Tempest Knight (5e Class)
Tempest Knight
Note: I really liked the gist and theme of the Tempest Knight class, but I felt that it could use some re-balancing. Permanent flight at level 3 is difficult to balance around, and some things felt underwhelming. Some of the changes I made: moved the flight speed from level 3 to level 18, and raised it to match character move speed. Wrath of the Tempest damage reduced at level 1 from 2d8 to 1d8, and scaled throughout character leveling. Thunderbolt Strike can now be used on each attack, instead of one attack per round. Storm Lord can now only effect a creature once per round. I made significant changes to the capstone ability at level 20. Most capstone transformations are underwhelming and should reflect reaching the heights of power someone of that class can obtain.
Summary: Somewhere far, a little boy cries in the midst of a burning village and dark clouds begin to brew, hammering down torrents of rain to quell the gorging fire. Somewhere else, a man is overcome with grief over his son's death and lets out a wail, and the sound is something strange, something sickening, something that causes the very earth to shake. Somewhere else, two armies charge at each other during a furious storm, but before they clash, a bolt of lightning thumps the upon the earth, causing the two sides to stop in their tracks. A lone knight wreathed in torrents of electricity looms in their way.
His voice booms louder than thunder. "This shall cease!"
Tempest Knights are warriors attuned to the power of weather and storm. Perhaps their powers came from the ancestry of a djinn or air elemental. Perhaps they were born on the world's most furious storm. Perhaps they were never born with the power, but trained themselves to attune to the heavens to strike down their enemies. Whatever the case, the Tempest Knight channels power beyond themselves.
Creating a Tempest Knight
When building a Tempest Knight, it is advisable to prioritize Strength and Constitution for your ability scores. The Soldier or Outrider backgrounds work well.
Class Features
As a Tempest Knight you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Tempest Knight level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Tempest Knight level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: All and Shield
Weapons: Simple and Martial
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength and Constitution
Skills: chose two from Perception, Insight, Athletics, Intimidation, Persuasion, Nature, Survival, Animal Handling
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Chain mail or (b) Scale mail
- (a) martial weapon and shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) Longbow and 20 arrows or (b) Heavy Crossbow and 20 bolts
- (a) Dungeoneer's Pack or (b) Explorer's Pack
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Tempest Temperament, Destructive Wrath, Wrath of the Tempest, Storm Weapon(1) |
| 2nd | +2 | Thunder Leap |
| 3rd | +2 | Aspect of the Tempest |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Thunderbolt Strike , Storm Weapon(2) |
| 6th | +3 | Extra Attack |
| 7th | +3 | Skystrike |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Wrath of the Tempest Improvement, Storm Guide |
| 9th | +4 | Cyclonic Impact |
| 10th | +4 | Plane of Air Conduit , Storm Weapon(3) |
| 11th | +4 | Summon Air Elemental |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement, Enhanced Skystrike |
| 13th | +5 | Warding Wind |
| 14th | +5 | Extra Attack (2) |
| 15th | +5 | Storm Weapon(4),Thunderbolt Strike Improvement, Wrath of the Tempest Improvement |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Forked Lightning |
| 18th | +6 | Storm Lord |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement, Wrath of the Tempest Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Storm Weapon(5),Storm Blast |
Ability Checks and DC
Unless otherwise stated, the save DC for Tempest Knight abilities are calculated as : 8 + Proficiency Bonus + STR modifier
Storm Weapon
Your abilities connect with your weapon. It gains the thrown ability (80/160) and deals an extra 1d6 lightning damage, the lightning damage dealt increases by 1d6 at 5th(2d6), 11th(3d6), and 17th(4d6) level. Also, when thrown you can make it return to your hand as a bonus action.
Tempest Temperament
The power of thunder and lightning dwells inside your soul, granting you abilities that affect your daily life and interactions. You obtain the Gust and Shocking Grasp cantrip, At 12th level you gain the Thunderstep spell.
Destructive Wrath
Starting at 1st level, you may wield the power of the storm with unchecked ferocity. When you roll lightning or thunder damage, you can use your Destructive Wrath to deal maximum damage instead of rolling to an opponent .You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your Strength modifier (rounded down) before needing a short or long rest.
Wrath of the Tempest
Also at 1st level, you can thunderously rebuke attackers. When a creature within 60 feet of you that you can see attempts to hit you with an attack, you can use your reaction to cause the creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. The creature takes 2d8 lightning or thunder damage (your choice) on a failed saving throw, and half as much damage on a successful one. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Strength modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wrath of the Tempests Damage increases to 4d8 at level 8, and 8d8 at level 15. At level 18 there is no longer a maximum amount of uses.
Thunder Leap
From 2nd level you may use your action to leap or jump through the air for 30 feet upwards, 30 feet straight, or 30 feet diagonally, trailing lightning as you travel, before bringing your weapon down in a crashing thunder clap. You then make one attack on the target. On a hit, add 2d8 thunder damage to the attack. At 10th level, this damage dice changes from d8 to d10, and at 16th level increases to d12. Enemies can attempt an opportunity attack during the jump, but do so at disadvantage. You do not suffer fall damage from this move. You may use this a number of times equal to half your strength modifier (rounded down).
Aspect of the Tempest
At 3rd level, your connection to elemental lightning is beginning to effect your physiology. You gain resistance to thunder and lightning damage. If a spell or ranged attack that does lightning damage targets a creature within 60' of you, you may use your reaction to shield the target from the attack. The spell or attack automatically strikes you, though you may make saving throws to resist negative effects as normal.
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.
Thunderbolt Strike
At 5th level, when you deal lightning or thunder damage to a Large or smaller creature, you can also push it up to 10 feet away from you. The target must make a strength saving throw or be pushed back up to 10 feet. In addition, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with the energy of a raging tempest. On each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d6 lightning or thunder damage to the target. When you reach 10th level, the extra damage increases to 1d8
Extra Attack
At level 6 you can attack twice instead of once whenever you take the attack action.
Skystrike
At 7th level, you can use an action to leap vertically into the air up towards the sky and for a moment become a bolt of lightning racing upwards, where you then levitate and transform into a ball of lightning. While you are levitated the sky turns black. You can take no other action while you are building up the power of the storm within you. Up to a maximum of 5 rounds, you can remain in the sky in this form. After the first round, you can use your action to descend as a cataclysmic lightning strike to the ground 50 feet maximum from where your ground origin was, where each creature within 15 feet of that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 5d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. For each round you remain in the sky, you add 1d6 to the damage. Once the damage has been resolved, you appear at the point of impact in your normal form and can act normally from your next turn. You can use this ability once per long rest and only if you are outdoors.
Storm Guide
At 8th level, you gain the ability to subtly control the weather around you. If it is raining, you can use an action to cause the rain to stop falling in a 20‐foot radius centered on you. You can end this effect as a bonus action. If it is windy, you can use a bonus action each round to choose the direction that the wind blows in a 100‐foot radius around you. This effect lasts for ten minutes.
Cyclonic Impact/ Plane of Air Conduit
At 9th level, you summon a swirling hurricane that obliterates your foes around you. As a action a hurricane moves forward in a straight line with a maximum range of 180 feet and a maximum width of 60ft. Enemies caught within the area must take a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed check each enemy takes 8d6 lightning damage and are knocked into the air. Enemies that are suspended in the air are treated as Paralyzed for a turn. On a successful check they take half damage. As a bonus action you can teleport to a single knocked up enemy and perform combat actions as normal. You may use this ability equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
Summon Air Elemental
At 11th level, you can use an action to cast conjure elemental (225 PHB) to summon an Air Elemental only without using a spell slot. The conjured elemental does not require concentration to maintain, but is otherwise controlled by the Tempest Knight and rolls its own initiative. You can create multiple Air Elementals equal to your Dexterity modifier.
Enhanced Skystrike
At level 12, when you use the Skystrike ability and remain in the sky after the first turn, you can use an action to discharge lightning down to the ground like Call lightning as a 8th level spell. You can only use this Call Lightning whilst you are in the sky. Once you descend, this effect ends.
Control Wind
At level 13, you gain greater control over the winds themselves. Once per long rest you may use the control winds spell (EE Players Companion 15).
Extra Attack (2)
At Level 14, you can now attack three times instead of twice (from extra attack at level 6) whenever you take the attack action.
Thunderbolt Strike Improvement
Level 15, Thunderbolt strike now deals an extra die of thunder damage (see level 5 ability)
Forked Lightning
At Level 17, you can use an action to unleash chain lightning (221 PHB) following the standard rules for it you can use it a number of times equal to your strength modifier.
Storm Lord
At level 18, you become a Storm Lord. Your control over thunder and lightning is absolute and so destructive that your thunder and lightning damage ignores a level of resistance. (Immune becomes resistant, resistance becomes none.) If a target has no resistance to begin with, then once per round any thunder or lightning damage they take from you requires a Constitution saving throw. If the target fails and the damage was thunder based, it becomes deafened for a round. If the damage was lightning, they are knocked prone for a round as they become electrocuted.
Storm Blast
At level 20, Once per long rest, You fall to your knees and black clouds start to gather and swirl above you, then your body starts to have little lightning bolts jumping across your skin, your eyes will have gone bright white, then as the clouds become a huge swirling mass of black (1500ft in diameter) above you, a huge pillar of lightning (15ft in diameter) strikes you with a torrent of energy then the lightning will arc out to all enemies within range they must succeed on a DC 30 constitution saving throw dealing 20d12 Lightning Damage on a failed save and half as much on a successful one.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Tempest Knight class, you must meet these prerequisites:
13 STR and 13 CON, Deity is Storm based or have some affinity to nature
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the class, you gain the following proficiencies: Heavy Armour, Martial Weapons
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