Samurai, 2nd Variant (5e Class)

Samurai

Fierce Warriors

Samurai are the elite warriors of the elves, kindlit, Dragonborn, and orcs. Driven by an oath of fealty to a lord, they aren’t bound to the honorable path of the Paladin, and many chaotic evil Samurai exist. Deadly forces of both good and evil, they learn how to best use their arsenals at a young age. A Lawful samurai, once dishonored, may either avenge the insult/ mistake, or commit seppuku, or ritual suicide. The twin swords of the Daisho are the Samurai's honor, and a peasant may be executed for carrying them.

Creating a Samurai

Quick Build

You can make a samurai quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity, and Constitution. Second, choose the Student Warrior background. Third, choose Wakizashi, Katana, Splint Armor, and Shortbow.

Class Features

As a Samurai you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: light armor, medium armor, splint armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial melee weapons, exotic melee weapons
Tools: calligraphy set
Saving Throws: constitution, strength
Skills: choose two from Athletics, Acrobatics, Animal Handling, History, Intimidation, and Persuasion. Land Vehicles

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• A Wakizashi and Katana
• (a) light armor or (b) medium armor
• a document of lineage
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 1d12+5 GP in funds.

Table: The Samurai

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Oath of Honor, Samurai Path, Path trait
2nd	+2	Ancestral Honor, Combat Prowess
3rd	+2	Samurai Path Feature
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Weapon Superiority
6th	+3	Ronin Option
7th	+3	Proficiency Training
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Samurai Path Feature
10th	+4	—
11th	+4	Fighting School
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Weapon Mastery
14th	+5	Fighting School Improvement
15th	+5	Samurai Path Feature
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Killing Blow
18th	+6	Fighting School Improvement, Killing Blow Improvement
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Legend Eternal

Oath of Honor

At first level you swear yourself to the practice of Bushido, or the warriors code. You are sworn to protect and defend your lord and his lands, or your school if you have no lord. After swearing this oath, you gain 1d10 plus your Charisma modifier temporary hit points when you are acting in accordance to your oath. After you swear this oath, you take the Samurai topknot as a sign of superiority over the peasants.

Samurai Path

At 1st level, you chose a path. Choose between Ashigarugashira, Kyudo Samurai, and Yojimbo, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st, and again at 3rd, 9th, and 15th levels.

Ancestral Honor

You are a member of a proud samurai family. At second level, you swear an oath to your ancestral spirits to defend their and their families honor. After this, you gain the ability to cast mage hand three times a day at will, and minor illusion once a week.

Combat Prowess

At second level, you gain a +1 bonus to one non-magical weapon attack per combat. Also, you make all death saving throws with an advantage.

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.

Weapon Superiority

At 5th level, you may choose to take a minus one on the damage roll on a weapon, and in exchange have an advantage and +1 on the attack roll. Also, any one handed weapon can be considered for you a light weapon.

Ronin Option

At 6th level, you gain the option to become a ronin. If you choose this option, you may exchange your samurai path for the Ronin path, described at the end of this class description.

Proficiency Training

At seventh level, you gain the feat weapon proficiency or tool proficiency, or skill proficiency.

Fighting School

At 11th level, you begin to train in a school of fighting, or fighting style. At this point you are just beginning to master the art of the sword. Choose one:

• Basilisk: Add five to your movement speed in combat.
  • At 14th level, you may take the disengage action as a reaction, and then move ten feet.
  • At 18th level, if you move at least fifteen feet before attacking, you score a critical on a 19 or 20.
• Defense: once per turn, you may use your reaction and bonus action to block one attack. When you do so, roll a d20 with no modifiers, and if it is higher than your opponents, the attack misses.
  • At 14th level, you may add your Dexterity modifier when blocking.
  • At 18th level, you may block twice per turn.
• Disaster Stroke: once per turn, add 1 to your damage for an attack.
  • At 14th level, you have a permanent cumulative +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls.
  • At 18th level, you may add both your Dexterity and Strength modifiers to your attack rolls.
• Dueling: You may run through or past an opponent's square without provoking opportunity attacks once per turn.
  • At 14th level, you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls when you are wielding two weapons.
  • At 18th level, you have a +2 bonus on all attack and damage rolls when you are wielding two weapons.
• Falling Rain: you may attack once more per turn, but with disadvantage.
  • At 14th level, you may attack twice per turn. Afterwards, you may not use any school abilities for 10 turns.
  • At 18th level, your melee reach increases by 5 feet for up to 2 attack rolls.

Weapon Mastery

At 13th level, any weapon attack roll above 25, including modifiers, is considered a critical hit.

Killing Blow

At 17th level, any time you make a critical hit, if your opponent has less than 100 HP, they must make a death saving throw, or drop unconscious. At 18th level, whenever you score a critical on a weapon attack, you may add 1d20 to the damage. This feature recharges after a long rest.

Legend Eternal

You are celebrated as a legend among the Samurai. You become a glowing dot in the weave. You gain the following benefits:

• Any arcane spellcaster can use your spirit as a source of spell slots. You may expend a hit die or take 1d10 psychic damage to create a spell slot of a level equal to one sixth of their character level or lower.
• You can, for brief periods of time, look into the weave. Using this ability you may cast detect magic or detect good and evil 3/day.
• You can also alter the weave. You may expend one hit die to cast protection from evil and good or end one harmful magical effect similar to an arcane spell of third level or lower on a person once per day.

Ashigarugashira

You are a footsoldier commander employed by a noble samurai lord. Usually most usefull in combat between large groups, these samurai rely on assisting their allies and are deadly when wielding polearms.

Weapon Proficiency

You gain proficiency with all polearms, including the Naginata, or glaives.

Command Points

You have the ability to inspire your allies and soldiers to fight for longer and more powerfully. You have a number of points equal to twice your level. All affects last for one round per two points spent. You may expend these points on the following:

• Prepare for charge! For 2 points, your comrades form a solid wall in front of them. They put their shields (if applicable) in front of them, they go last in the initiative order until this effect ends, and point their weapons in front of them. They gain a plus 1 bonus to AC and creatures cannot move through their spaces without having the highest possible amount of opportunity attacks made against them.
• Circle the lord! For 4 points, choose one ally within 60 feet of you. All opponents have disadvantage on attacks against that ally, and your allies have advantage when attacking those who try to attack them.
• Break them! For 2 points, your comrades all move at once in the initiative. All enemy creatures have a -1 on attacks against them. You form ranks and try to break through the enemy lines, and you only suffer half of the normal opportunity attacks.
• Form Ranks! For 4 points, allies have an advantage on attack and damage rolls, but enemies have an advantage on attack rolls.
• Fire on their flank! For 6 points all attack rolls on enemies farther than ten feet away from one of their allies have advantage and +1.
• Charge! For 6 points, all allies within 120 feet add 15 to their movement, and if they moved at least 10 feet before attacking may push their enemy ten feet backwards.

Master at Arms

At ninth level, any ally within 60 feet of you gets +1 if they are wielding a polearm.

Inspiring Leader

At fifteenth level, you may spend extra points on the Command Points affect in order to increase the duration of the affects. In addition, you get +1 on attack rolls with all melee weapons as long as one of your allies is within fifteen feet of you.

Kyudo Samurai

You have been trained in the art of archery. You have learned how to fire arrows from horseback, and how to fire swarms of arrows into enemy ranks.

Weapon Proficiency

You gain proficiency with all bows, light crossbows, and the Chatchka.

Winds of Favor

At first level, you learn how to best target an enemy force to bring it down. Once per combat, you may choose one non-magical ranged attack that would miss to hit, if it was within 3 of hitting.

Rapid Shot

At 3rd level, you may attack twice with a ranged weapon. This feature recharges after a long rest.

Extra Attack

At ninth level, you may attack twice per turn with a ranged weapon.

Master Archer

At fifteenth level, nonmagical arrows you fire deal double damage.

Yojimbo

You are the bodyguard to a lord or merchant, and have learned to influence certain parts of the weave to protect and defend.

Long Reach

Starting at first level, any spell you cast with a range of touch or self can be cast on any ally within a range of 30 feet. Also, you have a bonus to AC equal to half your level, and your Constitution score is increased by one.

Spellcasting

As a Yojimbo you have learned a variety of spells. They are all meant to protect and serve.

Level	Spells Known	Cantrips Known	Protection Points	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	1	1	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	1	1	2	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	2	1	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	3	1	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
7	3	1	4	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
8	3	1	4	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
9	3	1	5	2	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
10	3	1	5	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
11	3	2	6	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
12	3	2	6	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
13	4	2	6	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
14	4	2	7	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
15	4	2	8	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
16	4	3	8	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
17	4	3	8	4	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
18	4	3	9	4	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
19	5	3	9	4	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
20	5	3	10	4	3	2	-	-	-	-	-	-

Protection Points

Protection points recharge after a long rest.

Samurai Spell List

You know spells connected to your role as guardian. By accessing the weave, you may pull strings to protect others.

1st Level

shield, alarm, mage armor, disguise self, grease, killing aura (Thunderwave with radiant or necrotic damage, plus you choose who you effect within the radius)

2nd Level

levitate, silence, misty step, mirror image

3rd Level

counterspell, haste

Protect the Weak

At first level, you have been trained to protect. When an opponent attacks an ally within five feet of you, you may expend x protection points to transfer x of your AC to that ally. This lasts for 1 round.

Battle Master

At third level, you learn one of the Battle Master archetype maneuvers. Your superiority die are 1d4 at third through fifth level, 1d6 at fifth through tenth, 1d8 at tenth through fifteenth, and 1d10 at fifteenth through twenty. You may change your maneuver any time you gain a level. Choose from:

• Disarming Attack: When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to disarm the target, forcing it to drop one item of your choice that it's holding. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it drops the object you choose. The object lands at its feet.
• Goading Attack: When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to goad the target into attacking you. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you until the end of your next turn.
• Parry: When another creature damages you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend one superiority die to reduce the damage by the number you roll on your superiority die + your Dexterity modifier.
• Rally: On your turn, you can use a bonus action and expend one superiority die to bolster the resolve of one of your companions. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to the superiority die roll + your Charisma modifier.

Revenge

At ninth level, when an ally takes damage, you may expend x protection points to gain a bonus to hit equal to X + half damage to ally + your Charisma modifier. You also gain a bonus to damage equal to one third of that. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest to use it again.

Restore

At fifteenth level, you may expend X protection points to either restore X + your Constitution modifier hp to an ally, or you may prevent X + your Constitution modifier damage.

Ronin

At Sixth Level, you may choose to abandon the traditional paths of the samurai, and become a ronin. You may only choose this option if you have done something that brings shame to your honor, or if your lord dies. Similar to the Oathbreaker Paladin subclass,this is subject to the DMs approval.

Wanderer

When you choose this path at sixth level, you get a +1 bonus on sense motive and survival checks, due to your travels and encounters with more unsavory characters.

Travelers Connections

Your travels have made you many friends and foes. At ninth level, In any town you have already visited, you get a +2 bonus on persuasion checks made to gather information from the townsfolk. Also, You get up to seven days free lodging for one person, (3 each for two, 1 day for four, etc.) at a local in.

Life of Wandering

By fifteenth level, you are used to life on the road. While traveling, you have a +2 bonus on perception checks to spot ambushes, and a +1 on attack and damage rolls while in a non-urban terrain.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the samurai class, you must meet these prerequisites:

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the samurai class, you gain the following proficiencies:

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