Disciple
A half elven woman stands perfectly
still in the middle of windy forest.
An outsider would think she was
alone, but she can see the bandits
waiting in the brush. She closes her
eyes and walks forward, as they leap
out at her. Right as the blade is about to
strike, the lone elf flickers out of existence for a brief
instant, appearing once again behind her assailants as
they all fall to the ground, bloodied and unmoving.
A battle rages upon the blood-soaked fields, overlooked
by a regal keep. In its center stood a lone battle-worn tiefling fighting for his life. The spectral form of a mighty fiend hangs over him, both wielding scimitars in each hand. The tiefling charges into a group of soldiers, temporarily wreathing himself in flames as the spectral figure carves into the enemy line. Each step taken could be his last, yet the tiefling fights with the widest of grins.
A young human woman finds herself in a forest, training diligently. Brilliant blades of silver hover around her, flowing like water and bending to her will. She sends one of the floating blades rocketing into the distance, a white spark shining at its tip. One by one, the blade cut through all of the trees it impacts, felling an entire swath of forest, before returning to its master.
It is their fantastical and diverse fighting styles that define the disciple. Unlike other warriors, a disciple's ability in combat is determined not by arcane enhancements or mundane training, but rather the ability to perceive and harness the magical energy from the very flow of battle itself. This ability advances in unique ways for each disciple, with these differing perspectives leading to discovery and mastery of an incredible array of battle techniques.
The Magic of Tempo
Every single movement ever made has a minimal, nearly imperceptible impact on the fabric of magic that permeates the world. Disciples are those that, in moments of intense concentration, have learned how to see or feel these ripples and harness the very energy of their motion—called tempo. By mingling the magical power within them with the magic inherent to the world, disciples turn their very movements into magical catalysts, granting them the ability to execute unique magical techniques. Tempo in turn reacts to its wielder's emotions and mindset, slowly and permanently altering their mind and bodies in fantastical ways.
Forged Ideals
A disciple's ability to utilize tempo is null without an outlet to facilitate its use. A disciple's techniques are not mere tools, built for tactical advantage or raw effectiveness.
Each technique is situated in a sublime discipline, as much a school of philosophy as it is a form of mystical martial art. Combat is a form self expression for the disciple, and techniques are the instruments disciples cultivate in order to represent their ideals ideals through tempo mastery. A disciple measures each technique against who they are and who they hope to be. They take what a discipline is supposed to represent and try to embed it within them to further their own personal growth.
Survival is often secondary to growth. You may find a disciple in a militia or working a sellsword, but know that this is but a means to an end, a means to find conflict. Each and every fight is an opportunity to push past their limits, and test not only their ability, but also their will. Because of this personal gravitas the choice of technique wields, battle, for a disciple, is a test of the ideals they've embedded into their training, their discipline, and their very being.
Because of this disposition towards conflict, it is rare you'll find a disciple that stays in one place for too long, or works in a heavily regulated space like an army. They are natural wanderers, with a tendency to flock towards interesting people that they think may lead them to bigger, tougher encounters. Not only that, such people often prove to be worthy rivals and life-long friends for the wandering disciple.
Creating a Disciple
When you are creating your disciple, the most important thing to consider is why they fight. For a disciple, fighting is a means of self-discovery and affirmation. What kind of lessons have their fights taught them up until this point? What kind of person or warrior do they strive to be, and how close to that ideal are they? Do they have a specific person or creature they are trying to defeat? Consider how your character would feel when faces with what looks to be an insurmountable threat, and how they would feel after losing or defeating it.
Equally important is when your character first began to notice the flow of tempo around them. Was it something they always saw, but never realized its significance? Maybe it was inherited? Or maybe the power was unlocked in a dire moment of emotional or physical danger? Or was it through deliberate training, either alone or under a master or school, did you eventually come to see the tendrils of tempo? How your character first came upon this magic should influence how they feel about both it and themselves in relation to it.
Quick Build
You can make a disciple quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending on whether you want to focus on weapons that use strength weapons or finesse weapons, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the soldier background.
The Disciple
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Maximum Tempo |
Techniques Known |
Maximum Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Instinct Driven, Martial Intuition | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style, Tempo | 2 | 2 | 1st |
| 3rd | +2 | Sublime Path, Alacrity | 2 | 3 | 1st |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | 3 | 1st |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 3 | 4 | 2nd |
| 6th | +3 | Tempo Infused Strikes, Sublime Path feature | 3 | 4 | 2nd |
| 7th | +3 | Preternatural Awareness, Burst of Tempo (one use) | 3 | 5 | 2nd |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 5 | 2nd |
| 9th | +4 | Resonant Tempo | 3 | 6 | 2nd |
| 10th | +4 | Martial Premonition | 3 | 6 | 2nd |
| 11th | +4 | Sublime Path feature, Mounting Tempo | 4 | 7 | 3rd |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 7 | 3rd |
| 13th | +5 | Tempered Physique | 4 | 8 | 3rd |
| 14th | +5 | Sublime Path feature | 4 | 8 | 3rd |
| 15th | +5 | Ageless Body | 4 | 9 | 3rd |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 9 | 3rd |
| 17th | +6 | Burst of Tempo (two uses) | 5 | 10 | 4th |
| 18th | +6 | Sublime Path feature | 5 | 11 | 4th |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 12 | 4th |
| 20th | +6 | Ascendant Mastery | 5 | 12 | 4th |
Class Features
As a disciple, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d8 per Disciple level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier
Proficiencies
- Armor: All armor, shields
- Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
- Tools: Choose one type of artisan's tools or one musical instrument
- Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom
- Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Performance, Religion, and Sleight of Hand
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) chain mail, (b) scale mail, or (c) leather armor
- (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) four javelins or (b) a longbow and 20 arrows
- (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
Alternatively, you can ignore the equipment here in your background, and buy 4d4 × 10gp worth of equipment from Chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook.
Multiclassing
The prerequisites for multiclassing into a disciple are either a Strength or Dexterity score of 13, and a Wisdom score of 13. When you multiclass into disciple, you gain proficiency in light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons.
Instinct Driven
Your body immediately responds to the danger, granting you immense leverage when a fight starts. During the first round of combat, your speed increases by 15 feet, opportunity attacks against you are made at disadvantage, and your first attack roll is made with advantage.
Martial Intuition
Your opponents' blows radiate a certain rhythm that your body has learned to read. If a creature attacks you or forces you to make a saving throw, you can can learn one of the following things about its capabilities:
- Which of its ability scores is lowest or highest (your choice) from its Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores
- Which of its ability scores is lowest or highest (your choice) from its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores
- If it has a speed that is faster than one of your speeds.
- Whether or not their statistics are being altered by a spell or magical effect.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose a fighting style from the list of optional features. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you get to choose again.
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 to the damage of the second Attack.
Tempo
At 2nd level, you have the ability to harness the movements of combat to form a natural catalyst for magical abilities.
At the start of each of your turns you gain one tempo. You can never have more Tempo than is shown on the Maximum Tempo column of the Disciple table.
When you roll initiative, you gain an amount of tempo equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).
Your tempo drops to 0 if you are knocked unconscious, or your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature or used a tempo technique since your last turn.
Tempo Techniques
You can spend your tempo to perform various magical combat maneuvers called tempo techniques. Each technique has a discipline and rank associated with it. The disciplines denote the function of the technique, and the ranks denote the number of tempo which must be spent to use it.
You learn two 1st-rank techniques of your choice at 2nd level, and learn additional techniques as shown in the Techniques Known column of the Disciple table. The maximum rank of a technique you can learn is given in the Maximum Rank column of the Disciple table. Your discipline and technique options are detailed at the end of the class description.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the techniques you know and replace it with another technique you can learn at that level, which you must meet the prerequisites for.
Learning 2nd or Higher Rank Techniques
Learning advanced techniques first requires a mastery of similar lower-rank ones. To learn a 2nd-rank or higher technique, you must know a technique of the previous rank of the same discipline. For example, in order to learn the 3rd-rank Diamond Mind technique prescient strike, you must know a 2nd-rank Diamond Mind technique such as twitch dodge or delayed strike.
Tempo Ability
Your ability to utilize tempo is directly tied to your ability to perceive it and intuit subsequent forms; as such Wisdom is the key ability for disciples. Some of your class or tempo features require you to make a special tempo attack roll, or for your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The tempo attack roll modifier and saving throw DC are calculated as follows:
Tempo save DC = 8 + your Proficiency bonus +
your Wisdom modifier
Tempo attack modifier = your Proficiency bonus +
your Wisdom modifier
Sublime Journey
At 3rd level, you have embarked on a personal journey that shapes your skills and draws you towards certain innate magical talents. Choose to follow the Journey of the Blade Dancer, Journey of the War God, or the Journey of the Warshaper. Your choice of Sublime Journey grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 11th, 14th, and 18th levels.
Journey Techniques
Every sublime journey has a list of associated techniques that relate to your newfound abilities. Whenever you can learn a technique, you can choose to learn from these sublime journey techniques instead. Unlike normal techniques, these techniques are not part of a discipline, so you do not need to know a technique of the previous rank to learn them.
Alacrity
At 3rd level, your reflexes slowly adapt to flow with the tempo around you, emboldening your body and mind. You can add your Wisdom modifier to initiative rolls, and your speed increases by 10 feet.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, 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.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Tempo Infused Attacks
At 6th level, your weapon attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Burst of Tempo
At 7th level, you have learned to exert your body to the utmost, allowing you to temporarily exceed the strength of your current form. When you try to activate a tempo technique, you can do so without spending any tempo.
Once you have used this ability, you can't do so again until you have completed a short or long rest. At 17th level, you can use this feature twice between rests.
Preternatural Awareness
Also at 7th level, your sensitivity towards tempo allows you to always understand when combat is imminent. You can't be surprised while you are conscious.
Resonant Tempo
At 9th level, you gain greater control over your tempo, allowing you to maintain it for longer periods of time. You only lose your stored tempo after 1 minute of not having attacked a hostile creature or used a tempo technique.
Martial Premonition
At 10th level, your ability to analyze targets has improved. You can use your Martial Intuition feature on a target after spending 1 minute observing them, in or out of combat.
Additionally, when you use Martial Intuition, you can choose to learn two characteristics from the list instead of one.
Mounting Tempo
At 11th level, you now gain 2 tempo at the beginning of each of your turns, instead of one.
Tempered Being
At 13th level, your constant exertion of tempo has branded them into all facets of your being. You gain proficiency in Dexterity and Constitution saving throws.
Ageless Body
At 15th level, your mastery of tempo has begun to wind down time around you so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can't be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however.
Ascendant Master
At 20th level, your arduous training has culminated in an ultimate mastery of tempo. As a bonus action, you can temporarily amplify your perception and harness massive amounts of tempo. For one minute, at the start of each of your turns, you gain 4 tempo, instead of 2.
Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Sublime Journey
It is in the nature of tempo to be transient, lost nearly as soon as it is harnessed. However the same can't be said of its impact. Every time a disciple fights, the tempo they harness slightly changes elements of their mind, body, and soul, all according to the efforts they themselves put forward. Over time, this influence culminates in the expression of extreme ability. Sublime journeys are reflection of who the disciple is, what they value, or the kind of person they wish to become.
Undergoing a sublime journey can be spontaneous, a sudden evolution that a young disciple never saw coming, or something one toils to achieve, working for many fruitless years before their epiphany struck. It can be an affirmation about a part of yourself you knew well, or revelation of a new side of yourself you never considered prior. Consider ideas such as these when picking out the right path for your character.
Journey of the Blade Dancer
A single swing of the blade is oft more than it appears, and this is especially true for a Disciple that follows the Path of the Blade Dancer. Through rigorous training and keen perceptions, these Disciples have mastered a frenzied battle stance in which they ride the ripples of tempo created by their own movements. Their momentum and precise, sweeping motions infuse them with a supernatural agility and supersonic ability to strike.
Bonus Proficiency
When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses this proficiency.
Blade Dance
Also at 3rd level, you learn to ride your own ephemeral waves of tempo, chaining together motions in a swirling whirlwind of steel. You can use a bonus action to start your Blade Dance, which lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated or if you dismiss it (no action required). You can't use this feature while wearing heavy armor or wielding a shield.
While your Blade Dance is active, you gain the following benefits:
- You can move through the space of any creature, regardless of size.
- Whenever you make a melee weapon attack, you can move an additional 5 feet as part of the attack. This movement can happen before or after the attack, doesn't provoke opportunity attacks and ignores difficult terrain.
- Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can deal damage equal to your Wisdom modifier to a different creature within your reach. The damage is of the same type dealt by the original attack.
- Once per turn, when you use a Boost technique, it requires no action.
You can use this feature twice. You regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.
Blurred Steps
Starting at 6th level, you learn to ride the tempo of your own stride. During your blade dance, you can use the Dash action as a bonus action.
Whirling Strike
Beginning at 11th level, you can use your supernatural swiftness of your dance to stike an additional time. During your blade dance, you can attack three times, instead of twice, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Gliding Agility
At 14th level, you can ride your own momentum in the air as well as the ground. You can make a running jump without moving, and your jump distance is now equal to your speed. When determining fall damage, you can treat any fall as if it were from 60 feet less than the actual height (minimum of 0 feet). Additionally, you can move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.
Free Stride
At 18th level, the weight and precision of each of your movements has reached a truly supernatural level. During your blade dance, you are under the effects of the freedom of movement spell. You can start Blade Dancing even while paralyzed or restrained, immediately ending those conditions.
Journey Techniques
1st Rank
Lunge (1 Tempo): Boost — Until the end of your turn, while your blade dance is active, you can move 10 feet as part of your attack instead of 5 feet.
2nd Rank
Agility (2 Tempo): Counter— When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you can use your reaction to instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
3rd Rank
Silverwind (3 Tempo): Boost— Until the end of your turn, while your blade dance is active, whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you deal damage equal to your Wisdom modifier to every creature within 5 feet of you, aside from the original target of the attack, instead of to a single creature within reach. This damage is of the same type dealt by the original attack.
4th Rank
Reinvigoration (1 Tempo): Boost— When your Blade dance would end, you can use your bonus action to extend it's duration until the end of your next turn. When extended in this way, being incapacitated does not end your dance early. You can use this technique even when incapacitated.
Journey of the War God
The influence of tempo can reach farther than most would think; after all, everything moves, even your own spirit. Disciples that define themselves by intense emotions or a need to prove their own self worth, often find themselves able to feel the fluctuations of their own souls on the battlefield. This sensitivity allows disciples of the Path of the War God become able to manipulate their very souls on the battlefield. Legends speak of disciples that attain definite control, that they can harness the divine spark that resides within them.
Spirit of the War God
At 3rd level, your passion has partially untethered your soul from your body, and it revels in the glory of battle. As a bonus action, you can manifest or dismiss two spectral arms that are connected to your upper body. When summoned, and on each of your turns thereafter, each arm can perform an object interaction, such as drawing a weapon. They act as normal arms, but can only wield light melee weapons.
In combat, your spirit acts on its own, cutting down the injured and pushing your advantages. Once per turn, while you are engaging in two-weapon fighting, if you hit with at least 2 attacks that use melee weapons on your turn, you can make an attack with each spirit arm (no action required). You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of these attacks until you reach 11th level.
Cosmic Presence
At 6th level, your connection to your inner self has allowed you to master and enhance your presence. When you make an Intimidation or Persuasion check, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the roll instead of your Charisma modifier. Additionally, as an action, you can amplify your presence a hundred fold. Creatures of your choice within 60 feet of you must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or become aware of your presence. For the next 10 minutes, you have advantage on all Charisma checks made against those creatures. On a success, the creature is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Encroaching Omniscience
At 11th level, your soul becomes your vigil, as the shapes of faces can be traced around your head. Whenever you make an attack as a part of a reaction, you can make an additional attack with one of your spirit arms.
Additionally, when you take the Attack action or use a Strike technique, you can make the bonus attacks granted by your Spirit of the War God feature, regardless of how many attacks you have hit.
Lens of Truth
At 14th level, your sight ascend towards the sight of gods. You can see the true form of any shapechanger or creature concealed by illusion or transmutation magic while the creature is within 30 feet of you and within line of sight. Additionally, you can see normally through magical and nonmagical darkness out to 120 feet.
Burgeoning Divinity
At 18th level, you fully embody the divine spark of your soul. You gain the following benefits:
- You can no longer die from old age, and your soul cannot be stolen, trapped or destroyed, except by divine intervention.
- You gain resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage.
- Your attacks glide through flesh to strike the soul. Any damage with a weapon attack or technique you deal ignores resistance and bypasses immunities.
- You can add your proficiency modifier to death saving throws.
Journey Techniques
1st Rank
Subjugation (2 Tempo): Boost — When you hit a creature that has not hit you or forced you to make a saving throw within the past minute, you can use your bonus action to force him to prostrate. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw or be knocked prone.
2nd Rank
Cull of the Meek (3 Tempo): Counter — Those who seek to mar you without facing you deserve a swift punishment. When a creature you cannot see hits you, or a creature hits you with a ranged attack, you can reduce that damage by 1d10 + your Wisdom modifier, and then force that creature to succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take psychic damage equal to the amount you reduced.
3rd Rank
Legendary Resilience (4 Tempo): Counter — When you fail a saving throw, you can use your reaction to reroll it and take the second result.
4th Rank
Divine Wrath (5 Tempo): Strike — Your divine spark echoes your blows, searing the very souls of all you strike down. As an action, you make up to 3 attacks. For each of those 3 attacks that you hit, you can make a single additional attack with one of your spirit arms. You must be wielding a weapon in each hand to use this technique.
Journey of the Warshaper
Even among disciples, there are those with an especially keen sense for tempo. They not only feel the ripple of a weapon as it influences the magical field around it, but those on the Journey of the Warshaper cultivate an ability to replicate and read these effects from an incredible distance. They use this ability to create weapons of pure magical force, which they can manipulate finely in the midst of combat.
Manifest Armaments
When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain the ability to manifest an unlimited array of weaponry of your own design in your space. You can manifest or dismiss this armory as a bonus action. Only you can wield the weapons in this armory, which are martial melee weapons that deal 1d8 force damage, and have the finesse, light, versatile (1d8) and thrown (60/120) properties. If one of these weapons are ever further than 120 feet away from you, it disappears.
While this armory is manifested, at the start of each of your turns you can choose one of the following manipulations, each of which last until the start of your next turn:
- Meld. Several of the weapons combine into a more powerful weapon. The next attack you make with one of these weapons deals an additional 1d8 force damage.
- Ward. The weapons form a barrier. The next time you take damage, you reduce it by your Wisdom modifier.
- Storm. The armaments whirl into a frenzy around you. The first time a creature moves within 5 feet of you, it takes slashing damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Blade Affinity
At 6th level, you can analyze the residual tempo ingrained onto used weapons. Over the course of 1 minute, you can analyze a weapon you are touching. At the end of the minute, you gleen one of the following things (DM's choice):
- A clear picture of the weapon's last wielder as it drew the weapon for combat.
- A glimpse of a magical ability the last wielder used while wielding the weapon.
- Whether the last wielder used the weapon with malicious, honorable, protective, or some other form of intent.
- A glimpse of the last creature felled by this weapon.
Once you have used this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a short rest or long rest. Once you have used this feature on a given weapon, you can't use it on that weapon again until has seen use in combat.
Ultimate Weaponry
At 11th level, your armory improves as your control becomes more refined. Attacks made with your armaments deal an additional 1d8 damage, and their benefits improve:
- Meld. The bonus damage from meld applies on the first hit, instead of on the first attack you make.
- Ward. The ward now reduces all damage you take by your Wisdom modifier.
- Storm. The storm now damages only hostile creatures, and its range increases to 10 feet.
Become the Armament
At 14th level, you have learned how to merge your body with your armory, embedding within you it's fluid movement. While your armory is manifested, you gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed, which manifests visually as wing-like blades, riding a flying sword, or a similar effect.
Field of Infinite Blades
At 18th level, you can allow your tempo to explode forth, creating a field of blades. As a bonus action, you can cast blade barrier, ignoring the spell's components, and without requiring you to maintain concentration. For the duration, at the start of your turn, you can select two different benefits from Manifest Armaments instead of one.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
Journey Techniques
1st Rank
Tempo Tracking (1 Tempo): Boost — As a bonus action, you can form a link between your weapons to a creature you can see until the end of your next turn. When you make a ranged weapon attack against that creature, you can ignore all cover, including full cover, and range penalties, as your projectile seeks directly to your target.
2nd Rank
Unerring Shot (2 Tempo): Counter— When you miss a ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction to curve the shot. You can reroll the attack roll against a different creature within 60 feet of the original target.
3rd Rank
Overwatch (3 Tempo): Boost— As a bonus action, while wielding a ranged or thrown weapon, you can designate a line of light 5 feet wide and as long as your weapon's normal range. If a creature walks into, out of, or within that line before the start of your next turn, you can use your reaction to make a single ranged weapon attack against it, even if you cannot see it.
4th Rank
Blade Storm (5 Tempo): Strike— As an action, while wielding a ranged or thrown weapon, you select a point within 100 feet of you and release a projectile straight upwards, which splits into an array of needles. Any creature within 15 feet of the point must make a Dexterity saving throw. They take 5d8 slashing damage on a failure, or half as much on a success.
Disciplines
A discipline is a collection of tempo techniques that are bound together by common history, philosophy, and function. Each of these disciplines have been painstakingly crafted over generations, by the masters of ages past.
Every technique, regardless of discipline, has associated with it a tempo cost and one of four types. A technique's tempo cost is listed in parentheses after its name followed by its type. Each technique type corresponds to what part of your turn is used to perform it; a Strike uses an action, a Boost uses a bonus action, a Rush uses all of your movement, and a Counter uses your reaction. You must not have expended movement already during your turn to use a rush maneuver. You can't use any techniques while incapacitated, nor can you use rush maneuvers while restrained. If a technique states that it requires concentration, it follows the same rules as used in spellcasting. If a technique allows you to increase its duration, you can't extend this duration past 1 minute.
Diamond Mind
True quickness lies in the mind, not the body. A student of the Diamond Mind discipline seeks to hone their perceptions and focus their thoughts so that they can act in slivers of time so narrow that others can't even perceive them. A corollary of this speed of thought and action is the concept of the mind as the battleground. An enemy defeated in his mind must inevitably be defeated in the realm of the physical as well.
1st Rank
Flicker Step (2 Tempo): Rush — You move up to your current speed, your form phasing into and out of view. For this movement, you do not provoke opportunity attacks, ignore difficult terrain, and can move through the space of any creature without expending additional movement.
Clashing Blades (2 Tempo): Counter — When you are hit by an attack while you are wielding a melee weapon or shield, you can use your reaction to roll 1d4 and subtract it from the incoming attack roll. You can choose to use this technique after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll hits or misses.
2nd Rank
Twitch Speed (2 Tempo): Counter — When an enemy moves within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to move 10 feet. If you end this movement within 5 feet of an enemy, you can take an additional reaction this turn.
Delayed Strike (3 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you designate a line starting from you 5 feet wide and up to 20 feet long. You teleport to the end of the line, and creatures you select in the line must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 slashing damage.
3rd Rank
Perfected Strike (3 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you make a single attack. This attack is always made at advantage, ignoring any source of disadvantage. On a hit, this attack deals an additional 2d8 of your weapon's damage type.
Prescient Strike (3 Tempo): Counter — When someone enters your reach, you can use your reaction to make a single melee weapon attack against them.
Ruby Storm Stance (4 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you prepare to attack faster than the eye can see. Until the start of your next turn, your speed drops to 0, you can't be moved or knocked prone, and whenever a creature within your reach misses you with an attack, you can immediately make a melee attack against them.
4th Rank
Trace (5 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space within reach of a target and make a single melee weapon attack against them. You can do this up to 5 additional times as a part of the same action, so long as each target you attack is different.
Devoted Spirit
Faith, confidence, and purity of body and mind are the wellsprings of a warrior’s true power. Devoted Spirit techniques harness a practitioner’s spiritual strength and their zealous devotion to a cause. This discipline includes abilities that allow its students to bring down foes through sheer force of will, abilities that can keep its students fighting long after a more mundane warrior would fall to their enemies, and strikes infused with vengeful, fanatical power.
1st Rank
Vicious Rebuke (1 Tempo): Counter — When a creature willingly leaves your reach by any means, you can use your reaction to make a single weapon attack against them. This attack is not considered an opportunity attack.
Overwhelming Presence (2 Tempo): Boost — As a bonus action, you bear down on a single creature within your reach. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
2nd Rank
Actualization (2 Tempo): Boost — As a bonus action, you can grant yourself an amount of temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your Wisdom modifier, which last for 1 minute.
Anchored Spirit (3 Tempo): Boost — When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can use your bonus action to force it to submit. The creature's movement drops to 0 until the end of its next turn.
3rd Rank
Rejuvenation (3 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you can select a creature you can see within 30 feet. They can spend one of their hit die to heal themselves. They roll the die, add their Constitution modifier and your Wisdom modifier, to regain an amount of hit points equal to the total.
Baneful Weapon (4 Tempo): Boost — As a bonus action, you ingrain within one weapon you can touch an unyielding force. Until the end of your next turn, its attacks ignore any target's resistances and immunities.
Damoclesian Duel (4 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you can force a target within 30 feet to succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have a glowing spectral sword appear over their head until the start of your next turn. For the duration, every time the target deals damage to someone other than you, they lose 1d8 hit points.
4th Rank
Zealous Retribution (5 Tempo): Counter — When you or an ally within 30 feet takes damage, you can use your reaction to reduce that damage by 1d10 + your Wisdom modifier + your Disciple level. If you reduce the damage to 0, the source of the damage takes radiant damage equal to the amount blocked.
Ardent Lion
No warrior fights in isolation. Cooperation, teamwork, and leadership can give two warriors the strength of five, and five warriors the strength of twenty. The student of the Ardent Lion masters techniques that combine the strengths of two or more allies against a common foe. Shouts and battle cries infused with tempo are the signature techniques of the White Raven discipline.
1st Rank
Unity (2 Tempo): Boost — As a bonus action, you help an ally as if using the Help action from 30 feet away.
Covering Blows (2 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you can make a single weapon attack. If it hits, then the target can't make reactions until the start of your next turn.
2nd Rank
Rallying Cry (2 Tempo): Rush — Select up to two allies within 30 feet. They can use their reaction to move up to their movement speed. They must end this move closer to you than they began. Opportunity attacks triggered by this movement are made at disadvantage.
Tactical Advantage (3 Tempo): Boost — When you and an ally are standing on opposite sides of a hostile creature, you can use your bonus action to signal them to attack. That ally can use their reaction to make a single attack against that hostile creature.
3rd Rank
Vengeful Charge (3 Tempo): Counter — When an ally is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to move up to half of your speed towards the attacker and make a single weapon attack against them.
Prodigious Presence (3 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you release an aura of hostile intent. Until the start of your next turn, the area within 30 feet of you is considered difficult terrain for hostile creatures. Creatures that are immune to being frightened are not affected by this technique.
Stalwart Protector (4 Tempo): Boost — When you are within 5 feet of an ally, you can use your bonus action to grant them the benefits of the Dodge action.
4th Rank
Warband's Charge (5 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you unleash an incredible battle cry. You and all allies within 15 feet of you can move up to half their speed and make a single attack.
Coursing Ember
Fire is a force oft thought uncontrollable; a passionate surging of elemental energy. Warriors of the Coursing Ember discipline have taken it upon themselves to dance among and tame the passionate inferno within them, and project it out into the world. Graceful footwork and battlefield-control are the hallmarks of the elegant Coursing Ember discipline.
1st Rank
Searing Lashes (1 Tempo): Boost — As a bonus action, you cloak any weapons you are wielding in flame. Until the start of your next turn, your reach increases by 10 feet, and all of your weapon attacks deal fire damage.
Solar Flare (2 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you can cause a radiant explosion to envelop those around you. Any creatures within 5 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw or become blinded until the start of their next turn.
2nd Rank
Inferno Cloak (3 Tempo): Boost — As a bonus action, you wreathe yourself in radiant flame. Until the start of your next turn, you are immune to fire damage, and your attacks deal an additional 1d6 fire damage. If you are hit by a melee attack during this effect, the attacker takes 1d6 fire damage. You must concentrate on this effect.
Salamander Charge (3 Tempo): Rush— You move up to your current speed, leaving behind a trail of fire where ever you walk, that lasts until the end of your next turn. Hostile creatures that start their turn in or within 5 feet of the flames must succeed a Dexterity saving throw or take 3d6 fire damage. A creature that ends its turn inside or within 5 feet of the wall takes 2d6 fire damage. A creature takes this same damage when it enters the wall for the first time on a turn.
3rd Rank
Leaping Flame (3 Tempo): Boost— As a bonus action, you can turn yourself into a wisp of fire, and teleport yourself to an unoccupied space within 30 feet. Creatures within 5 feet of the space you left or arrived in must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, or take 3d6 fire damage.
Blazing Afterimage (3 Tempo): Rush — You move up to your speed, leaving behind a fiery reflection of yourself, which lasts until the start of your next turn. If a creature moves within 5 feet of the image, it can immediately make a melee tempo attack against the creature. On a hit, the image disappears and the target takes 2d6 + your Wisdom modifier in fire damage, and their speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the turn.
Magma Vice (4 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you push your weapon into the ground in front of you, creating a large tunnel of flame that erupts forth from your space, which then quickly begins to collapse inward. Creatures in a 30 foot cone in front of you can use their reaction to move up to half of their speed directly away from you. Targets that remain in the area take 4d6 fire damage.
4th Rank
Crossfire (5 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you can select up to 5 targets within 100 feet of you. Each creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or take 5d6 fire damage and have a line of fire erupt between them and each other creature that failed the save. Each creature in a line of fire must then succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 fire damage.
Steel Wind
A single blow can become many with enough force. The Steel Wind discipline says that one must rely on their on iron will and steel gut to improve themselves, and push beyond their current boundaries. These techniques focus on making a stand against the surrounding world, and making wide-reaching attacks that carry enough force to cleave through armies.
Technique
1st Rank
Steel Wind Shatter (1 Tempo): Boost— As a bonus action, when you hit a target with a weapon attack, you can cause one creature, unattended object, or structure within 5 feet of the target to take thunder damage equal to your Wisdom modifier. Objects and structures damaged take twice this amount of damage.
Windborn Blow (2 Tempo): Boost— When you miss a melee weapon attack, you can use your bonus action to deal half of that attack's damage to the target anyway.
2nd Rank
Phantom Shockwave (2 Tempo): Counter— When you are missed by a melee weapon attack, you can use your reaction to force the attacker to make Strength saving throw. On a failure, that creature's weapon is thrown 10 feet in a random direction. If the weapon can't be disarmed, the creature instead has disadvantage on its next attack until the end of its turn.
Steel Wind Crush (3 Tempo): Strike— As an action, you make a single melee weapon attack. On a hit, the target takes damage from the attack as normal, and are knocked back 20 feet. The target takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 5 feet of movement it could not complete due to being obstructed.
3rd Rank
Brutish Reversal (3 Tempo): Counter— When you wielding a melee weapon and are targeted by a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make an opposed attack roll. If your attack roll exceeds the attack roll made against you, you take no damage from the attack, and the creature that attacked you takes damage as if you had hit it with your weapon.
Steel Wind Cleave (4 Tempo): Strike — As an action, you take your weapon, and swipe it in a circular arc. All creatures within 10 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take damage as if they were hit by your weapon, or half as much on a success. This technique deals double damage to objects and structures.
Steel Will (4 Tempo): Boost— On your turn, regardless of whether or not you are incapacitated, you can use your bonus action to remove one of the following conditions from yourself: blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed, poisoned, or stunned.
4th Rank
Steel Wind Tempest (5 Tempo): Strike— As an action, you steel your resolve, and cause a swarming wind to usher in around you, turning you into a whirlwind of death. Until the start of your next turn, any time you move within 5 feet of a creature, or a creature moves within 5 feet of you, they must make a Dexterity saving throw or take damage as if they were hit by your weapon. If a creature has already taken damage from this technique, this turn, it automatically succeeds on this saving throw.
Stone Serpent
It is a sign of weakness to let transgressions go unpunished. A Stone Serpent disciple is meticulous, attentive, and brutal. Their techniques focus capitalizing on moments of weakness to shackle down their foes, while their imposing fighting style keeps them in the midst of the turmoil.
1st Rank
Terran Binds (2 Tempo): Strike — As an action, make a single weapon attack. On a hit, the attack deals damage as normal, and twin serpents made of stone erupt from you and attempt to ensnare the target. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw, or have it's speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn.
Earthbound (2 Tempo): Counter— When an effect would knock you prone or move you against your will, you can use your reaction summon stone barriers to help you. Until the start of your next turn, you can't be not be knocked prone or moved against your will.
2nd Rank
Circular Shift (2 Tempo): Counter— When a creature enters your reach, you can shift the earth beneath your feet to switch places with that creature. If there is no room for the creature where you stand, or if the creature is flying, this technique fails.
Blood of the Gorgon (3 Tempo): Boost— As a bonus action, your skin begins to coalesce into stone. Until the end of your next turn, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and immunity to poison damage.
3rd Rank
Fissures (3 Tempo): Strike— As an action, you make the area around you quake and fracture. All creatures within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Strength saving throw, or fall prone. If they fail by 5 or more, they fall prone and are restrained until the end of their next turn, as they fall into the serpentine fissures beneath them.
Fingers of the Earth (3 Tempo): Boost— As a bonus action, you can cause pillars of stone to emerge from the earth around you. Choose 4 unoccupied 5-foot by 5-foot squares within 60 feet of you. 10 foot high pillars erupt from those spots, and remain there until the end of your next turn. At the start of each of your turns, you can spend 1 tempo to extend the duration of the pillars until the start of your next turn. Each pillar has AC 5 and 30 hit points.
Serpent's Call (4 Tempo): Strike— As an action, you choose a point within 30 feet of you. The ground in a 15 foot radius around that point sinks 10 feet, as the mouth of a giant stone opens in ground below. Any creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 bludgeoning damage.
4th Rank
Gaze of the Ancients (5 Tempo): Strike— As an action, choose a creature within 30 feet of you that can see you. It must make a Constitution saving throw or become petrified until the start of your next turn. While petrified in this way, the creature is immune to all damage and deformation. At the start of each of your turns, you can spend 2 tempo to extend the duration of the petrification until the start of your next turn. If you do so, the target can make another Constitution saving throw at the beginning of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. A willing creature can choose to automatically fail these saving throws.
Credits
Made with GMBinder
Wording help from NASA and Yoonki, and their Skill Trees project.
I have to thank all of the people on the Discord of Many Things for their help, critique, challenges, and similar. This is a challenging concept to work with, and they really helps make it more easy to tackle. Some names include Caim, Jay, Jaek, Layhnet, Moddy, Marcy, Qalar Valar SwordMeow and a laundry list of others that all provided very valuable feedback.
Some of the discipline descriptions came from 3.5e's Tome of Battle martial disciplines.
Artwork
- Camila Vielmond - Mauve, https://vielmond.deviantart.com/art/Mauve-473614469
- Jarreau Wimberly - Last Woman Standing, https://www.artstation.com/artwork/amowk
- John Silva - Martial goddess madial, https://www.artstation.com/artwork/0LXYy
- Angelica Alieva - Silveria pose, https://www.artstation.com/artwork/OgdQK
- Do Limp - Jan, God of Destruction
- Jessica Oyhenart - Irelia, https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4nXB8
- Phong Anh - Amevius Fiscaro, https://claparo-sans.deviantart.com/art/COMM-Amevius-Fiscaro-684008968
- Maciej Kuciara - Warrior with Hawk
Changelog
1.0
- Launched
1.1
- Archery and Throwing Fighting Styles removed
- The main class has been rearranged; Rank-increasing levels are no longer dead.
- Subclasses no longer grant a level 10 feature, those features are now granted at level 11
- Removed Shooting Star Discipline
- Added technique options specific to each Sublime Path
- War God totally revised
- Boundless Arsenal's level 18 totally revised
- Path of the Colossus removed
- Path of the Blade Dancer added