Treatise of the Thousand Plates

Formatting issues? View pdf version here.

Warclad

The burden of a warclad is that their greatest strength can also become their greatest weakness, if used against them. Unlike the abilities a warlock gains from their patron or the unparalleled unarmed fighting skill of the monks of D&D, warclad can be separated from what makes them powerful. If caught off-guard without their armor, a warclad becomes far weaker than most similarly experienced individuals of the worlds of D&D.

Your warclad has a choice to make, to live in constant fear of losing their precious armor and becoming vulnerable, or to convince themselves they are invincible and charge into battle when they are needed. Both mindsets bring fun and interesting play to your warclad character. Either way, it's important to ask what your character is like when they take off the armor, and what their armor means to them.

To help yourself answer those questions, the sections below offer suggestions to flesh out and strengthen the concept of who your warclad really is under their helm.

Armor Style

The first thing most people will see of a warclad is their armor. Even though it's important to distinguish who your character is outside of the armor, how your character chooses to present their armor is very telling of who they are. If your warclad doffs their resplendent, jewel-encrusted plate to reveal a penniless vagabond, that might raise some questions about who this warclad is and how they got their armor.

It could very well be that this armor was stolen, and a once-pauper has since become a decorated defender. Or perhaps the other way around, in which a rich noble who bought the armor decides to have a very simple iron design, covering much of their armor with rags and cloaks. Maybe your warclad is trying to conceal the fact that they are wearing armor at all. No matter the appearance of the armor, it should be intrinsic to who this character is and how they came across this powerful set of plate.

Armor Styles

d6	Style
1	Appearing as any plate-bearing man-at-arms, both you and your armor are built for function and efficiency
2	Engraved, bejeweled, with no small amount of gold detailing, you put your wealth on display
3	With a skull-like helm and black, jagged plates, you want your enemies, and maybe even allies, to fear you
4	A traditional style of far-away lands, this exotic design hints to the fact that you are an outlander, or at least that you're well-travelled
5	Hood up, wrapped in tabard and cloak, you'd prefer not to make a big scene, or to surprise your enemies when a blow glances off your chest
6	Bedecked in ancient symbols and of a seemingly impossible design, this armor is constructed of otherworldly material that befit its mysterious origin

-

Original Warclad class can be found here.

Armor Origin

A question that probably befalls most warclad in their travels is "How did you come across that suit of armor?" Whether your warclad is at liberty to answer this inquiry or not, there is surely an answer to this question somewhere in your character's past. And with any answer comes an obligation.

If you were even partly responsible for the armor's creation, others might seek you out for the knowledge to make this armor. Some organizations and individuals might even be out to hunt you down and extract the secrets of constructing such a powerful artifact, or even to steal the armor outright.

If you were the one that stole it, it's only natural someone would want to take it back. If it was gifted to you, by either an individual or an order, they must have expectations for how you will use this armor. Whatever price you paid for getting a hold of this wondrous set of armor, its mere presence is enough to warrant some interest in it from the world around you.

Armor Origins

d6	Origin
1	This armor is a privelege bestowed upon you by a knight order you joined, and you must use the armor to uphold the tenets of this order
2	You created this armor, and as its creator, hold the secrets to its one-of-a-kind construction
3	Your vast wealth purchased this item, in hopes that you could fulfill your dreams of becoming an adventurer
4	This armor doesn't belong to you, whether you snatched it from a vault or killed its previous owner
5	You stumbled into this armor, lost in the wilderness, without knowing the powers or responsibilities it bears
6	The armor is a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation, and now it's your turn to don it in your family's name

Armor Outlook

As armor isn't something you're usually born with, one must consider how familiar the wearer is with this armor, and how they feel when they come upon it. Though the expectation is that the armor is somewhat new to the warclad, it's possible that the warclad is very familiar with its workings and has only recently figured how to tap into its secrets. It's also possible the warclad doesn't necessarily want the responsibility of the armor.

Depending on the origin of your armor, your warclad will have very different outlooks and relationships with the armor. Your character might not be familiar with armor at all, much less armor of magical origins. Your character might be driven to unlock the armor's secrets by enthusiastic curiosity, a drive to succeed, or a grave sense of obligation. Your character's feelings towards the armor they wear will distinguish how they use it.

Armor Outlooks

d6	Outlook
1	Curiosity. This armor is new and exciting, and you can hardly wait to see what it has in store for you.
2	Duty. You have this armor for a purpose, and you will see that purpose fulfilled, no matter the cost.
3	Bewilderment. You never asked for this power, and you are surprised as anyone else when the armor performs a new wonder.
4	Achievement. The armor was something you worked toward for a long time, and now that you have it, you won't waste your chance to utilize it.
5	Reluctance. While you're confident that this power is safer in your hands than in the hands of countless others, that doesn't mean you asked for it, or are even happy about having it.
6	Pragmatism. The armor was never the end goal, you've always had bigger ones, but this armor will be the means to help you get there one day.

Combat Chassis

At 3rd level, a warclad gains the Combat Chassis feature. The following options are available to a warclad, in addition to those offered in the original Warclad class document: the Crusader, the Fleshbinder, the Mechanomorph, the Toa, and the Wetworker.

An additional combat chassis, the Injector, is available here.

Crusader

The combat chassis of a crusader is crafted for divine purpose. Whether the armor was originally made to serve this purpose, or the warclad in possession of the armor changes its essence to do so, a set of warclad crusader armor is a show of power meant to represent the will of beings beyond mortal influence. Veritable juggernauts like any other warclad, crusaders brazenly charge into battle without fear, leading the charge and taking hits for their allies. As goes with the legacy of the name, crusaders are built for seizing territory and conquering lands in the name of their gods. They wield mighty weapons, striking with otherworldly forces and tossing foes aside in their divine quest.

Crusader Features

Warclad Level	Feature
3rd	Strength in Arms, Damaging Blows
6th	Holy Strike
10th	Glorious Charge
14th	Divine Defender
18th	Felling Smash

Warclad Crusader

Strength in Arms

(Available for Emulation Module at 5th level)

At 3rd level, when you choose the crusader chassis, the armor empowers you with a holy strength, allowing you to wield mighty weapons. While wearing your armor, heavy melee weapons lose the Heavy property when you wield them, and all other melee weapons gain the Light property when you wield them. This does not change the Two-Handed property of any weapon.

Furthermore, when you wield a weapon with the Versatile property using one hand, you may roll damage for that weapon as if you are wielding it with two hands.

Damaging Blows

(Available for Emulation Module at 5th level)

At 3rd level, you learn to use your newfound strength of the crusader to deliver strikes that trade accuracy for power. When you attack with a melee weapon on your turn, you can choose remove your proficiency bonus from your attack modifier and instead apply it to your damage modifier. You must choose to do this before you roll the attack.

Holy Strike

At 6th level, you have learned to manifest the energies of the divine through your armor and weapons, and you summon it to strike your enemies at a distance. When attacking with a melee weapon, you can expend and roll one or multiple power dice to emanate energy from your weapon and fling it at your enemy. You still attack with your weapon, but it now has a range of 30 feet. If it hits, it deals damage equal to the amount the power dice rolled plus your Strength modifier. The damage is either fire, lightning, necrotic, or radiant; you choose the damage type when you gain this feature. This attack can only be done once per turn. You must be wearing your armor to use this feature.

Glorious Charge

(Available for Emulation Module at 12th level)

At 10th level, you have learned to use your impervious armor and unstoppable strength to barrel through opponents on the battlefield. If you move at least 10 feet in a straight line on your turn, you can use an action to lower your shoulder and charge into the next creature you come into contact with in that straight line. The creature makes its choice of a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier).

On a failed save, the creature suffers bludgeoning damage equal your warclad level plus your Strength modifier. It is also pushed, occupying the same space as you for the remainder of your movement. When your movement ends, it falls prone in a space of your choosing 5 feet from you.

If the creature is being pushed, and it collides with a surface, such as a wall, it suffers additional damage equal to your Strength modifier, and your movement ends.

If the creature succeeds on its save, it suffers half the damage from the charge, is not pushed, and your movement ends. Creatures Huge and larger succeed on this save automatically.

Divine Defender

(Available for Emulation Module at 16th level)

At 14th level, your armor is divinely charged with the ability to defend allies from enemy attacks. When you take the Defend action granted by the warclad class, divine sigils swirl in the air, granting protection to those nearby. The range of allies who can be affected by your Protection Protocol feature increases from 5 feet to 15 feet.

Felling Smash

At 18th level, your divine armor can infuse your body with the power to knock enemies to the dust at your armored boots. As an action, you can strike the ground with your fists or your weapon, affecting creatures in a 15-foot cone on the ground emanating from you. Ground-bound creatures in the cone must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failed save, they suffer damage equal to the total of your current maximum of power dice rolled together and are knocked prone. The damage is the same type as your Holy Strike. On a successful save, they suffer half as much damage and are not knocked prone.

Doing this does not consume power dice, but you must finish a long rest before using this feature again.

Fleshbinder

A fleshbinder chassis occurs when a warclad dives too deep into the magical secrets the armor holds, and discovers something lying in wait for them. Whether brought on by accidental prying or implanted within the armor to one day arise, something else is in the armor with you. The fleshbinder awakens a soul within the armor, bringing it to life as a sentient being. The personalities of these armors vary as much as the mortals who wear them, but there is no denying the unsettling nature of sharing so much with an entity the wearer knows of so little. Some fleshbinder warclad go mad after years of another voice in their head. Others become so integrated with the armor that they constantly refer to themselves as "we," much to the discomfort of others around them. Regardless, the soul of the fleshbinder armor can be an invaluable companion, strengthening your abilities and generally proving that two heads are better than one.

Fleshbinder Features

Warclad Level	Feature
3rd	Awakened Armor, Strengthened Mind
6th	Augmentation
10th	Elastic Reach, Learned Soul
14th	Symbiosis
18th	Striking Tendrils

Warclad Fleshbinder

Awakened Armor

At 3rd level, when you discover the secret that lies within your armor, it makes itself known. The armor takes on a more organic quality, sometimes pulsing and wriggling, even moving on its own from time to time. After you gain this feature, the first time you wear your armor, a voice enters your mind. It is the soul of your armor, greeting you. It functions like most other sentient magic items, and much of its personality and abilities are dependent on story details and your DM's discretion.

Abilities. Your armor has its own Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. These are determined by the player, who uses the Customizing Ability Scores (Point-Buy) variant of determining ability scores from page 13 of the Player's Handbook. The player has 15 points to spend on these three ability scores, rather than 27. No bonuses apply to these attributes.

Communication. The armor can communicate telepathically with you as long as you both are on the same plane of existence.

Senses. When not worn, the armor has a blindsight with a range of 30 ft, as well as a sense of touch. When worn by you, the armor's senses and yours are one in the same, and you can gain the benefits of its blindsight. If you already have blindsight, the armor extends its range by another 30 feet. When wearing the armor, you are partly melded with it, and anything that touches the armor's surface feels as if it is touching your skin.

Alignment. The armor has an alignment. It might be influenced by your own alignment, or have one chosen by the DM.

Special Purpose. The armor may have an objective it pursues. How much that purpose aligns with the player's goal is up to the DM, but in order to support the longevity of this subclass, it's best that the armor and the player character share a common goal. The armor will follow any command the warclad gives it, unless the warclad has ultimately betrayed the armor's purpose.

Bearer's Beckon. You can don the armor as an action by touching and activating the armor, and doff it similarly as a bonus action.

In your interactions with your armor, it is an NPC like any other. It might offer advice, or tell you of its past and purpose (if it knows anything on the matter). However, it can't do much outside of interacting with you. It cannot make checks or saving throws, other than those made while speaking with you. When your armor is at 0 hit points, the voice goes silent, and does not return until it has gained 1 hit point.

The Armor and the Bearer

The relationship between a warclad and their fleshbinder armor is a strange one, to say the least. While there are existing examples of characters wielding sentient items, those aren't always guaranteed to work out smoothly in the end. It is recommended that this relationship work similarly to that of a caster and their familiar. If the relationship is a little more strained that this, perhaps something more akin to a warlock and their patron is more suitable.

Strengthened Mind

With your armor awakened at 3rd level, it can aid your wits and personality on occasion. When you make an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma-based check, you can expend and roll a power die to add the result to the total. You can do so after you roll the check, but before the outcome is determined. You must be wearing your armor to use this feature.

Augmentation

(Available for Emulation Module at 8th level)

At 6th level, your sentient armor has learned about you as you have learned of it, and as it conforms and molds to your flesh, it can strengthen your attributes at the cost of its own power and durability. As a bonus action, while wearing your armor, you reduce your armor's hit points to 1. Doing so grants you one of the following benefits.

Augmented Strength. Your Strength score increases by your proficiency bonus, to a maximum of 24. You have advantage on Strength-based checks, and your carrying capacity is doubled.

Augmented Speed. Your Dexterity score increases by your proficiency bonus, to a maximum of 24. Your walking speed, jump distance, and jump height are all doubled.

These effects last until your armor regains or loses any hit points, or when you complete a short or long rest.

Elastic Reach

(Available for Emulation Module at 12th level)

Your armor can become an extension of yourself at 10th level, lashing out and extending the reach of your attacks. You can expend a bonus action to extend the range of your next melee attack by 5 feet.

Learned Soul

At 10th level, your armor's mind develops and becomes adept at a few skills. Select any two Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma-based skills. Your armor gains proficiency in these skills. Its proficiency bonus is the same as yours.

Symbiosis

(Available for Emulation Module at 16th level, minus Armor's Will)

At 14th level, you and your armor have learned to become one, sharing many things with one another. You gain the following benefits.

Armor's Will. If you are wearing your armor and you make any Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma-based check (not saving throw), you can decide to either use your own statistics or your armor's. You must decide which before making the roll.

Two Minds. When wearing the armor, the presence of the armor's consciousness grants you advantage on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, or knocked unconscious. You also gain resistance to psychic damage while wearing your armor.

Sharing Essence. Your armor can transfer hit points from itself to you while you are wearing it. This is done as a bonus action. You can also transfer its hit points to another creature by touching it as an action while wearing your armor. The hit points transferred cannot exceed your warclad level.

Striking Tendrils

(Available for Emulation Module at 20th level)

At 18th level, your armor has developed to where its organic form can move and act independently. While wearing your armor, you can use a bonus action to cause up to 4 tendrils of flesh and metal to sprout from the armor, remaining until you complete a short or long rest, or until you dismiss them as a bonus action.

These tendrils can be used as melee weapons. You are proficient in their usage, and they have the finesse property. They have a range of 10 feet and deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage plus your damage modifier. The tendrils can hold items or use weapons with the Light property, extending the range of each one by 5 feet.

As a bonus action on your turn, you can attack with each tendril you have sprouted. No more than two tendril attacks can be made against the same target.

Mechanomorph

Every so often, when one begins uncovering the inner workings of their own warclad armor, some interesting connections are made, and daring questions are posed. Is the armor akin to constructed creatures? Can it alter its form? The mechanomorph has answered these questions with a resounding "yes." These warclad have discovered their armor's odd ability to reconfigure itself and the wearer, allowing them to take on the shape of different objects and even creatures. A mechanomorph can disguise themselves as household objects. They can can emulate other creatures in a mechanized form, becoming a constructed mimicry. This gives the mechanomorph a deeper knowledge of constructs, which allows these warclad to command or even become a construct themselves.

Mechanomorph Features

Warclad Level	Feature
3rd	Modify Shape
6th	Armor Morph
10th	Mechanical Forms
14th	Control Constructs
18th	Become Construct

Modify Shape

(Available for Emulation Module at 5th level)

At 3rd level, you have unlocked the potential of your armor to change shape, and you along with it. You gain the following benefits.

Armor's Weapons. While wearing your armor, you can use an action to cast alter self. You can only use the Natural Weapons portion of the spell, and it morphs your armor instead of your body, as it forms to make magic weapons. You can cast this spell a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1 time), after which you must complete a short rest to regain all uses of this trait.

Inmutable Form. While wearing your armor, you become immune to any spell or effect that would alter your form, should you choose.

Armor Morph

At 6th level, the shifting potential of your armor allows you to take on the animated form of inanimate objects. To do so, you use an action to magically assume the shape of a nonmagical object or vehicle that you have seen before. You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once), after which you must complete a long rest to regain all uses.

The size limit of form you take on is determined by your warclad level. These limitations, as well as other features of these forms, are given in the Object Forms table.

Object Forms

Warclad Level	Object Size	Attack	Str	Dex
6th	Tiny	+8 to hit, 1d4+4 damage	4	18
6th	Small	+6 to hit, 1d8+2 damage	6	14
6th	Medium	+5 to hit, 2d6+1 damage	10	12
10th	Large	+6 to hit, 2d10+2 damage	14	10
14th	Huge	+8 to hit, 2d12+4 damage	18	6
18th	Gargantuan	+10 to hit, 3d10+6 damage	20	4

Warclad Mechanomorph

You can stay in this form for a number of hours equal to half your warclad level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, you or your armor drop to 0 hit points, or you die. When you are in this form, you are indistinguishable from the object you are emulating, unless you move in a way the object obviously shouldn't.

While you are transformed into an object, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the object, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies.
• Your armor class is replaced by the object's. If the object has no explicitly stated armor class, your armor is determined by the object's material, as is detailed on p. 246 and 247 in the Dungeon Master's Guide.
• When you transform, you assume your armor's hit points, instead of your own. If the new form has specified hit points that exceed your armor's hit points, your armor's hit point value takes that amount as its own instead. When you revert to your normal form as a result of your armor dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal hit points. For example, if you take 10 damage in object form and your armor has only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal hit points to 0, you aren't knocked unconscious.
• You can't cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your object form. Transforming breaks concentration of any spell, and prevents you from taking actions that are part of a spell that you've already cast.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your special senses, such as darkvision.
• While in this form, your creature type is construct, and you use your armor's hit points. If you are an object, your Constitution becomes 10.
• In object form your speed is 30 feet, unless you take on the form of a vehicle. In which case you take that object's speed. You can move via your own power. For example, if you turn into a boat, you need neither wind in the sails nor anyone paddling to utilize your movement speed.
• You have a blindsight with a radius of 60 feet in object form, but are blind beyond that distance.
• If you use the Attack action in object form, you can make a single melee attack against a creature within 5 feet of you. You make a slam attack and it deals bludgeoning damage. The DM might rule that a specific object inflicts slashing or piercing damage based on its form.
• If the object has weapons affixed to it, such as siege weaponry, you can use your action to make an attack with one of those weapons instead.
• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it (your armor always merges with your form). Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the object's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Mechanical Forms

At 10th level, your ability to morph into animated objects becomes expanded upon. Instead of becoming a simple object, you take on a form that mimics a mechanized version of a beast. You can now expend a use of your Armor Morph ability to cast polymorph on yourself, requiring no spell slots and using your armor as the spellcasting focus.

When you do so, the form you take on is not a perfect replica of the beast you choose. Instead, it is clearly a construct made of mechanical parts. Your creature type in this form is construct. You can maintain this form for longer by casting spell again before the effect ends.

Additionally, you can retain your mental ability scores in this form, if you so choose.

Control Constructs

(Available for Emulation Module at 16th level)

At 14th level, your knowledge of constructs allows you to attempt to take control of them. As an action, you can cast cast dominate monster, requiring no spell slots. Using this spell, you can only target constructs. This feature ignores any construct's resistance or immunity to being charmed. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is Intelligence (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier). The construct has advantage on the saving throw if it can see or hear its master or creator, and it has disadvantage on the save if you are its master or creator.

After using this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest.

Become Construct

At 18th level, your knowledge of constructs and transmuting your form expands yet again, and you learn to emulate constructs. When you expend a use of your Armor Morph ability to cast polymorph on yourself, you become able to turn into a construct-type creature as well. You can maintain this form for longer by casting the spell again before the effect ends. If the form of the construct you take on is not made of mechanized parts, it instead takes on such an appearance. In this form you can keep your mental ability scores if you so choose.

In addition, your time in these variant forms has left you a partial construct. You also can't be charmed or poisoned, and you are immune to poison damage.

Toa

The toa chassis is a remnant left by an ancient order of tribal warriors who defended ancestral homes with their otherworldly powers. A bond with nature spirits granted them control of the elements in their natural environment. Before the order died off, they left the last echoes of their power in these armors. Toa chassis now lay scattered throughout the world, waiting for new bearers to take up their mantle and defend these wilds. These armors are made of natural materials, and include fearsome war masks, which were the center of power of these lost warriors.

Warclad Toa

Toa Features

Warclad Level	Feature
3rd	Toa Element, Mask of Power (Cantrip)
6th	Elemental Attacks, Mask Evolution (1st Level, 2 charges)
10th	Elemental Immunity, Mask Evolution (2nd Level, 4 charges)
14th	Nova Blast, Mask Evolution (3rd Level, 6 charges)
18th	Elemental Absorption, Mask Evolution (4th Level, 8 charges)

Toa Element

(Available for Emulation Module at 5th level, can be selected by a Toa to gain another element, to a maximum of two elements)

At 3rd level, you form a bond with a chosen environment, tuning into an element of nature. Your element is not one of the four archetypal elements, but is rather tied to a region, biome, or even a different plane of existence. This leads to the many element types listed below.

Each element has a geographic region and a damage type associated with it. When you select an element at 3rd level, you gain the element's region as a favored terrain (see Ranger class for rules on favored terrain), and you gain resistance in your element's damage type, as long as you are wearing your armor.

As you are now a champion of elements of nature, you also gain proficiency in either Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Survival). You may instead choose to gain proficiency in Intelligence (Religion) if you are a Toa of Light or Shadow.

Toa Elements

Toa Element	Region	Damage Type
Fire	Hot, Volcanic	Fire
Water	Aquatic, Coastal	Acid
Air	Forest, High elevation	Lightning
Earth	Cavern, Underdark	Thunder
Stone	Desert, Rocky	Bludgeoning
Ice	Tundra, Arctic	Cold
Light	Upper planes, Holy ground	Radiant
Shadow	Shadowfell, Cursed land	Necrotic

Elemental Warriors

Toa draw power from their region of choice, and embody these environments as they fight. Their aligned damage type reflects their element in different ways.

• Toa of Fire draw power from ashen and molten lands, burning their enemies in combat.
• Toa of Water use the corrosive properties of their native waters when inflicting damage
• Toa of Air call upon the lightning in the sky to strike their attackers.
• Toa of Earth send out tremors, dealing thunderous damage with their mighty quakes.
• Toa of Stone bludgeon their foes with brute force and hailstorms of rocks.
• Toa of Ice freeze their opponents in battle with an arctic chill.
• Toa of Light overwhelm their enemies with radiant power and divine light.
• Toa of Shadow sap the energy from the living, inflicting necrotic wounds.

Mask of Power

(Available for Emulation Module at 5th level)

At 3rd level when you select this chassis, the helm of your armor takes on the form of a tribal war mask and is imbued with magical powers. You only have to be wearing the mask to use its abilities.

Select a cantrip from any school of magic that doesn’t require a spell attack roll or deal damage in a specified area. While wearing your mask, you can cast the cantrip using the mask as a spellcasting focus and requiring no components.

You can change your mask power by completing a ritual over the course of a long rest, imbuing your mask with a new cantrip (or spell, later on).

Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your mask power spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell you cast and for your Nova Blast feature later on.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Typical Toa Mask of Power

Elemental Attacks

At 6th level, your armor infuses your weapon attacks with your element. Your weapon attacks become magical. You can add your Wisdom modifier to the damage of your weapon attacks (no less than 1 damage). The extra damage is that of your elemental damage type. You must be wearing the armor to gain this benefit.

Mask Evolution

At 6th level, your mask has increased in power, and can hold more powerful spells. Instead of a cantrip, you can place a spell of 1st level in its place. This spell still cannot use a spell attack roll or deal damage in a specified area. Your mask now has charges, which it uses to cast these spells. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher using your mask, you expend a charge from your mask for each level of the spell. You start with 2 charges.

The level of the spell you can place in your mask increases by 1 and your amount of charges increases by 2 at 10th, 14th, and 18th level, to a maximum of 4th level spells and 8 charges.

Additionally, you can use a charge and a bonus action while wearing the mask to don or doff your warclad armor. You can don the armor this way as long as it is on the same plane of existence as you. When you doff it in this way, the armor appears in a space within 5 feet of you of your choice.

Elemental Immunity

At 10th level, your attunement to your element is so great that you are now immune to its damage type. You must be wearing your armor to gain this immunity.

Nova Blast

At 14th level, the elemental power built up within you can be released in a damaging blast of raw energy or elemental debris. As an action, you release elemental energy in a 30 foot radius. All creatures within the blast radius must make a Dexterity save against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature suffers damage equal to your current maximum power dice rolled together.

The damage is that of your elemental type. A creature suffers half as much on a successful save. This damage is considered magical. You must be wearing your armor to use this ability.

This ability doesn't expend power dice, but you must complete a long rest before using it again.

Elemental Absorption

At 18th level, you draw so much power from your element that it fuels and strengthens you. If you are wearing your armor and you are subjected to damage of your elemental type, you can expend a power die to regain hit points equal to the damage dealt. These hit points can be restored to both yourself and your armor.

If this would restore you to your hit point maximum, and there are no more hit points to restore to your armor, the remainder of the damage is converted into temporary hit points for you. The amount of temporary hit points gained from this feature cannot exceed your warclad level.

Wetworker

The wetworker takes a rather different approach to using their warclad armor. While still able to defend allies and take massive hits in combat, the wetworker modifies the armor for a more precise purpose. A wetworker chassis is optimised for staying undetected, tracking down enemies, diverting attention away from their allies, and striking hard when the time is right. A good wetworker knows that patience is their greatest weapon, and a good backup plan is their greatest shield.

Wetworker Features

Warclad Level	Feature
3rd	Soft and Silent, Nightvision
6th	Killing Maneuver, Stalker's Strike
10th	Diverting Image
14th	Tracker's Sight
18th	Stealthy Defense

Soft and Silent

(Available for Emulation Module, minus bonus skill proficiencies)

At 3rd level when you select this chassis, your armor becomes modified for stealth and infiltration. When moving at at least half your speed, you do not have disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks while wearing your armor.

You also gain the option to select a more nimble frame for your armor. The base armor for your warclad set can be a Medium armor instead of Heavy. Such a set is called a warclad wetworker set, and has its drawbacks and advantages. They are as follows:

• The wetworker set doesn't impose disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made while wearing the armor.
• While moving no more than half your speed in your wetworker set, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
• Your wetworker set sacrifices durability for undetectability. Your wetworker armor's hit point pool is half that of your default warclad armor (that is, one quarter your warclad's hit points, rounded down).

In order to better stalk your enemies, you also gain proficiency in Dexterity (Stealth) checks and one of the following skills. If you already have Stealth proficiency, you can instead choose to gain proficiency in two of the following: Dexterity (Acrobatics), Dexterity (Sleight of Hand), Intelligence (Investigation), Wisdom (Perception), Wisdom (Survival).

Night Vision

(Available for Emulation Module at 5th level)

At 3rd level, your armor becomes modified for locating prey while on the hunt. While wearing your armor, you have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, this feature increases its range by 60 feet.

Killing Maneuver

Your ability to strike down prey fuels you. At 6th level, when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points on your turn, you can expend a reaction to take the dash, disengage, or hide action.

Stalker's Strike

At 6th level, you become an expert in ambushing your opponents and striking them hard when it counts. You can use a bonus action to make two weapon attacks against a creature that you are hidden from or hasn't acted in initiative yet.

Diverting Image

(Available for Emulation Module at 12th level)

At 10th level, your armor, now used to reflecting light away from itself, can take that light and create an illusory duplicate of yourself.

As an action, you spend a power die to create a perfect illusion of yourself that lasts for 1 minute, or until you lose your concentration (as if concentrating on a spell). The illusion appears in an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you. As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the illusion up to 30 feet to a space you can see, but it must remain within 120 feet of you.

For the duration, when both you and your illusion are within 5 feet of a creature that can see the illusion, you have advantage on attack rolls against that creature, given how distracting the illusion is to the target.

You must be wearing your armor to use this feature.

Tracker's Sight

(Available for Emulation Module at 16th level)

At 14th level, the enhanced sight granted by your armor becomes further optimized for seeking out your foes. While wearing your armor, you can use an action and expend a power die. When you do so, you gain the ability to see into and through solid matter for 1 minute. This vision has a radius of 30 feet. To you, solid objects within that radius appear transparent and don't prevent light from passing through them. The vision can penetrate 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, or up to 3 feet of wood or dirt. Thicker substances block the vision, as does a thin sheet of lead.

Stealthy Defense

(Available for Emulation Module at 20th level)

Being more focused on stealth and evasion than being an armored defender, you repurpose your defensive systems for keeping out of sight. At 18th level, when you take the Defend action, you can use your bonus action to cast invisibility on yourself, requiring no spell slots and using your armor as a spellcasting focus.

At the expense of a power die, you can use your action to cast it on all creatures of your choice within 5 feet of you.

Warclad Wetworker

Updates

This class and all its subclasses are up for review for now, so most all details are still subject to change. To provide feedback, either visit the Warclad post on r/UnearthedArcana, or PM u/fatchalupa on Reddit.

Art Credits

In order of appearance:

• Warclad Class symbol made with royalty-free clipart
• Medieval Vector: Armor & Weapons Decorative Graphic by Eric Fritz (via Vintage Vectors)
• Knight by artkingman (via Pinterest)
• Black Knight Demon by MoonstalkerWerewolf (via DeviantArt)
• Guild Wars 2 Forgeman Heavy Armor concept art
• Vindictus Exquisite Naturewalker armor concept art
• Royalty-free tribal mask stock image drawing
• assassin by Sergey-Lesiuk (via DeviantArt)
• Vintage Suits of Armor Illustration via Silver Spiral Arts