SmokeyCriminal
Explorer
I stuck this in another thread but they suggested I make a whole new thread for it instead because of the nature of forums. so here it is.
Ally Surge
Beginning on 3rd level, you can push your allies beyond their normal limits for a moment. An ally that can see and hear you on their turn can take one additional action when you spend your reaction.
Once you use this feature you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Ally Second Wind
Beginning at 3rd level, your allies have a limited well of stamina you can draw out to protect the from harm. As a free reaction a friendly creature that can see and hear you regains hit points equal to 1d10+your fighter level.
Once you use this feature you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Tactical Start
At 7th level, when initiative is rolled choose up to six friendly creatures (which can include yourself) that can see and hear you, their movement is doubled for the first round of combat.
At 7th level, you can treat Action Surge as if it were Ally Surge.
At 7th level, you can treat Second Wind as if it were Ally Second Wind.
Ally Indomitable
Beginning at 10th level, as a free reaction, if your ally can see and hear you they can reroll a Saving Throw that they failed, you must use the new roll and you must finish a long rest to regain this feature.
At 10th level you can treat Indomitable as if it were Ally Inodmitable
Relentless Leader
Starting at 15th level, when you roll for intiative and have no; Ally Surge remaining, you regain 1. Ally Second wind remaining, you regain 1. Ally Indomitable remaining, you regain 1.
Full Surge
Starting at 18th level, you bring out the full untapped potential from everyone around you. When you use Ally Surge it expands to include taking one additional reaction, and also if possible one additional Bonus Action on top of your regular ones.
I wanted to leverage actions surges huge flexibility to simulate buffs without it looking like the buffs you get from other characters.
Action, Cast a Spell = DPS
Dodge, Disengage, Hide = Defense buff
Dash = Extra movement
Grapple, Push, Trip, Grapple Escape, Object Interaction, Help = Utility/Tactics
So I'm shifting the tactic so that your no longer nickle and diming a hit here and a few steps there on your turn to shift the tide of battle in your favour. Now the tactic is to predict what your team mate needs when they are taking their turn and you empower them to achieve their goals. Stuff like;
Did the Rogue get grappled and now he has to decide between freeing himself or sneak attack? No! Ally Surge.
Did the Wizard drop a fireball on the baddies and you know all the archers will probably focus fire on him next round? Ally Surge to Dodge, Dash for cover, or Hide
Did the Barbarian wait two round to get his hands on the flying creature and now he has an opening but probably only for one round before he flying ut of reach again? Ally Surge and enjoy those extra swings Barb, you deserve them.
The only issue I have with it is that it doesn't synergies with Sneak Attack. But I think it's worth the sacrifice for the flexibility it can potentially offer, and the new way it encourages you to play tactics. Plus Action Surge is always a show stopper so it would be fun to hand them out like you were Oprah.
Ally Second Wind is interesting because your sorta sacrificing "Healing Power" for "Healing Flexibility." It's worded in a way that you can use it during your turn, your allies turn, or during enemies turn. Technically you could heal your wizard after the Owl bear gets into melee with him but before he attacks, or even in between attacks. I thought it would be an interesting trade-off and more tactical feeling then just healing on your turn a little bit. I was considering calling it "Brace Yourself" which is definitely something a leader would say right before they get wrecked.
Tactical Start was to give the warlord that tactical positioning vibe. but it trades the little strategic nudges in between turns for essentially 5 super dashes right at the start so that every one can be in their ideal positions. So your Paladin doesn't have to walk into the middle of the field and chuck a javelin and just wait there untill the enemies turn to reach him. And your Rogue is pretty much guaranteed to always reach that hiding spot without using his Dash. I don't know if it's better to have ideal positioning at the start of a fight versus in the middle of the fight, but this guarantees the first at least.
Turning your Surge and Wind into the Ally versions gives it that sacrificial leader vibe, and it doubles them. Plus it makes it so that when they increase it automatically increases the Ally versions. I thought it was a simple way to do it.
Ally Indomitable is straight forward but ill mention here that I deliberately didn't put a "within 30ft/60ft" restrictions on any of the features on purpose. I figured that the seeing and hearing would be enough, and I wanted the Warlord to be able to help the front line and back line without much issue.
Relentless Leader seemed like a nice safety net for high level play.
Full Surge is just me going over the top a little but I don't think its crazy. Battle Master has six d12 Superiority Dice and you have three Surges, and most characters have 2 attacks, so it evens out I think. Battle Master can get 6 Sneak attacks + 6d12. Warlord gets 6 attacks, or 3 spells, or 3 everything else. You lose in raw DPS but your flexibility is unequal. seems fair enough.
By level 10 you have
2 Ally Surges
2 Ally Second Wind
2 Indomitable
and 3 ASI to round out your Warlord however you see fit with Feats like Inspiring Leader, Skills, Healer, Martial Adept.
And if you want to sacrifice DPS for Warlord-y Stuff then don't do it with Extra Attack, do it with your ability scores. keep your STR at 14 and up ur CHA. Sacrificing +1 to Hit, and +1 to Damage, for +1 in Persuasion, Intimidate, Deception, and Performance. Seems like a Warlord thing to do. And instead of getting a tempting Combat Feat like GWM or SS remember your not a mere Fighter, your a Warlord.
I think between these Features and all the ASI/Feats and flexibility/Generic-ness of the Fighter you could get a decent Warlord.
It's just too bad that Sneak Attack doesn't work with him
Ally Surge
Beginning on 3rd level, you can push your allies beyond their normal limits for a moment. An ally that can see and hear you on their turn can take one additional action when you spend your reaction.
Once you use this feature you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Ally Second Wind
Beginning at 3rd level, your allies have a limited well of stamina you can draw out to protect the from harm. As a free reaction a friendly creature that can see and hear you regains hit points equal to 1d10+your fighter level.
Once you use this feature you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Tactical Start
At 7th level, when initiative is rolled choose up to six friendly creatures (which can include yourself) that can see and hear you, their movement is doubled for the first round of combat.
At 7th level, you can treat Action Surge as if it were Ally Surge.
At 7th level, you can treat Second Wind as if it were Ally Second Wind.
Ally Indomitable
Beginning at 10th level, as a free reaction, if your ally can see and hear you they can reroll a Saving Throw that they failed, you must use the new roll and you must finish a long rest to regain this feature.
At 10th level you can treat Indomitable as if it were Ally Inodmitable
Relentless Leader
Starting at 15th level, when you roll for intiative and have no; Ally Surge remaining, you regain 1. Ally Second wind remaining, you regain 1. Ally Indomitable remaining, you regain 1.
Full Surge
Starting at 18th level, you bring out the full untapped potential from everyone around you. When you use Ally Surge it expands to include taking one additional reaction, and also if possible one additional Bonus Action on top of your regular ones.
I wanted to leverage actions surges huge flexibility to simulate buffs without it looking like the buffs you get from other characters.
Action, Cast a Spell = DPS
Dodge, Disengage, Hide = Defense buff
Dash = Extra movement
Grapple, Push, Trip, Grapple Escape, Object Interaction, Help = Utility/Tactics
So I'm shifting the tactic so that your no longer nickle and diming a hit here and a few steps there on your turn to shift the tide of battle in your favour. Now the tactic is to predict what your team mate needs when they are taking their turn and you empower them to achieve their goals. Stuff like;
Did the Rogue get grappled and now he has to decide between freeing himself or sneak attack? No! Ally Surge.
Did the Wizard drop a fireball on the baddies and you know all the archers will probably focus fire on him next round? Ally Surge to Dodge, Dash for cover, or Hide
Did the Barbarian wait two round to get his hands on the flying creature and now he has an opening but probably only for one round before he flying ut of reach again? Ally Surge and enjoy those extra swings Barb, you deserve them.
The only issue I have with it is that it doesn't synergies with Sneak Attack. But I think it's worth the sacrifice for the flexibility it can potentially offer, and the new way it encourages you to play tactics. Plus Action Surge is always a show stopper so it would be fun to hand them out like you were Oprah.
Ally Second Wind is interesting because your sorta sacrificing "Healing Power" for "Healing Flexibility." It's worded in a way that you can use it during your turn, your allies turn, or during enemies turn. Technically you could heal your wizard after the Owl bear gets into melee with him but before he attacks, or even in between attacks. I thought it would be an interesting trade-off and more tactical feeling then just healing on your turn a little bit. I was considering calling it "Brace Yourself" which is definitely something a leader would say right before they get wrecked.
Tactical Start was to give the warlord that tactical positioning vibe. but it trades the little strategic nudges in between turns for essentially 5 super dashes right at the start so that every one can be in their ideal positions. So your Paladin doesn't have to walk into the middle of the field and chuck a javelin and just wait there untill the enemies turn to reach him. And your Rogue is pretty much guaranteed to always reach that hiding spot without using his Dash. I don't know if it's better to have ideal positioning at the start of a fight versus in the middle of the fight, but this guarantees the first at least.
Turning your Surge and Wind into the Ally versions gives it that sacrificial leader vibe, and it doubles them. Plus it makes it so that when they increase it automatically increases the Ally versions. I thought it was a simple way to do it.
Ally Indomitable is straight forward but ill mention here that I deliberately didn't put a "within 30ft/60ft" restrictions on any of the features on purpose. I figured that the seeing and hearing would be enough, and I wanted the Warlord to be able to help the front line and back line without much issue.
Relentless Leader seemed like a nice safety net for high level play.
Full Surge is just me going over the top a little but I don't think its crazy. Battle Master has six d12 Superiority Dice and you have three Surges, and most characters have 2 attacks, so it evens out I think. Battle Master can get 6 Sneak attacks + 6d12. Warlord gets 6 attacks, or 3 spells, or 3 everything else. You lose in raw DPS but your flexibility is unequal. seems fair enough.
By level 10 you have
2 Ally Surges
2 Ally Second Wind
2 Indomitable
and 3 ASI to round out your Warlord however you see fit with Feats like Inspiring Leader, Skills, Healer, Martial Adept.
And if you want to sacrifice DPS for Warlord-y Stuff then don't do it with Extra Attack, do it with your ability scores. keep your STR at 14 and up ur CHA. Sacrificing +1 to Hit, and +1 to Damage, for +1 in Persuasion, Intimidate, Deception, and Performance. Seems like a Warlord thing to do. And instead of getting a tempting Combat Feat like GWM or SS remember your not a mere Fighter, your a Warlord.
I think between these Features and all the ASI/Feats and flexibility/Generic-ness of the Fighter you could get a decent Warlord.
It's just too bad that Sneak Attack doesn't work with him
