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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Pit Fighter (a fighter archetype) - Please PEACH?



Krobar
2019-06-29, 05:16 PM
After looking over the other pugilistic sort of classes and options that I could find, none of them really quite matched what I was looking for, so I sat down and wrote this up. I specifically wanted it to be a fighter subclass for the extra attacks and the action surges. Let me know what y'all think? Thanks in advance.

Pit Fighter (Fighter Archetype):

The Pit Fighter is a fighter that excels in the pit, cage, ring, back alley, bar room brawl, etc. While monks also train to fight unarmed, a pit fighter's training focuses more on technique and conditioning than it does spirituality.

The following weapons are considered Pit Fighter Weapons: Gauntlets (1d4, Bludgeoning), Brass Knuckles (1d4 Bludgeoning), Sap Gloves (1d4 Bludgeoning), Unarmed Strikes (1 Bludgeoning). These all fall into the Simple Weapons category, and you are proficient with them.

Level 3. Starting at Level 3 you gain Proficiency in Strength (Athletics). If you are already proficient in this skill you add double your proficiency modifier to checks you make with it. Also at Level 3, your punching power becomes extraordinary. You hit harder than most, and your damage with pugilist weapons progresses as follows: Lvl 3=1d4; Lvl 8=1d6; Lvl 13=1d8; Lvl 18=1d10.

Level 7: Leather Skin: Your training enables you to add your Constitution Bonus to your Armor Class in addition to your Dexterity Bonus, when you are not wearing armor, and not carrying a shield.

Level 10: Iron Chin: You have been hit in the head so many times that you gain resistance to bludgeoning damage, and you gain advantage on saving throws against effects that would make you stunned or unconscious.

Level 15: Powerful Takedown: Anytime you successfully use the "shove prone" maneuver against an opponent, you not only force him into the prone condition, you also do your normal unarmed strike damage.

Level 18: Judoka: If someone attacks you in melee, you can use your reaction to perform a Powerful Takedown against your opponent. To do this, make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by your opponent's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). Your opponent chooses which skill he is going to use. If you succeed on this check, your opponent is throne prone, and takes your normal unarmed strike damage.

Rerem115
2019-06-29, 05:57 PM
To clean up the third level ability, it should probably read:

"You gain proficiency in Athletics, and can add double your proficiency bonus to Athletics checks to shove a creature or knock a creature prone. If you were already proficient in Athletics, you gain proficiency in a skill of your choice from the Fighter's list."

Unarmored Defense should also be at third level, with a ribbon feature at 7th.

Bludgeoning resistance should be removed from Iron Chin, but you could add Paralyzed to the list of conditions you have advantage against.

Powerful Takedown is way too strong; you essentially have expertise in Attack rolls thanks to your 3rd level feature. I know size category matters, but still.

I like Judoka, but I don't like the name (you've tried to distance this class from Monk martial arts), and I would replace dealing damage on the throw with making the triggering attack miss instead.

That's my gut reaction to the class.

BerzerkerUnit
2019-06-30, 09:19 AM
I think the Lvl 3 is just supposed to be Expertise in Athletics? I’d split the weapon bit and the skill bit more like this:

Caged Fitness
When you choose this archetype at level 3 you gain prof in Athletics. If you’re already proficient you add double your Proficiency unless you already receive a similar bonus from another feature such as Expertise.

Brutal Preferences
Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your lethality with certain weapons improves. You choose if a <list weapons> deal their listed damage or d6 when you wield them. This improves to d8 at 7th, and d10 at 15th. Additionally you can always choose to deal bludgeoning damage instead of the listed damage type for the weapon.

The Level 7 is a core feature from barbarian and monk, which is fine, but it makes this Archetype a little MAD, I might go with.

Iron Muscle, Leather Skin
By 7th Level you’ve developed a tolerance for suffering that few can overcome alone. You gain a number of temporary hitpoints equal to your Con modifier at the beginning of your turn.

(The default rules for temp hp make this easy, maybe this veers too far from your intent, but since the majority of combats will provide the option of big armor and big armor is a major advantage for fighters I don’t think you want to penalize them for trying to use the feature. This type is useful in every combat, but less so in fights with multiple opponents or when you can’t wear armor).

Lv 18-Judoka would probably be less of an issue if you rolled Athletics vs the triggering Attack roll. It’s probably a more difficult check, but it’s less rolling and you probably have a higher bonus over all.

Good luck with this!

BerzerkerUnit
2019-06-30, 09:51 AM
To.

Bludgeoning resistance should be removed from Iron Chin, but you could add Paralyzed to the list of conditions you have advantage against.

Powerful Takedown is way too strong; you essentially have expertise in Attack rolls thanks to your 3rd level feature. I know size category matters, but still.

That's my gut reaction to the class.

I disagree here, at best it’s unarmed damage which is meh. But if the OP takes any of my other suggestions upthread I might tone this down to:

Living Weapon
Beginning at Xth level your efforts to manhandle opponents can cause minor injuries all on their own. Whenever you succeed on an athletics check vs a foe you may choose to deal your strength modifier as bludgeoning damage.

While it deals damage it’s basically a ribbon ability, meaningless on foes too big to grapple or shove, heavily subject to the vagaries or opposed rolls but fun when the DM has a bunch of weenies try to mob you.

Potato_Priest
2019-06-30, 01:35 PM
I think this is pretty good as-is, though the language on the level 3 expertise in athletics could be cleaned up to make it more in line with other instances of expertise.

I really like getting bludgeoning resistance with iron jaw. I love every instance of resistance or vulnerability to some but not all of the physical damage types in the rules, and adding one on the player side is neat and flavorful.

I would clarify that powerful takedown can only be used on opponents that are currently not prone, and doesn’t work on enemies immune to the prone condition. This ought to keep the pit fighter from turning every one of their 3 attacks into an ability contest.

Krobar
2019-07-01, 07:45 PM
Thanks for the input, I've got a few things to think about.

Probably a good thing I haven't posted the two homebrew feats that go along with this ... Choke Holds and Submissions. Lol.

The idea behind a goid bit of this, is this is a guy who trains fanatically for years to specifically beat the **** out of monks.