Help Homebrewing a 5e Warlord

[WhiteWolf]

I've decided to homebrew a 5e Warlord. I know you could go valour bard or battle master fighter and take the inspiring leader, healer and martial adept feats but I want to create a specific class that is exactly what I'm looking for, not just the closest that I can get using the classes that already exist and being forced to use feats to get the character to where I want it.
I am going to be giving the class a fighting style, probably at 2nd level like ranger & paladin, and extra attack at 5th. I'm also going to be using a feature similar to bardic inspiration, I'm just unsure at the moment what to call it. I don't think warlords inspiration sounds right but I'm stuck for other ideas. That's where I'm hoping you guys can help out. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

[Octomac]

I've decided to homebrew a 5e Warlord. I know you could go valour bard or battle master fighter and take the inspiring leader, healer and martial adept feats but I want to create a specific class that is exactly what I'm looking for, not just the closest that I can get using the classes that already exist and being forced to use feats to get the character to where I want it.
I am going to be giving the class a fighting style, probably at 2nd level like ranger & paladin, and extra attack at 5th. I'm also going to be using a feature similar to bardic inspiration, I'm just unsure at the moment what to call it. I don't think warlords inspiration sounds right but I'm stuck for other ideas. That's where I'm hoping you guys can help out. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

I think you're going to run into a bit of a design space crunch trying to do the Warlord as a whole class, as opposed to a subclass of some kind. The roles for 4e classes were, by design, much more constrained than 5e's comparatively broad classes.

In my mind, the best way to do this is to consider building it as a subclass of the Fighter. That way, you don't have to worry about multiple different Warlord archetypes, and the idea of a soldier that leads the battle is still fulfilled while maintaining a solid martial combat background.

I also believe it's important for the Warlord to key off of Charisma, not Intelligence. While Warlords are tactical battle commanders, and a case can be made that Intelligence is an important attribute for them, I think it's more important to be, well, an inspiring leader, and that means relying on your ability to influence others.

Now, all this is moot if, even with a constrained set of design parameters, we can't come up with enough to make the Warlord archetype stand out from its peers. There've been a couple of options in the game already, some of which you've already noted, that pull some inspiration from the 3.5 Marshal and 4e Warlord classes. So, to begin with, let's explore what you feel is lacking from the existing options.

I'd like to focus on the Battlemaster in the PHB and the Purple Dragon Knight from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, both archetypes that do some of what I think you're looking for. The Battlemaster provides several maneuver options which allow for control of the battlefield by moving and disabling enemies, as well as allowing for allies to act or move out of turn. The Purple Dragon Knight provides some healing abilities and saving throw buffs for the whole team, extra skills, and some limited ability to cause other members of the team to attack at the same time you do.

So, looking at that set of abilities, what do you think is missing from the existing options, and how can we fill it in?

[GalacticAxekick]

This (http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HkXjGFzql) is part of project of mine, meant to be a Warlord subclass for an overhauled Fighter class. You can use this as scaffolding if you like.

[WhiteWolf]

So, looking at that set of abilities, what do you think is missing from the existing options, and how can we fill it in?

Well first off, I agree that Charisma should be the ability used for the Warlord, and that the Battle Master and Purple Dragon Knight do indeed offer some of the abilities I am looking to implement into the Warlord. My main objection to the Fighter archetypes is that they seem to only offer a very limited amount of options and resources. This is because they are archetypes and make up only a small proportion of the classes overall power. The reason I want to create the Warlord as a class rather than an archetype is to enable it to provide a broader variety of buffs/skills and to be able to utilise them more often and have them make up a higher proportion of the classes power. That's why I've opted for an Inspiration-like ability, so it can be given to other characters for them to apply when they need it and to allow more flexibility in how it is used. I like the Valor Bards ability to use Inspiration to add to AC or damage, and the standard use as a buff to attack rolls and saving throws.

So I guess what I'm saying is that I like the buffs some of the Battle Master and Purple Dragon Knight features offer, but I'm looking for more versatility and a higher buff to damage output ratio, if you get what I mean?

[WhiteWolf]

This (http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HkXjGFzql) is part of project of mine, meant to be a Warlord subclass for an overhauled Fighter class. You can use this as scaffolding if you like.
I'll take a look. Not sure how it will match up with what I'm trying to create but any inspiration I can draw is beneficial. Thanks