War Chanter

Battlefield Music

When most people speak of magic, they often imagine exploding fireballs, or lightning shooting from their
fingertips. War Chanters, however, walk to a different beat. Weapon in hand, they stand side by side their allies attacking both near and far with both unbridled strength and a
pulsing ballad. Allies who hear their chant are roused to
fight that much harder, which for a War Chanter, is music to their ears.

War Chanter Training

War Chanters hail from all walks of life, but one and all, are trained from a young age for the battlefield. These schools serve a dual role in giving these young individuals a shot at a future. Once they complete their curriculum, they are awarded a certificate in the performing arts, and can freely choose to graduate and go on to live a productive life. However, the most promising among them are also given an offer to learn the other side of the chant.

For those that decide to stay, they are retaught everything from the ground up, learning how to weave magic into their words, while simultaneously learning combat tactics and marrying the two disciplines into a singular discipline that transforms their performing talents into a martial display of savage grace.

Quick Build

You can make a War Chanter quickly by following these suggestions. First make Charisma your highest ability score, followed by either Dexterity or Constitution. Lastly choose Soldier, Entertainer, or Gambler.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d10 per War Chanter level.
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier.
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per War Chanter level after 1st.

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: Axe, great axe, hand crossbow, longbow, longsword, maul, short sword, shortbow, spear, and rapier
• Tools: Disguise Kit, forgery kit, or any instrument
• Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
• Skills: Choose any two.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to anything provided by your background:

• (a) axe or (b) shortbow
• (a) leather armor or (b) hide armor
• (a) a guitar or (b) a flute

Alternatively, you can ignore the equipment here and in your background and buy 5d4 × 10 gp worth of equipment from chapter 5 in the Player’s Handbook.

Cantrips

You know any three non-druid Cantrips of your choice that have a verbal component from the conjuration, enchantment, evocation, or illusion schools. You learn additional War Chanter Cantrips at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the War Chanter table.

Rubato

The War Chanter Table shows how much rubato you have available to you each day. This amount increases as you gain levels in this class to a maximum of 35. You regain all expended rubato once you finish a long rest.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your War Chanter spells. Your magic is fueled by years of devotion and training to mold your performances into a weapon as sharp as any sword. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier and proficiency bonus when setting the spell save DC for a War Chanter spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Minor:

For 1 rubato, you can perform the following:

• Add one add additional die of damage to the Cantrip.
• Increase a ranged Cantrip by 30 feet.
• Gain a +1 to spell attack rolls.

Moderate

For 2 rubatos, you can perform the following::

• Any elemental Cantrip that you cast ignores elemental resistance.
• Ranged Cantrips ignore three-quarters cover.
• You have advantage on Cantrips with a range of touch.

Major

For 3 rubatos, you can perform the following:

• Increase all damage die by 1 step
• Raise the spell DC by +3.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites: To qualify for multiclassing as a War Chanter, you must meet the following requirements: Charisma 13.

Proficiencies gained: Performance

Percussion

Beginning at 3rd level, once per turn, an ally under your war chant who makes a melee weapon attack can add 1d6 to their damage. This damage increases to 2d6 at 7th level, 3d6 at 13th level, and 4d6 at 17th level.

Brass

At 5th level, once per turn, spells cast by a spell caster under your war chant ignores elemental resistance.

Strings

Starting at 10th level, once per turn, whenever an ally under your war chant makes a ranged weapon attack, on a hit, they can immediately make another ranged attack.

Woodwinds

At 13th level, once per turn, whenever an ally under your war chant takes damage, they can use their reaction to gain resistance to that attack until the start of their next turn.

This ability can be used a number of times a day equal to your Charisma modifier.

Big Show

When you reach 17th level, as an action, you begin the Big Show with a Major Illusion. Big Show replaces your war chant demanding you stay in place. While active, so long as you do not move for one round, you gain resistance to all damage. While standing in place, you can use your action to give an ally an extra action. You can use your bonus action to give an ally a weapon attack, and use your move action to allow an ally to move in your stead. Any creature that takes damage while this ability is active is struck with Ictus and the triggering attack gives that ally a +2 bonus to AC until the start of their next turn.

Once this feature is used, it can't be used again until after a long rest.

Elemental Freestyle

At 3rd level, you imbue your weapon with
one of the following magical properties:
acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. Damage
dealt by your weapon now deals damage matching
your elemental type. At 5th level, you add 1d6 to the
elemental damage. This bonus damage increases to
2d6 at 10th level, and 3d6 at 16th level. You can
change the elemental property of the weapon as
a bonus action.

Dervish

You are a blur of motion and deadly
agility. At 5th level, so long as you move at
least 10 feet when you take the attack action,
you can make an extra melee weapon attack,
or ranged weapon attack as long as you are
within 10 feet of a creature that you can see.

Dance Step

Beginning at 10th level, so long as
you move at least 10 feet, whenever
you hit with a weapon attack or a
rubato that requires an attack roll,
you deal an additional 1d6 damage.

Or you can use your rubato
to produce one of the following
spells using the appropriate
action, Misty Step (1 rubato),
Far Step (2 rubatos), or
Thunder Step* (3 rubatos).
You must take a short or
long rest before you can
use each step again.

Dirty Dancing

Starting at 13th level, you can summon an elemental shadow of yourself. As an action, you can spend 3 rubato to call forth your shadow as if you used conjure minor elemental. The shadow's element matches your Elemental Freestyle, using the same statistics as the elemental, but in a form that looks like an elemental version of yourself. During summoning, you can use a major extemporization to summon a second shadow, or summon a stronger shadow as if you had used conjure elemental instead.

This ability can be used a number of times a day equal to your Charisma modifier.

Show Stopper

Dancers are all about style, rhythm and movement. At 17th level, Show Stopper can be activated as a bonus action, lasting for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. While active, your movement speed is doubled. So long as you move at least 10 feet, you have resistance to blugeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until the start of your next turn. Whenever you would be hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to disengage up to half of your movement speed.

In addition, you can use Dance Step freely without expending a rubato, even if you have already used it. This feature can't be used again until after a long rest.

War Chorus

At 3rd level while War Chant is active, whenever you deal damage using a rubato, you can grant an ally you can see under your war chant temporary Hit Points equal to your charisma modifier. If at the end of their turn, they have any temporary Hit Points left from this ability, they lose their temporaty Hit Points and are healed for that amount.

At 11th level, the amount healed is doubled.

Stimulus March

When you reach 5th level, you and all allies under your war chant gain a 10 feet increase to their move speed. Whenever they hit a creature with an a weapon attack, that creature has disadvantage on the next attack made against them.

Sonorous Chorus

At 10th level whenever you use an extemporization, the healing gained from War Chorus is multiplied by the extemporization used.

Battle Position

When you reach 13th level, whenever you or an ally under your war chant is healed, they have advantage on their next attack roll. As a reaction, you can spend 3 rubato to turn a hit into a critical.

This ability can be used a number of times a day equal to your Charisma modifier.

Minerva's Envoy

Upon reaching 17th level, your legend reaches a crescendo. As an action, you become a font of rejuvenating energy for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. Whenever you hit an enemy with an attack, you can heal an amount equal to your level, spread among yourself and any ally under your war chant. When you miss with an attack, you instead grant temporary Hit Points to yourself or any ally under your war chant, by an amount equal to your level.

Once this feature is used, it can't be used again until after a long rest.

Class Act

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in 2 additional skills of your choosing.

Wardrobe Change

At 5th level, you can change your appearance to match the look and sound of any small or medium-sized humanoid creature you’ve interacted with in the past hour. The results change depending on how long you take to assume the role.

As an action, your wardrobe change resembles a mirror image of the creature you’re trying to copy, but you retain your current clothing. Any notable features will appear on you in reverse of the original. Anyone within 30 ft of you, who knows the creature you’re copying has advantage on trying to identify you.

If you spend one minute, all visible features appear in their correct location and you can copy their accent and voice. Anyone within 30 ft of you who knows the creature you’re copying has a -2 penalty to try to identify you.

If you spend 10 minutes, you change everything from your clothing to your tone of voice, but not their mannerisms. Any creature within 30 ft of you who knows the target has disadvantage on trying to identify you.

If you spend 1 hour, your wardrobe change becomes a perfect copy. Everything from your clothing to the distinct way they favor one foot over the other is perfectly copied. Anyone who knows the creature has disadvantage with a -5 penalty to try to identify you.

The effect ends immediately if you make an attack or a creature succeeds on an insight or investigation check to identify you and calls you out.

Recital

At 10th level, as an action, any creature you make skin to skin contact with must make a Wisdom saving throw or lose a memory of your choice. You can attempt a sleight of hand to perform this ability without being noticed. Before initiating the ability, you must already have a definitive question in mind - such as what languages they know or secret password to the mansion - or risk gaining a completely unrelated memory. If the target succeeds on their saving throw, the ability fails, though they won't realize anything is wrong. You can retain this memory for up to 10 minutes before it fades away.

In addition, you can perform a wardrobe change of the creature you contacted in half the time it would normally take as described above. This feature can be used a number of times a day equal to your Charisma modifier before needing to take a long rest.

Inception

At 13th level, any creature with whom you've engaged in a Recital becomes subject to Inception. Whenever a creature fails a save against recital, you can attempt to modify memory.

This ability can be used a number of times a day equal to your Charisma modifier.

Show Time

You set the stage for the performance of a lifetime. At 17th level, you can perform show time. While show time is active, you can use an action to assume the guise of anyone you used a wardrobe change on in the past 24 hours. You retain the level of detail you assumed with each wardrobe change. This ability lasts for one hour.

Once this feature has been used you must take a long rest before it can be used again.

Maetoso Forte

At 3rd level, you can change your war chant as a reaction, and whenever you or an ally under your war chant scores a critical hit, you regain a rubato.

Chanter's Aura

The gravity of your chants carries your vocal presence to new heights. At 5th level, whenever you extemporize a rubato to change its element, that element is conferred to every ally affected by your war chant until the end of your next turn.

In addition, every ally deals an additional 1d6 elemental damage. However, on a critical hit, as a reaction you can recast the last Cantrip used.

Counter Song

At 10th level, you can spend your reaction to attempt a counterspell for 3 rubato. You can extemporize the attempt to counter the spell as if you used a higher spell slot; minor to counter at 4th level, moderate to counter at 5th level, and major to counter at 6th level.

Pitch Perfect

With absolute vocal expertise, the Vocalist unleashes her most powerful spell. At 13th level, as an action, you can combine 3 rubato and an extemporization into a single spell, paying the appropriate cost. The spell uses the shortest range as the range of the spell, combining all effects and damage. After the spell is cast, you can not cast another spell until after the end of your next turn. This ability can be used a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier.

Light Show

Upon reaching 17th level, the Vocalist unleashes the true power of song. As an action, you activate light show with a Major Illusion forcing every creature not under your war chant, that can hear you, to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature is stunned until the start of its next turn.

For a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier, you do not spend rubatos when extemporizing, and attacks made with rubato are done with advantage. Allies affected by your chanter's aura gain resistance to that element and add your Charisma modifier to their elemental spell attacks.