Class Options for the Discerning

Adventurer

To include the "Way of the Unmastered" for the Monk, "Oath of the People" for the
Paladin, "Enforcer" for the Rogue, and "School of Battle" for the Wizard, as well as
a host of Warlock Invocations and Fighting Styles for martial classes

Presented by Pixel and the Pen

Monk - Way of the One Strike, One Kill
Starting at 17th level, when you successfully hit with a
Unmastered monk weapon during an Attack action, you may spend 3 ki
"Unmastered" is technically a misnomer; what matters for points to do an additional 5d10 damage. If this damage
an unmastered monk is not that they are unschooled, but reduces the target to 0 hit points, you may make an extra
that they act according to their own code rather than attack this turn as part of your Attack action.
pledging themselves to a school, a lord, or a code of honor.
These monks often end up itinerant problem-solvers,
becoming the stuff of legend due to their combination of
peerless skill and uncompromising ideals. (That's not to
say that those ideals are always good, mind you; many
choose to act solely for themselves.)
An unmastered monk may have a personal or cultural
name for the path she follows, such as a drifter or a ronin.
Some monasteries have their own names for those who
choose to become outcasts in this manner as well.

Tread Down the Sword FAQ/Hooks/Who Does This Serve?

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you The Way of the Unmastered is an excellent fit for
gain proficiency with two additional one-handed or characters who want to evoke the classic tropes
versatile weapons of your choice, and can use these of samurai or Western movies, wandering the
weapons with your Martial Arts class feature. In addition, world and solving problems through simple
when you successfully hit a creature with a monk weapon wisdom and one or two weapons of choice.
(but not an unarmed strike), you can spend 1 ki point to The increase in available weapon options
impose one of the following effects: primarily provides an early-game damage boost,
and some new options aesthetically. It also opens
It must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be up some ranged weaponry for the Martial Arts
disarmed. class feature. If a setting contains firearms, the
It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or Unmastered monk makes an ideal gun-user
receive disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls among monks. (This does blunt the monk's
for two rounds. melee damage powerhouse status, but also
makes the monk a very strong mid-range
It must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be
combatant.)
subject to the effects of a hunter's mark spell for 5 If you're having difficulty finding story hooks
rounds, on which you do not need to concentrate. for the party's Unmastered monk, consider some
of the following:
Waiting for the Initiative
At 6th level, you can seize the initiative from the enemy on a A "problem" the wanderer thought solved in
failed strike. When an enemy's attack misses, you may another town has come back seeking
vengeance.
spend 1 ki point as a reaction to make an attack with a
The monk's school takes poorly to those who
monk weapon. If you took the Dodge action this turn, you leave, and wants to protect its secret
may instead use your reaction to make an attack with a techniques... or simply punish his
monk weapon under these circumstances at no cost. transgression.
An unmastered monk of a very old race, such
No Master, No Name as an elf, may have an old, messy life full of
old, messy activities.
Beginning at 11th level, you can't be unwillingly recognized The wanderer's exploits may have attracted a
unless a creature uses its action to inspect your appearance fan! How does this drifter handle an injection
in detail. The creature must succeed on an Intelligence of energy and enthusiasm into her life?
(Investigation) check against your ki save DC. You can
spend a ki point to increase the difficulty of this check by 5 These are far from the only hooks, of course,
as a reaction to the check. but can provide a starting point for a DM who's
In addition, you can't be the subject of divination spells stumped by the ethereal wanderer, or a player
and can't be perceived by magical sensors unless the caster who isn't sure how to take the concept in an
has a piece of your body or a highly personal possession, interesting direction.
such as a piece of well-worn jewelry or a childhood
treasure. These items no longer modify your saving throw
against these effects, but are instead necessary to cast the
spell successfully at all.
Paladin - Oath of the Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following
People two Channel Divinity options.
Paladins who pursue the Oath of the People focus their Heal the Sick. You can perform minor miracles, healing
efforts on uplifting the common folk. While almost every infirmities brought on by poverty or dishonorable acts. As a
paladin is encouraged to hold the people in their heart, bonus action, each creature of your choice that can hear
these seek to break the chains of systemic injustices like you within 30 feet of you is cured of any diseases or
poverty, racial tension, and oppression. poisons currently affecting it, up to a maximum of your
Depending on who they were before they felt their Charisma modifier.
calling, these efforts may cost them much. These paladins Reveal the Darkness. As an action, you can reveal
usually work alone, rather than becoming part of an order; hidden things with your Channel Divinity. Within 60 feet of
their callings are personal ones. you, invisible creatures become visible, secret passages
Such paladins often eschew the glory that other heroes open, and creatures using Dexterity (Stealth) checks to
of justice accrue, choosing to focus their efforts on stopping hide are revealed. This effect affects the area around you
plagues or housing the homeless. The power to set the for 1 minute.
world to rights is a gift that should be shared, or so they
think. Just as often, however, they end up blade-to-blade Aura of Protection
with those who cause, or allow, the intolerable conditions Starting at 7th level, creatures within 30 feet of you that
that let these conditions come to be. you choose, excluding you, have resistance to damage from
When they do act, they almost invariably draw attention area-of-effect spells, attacks, and other damaging affects
to themselves in a big way, taking the brunt of aggression. which target more than one creature, such as a dragon's
In the right circumstances, these paladins can become breath or a fireball.
revolutionary leaders and folk heroes, toppling a truly vile
current regime for the sake of its poorest citizens.
Unbreakable Will
Tenets of the People Starting at 15th level, you have advantage on saving throws
to avoid becoming charmed or frightened.
Though the particulars often vary, the general sense of the
Oath of the People goes as follows:
Protect the Innocent. Above all else, do not let those
Champion of the People
who have done no wrong come to harm. At 20th level, your presence on the battlefield is inspiring to
Uplift the Downtrodden. Those who have nothing, or all those who fight for justice. You can use your action to
who face great obstacles in their lives, are the ones most in gain the following benefits for 1 hour:
need of help. Those who have little choice but to commit
You have advantage on saving throws against spells.
wrongs to survive are worthy of your protection.
You have advantage on Constitution saving throws, as
Punish the Corrupt. Your quest should point you, first
do your allies within 30 feet of you.
and foremost, at those who create undue hardships for
You can use a bonus action on each of your turns to
others, or who take unduly.
allow an ally within 30 feet of you to take the Attack or
Live Righteously. Adhere to the same standards you
Dash action immediately.
would expect of others. While you are not obligated to
poverty, do not take more than your fair share. Share what
you do have to the extent that you can. Adhere to the
standards of kindness, mercy, compassion, and bravery.
Speak Truth to Power. While you are not absolutely FAQ/Hooks/Who Does This Serve?
obligated to honesty at all times, you should be unafraid to The Oath of the People is for paladins who want
lay the world plain and make criticism of those who would to be both upright and keenly personal, in a way
hurt others for their own gain. that the Devotion paladin is not necessarily.
The paladin who has sworn an oath to the
people copes better with intrigue and dastardly
Oath Spells tactics than another paladin might, albeit by
Level Spells exposing them or bypassing them rather than by
partaking of them, necessarily.
3rd heroism, create or destroy water Thanks to its spell selection, it also performs
5th branding smite, enthrall well in the interaction and exploration spheres,
doing a serviceable job of dealing with basic
9th create food and water, beacon of hope problems like food and water.
13th freedom of movement, guardian of faith
17th geas, passwall
Rogue - Enforcer FAQ/Hooks/Who Does This Serve?
Enforcers form the support structure for thieves, assassins,
The Enforcer focuses on a mechanical-ecological
and other shady characters. More physically-inclined than a
niche as much as it does an aesthetic one; it
typical rogue, these brutes eschew charisma and grace in offers a broader range of ambush-damage
favor of underhanded maneuvers and heavy weaponry. concepts to the rogue. If you've ever wanted to
Many become pirates or brigands, taking what they desire open up a fight by rabbit-punching someone in
by force rather than finesse. the back of the head, the Enforcer is a great place
Most enforcers find the knives and hand crossbows so to look.
beloved of their smaller counterparts to be distasteful at Its focus on opportunity attacks enables it to
best, and outright absurd for combat at worst. Such a rogue ruin the day of someone who wants to run up to
would sooner use a dagger to pick his teeth than solve his a ranger, sneakthief, or ranged fighter, since in
problems. principle they have to get past the Enforcer first.
Aesthetically, meanwhile, it makes a good
place to put the "muscle" of a team of thieves,
Bonus Proficiencies especially if that muscle is comfortable in
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain another aspect of thievery as well, such as talking
proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial or picking locks.]
weapons. Though it's framed primarily as a member of
an organized crime syndicate, don't let that limit
your imagination. The enforcer might be a trained
Brutal Strike soldier who never quite fit in as a scout nor a
Starting at 3rd level, you can apply brute force with deadly heavy, or a convict who earned her muscles
precision. You can use your Sneak Attack when making an during a long prison stay.
attack with one-handed or versatile weapons other than Having trouble hooking an enforcer rogue into
finesse or ranged weapons, including your unarmed strike. your campaign? Try a few of these sample
In addition, you don't need advantage on your attack roll or pitches:
an additional hostile creature within 5 feet of the target to That job that got her convicted? It turns out
use Sneak Attack if you are making an opportunity attack. the mark now wants her help getting back at
the rest of the squad... and has a line on real
Dirty Trick freedom.
An old buddy has yet another get-rich-quick
Starting at 9th level, you can set up your own openings for a
scheme. The trick is, it involves posing as a
successful strike. You can use a bonus action to strike a soldier to get in good with these goody-two-
creature within 5 feet of you in a sensitive area, throw sand shoes adventurers...
in its eyes, or otherwise bully it with your physicality or Going straight is rough. He's heard tell that
environment. adventurers need to be tough, and they usualy
That creature must make a Dexterity or Constitution want someone who can handle traps, too...
saving throw (DC 8 + your Strength modifier + your
proficiency bonus). On a failed saving throw, the next melee Again, while these are hardly the only hooks
weapon attack or unarmed strike the creature makes gains for an enforcer, these can help you get started if
disadvantage, and your next attack on the creature gains you're just not seeing the place for one in an
advantage. adventuring party. Remember -- the enforcer is
still a rogue, just... mortgaging a little
dextrousness to be scary.
Powerful Physicality
Starting at 13th level, you can use a bonus action on your
turn to gain advantage on the next Charisma (Intimidate)
check you make, and may add your Strength modifier as
well as your Charisma modifier to the roll. You can also use
a bonus action on your turn to gain advantage on the next
Strength check you make to break free of bonds, break an
object, or force open a stuck, locked, or barred door or
chest. Other similar Strength checks may also receive this
benefit at the GM's discretion.

Stopping Power
Starting at 17th level, you become an imposing target to try
to pass by. When you make an opportunity attack against a
creature, it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 +
your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a
failed save, the creature's speed is reduced to 0 for one turn
and it is knocked prone.
Wizard - School of Battle Fire and Sword
At 14th level, you make adroit use of magic in combat.
Some wizards find the power of their minds ill-suited as
Before you use your action to cast a wizard spell or cantrip
protection on the road, and fear being caught unawares
which causes damage to a single target, you may make one
without their spellbooks. For these wizards, the School of
weapon attack as a bonus action.
Battle provides a path to safety and security, marrying
If that weapon attack hits, the target takes damage as if it
blade and spell without distracting so much from their
had failed its save or been successfully hit with the spell or
studies. These wizards often become masters of
cantrip as well as the weapon. (The creature must still be a
channeling energy into objects mundane and magical, and
valid target for the spell.) This only applies to saving throws
learn to focus through even intense pain.
against the damage itself; additional saving throws to avoid
They trade away much for the sake of their bodily
a secondary effect happen as normal, and on a miss, the
strength, however. Few develop the facility for a single
spell is still consumed.
school of magic that their peers do, and they are often
incapable of the fantastic effects a master transmuter or
evoker can muster. Many of them, thus, choose to become
marshals rather than master wizards as they grow in
renown, serving as trainer, outfitter, and moral support for
novices of any field they so choose.

Student of Battle
Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, you gain FAQ/Hooks/Who Does This Serve?
proficiency with simple weapons, light armor, medium The School of Battle is (one of many such
armor, and shields. You also gain proficiency in two martial homebrew, at this point) a wizarding tradition for
weapons of your choice. those who want to take a more bookish approach
to the marriage of steel and spell.
Unlike many other approaches, however, the
Enspell Blade School of Battle eschews grace in favor of sheer
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to focus magical power deadliness and brute force. Its ability to deliver
through your weapon. As a bonus action, you can magical damage and spell effects with its blade
temporarily turn your weapon into a magic weapon, with makes it less of an inversion of the Eldritch
no other benefits. This effect requires your concentration, Knight and instead a closer cousin to the Paladin
or Cleric, whie still focusing on its nature as an
as if you were concentrating on a spell, and lasts up to one
arcanist.
hour. You can use this feature a number of times equal to Within wizard, the School of Battle's closest
your Constitution modifier (minimum 1) until your next cousins are the transmuter (as the Constitution-
long rest. heavy "wizard of things") and the evoker (as the
If your weapon is already magical, when you hit a damage-heavy "wizard of battle").
creature with an attack from the weapon, you can expend Aesthetically, School of Battle adherents make
one spell slot to deal fire, cold, or lightning damage to the excellent use of backgrounds like Soldier and
target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra Folk Hero, and do quite well "relearning" how to
damage is 2d4 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus an additional move in armor and still cast spells effectively as
1d4 for each spell level higher than 1st, up to a maximum of level 2. They may also be wizards who grow
of 5d4. nervous or uncomfortable at the violence of the
adventuring life and take up steel.
At high levels, School of Battle wizards have
Extra Attack some unorthodox ways to deliver powerful spells
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, like Finger of Death or Disintegrate, opening up
whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. new targets to these attacks. The potential waste
of a high-level spell slot, however, makes for new
Supernal Focus tensions in taking these chances!

At 10th level, you gain proficiency in Constitution saving

throws. In addition, whenever you make a Constitution
saving throw to maintain concentration on a spell, you have
advantage on the roll.
Fighting Styles Warlock Invocations
The following fighting styles can be chosen by fighters, The following invocations can be chosen by warlocks any
rangers, and paladins whenever they would choose a time they would normally choose an eldritch invocation.
fighting style.
Blinking Blade
Grace Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade
When using a two-handed or versatile weapon in both Forming your pact weapon no longer requires an action,
hands and not wearing heavy armor, you can treat the and you can create ranged weapons. Any weapon you form
weapon as if it had the finesse quality. is loaded.

Bully Fetor and Decay

When wearing medium or heavy armor, you can take a Prerequisite: 9th level
bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action You may cast contagion once using a warlock spell slot.
can be used only to take the Help action regarding an You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
enemy within 5 feet of you.
The Master's Tools
Rider You gain proficiency in three tools of your choice.
When riding a horse or other mount, you can take a bonus
action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be The Master's Workshop
used only to cause your mount to take an Attack action
instead of a Dash, Dodge, or Disengage action. Prerequisite: 7th level
You may cast fabricate once using a warlock spell slot.
You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Tome of Blades
Prerequisite: Pact of the Tome
The first ranged spell attack roll you make against a
target within 5 feet each round does not have disadvantage.

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