Fighter Archetype
Freeknight
Among the forces first dispatched to the Rotten Province were the freeknights — professional mercenaries drilled in unit tactics and trained to fight the Empire's enemies. These warriors are skilled in pike and shot, and accustomed to fighting alongside their counterparts in mixed units.
Freeknights can come from any background and be of any alignment — they are defined by their profession, not by anything else. Warriors receive training when they enlist and travel to the Rotten Province, and aren't responsible for their own equipment.
Freeknight Features
| Fighter Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Mercenary Training, Mercenary's Mark |
| 7th | Veteran Campaigner |
| 10th | Merciless Mark, Additional Fighting Style |
| 15th | Single Out |
| 18th | Battlefield Leader |
Mercenary Training
When you adopt this archetype at 3rd level, you hone your skills for navigating in any terrain to which you've been deployed. After you spend a week in a geographic region, you can choose to gain advantage on Survival checks to navigate in the wilderness there. You can only specialize in one region at a time this way.
It's up to your GM what qualifies as a "region" for Mercenary Training; the intent is a fairly large, homogeneous area. Examples might be a specific desert, a certain mountain range, or a single sea and its coastlines.
Mercenary's Mark
Also at 3rd level, you can take note of your comrades' attacks and respond accordingly. When an ally you can see hits a hostile creature with an attack, you can use your reaction to have that ally place a mark. This mark lasts until the end of your next turn, and a creature can't have more than one mark at a time
You gain an additional reaction on each of your turns, which can only be used to apply your Mercenary's Mark.
Combined Arms
Additionally at 3rd level, you hone your skills for mixed-unit tactics. When you attack an enemy carrying your Mercenary's Mark, you can choose to consume your Mercenary's Mark to gain a special bonus determined by the type of attack that prompted you to place the mark. If more than one effect applies, you can choose which one to apply.
- Melee Weapon Attack. Your ranged weapon attack can ignore half and three-quarters cover and is made with advantage if the marking ally is within 5 feet of the target.
- Ranged Weapon Attack. Your melee weapon attack deals 1d8 bonus damage if it hits.
- Spell Attack. You can change your attack's damage to the same damage type dealt by the spell, and you deal additional damage of that type equal to the marking ally's spellcasting ability modifier.
- Unarmed Strike. If your attack hits, you can stagger your target, forcing it to make its next attack with disadvantage.
- Thrown Weapon Attack. If your attack hits, the enemy's speed is halved until the end of its next turn.
Combined Arms is about reacting appropriately to your ally's tactics; accordingly, most freeknights try to make sure they have multiple types of weapons, to respond flexibly to the flow of battle.
Veteran Campaigner
At 7th level, you have the stamina born of a hundred campaigns. When you would become frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, put to sleep, stunned, or exhausted, you can instead expend the use of your Second Wind to prevent the effect.
In addition, you now only need to be in a new region for 24 hours to change your Mercenary Training, and you can be specialized in two regions.
Merciless Mark
At 10th level, applying your Mercenary's Mark deals 1d4 bonus damage of the same type as the triggering attack.
Additional Fighting Style
Also at 10th level, you can choose a second option from the Fighting Style class feature.
Single Out
At 15th level, you hone your ability for responding to your allies' tactics. While an enemy bears your Mercenary's Mark, you automatically count as having half cover against all its attacks.
Additionally, when you consume your mark as part of making an attack, you can force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice)). On a failure, it is frightened of you until the end of its next turn. Once an enemy fails this saving throw, it can't become frightened this way again for 24 hours.
Battlefield Leader
At 18th level, you can seamlessly lead your allies even in the fiercest of battles. When you use your Second Wind or your Action Surge, you can immediately enable one ally within 30 feet to make one weapon attack as a reaction. If the attack is against an enemy affected by your Mercenary's Mark, the ally can use your Combined Arms feature for the attack.
Remember that a freeknight gets an extra reaction; it's possible to immediately reapply your Mercenary's Mark after an ally consumes it with Battlefield Leader.
Freeknight quirks
The following are some optional quirks for a player of this Domain to choose from.
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You love puffy hats and puffier sleeves. |
| 2 | You get antsy anytime your party doesn't have a mix of ranged and melee combatants. |
| 3 | You style your hair and any facial hair you have in the most dramatic fashion you can think of. |
| 4 | You fashion yourself a medal anytime you win a major victory. |
| 5 | You would never take payment for serving an honorable cause. |
| 6 | You insist on payment for any action, regardless of the cause. |
Change Log
v0.2.1
- Slightly clarified Veteran Campaigner
- Removed firearms proficiencies
v0.2
- Adjusted Battlefield Leader
- Added a sight limitation on Mercenary's Mark
v0.1
- Initial Draft!
Credits & References:
- Freeknight created by somanyrobots Discord | Patreon
Art
Benalish Honor Guard, by Ryan Pancoast © Wizards of the Coast LLC
Background Image Stains
License
© 2025 somanyrobots, CC BY-NC 4.0
Fan Content Policy
This work is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
5E SRD Content
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available here.
The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available here.