The Warrior
| Level | Profiency Bonus | Features | Mastery Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Fighting Style, Warrior Legend | - |
| 2nd | +2 | Onslaught, Mastery Abilities | 1 |
| 3rd | +2 | Warrior Legend Feature | 2 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack (x1) | 3 |
| 6th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 |
| 7th | +3 | Warrior Legend Feature | 4 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 |
| 9th | +4 | Proficient Defense | 5 |
| 10th | +4 | Warrior Legend Feature | 5 |
| 11th | +4 | Extra Attack (x2) | 6 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 |
| 13th | +5 | Proficient Defense (2) | 7 |
| 14th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 7 |
| 15th | +5 | Press Advantage | 8 |
| 16th | +5 | Aggressive Defense | 8 |
| 17th | +6 | Proficient Defense (3), Onslaught (2) | 9 |
| 18th | +6 | Warrior Legend Feature | 9 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 10 |
| 20th | +6 | Living Legend | 10 |
Warrior
A determined Fire Genasi positions himself in the center of the melee, laying one end of the long red sash tied to his waist on the ground and pinning it there with a spear. Clapping club to shield, he resolves to find victory, or die there.
A young Kalashtar in gleaming armor steps forward from among her allies, quieting them with a look. With a heavy strike of her Champi, she challenges her enemy's captain to single combat. She puts her strength alone against the greatest of her enemies, to spare her people a great battle.
A mounted warrior quickly closes on his foes. He drags his serrated blade across a shoulder as he rides past, opening a bleeding wound. As he again puts space between himself and his enemies, he turns to finish the job from a distance with a bowshot, never slowing his steed.
Warriors learn their style of warfare and code of honor through the legends of their people's greatest leaders, soldiers, and champions. All of these warriors share a mastery of weapons and armor, and thorough knowledge of combat. In kind, they are well acquainted with violence and death, using it to accomplish their goals, and facing it defiantly when threatened.
Combat Trained
Driven by a warrior's code and the desire to live up to the legends they grew up hearing, Warriors overcome their foes by will and martial prowess. Beyond training with weapons and armor, each Warrior lives by an ethos based on the legends they regard. A Warrior might strike quickly and retreat, stand their ground, or attack savagely. Yet others are adept leaders or specialists in defeating magic users.
Masters of Warfare
Not every guard, soldier, or swordsman is a Warrior. Most are relatively untrained troops with only basic combat knowledge. Warriors are the best among their people, who have earned their position through experience and study on and off the battlefield.
Some Warriors feel drawn to the life of an adventurer. The dungeons, monsters, and other dangerous situations common to adventurers are second nature to a Warrior. There are greater risks in adventuring, perhaps, but also much greater rewards — few warriors employed as personal guards or enlisted soldiers truly have the opportunity to become a legend in their own right.
Creating a Warrior
As you create your Warrior, consider how you came to embody the fighting spirit of your people in such a way as to be elevated above other fighters. Were you assigned this fate and trained from a young age? Did you fight your way up the ranks on your own? Is there a goal to your training or do you simply live for the call of battle? A single experience or years of influence could have pushed you towards a life of warfare.
You may have been trained in an academy, learning strategy, tactics, and military history. Perhaps you learned on the battlefield itself. Where did you acquire your weapons and armor? They might have been military issue or family heirlooms, or perhaps you saved for years to buy them. Your armaments are now among your most valued possessions — the tools to achieve your legend.
Quick Build
You can make an Warrior quickly by following these suggestions. Choose a Warrior Legend, and make that primary attribute your highest stat, followed by Constitution or Dexterity. Take the Folk Hero or Soldier background.
Class Features
As a Warrior, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per warrior level
- Hit Points at 1st level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit points at higher levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your constitution modifier per level after 1st
Proficiencies
All Warriors have the following proficiencies at 1st level.
- Armor: Light armor
- Weapons: Simple and martial weapons
- Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
- Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, History, Perception, Survival
Starting Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background.
- Legend chosen melee and ranged weapon
- Shield or an additional martial weapon
- One set of armor:
- (a) leather armor
- (b) scale mail or chain shirt
- (c) chain mail
- Dungeoneer’s pack or explorer’s pack
Warrior Legend
At 1st level, you commit yourself to the ethos of your people's most venerated warriors, shaping your approach to conflict. You choose a Warrior Legend, granting you features now, and again at 3rd, 7th, 10th, and 18th levels.
When using the chosen weapons of your Warrior Legend, you use the associated primary ability modifier as your attack and damage modifier.
Fighting Style
Also at 1st level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one from among the Fighting Styles made available to Fighters as allowed by your DM. Unless specifically stated, you cannot benefit more than once from the same fighting style.
Onslaught
At 2nd level, you weave through the battlefield, striking at enemies as you pass. As a special Attack Action, you can make a number of melee weapon attacks up to your proficiency bonus. Your movement during this turn does not provoke attacks of opportunity from any creature that you make an attack against.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest.
Mastery Abilities
At 2nd level, your dedication to training has granted you abilities that further your pursuits on and off the battlefield. These abilities are detailed in the Mastery Abilities list. You learn additional abilites as you reach higher warrior levels.
You have a well of points to be consumed when using these
abilities, as shown in the "Mastery Points" column of the Warrior table. You regain all spent mastery points when you finish a short or long rest.
Some of your mastery abilities require your target to make a saving throw. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Mastery save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + primary ability modifier
Ability Score Increase
At 4th level (and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 14th, and 19th), you can choose to increase one ability score by two, or two ability scores by one, up to a maximum of 20.
Alternatively, feats can be chosen if allowed by your GM.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class.
Proficient Defense
At 9th level, your continued training allows you proficiency in a saving throw for which you are not already proficient.
You can choose additional proficiencies at levels 13 and 17.
Press Advantage
At 15th level, you are able to capitalize on advantageous attacks. When you have advantage on an attack, a critical strike occurs with a dice roll of 18 or higher.
Aggressive Defense
At 16th level, when you or an ally that you can see within 10ft is hit by an attack roll, you can use your reaction to respond with an attack of your own, if the attacker is within your equipped weapon's range. If your attack hits, roll 1d4 and your target's attack roll is reduced by the result.
Living Legend
At 20th level, your speed, skill, and awareness in combat is unrivaled. You gain 1 additional reaction, allowing up to 2 reactions per round of combat.
You can only use 1 reaction per turn.
Mastery Abilities
Practiced Skills
2nd level
- Use Time: 1 reaction, when making an ability check
- Cost: 1 mastery point
You add your proficiency bonus to an ability check before you roll it. If you are already proficient, you may double it.
Redoubt
2nd level
- Use Time: 1 bonus action
- Cost: 1 or more mastery point(s)
You grant yourself 5 temporary hit points. When you spend additional mastery points on this ability, the temporary hit points granted increase by 1d6 + your Constitution modifier for each additional point.
Empowered Movement
5th level
- Use Time: 1 action
- Cost: 2 mastery points
For 1 hour, your movement speed is increased by 10ft.
Powerful Attacks
5th level
- Use Time: --
- Cost: 2 mastery points
When you take the attack action on your turn, you can add your proficiency bonus to all weapon damage rolls during that action.
Improved Weapon
7th level
- Use Time: 1 bonus action
- Cost: 2 mastery points
For 10 minutes, one of your weapons becomes a +1 weapon, and ignores non-magical damage resistance.
Call for Aid
9th level
- Use Time: 1 bonus action
- Cost: 3 mastery points
You call on the spirits of warriors before you, granting 1d8 extra force damage to each attack you successfully make with your Warrior Legend's chosen weapon before the start of your next turn. Any creature damaged this way cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn.
The speed of any creature starting their turn within 10ft of you is reduced by 10ft until the start of your next turn.
Steadfast Resistance
9th level
- Use Time: 1 action
- Cost: 2 mastery points
For 10 minutes, you have resistance to one damage type of your choice from acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.
Rapid Strike
11th level
- Use Time: --
- Cost: 1 mastery point per extra attack, up to 2
When you take the attack action on your turn, you make one additional attack per mastery point spent on this ability. You can only make 2 additional attacks per turn.
Fervent Recovery
13th level
- Use Time: 1 bonus action
- Cost: 2 mastery points
Until the end of your next turn, you gain the maximum benefit of any healing effect you receive.
Painful Strike
13th level
- Use Time: 1 attack
- Cost: 1 mastery point
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can force a Constitution saving throw. On failure, the creature is incapacitated until the end of their next turn.
Will to Live
15th level
- Use Time: 1 reaction, when an ally is damaged
- Cost: 4 mastery points
When a creature within 60ft of you would drop to 0 hit points, you drive them to carry on, dropping to 1 hit point instead.
If the target has been subjected to an effect that would kill it instantaneously, that effect is negated.
To Splinters
17th level
- Use Time: 1 reaction, when you miss an attack
- Cost: 2 mastery points
You strike viciously at the target's armor, damaging it and reducing the AC it offers by 2. If this reduces a shield's AC to 0, or an armor's AC to 10, the item is destroyed. This ability cannot affect an enemy that is unarmored.
Unfaltering Advance
17th level
- Use Time: 1 bonus action
- Cost: 3 mastery points
For one hour, you suffer no movement or attack penalties due to difficult terrain or water. Spells and other magical effects can neither reduce your speed nor cause you to be paralyzed or restrained. You can also spend 5 feet of movement to automatically escape from nonmagical restraints or grapples.
Masterful Strikes
19th level
- Use Time: 1 action
- Cost: 5 mastery points
You flourish your weapon as if striking an invisible enemy. Choose up to five creatures you can see within 30ft, and make a melee weapon attack against each target. On a hit, the target takes 6d10 force damage.
This is Your Life
To help you create your Warrior, you can use the suggestions found on the following tables to help you decide your character's story and goals.
Call of Battle
Many Warriors come from a long tradition of soldiers, or have had some experience that led them to adopt their craft and Warrior spirit. These callings may be quite distinct, varying from lifelong influences to recent events.
Call of Battle
| d6 | Call |
|---|---|
| 1 | As far back as you remember, you've had a dream in which your name was hailed as a Legendary warrior. |
| 2 | Your family are a long line of Warriors or soldiers that expect you to maintain the tradition. |
| 3 | You just really like fighting, and excel at it. |
| 4 | You were taken in by an academy as a child, this what you were raised to do. |
| 5 | Your village was attacked and you felt powerless, so you sought the ability to defend those you love. |
| 6 | You grew up hearing stories of great warriors and heroic deeds, and knew you had to make your own legend. |
Warrior Traditions
Warriors typically do battle for a cause. Some fight on behalf of kingdoms besieged by monsters, while others quest for personal glory. A sign of that cause may be permanent, or carried at important times. It may be a totem of their people, symbolic tattoos, or an emblem created for themselves.
Your character could have a specific cause, and thus already has these symbols. If that's not the case, consider devising a totem, pattern, or emblem that symbolizes an aspect of your nature or speaks to what you see as your purpose in the world.
Warrior Nature
| d6 | Nature |
|---|---|
| 1 | A totem with a badger and falcon, representing strong will and thirst for adventure. |
| 2 | Yellow and green feathers worn on the head or across the shoulders, marking one who seeks battle. |
| 3 | A black line or block tattooed across the eyeline, suggesting spiritual insight - an ability to see "beyond." |
| 4 | A loose plume of crow feathers worn on the head or one shoulder, marking a defender of common people. |
| 5 | Three red streaks tattooed beneath the left eye, symbolizing sworn enemies. |
| 6 | A firebird emblazoned on the chest or back, an expression of an indomitable spirit. |
Personal Goal
Why have you set out on your own, apart from a militia or guard? Do you believe that your abilities are better used toward a different purpose?
There is no shortage of battle to be found as a soldier, but orders rarely serve those who take them. Think of what you wish to accomplish, and how you might seek it..
Personal Goal
| d6 | Goal |
|---|---|
| 1 | You will set an example of martial prowess, and in doing so empower others. |
| 2 | You made an oath that you will honor, or die trying. |
| 3 | You fight only so that others do not have to. |
| 4 | You believe that a god has set your destiny, though it may yet be unknown to you. |
| 5 | You have been wronged, and you aim to avenge a loss. |
| 6 | You will inspire a legend of your own name, to be told with awe for generations. |
Design
If you like the class, especially if you use it in a game, I would love to hear about it!
Art Credits
Cover. Graey Erb - https://www.artstation.com/graeyerb
Pg 2. Angelique Shelley - https://www.artstation.com/angeliqueshelley
Pg 3. Saad Irfan - https://saadirfan.artstation.com/
Pg 5. Bitrix Studio - https://www.deviantart.com/bitrix-studio
Pg 6. Oscar Römer - https://www.artstation.com/oscarrromerart
