The Spellblade - 5E Fighter Subclass Homebrew

by Nines

Search GM Binder Visit User Profile

The Spellblade - 5E Fighter Subclass Homebrew

by Nines, V1.1.2

Blazes of Glory

Spellblades take to the battlefield with magically enhanced weapons, channeling magic through their weapons and empowering their attacks with elemental energy. Despite the name, neither spells nor blades are required; a Spellblade uses raw magical power instead of the structure of spells to grant these effects, and can deliver them through any weapon.

These magical abilities are known as Blade Arts, though a blade is not required to use them - swords, axes, hammers, arrows, and even fists are capable of channeling this magic just as effectively.

Subclass Features

Bonus Proficiencies

3rd Level Spellblade feature

You gain proficiency in Arcana. If you already have proficiency in Arcana, you may instead gain proficiency in one skill of your choice. In addition, if you know any spells, you may use a simple or marital weapon as a spellcasting focus.

Blade Arts

3rd Level Spellblade feature

You learn your choice of three of the following elemental Blade Arts, magical effects which can be used when you take the Attack action during your turn. You learn one additional Blade Art of your choice at 7th, 10th, and 15th level. Each time you learn a new Blade Art, you can also replace one Blade Art you know with a different one. You may only use one Blade Art per turn.

  • Blazing Blade. Your weapon bursts into flame. On a hit, it deals fire damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on this turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can choose to set the target ablaze, dealing 1d4 additional fire damage. This additional damage increases to 2d4 when you reach 5th level in this class and 3d4 at 11th level.

  • Caustic Blade. Your weapon drips with a corrosive acid. On a hit, it deals acid damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on this turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can deal 2d4 acid damage to a different creature of your choice within 5 feet of the target.

  • Chilling Blade. Your weapon coats itself with magical frost. On a hit, it deals cold damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on this turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can reduce its movement speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.

  • Mocking Blade. Your weapon shifts in distracting ways, becoming disorienting to look at. On a hit, it deals psychic damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on this turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can choose to disorient it, giving it disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the start of your next turn.

  • Mystic Blade. Your weapon is coated with a shimmering field of pure force. On a hit, it deals force damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on your turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can choose to ignore the effects of any protective spells such as mage armor, shield, or stoneskin.

  • Resounding Blade. Your weapon clashes and clangs against nothing as you swing it, and strikes with the sounding of a gong. On a hit, it deals thunder damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on this turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can push it up to 10 feet into an unoccupied space of your choice.

  • Shining Blade. Your weapon glows with a bright light. On a hit, it deals radiant damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on this turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can use the light to guide an ally's strike. The next attack made against it by a creature other than you before the start of your next turn has advantage.

  • Shocking Blade. Your weapon crackles with electricity. On a hit, it deals lightning damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on this turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can choose to shock it, preventing it from taking reactions until the start of your next turn.

  • Toxic Blade. Your weapon smokes with the fumes of a magical poison. On a hit, it deals poison damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on this turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you can choose to debilitate it. The targeted creature subtracts 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes before the start of your next turn.

  • Withering Blade. Your weapon seems to weather and warp, appearing ancient and cruel. On a hit, it deals necrotic damage instead of its normal damage type. Once on this turn when you hit a creature with this weapon, you choose to flood it with necrotic energy, and it can't regain Hit Points until the start of your next turn.

Blade Beam

7th level Spellblade feature

As an action, you can fire a Blade Art's elemental energy from your weapon as a ranged attack with 30/60 range. On a hit, the target suffers the usual effects of the attack. Whether or not it hits, the elemental energy then explodes. The target and all creatures within 5 feet of it must then make a Dexterity save (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + the higher of your Dexterity and Strength modifiers) or take 2d8 damage of your Blade Art's type. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain spent uses when you finish a short rest.

Spellguard

10th level Spellblade feature

When you use a Blade Art, you may gain resistance to its damage type for one minute as a bonus action. This resistance remains active even if you use Spellguard to gain resistance to a different damage type. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain spent uses when you finish a long rest.

Elemental Empowerment

15th level Spellblade Feature

Once per turn, you can deal additional damage equal to your proficiency bonus of the same damage type as your Blade Art when you hit with an attack.

Spellblade Mastery

18th level Spellblade feature

You may have two different Blade Arts active at the same time, allowing you to use the additional effects of both. You can also gain resistance to both damage types with Spellguard. You must choose one damage type for your Elemental Empowerment's bonus damage as well as the damage for the attack itself, but they need not be the same type.

Feat: Spellblade Training

For the fighter that wants to have a flaming Frostbrand but also wants a different subclass.

You have studied the mystical arts of the Spellblade, though you have neither the elemental balance to carry them in tandem nor the training to sustain them indefinitely as a true Spellblade. Choose two Blade Arts. You may use either of these Blade Arts a number of times per short rest equal to your proficiency bonus. You may only use one Blade Art per turn.

Closing Notes

  • Big thank you to MobiusFlip on the Discord of Many Things for assistance with the elemental effects and looking over this concept in general.
  • Also thank you to AvtrSpirit on r/UnearthedArcana for helping out on balancing.
  • Also avaliable on DnDBeyond here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/subclasses/850748-spellblade
  • Part of the reason I made this subclass was to give choices in combat to a spell-less subclass not named Battlemaster. To further differentiate it, I also wanted to make it resourceless and saveless, giving it a less-explosive, more consistent ability compared to Battlemaster. Most of the Blade Arts emulate the effects of cantrips, so there should be no issue with them being infinitely spammable.
  • If your choice of any of the Blade Arts is still too strong, it could start with the traditional elements of fire/cold/lightning before branching out into the more esoteric ones, so the people don't go straight for force/thunder/etc.
  • Also considering making resisted attacks fail to apply their rider effect (e.g. anything with poison resistance/immunity can't be effected by Toxic Blade's save debuff). Would be a way to nerf things (mostly fire/poison) if they still prove excessively powerful, and would make some sense as well - if you're immune to the cold, would a cold blade slow you down?
  • Possible change for consideration: Change 18th level to "Spellblade Signature," which would allow you to have a Blade Art permanently active in addition to your one Blade Art per turn?

Changelog

  • This is v1.1 of Spellblade; I've decided to take the first of the above approaches and set the Blade Arts to a limited number known instead of making all of them known from the start. This should help fill out levels that would be otherwise significantly weaker.
  • Ranged weapons still can't make use of Blade Beam though. 7th level still isn't dead, since you learn new Blade Arts, but it's still not great for ranged attackers.
  • Spellguard buffed to last one minute, but is limited to PB times per long rest. Should be more useful now, most enemies have resistance to their own damage type. You can stack it too, but most enemies don't rock multiple elemental types. 18th level lets you double the number of resistances you get at once, so it stacks twice as fast.
  • While the alternative nerf of forcing you to have access to only fire/ice/lightning from the start and gain more over time is more in line with the classic RPG warrior's inspirations, with their flaming/frost/thunder blade skills, I felt like allowing customization would be more fun in general.
    • v1.1.1 - Toxic Blade nerfed to subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw, in line with Mind Sliver. Even on the weakest damage type, disadvantage on any saving throw was very powerful. While Mind Sliver has a save on it, it's a strong save and a much better damage type than poison; should balance out better this way.
    • v1.1.1 - Withering Blade buffed to prevent healing, a la Chill Touch. Its previous effect of lowering max HP was designed more for use against players, and would have been nearly useless for players to use against enemies even if they did regenerate.
    • v1.1.2 - added an image
    • v1.1.2 - Blazing Blade changed to scaling burst damage instead of damage over time
    • v1.1.2 - Number of Blade Arts learned at 7/10/15 reduced to 1.
    • v1.1.2 - Blade Beam now explodes.

Image Credit

Champion by JasonEngle

WWW.GMBINDER.COM

 

This document was lovingly created using GM Binder.


If you would like to support the GM Binder developers, consider joining our Patreon community.