Swordfighter

The Thousand Years’ War is so deeply rooted in the peoples of the Kingdom that it is now considered the only possible way of life. The war’s facts, conduct, mercenary companies, lootings, and the aggravation caused by military sieges and campaigns, are all regulated down to the smallest detail. In this constant-conflict scenario, soldiers, warriors, squires, condottieri, infantrymen, crossbowmen, stormtroopers, sappers, knights, archers, army engineers, runners, scouts, and spies are among the most widespread occupations in every region, though pillagers, deserters, villains, and exploiters pop up all over the place when a new battle appears on the horizon.

There are also scores of masters of arms, duelists, fencers, and foil virtuosos, collectively known as swordfighters.

The Kingdom’s swordfighters are highly regarded across Occasia and the Middle Sea, and every city has its own Fencing Schools, grouped in various main styles, plus some minor or secret ones. Given the fierce parochialism prevailing in the Kingdom, these schools and styles are constantly in conflict and competing with one another.

Rather than being, like common soldiers, cannon fodder for the combat zone, swordfighters are usually mercenaries who act individually and lend their services to noblemen, fops, or merchants, being more at home on city streets than on muddy battlefields.

The Swordfighter Table

Class Features
As a swordfighter, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per swordfighter level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per swordfighter level after 1st

Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival

Equipment
You begin the game with 140 silver which you can spend on your knave's starting weapons, armor, and adventuring gear. You can only purchase shoddy quality equipment.

Level 1

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.

Extreme Leap
When you take the Dash action and make a long jump after moving no less than 20 feet, your jump distance is doubled for the turn. You may instead triple your jump distance for the turn, and may move the full distance of your jump even if it exceeds your Speed, but you cannot do so again until you have finished a long rest.

Eye Slash
You rapidly lash out in a rising strike targeting your opponent’s brow, leaving a wound that obscures their vision.

You use an action to make a melee weapon attack against a creature that relies on sight. On a hit, it makes a Constitution saving throw or is blinded until the end of your next turn. The DC to resist this effect is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier.

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

Speed Over Strength
With practiced agility you weave around an opponent wielding a more cumbersome weapon, quickly darting in to strike with a lighter armament.

When a creature attacks you with a melee weapon that has the heavy property, or a Large-sized or larger creature attacks you with a natural weapon, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against it using a weapon that has the dual-wielding or finesse property.

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

Level 2

Bold Flair
Your victories have emboldened you and you radiate with overwhelming confidence.

You have advantage on Persuasion checks made to influence friendly creatures with a CR lower than your swordfighter level.

Dangerous Signature
You have mastered a strike that is unmistakably your own.

Choose a simple symbol (such as a letter) to be your signature. When you have advantage on a melee weapon attack roll, on a hit you can use your reaction to leave your signature on the creature you attacked. Your signature remains on a creature until it is fully healed and has taken a long rest.

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

While a creature bears your signature, you can use a bonus action to try to intimidate it. The creature makes a Wisdom saving throw or becomes frightened of you until the start of your next turn. The DC to resist this effect is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier.

Level 3

Quick-Witted Defense
While you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier.

In addition, when you are wielding at least one weapon with the Defensive, Finesse, or Parrying quality, your Armor Class increases by 1.

School of Fencing
You have learned specific techniques that improve your combat effectiveness:

• Study the Opponent. Whenever you take the Dodge action in combat, your next attack has advantage if made before the end of your next turn.
• Mattock and Dagger. You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand.
• Duel. If you are within 5 feet of a creature and no other creatures are within 5 feet of you, you can add your proficiency bonus to your damage rolls against that creature.

Level 4

Ability Score Improvement
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.

Action Surge
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 can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Rolling Strike
Flowing through battle like the wind itself, you deftly sprint forward through the reach of enemies to deliver an unexpected attack.

You use an action to move up to 20 feet without provoking opportunity attacks and make a melee weapon attack.

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

Level 5

Extra Attack
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Parrying Counter
Pointing your weapon at your foe you challenge them, forcing them to lower their defenses so you can launch an attack of your own.

At the end of your turn, you can use your reaction to gain a knack die to your AC against one creature you can see within reach. This increase to your AC only applies to the chosen creature and ends at the start of your next turn.

If the creature misses with one or more attacks against you before the start of your next turn, you can make a melee weapon attack against it.

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

Stable Footing
A steady stance and careful footwork is instinctive to you.

You have advantage on any check or saving throw to avoid falling prone or handle difficult ground (such as against a grease spell or slippery ice). You are never prone after taking fall damage, and when calculating fall damage you treat the fall distance as if it were shorter by a number of feet equal to your proficiency bonus × 10.

Level 6

Instant Strike
You quickly draw and strike with a weapon in the blink of an eye.

Choose a creature within your reach. You use a bonus action to draw a melee weapon and use it to make an attack against that creature.

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

Weapon Lore
You gain a knack die on Intelligence checks made to recall lore or gather information about weapons, armor, and other martial equipment.

In addition, you can use an action to investigate the magical properties of such an item by handling it, such as swinging a sword or hefting a shield.

You learn its properties, how to use them, whether it requires attunement, and how many charges it has. You also learn if the item has any sentience or bears a curse, though you only learn if it is sentient or cursed (not the nature of that sentience or curse).