Guerrilla
When the world is in need of a hero, greatness can arise from unexpected hovels. Guerrillas are commonfolk who have accepted the mantle of duty, displaying bravery against adversity. In lieu of formal weapon training, each guerrilla homebrews their own martial techniques, and can tactically adapt their style to the flow of battle.
Guerrillas begin their lives like many others do as average folk in countryside hamlets, mud and brick desert communities, or in the boondocks of the bayous. They work as farmers, potters, smiths, ranchers, miners, gravediggers, weavers, and a whole slew of other mundane professions, never particularly striving for greatness, fame, or wealth. What sets a guerrilla apart from the rest is their determination and stubbornness in the face of difficulty. Guerrillas don't back down when they're told that they can't do something, and instead take it as a challenge.
Only a natural born leader can transform from a peasant-in-need into a guerrilla. When only simple tools are available, quick witted thinking and group cohesion are a guerrilla warrior's repertory. Even when the outlook is grim, a suave guerrilla with a plan can do the impossible.
Victims of Circumstance
Nobody chooses to be a guerrilla. When a village is under attack by a greater power and there are no saviors to be found, a guerrilla emerges out of necessity. Guerrillas, being extremely adaptable, are molded by the conditions of their misadventure. A farmer may become the holy warrior a village needs to fend off waves of rampaging undead, or a baker may discover they have a knack for casting fire spells after being burned by a red dragon. In any event, when you are making your guerrilla character, consider how your battlefield tactics and your choice of subclass reflect your character's backstory.
Underdog Tacticians
In combat, guerrillas eke out every advantage to turn hopeless defeats into victories. Tactics are unique to each guerrilla, but generally, guerrillas are keen on deploying ambushes and utilizing the environment. Scuffles are often fought on the home turf, allowing guerrillas to set traps or defend chokepoints.
Knack for Leadership
Guerrillas find strength in numbers. Successful leaders inspire their fellow commoners to combat, standing against the tide of whatever tyrannical force is to come.
When creating your guerrilla character, talk to your DM and your fellow party members about your role in the party. Guerrillas often act as a de facto party leader, but make sure you don't tread on others' fun by being bossy.
Sling of Giant Slaying
Legends tell of a magic sling that appears in the hands of a fabled guerrilla whose home is threatened by a goliath warlord. The DM can choose to grant this magic sling as a reward. It has the following characteristics.
Sling of Giant Slaying
Sling, legendary (requires attunement by a guerrilla)
You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic sling.
If you use this sling to attack a giant or a goliath, you don't have disadvantage if you are attacking at long range, and the attack deals an extra 8d4 bludgeoning damage on a hit.
The Guerrilla
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Adaptable, Rally |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style, Celerity |
| 3rd | +2 | Guerrilla Evolvement, Tempo |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack |
| 6th | +3 | Guerrilla Evolvement feature |
| 7th | +3 | Intimidating Strikes |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | Quick Action |
| 10th | +4 | Guerrilla Evolvement feature |
| 11th | +4 | Blitz |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Ambush |
| 14th | +5 | Guerrilla Evolvement feature |
| 15th | +5 | Shrewd |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Frenzied Rally |
| 18th | +6 | Awesome Strikes |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Unwavering Leader |
Creating a Guerrilla
To create a guerrilla, consult the following subsections, which give you hit points, proficiencies, and starting equipment. Then look at the Guerrilla table to see which features you get at each level. The descriptions of those features appear in the "Guerrilla Features" section.
Quick Build
You can make a guerrilla quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Strength or Dexterity, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the folk hero background.
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per guerrilla level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per guerrilla level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light armor, shields
- Weapons Simple weapons, nets, improvised weapons
- Tools: Choose one type of artisan's tools or one musical instrument
- Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
- Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Deception, History, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion, Stealth, or Survival
Starting Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- a shortbow and 20 arrows, any two simple melee weapons, or any simple melee weapon and a shield
- a flask of oil and a shovel
- a dungeoneer's pack or an explorer's pack
- leather armor
If you forgo this starting equipment, as well as the items offered by your bacgkround, you start with 3d4 × 10 gp to buy your equipment.
Multiclassing and the Guerrilla
When using the optional rule on multiclassing in the Player's Handbook, here's what you need to know if you choose guerrilla as one of your classes.
Ability Score Minimum. As a multiclass character, you must have at least a Charisma score of 13 and either a Strength or Dexterity score of 13 to take a level in this class, or to take a level in another class if you are already a guerrilla.
Proficiencies Gained. If guerrilla isn't your initial class, here are the proficiencies you gain when you take your first level as a guerrilla: light armor, shields, improvised weapons.
Spell Slots. If you choose the Painted Mage subclass, you add one third of your levels (rounded down) in the guerrilla class to the appropriate levels from other classes to determine your available spell slots.
Guerrilla Features
As a guerrilla, you gain the following class features, which are summarized in the Guerrilla table.
Adaptable
1st-level guerrilla feature
When you finish a long rest, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice. This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest.
Additionally, you can rapidly learn new talents. You can gain proficiency in one weapon, tool, instrument, armor type, or fluency in one language if you spend at least one hour each day for 7 days in a row practicing with another creature that has proficiency in the weapon, tool, instrument, or fluency in the language you wish to learn. Your proficiency or fluency vanishes if 7 days elapse without you practicing in the same manner.
Rally
1st-level guerrilla feature
As an action on your turn, you can choose a number of allies within 60 feet of you that can see or hear you equal to your proficiency bonus. You and those creatures enter a rally. While in a rally, you have the following rally features: Charge, Foray, and Unite. You can activate a rally feature as a bonus action on your turn while you are a part of a rally, and you can also activate one as part of the action you use to start the rally. A creature in the rally must be within 60 feet of you and be able to see or hear you to benefit from a rally feature.
The rally lasts until the end of combat, but it ends early if you become incapacitated or after you activate a number of rally features equal to your proficiency bonus. Once you start a rally, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Charge
When you use this feature during a rally, choose a hostile creature that you can see to target. Each creature in the rally can use their reaction to move up to their speed toward the target if they know its location.
Foray
When you use this feature during a rally, each creature in the rally gains a bonus to the damage roll of the first hit they score on their next turn. The bonus is equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 damage).
Unite
When you use this feature during a rally, choose a hostile creature that you can see to target. Each creature in the rally has advantage on the first attack roll they make against the target on their next turn.
Celerity
2nd-level guerrilla feature
You have naturally quick reflexes. You have advantage on initiative rolls.
Fighting Style
2nd-level guerrilla feature
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.
Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
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.
Interception
When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.
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.
Thrown Weapon Fighting
You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.
In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
Guerrilla Evolvement
3rd-level guerrilla feature
The impetus that caused you to become a guerrilla is realized, and you fully adapt to your conditions. Your past determines the type of guerrilla you are: Avenger, Minuteman, Painted Mage, or Trapper, each of which is detailed at the end of the class's description. Your choice grants you features at 6th level and again at 10th and 14th level.
Tempo
3rd-level guerrilla feature
Before the start of your turn, you can choose to delay your place in the initiative order. When you do so, you decrease your initiative roll by an amount of your choosing.
Ability Score Improvement
4th-level guerrilla feature
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.
Martial Versatility
4th-level guerrilla feature
Whenever you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace a fighting style you know with another fighting style available to guerrillas.
Extra Attack
5th-level guerrilla feature
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Intimidating Strikes
7th-level guerrilla feature
When you hit a creature with an attack, you can choose for the creature to make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. On a failed save, the creature is frightened of you until the start of your next turn. If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, you can't use this feature on that creature again for 24 hours.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest. While you are in a rally, you can use this feature without expending a use and while you have no uses remaining.
Quick Action
9th-level guerrilla feature
When you use your action to Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, Ready, Search, or Use an Object, you can use one of the other options as part of the same action.
You can't ready a weapon attack or a spell when using the Ready action with this ability.
Blitz
11th-level guerrilla feature
On your first turn of combat, your speed is doubled and your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.
Ambush
13th-level guerrilla feature
When you roll for initiative, you and creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you gain a bonus to your initiative rolls. The bonus is equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1).
Additionally, you have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that haven't had a turn in combat.
Shrewd
15th-level guerrilla feature
Non-skill proficiencies and languages you gain from your Adaptable feature are permanent.
Frenzied Rally
17th-level guerrilla feature
There is no limit to the amount of times you can use a rally feature during a rally. Your rally no longer ends early if you become incapacitated.
Additionally, the extra damage granted by the Foray rally feature now equals 2 × your Charisma modifier (minimum of 2 damage).
Awesome Strikes
18th-level guerrilla feature
When a creature makes a saving throw against your Intimidating Strikes feature for the first time in a 24 hour period, they have a -10 penalty to their saving throw.
Unwavering Leader
20th-level guerrilla feature
You have unlimited uses of your Rally feature.
Guerrilla Evolvements
Here are the evolvement options you can choose from at 3rd level.
Avenger
Avengers seek a higher power to guide their hand. In a moment of need, a religious fury awakens inside of them, and they wield a spark of the divine. Avengers enact righteous justice on wrongdoers who have threatened the balance of good and evil.
Variant Avenger: Reaper
If you had a religious awakening involving an evil celestial or with a god of the death domain, you may choose to play a Reaper, a variant of the Avenger. Reapers are consumed by the urge to slay the living, with the intent of ferrying souls to the afterlife, or providing corpses for the necromantic arts. If you choose to play as a Reaper, you have the same features as the Avenger, except you deal necrotic damage instead of radiant damage with your Retribution and Zealous Rumble features.
Scythe. Scythes are simple weapons. They deal 1d6 slashing damage and have the Reach and Two-Handed properties. Scythes weigh 5 pounds and cost 3 gp.
Extra Rally Features
3rd-level Avenger feature
You have the following rally features to use with your Rally: Bolster and Endure.
Bolster
When you use this feature during a rally, each creature in the rally gains a number of temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 temporary hit point) for the duration of the rally.
Endure
When you use this feature during a rally, each creature in the rally can reattempt one saving throw against an effect that is causing them to be charmed or frightened.
Retribution
3rd-level Avenger feature
Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to a creature when you hit it with an attack if you saw that creature deal damage to you or an ally since the end of your last turn.
Zealous Strikes
6th-level Avenger feature
Your weapon attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Uplift the Needy
10th-level Avenger feature
When a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you fails a saving throw, you can use your reaction to grant that creature the ability to reroll their saving throw, potentially turning the failure into a success.
Once you change a failure into a success using this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Zealous Rumble
14th-level Avenger feature
Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to a creature when you hit it with an attack while you are in a rally. Radiant damage you deal ignores resistance.
Minuteman
Willing to meet the throes of battle at a moment's notice, Minutemen heed the call to action from their lords, country, or crown. In places where the military is stretched thin, coffers are empty, and invaders are on the doorstep, Minutemen bear the onus of war.
Extra Rally Features
3rd-level Minuteman feature
You have the following rally features to use with your Rally: Mobilize and Prepare.
Mobilize
When you use this feature during a rally, each creature in the rally can use their reaction to stand up if they are prone and then move up to half their speed.
Prepare
When you use this feature during a rally, each creature in the rally can don or doff a shield, draw a weapon, and stow a weapon.
Rustic Champion
3rd-level Minuteman feature
Simple and improvised weapons you wield gain the finesse property and deal 1d6 damage if they would deal less damage otherwise.
Ramshackle Combat
3rd-level Minuteman feature
When you roll for damage with a simple or improvised weapon and you roll the highest number on weapon's damage die, you may reroll the damage die and add the result to the total damage. You can use this feature up to 3 times per turn.
Moment's Notice
6th-level Minuteman feature
You are immune to being surprised. You can don or doff light armor as an action, and you can draw a weapon as part of the attack you make with that weapon.
Strength in Numbers
10th-level Minuteman feature
Your rallying party fights as one. Creatures in your rally have a +1 bonus to saving throws for each other creature in your rally within 10 feet of them, and they have half cover while within 5 feet of another creature in your rally.
Ambush Master
14th-level Minuteman feature
When you score a hit against a creature that hasn't had a turn in combat, the hit is a critical hit if the weapon is a simple or improvised weapon. If the creature is also surprised, you can reroll the weapon's damage dice and decide which result to use.
Painted Mage
A Painted Mage is a commoner transformed by magic. Raw elemental energy intertwines with the body, blood, and soul of the vessel. Painted Mages can be created by being exposed to the breath weapon of a dragon, handling a relic from another plane of existence, or having a partially realized sorcerous heritage.
Extra Rally Features
3rd-level Painted Mage feature
You have the following rally features to use with your Rally: Concentrate and Sculpt.
Concentrate
When you use this feature during a rally, each creature in the rally has advantage on Constitution saving throws made to maintain concentration on a spell until the start of your next turn.
Sculpt
When you use this feature during a rally, each creature in the rally has immunity to damage you deal with spells this turn.
Palette
3rd-level Painted Mage feature
When you gain this feature, choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lighting, poison, or thunder.
When you cast a spell you learned from this class with a spell slot that deals damage, the damage type is changed to the damage type you chose when you gained this feature.
Spellcasting
3rd-level Painted Mage feature
You gain the ability to cast spells.
Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the sorcerer spell list. You learn an additional sorcerer cantrip of your choice at 10th level.
Spell Slots. The Painted Mage spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your sorcerer spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a spell slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher. You know two 1st-level sorcerer spells of your choice.
The Spells Known column of the Painted Mage Spellcasting table shows when you learn more sorcerer spells of 1st level or higher.
Painted Mage Spellcasting
| Guerrilla Level | Cantrips Known | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 4th | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 5th | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 6th | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 7th | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 8th | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 9th | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 11th | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 14th | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 15th | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 17th | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 18th | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 19th | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 20th | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the sorcerer spells you know with another spell of your choice from the sorcerer spell list.
Spellcasting Ability. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your sorcerer spells. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modiffier when setting the saving throw DC for a sorcerer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Living Spell
6th-level Painted Mage feature
Your being is contaminated with raw magic. You are now a construct in addition to your other creature types. You have an aura of evocation magic, which is noticeable with spells and effects like detect magic.
Additionally, you gain the ability to see auras like your own. You can see a faint aura around any visible creature or object within 30 feet of you that bears evocation magic.
Dyed Blood
10th-level Painted Mage feature
You gain resistance to the damage type you chose for your Palette feature. If you already have resistance to that damage type, you can choose another damage type from among the options in the Palette feature, and gain resistance to that damage type instead.
Portrait of the Self
14th-level Painted Mage feature
Magic engulfs your entire being. Your body becomes a well of magic, making it so you can cast sorcerer spells of 4th-level and lower without having to provide any material components, even costly ones.
Additionally, spells and effects that only work on a specific creature type, such as hold person, no longer effect you unless you willingly allow the spell or effect to work on you or the spell or effect specifically works on constructs.
Trapper
Trappers are devious experts at plotting ruses. They aim to end a fight before it comes to clashing weapons. Kobolds and other monstrous races are particularly drawn to becoming Trappers, using their expertise to defend their subterranean homes from prying adventurers.
This subclass utilizes the rules for setting traps as described under the description of thieves' tools on page 84 of Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
Extra Rally Features
3rd-level Trapper feature
You have the following rally features to use with your Rally: Footing and Scuffle.
Footing
When you use this feature during a rally, each creature in the rally has advantage on Dexterity saving throws until the start of your next turn.
Scuffle
When you use this feature during a rally, each creature in the rally can use their reaction to grapple or shove a creature.
Deploy Hazards
3rd-level Trapper feature
When you take the attack action on your turn, you can spread a bag of ball bearings or caltrops in place of one of your attacks.
Jury-Rigging
3rd-level Trapper feature
You gain proficiency with thieves' tools. You have advantage on ability checks made to set the DC of traps, and the time it takes you to create a trap is reduced to 10 minutes.
Trap Sensibility
6th-level Trapper feature
You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to detect traps, and you have advantage on ability checks made to disable traps.
Additionally, you don't set off your own traps unless you choose to do so, and you automatically succeed on Dexterity saving throws against ball bearings and caltrops.
Superior Traps
10th-level Trapper feature
The damage dealt by your traps are doubled, and other creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to spot them.
Snared Prey
14th-level Trapper feature
You have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that are grappled, and other creatures have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that you have grappled.
Design Credit
- Created by Ogskive
Artwork Credit
- Watercolor stains by flamableconcrete
- Cover by luc de haan
- Scythe by Silhouette Pics
- Flourish by Storyblocks
- Mob by Oleksandr Kozachenko
- Bee by Inna Sinano
- Rope by AdobeStock
- Hook by Big_Ryan
- Leaves by ClipArtMax
- Avenger by Sergey Gurskiy
- Painted Mage by Fransisco Miyara
- Traps by Scott Altmann
- Back cover by iLikeWallpaper
Special Thanks
- Thanks to all of my friends for their insights and their help playtesting
- Thanks to the brewers on the Discord of Many Things and the UnearthedArcana subreddit who helped with balancing
- Thanks to u/flamableconcrete, who singlehandedly makes all of my homebrew look amazing
Changelog
- Edit 1
- Added a restriction to the Ready action for the Quick Action feature.
- Edit 2
- Rally now takes an action to activate.
Dare to Lead
When your village is threatened by marauding invaders, will you accept the mantle of duty? When the dust settles and there are no heroes, will you be there to pick up the pieces?
With the guerrilla class in your arsenal, you'll be prepared to face the foes on your doorstep. Adapt to your circumstances, stretch your tactical muscles, and lead your party to victory with this brand new class.
Don't be haunted by the past. Evolve, overcome, and triumph.
For use with the fifth edition Player's Handbook and Xanathar's Guide to Everything