D&D 5E (2024) Brawler is out. What subclass should replace it?

[mellored]

Love it! Including this would also be a bone to throw to those of us who enjoyed 4th Edition Fighters and Warlords.

Changed Hold the Line a bit, so it stacks better with Sentinel.

Hold the Line​

Enemies who start their turn within 5' of you have their speed reduce by half until the end of their turn.

 

[MostlyHarmless42]

Cavalier has caught up with Psi.
Which puts Cavalier + PDK well ahead.

So here's my attempt to combine and simplify it a bit.

Purple Dragon Cavalier

Level 3
Guardian
While a creature is within 5 feet of you, it has disadvantage on any attack roll that doesn't target you.

Rallying Cry​

As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your second wind to choose a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1) who are within 60 feet of you. They gain temporary hit points equal to your fighter level. These last until the creature loses sight of you.

First Aid
As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your second wind to give an creature within reach hit points equal to twice your fighter level. If they are prone, you also help them stand up.

Level 7
Bonus Proficiency
You gain proficiency in Performance, Intimidation, or Persuasion. You gained expertise in on of those skills.

Warding Maneuver​

If a creature within 5' of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to give that creature resistance to that damage.


Level 10

Inspiring Surge​

As a reaction on another creatures turn while they are within 60', you may expend your Action Surge to give them a bonus action. That extra action can not be a Magic action.

Hold the Line​

Enemies who start their turn within 5' of you have their speed reduce by half until the end of their turn.


Level 15

Bulwark​

When you and at least one other creature make a saving throw against the same effect, such as a fireball, you can expend a use of Indomitable to give all the targets of that effect advantage on that saving throw with a bonus equal to your Charisma modifier.
If the effect causes multiple saving throws, this only applies to the first one each creature makes.


Level 18

Vigilant Defender​

In combat, you get a special reaction that you can take once on every creature's turn, except your turn. You can use this special reaction only to make an opportunity attack or Warding Maneuver, and you can't use it on the same turn that you take your normal reaction.


Team Work Fighting Style
Level 1 feat.
When you would make a weapon or unarmed attack, you may chose to feint in order to provide an opening for an ally. You do not make an attack roll, instead chose a willing ally. They immediately use their reaction to make a weapon or unarmed attack against your target.

For my table, I use the following version of the Banneret/PDK:

Rallying Cry:
At 3rd level, as a bonus action, you can choose a number of creatures within 60 feet of you up to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Each one regains hit points equal to your 1d10 + your Charisma modifier, provided that the creature can see or hear you. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier. You regain these uses after you finish a long rest, though you can also regain a use by expending a use of your Second Wind.

Royal Envoy:
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill. If you are already proficient in it, you gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, or Performance. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Persuasion. You receive this benefit regardless of the skill proficiency you gain from this feature.

Inspiring Surge:
Starting at 7th level, when you use your Action Surge feature, you can choose one creature within 60 feet of you that is allied with you. That creature can make one melee or ranged weapon attack or cast a cantrip, provided that it can see or hear you. That creature gains a bonus on the attack rolls and to damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Bulwark:
Beginning at 10th level, when you decide to use Indomitable to reroll a saving throw and you aren't incapacitated, you can choose one ally within 60 feet of you that also failed its saving throw against the same effect. If that creature can see or hear you, it can reroll its saving throw and must use the new roll.

Leadership:
Beginning at 15th level, as an action, your mere presence can inspires nearby creatures of your choice. Whenever a creature within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll or a saving throw, it can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw. This effect lasts up to 1 minute, and ends if you are incapacitated. Once you use this ability you must finish a short or long rest in order to use it again.

Every Ready:
Beginning at 18th level, you regain one use of Rallying Cry whenever you roll initiative. Additionally, you can select two creatures when you use your Inspiring Surge, rather than one.

The idea behind the changes is to put it a bit more in line with the samurai for it's 3rd level features, given that Indomitable is likely to change in the new version of the fighter, I'll likely tweak Bulwark a bit once it goes live.

Personally I voted for Cavalier, but I actually would prefer to see an updated version of the PDK as the 4th option for the new PHB.

 

[bedir than]

Personally I voted for Cavalier, but I actually would prefer to see an updated version of the PDK as the 4th option for the new PHB.

I still prefer the combo

 

[Kobold Stew]

I think the absence of a Fighter subclass in playtest 8 increases the chance they will just lift and transport a subclass fro Tasha's (as they did with the Sorcerer and the Druid).
That would whittle the choices down to Psi Warrior and Rune Knight. Of the two, I'd prefer Rune Knight (but I'd be content with either).

Related: I really hope the new PHB has the Thrown Weapons and the Unarmed Fighting fighting styles.

 

[Horwath]

Changed Hold the Line a bit, so it stacks better with Sentinel.

Hold the Line​

Enemies who start their turn within 5' of you have their speed reduce by half until the end of their turn.

Since feats are now default feature and not optional, perhaps we should not wasting time at how some class/subclass features can overlap with feats and simply give that feat as a subclass feature.

I.E. your 3rd level feature Guardian can just give Sentinel feat to the fighter without ASI attached.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I.E. your 3rd level feature Guardian can just give Sentinel feat to the fighter without ASI attached.

While I don't like feats as class features... if they're going to pay a feat tax just to do their job anyway, then you're not short-changing them of interesting features, you are giving them FREEDOM. And that is good.

 

[Horwath]

While I don't like feats as class features... if they're going to pay a feat tax just to do their job anyway, then you're not short-changing them of interesting features, you are giving them FREEDOM. And that is good.

I like them, to me feats are class features without "class red tape" added to them.
most of class features can be "generalized" in terms of feats. They are not that special.

 

[Pauln6]

For my table, I use the following version of the Banneret/PDK:

Rallying Cry:
At 3rd level, as a bonus action, you can choose a number of creatures within 60 feet of you up to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Each one regains hit points equal to your 1d10 + your Charisma modifier, provided that the creature can see or hear you. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier. You regain these uses after you finish a long rest, though you can also regain a use by expending a use of your Second Wind.

Royal Envoy:
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill. If you are already proficient in it, you gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, or Performance. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Persuasion. You receive this benefit regardless of the skill proficiency you gain from this feature.

Inspiring Surge:
Starting at 7th level, when you use your Action Surge feature, you can choose one creature within 60 feet of you that is allied with you. That creature can make one melee or ranged weapon attack or cast a cantrip, provided that it can see or hear you. That creature gains a bonus on the attack rolls and to damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Bulwark:
Beginning at 10th level, when you decide to use Indomitable to reroll a saving throw and you aren't incapacitated, you can choose one ally within 60 feet of you that also failed its saving throw against the same effect. If that creature can see or hear you, it can reroll its saving throw and must use the new roll.

Leadership:
Beginning at 15th level, as an action, your mere presence can inspires nearby creatures of your choice. Whenever a creature within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll or a saving throw, it can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw. This effect lasts up to 1 minute, and ends if you are incapacitated. Once you use this ability you must finish a short or long rest in order to use it again.

Every Ready:
Beginning at 18th level, you regain one use of Rallying Cry whenever you roll initiative. Additionally, you can select two creatures when you use your Inspiring Surge, rather than one.

The idea behind the changes is to put it a bit more in line with the samurai for it's 3rd level features, given that Indomitable is likely to change in the new version of the fighter, I'll likely tweak Bulwark a bit once it goes live.

Personally I voted for Cavalier, but I actually would prefer to see an updated version of the PDK as the 4th option for the new PHB.

Personally, I would rather see Royal Envoy give PDKs two 1d6 superiority dice and the Commanding Presence manoeuvre in preference to expertise, because it opens up combinations for more interesting warlord builds.

 

[MostlyHarmless42]

Personally, I would rather see Royal Envoy give PDKs two 1d6 superiority dice and the Commanding Presence manoeuvre in preference to expertise, because it opens up combinations for more interesting warlord builds.

The problem with this approach is: a) It shoehorn in an entirely different subclasses's core mechanic in into b) what is basically a ribbon feature. It would also be too much at level 3 if my other proposed 3rd level feature was implemented and getting it at 7th level would both push back Inspiring Surge (the real actual reason to take this class in the first place) back up to 10th level (too high for most tables to even see play) and it would also grant the subclass no out of combat stuff. Royal Envoy is actually great for granting a minor out of combat boon.

Additionally, one could just take what you suggested using the Maneauver feat.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Yeah, the Xanathar's stuff would need a rework, and the Echo Knight isn't going into a PHB. Rune Knight and Pai Warrior are the only possibilities for skipping UA, I'm pretty sure.

They could fixed the Arcane Archer, they have to know by now what went wrong with it.