Watchman
A Watchman is one who excels at maintaining the hand of justice in a morally dubious world. Experts at walking into the muck that is society, Watchmen seek only to help others, most notably through keeping the peace.
Many Watchmen are city folk, living in the urban jungles of the great cities. However, not all Watchmen are "Coppers". Some are bounty hunters who track down wanted criminals, while others might work for a religious organization hunting down cultists and fiends. Regardless of the type of justice they serve, all Watchmen share an unparalleled ability to find and bring their foe to justice.
Watchman Features
| Fighter Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3 | Watchman's Lore, In Pursuit |
| 5 | Stat Increase |
| 7 | Watchman's Senses, Arresting Tackle |
| 8 | Stat Increase |
| 10 | Watchman's Beat, Serving A Warrant |
| 12 | Stat Increase |
| 15 | Intercepting Blow |
| 18 | Watchman's Endurance |
| 20 | Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? |
Watchman's Lore
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, pick two of the following skills: Persuasion, Investigation, Perception, Stealth, Intimidation and Survival. You gain proficiency in those skills if you are not already proficient in them. If you are already proficient in any of the chosen skills, you instead can add twice your proficiency modifier to any checks made with those skills.
In Pursuit (Archetype Ability)
Beginning at 3rd level, using a bonus action, you can designate a creature you can see within 60 feet of you as your Pursuit target. For the next hour, you deal an extra 1d4 damage to your target whenever you hit it with a weapon attack, and you have advantage on any Intelligence (Investigation), Wisdom (Perception), or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to find or track it. Once three hours has passed, you can expend another use of this feature to extend the effects for another hour.
You can only have one creature designated as your Pursuit target at any given time.
You have 3 uses of this ability, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Watchman's Senses
Beginning at 7th level, using a combination of visual clues, sounds, and smells, you are able to determine if the Pursuit Target is nearby. By spending 1 uninterrupted minute in concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell), you can glean an idea if your Pursuit Target is within one mile of you, as well as a rough estimate of their direction.
You can use this ability a number of times equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
DM Improvisation
Sometimes, a DM may be improvising some or all aspects of an adventure. In these cases, when you use your Watchman's Senses, the DM will provide you the information to the best of their current knowledge. However, that information may change as the DM continues to improvise some or all aspects of the adventure.
Arresting Tackle
At 7th Level, you gain the ability to grapple as a reaction to an enemy fleeing combat. Roll with advantage on the necessary strength roll.
Additionally, you gain the Grappler Feat
Watchman's Beat
At 10th level, when in Urban Territory, gain +5ft movement speed per turn.
Serving a Warrant
At 10th level, roll strength checks with advantage on door breaking actions.
Intercepting Blow
At 15th level, when a creature within 20ft is successfully attacked, roll a 1d20. See the table below for the effects.
| Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| 0-5 | You fail to disengage from your current activity in time to stop the attack |
| 6-10 | You throw yourself in between the clashing steel, taking the full brunt of the impact. Take the targets intended damage, and position yourself within 5ft of them. |
| 11-15 | As the blade comes down on the ally, you barge them out of the way, and the brunt of the attack falls on your armour. Your ally moves 5ft forwards in your direction of travel. Take 1/2 of the damage of the incoming attack |
| 16-20 | Barging your colleague out of the way, you perfectly parry the attack, negating damage to either target. Your ally moves 5ft forward in your direction of channel. |
You may not use this ability if: Stunned, Unconscious, Restrained, Petrified, Paralysed, Grappled (or Grappling), Incapacitated or Blinded. Using Intercepting Blow will break the concentration used in any spellcasting.
Watchman's Endurance
At 18th Level, you have become accustomed to "The Chase". Whilst in Pursuit, you may ignore difficult terrain negators, and climbing no longer costs extra movement. Furthermore, an additional 10ft is added to your movement speed during Pursuit.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
At 20th level, through years of adversity, an inner "protector" has formed inside your mind. You become immune to being charmed and frightened as your mental fortitude resolves.
Criminal Anxiety
By 20th level, your reputation has spread from your beat to the many underworlds of the world. Criminals of all kinds tremble beneath your gaze. Three times per long rest, pick a target in your field of view (within 60 foot). The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. Attack rolls against the frightened creature have advantage.
Watchman Specialties
Many Watchmen hunt criminals and gangsters through the dark streets of a city, but not all. This table presents other types of creatures your Watchman might hunt.
| d6 | Watchman Specialty |
|---|---|
| 1 | You live on the frontier, keeping civilized folk safe from the monsters of the deep wood. |
| 2 | You track criminals, in the bricks and cobblestone of the big city. |
| 3 | You hunt down heretics, cultists, fiends, and any other affront to the religious organization that employs you. |
| 4 | You hunt down horrors and aberrations like illithids. You make sure civilized folk keep their sanity. |
| 5 | You specialise in hunting down spies, preventing espionage at all costs |
| 6 | You keep the upper class in check, ensuring no crime goes unpunished. |
Watchman Ideals
A lifetime of servitude to your city has resulted in certain... traits. This table provides suggests potential character traits.
| d6 | Character Ideals |
|---|---|
| 1 | You will gladly lay your life down in servitude to the law |
| 2 | The Law comes before anything, even if the law is obviously wrong |
| 3 | I take a more pragmatic approach to the law; sometimes you cannot avoid breaking the law |
| 4 | I will stop at nothing to track down the man I'm after; anything that gets in my way is acceptable collateral damage |
| 5 | I have little time for the Judiciary System. I am the judge, jury and executioner of my targets |
| 6 | I would gladly give my life protecting those who cannot protect themselves |
Credits
- Watchman - fighter Archetype by Colgate
- Watchman art - by EMART
- City Watch image by Paul Kidby
