clutchbone
First Post
I've updated the class.
[sblock=Thug]
Bonus Proficiency
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor.
Dirty Work
Starting at 3rd level, you have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to grapple or shove creatures that are surprised.
In addition, you can use any weapon that doesn't have the two-handed or heavy property with your attack roll to use your Sneak Attack. All the other rules for the Sneak Attack class feature still apply to you.
Coercive Presence
At 9th level, you can use your menacing demeanor to browbeat others into submission. As an action, you can make a Charisma (Intimidation) check contested by an adjacent creature's Wisdom (Insight) check. The creature must be able to hear you, and the two of you must share a language. If you succeed on the check, the creature becomes frightened for 1 minute. This effect ends if you take damage, if you become incapacitated, frightened, or restrained, or if you and the target are more than 30 feet apart. While frightened, your allies have advantage on any ability check to interact socially with the creature. If the creature's Wisdom (Insight) check is successful or if the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to this feature for the next 24 hours.
Manhandler
By 13th level, you have become adept at leveraging your strength against your enemies. When you successfully grapple a creature using two free hands, you can drag or carry the grappled creature at full speed rather than half, and the grappled creature can’t speak and can’t cast spells that include a verbal component.
In addition, when you successfully shove a creature, you can knock the target prone and push it up to 10 feet away from you.
Cheap Shot
When you reach 17th level, you've honed your ability to strike when the opportunity presents itself. When you use your action to grapple or shove a creature, you can use your bonus action to make a weapon attack against that creature.[/sblock]
Things I'd like to add but am unsure about:
- adding unarmed strike for Sneak Attack (ie eye gouging, fish hooking, headbutting), would work great (too great?) with grappling.
- a version of the Mastermind's 13th lvl feature Misdirection, "use a reaction to force an attack to target the creature you're grappling with instead of you". Idea stemmed from [MENTION=55816]Larrin[/MENTION]'s input.
- Delete Dirty Work's advantage on grapple/shove checks (with expertise & reliable talent, adv. is just overkill) and replace with Cheap Shot. Too powerful at 3rd level?
Things I thought about:
- [MENTION=6778044]Ilbranteloth[/MENTION]'s reaction v. prone, but thought 1) it requires teammates, limited use when no one else can prone for you, 2) if teammates can prone for you, theoretically limitless source of off-turn reaction sneak attacks (two sneak attacks per round) is more powerful than comparable features (Thief's Reflexes, Death Strike).
- [MENTION=57494]Xeviat[/MENTION] [MENTION=7635]Remathilis[/MENTION] , I have no issue with the mechanical balance of Sneak Attacking with any weapon. Personally I just prefer the image of thugs using one-handed weapons; grab enemy with one hand, shank/bash with the other. I left versatile in mostly because of wording issues, and justified it to myself with baseballs bats (versatile quarterstaves) seeming thematic.
[sblock=Thug]
Bonus Proficiency
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor.
Dirty Work
Starting at 3rd level, you have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to grapple or shove creatures that are surprised.
In addition, you can use any weapon that doesn't have the two-handed or heavy property with your attack roll to use your Sneak Attack. All the other rules for the Sneak Attack class feature still apply to you.
Coercive Presence
At 9th level, you can use your menacing demeanor to browbeat others into submission. As an action, you can make a Charisma (Intimidation) check contested by an adjacent creature's Wisdom (Insight) check. The creature must be able to hear you, and the two of you must share a language. If you succeed on the check, the creature becomes frightened for 1 minute. This effect ends if you take damage, if you become incapacitated, frightened, or restrained, or if you and the target are more than 30 feet apart. While frightened, your allies have advantage on any ability check to interact socially with the creature. If the creature's Wisdom (Insight) check is successful or if the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to this feature for the next 24 hours.
Manhandler
By 13th level, you have become adept at leveraging your strength against your enemies. When you successfully grapple a creature using two free hands, you can drag or carry the grappled creature at full speed rather than half, and the grappled creature can’t speak and can’t cast spells that include a verbal component.
In addition, when you successfully shove a creature, you can knock the target prone and push it up to 10 feet away from you.
Cheap Shot
When you reach 17th level, you've honed your ability to strike when the opportunity presents itself. When you use your action to grapple or shove a creature, you can use your bonus action to make a weapon attack against that creature.[/sblock]
Things I'd like to add but am unsure about:
- adding unarmed strike for Sneak Attack (ie eye gouging, fish hooking, headbutting), would work great (too great?) with grappling.
- a version of the Mastermind's 13th lvl feature Misdirection, "use a reaction to force an attack to target the creature you're grappling with instead of you". Idea stemmed from [MENTION=55816]Larrin[/MENTION]'s input.
- Delete Dirty Work's advantage on grapple/shove checks (with expertise & reliable talent, adv. is just overkill) and replace with Cheap Shot. Too powerful at 3rd level?
Things I thought about:
- [MENTION=6778044]Ilbranteloth[/MENTION]'s reaction v. prone, but thought 1) it requires teammates, limited use when no one else can prone for you, 2) if teammates can prone for you, theoretically limitless source of off-turn reaction sneak attacks (two sneak attacks per round) is more powerful than comparable features (Thief's Reflexes, Death Strike).
- [MENTION=57494]Xeviat[/MENTION] [MENTION=7635]Remathilis[/MENTION] , I have no issue with the mechanical balance of Sneak Attacking with any weapon. Personally I just prefer the image of thugs using one-handed weapons; grab enemy with one hand, shank/bash with the other. I left versatile in mostly because of wording issues, and justified it to myself with baseballs bats (versatile quarterstaves) seeming thematic.