D&D (2024) How should the Warlord be implemented in 1DnD?

[ChameleonX]

so what subclasses would people give the warlord? what would their specialisations be? the ones that immediately come to mind for me would be:
maneuvre use focus
healing focus
martial combat focus
1/3 caster support
protection focus

Just as an example. This one is based on Charisma. Other subclasses would use different scores.

Bravura Presence
You are a tough but reliable commander who expects the best from your allies, but never more than you'd give yourself. You put your own neck on the line to maneuver your squad into the best position, trusting them to seize the opportunities you provide.

Squad leader - Level 3
You gain proficiency with heavy armor and all martial weapons (this assumes the main class is changed to have a limited selection), and you gain proficiency in one of the following skills: Athletics, Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion.
You then gain Expertise in one of these skills of your choice with which you're proficient.

Risky Reward - 3rd Level
When a creature misses you with a melee attack and doesn't have advantage against you, you can use your reaction to grant that attacker advantage against you until the end of that creature's turn.
If the creature's attack still misses, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Warlord level + your Charisma modifier. If the attack now hits you, the attacker provokes an opportunity attack from one ally of your choice that can see or hear you, and who has the attacker within their reach.

Divert Attention - 3rd level
When you use a Maneuver to augment an attack, you can choose to mark that attack's target until the start of your next turn. While marked, the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against any creature but you. Then, choose one creature you can see within 30ft of you; that creature has advantage against the target while it is marked by you.

Come and Get Some! - 6th-level
When an ally in your aura makes a damage roll against a creature within 5ft of you, that ally can reroll any dice that show a 1 or a 2, but must use the new result. If you have half or less of your hit points left, your ally can also score a critical hit on a natural 19 or 20.

I'm Just Getting Started! - 10th
The first time during each combat that you drop below half of your hit point maximum, you and each ally within your aura gains temporary hit points equal to your Warlord level + your proficiency bonus and each of you gains a +10ft bonus to speed until the end of your next turn.

Final Gambit - 14th level
When you would be reduced to 0 hit points, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. Until the end of your next turn, each of your allies who can see and hear you gains a bonus to AC, all d20 tests, and to damage rolls. The bonus is equal to your Charisma modifier. In addition, each ally can score a critical hit with a weapon or spell attack on a natural roll of 18-20.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest to use it again.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

All the archetypes would interact with base class features, including the Presence aura, and fairly simple list of special abilities like granting an attack to an ally or movement to several, etc.

Outlaw Captain (outdoors and dirty fighting)

This would be an extra skillful archetype, modeled on Robin Hood types and other “band of outlaws in the forest” stories. (No, I wouldn’t try to base it heavily on Robin Hood, it’s just an example) presence grants extra movement to allies, or lets them ignore difficult terrain.

Knight-Captain - heavy with a shield and heavy armor and noble bearing

This archetype has a mount, heavy armor, and a presence that makes allies hit harder or something. Ability to let an ally or allies hit harder when they charge.

Genius Scholar - info based subclass that is a bg nerd. Adventuring Da Vinci.

Leverage knowledge to learn weaknesses and strengths, extra good help actions? Help in place of one attack?

Vanguard - always first to the front. Initiative bonus, can bonus action shove after moving 20 feet, has a couple different battle cries that are used when charging that give allies who follow you into battle a specific buff

Also aura that gives enemies penalty to saving against forced movement, maybe. A shield wall breaker.

Something swashbuckler style

Add Int or Cha to acrobatics and athletics checks, challenge a creature, aura does extra good stuff for allies when you succeed?

Swordmage - caster that can use the core class resource to fuel magic, has a spellbook, can share spell effects on allied weapon attacks

Also aura could add elemental damage to all ally attacks in the aura, spending the core class resource (focus dice maybe?) lots of movement magic, and class features that use the reaction when an ally is attacked. Maybe a mark mechanic.


Basically, one reason I change the name to Captain, is that I hate class design in 5e that pushes hard into 1 party role. It shouldn’t be a support class, it should be a class that supports a fiction and a fantasy of being the paragon that draws people to them, inspiring by example, etc. the leadership is not baked into the base class unavoidably, it’s just something class is natural good.

Actually not a bad place for a divine partial caster subclass that plays a lot like an Avenger.