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SpawnOfMorbo
2019-12-29, 12:13 AM
The Commander aka The Fighter (Hybrid)

Subclasses

Battle Mage (Simple, has some magic)
Battle Master (Not-Simple, Maneuvers)
Champion (Simple, just attack)
Gate Guard (Simple-ish, scary gate guard)
Warden (Not simple, Wildshape)

The Commander (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/rymArgOw1I)


Spell-Less Bard that replaces the Fighter and steps on the Bard's toes. I like the idea that the bard would look to take inspiration from the fighter, skills from the rogue, spells from the wizard, healing from the Cleric... The ultimate toe stepper.

Mostly 1 - 10 because I did this real fast on a whim. Made this to be solely a short rest class by level 4. When I get to doing level 11 - 20, extra attack will not be part of the core class.

Feels about as loaded as a barbarian or rogue, which makes sense as we dropped spellcasting.

This makes the Fighter useful in combat, out of combat, and useful to their allies.

The change to the subclass is to show the champion is a "lead by example" type subclass. I think a lot of the subclasses for this would have extra attack at 10 or some other feature that grants attacks (reactionary type stuff perhaps).

Level 1: Fighting Style, Inspiration (d6)
Level 2: Jack of All Trades, Second Wind
Level 3: Martial Archetype
Level 4: ASI, Font of Inspiration
Level 5: Extra Attack, Inspiration (d8)
Level 6: Martial Archetype Feature
Level 7: Motivational
Level 8: ASI
Level 9: Indomitable (Short Rest), Inspiration (d10)
Level 10: Martial Archetype Feature

Class Features

As a commamder, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per commander level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per commander level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

(a) chain mail or (b) leather armor, longbow, and 20 arrows
(a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
(a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes
(a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) and explorer's pack


Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons

Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC

Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier.

Inspiration

You can inspire others through stirring words or music. To do so, you use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Inspiration die, a d6.

Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Inspiration die, but must decide before the GM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Inspiration die at a time.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence or Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Your Inspiration die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 9th level.

Jack of All Trades

Starting at 2nd level, you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus.


Second Wind

You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your commander level. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Martial Archetype

At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate in your combat styles and techniques. Choose Champion, Battle Master, or Eldritch Knight, all detailed at the end of the class description. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, you can increase one ability score of your 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.

Font of Inspiration

Beginning when you reach 4th level, you regain all of your expended uses of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Motivational

At 7th level, you gain the ability to use motivational words (typically by shouting) to disrupt mind-influencing effects. As an action, you can start a motivation string of words that lasts until the end of your next turn. During that time, you and any friendly creatures within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed.

A creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit. The motivation ends early if you are incapacitated or silenced or if you voluntarily end it (no action required).


Indomitable

Beginning at 9th level, you can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can’t use this feature again until you finish a short rest.


****

Martial Archetypes

Different commanders choose different approaches to perfecting their fighting prowess. The martial archetype you choose to emulate reflects your approach.

Champion

The archetypal Champion focuses on the development of raw physical power honed to deadly perfection. Those who model themselves on this archetype combine rigorous training with physical excellence to deal devastating blows.

Improved Critical

Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Remarkable Athlete

Starting at 6th level, choose strength or dexterity. You have advantage on checks using that ability score. Additionally, you have advantage on constitution checks.

Additional Attack

Beginning at 10th level, you can attack one additional time, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. This feature stacks with extra attack or any other additional attack features you gain.

Bannerette

Banner Bearer (3)

You gain a banner of your lord or another that you are subserviant to. While you display this banner you have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks.


Mind Over Matter (3)

Whenever you give inspiration to a creature, you may decide to roll the die and the target regains a number of hit points equal to the roll.

A creature may regain hit points this way once per short rest and must be able to hear or see you to gain these hit points.

Awe Inspiring (6)

Starting at 6th level, whenever someone rolls an inspiration die that you give them, they may roll twice and take the higher result.





Templar

Spellcasting

As EK. Gain spells from cleric spell list. Have short rest casting.

Battlemage

Gain arcane magic effects when using a weapon.

Ranger

Natural Explorer (modified)

Quarry
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Thoughts and Notes

Channeling: This allows you to add the effects of a Cantrip to one weapon attack per turn. With channeling you can ignore partial cover if you have sacred flame, light things on fire if you have firebolt, cause a creature to not be able to heal if you have chill touch, and many other effects. Anything that would add damage, such as green fire blade or booming blade, won't work with this. Without feats this won't come online unless you MC or until you get to level 3 and take Eldritch Knight (martial or magic type class), Battlemage (teleporting and mixing magic with martial), or Templar (Crusader/Paladin type). Any effect that is duplicated by other features does not stack, the highest form happens. So if you have "Lock Down" (battlemaster feature to be detailed later) and Ray of Frost, Lock Down will override Ray of Frost against a target.

I personally think that for being the "every man" the fighter SHOULD have a subclass that steps on other's toes.

Inspirational fighter here, the Commander, is actually rather simple even compared to the base fighter.

Action Surge has caused many of DMs a headache due to people misreading what it actually does. I'm very ok with removing Action Surge. I think the core fighter class will get Additional Attack at level 20 so that the champion will have the most attacks in the game (same number as a normal fighter) but other fighters, sorry Commanders :p, still get more than other classes (eventually).

It's not too hard to hand a die to another player. If your highest mental stat is a +2, you could even give them a playing card or another item to show that they can roll inspiration die. People deal with bonus actions with a simple fighter already plus people seem to always suggest GWM, Sentinel, or PAM feats which are just as involved (or more so) than Inspiration on the Commander's end.

The more I think about this, the more I effort I want to put into it, this was initially done on a whim based on a comment from another thread, so it was hastily put together.

Barbarian: Brute Force
Rogue: Finesse/Subterfuge
Fighter: Inspiring


Warlord: subclass that can allow creatures to attack, move, dodge, and be healed.

Old Harry MTX
2019-12-30, 03:49 AM
Mmm, it seems to me that you very like the concept, and you want to develop in a lot of different ways... I know that feeling, but I have to ask: have you considered, just for a second, to build a commander as an archetype of a normal fighter?

You can easily make a feature that allow the player to trade some ASI to unlock more bardic features, and, who knows, maybe you can make a feature that expends the uses of action surge to inspire some creatures around you, like a commanding shout, but still leaving the possibility to use action surge.

SpawnOfMorbo
2019-12-30, 04:28 AM
Mmm, it seems to me that you very like the concept, and you want to develop in a lot of different ways... I know that feeling, but I have to ask: have you considered, just for a second, to build a commander as an archetype of a normal fighter?

You can easily make a feature that allow the player to trade some ASI to unlock more bardic features, and, who knows, maybe you can make a feature that expends the uses of action surge to inspire some creatures around you, like a commanding shout, but still leaving the possibility to use action surge.

The Fighter is a bad class at its core, a band aid of a subclass won't fix it because you have to deal with the bad parts.

Action Surge is a terrible feature that shouldn't exist. It's good, damn good, but bad for the game. Because Action Surge and Extra Attack(s) exist side by side, the fighter can't have good subclasses that expand the fighter in the way they need to be.

Pretty much every fighter subclass primarily boosts their damage because if you gave the Fighter some other options, Action Surge will be punishing.

The Purple Dragon Knight is a good example of a bad subclass that tries to give the fighter some support features... But ultimately fails terribly. I made some Dragon Knight subclasses and they feel more like band aids than legit subclasses.

The core fighter needs a niche. It can still be a generalist class, but it needs a niche. Just saying it's good at fighting isn't a niche, everyone is good at fighting. The Barbarian and Rogue are better at combat (direct and tactics, respectively) than the fighter! So the fighter needs to have something and I think inspiring others is the simplest and most thematic way to go.

Any sort of fighter thenatically will be a motivator. Soldier? Gladiator? Sellsword? Knight? Spartan? All can thematically motivate others. If you saw a movie with these types of characters and they inspired others, you wouldn't bat an eye. The "every man" motivating others is a trope you see a lot. The fighter is essentially the "every man" combat class.

I usually ask the exact same question as you did, essentially "why not KISS?" (Keep it simple, stupid) when I make something. So I get where you are coming from. But the Fighter doesn't have anything to call its own and inspiring others just fits so well.

Thanks!


Edit: Jack of All Trades works so well with the fighter too. The fighter is the jack of all trades of combat. Not as tactical as the Rogue but not as direct confrontational as the Barbarian. Somewhere nice in the middle. The Rogue has expertise, mastery of skills. The barbarian has advantage on strength checks. The fighter dips here and there.