Tenets of the Strong

A paladin blessed by Gunnar, the God of Strength, must devote themself to the tenants of his Church.

1. Strength is Kind
2. Strength is Weakness
3. Strength is Safety

Those who would show courage through kindness to the world around them, would accept that fortitude starts with weakness, and would forge their might not into a weapon, but a shield, will find that they are never alone. The God of Strength himself will always be at their back.

Channel Divinity

3rd-level Oath of the Strong Feature

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

1. Bastion of Strength

As a bonus action, you rally the ragged. Each creature of your choice that can see or hear you gains the following benefits:

• Temporary hit points equal to your Strength + your Charisma.
• Bonus to their next attack or saving throw equal to your Strength modifier.

2. Inspiring Defender

As a reaction, you become resistant to an enemy’s attack. A creature of your choice within 10 feet of you regains hit points equal to half of the damage you take from the attack.

Oath Spells

3rd-level Oath of the Strong Feature

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed:

• 3rd - Shield, Guiding Bolt

• 5th - Enlarge/Reduce, Enhance Ability

• 9th - Beacon of Hope, Counterspell

• 13th - Guardian of Faith, Resilient Sphere

• 17th - Antilife Shell, Dispel Evil and Good

Aura of Celebration

7th-level Oath of the Strong Feature

Everyone deserves a little hype sometimes. Any time a creature within 10 feet of you succeeds on a melee attack roll, they gain temporary hit points equal to your Strength modifier.

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

Shield, Not the Hammer

15th-level Oath of the Strong Feature

You will protect them. You must. Whenever a friendly creature is attacked while within your Aura of Celebration, you can use your reaction to move adjacent to the creature and become the new target of the attack in their stead. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Be Their Strength

20th-level Oath of the Strong Feature

You will all make it through this. You will ensure it. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:

• At the beginning of your turn, all creatures of your choice within your Aura of Celebration regain hit points equal to your Strength modifier.
• You and all creatures within 10 feet of you gain a +10 bonus to Strength-based attacks, ability checks, and saving throws.

Power of the Ant

One of the strongest creatures on the material plane, pound for pound, is the humble ant. A small creature, yet capable of lifting over 50 times it's own bodyweight. Even still, on its own, the ant is nearly powerless.

A cleric seeking the divine strength of Gunnar must accept that even at their strongest, they are not nearly as powerful as they could be. True strength is found in the ability to uplift, protect, and empower those around you. They must also adhere to the tenants of the Church of Strength:

1. Strength is Kind
2. Strength is Weakness
3. Strength is Safety

Those who would show courage through kindness to the world around them, would accept that fortitude starts with weakness, and would forge their might not into a weapon, but a shield, will find that they are never alone. The God of Strength himself will always be at their back.

Domain Spells

1st-level Strength Domain Feature

You gain domain spells at the cleric levels listed in the Strength Domain Spells table. See the Divine Domain class feature for how domain spells work

• 1st - Shield, Heroism
• 3rd - Aid, Enlarge/Reduce
• 5th - Counterspell, Haste
• 7th - Guardian of Faith, Private Sanctum
• 9th - Commune, Greater Restoration

Bonus Proficiencies

1st-level Strength Domain Feature

You gain proficiency with martial weapons and heavy armor.

Lead By Example

1st-level Strength Domain Feature

Everyone needs someone to look to. After you successfully hit a hostile creature with a weapon attack, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the next attack roll made by a friendly creature. After you successfully succeed on a saving throw, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the next saving throw rolled by a friendly creature of your choice.

Channel Divinity: Strong Defense

2nd-level Strength Domain Feature

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to become a bulwark of the strongest defense. As an action, you present your holy symbol and the might of Gunnar, the god of strength, reinforces you for 1 minute. You must concentrate on this effect as if you were concentrating on a spell. For the duration, add your Strength modifier to your AC.

Weakness Before Strength

6th-level Strength Domain Feature

Recognizing your weakest points is the first step toward strengthening them. When you have disadvantage on an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, you may spend your reaction to roll a d4 and add the number rolled. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses. When you reach 10th level you can roll 2d4 instead, and when you reach 15th level you can roll 3d4 instead.

Divine Strike

8th-level Strength Domain Feature

You gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 damage of the same type dealt by the weapon to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Beyond Failure

17th-level Strength Domain Feature

With god-might coursing through your veins, you will be strong enough. Whenever you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can take a level of exhaustion to treat a d20 roll lower than a 20 as a 20.