Military Science

While fighters have turned the tides of conflicts since time immemorial, the goal of a great tactician is to learn from these stories and strategies in order to understand how and why. With this knowledge, tacticians can recreate historic victories, avoid infamous blunders, and devise novel and innovative battle tactics to catch even wary foes off guard.

Even outside the realm of history, tacticians tend to be intensely analytical in battle; they might not be inclined toward direct confrontation if their interests could be better served leveraging their advantages in other ways. While many tacticians are formidable warriors in their own right, they may decide that investing their time and effort in supporting a reliable ally would be of greater benefit than fighting alone.

The Pursuit of Victory

Controlling a battlefield is not an easily acquired skill; no matter how vast a tactician's collection of military accounts, tactical manuals, and other such resources may be, there is no valid substitute for hands-on experience. Knowing that even the greatest generals only become so after having seen many battles, many tacticians become adventurers in search of opportunities to hone their craft.

Creating a Tactician

When creating a tactician, think about where and why your character studied battle tactics. Did the character attend an academy or other such institution? Is the character a soldier, a mercenary, or something else entirely? Does the character often match wits with one particular adversary? What inspired the character to become a tactician?

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per tactician level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per tactician level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
• Tools: Cartographer's tools

• Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
• Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth

Equipment

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

• (a) a longsword or (b) a rapier
• (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
• (a) a simple melee weapon and shield, (b) a light crossbow and 20 bolts, or (c) a shortbow and 20 arrows
• Cartographer's tools and an explorer's pack

Alternatively, you may start with 4d4 × 10 gp and choose your own equipment.

Field Strategy

You can adapt military tactics to combat situations on the fly. These gambits are fueled by special dice called strategy dice.

Battlemage

A Battlemage specializes in using magic to manipulate and reshape the battlefield. Battlemages excel in their study of spellcraft, perhaps because it is a labor of the mind not unlike the examination of military history and strategy. While only the likes of wizards can hope to master the arcane, battle magic is something even a tactician can adopt and perfect.

Tool Proficiency

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with smith's tools. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan's tools of your choice.

Personal Siege Weapon

At 3rd level, you learn how to construct a compact, portable siege engine. Using smith's tools, you can assemble a Small personal siege weapon in an unoccupied space on a horizontal surface within 5 feet of you. This assembly requires 1 hour of uninterrupted work, which can coincide with a short or long rest. When you assemble the weapon, you determine its appearance and whether it has wheels.

The weapon, which occupies its space, has an AC of 18 and a number of hit points equal to five times your tactician level. It is immune to poison damage, psychic damage, and all conditions. If it is forced to make an ability check or a saving throw, treat all its ability scores as 10 (+0). It disappears when you use this feature again, if it is reduced to 0 hit points, or if you disassemble it as an action.

You can use your action on each of your turns to attack with your personal siege weapon. While you are within 5 feet of the weapon, you make a ranged weapon attack originating from the weapon at one creature, object, or structure within 120 feet of it. You apply your proficiency bonus and your Intelligence modifier (rather than your Strength or Dexterity modifiers) to the attack roll. On a hit, the target takes 2d10 bludgeoning or piercing damage (your choice).

When you move on your turn, you can move the weapon with you to an unoccupied space without penalty, provided that it has wheels and an unobstructed path. Otherwise, you can drag or carry it, but your speed is halved while you do so.

Covering Fire

Starting at 6th level, if a creature makes an attack against the target of your Inspiring Word before the start of your next turn, you can attack that creature with your personal siege weapon as a bonus action on your next turn.

War Machinist

At 10th level, your personal siege weapon's damage rolls increase by 1d10, and the weapon deals double damage to objects and structures.

Percussion of War

By 14th level, you unceasingly exhibit superior firepower. When you use a gambit as part of a ranged weapon attack, your strategy dice count as d10s rather than d6s.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons and heavy armor. You also gain proficiency in the Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion skill (your choice).

Battle Cry

Starting at 3rd level, the target of your Inspiring Word can immediately use its reaction to, at your option, either make one weapon attack against a creature of your choice that you can see or move up to its speed to an unoccupied space of your choice without provoking opportunity attacks.

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Additional Fighting Style

At 10th level, you can choose a second option from the Fighting Style class feature. You may choose from the options listed in that feature or either of the following options:

Great Weapon Fighting. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Crescendo of Violence

By 14th level, you have mastered organized warfare to an art. When you use a gambit as part of a melee weapon attack, your strategy dice count as d10s rather than d6s.

Behold

When you take the Search action in combat, you can spend a strategy die to open your senses to concealed threats nearby. Roll the strategy die and multiply the result by five. You become aware of the location of each hidden or invisible creature within as many feet of you until that creature moves.

Bolster

When you take the Help action in combat, you can spend strategy dice to further assist your ally. Roll all the strategy dice you spend, but add only the highest die result to the ability check or attack roll affected by your Help action.

Cleave

When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee weapon attack, you can spend strategy dice to make an extra attack, letting your momentum carry you forward to strike again. Using the same weapon, make an attack against a creature of your choice within your reach. On a hit, roll the strategy dice in place of the weapon's damage dice.

Composed Attack

When you make a weapon attack with disadvantage, you can spend a single strategy die to calm your mind and focus your effort on overcoming the disadvantage. Roll the strategy die and add the result to the lower d20 roll. This total cannot exceed the higher die roll. If you spend two strategy dice, you don't suffer disadvantage on the attack.

Controlled Fall

When you fall but before you take damage from the fall, you can spend strategy dice to contort your body, reducing or negating the injuries you would have sustained on impact. When you land, roll all the strategy dice you spent, add up their results, and reduce the falling damage by that total.

Deadly Strike

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can spend strategy dice to find where your opponent is most vulnerable and strike there, increasing the attack's damage against the target. Roll all the strategy dice you spend, and add up their results. The damage gains a bonus equal to that total.

Deflect Melee

When you are hit by a melee weapon attack while you're wielding a melee weapon or a shield, you can use your reaction to spend strategy dice to turn the attack aside, reducing its impact on you. Roll all the strategy dice you spend, add up their results, and reduce the damage by that total. If the damage drops to 0, the hit becomes a miss.

Disturbance

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can spend a single strategy die to attempt to halt the target in its tracks. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have its speed reduced to 0 until the end of your next turn.

Feint

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can spend a single strategy die to give advantage to the next attack roll against the target before the start of your next turn.

Glancing Blow

When you miss a target with a melee weapon attack but your roll was a 10 or higher, you can spend strategy dice to turn the miss into a glancing blow, which is not treated as a hit. Roll all the strategy dice you spend. The target takes damage equal to the highest die result alone. The damage is of the weapon's type, but it delivers no additional effect.

Hit and Run

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can spend one strategy die to startle the target, making the target unable to take reactions until the end of your next turn.

Impressive Fortitude

When you make a Strength or Constitution saving throw, you can spend strategy dice to improve your result, calling upon your mighty reserves. Roll all the strategy dice you spend, but add only the highest die result to your saving throw.

Iron Will

When you make a Wisdom or Charisma saving throw, you can spend strategy dice to improve your result, using your resolve to overcome effects that attempt to control or confuse your mind. Roll all the strategy dice you spend, but add only the highest die result to your saving throw.

Lightning Reflexes

When you make a Dexterity or Intelligence saving throw, you can spend strategy dice to improve your result, twisting out of harm's way. Roll all the strategy dice you spend, but add only the highest die result to your saving throw.

Lunge

When you make a melee weapon attack, you can spend a single strategy die to strike at an enemy just out of your normal reach, increasing your reach for that attack by 5 feet.

Menace

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can spend a single strategy die to attempt to strike fear into the target. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Muffle

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can spend a single strategy die to attempt to briefly render the target mute. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be unable to speak or cast spells with verbal components until the end of your next turn.

Opportunist

When you make an opportunity attack, you can spend strategy dice to strike through an opening in your opponent's defenses with uncanny accuracy. Roll all the strategy dice you spend, but add only the highest die result to the attack roll.