Optional Class Features
The features in this section are intended to be added by the DM when some class feels underwhelming, either by the lack of options, utility or damage. Not every feature you find here is for every party, in some groups might work, in others it might not. Most of them can be selected separately from one another; you can use one, a couple, or none of them.
Barbarian
This section offers additional features that you can gain as a barbarian. Most of them are designed to enhance the ability of a barbarian to interact with the world that surrounds it, only touching its damage potential with high levels brutal critical.
Impossible Deed
New 9th-level Barbarian feature
Starting at 9th level, you learn how to use your incredible muscles to achieve what no ordinary man can achieve. You know three deeds of your choice, and you have a number of uses of this feature equal to half your barbarian level. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
You learn two additional deeds at 13th level, and each time you gain a level in this class, you can replace one deed you know with a different one.
Impossible Break
As an action, you can tear and destroy objects of a 5-foot cube equivalent made of bones, wood or any more fragile material. The target must be inanimate, non-magical and cannot be worn or held by another creature. The target is render unusable as its primary function and is clearly perceptible as destroyed. This action is audible from as far away as 100 feet.
You can target objects made of stone starting at 13th level and objects made of metal starting at 17th level.
Impossible Courage
You can add your Consitution modifier to a saving throw against being frightened.
You can't use this deed on a single saving throw more than once.
Impossible Grip
Whenever you use two free hands to make a grapple or shove while you're raging, the target can be up to two sizes larger than you. At the start of your turn, if you're grappling a creature more than one size larger than you, you must spend an additional use of your impossible deeds to maintain the grapple, otherwise, the grapple ends immediately. You can add 1d6 to the damage roll of your unarmed strikes against the grappled creature.
At 17th level you can grapple or shove creatures up to three sizes larger than you.
Impossible Jump
You are able to use the momentum of your body and strength to make greater leaps. When you take the Dash action, you can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack and your maximum jump distance is doubled.
Starting at 17th level, your maximum jumping distance is tripled instead of doubled.
Impossible Stand
When you take the Dodge action on your turn, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier until the start of your next turn. While you have these temporary hit points, you have advantage on Constitution saving throws and you can't be moved against your will.
Design Intent
Although is probably a suboptimal option combat-wise, I feel Barbarians should be able to stand their ground while enduring severe punishment, without needing to use their rage.
Impossible Technique
You can add your proficiency bonus to a Strength (Athletics) check that isn't benefiting from a feature, such as Expertise, that doubles your proficiency bonus.
Impossible Throw
Your rage makes you able to throw further than most people. While you're raging, you can double the range of weapons with the thrown property for one attack.
At 17th level, you can triple the range instead of doubling it.
Design Intent
There are no official rules on throwing creatures, so here is a basic frame to work with.
First, you (the thrower) need to grapple the creature you want to throw (now called the body). Then make a weapon attack using the body as an improvised weapon (thrown 20/60 ft), but with both ranges halved when the body is a creature with the same size as the thrower, and halved again if it is bigger.
The AC you need to succeed depends on the body and the target of the attack (target), and failing to meet it would generally mean failing to achieve the expected distance, if not losing the grasp on an unwilling body.
- Willing body and willing/stationary target: Automatic success up to normal range, 10 up to long range.
- Willing body and unwilling target: target's AC
- Unwilling body and willing/stationary target: body's AC
- Unwilling body and unwilling target: higher between body and target's ACs.
The biggest exploit at the moment with those rules, would be at 9th level, throwing a smaller creature on to the air to make it take falling damage, dealing 42 (12d6) bludgeoning damage on a success, making the attack with disadvantage. Not a big issue considering it takes two attacks to make.
Brutal Critical
Updated 9th-level Barbarian feature
Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
At 13th level, this damage increases to two additional dice and your melee weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20, and at 17th level, the damage increases to three additional dice and your melee weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18-20.
Danger Sense Improvement
New 10th-level Barbarian feature
Starting at 10th level, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell and you can sense the presence of hidden creatures, doors and traps within 30 feet. You don't know the exact location but you can feel that something is off. A creature of your choice gain advantage on its next ability check to find what's triggering your Danger Sense.
Reckless Attack Improvement
New 11th-level Barbarian feature
Starting at 11th level, while you are raging, you can unleash furious and wild swings with your weapon. When you make a melee weapon attack using your Reckless Attack, you can forgo the advantage to make the attack to hit two adjacent spaces within your reach instead. If the attack targets multiple creatures, make a single attack roll for all targets. If the attack hits, roll a single damage roll and apply the results to all targets. As usual, after using this feature, attack rolls against you have advantage until the start of your next turn.
The number of adjacent spaces you can hit with each Reckless Attack increases to three when you reach 15th level in this class.
Design Intent
It is known that making an extra attack is always a better option than gaining advantage. I think this balances out nicely when the second and third attacks must be against new targets. Giving out advantage to attacks against yourself is usually not the best idea when facing numerous enemies, and spreading out damage it is also regarded as an unoptimized option, while being useful against hordes.
Primal Ability Score
New 12th-level Barbarian feature
Starting at 12th level, you can increase your Strength score above 20 using your Ability Score Improvement, but not above 22. At 16th level, this maximum is increased again, up to 24.
Primal Champion
Updated 20th-level Barbarian feature
At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 28.
Fighter
This section offers additional features that you can gain as a fighter. As the barbarian, most of this features target the ability of fighters to shape the world outside of combat (learning plentiful of aspects related to battles), as well as more options to approach a fight, without necessarily increasing their damage.
Action Surge
Updated 2nd-level Fighter feature
Starting at 2nd level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On your turn, you can take one additional action.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. At 20th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.
Extra Attack
Updated 5th-level Fighter feature
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 17th level in this class.
Fighting Style
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
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 attack rolls against that creature until the end of the current turn. You must be wielding a shield.
Shield Bashing
While you are wielding a shield, it is considered as a martial melee weapon with which you are proficient, and it deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage on a hit. When you score a critical hit with a shield, the target can't take reactions until the end of your next turn.
In addition, if you are wielding a magical shield that grants a bonus to AC in addition to the shield's normal bonus, you can also add that bonus to your attack and damage rolls with the shield.
Notes
Here is the original post of the Fighting Style.
Versatile Fighting
While wielding a versatile weapon with one hand and no other weapons or shield, you gain a +1 to your attack rolls and Armor Class. While wielding a versatile weapon with two hands, increase the damage die of the weapon by one additional size.
Massive Weapon Handling
New 5th-level Fighter feature that replaces Extra Attack
The first time you make an attack as part of the attack action with a Large sized weapon during your turn, you can make it as if you were a Large creature. In addition, whenever you hit a creature with a Large weapon as part of the Attack action, it deals additional equal to you Strength modifier.
Beginning at 11th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. At 17th, when you take the Attack action, you can treat a second attack with a Large weapon as if you were a Large creature.
Notes
Here is the original post about the feature. There are some minor changes in this version related to the scaling to mirror the Extra Attack changes.
I think the 11th-level Multiattack feature could still work fine, but note it doesn't use the Attack action, so every attack would be at disadvantage.
Signature Weapon
New 6th-level Fighter feature
Starting at 6th level, your bond with your weapon bestows your extraordinary potential to it, forging a mystical essence on itself. After expending a day with a weapon you have a bond with, you can choose to make it you signature weapon until you die, or until you make another weapon your signature weapon. Your weapon attacks made with your signature weapon count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance an immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting fighting style, you can have up to two signature weapons. You choose which weapon stops being your signature weapon when you bond with a new one.
Indomitable
Updated 9th-level Fighter feature
Beginning at 9th level, whenever you fail a saving throw, you can choose to succeed instead. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.
Design Intent
Another common fix to Indomitable is to only consume a use when you succeed by using the feature. If you go with the alternative approach, consider letting auto-succeed saving throws on a natural 20, to avoid impossible saves.
Weapon Master
New 9th-level Fighter feature
At 9th level, you gain proficiency with the artisan's tools of your choice: leatherworker's tools, smith's tools, or woodcarver's tools.
In addition, you can spend 10 minutes appraising a weapon or piece of armor to understand its value and capabilities. If it is a magic of the weapon or armor type, or some other magic-imbued object of those types, you learn its properties and how to use them, whether it requires attunement to use, and how many charges it has, if any. You learn whether any spells are affecting the item, but not which one.
Second Wind Improvement
New 10th-level Fighter feature
Starting at 10th level, when you use this feature, you can choose to reduce your Exhaustion level by one instead of regaining Hit Points. You can't use this feature again in this way until you finish a long rest.
Starting at 18th level, you can use this feature to reduce Exhaustion twice between long rests.
Multiattack
New 11th-level Fighter feature
At 11th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice. Whenever you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace a Multiattack feature you know with the other option.
Volley
You can use your action to make a ranged attack against any number of creatures within 10 feet of a point you can see within your weapon's range. You must have ammunition for each target, as normal, and you make a separate attack roll for each target.
Whirlwind Attack
You can use your action to make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.
Design Intent
I don't think these two features should be locked behind the Hunter subclass. Actually, I don't think most of its features should be locked behind a Ranger subclass, they are really good generic martial features, and not so much "hunter exclusive" flavored.
Secondary Technique
New 13th-level Fighter feature
Choose one Fighting Style option to learn it as a Secondary Technique. The secondary style you choose must be different of any Fighting Style you have, and you don't get the benefits of your Secondary Technique.
As a bonus action, you can replace a Fighting Style you know for your Secondary Technique. The style replaced becomes your Secondary Technique instead.
Paragon
New 16th-level Fighter feature
By 16th level, your mighty presence and legendary name speak for you. You have advantage on Charisma checks when interacting with a military or military adjacent factions.
Martial Ability Score
New 19th-level Fighter feature
Starting at 19th level, you can increase your Strength, Dexterity and Constitution scores above 20 using your Ability Score Improvement, but not above 22.
Multiattack Improvement
New 20th-level Fighter feature
Once per turn, you can use your Multiattack feature twice as part of the same action.
Maneuvers Options
If you have access to maneuvers, the following maneuvers are added to the list of options available to you.
Cavalier's Control
When you take the Attack action while mounted, you can expend a superiority die and direct your mount to attack (if it has any attacks) as a bonus action. You can add your Proficiency modifier to the attack roll, and if it hits you add your superiority die to the damage roll.
Cheap Trick
Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack on your turn, you can expend one superiority die and then try to blind the target as a bonus action. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or be blinded until the end of its next turn. Add the superiority die to the weapon's damage roll.
Debilitating Strike
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to debilitate the target. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target deals only half damage with weapon attacks that use Strength until the end of your next turn.
Disarming Attack
Updated Maneuver
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to disarm the target, forcing it to drop one item of your choice that it's holding. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it drops the object you choose. If you are within 5 feet of the target, you can kick the object 15 feet away as part of the same attack.
Evasive Footwork
Updated Maneuver
When you move on your turn, you can expend one superiority die, rolling the die. Until the end of your turn, you add the number rolled to your AC and you gain 10 feet of walking speed.
Fast Movement
When you take the Dash, Disengage or Dodge action, you can expend one superiority die. Until the end of your turn, your walking speed and long jump distance increases by 5 feet, plus a number of feet equal to the number you roll on that die, and your high jump distance for half as much. In addition, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
First Aid
As an action, you can expend a superiority die and touch a creature conscious and willing creature. The target can use a reaction to expend one of their Hit Dice to regain hit points equal to their Hie Die + your superiority die.
Glancing Blow
When you make a melee weapon attack and miss, you can expend a superiority die to immediately repeat your attack against another target within reach of your weapon.
Interminable Steed
When you are mounted on your turn, you can use a bonus action to expend a superiority die and roll the superiority die. You and your mount gains temporary hit points equal to the number rolled + your Wisdom modifier.
Misdirect
When a creature makes an attack against you while a creature within 5 feet of you is granting you cover against that attack, you can use your reaction and expend one superiority die to have the attack target that creature instead of you. If it hits, you add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll.
Penetrate
When you make an attack with a piercing weapon and miss, but you roll a 10 or higher one the d20, you can expend a superiority die to deal piercing damage equal to the number you roll on your superiority die.
Shield Wall
When you are wielding a shield on your turn, you can use a bonus action to expend a superiority die and raise your shield until the start of your next turn.
Roll the superiority die and choose a creature within 5 feet. While your shield is raised, your speed is zero and you and the target gain a bonus to AC equal to the number rolled.
Terrorizing Attack
Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack on your turn, you can expend one superiority die and then attempt to overwhelm the target as a bonus action. The target takes psychic equal to the number rolled on your superiority die. If a creature is frightened of you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or be stunned until the end of its turn.
Notes
Here is the original post of LaserLlama's Alternate Fighter. You should definitely check that out if you are comfortable with changing a class from the ground up. The class really hits the nail with the changes he made.
KibblesTasty's maneuvers comes from his revision to the Cavalier subclass, but unfortunately I couldn't find any links to it.
Monk
This section offers additional features that you can gain as a monk. In contrast to other martial classes, monk optional features target primarily its damage and survivability in combat at later stages of the game.
Unarmored Movement
Updated 2nd-level Monk feature
Starting at 2nd level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain monk levels, as shown in the Monk table. In addition, you can use your Dexterity in place of your Strength when calculating your maximum jumping distance.
At 9th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.
Ki-Empowered Strikes
Updated 5th-level and 6th-level Monk feature
When you reach 5th level, choose one of the following Empowered Strikes. You gain an additional Empowered Strike option of your choice at 9th and 15th level. You cannot make more than one Empowered Strike with the same attack.
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Empty Strike
When you make an unarmed strike against a creature, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt an empty strike. Creatures in a 10 feet long and 5 feet wide line from you must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, or take force damage equal to your Martial Arts Die + your Wisdom modifier. An affected creature also has disadvantage on the first attack roll or ability check it makes before the end of your next turn.
Slowing Strike
When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt a slowing strike. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be slowed until the end of your next turn.
A slowed creature has it's speed halved, it takes a -2 penalty to AC and Dexterity saving throws, and it can't use reactions. On its turn, it can use either an action or a bonus action, not both. It can't make more than one melee or ranged attack during its turn.
If the creature attempts to cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action, roll a d20. On an 11 or higher, the spell doesn't take effect until the creature's next turn, and the creature must use its action on that turn to complete the spell. If it can't, the spell is wasted.
Stunning Strike
When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt a stunning strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
Superior Strikes
When you take the Attack action, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt superior strikes with each of your attacks granted by this action. When you hit a creature with a superior strike, you can impose one of the following effects on that target:
- It must make a Strength saving throw. If it fails, you can push it 15 feet away from you.
- It can't take reactions until the end of your next turn.
Deflect Missiles Improvement
New 10th-level Monk feature
At 10th level, your study of ki has let you disrupt spells as easily as you catch arrows. When you take damage from a instantaneous spell, you can use your reaction to reduce any incoming fire or lightning damage by Martial Arts + your Wisdom modifier + your monk level. If you reduce the damage dealt by the spell to 0, you cancel any other effects it would have.
You can spend 1 ki to double the amount of damage reduced. If spending that ki point you reduce the damage to 0 and if you have a free hand, you can spend 1 extra ki point (for a total of 2) to redirect the spell against its source, including any additional effects of the spell. If the spell requires a ranged spell attack, use your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier. Otherwise, if it has a save DC, use your ki save DC.
Design Intent
Note that in order to redirect an Area of Effect spell, in most cases you need to be the only targeted creature, so you are able to reduce the total damage dealt to 0.
Fire and lightning damage types were chosen purely for flavor reasons. Balance wise, you could change those types to any of the following: acid, cold or thunder.
Ki Improvement
New 11th-level Monk feature
At 11th level, you learn two ways to improve your ki features, one which enhances your Flurry of Blows and the other which you can choose between the following options.
You learn an additional improvement of your choice at 13th and 17th level. In addition, whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one ki feature improvement you know with a different one.
Flurry of Blows
When you use your Flurry of Blows feature, you can make three attacks instead of two.
Patient Defense
When you use your Patient Defense feature, you are able to maintain your defensive stance for longer. Your Patient Defense feature lasts for 1 minute, as long as you expend 1 ki point at the start of your subsequent turns.
Step of the Wind
When you use your Step of the Wind feature, until the end of your turn, your movement and attacks don't trigger reactions and the first attack you make immediately after you move at least 30 feet is made with advantage. If you hit with this attack, you can add a Martial Arts die to the damage roll.
In addition, your jump distance is tripled instead of doubled.
Deflect Missiles
You stretch the limits of your body to control your surroundings. You can use your Deflect Missiles feature to target ranged attacks against creatures within 5 feet of you.
In addition, when you gain this improvement choose a damage type from the following list: acid, cold, or poison. You can target the chosen type with your Deflect Missiles feature.
Flow of the River
You can spend 1 ki point adopt a defensive stance that allows you to focus on your surroundings until the start of your next turn. While in this stance, you gain the following benefits:
- Once per turn, when you use your Deflect Missiles feature, you can spend 1 ki point to immediately regain your reaction.
- Once per turn, when an enemy you can see makes a melee attack against you and misses, you can make an unarmed strike against it. If you hit, you can force that enemy to move to a unoccupied space within 5 feet of you, provided the creature isn't more than one size larger than you. You can't use any Empowered Strike with this attack and you don't add your ability modifier to its damage, unless that modifier is negative.
Design Intent
Although it is quite strong, Flow of the River spends a bonus action, on of the most important resource to monks.
The first benefit is a heavy ki expenditure if you want to do it constantly, but could be useful in situational cases.
In the second part, the melee attacks shouldn't work with any sort of damage amplification like Sneak Attack and Divine Smite.
Slow Fall Improvement
New 12th-level Monk feature
At 12th level, you can use your reaction to reduce any falling damage a creature of your choice within 5 feet of you takes by an amount equal to twice your monk level.
Whenever you use your Slow Fall base feature, you can use this improvement as part of the same reaction.
Purity of Body Improvement
Updated 15th-level and 20th-level Monk features
At 15th level, your ki sustains 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. In addition, you no longer need food or water.
In addition, when you use your action to Dodge, you may regain a number of ki points equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). Once you use this feature to regain ki points, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Monastic Ability Score
New 19th-level Monk Feature
Starting at 19th level, you can increase your Dexterity and Wisdom scores above 20 using your Ability Score Improvement, but not above 22.
Perfect Self
New 20th-level Monk feature
At 20th level, at the start of your turn you get 1 temporary ki point you can use to fuel any of your ki features. This temporary ki point is lost at the end of your turn if it isn't expended.
New Weapon Options
Weapon properties
Many weapons have special properties related to their use, as shown in the Weapons table.
Brutal. When you score a critical hit with a brutal weapon, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage.
Cleave. When you score a critical hit with a cleave weapon, you can choose another creature within 5 feet of the original target and within your reach. That creature takes damage equal to the weapon's damage dice.
Defensive: While wielding this weapon, you gain a +1 bonus to AC against melee attacks. You do not gain this bonus while wielding a shield or another weapon that lacks the light property, or while you're incapacitated or restrained.
Ensnare. Immediately after you hit a creature with a weapon with the ensnare property on your turn, you can use a bonus action to try to shove that creature prone. If the weapon also has the finesse property, you can use your Dexterity for the shove, instead of Strength.
Hidden. You have advantage on Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks made to conceal weapons with the hidden property.
Skewer. When you make an attack with a weapon with the skewer property against an incapacitated, prone, restrained or surprised creature, you can use the damage value in parenthesis, instead of the regular weapon's damage.
Design Intent
I've tried to maintain the number of new properties as little as possible, and these seven properties are the bare minimum I could bring myself to accept, in order to still have some variety and more tools to balance different styles of combat.
In my mind, when trying to balance weapons with each other, I've considered that brutal, cleave, skewer (+d2) and vicious are comparable to versatile (+d2) (although I tried to limit the amount of weapons with vicious). Defensive and ensnare I've considered them to be specially strong, and took hidden as a nice ribbon.
Let me know if you disagree with these assumptions and why, feedback is more than welcome!
Versatile. This weapon can be used with one or two hands. The damage value or property that appears in parentheses is only used when the weapon is wielded with two hands to make a melee attack.
Vicious. When you score a critical hit with a vicious weapon, the target can't gain temporary hit points or regain hit points until the start of your next turn.
Special Weapons
Weapons with special rules are described here.
Blowgun. When you are hidden from a creature and miss it with a blowgun, making the attack doesn't reveal your position. In addition, blowgun ammunition counts as half ammunition when coating ammunitions with poison.
Boomerang. When you miss an attack throwing a boomerang, if you are proficient with it, you can choose to recover the boomerang as part of the same attack.
Simple Melee Weapons
| Weapon | Damage | Cost | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | 1d4 blugeoning | 1 sp | 2 | Brutal, hidden, light |
| Dagger | 1d4 piercing | 2 gp | 1 | Finesse, hidden, light, skewer (1d6), thrown (range 20/60) |
| Greatclub | 1d8 bludgeoning | 2 sp | 3 | Brutal, two-handed |
| Handaxe | 1d6 slashing | 5 gp | 1 | Light, thrown (range 20/60) |
| Javelin | 1d6 piercing | 5 sp | 1 | Thrown (range 30/120), skewer (1d8) |
| Light hammer | 1d4 bludgeoning | 2 gp | 1 | Brutal, light, thrown (range 20/60) |
| Mace | 1d6 bludgeoning | 5 gp | 2 | Brutal |
| Quarterstaff | 1d6 bludgeoning | 2 sp | 3 | Versatile (reach) |
| Sickle | 1d4 slashing | 1 gp | 1 | Ensnare, finesse, light |
| Spear | 1d6 piercing | 1 gp | 2 | Thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d8) |
Bullwhip. This weapon adds 10 feet to your reach when you attack with it, as well as when determining your reach for opportunity attacks with it. You have disadvantage when you use a bullwhip to attack a target within 5 feet of you.
Composite Bow. This heavy bow is cumbersome to most people who are not strong enough to wield it properly. Attack rolls made with a composite bow are made at disadvantage, unless the wielder has a Strength score of 13 or higher.
Longbow. If the wielder has a Strength score of 13 or higher, the longbow counts as having the brutal property.
Parrying Dagger. You can benefit from the bonus to your AC given by the defensive property of this weapon, even when you are wielding a weapon without the light property on the other hand. All the other rules for the defensive property still apply.
Martial Weapons
| Weapon | Damage | Cost | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melee Weapons | ||||
| Bastard SwordN | 1d8 slashing | 20 gp | 2 | Cleave |
| Bo StaffPAM | 1d8 bludgeoning | 5 gp | 2 | Reach, two-handed |
| BullwhipN | 1d4 slashing | 8 gp | 2 | Finesse, light, reach, special |
| ChackramN | 1d6 slashing | 15 gp | 1 | Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60), vicious |
| Flail | 1d8 bludgeoning | 10 gp | 2 | Brutal |
| Greataxe | 1d12 slashing | 30 gp | 3 | Cleave, heavy, two-handed |
| Greatsword | 2d6 slashing | 50 gp | 3 | Vicious, heavy, two-handed |
| KatanaN | 1d10 slashing | 50 gp | 3 | Finesse, two-handed |
| KhopeshN | 1d8 slashing | 20 gp | 2 | Light |
| Maul | 2d6 bludgeoning | 10 gp | 3 | Brutal, heavy, two-handed |
| Morningstar | 1d8 piercing | 15 gp | 2 | Vicious |
| Parrying DaggerN | 1d4 piercing | 10 gp | 1 | Defensive, finesse, hidden, light, special |
| Serrated DaggerN | 1d4 slashing | 10 gp | 1 | Brutal, finesse, hidden, light, skewer (1d6), vicious |
| Scimitar | 1d6 slashing | 25 gp | 2 | Finesse, light, skewer (1d8 piercing) |
| ScourgeN | 1d4 piercing | 8 gp | 2 | Finesse, reach, versatile (1d6) |
| ScytheN | 2d4 slashing | 15 gp | 3 | Versatile (cleave, vicious) |
| Shortsword | 1d6 piercing | 10 gp | 2 | Defensive, finesse, light |
| TridentPAM | 1d6 piercing | 5 gp | 3 | Thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d8, ensnare) |
| War Pick | 1d8 piercing | 5 gp | 2 | Skewer (1d10) |
| War SpearN PAM | 1d6 piercing | 20 gp | 3 | Finesse, reach, two-handed |
| Whip | 1d4 slashing | 2 gp | 1 | Finesse, light, reach |
| Ranged Weapons | ||||
| Blowgun | 1 piercing | 10 gp | 1 | Ammunition (range 25/100), loading, special |
| BoomerangN | 1d4 bludgeoning | 10 gp | 1 | Light, special, thrown (range 20/60) |
| Composite BowN | 1d12 piercing | 75 gp | 3 | Ammunition (range 150/600), heavy, special, two-handed |
| Longbow | 1d8 piercing | 50 gp | 2 | Ammunition (range 150/600), heavy, special, two-handed |
N: New weapons, they don't appear in the PHB.
PAM: They can be used to trigger the Polearm Master feat.
Feats
Academic
You have a way with books, languages and codes, gaining the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn two languages of your choice.
- When you finish a long rest, you can choose to learn one language, or gain proficiency with one tool or Intelligence-based skill of your choice, as long as you have a source of that knowledge. This benefit lasts until you use it again to learn a new language, tool or skill.
- You can ably create written ciphers. Others can’t decipher a code you create unless you teach them, they succeed on an Intelligence check (DC equal to your Intelligence score + your proficiency bonus), or they use magic to decipher it.
Replacing Feats
Many of the new feats and benefits are scraped from the Player's Handbook feats. In order to trace which feat went where, I'm including a list of every replacement made:
- Academic replaces Linguist
- Advanced Combat Training replaces Heavily Armored and Weapon Master
- Basic Combat Training replaces Lightly Armored and Moderately Armored
- Heavy Build replaces Durable and Tough
- Observer replaces Dungeon Delver
- Skulker replaces Dungeon Delver
Actor
Skilled at mimicry and dramatics, you gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency with the disguise kit. If you are already proficient with it, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it.
- You have advantage on Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Performance) checks when trying to pass yourself off as a different person.
- You can mimic the speech of another person or the sounds made by other creatures. You must have heard the person speaking, or heard the creature make the sound, for at least 1 minute. A successful Wisdom (Insight) check contested by your Charisma (Deception) check allows a listener to determine that the effect is faked.
Advanced Combat Training
Prerequisite: Proficiency with simple weapons and medium armor
- Increase your Strength, Dexterity or Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency with heavy armor, shields and martial weapons.
Basic Combat Training
Prerequisite: Strength or Dexterity 13 or higher
- Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency with light armor, medium armor and simple weapons.
Bow Expert
You've learned to use bows as an extension of your body, finding solutions to your weapons limits. You gain the following benefits:
- When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to make a single improvised melee weapon attack with an arrow or a bow.
- When using arrows or bows to make improvised melee weapon attacks, you can add your proficiency bonus the attack roll if you haven't already.
- When you take the Attack action while wielding a bow, you can replace one of your attacks with a pinning shot. Make a ranged weapon attack against a creature that's within 5 feet of a solid surface. On a hit, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw, or have it's speed reduced to 0, until it or anyone within 5 feet of the target uses its action to remove the pinning ammunition. Once you made this special attack, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.
- When a creature is about to get within 5 feet of you, you can use a reaction to make a ranged weapon attack against that creature with a shortbow you're wielding.
Improvised Melee Arrow Damage
I'd suggest you consider allowing to make the ammunition deal its regular piercing damage, instead of 1d4 bludgeoning damage when its used to make an improvised melee attack. Not only because it makes sense, but the damage will already be low. You can't add Sharpshooter bonus, and you are most likely making the attack using Strength: a little more damage is much more needed help.
Crossbow Expert
Thanks to extensive practice with the crossbow, you gain the following benefits:
- You ignore the loading property of crossbows with which you are proficient.
- Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls.
- When you use the Attack action and attack with a onehanded weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow you are holding.
- When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll with a crossbow that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if it's a 1.
Deadeye
Prerequisite: Dexterity 13 or higher
- Your Dexterity increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Your critical hit range for two-handed ranged weapon attacks expands by 1 (eg, from 20 to 19-20).
Defensive Duelist
Prerequisite: Dexterity 13 or higher
- When you are wielding a finesse weapon with which you are proficient and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.
- When you are wielding a finesse weapon with which you are proficient and another creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the creature.
Dual Wielder
You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits:
- You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand.
- You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren't light.
- You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.
- Once per turn, you can make the attack granted by two weapon fighting as part of the Attack action, instead of using a bonus action.
- When you make an opportunity attack while wielding two separate melee weapons, you can make a second attack with the off hand weapon as part of the same reaction.
Grappler
Prerequisite: Strength 13 or higher
You’ve developed the skills necessary to hold your own in close-quarters grappling. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- When you successfully start a grapple, and on subsequent turns as a bonus action, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to the grappled creature.
- When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can use one of your attacks to try to pin a creature grappled by you. To do so, make another grapple check. If you succeed, the creature is restrained and your speed is 0 until the grapple ends.
- When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to attempt a grapple against the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack.
Haymaker
Prerequisite: Strength or Dexterity 13 or higher
- You have advantage on attack rolls against a creature you are grappling.
- Before you make a unarmed strike that does not already have disadvantage, you can declare you are swinging wild haymakers. You make the attack roll with disadvantage, but on a hit, you deal maximum damage, instead of rolling.
Notes
Originally a feature from the Pugilist class by Benjamin Huffman.
Healer
You are an able physician, allowing you to mend wounds quickly and get your allies back in the fight. You gain the following benefits:
- When you use a healer's kit to stabilize a dying creature, that creature also regains an amount of hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
- You gain proficiency in medicine, and you may use Intelligence instead of Wisdom, when you make a medicine check.
- As an action, you can spend one use of a healer's kit to tend to a creature and restore 1d6 + 4 hit points to it, plus additional hit points equal to the creature's maximum number of Hit Dice. The creature can't regain hit points from this feat again until it finishes a short or long rest.
Heavy Armor Master
Prerequisite: Proficiency with heavy armor
You can use your armor to deflect strikes that would kill others. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency with the smith's tools.
- While you are wearing heavy armor, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage that you take from nonmagical weapons is reduced by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus.
- Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Heavy Build
Your body is specially hard and resilient. You gain the following benefits:
- When you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points, you can add 2 to each die rolled.
- Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to twice your level when you gain this feat. Whenever you gain a level thereafter, your hit point maximum increases by an additional 2 hit points.
Improviser
You have learned to adapt to difficult situations in a split of time, gaining the following benefits:
- You are proficient with improvised weapons.
- You no longer have disadvantage on your melee attack rolls due to being prone.
- You can use your bonus action to spill ball bearings, spread a bag of caltrops, or to splash the content of a flask onto a creature or object within 5 feet of you.
- Once per round while you are prone, when you hit a Large or smaller creature with an unarmed strike or a melee improvised weapon, you can have the target make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (its choice) DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. On a failed save, the creature falls prone.
Keen Mind
You have a mind that can track time, direction, and detail with uncanny precision. You gain the following benefits.
- Increase your Intelligence score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You always know which way is north.
- You always know the number of hours left before the next sunrise or sunset.
- You can accurately recall anything you have seen or heard within the past month.
- If you have levels on a class that grants you the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature, choose one. You can prepare or learn two additional spells from the chosen class's spell lists. The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Ki adept
Prerequisite: Wisdom 13 or higher
You have been trained in the arts of the body and soul, gaining the following benefits:
- You gain 2 ki points (these points are added to any ki points you have from another source). You regain any expended ki points at the end of a short or long rest.
- You learn two ki features among those available to the Monk class.
- You can use a bonus action to spend 1 ki point to concentrate on a foe. For 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were casting a concentration spell), you have advantage on unarmed strikes against that creature.
Light Weapon Master
You mastered wielding weapons with incredible speed, granting the following benefits:
- While holding a light melee weapon that you are proficient with each hand, before you make an attack as part of your Attack action, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you strike with both weapons, dealing the damage of both attacks simultaneously.
- Whenever you make an attack, you can draw a light melee weapon as part of the attack.
- On your turn, when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee weapon attack, your speed is increased by 15 feet until the end of your turn.
Notes
Here is the original post of the feat.
I've added some restrictions to work with the upgraded Dual Wielder feat, mainly to avoid 4 opportunity attacks. I also try to clarify the ambiguity of making an attack with this feat without the Two-Weapon Fighting fighting style.
Mage Slayer
You have practiced techniques useful in melee combat against spellcasters, gaining the following benefits:
- When a creature you see within 5 feet of you starts casting a spell, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature at disadvantage, potentially breaking its concentration.
- When a creature within 10 feet cast a spell, you can use your reaction to move 5 feet towards it, and make a single melee weapon attack against that creature as part of the same reaction.
- When you damage a creature that is concentrating on a spell, that creature has disadvantage on the saving throw it makes to maintain its concentration.
- You have advantage on saving throws against spells cast by creatures within 10 feet of you.
Martial Adept
You have martial training that allows you to perform special combat maneuvers. You gain the following benefits:
- You learn two maneuvers of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype in the fighter class. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice).
- You gain one superiority die, which is a d8 (this die is added to any superiority dice you have from another source). This die is used to fuel your maneuvers. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority die when you finish a short or long rest.
You can select this feat multiple times. Each time you do so, you must choose two different maneuvers.
Medium Armor Master
Prerequisite: Proficiency with medium armor
You have practiced moving in medium armor to gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Wearing medium armor doesn't impose disadvantage on your Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
- When you wear medium armor, you can add 3, rather than 2, to your AC if you have a Dexterity of 16 or higher.
Momentum Master
You've learned to use moments of combat dominance to push your advantage in crucial circumstances. You gain the following benefits:
- When you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, you can forgo using its brutal, cleave or vicious properties, if it has any, and gain 1 point of momentum. Momentum last for 1 minute, and you can have a maximum of momentum points equal to your proficiency bonus.
- Whenever you roll the maximum result possible on the weapon damage dice or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a weapon attack, you gain 1 point of momentum.
- When you hit a weapon attack with a weapon with the brutal, cleave or vicious property, you can spend 1 point of momentum to use the property, even if it's not a critical hit.
Observer
Alert to the hidden traps and secret doors found in many dungeons, you gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- If you can see a creature’s mouth while it is speaking a language you understand, you can interpret what it’s saying by reading its lips.
- You have a +5 bonus to your passive Wisdom (Perception) and passive Intelligence (Investigation) scores.
- Traveling at a fast pace doesn't impose the normal −5 penalty on your passive Wisdom (Perception) score.
Provoker
You know how to get under skin of your enemies with your taunts, gaining the following benefits:
- You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill. If you are already proficient in it, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice between Insight or Performance.
- When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can use a bonus action to goad it into attacking you. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than you or another creature imposing a similar effect, until the start of your next turn. An enemy is immune to this effect if it can't see or hear you or if it can't be frightened. The DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom or Charisma modifier (your choice).
Savage Attacker
-
Once per turn when you roll damage for a melee weapon attack, you can reroll the weapon's damage dice and use either total.
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Whenever you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, you can choose to deal maximum damage on one damage die, instead of rolling it.
Shield Master
Prerequisite: Proficiency with shields
You use shields not just for protection but also for offense. You gain the following benefits while you are wielding a shield:
- While you're wielding a shield, you can use a bonus action to use your shield to make an improvised weapon attack or to try to shove a creature within 5 feet of you.
- If you aren't incapacitated, you can add your shield's AC bonus to any Dexterity saving throw you make against a spell or other harmful effect that targets only you.
- If 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 take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, interposing your shield between yourself and the source of the effect.
- You can use your bonus action to don or to doff a shield.
Skilled
- You gain proficiency in any combination of three skills or tools of your choice.
- You may choose a skill or tool you are already proficient, to gain expertise with it instead.
Skulker
You are expert at slinking through shadows. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You can try to hide when you are lightly obscured from the creature from which you are hiding.
- When you are hidden from a creature and miss it with a ranged weapon attack, making the attack doesn't reveal your position.
- Dim light doesn't impose disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight.
- You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid or resist traps.
- You have resistance to the damage dealt by traps.
Sovereign Soul
Your will and body have become specially protective against magic.
- While you aren't unconscious, you cannot be compelled against your will by spells of a level equal to your proficiency modifier of lower. If you're compelled by magic that is not a spell, you are immune to it if its source has a level or Challenge Rating equal to your proficiency modifier or lower.
- You can attack solid objects of magical force, as the ones created by the Wall of Force or Forcecage spells. If the spell has no statics, the effect has an AC of 10 + the spell's level and a number of hit points equal to 5 times the spell's level.
Notes
Here is the original post. The changes reflect my thoughts on it about balance and style.
Tavern Brawler
Accustomed to rough-and-tumble fighting using whatever weapons happen to be at hand, you gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength or Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You are proficient with improvised weapons.
- When you make an unarmed strike, you can add a d4 to the damage roll.
- When you make an attack with an improvised weapon, you can deal bludgeoning damage equal to ld6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren't wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8.
- When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or an improvised weapon on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple the target.
Final Notes
There are some changes that are tempted to do for clarity's sake. Most of them aren't quite added throught the document because it goes against the specific design of 5e of not using tags, or other videogamey terms, probably to distance the game from Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition.
In case I forgot to remove one of them, and aren't quite specified what it means here are what I feel are the most important ones:
Increase or reduce a die size. We got a glimpse of this term in the Unearthed Arcana Psionic Options from 2020. The idea is simple. You change the die you use to roll something (probably some kind of damage).
When you increase one size you change 1d4 to 1d6, 1d6 to 1d8, 1d8 to 1d10 and 1d10 to 1d12. Increasing a 1d12 size has no effect.
Increase critical hit range. In the same vein, there is a mechanic in the game that is commonly used, but doesn't have a terminology to set rules and boundaries. Increasing a critical range is exclusively used for attack rolls. Every attack scores a critical hit by rolling a 20 on the d20.
When you increase the critical range once, you score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20. If you keep increasing you go from 19-20 to 18-20, and from 18-20 to 17-20. Increasing a 17-20 critical hit range has no effect.
Taunted tag and condition. Again, there are plenty of cases in the game that use an effect that prevents or discourages attacking another character. Most of them have a clause stating how it doesn't work with similar features.
In general, when a character gives disadvantage to any attacks against other creatures than itself, it also excludes other characters that are applying the same effect to the same creature.
Monk as a Skirmisher
There are lots of discussions around how to improve Monks as a class, and a big part of this discussion feel that Monks need more hit points to be able to front line.
I disagree, and my attempt to help the class is to give more ways to reduce incoming damage. I understand that HP are more than just meat-points, but there is a reason rouges have less HP and more ways to avoid being damaged. The features I added might not be enough to achieve this fantasy of an skirmisher that goes in and out of fight unscathed.
Changelog
Version 0.1
Version 0.2
Barbarian
- Added Impossible Grip and Impossible Stand.
- Added critical hit range for higher level Brutal Critical.
Fighter
- Added.
Monk
- Reduced required level to get Unarmored Movement Jump.
- Merged Ki-Empowered Strikes with the Slowing Strike and the Stunning Strike features.
- Added Empty Strike and Superior Strikes options.
- Rearrenged Ki Improvement learning levels.
- Flurry of Blows is now automatically learned, without using the improvement slot.
- Modified some of the options to became more on par with three attacks.
- Added a uses per rest limit, as well as a little utility, to Purity of Body Improvement meditation.
Weapons
- Added.
Feats
- Added a bunch of them, as well as trying to bring some original ones I feel are suboptimal to a more balanced state.
Sildar's Tome of Mundane Heroes
A small set of options that are intended to help martial classes with their struggles in a world filled with unnatural dangers, magical enemies and world-shaking events.
Version 0.2 by /u/BskTurrop
Artist Credits
Cover - Svalbold Ravager by Grafit Studio
Page 1 - Blizzard Brawl by Manuel Castañón
Page 2 - Horizon Seeker by Matt Stewart
Page 3 - Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel by Kekai Kotaki
Page 5 - Meve: Rivian Broadsword by Manuel Castañón
Page 7 - Togashi Ichi by Jorge Matar
Page 8 - Enlightenment by Francisco Miyara
Page 12 - Bare Knuckle Brawler by Daniel Valaisis
Page 14 - Lonely Champion by Maciej Łaszkiewicz
Back - Decoy by Marek Madej
Homebrew created using GMBinder.
