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The Warrior
An Alternate Fighter Class for those who like a more free form play style
[sblock=The Idea]This class is meant to be used alongside any other class, even the normal fighter, and is roughly numerically equal to a fighter while having greater efficacy in a broader range of situations. It grew out of my observation that some fighters players have amazing player skill and end up having a far greater impact on the game than the fighter class mechanics would otherwise suggest. The best fighter players I've seen have a knack for Old School play, coming up with brilliant ideas to circumvent rolling altogether or stacking the odds in their favor. It got me thinking of what a class would look like designed for that kind of a player in mind.
These are players who don't spend round after round saying "I swing my sword", and at the same time they're players who do better with a more free form style of play than codified maneuvers like the 3e Tome of Battle, 4e fighter, or the 5e Battlemaster sub-class. They want to do lots of cool things, but they don't want to wade thru long power/maneuver lists to tell them what they can do. The class would need to be dynamic without being too complex, and it would need features supporting improvisation.
And that's how the Warrior came about.[/sblock]
[sblock=What it is not]The Warrior isn't meant to address concerns about "Linear Fighters, Quadratic Wizards"; true, it gives the fighter a greater toolbox of options in combat, but just how those elements come together is really in the hands of the fighter player. Raw numerical power isn't increased.
The Warrior also isn't meant to enhance a fighter's out-of-combat utility. If that's the sort of thing you're looking for, check out my rules module: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?358415-Utility-Talents-for-Fighters-Rules-Module.
Finally, the Warrior isn't meant to replicate any edition's version of the fighter. I've adopted ideas from the Basic D&D fighter, the AD&D fighter, the Pathfinder fighter, and the 4e fighter to create something new.[/sblock]
Hit Points, Proficiencies, Equipment: Same as the normal fighter. The difference is the class features.
The Warrior
New Class Features
1. Improvised Attack: You add your proficiency bonus to attack when using improvised weapons (like flaming logs, tankards of ale, and grappled goblins), and such improvised weapons always deal at least 1d6 damage in your hands.
In addition, when you have advantage on your attack you may trade it in to gain one of the benefits below instead. Alternately, the DM might allow you to choose from these beenfits if you make an unconventional attack like a called shot or a leaping attack off a balcony. With your DM's permission you might gain other benefits beyond these, which are meant more as guidelines than hard-and-fast limits:
As a guideline for the maximum number of creatures you can effect, if the attack is a full-round action use the number of attacks granted by Extra Attacks as a guideline. Alternately, if it's a non-damaging attack, use a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus (e.g. tumbling a barrel down a staircase at orcs).
[sblock=Compared to Fighting Style]Improvised Attack lets you accomplish a whole variety of things, but it requires you to sacrifice advantage or succeed at a creatively described attack roll to accomplish those things. Fighting Style, on the other hand, provides a reliable boost that never changes.[/sblock]
2. Battlefield Control: Once per round, when you hit an enemy with an attack you may initiate a Grapple or Shove against them as a bonus action. Make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by their Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). Your Shove can effect enemies of any size.
[sblock=Compared to Action Surge]Battlefied Control lets you do a defined thing with lots of uses, and lets you do it pretty much at will. Action Surge, on the other hand, lets you take any bonus action you can imagine but only once per short rest (hour).[/sblock]
6. Warrior Stances: You can assume any of the Martial Stances listed below on your turn as a bonus action, though you may only assume one stance at a time and they are only active while engaged in combat.
Colossus Fighting: While in this stance, you gain +1 damage so long as you focus your attacks on one enemy larger than you. Additionally, if you climb on this enemy, you gain advantage on checks made to keep yourself from falling off or being knocked off.
Crowd Fighting: While in this stance, when an enemy's attack misses you, as your reaction you can redirect it to another enemy adjacent to you; the attack is immediately re-rolled against that enemy and resolved as normal.
Stand Your Ground: While in this stance, increase your AC by +1. Additionally, reduce all forced movement against you by 5 feet, and when you would be knocked prone you get a Constitution save (DC 15) to avoid it.
Strike the Weak Points: While in this stance, your weapon attacks ignore resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage against one creature type per round. In addition, your critical hits deal an extra die of damage.
[sblock=Compared to bonus Ability Score Improvement]Each stance is the rough equivalent of a feat that is most useful under specific conditions, though one of the stances will always be useful. [/sblock]
9. Endure: As a reaction to suffering an attack or failing a save, you may delay all damage and conditions associated with that attack or failed save for 1 round. You must take a short or long rest before using this feature again.
[sblock=Compared to Indomitable]Indomitable is limited by long rests, but boosts your chances of completely avoiding an effect altogether. Whereas Endure can be used every short rest (hour), though only to keep an effect momentarily at bay.[/sblock]
13. Fearless: When making Wisdom saving throws against fear effects, add your proficiency bonus and Charisma modifier to your saves. In addition, when you're frightened, you can move closer to the source of your fear (normally you cannot).
[sblock=Compared to extra use of Indomitable]Fearless gives you a constant bonus to one very specific effect and condition. Indomitable lets you re-roll any save twice per long rest.[/sblock]
14. Greater Improvised Attack: When you use your Improvised Attack feature, you may inflict a condition upon the target which lasts until they make a successful saving throw. The Difficulty for the save is 10 + your proficiency bonus. Example conditions and what they might do (and the type of save they require) include:
[sblock=Compared to bonus Ability Score Improvement]Greater Improvised Attack is comparable to a feat which requires you to hit before its effects kick in. Also, since a condition is applied instead of, not in addition to, the other very useful benefits of Improvised Attack, it seems well balanced.[/sblock]
17. Overkill: When you kill a creature with a Challenge rating lower than half your level, rounded down (e.g. lower than 8), you may apply the excess damage to another adjacent creature with a Challenge rating lower than half your level.
[sblock=Compared to bonus Action Surge & bonus use of Indomitable]This one is hard to balance, as it's a translation of the Basic D&D fighter's ability to make a flurry of attacks against "humanoid" foes. Since it triggers on killing, Overkill can occur more than once or twice per long rest (the limits on Action Surge), but it also requires you to be in a specific situation facing multiple lower levels enemies in melee.[/sblock]
An Alternate Fighter Class for those who like a more free form play style
[sblock=The Idea]This class is meant to be used alongside any other class, even the normal fighter, and is roughly numerically equal to a fighter while having greater efficacy in a broader range of situations. It grew out of my observation that some fighters players have amazing player skill and end up having a far greater impact on the game than the fighter class mechanics would otherwise suggest. The best fighter players I've seen have a knack for Old School play, coming up with brilliant ideas to circumvent rolling altogether or stacking the odds in their favor. It got me thinking of what a class would look like designed for that kind of a player in mind.
These are players who don't spend round after round saying "I swing my sword", and at the same time they're players who do better with a more free form style of play than codified maneuvers like the 3e Tome of Battle, 4e fighter, or the 5e Battlemaster sub-class. They want to do lots of cool things, but they don't want to wade thru long power/maneuver lists to tell them what they can do. The class would need to be dynamic without being too complex, and it would need features supporting improvisation.
And that's how the Warrior came about.[/sblock]
[sblock=What it is not]The Warrior isn't meant to address concerns about "Linear Fighters, Quadratic Wizards"; true, it gives the fighter a greater toolbox of options in combat, but just how those elements come together is really in the hands of the fighter player. Raw numerical power isn't increased.
The Warrior also isn't meant to enhance a fighter's out-of-combat utility. If that's the sort of thing you're looking for, check out my rules module: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?358415-Utility-Talents-for-Fighters-Rules-Module.
Finally, the Warrior isn't meant to replicate any edition's version of the fighter. I've adopted ideas from the Basic D&D fighter, the AD&D fighter, the Pathfinder fighter, and the 4e fighter to create something new.[/sblock]
Hit Points, Proficiencies, Equipment: Same as the normal fighter. The difference is the class features.
The Warrior
- Improvised Attack, Second Wind
- Battlefield Control
- Martial Archetype
- Ability Score Improvement
- Extra Attack
- Warrior Stances
- Martial Archetype feature
- Ability Score Improvement
- Endure
- Martial Archetype feature
- Extra Attack (2)
- Ability Score Improvement
- Fearless
- Greater Improvised Attack
- Martial Archetype feature
- Ability Score Improvement
- Overkill
- Martial Archetype feature
- Ability Score Improvement
- Extra Attack (3)
New Class Features
1. Improvised Attack: You add your proficiency bonus to attack when using improvised weapons (like flaming logs, tankards of ale, and grappled goblins), and such improvised weapons always deal at least 1d6 damage in your hands.
In addition, when you have advantage on your attack you may trade it in to gain one of the benefits below instead. Alternately, the DM might allow you to choose from these beenfits if you make an unconventional attack like a called shot or a leaping attack off a balcony. With your DM's permission you might gain other benefits beyond these, which are meant more as guidelines than hard-and-fast limits:
- Prevent the target from taking opportunity attacks for 1 round.
- Reduce the target's speed by half (round down) for 1 round.
- The target's next attack is disadvantaged.
- Move to any space next to the enemy provided they're adjacent to you, without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Switch places with the target, provided you both are adjacent and can move.
- Add 5 feet reach to the weapon.
- Change the weapon's damage type to another conceivable sort for that attack.
- Ready a spear against a charge or wield a lance on horseback to inflict double damage if you hit.
As a guideline for the maximum number of creatures you can effect, if the attack is a full-round action use the number of attacks granted by Extra Attacks as a guideline. Alternately, if it's a non-damaging attack, use a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus (e.g. tumbling a barrel down a staircase at orcs).
[sblock=Compared to Fighting Style]Improvised Attack lets you accomplish a whole variety of things, but it requires you to sacrifice advantage or succeed at a creatively described attack roll to accomplish those things. Fighting Style, on the other hand, provides a reliable boost that never changes.[/sblock]
2. Battlefield Control: Once per round, when you hit an enemy with an attack you may initiate a Grapple or Shove against them as a bonus action. Make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by their Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). Your Shove can effect enemies of any size.
[sblock=Compared to Action Surge]Battlefied Control lets you do a defined thing with lots of uses, and lets you do it pretty much at will. Action Surge, on the other hand, lets you take any bonus action you can imagine but only once per short rest (hour).[/sblock]
6. Warrior Stances: You can assume any of the Martial Stances listed below on your turn as a bonus action, though you may only assume one stance at a time and they are only active while engaged in combat.
Colossus Fighting: While in this stance, you gain +1 damage so long as you focus your attacks on one enemy larger than you. Additionally, if you climb on this enemy, you gain advantage on checks made to keep yourself from falling off or being knocked off.
Crowd Fighting: While in this stance, when an enemy's attack misses you, as your reaction you can redirect it to another enemy adjacent to you; the attack is immediately re-rolled against that enemy and resolved as normal.
Stand Your Ground: While in this stance, increase your AC by +1. Additionally, reduce all forced movement against you by 5 feet, and when you would be knocked prone you get a Constitution save (DC 15) to avoid it.
Strike the Weak Points: While in this stance, your weapon attacks ignore resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage against one creature type per round. In addition, your critical hits deal an extra die of damage.
[sblock=Compared to bonus Ability Score Improvement]Each stance is the rough equivalent of a feat that is most useful under specific conditions, though one of the stances will always be useful. [/sblock]
9. Endure: As a reaction to suffering an attack or failing a save, you may delay all damage and conditions associated with that attack or failed save for 1 round. You must take a short or long rest before using this feature again.
[sblock=Compared to Indomitable]Indomitable is limited by long rests, but boosts your chances of completely avoiding an effect altogether. Whereas Endure can be used every short rest (hour), though only to keep an effect momentarily at bay.[/sblock]
13. Fearless: When making Wisdom saving throws against fear effects, add your proficiency bonus and Charisma modifier to your saves. In addition, when you're frightened, you can move closer to the source of your fear (normally you cannot).
[sblock=Compared to extra use of Indomitable]Fearless gives you a constant bonus to one very specific effect and condition. Indomitable lets you re-roll any save twice per long rest.[/sblock]
14. Greater Improvised Attack: When you use your Improvised Attack feature, you may inflict a condition upon the target which lasts until they make a successful saving throw. The Difficulty for the save is 10 + your proficiency bonus. Example conditions and what they might do (and the type of save they require) include:
- Blinded (Con)
- Deafened (Con)
- Frightened (Wis)
- Ongoing damage (Con), 1d6 per round at the start of their turn, variable damage type depending on circumstances.
- Grappled, as per basic rules, with the ability to throw the target up to 15 feet if it's small-sized, 10 feet if it's medium-sized, or 5-feet if it's large-sized.
[sblock=Compared to bonus Ability Score Improvement]Greater Improvised Attack is comparable to a feat which requires you to hit before its effects kick in. Also, since a condition is applied instead of, not in addition to, the other very useful benefits of Improvised Attack, it seems well balanced.[/sblock]
17. Overkill: When you kill a creature with a Challenge rating lower than half your level, rounded down (e.g. lower than 8), you may apply the excess damage to another adjacent creature with a Challenge rating lower than half your level.
[sblock=Compared to bonus Action Surge & bonus use of Indomitable]This one is hard to balance, as it's a translation of the Basic D&D fighter's ability to make a flurry of attacks against "humanoid" foes. Since it triggers on killing, Overkill can occur more than once or twice per long rest (the limits on Action Surge), but it also requires you to be in a specific situation facing multiple lower levels enemies in melee.[/sblock]
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