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eunwoler
2020-09-02, 04:27 AM
Martial Archetype - The Corpsman

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/11/24/21/112421eac50bd34e55bf602c6cdca4dd.jpg

The archetypal corpsmen are the first to arrive on the battlefield when the going gets tough. For a corpsman, the foremost duty in combat is to come to the aid of the wounded, and to shield them from harm by any means, even if it means putting their own lives in danger. Often of a compassionate and earnest disposition, many Corpsmen are reasoned in the practices of healing and medicine, but fighters at heart, most are less than shy to get their hands dirty and run steel against steel if it ensures the security of those they protect.

Subclass Features

Combat Medic
You can administer aid in the heat of battle.
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Medicine. If you are already proficient in it, you learn two tool proficiencies of your choice.
Additionally, you can make a Medicine check to stabilize a creature or use the Healer’s Kit to as a bonus action.

Fireman’s Carry
You can salvage allies from harm’s way.
Also starting at 3rd level, you can drag a willing or unconscious creature at full speed. You can grant half cover to any creature you drag, and you can use your reaction to have any attack target you instead of that creature. You do not gain the benefits of this feature on any creature that is at least one size larger than you.

Triage
Starting at 7th level, you are able to assess any situation with a quick glance. You can use your action to learn two of the following things about a creature you can see and hear:

The creature’s current and maximum hit points
The creature’s levels of exhaustion
If the creature is affected by any poisons or diseases
What conditions the creature is affected by.

Additionally, any friendly creature that you have used this feature on has advantage on Constitution saving throws until the end of your next turn. They must be able to see and hear you to receive the benefits of this feature.

Field Medicine
Starting at 10th level, you are able to swiftly treat the wounded in a range of circumstances. When you use the Dash action, you can stabilize a creature as part of the same action. Additionally, you no longer need to make a Medicine check to stabilize a creature.

Evacuate the Fallen
By 15th level, you have a sense for when your allies are in grave danger. When a friendly creature within 15 feet would take damage that would reduce them to half of their hit points or less, you can move adjacent to that creature and use your Fireman’s Carry feature as a reaction. You cannot use your feature to have that attack target you as part of the same reaction.

Symbol of Mercy
By 18th level, your valor is a wellspring of inner fortitude.When you make a Wisdom (medicine) check, use your Combat Medic, Fireman’s Carry or Field Medicine feature, any friendly creature that can see or hear you has advantage on Wisdom and death saving throws until the end of your next turn.


Credit goes to Jeremiah Goodreau whose own subclass homebrew inspired the name and Triage feature of this subclass. You can find his rendition of the Corpsman here:
https://mfov.magehandpress.com/2017/04/corpsman.html

JNAProductions
2020-09-02, 11:56 AM
Combat Medic should grant Expertise or a different skill if you already have Medicine proficiency. I'd also let you roll a Medicine check to stabilize as a bonus action too.

Fireman's Carry, looks good.

Triage looks okay, but could stand to be cleaned up a little in the wording-notably how Help interacts with the Con save.

Field Medicine needs to be explained more thoroughly. What does it mean "You don't need a Healer's Kit to stabilize"? You already didn't, it just took a Medicine check of DC 10. What I would do is give Reliable Talent exclusively for Medicine checks-that way, with your +4 proficiency bonus, you never fail the basic DC 10 check unless you have a literal 1 in Wisdom.

Evacuate The Fallen also needs to be cleaned up. Do you move to the target? Do you grant cover from 15' away?

Symbol Of Mercy should be "until the start/end of your next turn". As worded now, if you go last in a round, it doesn't do jack diddly.

Overall Thoughts
Neat. Probably a bit underpowered, not necessarily in what the abilities do, but more in the fact that it's a pretty small niche. But it's on the Fighter Chassis, which is powerful on its own, so... Yeah, I'd let someone play this in my game. Assuming the wording is cleaned up.

Sam113097
2020-09-02, 02:17 PM
This is great! I think this has a ton of potential! I love non-magical healers and martial like this, and would also allow this in my game once it's finished. I have a few questions to help clear up some features and wording.


Combat Medic
You can administer aid in the heat of battle.
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Medicine if you don’t already have it. Additionally, you can use the Healer’s Kit to stabilize a creature as a bonus action.

I feel like this should offer alternative Proficiency options to those fighters that already have Proficiency with Medicine, like the Purple Dragon Knight's similar class feature. Additionally, does the bonus action Healer's Kit use work with the Healer feat? As it is currently worded, it does not seem to allow the Corpsman with Healer to restore hit points as a bonus action using the Healer's Kit, and only allows them to stabilize creatures. Personally, I think that allowing Corpsman with the Healer feat to restore HP as a bonus action would be fun and and not too overpowered, considering it requires investment in a feat and a subclass.


Triage
Starting at 7th level, you are able to assess any situation with a quick glance. You can use your action to learn two of the following things about a creature you can see and hear:

The creature’s current and maximum hit points
The creature’s levels of exhaustion
If the creature is affected by any poisons or diseases
What conditions the creature is affected by.

Additionally, you can use your Help action to grant a willing creature that can see and hear you advantage on Constitution saving throws.
That last feature may need a bit of clarification. how long does that Advantage last? Additionally, if it is only for their next Con Save, you might want to consider making it a bonus action (or reaction, though there may be a balance issue there), so that it does not compete with Triage's other ability and attacks in the Fighter's action economy.


Field Medicine
Starting at 10th level, you are able to swiftly treat the wounded in a range of circumstances. When you use the Dash action, you can stabilize a creature as part of the same action. Additionally, you no longer need a healer’s kit to stabilize a creature.
This feature interacts strangely with the Combat Medic Feature, because the Corpsman can already take the Dash action and then stabilize a creature on a bonus action. Because Combat Medic is the only use for the Corpsman's bonus action, this feature is only useful if you need to stabilize 2 creatures in 1 turn. It may be worth considering allowing a limited, 15-feet-or-so Dash as part of the Combat Medic bonus action.


Evacuate the Fallen
By 15th level, you have a sense for when your allies are in grave danger. When a friendly creature within 15 feet would take damage that would reduce them to half of their hit points or less, you can use your Fireman’s Carry feature as a reaction. You cannot use your feature to have that attack target you as part of the same reaction.

I like this a lot! As JNA Productions mentioned, it just needs a bit of clarification to make it clear that you move adjacent to the ally under attack (if that is the case).


Symbol of Mercy
By 18th level, your valor is a wellspring of inner fortitude.When you make a Wisdom (medicine) check, use your Combat Medic, Fireman’s Carry or Field Medicine feature, any friendly creature that can see or hear you has advantage on Wisdom and death saving throws during that round.

As already noted, Fifth Edition typically phrases abilities like this as being "until the start of your next turn" to make sure the effect lasts for at least 1 round's worth of combat. Other than that wording, it seems great.

eunwoler
2020-09-02, 06:52 PM
Combat Medic should grant Expertise or a different skill if you already have Medicine proficiency. I'd also let you roll a Medicine check to stabilize as a bonus action too.

Fireman's Carry, looks good.

Triage looks okay, but could stand to be cleaned up a little in the wording-notably how Help interacts with the Con save.

Field Medicine needs to be explained more thoroughly. What does it mean "You don't need a Healer's Kit to stabilize"? You already didn't, it just took a Medicine check of DC 10. What I would do is give Reliable Talent exclusively for Medicine checks-that way, with your +4 proficiency bonus, you never fail the basic DC 10 check unless you have a literal 1 in Wisdom.

Evacuate The Fallen also needs to be cleaned up. Do you move to the target? Do you grant cover from 15' away?

Symbol Of Mercy should be "until the start/end of your next turn". As worded now, if you go last in a round, it doesn't do jack diddly.

Overall Thoughts
Neat. Probably a bit underpowered, not necessarily in what the abilities do, but more in the fact that it's a pretty small niche. But it's on the Fighter Chassis, which is powerful on its own, so... Yeah, I'd let someone play this in my game. Assuming the wording is cleaned up.

Thank you for your feedback! I am glad that the class is a little more underpowered than overpowered, it's always easier for me to add new or improve features of the class than strip them away.

I would prefer not to grant expertise at level 3 on a Fighter subclass as I feel like this steps on the toes of the Rogue. I would not have as much issue with adding it at higher levels as expertise is a precedent classes like the Purple Dragon Knight have established, but I think it might overbloat how the subclass feats look.

I changed the Triage wording to make it an action with a definite amount of time.

For Field Medicine, same reason as before I want to leave Reliable Talent a Rogue exclusive mechanic. Now the feature just says that all stabilization checks pass automatically

For Evacuate the Fallen, you now move adjacent to the creature.

Symbol of Mercy has been updated with the same clarification as Triage.

Some last feedback thoughts, one potential issue I thought might spring up for this subclass is the total lack of offensive options. Every single fighter subclass has a something in the way of improving DPR, even the PDK with Inspiring Surge. Would you consider this an issue, and if so which subclass feats if any would you wish to see replaced with an offensive option?

Furthermore, the class has been intentionally left without any healing options that push hit points beyond 1. I have done this intentionally as to a) not step on the toes of the Healer feat or spellcasting healers, and b) create a different flavor for a Martial healing/support class as one that physically removes danger rather than outright healing it. Additionally, I wanted to not make this a resource dependent class. Do you prefer this direction or would you consider it necessary to have some healing options available? Thank you in advance.

eunwoler
2020-09-02, 07:07 PM
This is great! I think this has a ton of potential! I love non-magical healers and martial like this, and would also allow this in my game once it's finished. I have a few questions to help clear up some features and wording.



I feel like this should offer alternative Proficiency options to those fighters that already have Proficiency with Medicine, like the Purple Dragon Knight's similar class feature. Additionally, does the bonus action Healer's Kit use work with the Healer feat? As it is currently worded, it does not seem to allow the Corpsman with Healer to restore hit points as a bonus action using the Healer's Kit, and only allows them to stabilize creatures. Personally, I think that allowing Corpsman with the Healer feat to restore HP as a bonus action would be fun and and not too overpowered, considering it requires investment in a feat and a subclass.


That last feature may need a bit of clarification. how long does that Advantage last? Additionally, if it is only for their next Con Save, you might want to consider making it a bonus action (or reaction, though there may be a balance issue there), so that it does not compete with Triage's other ability and attacks in the Fighter's action economy.


This feature interacts strangely with the Combat Medic Feature, because the Corpsman can already take the Dash action and then stabilize a creature on a bonus action. Because Combat Medic is the only use for the Corpsman's bonus action, this feature is only useful if you need to stabilize 2 creatures in 1 turn. It may be worth considering allowing a limited, 15-feet-or-so Dash as part of the Combat Medic bonus action.



I like this a lot! As JNA Productions mentioned, it just needs a bit of clarification to make it clear that you move adjacent to the ally under attack (if that is the case).



As already noted, Fifth Edition typically phrases abilities like this as being "until the start of your next turn" to make sure the effect lasts for at least 1 round's worth of combat. Other than that wording, it seems great.

Thank you for your kind and descriptive feedback. My intention from the get go was to brainstorm and develop a non magical healing/support class that somehow felt differentiated and could perform differently to its caster alternatives. I am also developing a non magical Rogueish healing archetype themed around a Surgeon or 'Sawbones', which has a bit more of an offensive flavor, I hope you can enjoy this one down the line.

I have added two tool proficiencies in the place of Medicine if it has already been taken. Would something similar to the other ribbon Fighter features where other skill proficiencies are offered feel more natural?

On the note of interaction with the Healer's kit, I don't believe there is any interference with the Healer feat as written. The Healer feat would restore creatures to 1 hit point when stabilized and nothing is stated about duration when it comes to the stabilizing action. Under the subclass feature when used as a bonus action instead of being stabilized to 0 hitpoints, creatures would come up to 1.

I added a definite duration to both the Constitution saving throw feature and the capstone (Symbol of Mercy) saving throws. Since JDN noted the class may be a little underpowered I opted for a duration 'until the end of your next turn' rather than the start of the next turn. I intend for the Triage actions to compete with one another. The Triage feature is a level 7 feature which is generally a ribbon level for Fighters so I didn't want this level to be too strong, on top of it having use outside of combat, + its resourceless. I also like classes where there are various options to play with rather than a definitive winner every turn.

I changed Evacuate the Fallen's wording, it now requires players to move adjacent as originally intended. The flavor of this ability is indeed running in after allies and hoisting/tackling them away from danger.

Some last feedback thoughts, one potential issue I thought might spring up for this subclass is the total lack of offensive options. Every single fighter subclass has a something in the way of improving DPR, even the PDK with Inspiring Surge. Would you consider this an issue, and if so which subclass feats if any would you wish to see replaced with an offensive option?

Furthermore, the class has been intentionally left without any healing options that push hit points beyond 1. I have done this intentionally as to a) not step on the toes of the Healer feat or spellcasting healers, and b) create a different flavor for a Martial healing/support class as one that physically removes danger rather than outright healing it. Additionally, I wanted to not make this a resource dependent class. Do you prefer this direction or would you consider it necessary to have some healing options available? Thank you for the feedback.

Fnissalot
2020-09-03, 05:40 AM
I like it, I tend to want to play a thief rogue for the fast hands and healer feat combo, and this fills the same niche on a class I actually enjoy. Nice!

The things I would change are, first, "Additionally, you can make a Medicine check or use the Healer’s Kit to stabilize a creature as a bonus action." to "Additionally, you can make a Medicine check to stabilize a creature or use the Healer’s Kit as a bonus action." to allow the second ability of the healer feat to be done as a bonus action as well, and second, make the first part of Triage into a bonus action. The first part would still be a ribbon, and the second still competes with your other actions while it has its uses.

Otherwise, good job!

eunwoler
2020-09-03, 06:11 AM
I like it, I tend to want to play a thief rogue for the fast hands and healer feat combo, and this fills the same niche on a class I actually enjoy. Nice!

The things I would change are, first, "Additionally, you can make a Medicine check or use the Healer’s Kit to stabilize a creature as a bonus action." to "Additionally, you can make a Medicine check to stabilize a creature or use the Healer’s Kit as a bonus action." to allow the second ability of the healer feat to be done as a bonus action as well, and second, make the first part of Triage into a bonus action. The first part would still be a ribbon, and the second still competes with your other actions while it has its uses.

Otherwise, good job!

I actually was looking for a way to integrate the second ability of the Healer feat with the efficiency of the subclass feature, but wasn't sure about how to word it in a way that didn't explicitly make mention of it. This works perfectly, thank you!

On the Triage feature I was actually trying to make something somewhat comparable to the Know Your Enemy feat of Battlemaster, which takes a minute of observation. It was originally intended to be utility for outside of combat. But making it a bonus action makes more sense in terms of action economy... I've got a new idea to tidy it up and compress it a little bit, and hopefully seems understandable flavorwise. I've updated this one also, please let me know what you think.

Fnissalot
2020-09-03, 07:01 AM
I actually was looking for a way to integrate the second ability of the Healer feat with the efficiency of the subclass feature, but wasn't sure about how to word it in a way that didn't explicitly make mention of it. This works perfectly, thank you!

On the Triage feature I was actually trying to make something somewhat comparable to the Know Your Enemy feat of Battlemaster, which takes a minute of observation. It was originally intended to be utility for outside of combat. But making it a bonus action makes more sense in terms of action economy... I've got a new idea to tidy it up and compress it a little bit, and hopefully seems understandable flavorwise. I've updated this one also, please let me know what you think.

I like it!

CountDVB
2020-09-07, 04:07 PM
This looks quite fascinating though admittingly my first thought was "someone's gonna play this subclass with some sort of modified crossbow that can heal people so they could be Crusader Crossbow Medics from TF2".

I wonder if you get knowledge stuff on things like poison as well?

eunwoler
2020-09-11, 04:22 AM
This looks quite fascinating though admittingly my first thought was "someone's gonna play this subclass with some sort of modified crossbow that can heal people so they could be Crusader Crossbow Medics from TF2".

I wonder if you get knowledge stuff on things like poison as well?

Hmm to me the TF2 Medic seems like more of a Rogueish archetype. Being a kind of mad, backalley doctor who isn't exactly law abiding. My intention was to make a very physical sort of support class as medical practice, even non magical ones, does not seem at all explicitly fighter based

For me a subclass cannot step on the toes of something other classes can have, and if it would make sense for various archetypes to have a distinct element it should be a feat instead

Poisons is definitely more of a rogue thing also, that or a feat - just like in the relatively recent UA which did have a feat for this sort of thing. It looked like more of an offensive application of it though