Playing a Samurai for CoS? Ideas please.

[GoblinGuy]

Any help is appreciated.

[Unoriginal]

What kind of help do you need first?

[GlenSmash!]

Indeed what help do you need?

As far as I can tell you just need to pick the race of your choice, choose fighter as your class and choose Samurai as your subclass when you hit level 3.

[GoblinGuy]

I need help for race and class ideas.

[GlenSmash!]

I need help for race and class ideas.

Oh, I assumed you were trying to use a Samurai from unearthed arcana here: https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/2016_Fighter_UA_1205_1.pdf

So followup questions. Are you trying to make a historic Samurai or a Fantasy/Anime/Pop culture Style Samurai? Also does your DM allow Unearthed Arcana?

For historic any flavor of fighter will work, though my personal favorite would be Battlemaster. High Strength for using a Longsword(as katata) or glaive (yari). Samurai also often fought with bows, so I wouldn't neglect Dex either and carry a longbow.

For a more TV/Movie Samurai you could use the one from the linked UA or try your hand at the Kensei subclass of the monk here: https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-RevisedSubclasses.pdf, although that would pretty much force you into being an unarmoured Samurai like Rurouni Kenshin. The big plus there is that you could use Dex based attacks with Longswords, and make Longswords and Longbows work with monk abilities.

For race, honestly any will do, but if you want to max your main stat at level one your options to do that will be classes that increase Strength (for fighter) or Dex (For Monk).

[Specter]

Race?
If you want to attack using STR, your best bets are probably Variant Human or Mountain Dwarf. Grab a feat that matches your weapon style (Great Weapon Master/Shield Master/Polearm Master) and go to town.
If using DEX as the attack stat, Wood Elves and Variant Humans are probably what you want.

[lunaticfringe]

Goblinoid from Eberron. Not a Real Samurai but it has the theme. I would lean towards Champion. Champion can grab Archery + 1 other Fighting Style which I like for a Samurai themed toon because the Bow was a big deal. Battlemaster can also switch hit very well, grab Archery & use a Greatsword in melee with GWM. Archery = +4 Dex to hit so you don't need high dex to hit stuff.

Banneret also has potential I think.

Not sure on what books you have available.

[GoblinGuy]

Oh, I assumed you were trying to use a Samurai from unearthed arcana here: https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/2016_Fighter_UA_1205_1.pdf

So followup questions. Are you trying to make a historic Samurai or a Fantasy/Anime/Pop culture Style Samurai? Also does your DM allow Unearthed Arcana?

For historic any flavor of fighter will work, though my personal favorite would be Battlemaster. High Strength for using a Longsword(as katata) or glaive (yari). Samurai also often fought with bows, so I wouldn't neglect Dex either and carry a longbow.

For a more TV/Movie Samurai you could use the one from the linked UA or try your hand at the Kensei subclass of the monk here: https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-RevisedSubclasses.pdf, although that would pretty much force you into being an unarmoured Samurai like Rurouni Kenshin. The big plus there is that you could use Dex based attacks with Longswords, and make Longswords and Longbows work with monk abilities.

For race, honestly any will do, but if you want to max your main stat at level one your options to do that will be classes that increase Strength (for fighter) or Dex (For Monk).

I'm going for a more historical themed samurai, but some fantastical elements are cool too. Saying that, monk kensai could be cool. Any good races for this?

[GlenSmash!]

I'm going for a more historical themed samurai, but some fantastical elements are cool too. Saying that, monk kensai could be cool. Any good races for this?

Wood-Elf immediately comes to mind. It has bonuses in the right stats, and extra movement never hurt anyone. Variant Human is good at everything, as is a properly built Half-Elf. Any Flavor of Halfling would work. Hill dwarf would be an interesting option. It would start out with lower Dex, but would be ultimately have more hitpoints.

[SaurOps]

Oh, I assumed you were trying to use a Samurai from unearthed arcana here: https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/2016_Fighter_UA_1205_1.pdf

So followup questions. Are you trying to make a historic Samurai or a Fantasy/Anime/Pop culture Style Samurai? Also does your DM allow Unearthed Arcana?

For historic any flavor of fighter will work, though my personal favorite would be Battlemaster. High Strength for using a Longsword(as katana) or glaive (yari). Samurai also often fought with bows, so I wouldn't neglect Dex either and carry a longbow.

A yari would be a spear; the equivalent of a glaive would be a naginata. Also, you can't completely rule out the use of a paladin for pop culture samurai.



For a more TV/Movie Samurai you could use the one from the linked UA or try your hand at the Kensei subclass of the monk here: https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-RevisedSubclasses.pdf, although that would pretty much force you into being an unarmoured Samurai like Rurouni Kenshin. The big plus there is that you could use Dex based attacks with Longswords, and make Longswords and Longbows work with monk abilities.

Kenshin wasn't actually a samurai. He was a swordsman type of martial artist, but never a feudal retainer born into a ranking family. Yahiko, a kid who tags a long with the cast, however, was a samurai, as in born into a family of fedual retainers in service to a liege.

[Blue Duke]

Dont play Strahd ? do samurai gain heavy armor proficiency ? Because if they do.....you arent going to get to use it likely.

[Joe the Rat]

Step 1: As Historical Samurai, you are a social class, not a profession. Noble, Knight, or perhaps Soldier background. If you are "samurai, but not from around here", then Far Traveler (SCAG) works well - fits the strange foreigner angle, and gives you some court-related skills.

Step 2: Fighting Package

Straight up Vanilla, Battlemaster Fighter carries a bit of "educated and cultured warrior" - that whole calligraphy (or whatever artisan tool you like) proficiency. This is also in the UA Samurai.

If you like the UA Samurai, but can't use Unearthed Arcana: The basic mechanics of the samurai include what I call "pocket rage" - a 2-turn resistance to damage. So why not get the real deal? Barbarian brings a lot to the table: "Battle Focus" (Rage), Preternatural awareness of danger, Full offense (Reckless attack), the ability to wander around wearing your pajamas and a bathrobe (unarmored defense), a master of all arms (due to not being specialized)... Plus you have the White Faced Sword (Frenzy) or Clan Sign (Totem) options. You can mix Barb with BM Fighter, but that can be tricky in a "play from 1" game - every level you take in one before 5 delays extra attack.

Another angle, which definitely edges into the supernatural, would be Paladin. They have a lot of Knight in Shining Armor genetics, which is not hard to parlay into Samurai in Resplendent Armor. Heck, they get their powers from an Oath - they are fueled by loyalty. Meditative healing, supernatural resilience which looks a lot like what monks get, the ability to make a single, massive, decisive blow (smite) - this works really well. I'd push towards Oath of the Crown (SCAG) for your liege lord, or Oath of Vengeance if you're going for the, well Vengeance angle, 47 Ronin style.

Part the 3rd: Races
Variant Human is always good. Mountain Dwarf makes a solid martial focus, and Dwarf culture tends to align well with bushido. If you go Paladin Samurai, Half-elf works quite well. I also rather like Hobgoblin, (They have saving face as a racial feature) though that will leave you behind on Strength.

[GlenSmash!]

A yari would be a spear; the equivalent of a glaive would be a naginata. Also, you can't completely rule out the use of a paladin for pop culture samurai.

Totally correct, a naginata is certainly a glaive, though I would say I've seen plenty of examples of a long handled, long bladed yari that don't translate well to the 5e spear or the 5e Pike. I would use the glaive to represent them. It's a pretty minor refluff.


Kenshin wasn't actually a samurai. He was a swordsman type of martial artist, but never a feudal retainer born into a ranking family. Yahiko, a kid who tags a long with the cast, however, was a samurai, as in born into a family of fedual retainers in service to a liege.

Right. Kenshin was not an actual samurai, but I do think he pretty well embodies this "pop-culture"/"TV trope" Samurai which was why I used him as an example. And he certainly is what comes to mind when I think of the D&D Kensei or Sword Saint.


Dont play Strahd ? do samurai gain heavy armor proficiency ? Because if they do.....you arent going to get to use it likely.

There's one magical Heavy Armor in CoS. Maybe more, but at least one I know of off the top of my head. So I would keep my eyes open for it.


I also rather like Hobgoblin, (They have saving face as a racial feature) though that will leave you behind on Strength.

Interesting. I always think of Hobgoblin society as a fantasy version of Roman Legions, but now that you mention it I think it could make a really good fantasy Feudal Japan too. Also the rest of your post is spot on.

To the OP: Some other things I thought of. Oath of the Crown (Liege Lord) works great for Samurai. Banneret can fit as well as most other fighter subclasses, though I still think Battlemaster is the best fit.

Also, this one is a bit of a stretch, but the UA Monster Hunter Fighter would still work as Samurai, but would also have a few goodies that would help out in CoS.

Sorry for throwing all these options at you, I sometimes forget that you can build a concept in a lot of different ways.

[Ravinsild]

Hobgoblin Fighter of some nature. Possibly the Samurai subclass from UA, otherwise a great weapon fighting two-handed sword using Fighter. Possibly Battlemaster or Champion. Champion is more straight forward, the Battlemaster is more tactical. Also use a longbow. Samurai were good with a longbow, the shortsword and shield and the two-handed sword (katana).

Hobgoblins in 5e seem to be asian inspired.

[Joe the Rat]

Interesting. I always think of Hobgoblin society as a fantasy version of Roman Legions, but now that you mention it I think it could make a really good fantasy Feudal Japan too. Also the rest of your post is spot on. Thanks.

The 5e aesthetic for hobgoblins invokes some Japanese themes in the armor design, which really fueled that line of thought for me. Goblins filling the Plebian/Commoner caste works for both. I guess they just do Imperial really well.

[SaurOps]

Hobgoblin Fighter of some nature. Possibly the Samurai subclass from UA, otherwise a great weapon fighting two-handed sword using Fighter. Possibly Battlemaster or Champion. Champion is more straight forward, the Battlemaster is more tactical. Also use a longbow. Samurai were good with a longbow, the shortsword and shield and the two-handed sword (katana).

Hobgoblins in 5e seem to be asian inspired.

Hobgoblins have actually been like that for a long time. The entry for the ogre magi in the Complete Book of Humanoids mentioned that they and ogre magi made frequent use of Japanese weapons. It strikes me as entering the space of unfortunate implications, at least for the hobgoblins; the ogre magi are oni under a different name, so it doesn't come off as a backfire of trying to make something different.

[GlenSmash!]

Hobgoblins have actually been like that for a long time. The entry for the ogre magi in the Complete Book of Humanoids mentioned that they and ogre magi made frequent use of Japanese weapons. It strikes me as entering the space of unfortunate implications, at least for the hobgoblins; the ogre magi are oni under a different name, so it doesn't come off as a backfire of trying to make something different.

Were these the Orge Magi that became/inspired the Oni in the 5e MM?

[SaurOps]

Were these the Orge Magi that became/inspired the Oni in the 5e MM?

Kind of. Their appearance was definitely an oni, but the 5e oni is more of a monster under the bed or at the shadows of a community, where as the ogre magi of past editions have tended to form social groups and settlements with suspiciously familiar codes of behavior using the H word* instead of haunting people 100% of the time.


*Pre-emptive: Not that (http://jisho.org/search/%E5%A4%89%E6%85%8B%20%23kanji) H word.

[GlenSmash!]

Kind of. Their appearance was definitely an oni, but the 5e oni is more of a monster under the bed or at the shadows of a community, where as the ogre magi of past editions have tended to form social groups and settlements with suspiciously familiar codes of behavior using the H word* instead of haunting people 100% of the time.


*Pre-emptive: Not that (http://jisho.org/search/%E5%A4%89%E6%85%8B%20%23kanji) H word.

Interesting, So mechanically an Ogre Mage could be very similar to an Oni, but the fluff is very different.

Now i'm thinking in my setting Oni could be particularly mischievous or Chaotic Ogre Magi. Outcasts even, that put their personal desires over the good of the clan.

[SaurOps]

Interesting, So mechanically an Ogre Mage could be very similar to an Oni, but the fluff is very different.

Now i'm thinking in my setting Oni could be particularly mischievous or Chaotic Ogre Magi. Outcasts even, that put their personal desires over the good of the clan.

Oni have a pretty broad interpretation in stories. They could even be an off-brand orc if you wanted to stat them up that way; replace Gruumsh with Shuten-douji and give them bovine horns and tiger claws, and you're a good part of the way there.

[KiltieMacPipes]

My favorite samurai by far was just a reskinned Barbarian.

[Herobizkit]

Half-Orc or Dwarf for Monk/Kensai is always delicious.

Back in 1e days, they had a race of humanoid dwarves called Korobokuru that were permitted to be the Samurai class... there's precedent. Physically, they're more similar to halflings, though.