[PEACH] [Updated v2] Fighter Archetype- The Ancient Legionary

[notrinium]

Edit: Hey! I'm proud to announce the new and improved Legionary!
After looking at the feedback from you and my friends, I've made a few adjustments.

Spoiler: Changes

Show

Main changes:
a) People didn't really like the whole ready/recover/strike mechanics of the class. So instead, there is now a progression system similar to the battlemaster (aka, you learn stances as you level up).
b) The eagle feature is vastly improved. Now you can select between 3 options when you spawn the eagle. Times&duration is changed to compansate
c) Stances have changed, and strikes are gone now. Instead of strikes, stances offer a one turn bonus.
d) The healing feature of level 15 is moved to level 10, level 15 now gives you access to a special stance.

Hey there!

The Ancient Legionary

''For the Senate, and the People of Rome''

Introduction
The Ancient Legionary is a sword-n-board fighter with a supernatural twist. They are fighters who are empowered by the very spirits of the Legions - ancient armies that once ruled the battlefields. The relics of their success are timeless, and even centuries after the last Legion, there are fighters who follow their footsteps. Over time, these fighters unlock the secret behind the success of the Legions.

Ancient Legionary is an archetype which focuses to versitality, toughness and team play. They unlock special fighting methods called stances, which provide them with passive or active benefits. As they progress through their training, they learn the ability to call aid from the lost legions themselves, meaning that a legionnary never fights alone.

Features

• Level 3: Legionary Training
• Level 7: The Eagle
• Level 10: Improved Legionary Training
• Level 15: Oath of Perseverance
• Level 18: Wrath of Legion

Legionary Training
"That's not a bloody cleaver you are holding Legionnarie! Use your weapon properly."

At level 3, your spiritual connection to the Legions grant you access to their fighting methods.

You gain access to stances, which are specilized fighting methods. You can enter a stance with a bonus action and gain its benefits. You can use a bonus action to switch from one stance to another, or to dismiss your current stance. You can maintain a stance as long as you are not incapitated. All stances grant you an extra benefit for the turn you enter them in addition to their passive benefits.

You start your career with the knowlage of 3 stances. You learn two additional stances at levels 7 and 10. You can also switch one stance you know with a different one at these levels.

Some stances might require a DC. The DC for stances are DC: 8 + Your proficency bonus + Strenght or dexterity modifier


The Eagle

At level 7, you learn the ability to tap into the source of power behind the legions success. You tap into this power through the golden eagle of your legion, which manifests in one of three ways.

As an action, you can choose between one of the following effects. You can use this feature twice per short rest.

1-) Diana's Companion: Diana sends you a golden eagle spirit to act as a scout and a companion. The eagle spirit produces light in a 30ft/30ft area, which you can order it to dim out with a bonus action of your own. As long as you are within 100ft of your eagle, you can communicate with it telepathicly. Lasts 30 min or until you dismiss it with an action.

2-) Vulcan's Forge: God Vulcan himself touches one of your weapons, reforging it temprorarily. As an action, choose a weapon that you are carrying. The damage type of weapon changes to one of the following for one hour: Fire, cold or lightning. The weapon is also considered magical. This bonus is lost if anyone but you tries to use the weapon.

When under the effects of this feature, you can see a golden eagle (an aquila) inscribed or attached to somewhere on the weapon.

3-) Juno's Gift: Juno senses the despair of you and your allies and sends you a gift. A ball of light in the shape of an eagle appears over your head and explodes in a bright flash of light. Enemies within 15ft of you must make a constitution saving throw or be blinded for one round. You and allies within 30ft of you are recieve 1d6 temprorary hit points.

Oath of Perseverance

At level 10, the legacy of the Legions sustain you during battle. When you enter a stance during combat, you regain hit points equal to your constitution modifier.

Gift of Hercules

At level 15, you are offered a gift from Hercules the Demigod. True to his half-blood nature, he offers a gift of man or a gift of divine blood.

You gain access to a special stance according to your decision. You can enter your special stance twice per short rest.

Son of Jupiter:
Fulminata: During this stance, your weapons and armor crackles with lightning. At the end of your each turn you deal 2d6 lightning damage to all targets around you. A successful dexterity save halves this damage.

On the turn you enter this stance, when you attack with a melle weapon you shoot bolts of lightning from your weapon instead. When you make a melle attack, roll your attack roll and damage roll normaly. All targets on a 15ft line take the 1d8+your damage roll in lightning damage. A succesfull dexterity save against DC equal to your attack roll halves this damage.

Son of Rome:
Combat Rhythm: You fight with the strenght and speed of the countless legionaries before you. During this stance, you can take a free 5ft step each time you land an attack.

On the turn you enter this stance, you deliver the ultimate strike, a devastating blow that will fell all but your mightiest foes. Your first weapon attack when you enter this stance is considered an automatic hit which ignores immunities and resistances, and deals an additional 60 physical damage.

Wrath of Legion

At level 18, you mastery in battle makes you a Legion on your own. As an action, you can summon two phantasmal legionaries to your aid. These legionaries appear at adjacent squares to you. Phantom Legionaries are more of an extention of you than seperate entities - due to this, the following rules apply.

You can use this feature once per long rest.

1. Phantom Legionaries share your hit points, abilities, equipment and class features.
2. Phantom Legionaries can take a single move action and make a single melee attack.
3. Phantom Legionaries start out in the same stance you were when you summoned them. However they cannot use the special stances.
4. If an effect deals damage to the Phantom Legionaries , you take the same damage - anything that happens to the legionaries happens to you, and vice versa.
5. In contrast with the rule above, if an ability effects multiple Phantom Legionaries, or you and the Legionaries together, treat it as only effecting you.
6. After 3 rounds, the legionaries vanish.

Spoiler: Stances

Show

1- Testudo:
You raise your shield up to defend yourself against missiles - you can almost feel others raising their shields above you when you do so.

During this stance, you gain the benefits of half cover.
On the turn you enter this stance, you can also extend this benefit to an adjacent ally. If that ally is carrying a shield, you both benefit from three quarters cover instead. You must have a shield equipped to benefit from this stance.

2- Charge (Oppugnare in latin):
You and your man brace as you rush through the enemy ranks!

During this stance, you ignore difficult terrain and if you move at least 10ft immediately before hitting a creature with a melee attack, you deal an additional 1d6 damage.
On the turn you enter this stance, you can take a freesingle attack with a throwing weapon.

3- Dimachaerus Stance:
You remember a Dimachaerus - the group gladiators who fight with two weapons, sacrificing defense for offense

During this stance, you have a penalty of -2 AC, however attackers who hit you provoke opportunity attacks.
On the turn you enter this stance, your attacks deal an additional 1d6 damage.

4- Iron Leader:
When the Celts attack your flank, you are sure that this is a rout - until your centurion starts shouting a string orders, and goes into the fray himself!

During this stance, you have advantage on all mental saving throws (Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma saves) .
On the turn you enter this stance, all allies who can hear you have share this benefit.

5- Adapting Defence:
You watch the spearman carefully. Looks like he favors his left! You can easily see where his next attack is coming.

During this stance, you receive a +1 bonus to your AC for every foe adjacent to you, up to a +3 bonus AC.
On the turn you enter this stance, you can make a melee attack to shield bash a target. If you hit, you deal 1d4 blunt damage and stagger, granting advantage to the next attack roll against the target.

6- Line Tactics:
''First step, bash the guy in front of you. Second step, kill the guy to the right of him. Repeat it for every legionarie in the line, and win the day.''' -Your centurion

During this stance if you have at least one ally adjacent to you, you and any allies adjacent to you receive half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to their attack rolls and damage. This effect does not stack on itself, meaning that two legionaries with line tactics activated only benefit from one of them.

On the turn you enter this stance, you harass all squares you and your adjacent allies threaten, which makes them difficult terrain to opponents, and they provoke an opportunity attack if they try to enter them.

PS: Thank you ''The Demented One" for the inspration of my capstone. (His Army of One homebrew)

[notrinium]

Bump! Can I have some feedback guys? I've really worked hard on this one.

[Ninja_Prawn]

In general, I like it (I haven't dug too deep, just had a quick scan). The stance/strike thing is complicated and when I read the feature I was worried it would be overpowered but, looking inside the spoiler, my first impression is that it's ok.

I like the Eagle feature, that's very characterful.

Phantom Legionaries - the fighter's Simulacrum!

Nitpick: needs a lot of copy-editing. And I'm fairly sure it's spelled Legionary/Legionaries.

[notrinium]

Fixed the name (how embarrassing:D). Can you explain what you mean by ''copy editing''?

[Ninja_Prawn]

Fixed the name (how embarrising :D). Can you explain what you mean by ''copy editing''?

It means checking the spelling and grammar. I imagine it like "this is the original and now we're going to run off 10,000 copies, so we'd better make sure it's right."

...and you spelled 'embarrassing' wrong.

Sorry, I find it very difficult to ignore those sorts of things. It's kind of a problem. The actual class is great!

[notrinium]

Hehe, it's fine. I might take some time off to rephrase the whole thing in future, to make the wording more clear and brief. Thanks for the feedback, I'll play a test game some friends soon! I'll post the results later.

[Mith]

Would make the class too powerful to give the Legionary and allies advantage to attacks when withing 5/10 ft of the eagle? And perhaps the effect grows at higher levels similar to the Paladin aura? It adds to the idea of the Eagle being the rallying banner of the Roman Legion.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Would make the class too powerful to give the Legionary and allies advantage to attacks when withing 5/10 ft of the eagle? And perhaps the effect grows at higher levels similar to the Paladin aura? It adds to the idea of the Eagle being the rallying banner of the Roman Legion.

I would say that you could afford a minor boost without too many problems.

I think that inspiration/rallying is best represented by temporary hit points, so perhaps the Eagle can use its action once/rest to grant 5 THP to all allies within 60' of it?

[notrinium]

Would make the class too powerful to give the Legionary and allies advantage to attacks when withing 5/10 ft of the eagle? And perhaps the effect grows at higher levels similar to the Paladin aura? It adds to the idea of the Eagle being the rallying banner of the Roman Legion.

I had a bunch of ideas written around somewhere for different abilites of the eagle. However, I opted for the non-combat version in the end, simply because that's what WotC suggests on their Unearthened Arcana article on modifying classes, and also because that's what Champion and Battlemaster get at level 7 - non combat options. However, the bonuses you mention surely fit the flavior of the Eagle, and feel free to introduce those if you ever pick up this archetype!

Also, mandatory custom weapon:
Gladius: same as the longsword, but looks way cooler

Question: I have a few other stances that I've came up with. These stances can be taken after level 10. Hopefully they are not OP. I'll be posting them as I get them ready

Fulminata
"Some lad's from the Twelfth swear that it is all true. Their eagle arms itself with lightning, almost as if it's the hand of Jupiter himself!''

During this stance, your body, weapons and armor crackle with pure energy. At the start of your every turn, you discharge sparks. All targets who are adjacent to you must make a dexterity saving throw. Target takes 1d8 lightning damage on a failed save, and half as much on a successful save.
Strike -Hand of Jupiter: As a bonus action, you can throw a bolt of lightning in a straight line. Make a single melle attack. AYou deal lightning damage to all creatures in a 20ft line with the damage of your melle attack.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Also, mandatory custom weapon:
Gladius: same as the longsword, but looks way cooler

It's funny, because in my head, the D&D 'shortsword' is a gladius. That's the only way I can reconcile it with the Piercing damage type.

[BlackestOfMages]

Looks pretty good - nice way of adapting the tome mechanics to 5e and making them fit without just porting across everyones favourite stances and strikes

question about the capstone though - whats its useage limit? can I just sit in a corner and summon infinite phantom legionaires

[Mith]

It's funny, because in my head, the D&D 'shortsword' is a gladius. That's the only way I can reconcile it with the Piercing damage type.

You might find this video on the gladius interesting to watch. I just cam across it tonight and thought of your comment.

[Ninja_Prawn]

You might find this video on the gladius interesting to watch. I just cam across it tonight and thought of your comment.

Well, yeah, I'm sure you can slash with a gladius (I didn't watch the video as I'm on a train but I assume that was his point), but you can also thrust, and if you're fighting in a shield-wall type formation, you would probably spend most of your time thrusting. Also it's easier to kill people that way.

Do a Google image search for 'shortsword'. 90% of those weapons don't even have a point! They are obviously slashing-only weapons. So when D&D says shortswords do piercing damage, I assume they look like a gladius.

[notrinium]

It's funny, because in my head, the D&D 'shortsword' is a gladius. That's the only way I can reconcile it with the Piercing damage type.

I'm a huge fan of Roman warfare and equipment, and I dig in to all videos and whatnot on this stuff.

Now, Gladius is certanly a short lenght sword, with a lenght between 60 to 90cm. The Legionaries were trained to use the weapon for thrusting, which is superior to slashing when you are fighting in the compact formations of the legions. (Just like what Ninja_Prawn mentioned)

Roman writers of the period also say that thrust is a less taxing strike than the slash, with equal -if not greater- chances of producing a fatal wound.

However, Gladius had a double edge, and enought weight that it can be used for slashing too.

In 5e, shortsword is both finessable and light. I simply cannot imagine the Gladius as the weapon of an agile fighter. It is a weapon designed to be used in a bloody close quarters standoff. I imagine the 5e shortsword as more of a long dagger, something like a large parrying dagger of sorts.

[notrinium]

Looks pretty good - nice way of adapting the tome mechanics to 5e and making them fit without just porting across everyones favourite stances and strikes

question about the capstone though - whats its useage limit? can I just sit in a corner and summon infinite phantom legionaires

Once per long rest. Thanks for reminding me :D

[notrinium]

I've done some huge updates on the class if you want to check them out

[Mith]

I like this a lot more. Good work!

[notrinium]

I like this a lot more. Good work!

Thank you! It means a lot to me

[Thematthew]

Just a small nitpick, but adapting defenses says "During this stance, you receive a +1 bonus for every foe adjacent to you" but not what the bonus is to. I'm left to assume AC, but it should be spelled out.

[notrinium]

Just a small nitpick, but adapting defenses says "During this stance, you receive a +1 bonus for every foe adjacent to you" but not what the bonus is to. I'm left to assume AC, but it should be spelled out.

Ah thanks man, you are correct. I was really tired when I was typing these out, I'll fix it right away

[Seruvius]

I like it, quite a bit actually. this is more like what i expected the Purple Dragon Knight from SCAG to be. Also would make for annoying Elite infatry as enemies for a group of PC's. A group of say 4 of them in a line alternating between testudo and line tactics would be an interesting challenge in a confined space, say the underdark. You have given me some fine ideas now sir

[notrinium]

I like it, quite a bit actually. this is more like what i expected the Purple Dragon Knight from SCAG to be. Also would make for annoying Elite infatry as enemies for a group of PC's. A group of say 4 of them in a line alternating between testudo and line tactics would be an interesting challenge in a confined space, say the underdark. You have given me some fine ideas now sir

Hehe, add some fire support behind the line of legionaries to top it off. Glad you like it, and please tell me the results if you end up using this.

[Mith]

Phantom Legionaries can take a single move action and make a single melle attack.

Noticed the above spelling error for "melee".

[notrinium]

Noticed the above spelling error for "melee".

Thanks, Ill take care of it

[Mat. B]

I've been playing a roman legionaire styled fighter in a homebrew campaign (DM allowed tower shields) and we recently hit level 3. DM was kind enough to find this archetype for me. I like it a lot, especially the way you can have your own squad with the Wrath of Legion feature. However, I find it a shame that there is nothing that references the real life legionaire's ability to build forts and roads. Something like the battlemaster's Student of War would be fitting. I have'nt had the chance to test it out in combat, but we are expecting contact with a giant bear soon, so stand by for more.