Driver
Standing before a group of undead, a human man stands next to a wolf with a glowing longsword in its mouth. The human looks to his wolf partner giving a nod, and the wolf tosses the sword to him. He lets out a howl, causing the sword to glow brighter. A smile on the mans face before letting out a war cry and charging into battle.
A tiefling woman kneels over a wounded comrade, standing next to her a humanoid woman of some kind with glowing green eyes, and blue colored skin. The tiefling woman with her partner reach a hand down to the wounded comrade, a glowing magical light emitting from it and healing their wounds.
In the middle of an intense battle, a gnome man standing by a large humanoid who looks more machine then man, stands with his allies, an elven man in leather armor with a sword drawn, and a half orc caster wearing robes holding a staff. As a bandit lifts to swings his axe to cleave into the half orc, the machine man calls out, "Come take me on ugly!" making the bandit pause before turning his focus on the gnome and his large mechanical friend.
These drivers are heroes who are nothing without their Blades, partners who fight alongside of and protect them and their friends with everything they can. Together as they adventure, they might seek to learn about the mysterious past of the Blade, or just seek to grow their bond together. The two are inseparable and find their strength in each other, using that strength to accomplish whatever their goals.
Heroes by Chance
Not all who seek a Blade can become a driver. And no one is really sure why some people can become one but others cannot. It can even dangerous if someone tries to awaken a Blade and they are rejected, they are knocked unconscious from the force of the failed awakening. Sometimes even suffering minor injuries. However, if one successfully awakens a Blade they gain a partner for life and all the benefits that entail.
Drivers through their bond with their Blade gain powers and combat skills to face most dangerous situations. Blades will use their combat prowess and granted abilities to protect their drivers no matter what. Unfortunately, they even protect those who intend to use their new found abilities for more selfish or evil purposes. Though the vast majority of drivers seek not to abuse these powers, or the Blades who protect them.
Starting from a Gem
Most drivers become adventurers once they awaken the Blades from a special kind of gem called a Core Crystal. These crystals originally came from Titans, massive creatures from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 that provide continents for creatures to live on. These gems harness magical power from the Titan and lend them to Blades who serve the inhabitants of these Titans.
In Dungeons and Dragons, Blades and their Core Crystals are a mystery. Are these Core Crystals condensed magic from the Weave? Are they the tears of a long dead god or goddeess?
Or are they the results of a mad wizards experimentation with magic and seeking to grow their magical aptitude? That is up to you or your Dungeon Master to decide.
No matter where these Core Crystals come from, all Blades start as one of these Crystals. Awakened after a Driver spends a minute with the Core Crystal they find, and having all memories of previous lives erased from the Blades, other then knowing its name.
Creating a Driver
When creating a driver, first you must create how you came across your Blade's Core Crystal. Were you exploring in some caverns and came across the glowing gem that contained your future partner? Were you conscripted into a military force of some kind and forced to take a Core Crystal and awaken a Blade? Or were you a noble who found a Core Crystal for sale in an auction, not knowing of what it truly was until you awakened your partner?
Your next question is what's your relationship with your Blade? When you awakened them, did you both become fast friends, finding a familiarity and kinship with each other? Is it strictly a professional relationship, where they agree to help and give you powers, but you must help it find out more about its past and previous drivers? Or is your relationship more romantic, finding you both complete each other in ways you didn't find possible?
Then think of the role you and your Blade share. Are you both of the same mindset to quickly rush into battle and end it quickly? To provide healing to those who need it in a fight? Or to be that protective shield your allies need in a fight?
Quick Build
You can make a driver quickly by following these suggestions. First make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Second choose the folk hero background.
Driver
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Blade, Blade Element, Blade Role |
| 2st | +2 | Affinity |
| 3rd | +2 | Elemental Weapon |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack, Improved Blade Weapon |
| 6th | +3 | High Affinity |
| 7th | +3 | Blade Role Feature |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | Chain Attack |
| 10th | +4 | Blade Role Feature |
| 11th | +4 | Improved Blade Weapon (+2) |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Very High Affinity |
| 14th | +5 | Chain Attack Improvement |
| 15th | +5 | Blade Role Feature |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Shared Affinity |
| 18th | +6 | Improved Blade Weapon (+3) |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Max Affinity |
Class Features
As a driver, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d8 per driver level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your constitution modifier per driver level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
- Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
- Tools: Choose one type of artisan's tools of your choice
- Saving Throws: Constitution, Wisdom
- Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Nature, Perception
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) any simple weapon or (b) any martial weapon
- (a) a simple weapon and a shield or (b) a short bow with 20 arrows
- (a) leather armor or (b) chain shirt
- a gaming set of your choice
- (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
Blade
At first level, you have awoken a Blade as your partner. This Blade is responsible for the powers you have, and is friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. See its game statistics in the Blade statblock, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. Refer to the Blade statblock at the end of the class description. You determine the creatures appearance, whether it is humanoid or beast in shape, this determines it's creature subtype.
In combat, the Blade shares your initiative, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. The action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the Blade can take any action of its choice not just Dodge.
A Blade can be healed by normal and magical means. If a Blade is reduced to 0 hit points, it falls unconscious. When your Blade falls unconscious, you lose access to your Blade Element and Elemental Weapon features, and any Blade Arts granted by your Blades role, until it is conscious. A Blade cannot be killed, however if the Driver is killed the Blade is returned back to its Core Crystal state. It can only be awakened by another Driver and all of its memories are erased except for its name. However if the driver dies and is resurrected and awakens the same Blade from its Core Crystal, it loses none of its memories.
If the Blade is more than 1 mile away from you, you lose access to your class features granted by the Blade until it is within 1 mile of you again.
When you gain your Blade after awakening it, you choose two skills of your choice for your Blade to be proficient with, choosing from the options granted by your class.
Blade Weapon
Your Blade also grants you a weapon of your choice from the Players Handbook that you are proficient with, or one your Blade has granted you proficiency with.
This weapon can be wielded by either you or your Blade. Your weapon disappears to an extradimensional space if it is more than 5 feet away from you or your Blade for 1 minute or more. As a free action you can summon and dismiss the weapon to and from the space into your own hands or your Blades hands.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose to replace your weapon with another from the Players Handbook.
If you choose a weapon that has the ammunition property, this weapon produces its own ammunition. In addition if you choose a weapon with the thrown property, when you throw your weapon and after it hits or misses a target it reappears in either your own or your Blades hands.
Blade Element
Your Blade has an element associated with their power and has chosen to bless you with that power.
At 1st Level, choose between acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, or radiant. When you make this choice, you and your Blade have resistance to that kind of damage. When you gain certain driver levels in this class, you learn additional abilities that are affected by this choice as well.
Additionally when you gain a level in this class, you can replace the element you've chosen with another element from the list.
Blade Role
At 1st level, when your Blade is awokened from their Core Crystal, they are assigned a role that they share with you. You choose between three Roles: the Attacker, the Healer, or the Tank, each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st, 7th, 10th, and 15th level.
Affinity
Once you reach 2nd level, proximity to your Blade grants you a chance to regain your Blade Arts back. When you and your Blade are within 20 feet of each other and make an attack role that scores a critical hit, you regain one use of any Blade Art granted to you by your Blades Role.
Elemental Weapon
At 3rd level, when you deal damage for the first time in a turn with your Blade Weapon, you deal an extra 1d4 damage as the same kind as the element you chose from the Blade Element feature. In addition your Blade Weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
This feature's damage increases to 1d6 at 6th level, and 1d8 at 14th level.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Improved Blade Weapon
You and your Blades bond has increased and overall strengthened how strong your Blade Weapon is. At 5th level, your Blade Weapon is given a +1 to attack and damage rolls.
This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level, and +3 at 18th level.
High Affinity
Being closer to your Blade in combat grants you additional benefits just by being near them. Beginning at 6th level, when you are within 30 feet of your Blade you gain the benefits of Affinity and the following:
- You and your Blades movement speed increases by 5 feet.
- You and your Blades attack with the Blade Weapon score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
Chain Attack
When you reach 9th level, your bond with your Blade has begun to benefit your allies as well and you are able to initiate a chain attack with them. When you take the attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks to allow your allies to attack an enemy of your choice within 30 feet of you or your Blade. You choose a number of allies equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded down. Each ally chosen may use their reaction to make either a melee or ranged attack or cast a cantrip against the chosen enemy. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest to use it again.
Very High Affinity
You and your Blades bond with each other has brought your Affinity to new heights. At 13th level you can now be up to 60 feet away from each other and still gain the benefits of Affinity and High Affinity, as well as the following benefits:
- You and Your Blades movement speed increase is now increased by 10 feet instead of 5 feet.
- When you or your Blade score a critical hit with your Blade Weapon, you can roll one additional damage die when determining the extra damage the target takes.
Chain Attack Improvement
You and your allies Chain Attack has become stronger as your bond with your Blade increases. At 14th level when you use chain attack your allies now gain the following benefits:
- When your allies uses their reaction to attack, the attack roll is now made with advantage.
- Your allies can now cast a leveled spell that is 5th level or lower with a casting time of 1 action with this reaction instead of a cantrip.
Max Affinity
You and your Blade have reached the highest peak of you bond and have become a force to be reckoned with. Once you reach 20th level you can now be up to 90 feet away from each other and still gain the benefits of the previous Affinity features as well as the following new ones:
- You and your Blades movement speed increase is now 15 feet instead of 10 feet.
- You and your Blades attack with the Blade Weapon score a critical hit on a roll of 18, 19, or 20.
- Your Blade Weapons damage die and your Elemental Weapon damage die both increases by one.
Multiclassing and the Driver
If your group uses the optional on multiclassing in the Player's Handbook, here's what you need to know to know if you choose driver as one of your classes.
Ability Score Minimum. As a multiclass character, you must have at least a Strength or Dexterity score of 13 and a Wisdom Score of 13 to take a level in this class, or to take a level in another class if you already are a driver.
Proficiencies Gained. If driver isn't your initial class, here are the proficiencies you gain when you take your first level as a driver: light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons.
Blade
Medium construct (humanoid or beast)
- Armor Class 13 + PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 2 + your Wisdom modifier + five times your driver level (the Blade adds a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 14 (+1) 12 (+1)
- Saving Throws Con +2 plus PB, Wis +2 plus PB
- Damage Resistances same as Elemental Weapon
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities poison
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
- Languages same languages you speak
- Challenge - Proficiency Bonus (PB) equals your bonus
Immortal Nature. A Blade doesn't require food, drink or sleep.
Actions
Blade Weapon. Same as Blade Weapon Attack: your Blade Weapon attack modifier to hit, reach or range same as Blade Weapons, one target. Hit: Same as Blade Weapon damage.
Blade Role
As you awaken a Blade from a Core Crystal, it has an assigned role that grants you and itself powers and abilities to aid you and your allies in battle.
Blade Arts
Depending on what role your Blade is depends on what Blade Arts are available for you and your Blade to use.
Saving Throws. Some of your Blade Arts require your target to make a saving throw to resist the Art's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Blade Arts DC
Blade Arts can only be performed once per round. Once you or your Blade performs a Blade Art, the other cannot use it until the next round.
Attacker
This Role focuses on Blade Arts that focus on attacking and dealing damage to opponents.
Fighting Style
Starting at 1st level, your Blade has granted you martial prowess to swiftly defeat your enemies. As a result you learn one Fighting Style option of your choice from the fighter class.
Whenever you reach a level that grants an Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace this feature's fighting style with another one from the fighter class.
Blade Art: Toppling Attack
When you choose this role at 1st level, you and your Blade learn an attack that can knock your enemies off their feet, no matter their size. Once per round when you or your Blade hit a creature with an attack roll from your Blade Weapon, you deal damage as normal and you may have it make a Strength saving throw. On a failure the target is knocked 5 feet away from you and falls prone. Until the target stands from prone, the next time it takes damage, it takes extra damage equal to your proficiency bonus.
You may use this feature number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down, and regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Blade Art: Erupting Attack
Starting 7th level, you and your Blade are able to unleash an attack that can hit multiple enemies. Once per round when you or your Blade hit a creature with an attack roll from your Blade Weapon, you deal damage as normal, and you may have it and each creature within 15 feet of the target make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, each creature takes 3d6 damage, it's type being the same as your Blade Element, and half as much on a success. You and your Blade are immune this damage.
You must finish a short or long rest to use your Erupting Attack again.
Beginning at 14th level you can use your Erupting Attack twice between rests, and the damage increases to 5d6.
Aggressive Chain Attack
At 10th, you are able to grant your allies a minor offensive benefit after doing a Chain Attack. After you use your Chain Attack ability to completion, you and your chosen allies add half your proficiency bonus rounded down to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
Blade Art Improvement: Paralyzing Topple
By 15th level, your Toppling Attack has become even stronger. When the target fails the saving throw, you may choose for them to be knocked 15 feet away from you, and you may choose for them to become paralyzed, instead of becoming prone, until the start of your next turn. Also, the next time the target takes damage, it takes extra damage equal to twice your proficiency bonus.
Healer
This Role focuses Blade Arts that heals and keep your allies alive.
Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this Role at 1st level, you and your Blade learn the spare the dying cantrip. Your ability for casting this spell is Wisdom.
Blade Art: Recovery
At 1st level, your Blade has granted you both the ability to heal wounds. As a bonus action, once per round, you or your Blade can heal a creature of your choice within 30 feet. The creature heals a number of d6s equal to your proficiency bonus.
You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Blade Art: Mass Recovery
Starting at 7th level, your Blade has now granted you the ability to heal multiple allies. Once per round, as an action, you may expend one use of your Recovery Blade Art to heal a number of allies equal to your Wisdom modifier within 30 feet of you and your Blade a number of d6s equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded.
Bolstering Chain Attack
At 10th level, you are able to grant your allies a minor health boosting benefit after doing a Chain Attack. After you use your Chain Attack ability to completion, you and your chosen allies gain temporary hit points equal to twice your proficiency bonus.
Blade Art: Maximum Recovery
When you reach 15th level, your bond with you Blade has grown your healing to the maximum. When you use you Recovery or Mass Recovery Ability, you can now choose creatures within 60 feet of you or your Blade and you instead heal the highest number possible for each die.
Tank
This Role focuses on preventing damage to your allies and drawing your enemies attention to yourself.
Bonus Proficiency
When you choose this role at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor.
Blade Art: Distracting Taunt
At 1st level, you and your Blade are able to distract an enemy so they can possibly miss an attack. As a reaction, if an enemy attacks you or an ally within 30 feet of you or your Blade, you may use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. At 14th level, you may choose an ally within 60 feet of you or your Blade.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Blade Art: Goading Attack
Starting at 7th level, striking an enemy causes their aggression to be focused on you. Once per round, when you or your Blade attack a creature with your Blade Weapon, you may have it roll a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature must target you or your Blade next time it is able to attack or cast a spell. If the creature deals damage to you or your Blade, the damage is halved as if you both have resistance.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Protective Chain Attack
Reaching 10th level, you are able to buff your allies defenses after doing a Chain Attack. After using your Chain Attack ability to completion, you and your chosen allies receive a bonus to AC equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down until the end of your next turn.
Blade Art: Explosive Defense
At 15th level, your Blade has granted you both the ability to aid your allies against area of affect abilities. As a reaction, when you or your Blade, and a number of allies equal to your Wisdom modifier within 30 of you and your Blade are forced to make a saving throw, you grant yourself and the chosen number of allies advantage on that saving throw. This must be against an effect you can see, such as traps and spells. To use this you or your Blade cannot be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.
Once you use your Explosive Defense feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.