Retributionist (5e Class)
Retributionist
Those who live by the sword, shall die by it.
But no one listened to the old kook. The highwaymen merely proceeded to rape and pillage the caravan of screaming innocents. When they came upon the elderly, they struck the old man in the head, and he fell. They laughed as they beat him under their boot. For each blow, they did not notice their own strength seemingly lessen, and the old body grow hard and tough to the beating. As they began to tire, the old man rose from his position, muscles rippling. This was no frail old man at all.
He looked upon them with no mercy as they suddenly began to plead for their lives. His eyes were blind to but the injustice they stood for as he crushed their heads one by one.
Justice In Vengeance
A civilization brought to it knees by continued discord, wrought upon by a lack of law or order, must be salvaged by the hard hand of justice. Who stands between structure and savagery? A lone warrior dedicated to preserving the laws of the world both natural and man made, a being of justice blessed with the knowledge of right and wrong, unable to see that zone of grey, that's who. They walk the line of truth looking only forward, there can be no hesitation and no second guessing. There can only be order. The will not stand for the unjust, for the imbalanced, for anything that would dare try and hide the truth, or stop justice from running it's course. There are those who say order is cold death. To them, the retributionist says chaos is no way to live.
A retributionist is a character who believes in universal balance. Blood must be paid in blood, and an eye for an eye. They stand against the naysayers who claim their Hammurabian code to be brash and leaving everyone blind, for if one's sight leads them to evil, then cut it away. Justice is blind. Those who strike a retributionist had best prepare to receive their own violence with a vengeance.
Creating a Retributionist
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| From Dota 2 |
When you've had stuff stolen from you, or you've seen innocent people hurt, how did you feel? Didn't you want to be able to stand up to them? To right the wrongs that were done and bring justice to those who needed it? Consider what kind of a character your retributionist is. Are they a chaotic vigilante who doles out their own feeling of what is just? Or are they lawful, stalwart judges who pass judgment as a cold third party? What wrong committed against your character pushes them to pursue this form of retaliatory justice?
- Quick Build
You can make a retributionist quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the Acolyte background. Third, choose two shortswords if you are looking to be a damage dealer, as the multiple attacks will force more saves helping you stack your damage, or a mace and shield if you are planning to go with the more tank-like route.
Class Features
As a Retributionist you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Retributionist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Retributionist level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Athletics, History, Insight, Nature, Persuasion, and Religion
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
- (a) two shortswords or (b) a mace and a shield
- (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) a explorer's pack
- a tome or scroll of law scripture
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Strength Stealing, Divine Sense |
| 2nd | +2 | Shield of Retribution, Faith Guided |
| 3rd | +2 | Bindings Of Justice |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Rapid Strike |
| 6th | +3 | Improved Critical |
| 7th | +3 | Bindings Of Justice feature |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | Divine Sense improvement |
| 10th | +4 | Shield of Retribution improvement |
| 11th | +4 | Armor Stealing |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Bindings Of Justice feature |
| 14th | +5 | Improved Critical improvement |
| 15th | +5 | Divine Sense improvement |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Bindings Of Justice feature |
| 18th | +6 | Justice Incarnate |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Divine Judgement, Righteous Mind |
Strength Stealing
As a being of justice, you have the laws of the world on your side, as such they reward your success in combat and punish those who stand against those laws. Starting at 1st level, you may use an action to make a special attack with your weapon against a creature. On a hit, the creature takes the normal weapon damage and must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus). If it fails, subtract 1 point from its Strength score and add it to your own Strength. On a success, it becomes immune to this feature's effect for the next 24 hours. If you land a 20 on the attack roll, the target automatically fails the save. This effect lasts for 1 minute, after which the stolen strength will leave you and return to the original source, even if they have died. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Strength modifier, regaining use upon finishing a long rest.
Divine Sense
Having been blessed by justice, you lose your site of the superfluous to gain an inner eye of wisdom.
You no longer perceive things with your eyes as normal, being blind. You gain blindsight up to 60 feet, though you are considered blind outside that range.
Starting 9th level, you gain proficiency in Perception and your blindsight increases to 120 feet.
Starting 15th level, you can now see the world as it truly is in all sense. You gain 120 feet of truesight.
Shield of Retribution
Starting at 2nd level, you may use your reaction to activate the shield of retribution when you are successfully hit by a melee attack. Half of any damage you receive from the attack is dealt back to the attacker as force damage. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus + 1, regaining use upon finishing a long rest. At 10th level, you gain an extra use of this shield.
Faith Guided
Starting 2nd level, like a cavalryman guided by the notion of justice, your armored self is imbued with strength from your own ideal image of justice. When calculating your Armor Class, you may add your Wisdom modifier.
Bindings Of Justice
At 3rd level, you choose a binding of justice: Truth Seeker or Guardian Of Law. Both are detailed at the end of class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 13th, and 17th level.
Ability Score Increase
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.
Rapid Strike
Starting at 5th level, you learn to trade accuracy for swift strikes. If you have advantage on a weapon attack against a target on your turn, you can forgo that advantage to immediately make an additional weapon attack against the same target.
Improved Critical
Starting at 6th level, your strikes are true in the name of unerring justice. You now perform a critical hit on a roll of 19-20.
At 14th level the critical range is increased to 18-20.
Armor Stealing
Starting at 11th level, no defenses can stand against your powerful justice. You may use an action to make a special attack with your weapon against a creature. On a hit, the creature takes the normal weapon damage and must make a Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus). If it fails, subtract 1 point from its Armor Class and add it to your own. On a success, it becomes immune to this feature's effect for the next 24 hours. If you land a 20 on the attack roll, the target automatically fails the save. This effect lasts for 1 minute, after which the stolen armor ability will leave you and return to the original source. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, regaining use upon finishing a long rest.
Justice Incarnate
Upon reaching 18th level, your sense of what is wrong and right has faded. You only believe in the truth that there is balance to be struck between those who cause and suffer pain. As a bonus action, you may enter a state of enlightenment, sharpening your senses and offensive and defensive capabilities. For the next minute all damage you deal ignores resistances and immunity is reduced to resistance. You are immune to being knocked prone, charmed, frightened or stunned. While being a justice incarnate, you may activate your Strength Stealing and Armor Stealing features as reactions when you are successfully attacked, targeting the attacker and forcing them to make the save. You may use this feature once, regaining use upon finishing a long rest. You cannot use this feature while charmed or frightened.
Divine Judgement
At 20th level, you pass ultimate retribution onto those who do ill and mean ill for others. You are considered permanently under the effects of protection from evil and good and detect evil and good. As an action, you may cast dispel evil and good as a 5th-level spell, without requiring material components. You may use this spell via this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, regaining use upon finishing a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Righteous Mind
Starting 20th level, your elevated mind is no longer affected by the swaying influences of the world, for you know the truth of justice. Your alignment cannot be changed by any means.
Truth Seeker
Destined to uncover all of the truths of the world no matter how dark they may be for the truth can never be contained. It is simply a matter of time before someone finds it; the truth of ills that must be repaid.
- Truth Bringer
Beginning 3rd level, you can force the truth, or at least stem the lies. You can cast the zone of truth spell, centered from yourself. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining use after finishing a long rest.
- Relentless Truth
Starting at 7th level, whenever you successfully land a critical hit on a creature, you may make an additional weapon attack against that creature, at halved damage.
- Mark of Truth
Starting at 13th level, you leave the mark of truth on all you declare fair game. When you successfully hit a creature with a melee attack, you may mark them with the mark of truth. This mark is powerful but truth wanes quickly, so you must be opportune with your judgment. The marked creature's intentions become clear to you, and thus so do their movements. You have {[5e|advantage}} on Wisdom (Insight) checks and attack rolls against that creature until the end of your next turn. You cannot mark the same creature more than once per combat.
- Weapons of Truth
Beginning at 17th level, your equipment's true strength has been unlocked. A blazing white edge covers your weapons, allowing them to deal an extra damage die of radiant damage. If it is a melee weapon without the reach property, its reach becomes 10 feet.
Guardian Of Law
To protect the world from discord, you resign your life to protect the laws of the world, as well as protect those who stand by you to protect the world and it's natural order.
- Shield of Law
Beginning at 3rd level, you may use your reaction to grant an ally, that you can see, your Shield of Retribution.
- Universal Law
Beginning at 7th level, you know the words of law which ring true from mount to glen. You are considered permanently under the effects of the tongues spell.
- Fortitude of Law
Beginning at 13th level, the law disenfranchises those foolish enough to stand before its will of retributive justice. You may force a creature to roll with disadvantage against your Strength Stealing and Armor Stealing. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus + 1, regaining use upon finishing a long rest.
- Blessing of Law
Starting 17th level, your retributive shield is now a bastion for the law. When using your Shield of Retribution, you take no damage, and the attacker takes all the damage you would have taken.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Retributionist class, you must meet these prerequisites: Wisdom 14, Constitution 13, Strength 14
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Retributionist class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, medium armor, simple weapons, and martial weapons
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