D&D 5E An attempt at a 5e Warlord

[Neonchameleon]

I only started writing it today - so looking for feedback.

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The warlord is someone round who the battle centers, but whose greatest influence is not so much in what they themselves do as empowering everyone else to be the best that they can be. Some warlords behave almost as fighters but are inspirational to those around them while others barely know which end of a sword, but still bring the best of their allies despite having no spells to do so. The warlord was at least in part designed for a low magic campaign where instant magical healing is rare, but the DM doesn’t want to entirely redesign D&D consequences.

Summary

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Set-up, Inspiration
2nd	+2	Fighting Style
3rd	+2	Martial Archetype
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack (x1)
6th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Fighting Style
7th	+3	Martial Archetype feature
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Bastion (x1)
10th	+4	Martial Archetype feature
11th	+4	Fighting Style, Improved Inspiration
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Bastion (x2)
14th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
15th	+5	Martial Archetype feature
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Symphony of Battle
18th	+6	Martial Archetype feature
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Delegation

Class Features

As a warlord, you gain the following class features.


Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per warlord level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per fighter level after 1st

Proficiencies
Armor: Light or medium armour, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma

Skills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion, Stealth, and Survival

Set-Up
When the Warlord would make an attack, or as a standard action the warlord can give an ally the ability to use their reaction to either:

1. Make a single melee attack or ranged attack against a foe in melee range with the warlord
2. Take a bonus action
3. Take an object interaction

The warlord must be interacting with either the ally using their reaction or their target (often as a distraction) to use this ability.

Inspiration
The Warlord may use their bonus action to enable an ally to dig deep into their reserves and grit through things. One ally they are interacting with (including shouting at) may spend a hit dice plus a further one for every four full levels they have, and the hit points recovered are maximised. This ability is recharged on a short rest.

At level 11 you can either use this twice per short rest or expend both uses to allow all allies you are currently interacting with

Fighting Style
The Warlord can choose any fighter fighting style. In addition they may pick from the Warlord fighting style list:

• Spotter: When the warlord uses Set-Up allies may use ranged attack against foes distant from the warlord.
• Mystical Set-up: Cantrips may be cast as a response to set-up. Note that ranged cantrips also require the Spotter style unless the target is in melee with the warlord
• Smooth teamwork: When benefiting from Set-Up actions that do not involve spellcasting no longer use up reactions. An ally may not get two extra actions from Set-Up on the same turn however.

Bastion
Beginning at 9th level, as a reaction you can allow all allies who failed a save against one effect to reroll their saving throws. If they do so, you must use the new roll, and you can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.This has no effect on what you rolled.

You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level.

Symphony of Battle
At level 17 the Warlord becomes a master of complexity and battle. When they use Set-Up it applies to every ally they are currently interacting with that’s able to take advantage.

Delegation
At level 20 the Warlord is sufficiently legendary that they don’t even need to be physically present to run combat like a well oiled machine. Any group of close allies that the warlord trusts (current or former adventuring comrades are close enough to qualify) may treat the warlord as if they were physically present and using an action on Set-Up every round on Initiative 15 as long as they are either (a) following a plan the Warlord contributed significantly to or (b) working directly in the best interests of their warlord ally.

 

[Neonchameleon]

And the Archetypes:

Martial Archetypes
Inspiring Warlord
The Inspiring Warlord can keep people going, drawing deep on reserves of strength they simply didn’t know they had, normally because they don’t want to let people down but sometimes to prove that person wrong.

The last ounce of strength
When you choose this archetype at third level add your charisma modifier to any hit dice allies spend, both as a result of your Inspiration and during a short rest.

Protected by Panache
When an inspiring warlord is wearing no armour and not carrying a shield they can add their Charisma modifier to their armour class. When they are wielding a simple or improvised weapon they may use their Charisma modifier in place of their strength modifier on to hit and damage rolls.

Good at what you do
At 7th level gain Expertise (double your proficiency bonus) in any two skills

An inspiration to all
At 10th level all allies who can see you gain advantage on Wisdom saves.

They shall not fall
At 15th level, when you are reduced to or below 0hp your allies may, as a reaction, take a move action and a standard action. These actions must be taken to either protect or heal you or to immediately attack the foe that took you down.

If you are actually killed your allies may choose to gain advantage on attacks against the foe or foes that took you down. If they took the bonus you are revived (as, for example from Revivify) before a short rest at the minimum your allies take disadvantage to all attacks from emotional whiplash.

If they are expecting Revivify even dying is merely worrying rather than catastrophic.

At level 20 allies benefiting from Delegation may also each use [Inspiration] once per long rest on themselves.

Tactical Warlord
The tactical warlord is someone who watches the ebb and flow of battle carefully, and works out when and how to move to turn things to the advantage of their side. They spend as much time out-thinking the enemy

Tactical Superiority
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn maneuvers that are fueled by special dice called superiority dice. You get four superiority dice, which are d8s. You can use one after the roll to:

• Add to an attack roll by an ally you can interact with
• Subtract from an attack roll by an enemy you have interacted with in the past two rounds
• Add to a saving throw by an ally
• Subtract from a saving throw by an enemy you have interacted with in the past two rounds

Student of the battlefield
When wearing light or no armour you may replace your strength or dex modifiers with your int modifier when calculating AC and making attack rolls.

Read the environment
Starting at 7th level, if you spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with an ongoing or unfolding situation you may ask the DM two of the following questions, and the DM will reply truthfully based on what you could plausibly know:

• Where’s the best escape route / way in / way past I am aware of?
• Which enemy is most vulnerable to us?
• Which enemy is the biggest threat I am aware of?
• What should I be on the lookout for?
• Who’s in control here?

Note that this will provide clues but is not intended to short circuit entire adventures.

Improved Tactical Superiority
At 10th level, your superiority dice turn into d10s. At 18th level, they turn into d12s.

No Battlefield Too Strange
Starting at 15th level, when you roll initiative and have no superiority dice remaining, you regain 1 superiority die.

At leve 20 Allies gaining the beenfits of Delegation each also gain one Superiority Die

Bravura Warlord
The Bravura Warlord seeks refuge in audacity and a “who dares wins” approach. Frequently foes of Bravura Warlords are aware of the problems Bravura Warlords are about to exploit but think that only an idiot would try that. The Bravura approach is that if it’s stupid and it works it’s not stupid. And you always attack into the ambush - with the warlord right on the front lines.

Bravura Assault
When making an attack a Bravura Warlord can, from third level, make a Bravura Assault, seemingly offering a gap in their defenses. It’s a trap but the gap is real or it wouldn’t work so well. When the Bravura Warlord makes a melee attack they can declare it a Bravura Assault and after they make their attack the enemy may make an attack back against them (they must use their reaction if they have it but if they don’t the Bravura Warlord can be even more obvious).

• If they accept then the target gets an attack - but the Bravura Warlord gets to Set Up one ally for free.
• If they don’t take obvious gaps in the Warlord’s defenses then they get disadvantage on attacks against the Warlord until the start of the Warlord’s next turn, and the Warlord gets advantage on saving throws against them.

Sheer Panache
The Warlord may use Charisma rather than Dexterity for their armour class.

Turn the Ambush
Many foes have been caught by surprise by a Bravura Warlord’s quick and decisive approach to ambushes and even more by having their own ambushes turned back with an unexpected speed and ferocity that leaves people wondering who ambushed whom. From level 7:

• If the party containing the Bravura Warlord is ambushed the warlord may still roll for initiative on the surprise round. Enemies who roll lower than the warlord do not get the surprise round as the ambush is turned. The warlord does get to act and must move towards the enemy (as long as they are not in melee) and make an attack.
• If the party containing the warlord is not ambushed then the warlord and allies get advantage on attack rolls against foes with lower initiative than the warlord who haven’t acted so far in this combat.

Chieftain's Warcry

Whenever the warlord or an ally they are directly interacting with makes an attack they may choose to gain Advantage on the attack roll. If they do all attacks made against them until the start of their next turn gain Advantage.

????? Level 15

At level 20 Chieftain's Warcry is a permanent option for allies of the warlord.

Skald

The Skald is the spellcaster among the Warlords , and when they reach level 3 they augment their martial prowess with the ability to cast spells off the Bard spell list (at the same pace as the Arcane Trickster and Eldritch Knight). The spells learned at 8th, 14th, and 20th levels can come from any spell list.

Rough Audience

At level 3 the Skald is proficient with improvised weapons and fists. Fists and thrown or finesse weapons do d4 damage, one handed improvised weapons d6, and two handed d8. They may also use anything vaguely appropriate as a shield. Any enemy reduced to 0hp by these weapons may, at the Skald's option, be knocked out rather than killed.

Tales from a far away land

At level 7 the Skald gains proficiency in two languages. They also gain proficiency in pidgins and creoles and are generally able to make themselves understood to people they don't share languages with.

Flyting

At level 10 the Skald learns Vicious Mockery or any other Bard cantrip if they already knew it. If they use a Set-Up as part of their main action they may use Vicious Mockery as a bonus action.

No Foul Sorceries

At level 15 the Skald has stories of foul magics - and stories of how they were countered. They may use any level slot to Counterspell or Dispel Magic and add the slot's level to their spellcasting ability modifier and gain advantage on the roll, but they may only do this once. They also add Remove Curse to their spells known.

??? level 20 buff to Delegation

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

In the section of the classes by 3PPs in the SRD of 5th Ed. you can fin legally the warlord as class, but without subclasses.

 

[Garthanos]

Delegation
At level 20 the Warlord is sufficiently legendary that they don’t even need to be physically present to run combat like a well oiled machine. Any group of close allies that the warlord trusts (current or former adventuring comrades are close enough to qualify) may treat the warlord as if they were physically present and using an action on Set-Up every round on Initiative 15 as long as they are either (a) following a plan the Warlord contributed significantly to or (b) working directly in the best interests of their warlord ally.

I have been thinking about how to do Warlord en absentia and one of the ideas I had was to treat a battle plan somewhat like an enchantment. With time and place / relevance parameters and the like.

 

[Garthanos]

I like that Turn the Ambush

 

[Eltab]

As an alternative to Read the Environment, there was a 3e variant Paladin ability, Know Greatest Enemy. You could tell who was the most powerful (highest level or CR) foe, who was more / less / equally powerful than you - and who was not a foe at all (hello double-agent Zim) or was an uninvolved passersby.

 

[Garthanos]

- and who was not a foe at all (hello double-agent Zim) or was an uninvolved passersby.

Oh I kind of like that....

 

[Garthanos]

The benefit I see of mid battle HD spending is really noticeable when you have fewer bigger fights.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I imagine the D&D warlord class as a martial adept with the maneuvers of the school the white raven (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords).

 

[Garthanos]

I like your foundations

And the Archetypes:

The Tactical Warlord may still be my favorite because "reasons" and I have played it but I am fast itching to play a Bravura.

The Icon/Standard Bearer/Noble (heart aspect) aka Prince(ss) Build aka Lazylord will always have a fond place in my heart

Bravura ideas.
Chieftains Warcry (inspires allies to Berserker frenzy)