D&D 5E Why Not? A Variant Captain Fighter

[Garthanos]

Tandem Tactician

Your presence in a scrap tends to elevate your comrades. You gain the following benefits:
• You can use the Help action as a bonus action.
• When you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking a creature, increase the range of the Help action by 10 feet. Additionally, you can help two allies targeting the same creature within range when you use the Help action this way.

I hadn't seen Tandem Tactician... improves the helps "group" angle or at least it increases it a bit on something you can do regularly not just one .... that is indeed pretty nice at two factors you are potentially being warlord like each turn yeh very slick.

From there, I suggest 7 levels in Crown Paladin, for all the usual Paladin goodies (including Charisma to saves aura), Bless, bonus action AoE healing from Turn the Tide, and the ability to take hits for your allies (Plus its thematic and fluffs AF).

The Crown Paladin I had seen Smite combining with Bard seems a 5e optimization guideline from what I can see
The choice to smite or fuel spells brings some choice in to the play style.

Dirge Singer Archetype

And another something I hand not seen before... with intriguing elements. That broad inspiration again a factor for affecting more than one ally. Homebrew eh?

Fluff your spells as 'Martial manoeuvres' or whatnot, and take thematic ones

Just noticed how open ended Command is => about as open ended as intimidate isn't it.

Thanks for pointing out some interesting things.

 

[Garthanos]

If that's not a Warlord, I don't know what is.

It might be "A" Warlord if you get what I mean which is one of the goals. That UA feat and Inspiring Leader are quite a foundation and could even be combined with what is being developed here. The thing I like about your build is that even during the first few levels it feels like a Warlord (at least a nice flavor of one), the AND you should be feeling like a very realized character by level 5 or 6 (that additional ASI looks tempting). Crown oath is pretty damn cool and that homebrew bard school actually seems like a cherry on top which integrates with it tightly

 

[Garthanos]

Synopsis of ideas thus far.

Fighter Enhancements

1. Second Wind: Ability to choose to give yours to another
2. Action Surge: Enhanced to allow giving your action surge to another (can be done on any turn) or use it on daily exercises to trade action surge for more cs die / maneuvers.
3. Battle Cry (new): to share initiative with any all allies who have lower. May gain initiative from mental stat of your choice instead of Dex.
4. Scan the Battle (new battlemaster level 3) enabling potential tactical choices each round not just once in a while by trading attacks (subject to skill check).
5. Risky maneuvering - trade risk of an opportunity attack for daka aka extra attack (which a BM can use to scan for openings).
6. Exertions - trade hps for daka aka extra attack. (this allows the ability to be more high hp user specific 5hp)
7. BM Maneuver enhancements - change all maneuvers to allow usage on/for adjacent allies not just self. Also various attempts to make them more balanced with each other and worthwhile (no spending others reactions to do your cool thing).
8. Additional BM Maneuvers - various additions some for mobility (better with flanking). some with marking assumed.
9. Boosted Maneuvers these cost more attacks to get bigger boom attacks which affect all adjacent enemies for instance or maybe ones that might affect any every enemy that comes adjacent

Warlord Extensions

1. Battle Shout this allows you to help allies and also enable allies who can hear you at range 30 feet to perform maneuvers you know.
2. Battle Signs allies who can see you at range of 30 feet can perform maneuvers you know.

Also considered house rules. ]

1. Lesser Advantage/Disadvantage : grants d4 (+2) mod and combines with self to make full advantage/disadvantage. This might replace other fiddly bonuses and create better design follow through.
2. Flanking and Action Hero Reactions: those who get extra attacks can also make extra reactions for opportunity attacks of the same number but only one per enemy turn. This increases risk for those moving note this rule also combines nicely with charging to simultaneously make movement and position more important and risky.
3. Charging : allows attack as a bonus action on a dash and grant lesser advantage (or +2) if 10 feet moved makes movement attractive if you are careful. Rescues general rule from every edition prior.
4. Careful Move (Shifting) : a way of moving slower more carefully pay 25 feet of move (to only move 5) but otherwise like disengage (without action cost) similar to shift from 4e (you can move carefully while keeping your tools of battle ready and still make an action or break into a charge this way) also similar to 5 foot step from 3e. Yes rogues still do it better

 

[Garthanos]

Synopsis of ideas thus far.

Fighter Enhancements

1. Second Wind: Ability to choose to give yours to another
2. Action Surge: Enhanced to allow giving your action surge to another (can be done on any turn) or use it on daily exercises to trade action surge for more cs die / maneuvers.
3. Battle Cry (new): to share initiative with any who have lower also may gain initiative from mental stat.
4. Scanning The Battle (new battlemaster at level 3) enabling potential tactical choices each round not just once in a while by trading attacks (subject to skill check).
5. Exertions (new) - trade hd for daka aka extra attack (may take skill check too).
6. Risky maneuvering (new) - trade risk in the form of an opportunity attack for daka aka extra attack.
7. BM Maneuver enhancements - various attempts to make them more balanced with each other and worthwhile (no spending others reactions to do your cool thing).
8. Additional BM Maneuvers - various additions some for mobility (better with flanking). some with marking assumed.
9. Boosted Maneuvers these cost more attacks to get bigger boom attacks which affect all adjacent enemies for instance or maybe ones that might affect any every enemy that comes adjacent

Also considered house rules.

1. Lesser Advantage/Disadvantage : grants d4 (+2) mod and combines with self to make full advantage/disadvantage. This might replace other fiddly bonuses and create better design follow through.
2. Flanking and Action Hero Reactions: those who get extra attacks can also make extra reactions for opportunity attacks of the same number but only one per enemy turn. This increases risk for those moving note this rule also combines nicely with charging to simultaneously make movement and position more important and risky.
3. Charging : allows attack as a bonus action on a dash and grant lesser advantage (or +2) if 10 feet moved makes movement attractive if you are careful. Rescues general rule from every edition prior.
4. Careful Move : a way of moving slower more carefully pay 25 feet of move (to only move 5) but otherwise like disengage (without action cost) similar to shift from 4e (you can move carefully while keeping your tools of battle ready and still make an action or break into a charge this way) also similar to 5 foot step from 3e. Yes rogues still do it better

To be honest the house rules part of the above are ok but also kind of meh they add something old to 5e not something new.

 

[Garthanos]

Inspired Resilience (Second Wind) : Heroes have within them deep wells of vigor the fighter is able to readily access and inspire access in others. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to enable the subject to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level. Additionally
the first attack during the subsequent turn made by the subject of resurgence gains lesser advantage. The subject of this feature, must finish a short or long rest before they can take advantage of it again.

Resurgence can be performed twice per short rest. (A warlord subclass could then inspire resurgence significantly more times .)

Optional Idea : using this on someone other than yourself requires a Charisma (Persuasion) check and adds + your CHA modifier to the recovered HP. This check will usually be easy on player character allies but hard on npc allies and likely not possible on enemies (DM determined DC as usual).

 

[Garthanos]

I am starting to think an Apex Predator Effect - Induce Enemy Fumbles (on the first enemy attack each turn if they roll 1 or 2 : insert problem here next attack against them is at advantage? and/or the enemies next attack is at disadvantage or even just take d4 / d6 / d8 self induced damage or they damage a nearby ally). Might be a really cool way of representing how the presence of the Fighter induces poor performance from the enemy. It might be a higher level function level 8/10 or some such but very cool.

 

[Garthanos]

I am starting to think an Apex Predator Effect - Induce Enemy Fumbles (on the first enemy attack if they roll 1 or 2 : insert problem here next attack against them is at advantage? and/or the enemies next attack is at disadvantage or even just take d4 self induced damage). Might be a really cool way of representing how the presence of the Fighter induces poor performance from the enemy. It might be a higher level function level 8/10 or some such but very cool.

Hmmm I would like this to be a class effect but part of my brain calls it a feat or something like the invocations on a Warlock.

 

[Garthanos]

Revealing Strike: This maneuver displays vulnerability of the target the first attack of each ally against the target till the end of your next turn gain a CS die of bonus damage. (ease of use hand out a die to each ally)

 

[Garthanos]

Odd thought
Proven Brutality you may use intimidation as a bonus action if you succeed on an attack this turn.

 

[Garthanos]

I am starting to think an Apex Predator Effect - Induce Enemy Fumbles (on the first enemy attack each turn if they roll 1 or 2 : insert problem here next attack against them is at advantage? and/or the enemies next attack is at disadvantage or even just take d4 / d6 / d8 self induced damage or they damage a nearby ally). Might be a really cool way of representing how the presence of the Fighter induces poor performance from the enemy. It might be a higher level function level 8/10 or some such but very cool.

Perhaps make that next significant skill check requiring an action is at disadvantage, this allows it to take effect in any arena.
Also If affected by Apex Predator effect from multiple sources the fumble chance might go up.

The above actually could work with the low choice Champion too.