Fighter Archetype: Graceful Pugilist

[Nowhere Girl]

And now for another little idea I was tinkering with. So please, critique away! I'm sure it needs a lot of work, at the very least ...

There are mystical martial artists, there are raw, brutish brawlers ... and then there is you. What you may lack in the mystical power of the monk, you make up for with bewildering footwork and breathtaking hand-speed. As a light-footed master of the sweet science, you prefer to let your bare knuckles do the talking.

The Sweet Science

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your fists deal 1d4 damage. Additionally, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier, your speed increases by 10 feet, and you treat unarmed strikes as light finesse weapons.

Heavy Hands

At 7th level, you gain a rudimentary, instinctive understanding of ki. Your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage. Additionally, your fists now deal 1d6 damage.

Float Like a Butterfly

Starting at 10th level, when you are unarmed, wearing no armor, and not wielding a shield, you may use a reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC when you would be hit with an attack. If this causes the attack to miss you, you may immediately move up to half your speed, and the attacking creature cannot make attacks of opportunity against you.

Cast-Iron Chin

At 15th level, when you use Float Like a Butterfly and still get hit by the attack, reduce the damage of that attack by half.

Sting Like a Bee

Starting at 18th level, when you use Float Like a Butterfly and the attack misses you, you may make a single unarmed melee attack against the attacking creature (in addition to the other benefits granted by Float Like a Butterfly) provided the creature is adjacent to you at some point during your movement. Additionally, your fists now deal 1d8 damage.

Edit: Made some changes to wording based on suggestions.

[cooldes]

i love the idea, i've played a few unarmed fighters in my day, having to use the tavern brawler feat to get any damage through.

one thing though, aren't you always proficient with unarmed strikes? if so, i don't see why when choosing this we "gain" it again. maybe replace it with a different bonus.

phb errata:

" The rule on
unarmed strikes should read as follows:
“Instead of using a weapon to make a
melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed
strike: a punch, kick, head-butt, or
similar forceful blow (none of which count
as weapons). On a hit, an unarmed strike
deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1 +
your Strength modifier. You are proficient
with your unarmed strikes.” "

also, the Float like a butterfly seems a bit wonky to me. i like the shield idea, but the running away part seems weird to me within the flavor. i'd probably make it so instead of moving, the subsequent attacks from that attacker have disadvantage if the first misses due to AC bump.

[Nowhere Girl]

one thing though, aren't you always proficient with unarmed strikes? if so, i don't see why when choosing this we "gain" it again. maybe replace it with a different bonus.

phb errata:

" The rule on
unarmed strikes should read as follows:
“Instead of using a weapon to make a
melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed
strike: a punch, kick, head-butt, or
similar forceful blow (none of which count
as weapons). On a hit, an unarmed strike
deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1 +
your Strength modifier. You are proficient
with your unarmed strikes.” "

Good catch ... I'll fix that.

also, the Float like a butterfly seems a bit wonky to me. i like the shield idea, but the running away part seems weird to me within the flavor. i'd probably make it so instead of moving, the subsequent attacks from that attacker have disadvantage if the first misses due to AC bump.

Well, the intention is it's meant to represent dodging by using evasive footwork, as well as to make the character more of a mobile skirmisher -- not as fast as monks in a foot race, but essentially as fast on its feet in actual combat. Plus, it allows for tactical re-positioning.

I suppose if it's too powerful, though, that could be an issue ...

I'll wait to see what others say. May change it, though.

[Mr.Moron]

Float Like a Butterfly

Starting at 10th level, when you are unarmed, wearing no armor, and not wielding a shield, and another creature hits you with an attack, you may use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack. If this causes the attack to miss you, you may then immediately move up to one-half your speed without provoking attacks of opportunity from that creature, potentially interrupting and preventing subsequent attacks made by that creature against you. (Creatures other than the one that triggered this ability may still make attacks of opportunity against you when you take the move it grants, but those attacks are made with disadvantage.)

I'll abstain from any balance commentary one way or the other since it's hard to get a handle on for something like this, but this wording is really a tad cumbersome. You can collapse most of the restrictions with fewer words and the clarification that it *might* prevent them from making further attacks is derived information and really doesn't need to be part of the ability text. The reminder clause in the parenthesis is also not required also the ability only creatures an exception for the attacker, nothing would imply otherwise. I would suggest a wording like this:

Starting at 10th level while not using any armor, shields or weapons you may use a reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC when you would be hit with an attack. If this causes the attack to miss you, you may immediately move half your speed, and the attacking creature cannot make attacks of opportunity against you.

Cast-Iron Chin

At 15th level, if a creature triggers Float Like a Butterfly but still hits you, you halve the damage of that attack.

This is again odd phrasing. I'd suggest:

Starting at 15th level, when you use Float Like a Butterfly and still get hit by the attack reduce the damage of that attack by half.