Rerem115
2016-08-26, 02:37 AM
I saw a comment earlier about building a class based around critical hits, which inspired me to try and craft the sort of methodical, accurate class to match the theme. Any thoughts?
Precision. Harmony. The flow of battle, the elegant pulse of strike and counterstrike desperately vying for superiority all leading up to that moment. Of silence.
The path of the Rythmist is not commonly walked. Most, if not all, are self-taught, and all share the same obsession with getting everything. Just. So. Considered mad by many, they find the art in war.
The Rythmist
Level
Proficiency
Features
1
2
Tempo, Unarmored Defense
2
2
Accelerando
3
2
Improved Tempo (d6), Rythmist Path
4
2
ASI
5
3
Crescendo
6
3
Path Feature
7
3
Evasion
8
3
ASI
9
4
Fermata
10
4
Path Feature
11
4
Improved Tempo (d8)
12
4
ASI
13
5
Grand Pause
14
5
Path Feature
15
5
Improved Tempo (d10)
16
5
ASI
17
6
Cued In
18
6
Perfect Timing
19
6
ASI
20
6
Finale
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Rythmist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (5) + Constitution modifier per Rythmist level after the 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Shields
Weapons: All simple and martial weapons
Tools: One type of artisan's tools or musical instrument
Saving Throws: Dexterity and Intelligence
Skills: Choose 3 from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
(a) a martial melee weapon and a shield or (b) two martial melee weapons
(a) a longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows or (b) two hand crossbows and a quiver of 20 bolts
an explorer's pack.
Tempo -- Starting at 1st level, you learn to read the ebb and flow of the battlefield. When you successfully strike a hostile creature with a weapon attack, you gain a Beat of Tempo. For each Beat, your weapon attacks do an additional 1d4 damage and your base walking speed increases by 5 feet.
You can have up to 3 Beats at a time. Once you have 3 Beats, your next successful attack resets you to 0 Beats. You lose all your Beats if you go 1 minute without striking a hostile creature or if you fall unconscious.
Unarmored Defense -- Starting at 1st level, when you are not wearing armor, your AC is equal to 10+your Dexterity modifier+your Intelligence modifier.
Accelerando -- Starting at 2nd level, you learn how to pick up the pace of a fight. You can use your bonus action to Dash.
Improved Tempo -- Starting at 3rd level, you gain increased insight to the workings of battle. For each Beat of Tempo, your weapon attacks do an additional 1d6 damage instead of 1d4. This increases to 1d8 at 11th level and 1d10 at 15th level.
Rythmist Path -- When you reach 3rd level, you choose a path that defines you as a Rythmist. Choose between Path of the Dancer and Path of the Conductor, all detailed at the end of this class description. Your choice grants you a feature when you choose it, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
Ability Score Increase -- When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of you 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.
Crescendo -- Starting at 5th level, when you have 3 Beats, your next successful strike is a critical hit. Once you inflict a critical hit using Crescendo, you lose all your Beats. If you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points using Crescendo, you lose all but 1 of your Beats.
Evasion -- At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Fermata -- Starting at 9th level, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level + your Intelligence modifier.
Grand Pause -- Starting 13th level, you can use your bonus action to carefully aim. If you do so, your next attack has advantage.
Cued In -- Starting at 17th level, when a hostile creature misses you with a spell or a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to make one attack against any target within range.
Perfect Timing -- Starting at 18th level, you gain proficiency in all saving throws. In addition, when you fail a saving throw, you can spend 1 Beat to reroll it and take the second result.
Finale -- If you have no Beats, you can, as an action, make 4 weapon attacks with advantage against a target within range. You must complete a long rest before you can use this again.
Path of the Dancer -- You know that all of life is part of a massive, elaborate, whirling dance, and only those that learn the steps and the beat can survive. To move is to dance, and to dance is to live. It's all as natural as breathing, and you shall leave your partners breathless.
Effortless Motion -- Starting at 3rd level, you are a continuous blur in battle as you dart in, attack, and slip away to safety. During your turn, if you make a melee attack against a creature, that creature cannot make opportunity attacks against you for the rest of your turn.
Dancer's Grace -- Starting at 6th level, whenever you make a Performance or Persuasion check, you may add 1 Tempo die to the roll.
Quick Study -- Starting at 10th level, you gain advantage on initiative rolls. In addition, when you roll initiative, you gain one Beat.
Waltz Macabre -- Starting at 14th level, you learn how to slow things down while remaining in control. When you take the Dodge action, you can make one attack as a bonus action.
Path of the Conductor -- You shall not be stopped in your quest to craft a masterpiece. Your orchestra is crash of steel on steel, the throaty bass of the released bowstring, and the plaintive wails of the wounded. Truly great music leaves an impact on the audience; yours will last a lifetime.
Ready with Critique -- Your vision cannot come together when the performers are inadequate. Starting at 3rd level, you can use the Help action as a bonus action. Additionally, when you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking a creature, the target of that attack can be within 30 feet of you, rather than 5 feet of you, if the target can see or hear you.
Conductor's Analysis -- Starting at 6th level, when you make an Insight or Investigation check, you may add 1 Tempo die to the roll.
Conductor's Strike -- Starting at 10th level, when you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct one of your companions to strike. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack. If the attack lands, it applies Tempo (You gain a Beat, and it does extra damage if applicable). However, Conductor's Strike cannot trigger Crescendo.
True Direction -- You can turn even the most hopeless performers into tools for your masterpiece. Starting at 14th level, when you or an ally within 30 feet misses an attack, you may have them reroll that attack. You must complete a long rest before using this ability again.
Precision. Harmony. The flow of battle, the elegant pulse of strike and counterstrike desperately vying for superiority all leading up to that moment. Of silence.
The path of the Rythmist is not commonly walked. Most, if not all, are self-taught, and all share the same obsession with getting everything. Just. So. Considered mad by many, they find the art in war.
The Rythmist
Level
Proficiency
Features
1
2
Tempo, Unarmored Defense
2
2
Accelerando
3
2
Improved Tempo (d6), Rythmist Path
4
2
ASI
5
3
Crescendo
6
3
Path Feature
7
3
Evasion
8
3
ASI
9
4
Fermata
10
4
Path Feature
11
4
Improved Tempo (d8)
12
4
ASI
13
5
Grand Pause
14
5
Path Feature
15
5
Improved Tempo (d10)
16
5
ASI
17
6
Cued In
18
6
Perfect Timing
19
6
ASI
20
6
Finale
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Rythmist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (5) + Constitution modifier per Rythmist level after the 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Shields
Weapons: All simple and martial weapons
Tools: One type of artisan's tools or musical instrument
Saving Throws: Dexterity and Intelligence
Skills: Choose 3 from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
(a) a martial melee weapon and a shield or (b) two martial melee weapons
(a) a longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows or (b) two hand crossbows and a quiver of 20 bolts
an explorer's pack.
Tempo -- Starting at 1st level, you learn to read the ebb and flow of the battlefield. When you successfully strike a hostile creature with a weapon attack, you gain a Beat of Tempo. For each Beat, your weapon attacks do an additional 1d4 damage and your base walking speed increases by 5 feet.
You can have up to 3 Beats at a time. Once you have 3 Beats, your next successful attack resets you to 0 Beats. You lose all your Beats if you go 1 minute without striking a hostile creature or if you fall unconscious.
Unarmored Defense -- Starting at 1st level, when you are not wearing armor, your AC is equal to 10+your Dexterity modifier+your Intelligence modifier.
Accelerando -- Starting at 2nd level, you learn how to pick up the pace of a fight. You can use your bonus action to Dash.
Improved Tempo -- Starting at 3rd level, you gain increased insight to the workings of battle. For each Beat of Tempo, your weapon attacks do an additional 1d6 damage instead of 1d4. This increases to 1d8 at 11th level and 1d10 at 15th level.
Rythmist Path -- When you reach 3rd level, you choose a path that defines you as a Rythmist. Choose between Path of the Dancer and Path of the Conductor, all detailed at the end of this class description. Your choice grants you a feature when you choose it, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
Ability Score Increase -- When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of you 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.
Crescendo -- Starting at 5th level, when you have 3 Beats, your next successful strike is a critical hit. Once you inflict a critical hit using Crescendo, you lose all your Beats. If you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points using Crescendo, you lose all but 1 of your Beats.
Evasion -- At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Fermata -- Starting at 9th level, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level + your Intelligence modifier.
Grand Pause -- Starting 13th level, you can use your bonus action to carefully aim. If you do so, your next attack has advantage.
Cued In -- Starting at 17th level, when a hostile creature misses you with a spell or a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to make one attack against any target within range.
Perfect Timing -- Starting at 18th level, you gain proficiency in all saving throws. In addition, when you fail a saving throw, you can spend 1 Beat to reroll it and take the second result.
Finale -- If you have no Beats, you can, as an action, make 4 weapon attacks with advantage against a target within range. You must complete a long rest before you can use this again.
Path of the Dancer -- You know that all of life is part of a massive, elaborate, whirling dance, and only those that learn the steps and the beat can survive. To move is to dance, and to dance is to live. It's all as natural as breathing, and you shall leave your partners breathless.
Effortless Motion -- Starting at 3rd level, you are a continuous blur in battle as you dart in, attack, and slip away to safety. During your turn, if you make a melee attack against a creature, that creature cannot make opportunity attacks against you for the rest of your turn.
Dancer's Grace -- Starting at 6th level, whenever you make a Performance or Persuasion check, you may add 1 Tempo die to the roll.
Quick Study -- Starting at 10th level, you gain advantage on initiative rolls. In addition, when you roll initiative, you gain one Beat.
Waltz Macabre -- Starting at 14th level, you learn how to slow things down while remaining in control. When you take the Dodge action, you can make one attack as a bonus action.
Path of the Conductor -- You shall not be stopped in your quest to craft a masterpiece. Your orchestra is crash of steel on steel, the throaty bass of the released bowstring, and the plaintive wails of the wounded. Truly great music leaves an impact on the audience; yours will last a lifetime.
Ready with Critique -- Your vision cannot come together when the performers are inadequate. Starting at 3rd level, you can use the Help action as a bonus action. Additionally, when you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking a creature, the target of that attack can be within 30 feet of you, rather than 5 feet of you, if the target can see or hear you.
Conductor's Analysis -- Starting at 6th level, when you make an Insight or Investigation check, you may add 1 Tempo die to the roll.
Conductor's Strike -- Starting at 10th level, when you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct one of your companions to strike. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack. If the attack lands, it applies Tempo (You gain a Beat, and it does extra damage if applicable). However, Conductor's Strike cannot trigger Crescendo.
True Direction -- You can turn even the most hopeless performers into tools for your masterpiece. Starting at 14th level, when you or an ally within 30 feet misses an attack, you may have them reroll that attack. You must complete a long rest before using this ability again.