Ironman (Human Race-As-Class)

Companion piece to the sorcerer for a slowly gestating setting.

Thissen brande sowithe yitt we shalle reyn yron dartes thereon the heddes of otheren kinde

 Behold the Ironman, wielder of the Last Form and the First Truth, breaker of thrones and trampler of banners. Nameless daemon of the uttermost north, who chokes the songs of sorcerers with blood. He who has dipped his iron in many hearts, to whom the stench of bloodied fields is sweetest perfume.

You can wear any armour and wield shields, and are proficient with all weapons that have metal striking surfaces.

You gain +1 to Hit or Defence per Template and +1 to Critical Hit Range at 2nd and 4th Templates.

Skill: Blacksmithing and one other; 1. Pillaging 2. Riding 3. Tactics

Starting Equipment: Steely iron laminar armour, shield & helmet, 2 steely iron weapons of your choice, a small but tough riding pony and tack, 4d6 gp worth of trade iron and easily traded plunder (cheap jewelry, spices, salt, ivory, furs and silks) & a red-dyed coif.

A: Trothed-To-Iron, The First Truth
B: Ironward, +1 Attack per Turn
C: Breaker-of-elves-and-beasts 
D: The Riddle of Steel, +1 Attack per Turn

A: Trothed-To-Iron
Iron is your god, all gods are jealous and miserly with their love. You suffer a penalty equal to your number of Templates on attack rolls with weapons that do not have iron striking surfaces, and reduce the benefit to Defence from any non-iron armour by the same amount.

A: The First Truth
'That which does not exist is less valuable than that which does, to end the existence of others thus proves your existence is more worthy than theirs.'

Make a tally mark on your character sheet for every kill you make of a foe that was either putting up a meaningful fight - defined here as one that has the capacity to deal you more than 1HP of damage - or had offered you insult. You have a separate track of HP, equal to 1 times the number of full tallies (5 marks) you have. These do not count for purposes of determining your maximum possible HP (usually 20), and only heal through rest - i.e. if you drink a healing potion or receive sorcerous healing (you unutterable milkblooded cur) it only applies to your base HP.

B: Ironward
When wielding an iron shield, you may choose to allow it to become mangled to negate the damage of one hit completely or automatically pass a save against a damaging effect. A mangled shield is useless until it is hammered back into shape, requiring an hour's work by a blacksmith with access to a forge and metalworking tools. At Template D you can also mangle a shield to automatically save against non-damaging magical effects.

C: Breaker-of-elves-and-beasts
Subdue a foe in honourable battle, employing no poison or sorcery, bind them in fetters of iron you have crafted with your own hands and extract an oath of fealty from them. As long as they remain fettered in your iron and their HD do not exceed your Templates they must Save to disobey your commands. Elves and other beings vulnerable to iron don't get a save. This works on beasts too, but you don't need to get them to give fealty if they can't speak.

This might seem like sorcery, your eyes are deceiving you due to your weak constitution and lack of moral character.

D: The Riddle of Steel
You know the true name of iron. As a result, you can replace any part of your body with iron armour that would cover the lost region; an iron gauntlet moves its fingers as you will, even if you have no hand to fill it. This even applies to lost or damaged organs; a blind ironman sees as clear as ever when his visor is down, an ironman whose lungs were ruined by pneumonia breathes freely when his breastplate is on, even a brain-damaged ironman suddenly finds his thoughts sharp and memory long when an iron war-cap is placed atop his head. Ignore penalties resulting from injuries in locations that you wear iron armour on. If clad wholly in iron you cannot die of natural causes, even if your mortal body dies and withers to dust your armour keeps on walking and talking, albeit devoid of human passion for anything but war, spending the rest of its time silently waiting for the next opportunity for bloodshed. Some ironmen have been known to practice self-mummification within their armour, drinking a slow poison of oak galls, rowan berries and hemlock that preserves their flesh.

Okay, this is technically sorcery, shhhhh, don't tell anyone.