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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Samurai, a fighter subclass for 5e by EnderDwarf



PoeticDwarf
2016-01-22, 10:46 AM
Samurais are honourful warriors, often they work for a country or a state, fighting for their homelands and protecting their traditions. This Samurai is not really based on the 3.5 samurai, but some aspects are.

Third level
Dancing blades
You may two weapon fight if you carry in one hand a light melee weapon and in your other hand a longsword or rapier (often refluffed as katana), and you gain a bonus to inititiative equal to half your proficiency modifier whenever you are not carrying a shield or weapon other than a longsword, rapier or light weapon. Furtherly, whenever you wield a longsword or rapier and you draw a light melee weapon, your next attack the same turn with this light melee weapon adds your charisma modifier (minimum 1) on the damage and the attack roll. You can just use this just once on an enemy with an intelligence score of at least 4, because the surprising effect is lost otherwise.

Seventh level
Battle Leadership
An amount of times per day equal to your charisma modifier, you can use one of the following moves.

You can use this option as a bonus action, whenever you hit at least one melee weapon attack that same turn. You and up to 6 allies of your choice may use the disengage action and dodge action as a bonus action and enemies have disadvantage on ranged attack rolls targetting you or them, this lasts for one minute but it ends early if you don't make a melee weapon attack on a turn
You can use this power as a bonus action, but only on the first turn of combat. You and up to six allies of your choice can make the dash action as a bonus action, and deal your charisma modifier bonus damage on every weapon attack they hit and also on every attack roll. It lasts for one minutr but this ends early if you don't move at least 10ft from the point where you began on your turn.

Tenth level
Sharpened voice
You gain proficiency in intimidation checks, if you already have this you can add double your proficiency bonus on intimidation checks. You can use your action to frighten enemies, one target of your choice must make a wisdom save against an intimidation check you make as part of this action. On a failed save, the target is frightened till the end of your next turn. Whenever you take this action, you can make one melee weapon attack with a weapon of your choice as a bonus action.

Fifteenth level
Fair fighter
Whenever at least 3 enemies are standing next to you, you can with every melee weapon attack you hit on one of these enemies try to push the target up to 5ft away (athletics versus athletics or acrobatics checks). Once per short rest, whenever you put a target away you can also kiai smite this enemy, this attack then automaticly crits.

Eighteenth level
Calm presence
You are in fights a beacon of hope for your friends, 1/rest, when you or one of your allies is below half of max hp, but not unconsies yet, you can heal this target if he/she is within 30ft by an amount of HP till he/she is no longer below half hp.

JNAProductions
2016-01-22, 02:50 PM
Samurais are honourful warriors, often they work for a country or a state, fighting for their homelands and protecting their traditions. This Samurai is not really based on the 3.5 samurai, but some aspects are.

Third level
Dancing blades
You may to weapon fight if you carry in one hand a light melee weapon and in your other hand a longsword or rapier (often refluffed as katana). Furtherly, whenever you wield a longsword or rapier and you draw a light melee weapon, your next attack the same turn with this light melee weapon adds your charisma modifier (minimum 1) on the damage and the attack roll. You can just use this just once on an enemy with an inteligence score of at least 4, because the surprising effect is lost otherwise.

Seems... Fluffy, but not very powerful. Lets you dual wield slightly larger weapons without penalty, but honestly, I worry this might be a little on the weak side.

Seventh level
Battle Leadership
An amount of times per day equal to your charisma modifier, you can use one of the following moves.

You can use this option as a bonus action, whenever you hit at least one melee weapon attack that same turn. You and up to 6 allies of your choice may use the disengage action as a bonus action and enemies have disadvantage on ranged attack rolls targetting you or them, this lasts for one minute but it ends early if you don't make a melee weapon attack on a turn
You can use this power as a bonus action, but only on the first turn of combat. You and up to six allies of your choice can make the dash action as a bonus action, and deal your charisma modifier bonus damage on every weapon attack they hit, if they end at least 20ft from the point where they began their turn every turn. This effect ends early if you don't end at least 20ft from the point where you began on a turn

Honourful Retreat is weird. You have to keep attacking to maintain it, but it's about running away. Is it supposed to be you stay behind while all your allies flee to safety? Because if so, that's pretty cool.

Charge the Horde seems okay. Overall, this again seems a little weak. It could do with buffing.

Tenth level
Sharpened voice
You gain proficiency in intimidation checks, if you already have this you can add double your proficiency bonus on intimidation checks. You can use your action to frighten enemies, one target of your choice must make a wisdom save against an intimidation check you make as part of this action. On a failed save, the target is frightened till the end of your next turn. Whenever you take this action, you can make one melee weapon attack with a weapon of your choice as a bonus action.

Seems okay. The one thing I would change is to not add Expertise. Just give them a free extra skill. Expertise is for Rogues and Bards.

Fifteenth level
Fair fighter
Whenever at least 3 enemies are standing next to you, you can with every melee weapon attack you hit on one of these enemies try to push the target up to 5ft away (athletics versus athletics or acrobatics checks). Once per short rest, whenever you put a target away you can also kiai smite this enemy, this attack then automaticly crits.

Seems okay. It'd be overpowered if you got it earlier, since then you could dip Fighter to autocrit with Sneak Attacks or Smites, but for 15 levels, that seems balanced. I think this is a well-balanced feature.

Eighteenth level
Calm presence
You are in fights a beacon of hope for your friends, 1/rest, when you or one of your allies is bloodied but not unconsies yet, you can heal this target with an amount of HP till he/she is no longer bloodied.

Bloodied is not a condition in 5E. Other than that, seems like a good feature. Just add a range limitation-as read, you can heal an ally on another plane with this.

Overall, I think this is too weak. It could do with some buffs.

In addition, the language isn't very clear. If you'd like, I could do a rewrite to make the English more clear. (English is my native language, so it'd be a lot easier for me to clarify it than you.)

PoeticDwarf
2016-01-22, 03:34 PM
I suppose I could buff it all a little, the fluff of honourful retreat can be that you stay behind but it could also be used to let casters escape out of melee while you let the enemies not come closer with some melee mates. I don't agree that exlertise is just for rogues and bards, one OK skill you already need to have can't be too strong anyway and it fits. I change bloodied to below half hp and 30ft range

I understand the English is weird, but you understood everything at least. I could always as with my monk guide ask my brother Dire_Stirge to rewrite everything

Thanks for the feedback

PoeticDwarf
2016-01-23, 03:04 AM
Other feedback?

Changed some features to make this better

Calen
2016-01-23, 10:03 AM
You could consider improving dancing blades. Maybe make it a variety of options, the traditional samurai used more than the wakizashi/tanto weapons that you are emulating here.

Just as a (probably unbalanced) example

Katana - The Longsword gains the light property.
Odachi - The Greatsword replaces the two-hand property with the versatile property.
Yumi - The Longbow loses the heavy property.
Naginata - The Glaive gains the finesse property.
Shuriken - You may throw two darts at the same target on the same turn.

Hope that this gives you some ideas.

M Placeholder
2016-01-23, 10:27 AM
The Katana should have the finesse property, as its all about gracefully cutting your opponents down. Here is a link to the stats (http://tribality.com/2015/04/09/oriental-adventures-exotic-weapons/). Maybe even add some supernatural feature to the Katana as you progress if there is space in the build, or as one of the 7th level options.

And I would change the Honorful to Honourable in the description of the feature, which is really good.

PoeticDwarf
2016-01-23, 11:37 AM
The Katana should have the finesse property, as its all about gracefully cutting your opponents down. Here is a link to the stats (http://tribality.com/2015/04/09/oriental-adventures-exotic-weapons/). Maybe even add some supernatural feature to the Katana as you progress if there is space in the build, or as one of the 7th level options.

And I would change the Honorful to Honourable in the description of the feature, which is really good.

The katana can be a rapier (for dex) or longsword to keep options open. The feature is good but it used to be too weak.

You think it is balanced?

M Placeholder
2016-01-23, 12:21 PM
The katana can be a rapier (for dex) or longsword to keep options open. The feature is good but it used to be too weak.

You think it is balanced?

The rapier does piercing damage. The katana is curved and designed to deliver slashing wounds, while a rapier is straight and designed to quickly inflict piercing wounds, so having the katana a finese weapon that does slashing damage makes more sense than fluffing a rapier or longsword.

As for balanced, honourable retreat is pretty neat, and Charge the horde is good, the statement "may end early" suggests that there is a time limit or a number of rounds, and that the feature lasts more than 1 round of combat.

Clarify the wording on Charging the Horde, and adding another 2 options to this featurewould help balance the Battle Leadership feature out. Something supernatural would be great.

PoeticDwarf
2016-01-24, 04:27 AM
The rapier does piercing damage. The katana is curved and designed to deliver slashing wounds, while a rapier is straight and designed to quickly inflict piercing wounds, so having the katana a finese weapon that does slashing damage makes more sense than fluffing a rapier or longsword.

As for balanced, honourable retreat is pretty neat, and Charge the horde is good, the statement "may end early" suggests that there is a time limit or a number of rounds, and that the feature lasts more than 1 round of combat.

Clarify the wording on Charging the Horde, and adding another 2 options to this featurewould help balance the Battle Leadership feature out. Something supernatural would be great.

Suggestions for more options? I will try to word it better but it is difficult for me

My image of katana is the same as longsword. You need to be agile but not with 5e rules. I think it is correct this way. Maybe it makes more sense but I want to keep it simple

Steampunkette
2016-01-24, 05:21 AM
I love how you and six allies get to move!

http://aikidocenterla.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/seven.jpg

PoeticDwarf
2016-01-24, 07:27 AM
I love how you and six allies get to move!

http://aikidocenterla.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/seven.jpg

Thank you. I didn't choose 6 others without a reason :D