Artificer: Refractor

The Refractor is an artificer that specialises in deflecting and redirecting attacks using a special type of shield called a Refraction Shield. This shield does so by changing the configuration of its various glass panes. While any blacksmith can create armour and shields to protect against conventional weapons, a Refractor combines the best of both defence and offensive, making them highly flexible in battle.

Shield Warrior

3rd-level Path of the Bulwark feature

As a warrior of the shield, your best offense is a sturdy defense. You can use a shield that you are wielding as a weapon; it counts as both a shield and a martial melee weapon for you that has the Thrown (30/90 ft.) and Versatile properties. On a hit, you deal 1d8 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage, or 1d10 if held or thrown in two hands. If you hit with a ranged attack using a shield, it immediately returns to you whether you hit or miss. You add your Rage Damage bonus when you hit with a shield regardless of whether you make a melee or ranged attack with it.

While raging, you gain the following benefits with the shield.

Aggressive Shove. You can use the Shove action as a bonus action while wielding a shield in both hands. If you use the Shove action and succeed on the contested check, you can choose to push the target back a number of feet equal to your Strength score. If the target hits another creature or object of the same size or larger, the target falls prone.

Swinging Bash. When you are wielding both a shield and a melee weapon, you can use a bonus action to make a weapon attack with the shield. When you do so, the damage die for this attack is a 1d4.

Shield Guardian

6th-level Path of the Bulwark feature

You use a shield in unorthodox ways to protect you and your allies, gaining the following benefits:

    Shield Boomerang. When a creature you can see within the shield’s normal range is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to give the creature a bonus to its AC equal to your shield’s AC, provided you are holding the shield in both hands. The shield then immediately returns to you.

Projectile Crash. When a creature you can see hits you with a ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. If you reduce the damage to 0, you can deal any remaining damage to the attacker as you bounce the projectile back at it.

Compelling Defense

10th-level Path of the Bulwark feature

You make it hard for others to attack your allies. When you hit a target with a shield, you can give it disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you until the start of your next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Charging Juggernaut

14th-level Path of the Bulwark feature

You barrel your way through hordes of enemies. As an action, you can move up to your movement speed in a straight line without provoking opportunity attacks and make one melee weapon attack with your shield at each creature in the line’s area. If you are raging, you can also make this attack at each creature within 5 feet of the line’s area and you also add a +2 bonus to your damage roll on a hit.

A creature hit by this attack is pushed 5 feet away from you. Additionally, a creature in the line’s area must also succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or fall prone.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Knightly Training

3rd-level College of Chivalry feature

You embody the values of a knight. You gain proficiency with medium armour, shields, and martial weapons.

In addition, you have advantage on saving throws to avoid or end the frightened condition on yourself, as do creatures that hold one of your Bardic Inspiration dice. At 6th level in this class, when you use your Countercharm feature, you and creatures holding your Bardic Inspiration dice become immune to the frightened condition for the duration of the performance or until the Bardic Inspiration die is used. A creature already frightened when you start the performance has the effect suspended.

Gallant Inspiration

3rd-level College of Chivalry feature

Your words bolster one’s courage and drive them to act. You can expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to give a creature a special Bardic Inspiration die, which lasts until the end of your next short or long rest. When a creature holding this special Bardic Inspiration die makes an initiative roll, it can roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to the d20. The creature can also add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes in that first round of combat.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Rallying Call

6th-level College of Chivalry feature

You let out a loud cry to rouse your allies. As an action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and choose a number of willing creatures that can hear you within 60 feet of you up to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once creature). You then choose any number of hostile creatures within 60 feet of you that can see or hear you and force them to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC.

You roll the Bardic Inspiration die. A willing creature can now use its reaction to move up to its speed and make one weapon attack, dealing extra damage equal to the number rolled on a hit. A hostile creature that failed its saving throw has its AC reduced by the number rolled until the end of your current turn. A hostile creature that is immune to being charmed automatically succeeds on its saving throw.

Word of Honour

14th-level College of Chivalry feature

You instil into others the value of fairness in combat. While a creature is holding one of your Bardic Inspiration dice, attack rolls and contested ability checks that would have advantage against it have the advantage nullified.

Protection Deities

Domain Spells

1st-level Protection Domain feature

You gain domain spells at the cleric levels listed in the Protection Domain Spells table. See the Divine Domain class feature for how domain spells work.

Bonus Proficiency

1st-level Protection Domain feature

You gain proficiency with heavy armour.

Fighting Style

1st-level Protection Domain feature

You adopt a 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 something in the game lets you choose again.

Defense. While you are wearing armour, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

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.

Circle Spells

2nd-level Circle of Golemancy feature

Your studies into the creation of golems has granted you access to some spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Circle of Golemancy Spells table.

Once you gain access to one of these spells, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.

Golem Creation

2nd-level Circle of Golemancy feature

Using your own life energy, you can transmute material to create a living golem. As an action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape to summon the golem, rather than transforming into a Beast form.

The golem appears in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you. When you summon the golem, you reduce any number of hit points you have remaining (minimum of 1 hit point), and the golem appears with 5 + the same amount of hit points. The summoning fails if you don’t expend any hit points.

The golem is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. See this creature's game statistics in the Transmuted Golem stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. You must also choose a material: Crystal, Earth, or Ice. The chosen material determines certain traits in its stat block.

In combat, the golem shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the golem can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

During your turn, you can reduce any number of hit points you have remaining and the golem gains the same amount (no action required). The golem lasts for 1 hour, until it is reduced to 0 hit points, until you use this feature to summon the golem again, or until you die.

Fighter: Stalwart

When an army needs to hold a position, one turns to the Stalwart to hold the front line. This fighter acts as an immovable barrier that can stop hordes of enemies at a well placed chokepoint. When entrenched, the Stalwart can be practically invulnerable. As the first line of defence, the Stalwart is also able to protect nearby allies by putting its whole body on the line.

Metalbending Armour

3rd-level Way of the Metalbender feature

You possess unique masteries with the element of metal. You gain proficiency in heavy armour and shields. You also learn the mending cantrip, which uses Wisdom as your spellcasting modifier.

While you’re wearing nonmagical heavy armour, you can use an action to channel your ki and turn it into Metalbending Armour, gaining the following benefits:

• If the armour normally has a Strength requirement, it lacks this requirement for you. Additionally, you can use your Martial Arts feature while wearing your Metalbending Armour.
• The armour can’t be removed against your will.
• You can doff or don this armour as an action. When you do, you can use Flurry of Blows on the same turn as a bonus action.
• The armour continues to be Metalbending Armour until you channel your ki into another suit of heavy armour or until you die.

Metalbending Techniques

3rd-level Way of the Metalbender feature

You use your Metalbending Armour as a weapon, deftly switching between armoured and unarmoured styles of fighting. While wearing this armour, you can use the following techniques shown below.

Each technique uses a piece of your Metalbending Armour, which decreases its AC by 1 for each piece used. When the armour’s AC reaches 10, you are no longer wearing the armour and considered unarmoured.

If your armour is missing any pieces as a result of using these techniques, you can cast mending on the largest intact piece. The armour will reassemble itself at the end of the spell’s casting and reconstruct any missing or destroyed pieces, bringing the AC back to its full amount.

Armour Burst. As an action, you can violently expel any number of remaining armour pieces in a 10-foot radius circle centred on yourself. You can also substitute a nonmagical metal shield in place of a piece of armour. Each creature of your choice inside the area must make a Dexterity saving throw against your ki save DC. On a failed save, the creature takes damage and is restrained for 1 minute (as if you were concentrating on a spell). On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t restrained. The damage roll for this technique is a number of Martial Arts dice equal to the number of armour pieces you expend, which is piercing damage. Also, a creature restrained in this way can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Paladin: Oath of Martyrdom

Paladins that take the Oath of Martyrdom lay down their bodies for the safety and wellbeing of others. Their own bodies are merely tools to protect those that need protecting and to fall in the defence of another worthy life is the most honourable and righteous act that a paladin of this oath can do.

Arbalest Proficiency

3rd-level Heavy Arbalest feature

You gain proficiency in heavy armour and smith’s tools.

In addition, you have adapted to hunt and fight using a unique crossbow known as an arbalest, which you can create by spending 10 minutes modifying a heavy crossbow using smith’s tools (which can be done during a short rest). It uses the properties and damage dice of the heavy crossbow, though you ignore the loading property, and it is a weapon you are proficient in. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack from the arbalest, you can deal bonus damage equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of one damage). Your attacks with this weapon also aren’t adversely affected as a result of strong winds (such as from the wind wall spell).

Arbalest Synergy

3rd-level Heavy Arbalest feature

Your preference toward this unique weapon of choice allows you to learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class if you don't already know them, as shown in the Arbalest Synergy Spells table. These spells don't count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Arbalest Loadout

3rd-level Heavy Arbalest feature

You customise the loadout of your arbalest in various ways. These loadouts are represented by your Arbalest dice, which are each d6. You have a number of these dice equal to twice your proficiency bonus, and they fuel these loadouts, which are detailed below.

Your loadouts expend the Arbalest die they use, as specified in their description, and you can't use one when your dice are all expended. You regain all your expended Arbalest dice when you finish a short or long rest. In addition, as a bonus action, you can regain one expended Arbalest die, but you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

You can only use one loadout on each of your turns. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, you can replace one of them to use an extra loadout on the same target.

Additionally, some of your loadouts require your target to make a saving throw to resist its effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Heavy Training

3rd-level Marauder feature

You gain proficiency in medium armour and two martial melee weapons of your choice. You can use the chosen weapons to deal Sneak Attack damage, even if they lack the Finesse property, as long as you meet the other requirements for the Sneak Attack.

Dirty Fighting

3rd-level Marauder feature

You’re not above using crude tactics to gain the upper hand. You can attempt to grapple a target as a bonus action.

You also gain an additional way to use your Sneak Attack; you don’t need advantage on your attack roll to use Sneak Attack against a creature if you are grappling it, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll. All the other rules for Sneak Attack still apply to you.

Butchering Blow

3rd-level Marauder feature

You savagely tear into your quarry when you get the jump on them. When you roll for Sneak Attack damage, you can choose to reroll a number of Sneak Attack dice up to your Strength modifier (minimum of one die), and you must use the new rolls.

Sneaky Savage

9th-level Marauder feature

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You move silently even when wearing bulkier equipment. If armour you’re wearing normally imposes disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, it no longer does for you.

Additionally, if you are hidden from a creature and attempt to grapple it, you can do so with advantage.

Body Shield

13th-level Marauder feature

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You don’t hesitate to put others in the line of fire to survive. When an attacker you can see hits you with an attack while you’re grappling a creature, you can use your reaction to take half the damage from the attack and make the grappled creature take the other half.

Deadly Grip

17th-level Marauder feature

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A person doesn’t leave your grasp until they're dead. When you hit a creature you’re grappling, you can make that attack a critical hit. You must finish a long rest before you can attack in this way again.

Additionally, your attack rolls against a grappled creature can’t be affected by disadvantage.

Warlock: Ancient Construct

You have made a pact with an ancient being that has served as a bedrock for the planes as you know them today. The entity may be a fallen god from the Astral Sea, looking for a way to return to life. They might be beings of pure primordial creation, such as the Greek Titans. Alternatively, this being may act as both definition and ruler of such a realm, by which without them the realm would cease to exist. Such examples can include Gaia, Hades, and Primus.

The sheer scale of your patron makes them almost machine-like in how it conducts itself. They may assign you directives or commands, and more often than not possess an inflexible, binary perspective. You must be aware of adopting such perceptions, lest you lose your sense of subjectivity.

Combat Trained

2nd-level Combat Magic feature

You are trained to fight toe-to-toe in close quarters. You gain proficiency in light armour, medium armour, and shields, and you can use armour you’re proficient in as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells. Also, whenever you make a Strength (Athletics) check, you can add a bonus to the check equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).

In addition, you add the shield spell to your spellbook if you haven’t already. You always have this spell prepared and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

Tactical Wit

2nd-level Combat Magic feature

Your keen ability to assess the battlefield allows you to act quickly in combat. You can give yourself a bonus to your initiative rolls equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).

Battlecasting

6th-level Combat Magic feature

You excel in fighting in close quarters using magic. Whenever you deal damage to a target within your reach using a spell, you can deal an extra 1d8 damage to the target that is of the spell's damage type. Also, making a ranged spell attack roll against a target within 5 feet of you doesn't impose disadvantage on the roll.

In addition, whenever you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you can use a bonus action to gain temporary hit points equal to twice the spell slot's level. This lasts until the start of your next turn.

Supercharged Shield

10th-level Combat Magic feature

You are adept in protecting yourself in the heat of battle. If an attack misses you while you are under the effect of the shield spell, the attacker takes force damage equal to half your wizard level, as the spell reflects the energy of the attack back at the attacker.

In addition, you can cast the shield spell without expending a spell slot a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.