# Bare Knuckle Brawler Legendary bar room heroes rarely venture far past a drink, but sometimes when the money is good, what's the difference between a damp cave and a humid tavern anyway? And what is a skeleton but a lightweight man with less meat on him? Not everyone can afford to spend a few years at a monestary to learn how to gouge a person's eyes out, and where there isn't meditation and inner tranquility, there is hard-bitten struggle and mangled, cauliflower ears. ## Rugged and Uncompromising Above all else, a bare knuckle brawler does what needs to be done to win a fight. Rules inside the ring are sparse, and rules outside are practically non-existent. The law is never on their side, the town guard are never patient, and winner takes all. ## Creating a Bare Knuckle Brawler When creating a Bare Knuckle Brawler, consider the kind of adrenaline junkie that likes to be hit, or who is so punch-drunk they can no longer notice the difference. This is a type of character who should be rough around the edges and not overly concerned with honor or good form. So long as it works, it's a valid approach to get the job done. \columnbreak ### Quick Build You can make a Bare Knuckle Brawler quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Choose the urchin background. ## Class Features As a Bare Knuckle Brawler, you gain the following class features. #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d12 per Bare Knuckle Brawler level - **Hit Points at 1st Level:** 12 + your Constitution modifier - **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per Bare Knuckle Brawler level after 1st #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** None - **Weapons:** None - **Tools:** None ___ - **Saving Throws:** Strength, Constitution - **Skills:** Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, and Stealth ### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - *(a)* a dungeoneer's pack or *(b)* an explorer's pack - a flask of Alchemist's fire \pagebreak <div class='classTable wide'> | Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | |:---:|:---:|:--:| :--: | :--:| | 1st | +2 | Martial Arts | | 2nd | +2 | Swift Runner, Just Tough | | 3rd | +2 | Confrontational Manner | | 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement, Just Tough improvement | | 5th | +3 | One-Two | | 6th | +3 | Confrontational Manner feature | | 7th | +3 | Fairy Fist | | 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Just Tough improvement | | 9th | +4 | Way of the Wide Open Opponent | | 10th | +4 | Bellowing Threat | | 11th | +4 | Confrontational Manner feature | | 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement, Just Tough improvement | | 13th | +5 | Swift Runner improvement | | 14th | +5 | Cheap Shot | | 15th | +5 | Got You | | 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement, Just Tough improvement | | 17th | +6 | Confrontational Manner feature | | 18th | +6 | Adamantine Nails | | 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement, Just Tough improvement | | 20th | +6 | This is Gonna Hurt | </div> ### Martial Arts Though what you do might not be described by everyone as "art," there is something nonetheless elegant and practiced about your efficient brutality. You gain the following features. #### Martial Attack ___ You can use an Attack action to make a Martial Attack. When you do so, you perform an unarmed attack that does damage equal to **1d6 + your Strength modifier**. Additionally, until the start of your next turn, **your AC equals 11 + your Dexterity modifier**. ___ #### Defensive Attack ___ You can use an Attack action to make a Defensive Attack. When you do so, you perform an unarmed attack that does damage equal to **1 + your Strength modifier**. Additionally, until the start of your next turn, **your AC equals 12 + your Dexterity modifier**. ___ #### Takedown ___ You can use an Attack action to perform a Takedown. When you do so, you perform an unarmed attack that does damage equal to **2 + your Strength modifier**. If the attack hits and the target is size category Large or smaller, the target is knocked prone. Additionally, until the start of your next turn, **your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier**. #### Haymaker ___ You can use an Attack action to perform a Haymaker. When you do so, you perform an unarmed attack that does damage equal to **1d10 + your Strength modifier**. Additionally, until the start of your next turn, **your AC equals 9 + your Dexterity modifier**. ___ #### Defensive Stance ___ You may use an action to take a Defensive Stance. When you do so, until the start of your next turn, **your AC equals 15 + your Dexterity modifier** and you have advantage to Dexterity saving throws on attacks performed against you. If you take a Defensive Stance, you may not take an Attack action during your own turn, nor may you take a Dodge action during your own turn. ___ In the event that two or more of these features are used before your next turn, always apply the *lowest* AC effect from the actions selected until your next turn. The effects are not cumulative, they do not stack. \pagebreak ### Swift Runner Starting at 2nd level, you gain +10 ft to your move speed when you are not wearing armor or using a shield. Then at 13th level, this feature increases in power, instead providing +20 ft to your move speed when you are not wearing armor or using a shield. ___ ### Just Tough When you reach 2nd level, and again at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you gain 10 HP. ___ ### Confrontational Manner When you reach 3rd level, you must choose a specific pattern of confrontational behavior: Drunk, Cheater, or Bully, all detailed at the end of the class description. ### 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 cant increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. ___ ### One-Two Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice using any two Bare Knuckle Brawler features, instead of once, whenever you attack using your Bare Knuckle Brawler features. ___ ### Fairy Fist Starting at 7th level, you like to dip your fists in a bit of glue and fairy dust. Never mind where you're getting the fairy dust from. Any attack made using your Bare Knuckle Brawler features are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. ___ ### Way of the Wide Open Opponent Starting at 9th level, whenever an enemy in melee attempts to attack you and misses, you may use your reaction to attempt to attack that opponent using any of your Bare Knuckle Brawler features. ___ \columnbreak ### Bellowing Threat Starting at 10th level, once per long rest you may issue a bellowing threat at a single creature who can hear or see you. They must make a Wisdom saving throw against a **DC of 16**. If the creature fails its save, it is terrified of you and must flee from you if possible, or take all efforts to avoid you otherwise. In combat, a creature can use its first turn after yours to attempt another Wisdom saving throw. On a success, it is no longer afraid of you. If it fails, it must wait until the end of combat to attempt its save again. If it fails the save at the end of combat, then it will continue to fear and avoid you for the remainder of the day, at a minimum. ___ ### Cheap Shot Starting at 14th level, before you attempt to hit an enemy in melee using one of your Bare Knuckle Brawler features, you may declare the attack will be a critical hit. If the attack hits, it is a critical hit. You may use this feature four times, after which you will require a long rest before you can use it again. ___ ### Got You Starting at 15th level, you add +2 to hit when making an attack in melee. ___ ### Adamantine Nails Some street brawlers go in for broken glass. Not you, you're a cut above the rest. Starting at 18th level, you like to glue a bit of sharp and exotic material to your hands or weapon, allowing you to add an additional 1d6 damage to your attacks in melee. ### This Is Going To Hurt At 20th level, you may take an Attack action to move up to your full move speed or until you collide with an enemy in melee. You must then attack the enemy using a Haymaker from your Martial Arts feature, but with the following adjustments: the attack receives a +4 to hit, deals an additional +2d6 damage, and then deals half of the total damage rolled for the attack to your character, rounding down. The damage done to yourself is considered bludgeoning for the purpose of resistance. You will suffer this damage regardless of whether or not the attack hit the enemy, as a consequence of your abrupt and violent stop. \pagebreak ## Confrontational Manners Nobody keeps ahead in a street fight by punching above the belt and minding the professional courtesies. Any sensible bare knuckle fighter will find themselves falling back on some method to even the score. Thus, a Bare Knuckle Brawler chooses one such method upon reaching 3rd level. ___ ### Drunk The drunk fights for many reasons. A sour mood, a need to prove oneself, for the adrenaline, or because their opponent has a funny accent. ___ #### Hard to Read Starting when you choose this manner at 3rd level, your drunken boxing style becomes very difficult for enemies to read, and on top of that, you tend not to feel the more modest slaps and strikes due to the numbing effects of the drink. Hence, whenever you perform an attack using the Martial Arts feature, you gain +3 to your AC. ___ #### Wallop Starting at 6th level, you swing wildly, but with intimidating force. All of your melee attack rolls are given disadvantage, but they deal an additional 1d8 damage. ___ #### Already Addled Starting at 11th level, you are already too far-gone to have your mental state affected further, and you gain +3 to your Wisdom saving throws. #### Numb Starting at 17th level, you may use a bonus action to chug down a particularly strong drink. For the next 1 minute, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. You may do this up to three times per short rest. ### Cheater A good cheater knows that all fights are won before they even begin, so if you get in a fair fight, there's a 50/50 chance you'll lose. When losing means laying face down in a gutter until the town guard arrives to throw you in the pokey, there's a lot of incentive to balance those odds. ___ #### Street Weapon Starting when you choose this manner at 3rd level, you may purchase a Street Weapon at a store, from a friend, from a back-alley vendor, or from wherever is logical. If such a sales venture is not immediately available, you may seek out a sturdy stick or a two-by-four. This weapon is a club, brass knuckles, a blackjack, a spring-loaded knife, or something of that nature which is usually easy to conceal in a jacket pocket. The weapon costs 2 sp (unless it's a heavy stick or wooden board, in which case it's free) and adds +1d4 damage to any attack you make using your Martial Arts feature. \columnbreak #### Blind Starting at 6th level, you may use an action to attempt to jab, throw something in, or spit at your opponent's eyes if they are in melee range. Your opponent must take a Dexterity saving throw against a DC of **8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity bonus**. On a failed save, the target is blinded until the start of your next turn. #### Strike First, Strike Hard Starting at 11th level, you now have advantage whenever attacking an enemy in melee with your Bare Knuckle Brawler features if you have rolled higher in initiative than them. #### Attack Without Warning Starting at 17th level, you gain +5 to your initiative rolls at the start of combat. Additionally, you deal an extra 1d6 of damage in melee with your Bare Knuckle Brawler features to an enemy if you have rolled higher in initiative than them. ### Bully A bully doesn't like to pick a fight he can't win, but when it's clear he's going to win, he *really* picks a fight. #### Stay Down Starting when you choose this manner at 3rd level, any time a prone enemy within melee range stands up, you may use your reaction to attempt a Takedown attack from your Martial Arts feature on that enemy, potentially knocking them prone again. Additionally, when you attempt this attack, you gain +3 to hit for that attempt. #### Eat Dirt Starting at 6th level, you do an additional 1d6 damage to prone targets with melee attacks. #### We're Not Done Starting at 11th level, when an enemy performs a Disengage action within melee range of you, you may use your reaction to attempt a Takedown attack from your Martial Arts feature on that enemy, potentially knocking them prone. Additionally, when you attempt this attack, you gain +3 to hit for that attempt. If an enemy is knocked prone during their disengage, they expend their action as usual but fail to disengage. #### Watch Where You're Going Starting at 17th level, you may target one creature within hearing range and use an action to taunt or distract them. To do this, you must shout, wave your arms around, and generally make a noisy commotion. The target creature must then make a Wisdom save against a **DC of 16**. If it fails, it gets distracted and trips over something or loses its footing, causing it to fall prone.