Defend the innocent and protect the weak. Wherever there is goodness, beauty, or innocence in the world, stand against the wickedness that would swallow it. Where the wicked have caused harm, make reparations however you can.
Vow of Poverty
You vow to uphold the value of Charity. Give freely of your time and energy and possessions to anyone in need.
Ascetic
An Argent Fist who swears a vow of poverty is only permitted to own a maximum of five items. An outfit of common clothes, a common backpack, and your holy symbol do not count against this maximum. Any amount of food and water -- or other items sold in bulk such as caltrops, lengths of rope, torches, darts, javelins, etc. -- counts as a single item.
Only one of your five items may be worth more than 1gp, which is usually an heirloom of sentimental value or a magic item of religious significance. You may only use items you own; you cannot "borrow" items from other party members.
You are not permitted to handle gold or platinum; you may handle electrum, silver, or copper, but you may never possess more than 5gp in funds.
Upon swearing a vow of poverty, all illegal possessions must be given away or sold and all the proceeds donated to a worthy cause.
Unarmored Finesse
Beginning at 3rd level, you gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and wearing no armor and not wielding a shield:
- Your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.
- You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons.
- Your speed increases by 10 feet. This bonus increases by 5 feet at 7th, 13th, and 17th levels.
- Your Sacred Fists die is as the Martial Arts die of a Monk of your Argent Fists level.
- When you are hit by a ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1dl0 + your Dexterity modifier + your Argent Fist level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is smalI enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. - At 13th level you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.
Channel Silver Flame
You gain the following Channel Silver Flame option:
Curse of the Silver Flame. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer against the foolishness of greed, using your Channel Silver Flame. You choose one non-magical item within 30 feet of you, plus additional non-magical items up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 0). Silver flame erupts around these items, causing them to rust and crack and gain the broken condition.
A broken item can be repaired for half of its base cost by any artisan who could have created the original item. Until it receives these repairs, it is unusable and has no effects.
Touch of the Silver Flame
Beginning at 7th level, as a bonus action you can cause your hands to be engulfed in silver flames. This fire gives off no heat but sheds light as a torch. During your turn you may extend these flames, giving yourself a reach of 10 feet.
The silver flames burn for up to a minute. You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you fall unconscious, this effect ends. You must complete a short or long rest before using this feature again.
Evasion
Beginning at 7th level, as long as you are unarmored and not wielding a shield, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Divine Fortitude
Beginning at 13th level, you are immune to the negative effects of a harsh environment, such as hot or cold weather or strong winds.
In addition, at the end of each short or long rest you choose one damage type (such as fire, slashing, or necrotic). You gain resistance to that damage type until your next short or long rest as long as you are unarmored and not wielding a shield.
Sustenance
At 17th level, you no longer need to eat, drink, or breathe. In addition, you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you cannot be aged magically. You will still die of old age when your time is up.
Quivering Palm
AI 17th level. you gain the ability lo set up lethal vibrations in someone's body. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend an Argent Fist spell slot to start these imperceptible vibrations, which last for a number of days equal to your Argent Fist level. The vibrations are harmless unless you use your action to end them. To do so, you and the target must be on the same plane of existence. When you use this action. the creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your Argent Fist spell save DC. If it fails. it is reduced to 0 hit points. If it succeeds, it takes 10d10 necrotic damage.
You can have only one creature under the effect of this feature at a lime. You can choose lo end the vibrations harmlessly without using an action.
Vow of Nonviolence
You vow to uphold the value of Peace. As far as it is within your power, stay on good terms with everyone. Whenever a problem arises, always seek a nonviolent solution first.
Pacifist
An Argent Fist who swears a vow of nonviolence is determined to solve problems without hurting anyone. You may not wield a weapon with a native damage die larger than 1d6 (for example, you may wield a quarterstaff as its native damage die is d6; it gains a damage die of d8 from a special feature), and you may never deal damage of a type other than bludgeoning or radiant. You may never initiate combat, and you must spend the first two rounds of any combat attempting to defuse the situation or flee.
Divine Healer
Beginning at 3rd level, you gain the following benefits:
- Your pool of hit points for Lay on Hands is now equal to your Argent Fist level x 7.
- Your spell slots per day are as a Paladin of your Argent Fists level.
- You may prepare spells from the cleric spell list as though they were on the paladin spell list.
Channel Silver Flame
You gain the following Channel Silver Flame option:
Boon of the Silver Flame. As an action, you present your holy symbol and choose any number of creatures within 30 feet of you, using your Channel Silver Flame. Tongues of silver flame burst from your hand, impacting the creatures you chose. You may immediately use Lay on Hands on all of those creatures at once as though you were touching them, spending hit points separately for each creature.
Balm of the Silver Flame
Beginning at 7th level, as a bonus action you can cause your hands to be engulfed in silver flames. This fire gives off no heat but sheds light as a torch. Any spell or ability you use this turn that heals hit point damage restores double the normal amount of hit points.
The silver flames burn for up to a minute. You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you fall unconscious, this effect ends. You must complete a short or long rest before using this feature again.
Tranquility
Beginning at 13th level. you can enter a special meditation that surrounds you with an aura of peace. At the end of each long rest, you gain the effect of a sanctuary spell that lasts until the start of your next long rest as long as you do not wear heavy armor or wield a shield (the spell can end early as normal). This spell uses your Argent Fist spell save DC.
Weaponbane
Beginning at 17th level, if you are struck by a manufactured melee weapon, you may spend a reaction to force the wielder to make a Wisdom save at your Argent Fist spell save DC (if the weapon has a Wisdom score, it makes the save for itself instead). If they succeed, the attack's damage is halved. If they fail, the attack deals no damage, and if the weapon is non-magical it gains the broken condition.
A broken item can be repaired for half of its base cost by any artisan who could have created the original item. Until it receives these repairs, it is unusable and has no effects.
You must complete a short or long rest before using this feature again.
Vow of Vengeance
You vow to uphold the value of Retribution. Make evil rue the day it crossed your path. Never let a wrong go unavenged.
This vow is the least powerful, but the easiest to uphold.
Avenger
An Argent Fist who swears a vow of vengeance is determined to right wrongs and destroy evil. If you discover a fiend, undead, lycanthrope, or evil dragon, you must immediately pursue and attack it unless doing so would be obviously foolhardy. You must never knowingly work alongside such a creature, nor treat one as your ally even for a moment.
Channel Silver Flame
You gain the following Channel Silver Flame option:
Mark of the Silver Flame. As a bonus action, you can cause a tongue of silver flame to appear floating above the head of a creature you can see within 10 feet of you, using your Channel Silver Flame. You gain advantage on attack rolls against the creature for 1 minute or until it drops to 0 hit points or falls unconscious.
Avenger's Prey
Beginning at 3rd level, all Argent Fist features that apply to fiends or undead also apply to lycanthropes, evil dragons, and any creature under the effect of your Mark of the Silver Flame.
Wrath of the Silver Flame
Beginning at 7th level, as a bonus action you can cause your hands and any monk weapons you are holding to erupt in silver flames (if any of those weapons are not already magical, they become magical for the duration). This fire gives off no heat but sheds light as a torch. Once per turn, these flames allow you to reroll damage and take the better result on any successful attack against a lycanthrope, undead, fiend, evil dragon, or creature under the effect of your Mark of the Silver Flame.
The silver flames burn for up to a minute. You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you fall unconscious, this effect ends. You must complete a short or long rest before using this feature again.
Soul of Vengeance
Starting at 13th level, when a creature under the effect of your Mark of the Silver Flame makes an attack, you can use your reaction to make an unarmed strike against that creature if it is within range.
Angel of the Silver Flame
Beginning at level 17, as a bonus action you can become engulfed in silver flames. This fire gives off no heat but sheds light as a torch. You also sprout angelic wings, gaining a flight speed of 60 as long as you are not wearing heavy armor or wielding a shield.
The flames and wings last for up to an hour. You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. You must complete a long rest before using this feature again.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites
To qualify for multiclassing into the Argent Fist class, you must meet these prerequisites:
Wisdom 13 or higher.
No levels of Monk or Paladin
If you have any levels of Argent Fist, you cannot multiclass into Monk or Paladin.Proficiencies
When you multiclass into the Argent Fist class, you gain the following proficiencies:
Light and Medium Armor, Simple Weapons, Shortswords
Thanks for Reading!
Argent Fist was inspired by the Argent Fist prestige class and the Exalted feats Vow of Poverty, Vow of Peace, and Vow of Nonviolence, all from Dungeons and Dragons 3.5
A special thank you to all the redditors on r/DnDHomebrew who helped me refine this!
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