208 lines
17 KiB
Markdown
208 lines
17 KiB
Markdown
Vanguards are born to command. They possess a keen sense of strategy and tactics and an uncanny knack for quickly ascertaining the best course of action while blades whirl around them. Vanguards are consummate leaders and highly trained, disciplined warriors. They have tactical minds and add inspiring presences on the battlefield. Warriors are often drawn to follow a vanguard, relying on their grasp of advanced formations and battlefield tactics to help defeat their adversaries.
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Vanguard is a martial class that can hold its own in combat, but it shines brightest when paired with other warrior classes. Your class features give you precise control of the battlefield, allowing you to reposition creatures, maximize the potential of your allies, and shield vulnerable party members. Playing this class will yield great rewards for tactical-minded players eager to delve into the complexities of combat and take full advantage of the synergy that comes from working as a team.
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## Vanguards as Adventurers
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Vanguards are exceptional warriors and diplomats, capable of navigating combat and social encounters with equal aplomb. With hearty hit points and their myriad defensive capabilities, they unquestionably belong at the heart of the battlefieldof battlefield—a quality well-suited to the adventuring life. WhileW hile vanguards might lack the skills of an explorer, they have a wide array of features to shield allies from harm, and few classes are better at transforming a bad situation into a strategic advantage.
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Vanguards are first and foremost leaders, deeply devoted to their comrades-in-arms. This sense of duty runs deep in all aspects of a vanguard’s life, often driving them to put loyalty to family, faith, and country before all else— whatever the cost. Such noble sensibilities often inspire respect and adoration in those that vanguards meet during their travels, but this can just as easily spark conflict with those who reject authority.
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## Class Features
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As a vanguard, you have the following class features.
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## Hit Points
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Hit Dice: 1d12 per vanguard level
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Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your **CON** modifier
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Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your **CON** modifier per vanguard level after 1st
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## Proficiencies
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**Armor**: All armor and shields
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**Weapons**: Simple weapons, martial weapons
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**Tools**: None
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**Saves**: **CON**, CHA
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**Skills**: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, and Persuasion
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## Starting Equipment
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You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
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- (a) chain mail or (b) leather armor, longbow, and 20 arrows.
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- (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons.
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- (a) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon.
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- (a) a diplomat’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
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| Vanguard Progression | | | |
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| -------------------- | ------ | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
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| Level | **PB** | [[Strategems]] Known | Features |
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| 1st | +2 | —- | Born Leader, War Banner |
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| 2nd | +2 | 2 | Stratagems, Support Action |
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| 3rd | +2 | 2 | Vanguard Subclass |
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| 4th | +2 | 3 | Improvement |
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| 5th | +3 | 3 | Multiattack (2/Attack Action), Superior Stratagems |
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| 6th | +3 | 4 | War Banner: Lucky Colors |
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| 7th | +3 | 4 | Subclass Feature |
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| 8th | +3 | 5 | Improvement |
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| 9th | +4 | 5 | Manifold Tactic |
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| 10th | +4 | 5 | Heroic Boon |
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| 11th | +4 | 6 | Subclass Feature |
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| 12th | +4 | 6 | Improvement |
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| 13th | +5 | 7 | Valiant Commander |
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| 14th | +5 | 7 | Battlefield Resolve |
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| 15th | +5 | 8 | Subclass Feature |
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| 16th | +5 | 8 | Improvement |
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| 17th | +6 | 9 | Banner Improvements |
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| 18th | +6 | 9 | Stand Together |
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| 19th | +6 | 10 | Improvement |
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| 20th | +6 | 10 | Epic Boon |
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## Born Leader
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1st-Level Vanguard Feature
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Vanguards are natural leaders whose very presence inspires greatness in those around them. This inspiration can take many forms, but it is always tied to the values that drive a vanguard to fight and, by extension, to lead. Choose the quality that best represents your leadership with one of the following.
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- Authority. A friendly creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of you is inspired by your authority. Until the end of its turn, each time that creature hits with a weapon attack, the weapon deals extra damage of the weapon’s type equal to your **PB**. Creatures can benefit from this feature only while you are conscious. You also gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill. If you are already proficient, double your **PB** instead for checks made with that skill.
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- Community. A friendly creature that ends its turn within 5 feet of you gains a bonus equal to your **PB** on the first save it makes before the start of its next turn. If a creature must make a save at the end of its turn from an ongoing effect, it can gain this bonus on that save if it ends its turn within 5 feet of you. Creatures can benefit from this feature only while you are conscious. You also gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill. If you are already proficient, double your **PB** instead for checks made with that skill.
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## War Banner
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1st-Level Vanguard Feature
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When circumstances turn dire, you can conjure a mystical banner that enhances nearby allies or hinders encroaching enemies. You decide the exact appearance of the banner, but it typically resembles a battle standard emblazoned with your coat of arms or similar symbol that represents you in battle.
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You start with two banner effects: Banner of Mercy and Black Flag. You gain a new effect at 6th level, and some vanguard subclasses grant additional effects (see Vanguard Subclasses). Unless stated otherwise, creatures must be within 15 feet of the banner and able to see the banner to be affected by it.
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As an action, while engaged in encounter gameplay (while in initiative order), you can plant a War Banner in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you, choosing which banner effect you create when you do so. Once placed, the banner remains active for 1 minute. While active, the banner can’t be moved from its space, physically interacted with, or damaged by any means. Creatures can freely move through the banner’s space without impediment. The banner can’t be targeted by spells or effects, and it doesn’t count as any kind of item for the purposes of targeting.
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The banner disappears and any of its active effects end early if you become incapacitated, use an action to place a new banner, move more than 120 feet away from the banner, or choose to end the effect (no action required).
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You can use your War Banner feature to create a banner a number of times equal to your **PB**, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest. You can’t have more than one banner active at any one time. If you create a second banner while the first is still active, the first banner disappears.
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### War Banner: Banner of Mercy
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You create a banner that shields your allies from harm. When you create this banner, it appears with a number of hit points equal to 10 × your vanguard level. When you or a friendly creature you can see within the banner’s range takes damage, you can cause the banner to take any amount of that damage instead of the target (no action required). You can’t cause the banner to take more damage than its current hit points. The banner can be used to reduce only damage from attacks that specifically target a creature, not area of effect attacks or spells, such as fireball.
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If the banner is reduced to 0 HP, it is destroyed, and its effect immediately ends.
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### War Banner: Black Flag
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You create a banner that spurs your allies to give no quarter. When you or a friendly creature miss with an attack made against a creature you can see within the banner’s range, the attacker can choose to reroll the attack. This feature can be used only to reroll attacks made during the attacker’s turn, and it can’t be used more than once on the same turn.
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### War Banner: Lucky Colors
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Starting at 6th level, you gain this third War Banner option. W hen you create this banner, it appears with a number of Luck equal to your CHA modifier (minimum of 1). Each time a friendly creature within the banner’s range gains Luck, the banner gains the same amount of Luck, adding to its current total. The banner has no limit to the amount of Luck it can have at any one time.
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If you choose to allow it, a friendly creature within the banner’s range can spend Luck from the banner to modify a roll as if that creature had that Luck (see Luck in the Player’s Guide), which reduces the banner’s total by the amount spent. A creature can use any combination of Luck it has accumulated normally and Luck from the banner to modify a roll, but it can’t spend more than 5 Luck to modify the same roll. You must follow all other normal rules and restrictions when spending Luck from the banner.
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## [[Strategems]]
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2nd-Level Vanguard Feature
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Your leadership and strategic knowledge allow you and your allies to perform martial tactics called stratagems that can turn the tide of battle in your favor. When you gain this feature at 2nd level, you learn two stratagems of your choice. Stratagem options are detailed at the end of the vanguard class description (see Stratagems). At certain vanguard levels, you learn additional stratagems of your choice, as shown in the [[Strategems]] Known column of the Vanguard Progression table.
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In addition, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one stratagem you know and replace it with another stratagem that you meet the prerequisites for.
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Unless otherwise noted, you can use only one stratagem on your turn, and creatures must be able to hear or see you to be targeted by your stratagems. You can use this feature to issue a number of stratagems equal to your CHA modifier, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
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## Support Action
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2nd-Level Vanguard Feature
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Your honed situational awareness allows you to act quickly on the battlefield. As a bonus action, you can take the Disengage or Help action (see Actions in Combat in Player’s Guide) or perform a weapon option (see Weapon Options in Player’s Guide).
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## Vanguard Subclass
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3rd, 7th, 11th, and 15th-Level Vanguard Feature
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Choose a subclass that represents your leadership archetype: Bulwark, Herald, or Marshal (detailed at the end of this class). Your choice grants you features at 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 15th level.
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## Improvement
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4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th-Level Vanguard Feature
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Choose one of the following improvements (ability scores can’t be raised above 20 with this feature):
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- Increase a single ability score by 2.
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- Increase two different ability scores by 1 each.
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- Increase one ability score by 1 and select a talent from the martial talents list (see Player’s Guide).
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## Multiattack
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5th-Level Vanguard Feature
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Your physical prowess has grown. On your turn, you can make two attacks when you take the Attack action.
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## Superior Stratagems
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5th-Level Vanguard Feature
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You now regain all expended uses of your Stratagems feature when you finish a short or long rest.
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In addition, you can now use your stratagems, specifically those that require an action to perform, when you take the Attack action. To do so, you must replace one of the attacks granted by your Multiattack with the use of an eligible stratagem.
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## Manifold Tactic
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9th-Level Vanguard Feature
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You can now use up to two different stratagems on your turn.
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## Heroic Boon
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10th-Level Vanguard Feature
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Your commitment to the vanguard’s path grants you a powerful new ability. Choose one of the following heroic boons:
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- Battle Standard. When initiative is rolled, you can use your War Banner feature to place a banner within 5 feet of your starting position without expending a use of the feature. You can’t use this ability if you are surprised.
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- Combat Ingenuity. Learn two additional stratagems (see Stratagems feature) of your choice. These don’t count against your total stratagems known. When you gain a level in vanguard, you can choose to replace these stratagems as you would any other.
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- Force of Personality. Whenever you make an ability check with a skill, tool, or vehicle that you are proficient with, you can use your CHA modifier to calculate the check result instead of whatever ability modifier would normally apply.
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- Unwavering Resolve. When you roll an ability check or save to avoid becoming frightened or charmed, you can treat a roll of 9 or less as if you had rolled a 10 on the die. You gain the same benefit on checks made to end ongoing effects of the same types.
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Valiant Commander
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13th-Level Vanguard Feature
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Your leadership capabilities are unparalleled. Gain one of the following benefits based on the Born Leader feature choice you made at 1st level.
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- Authority. A friendly creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of you is empowered by your authority. Until the end of its turn, each time that creature hits with a weapon attack, the weapon now deals extra damage of the weapon’s type equal to your **PB** + your CHA modifier. In addition, whenever you make a check with the Intimidation skill, you can treat any roll of 9 or lower as if you had rolled a 10 on the die.
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- Community. A friendly creature that ends its turn within 5 feet of you now gains a bonus equal to your **PB** on all saves it makes before the start of its next turn. In addition, whenever you make a check with the Persuasion skill, you can treat any roll of 9 or lower as if you had rolled a 10 on the die.
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## Battlefield Resolve
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14th-Level Vanguard Feature
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When you roll initiative and have no uses of your Stratagems feature remaining, you regain a number of uses equal to half your CHA modifier rounded down (minimum of 1).
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In addition, when you roll a 20 on an attack roll or save, you regain 1 expended use of your Stratagem feature.
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## Banner Improvements
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17th-Level Vanguard Feature
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Banners you create with your War Banner feature can now affect creatures within 30 feet instead of 15 feet. Creatures within the banner’s range no longer have to see the banner to be affected by it.
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## Stand Together
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18th-Level Vanguard Feature
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Your true strength lies in fighting beside your companions. You and friendly creatures within 5 feet of you have a cumulative +1 bonus to attack rolls and saves for each space within 5 feet of you occupied by at least one friendly creature.
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## Epic Boon
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20th-Level Vanguard Feature
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Your commitment to the theurge’s path grants you a powerful new ability. You gain one of the following epic boons:
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- Enduring Art. You can issue an unlimited number of stratagems (see Stratagems feature) on your turn, but you still must expend the necessary uses of the feature to do so.
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- Strategist’s Art. If you start your turn with no uses of your Stratagems feature remaining, as either an action or a bonus action, you can recover a number of uses equal to your CHA modifier (minimum of 1). Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
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Warlord’s Art. Whenever you or a friendly creature deal damage with an attack performed as part of a stratagem (see Stratagems feature), the attacker automatically deals the maximum possible damage. Damage dealt in this way ignores all damage resistances and immunities.
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