Duelist: A fighter Archetype by HerrZach77

As a new player and aspiring DM I caught the creative bug from watching Critical Roll and Matt Colville's videos and had an idea come to me one night: Where was that romanticized fencer in the possible classes? Where was that Musketeer? I set to work on it and came up with, to my knowledge a class archetype I call the Duelist, stemming from the Fighter class. While reading, I ask only that you go easy on me as I am a new player (have just about 36 hours of play in about 12 sessions) and have NEVER DM'd, but I would appreciate any adjustments you might recommend. Without further ado, here is my setup for the Duelist:

Base Class: Fighter
Derivative: Duelist
Description: You’ve spent your time learning the forms and fashions of the best fencers and duelists in the world, but your time in practice always lacked something, something you couldn’t identify until your first match: danger. Duelists bring the adventurer’s sense of thrill-seeking and adrenaline-addiction together with the refined, technical expertise of fencing and dueling; they are often described as artful combatants and difficult opponents to face due to their practiced and, in some cases, perfected defenses, leaving few if any true openings for counterattack. They are masters of counterattacking.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1D8 + 1 per fighter level
Hit points: 8 + 1 + Constitution Modifier
Hit Points at higher levels: 1D8 + 1 + Constitution Modifier

Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor, Medium Armor
Weapons: Daggers, Quarterstaff, Longsword, Rapier, Shortsword, L. Crossbow, +2 of your choice
Tools: Smith’s Tools, Leatherworker’s Tools

Saving Throws: Dexterity, Strength

Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Perception, Survival, Insight, Performance, Persuasion, Deception, History, Athletics

Equipment
Leather Armor or Chain Shirt
Choice of two proficient weapons
Crossbow (Light) and a quiver of 20 bolts
Dungeoneer’s or Explorer’s Pack
Class Features
Levels:
1. Weapon Specialty
2. Second Wind
3. Weapon Proficiency
4. Ability Score Increase
5. En-Garde, Extra Attack
6. Ability Score Increase
7. Defense Mastery
8. Ability Score Increase
9. Improved Critical
10. Pret, Extra Attack
11. Second Wind Level 2
12. Ability Score Increase
13. Weapon Mastery
14. Ability Score Increase
15. Allez
16. Ability Score Increase
17. 2nd Weapon Specialty
18. Weapon Proficiency
19. Ability Score Increase
20. Forced Draw

Weapon Specialty – Choose one weapon with which you are proficient; attack rolls with weapons of that type get an additional +1 to hit and damage. You will receive an additional specialty at level 17

Second Wind – when used, you gain hit points equal to 1d8 + your Duelist level once per short/long rest. This is upgraded at level 11, where the die is upgraded to a d12 and there are two uses per short/long rest

Weapon Proficiency – Choose another weapon from any category to your proficient weapons list

En-Garde – Costs an action, and sends the player into a defensive stance; add +2 to your AC and if an enemy misses you with a melee attack you can choose to make one counterattack per round of combat. This is upgraded at level 10, as Pret, which allows for two counterattacks per round of combat if the ability is used. Final upgrade at level 15, as Allez, where it allows for up to four counterattacks per round of combat; at all levels this ability has five uses per long rest and recharges 1d4 – 1 uses during a short rest (min. of 1 recharged).

Defense Mastery – at level 7 you gain an additional +1 to your AC and you have no disadvantage on stealth checks when wearing armor with which you are proficient.

Improved Critical – You critically hit with either a natural 19 or a natural 20

Weapon Mastery – Choose one of your Weapon Specialties; that weapon type has a +2 on attack rolls and a +1 to damage

Forced Draw – An ability that could fall within the realm of Pyrrhic Victories, this is unlocked at level 20; Once per round of combat, and thrice per long rest, when you take an attack that deals damage, you can choose to deal equal damage to your attacker as long as the damage you sustain would not render you unconscious and your attack would hit (roll). If you would be rendered unconscious than the ability is void. This ability can only be used if the attacker is within your range as well.

I was rereading this after I posted it and wanted to clarify a few things, just in case: the counterattack features (En-Garde, Pret, and Allez) essentially functions like the Retaliation feature from the Barbarian, but it requires them to miss instead, whereupon you make a normal attack role and might miss in turn; also in regards to this ability each of the "uses" mentioned pertains to the combat, essentially giving the Duelist once they're at level 15 or higher 20 counterattacks per long rest. My reasoning is that you have to give up an attack action the previous round for this chance as well as the raised AC, so if you use it you may need them. The Forced Draw was something I worked in as a sort of character ability/roleplay possibility; as part of the romanticized fencer, I thought it would be thematic for the archetype to feature a sort of " for tat" type ability. As I will add, momentarily, this also requires that enemy to be in your range.

That's not how archetypes work. The only thing you can change are the martial archetype features at 3, 7, 10, 15 and 18.

Even if it was a full class, having both Dex and Con save is... taboo. All classes have ONE of (Dex Con Wis) and ONE of (Str Int Cha).

I see; thanks for the response! With that said, what would your recommendation(s) be for fixing/balancing my... creation for lack of a more accurate term? I'll also be fixing the saves immediately in the original posting, and probably will continue to do so once I can get some recommendations for remediation.

Compare it to classes that closely match your goal. Then see how it differs.

For instance:
- Weapon Specialty looks like a new fighting style similar to archery
- Defense Mastery, same thing, like an early additional fighting style
- Improved Critical is a champion feature, moved later
- En-Garde is a reversal of the normal fighter N attacks + 1 reaction that slows gameplay, not as bad as tunnel fighter but... giving 7 attacks is pure nonsense. Compare to hunter's whirlwind restrictions.

You're mostly reordering the champion's features, so maybe you should start from that. Then consider how broken certain feats become, sentinel being the obvious one.


I have very little interest in PEACH, so I'll stop there.

On your recommendation, I did some reading in the PHB and found a way to make something close to the... intent of this class/archetype; It would seem a Champion Fighter with the Martial Adept and Sentinel feats would put me very close to where I was aiming. That, or a Battle Master Fighter with the Defensive Duelist and Mobile feats; thanks for the feedback.