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Warclad

A mysterious warrior suited in an otherworldly set of armor stands before a horde of oncoming goblins and hobgoblins. Stepping over the corpse of a bugbear, the magic within the armor begins repairing its cracks and fractures. The warrior gains unnatural speed and leaps over the front rank of goblins into the fray. The warrior slips once in the midst of combat, but the armor catches him and sets him back on his warpath.

A human mage weaves between the diving griffons, her armor propelling her through the sky with magical force. She knocks two griffons out of the sky with one fireball and proceeds to advance on the griffon leading the pack. Her quarry is the halfling rider, who turns around and responds with a crossbow bolt that glances off her armor. She continues advancing as she activates a sigil on her armor, readying a barrage of magic missiles.

Knowing battle is only a day or so away, a dwarf saunters over to his armor and begins making adjustments. He removes the large shielded plate attached to the pauldron and replaces it with a mounted crossbow. That should keep the buggers at bay, he thinks to himself. After securing the crossbow to the armor, he takes out another toolkit, and begins to fashion armor plating for his teammates. If he can't take damage for them, they should at least have some armor themselves.

These warclad are individuals who have either created or otherwise came into possession of a set of armor imbued with unique powers. These armors augment or enhance their abilities while helping defend them in combat. Whether skilled craftsmen or clever adventurers, warclad become veritable tanks on the battlefield, shrugging off blows and defending allies, while also being relentless attackers. Warclad are few and far between, but their presence is profoundly felt when they enter the fray.

Adaptive Armor

Though warclad derive much of their power from their armor, they are by no means bound by the armor’s nature. Since the armor functions to enhance their abilities, these abilities can range anywhere from martial combat, to spellcasting, to even stealthy infiltration. A warclad still has abilities outside of the armor, but does not have access to most of their abilities when not in harness. Most warclad armor can also be modified and adjusted to better fit the wielder’s needs.

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The Warclad
Level Proficiency Bonus Features Power Dice
1st +2 Warclad Armor, Protection Protocol
2nd +2 Power Core, Upgrade (1) 2 d4s
3rd +2 Combat Chassis 2 d4s
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 d4s
5th +3 Extra Attack 3 d6s
6th +3 Combat Chassis feature 3 d6s
7th +3 Additional Upgrade Slot (2) 4 d6s
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 d6s
9th +4 Armorer, Siege Engineer 4 d8s
10th +4 Combat Chassis feature 5 d8s
11th +4 Defend 5 d8s
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 5 d8s
13th +5 Additional Upgrade Slot (3) 6 d10s
14th +5 Combat Chassis feature 6 d10s
15th +5 Quick Use 6 d10s
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 7 d10s
17th +6 Additional Upgrade Slot (4) 7 d12s
18th +6 Combat Chassis Feature 7 d12s
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 8 d12s
20th +6 Invincible 8 d12s

Newfound Craftsmen

Though some have created their armor, many have either stumbled upon it or have had it gifted or passed on down to them. Thus, many warclad must take on skills of crafting in order to make adjustments in the field to tailor to their environment. These skills can be carried over from creating the armor, or developed over time as the armor has been in their possession.

These skills are the foundation of what makes a warclad useful in non-combat scenarios. Tinkering, smithing, disarming traps, and building fortifications, most warclad are skilled engineers who are not only stalwart bastions for their companions in battle, but resourceful problem-solvers who find unorthodox solutions to the many dangers of adventuring.

Creating a Warclad

As you create a warclad character, take into account the origins of their armor. The most common explanation is that you created your armor, but other interesting possibilities exist. Was it found abandoned in a dungeon? Was it a gift bestowed for a great deed? Is the armor granted to members of a knight order? Is it an inherited set passed down from generation to generation? Your character’s relationship with their armor should help define how they use it and what skills they might have because of it.

It’s also important to think about your warclad’s history before they came into contact with their armor. Warclad can come from any number of backgrounds, and thus any number of characters can come from the Warclad class. The armor can be of noble inheritance, cleverly stolen from a pirate lord's horde, or invented to win a losing war. Though a warclad’s armor is a pivotal part to their character, it doesn’t mean it defines them, so make sure your warclad is fully realized even without the armor.

Quick Build

You can make a warclad quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, to help your character manage and maintain the complex workings of your armor. Your next highest score should be Constitution. Second, select either the soldier or guild artisan background.

Class Features

As a warclad, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per warclad level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per warclad level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Smith's tools, one other tool of choice


Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence
Skills: Choose two skills from Athletics, Acrobatics, Arcana, Investigation, Insight, Survival, Intimidation


Equipment

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

  • (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
  • (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) five javelins
  • (a) burglar's pack or (b) explorer's pack
  • Smith's tools and one other tool of choice

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Other Class Information

Other details of the warclad that aren't listed elsewhere can be found here.

Multiclassing Prerequisite: Intelligence 13

Multiclassing Proficiencies Gained: All armor, all weapons, smith's tools

Starting Wealth: 3d4 x 10 gp

Warclad Armor

You have your set of magical warclad armor, and a set of smith's tools to help maintain your armor. The description of the armor is up to you and/or your DM, but most are visibly enhanced or magical and constructed in unorthodox, complex ways.

Armor. Your armor is a heavy armor that imposes disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, weighs at least 50 lbs., and requires no Strength requirement for you to wear. It grants the wearer an Armor Class of 16. It is a magical item, but is immune to dispelling effects such as dispel magic and antimagic field. No creature besides yourself has proficiency in your armor.

Smith's Tools. Your smith's tools can be used to modify and upkeep your armor. Their purpose for a warclad ranges from traditional armor maintenance, to engraving magical markings to imbue your armor with power, to modifying your armor's complex machinery. You can use these tools to create a new set of armor should your armor be destroyed or you find a better set of armor to replace it.

Creating New Armor. As a base for creating a new warclad set, you can use any set of heavy armor. Doing so renders your previous warclad armor inert of any warclad-specific abilities. Creating this new armor requires your smith's tools and a number of minutes equal to the base AC of the new armor times five. Once complete, the armor retains its original traits (such as AC, or magical effects) but also gains your special warclad features. When an armor becomes your warclad set, you ignore its Strength requirement, just as you would for your starting warclad set. Other armor items like helmets and bracers can be incorporated into the armor in a similar fashion, requiring 10 minutes per item being incorporated. You cannot have more than one warclad armor made at a time. If you attempt to make a new set of Warclad armor, the previous set returns to the state before it became a warclad set.

Acquiring New Armor

Many adventurers gain special loot and gear as they level up and explore. Though already in possession of a powered set of armor, warclad can still benefit from acquiring new sets. The ability to create and repurpose other sets of armor allows the warclad to utilize other powerful or magical armors that they might find during their adventures, or should their original armor be destroyed.


Protection Protocol

Once your warclad armor is bound to you, it is designed to protect you at all costs, even when doing so damages itself.

Armor Hit Points. Your armor has hit points equal to your warclad level times 4.

Repairing Armor. You can restore hit points to your warclad armor by using your smithing tools. Minor repairs to your armor can be done during a short rest, which restore the armor's hit points back to no more than half its maximum. Major repairs can be conducted as part of a long rest, restoring the armor to its hit point maximum.

If a long rest is interrupted while you are conducting major repairs and at least an hour has passed since the rest began, you may gain the benefits of minor repairs.

Unless specified by another feature, this is the only way your armor replenishes hit points.

Transferring Damage. When taking damage from any source other than poison or psychic damage, you can choose to transfer any amount of that damage to your armor, subtracting damage from your armor’s hit points rather than your own. If any amount of damage reduces your armor to 0 hit points, the excess damage is inflicted upon you.

If the armor is reduced to 0 hit points, it still functions as normal, it just loses the ability to take damage.

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Power Core

Starting at 2nd level, you unlock the power source at the core of your armor's unique nature. While wearing your armor, you gain access to your armor's power source, represented by a special pool of dice known as power dice. You start with two d4s as power dice. You use power dice for multiple warclad features. When you use a power die, it is expended. You gain additional power dice at higher levels, and the die itself increases at higher levels as well, shown on the warclad class table. You regain all expended power dice upon completing a short or long rest, but for a short rest you must forgo minor repairs to do so.

Many features will require you to roll the dice when you expend them, but some features use them as points to spend in order to perform certain functions. Still others will simply refer to your armor dice value, which is the current value of one of your armor dice.

Upgrade

Upon reaching 2nd level, your armor's configuration and powered potential can be channeled into upgrades. You gain one of the following Upgrade options of your choice. You gain additional upgrade slots at 7th, 13th, and 17th level.

You can replace a number of equipped upgrades equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum one) with different upgrades over the course of a long rest, but you must forgo major repairs and instead only conduct minor repairs during the rest to do so. Preparing the new upgrades requires time spent modifying your armor with your smith’s tools: at least 10 minutes per upgrade.

Upgrade Options

Analysis Display

You spend an action and a power die surveying your local environment while wearing your armor. When you do so, select one of the options below.

Deciphering Matrix. You cast the comprehend languages spell on yourself, requiring no spell components.

Sensor Sweep. You learn the exact number, but not the location, of Tiny or larger creatures within 100 feet of you, even those on the Ethereal Plane.


Target Analysis. You target a creature you can see within 30 feet. You learn two of the following about the target: armor class, damage resistances, damage immunities, damage vulnerabilities, condition immunities.

Autonomous Combatant

The armor has adjusted to your rigorous combat movements, and learned to be as effective as you in battle. If you miss an attack while wearing your armor, you may expend a reaction and a single power die, rolling it and adding the result to the attack roll total. This cannot turn a non-critical hit into a critical hit.

Deflecting Plates

Your armor can absorb the vibrations of a blow and even reflect some of the force back to the attacker. If you are struck with an attack, then as a reaction, you can expend one of your power dice and roll it, adding your Intelligence modifier to the result. The damage from the attack is reduced by the total.

If the deflection reduces the damage to 0, any leftover amount from the deflection roll is inflicted upon the attacker in the form of force damage, as long as they are within 5 feet of you. You must be wearing your armor to use this feature.

Defensive Modalities

Your armor passively calculates strategies, aiding you in assessing the battlefield and sharing these strategies with your allies. When within 5 feet of an allied creature, you can use a reaction to allow the allied creature to Disengage as a reaction and move up to half their movement.

Additionally, as a bonus action on your turn while wearing your armor, you can expend a power die and target a creature you can see, assessing its fighting style. Each time after this that the targeted creature makes an attack roll, roll one of your power dice. Add the result to the attack roll if the attack is against you, but subtract the result if the attack is against any other creature. This cannot turn a non-critical hit into a critical hit, but it can reduce a critical hit to a normal hit or missed attack.

This effect lasts for 1 minute, ending early if you are incapacitated or choose to target a different creature, spending an additional bonus action and power die to do so. You can also end this effect as a free action on your turn.

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Failsafe

Your armor assists you when your mortal abilities fall short. If you fail a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw, you can use a reaction to roll a single power die and add the result to the total, provided you are wearing your armor. Doing so expends the power die.

Hydraulic Strikes

Your armor empowers your melee strikes. While wearing your armor, you gain the following benefits:

  • You are proficient with unarmed strikes.
  • You can use Intelligence instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and Strength-based weapons.
  • You can roll a die in place of the normal damage of your Strength-based weapons or unarmed strike equal to your current power die.
  • When you use the attack action on your turn, you can expend a power die to make one additional unarmed strike as part of that action.

(Prerequisite Warclad Level 7)

You create modules to distribute your upgrade abilities to other armors and potentially other members of your adventuring party. You create a number of modules equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum one), which you can affix to any set of armor with smith's tools and 10 minutes per module. Each armor with a module attached grants your other slotted upgrade abilities to the wearer of the armor. They use their own actions to activate these abilities but use your pool of power dice and attributes.

If you deselect this upgrade, these modules lose their ability to share your upgrade features, but can remain attached. The modules regain their powers if you select this upgrade again.

Rebreather

Your armor gains built-in life-support systems. You gain resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against being poisoned while wearing your armor.

Additionally, you can use a bonus action to breathe via your armor's limited air supply. You expend one or multiple power dice to breathe normally in any environment for an hour per die expended. You can extend this duration by an hour per extra power die spent while this is in effect. You must be wearing your armor to use this ability.

Self-Repair

Your continued repair of your armor has taught it to repair itself in the heat of combat. You can use your power dice to restore hit points to your armor. As a bonus action on your turn, you can spend one or multiple power dice, rolling them all together. Your armor regains hit points equal to the total. You must be wearing your armor to use this feature.


System Diagnostic

Your armor kicks in when outside forces affect you. You can expend a power die and an action to end one of the following effects on yourself: blinded, deafened, poisoned, or any magical effect causing the restrained condition. You must be wearing your armor to do so.

Threat Detector

While wearing your armor, you cannot be surprised, except when incapacitated by something other than nonmagical sleep. If your armor is on you or within 30 feet of you while you are sleeping naturally, your armor awakens you if combat begins. Additionally, when you make a Perception or Investigation check to search for traps or hidden creatures, you can expend and roll a power die and add the amount onto the check.

Traversal Compensators

Your armor is upgraded to grant you unhindered movement. You gain the following benefits while wearing your armor:

  • You are unaffected by difficult terrain.
  • When submerged in water, you can use an action to alter the density of your armor, either rising towards the surface or sinking in the water at a speed of 20 feet. You can end this alteration as a bonus action. When reaching the floor while sinking, you can walk along the floor at your normal walking speed.
  • Your melee attacks are unaffected by the effects of being submerged in water.
  • If an effect knocks you prone or pushes you 5 feet or more, you can spend a power die and a reaction to remain standing and unmoved.

Combat Chassis

Starting at 3rd level, your armor becomes a specialized combat platform on which you mount your armored assaults against your foes. Choose Bulwark, Crusader, Fleshbinder, Injector, Iron Mage, Mechanomorph, Toa, Vanguard, or Wetworker, all detailed at the end of the class description. The chassis you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Ability Score Improvement

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.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

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Armorer

9th level allows you to grant additional armor to yourself and allies. You gain a resource called armor points, equal to your warclad level times 2. You use smith's tools to convert these armor points to temporary hit points for a creature (including yourself) that you can touch using one minute and 1 gp worth of materials per hit point. You can distribute these points between yourself and other creatures however you would like. When a creature loses these temporary hit points (either through taking damage or finishing a long rest), they return to your armor point pool to be distributed again.

Siege Engineer

Starting at 9th level, your knowledge of defenses and armor allows you to build defensive structures. Using your smithing tools and proper materials, you can prepare structures and vehicles for assault. You must spend a minute and 5 gp worth of materials to fortify each cubic foot of inanimate material, be it a wall, a wagon, a ship's hull, or a door. When you do so, you choose one of the following effects:

Armored. The object’s Armor Class increases by your Intelligence modifier. This benefit does not stack.

Fortified. The object gains a damage threshold equal to your Intelligence score. If it already has a threshold higher than your Intelligence score, it does not benefit from this effect.

Resistant. The object negates any effect that would inflict double damage on structures, such as the siege monster trait.

You may not apply more than one effect to an area of a structure. Removing the fortifications requires half the time you used to construct them.

Defend

By 11th level, you become a front line defender that others rally behind for protection. You can take an action known as the Defend action, the effects of which last until the start of your next turn as you focus entirely on taking attacks and protecting nearby allies. When you use your action to defend, all allied creatures within 5 feet of you can take on your AC instead of their own if they choose.

They also gain access to your Protection Protocol feature while you are defending, and can transfer damage over to your armor if you are wearing it and are willing. If any damage reduces the armor to 0, any excess damage is inflicted upon the allied creature.

When you take the Defend action, you can make a single weapon attack as a bonus action.

Quick Use

By 15th level, your improved knowledge of objects and their composition allows you to operate objects more effectively. You may now use a bonus action on your turn to take the Use an Object action or contribute an action to the operation of siege weaponry. Several warclad combat chassis features that require actions to activate can now be done using a bonus action as well, which is noted in the description of said features.


Invincible

At 20th level, your armor can intervene in dire need and leave you unscathed. When you take damage from any source, you can reduce that damage to 0. To use this feature, you must be wearing your armor. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Combat Chassis

Your magical set of armor can become specialized to different sets of abilities. The combat chassis reflects your combat style, and the suit tailors to your abilities, augmenting and strengthening them.

Bulwark

For those who choose the bulwark as their combat chassis, their armor becomes a walking battlement. As such, the armor is not just a harness to be worn into battle, but a platform from which a warclad can prepare an attack or defense. The towering bulwark armor can be customized for different scenarios and can even act independently from the wearer, becoming an armored construct companion in battle.

Bulwark Features
Warclad Level Feature
3rd Attachment Point
6th Towering Form
10th Sentry
14th Watchful Sentry, Additional Attachment Point
18th Auxiliary Power

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Attachment Point

If you select the Bulwark chassis at 3rd level, your armor gains one attachment point, to which a single item can be affixed. You use your smith's tools and one minute to attach and remove each item.

Weaponry. If you attach a weapon, you are considered to always be wielding the weapon as if it were in a single extra hand. If you attach a ranged weapon, you still require ammunition as normal in order to fire it. An attached weapon loses the thrown property. If you attach a weapon with the Light property, you can attack with it using a bonus action as if it were held in an off hand.

Shields. Attaching a shield adds extra plating to the armor, giving your armor a +1 bonus to AC. Magical bonuses for shields still apply.

Magic Items. You can also attach a magical item to the armor (including weaponry and shields). This attachment point counts as an extra attunement slot for you to which magic items can be stored or attuned. The attachment point ignores placement restrictions for attuned items.

Additional Attachment Point. You gain an additional attachment point at 14th level, along with one more additional attunement slot for the armor. If two weapons are attached using the additional attachment point, only one can be used using a bonus action.

Towering Form

Starting at 6th level, you are able to convert your armor into a colossus of steel. You spend a total of 24 hours with your smith's tools and warclad set in order to make a much larger version of your armor, known as the bulwark set. This also requires materials worth 15 times your armor's base AC in gp.

The armor’s size becomes doubled in all dimensions, and its weight is multiplied by eight. You can wear an additional set of armor from within the bulwark, but only gain the benefits of the bulwark armor when doing so. Your additional armor can benefit from the Link-Up Module upgrade available at 7th level while you are not in the bulwark armor.

The bulwark stands erect when not being worn by you. You can enter or exit the bulwark using half of your movement. You can take items with you as you enter or exit the bulwark (including weapons) unless they are attached via attachment point. You also have storage space within the bulwark that can carry up to half its weight in items and materials, as long as no item stored is longer than two feet on any side. Stored items do not count as part of your carry weight while you wear the bulwark armor.

While wearing the bulwark armor, your effective size becomes that of the armor, increasing by one category—for example, from Medium to Large. This change does not affect the damage you deal with weapons, but does allow you to wield weapons appropriately to your new size class.

Another creature of your size or smaller can also enter your warclad armor to gain the benefits of the Protection Protocol feature.

Your bulwark armor's hit point maximum increases to your warclad level times 6.


Sentry

At 10th level, your armor can act when you are not in it. You can activate and deactivate the armor as a bonus action by uttering a command word. This sentry has access to many of your warclad abilities and has its own statistics, listed at the end of this subclass description.

The sentry shares your initiative count in combat, but takes its turn directly after yours. It will move, use reactions, and take the Dodge action on each of its turns unless you use a bonus action to utter a command to take actions of any other form. You cannot transfer damage to the sentry when not wearing it, as with the Protection Protocol feature.

Another creature of your size or smaller that you allow can still enter the sentry and gain the benefits of the Protection Protocol feature, but cannot move or take physical actions other than exiting the sentry.

If the armor is reduced to 0 hit points while in sentry mode, it falls prone and deactivates and is unable to be activated until it regains one hit point. You can still repair your armor as usual or enter the armor after it has collapsed and wear it as your usual warclad armor. When you enter the armor after it has collapsed, you do so prone.

If you are incapacitated, the sentry can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge, primarily focusing on protecting your incapacitated form. If you die, the sentry continues to act for 1 minute, at which point it deactivates and does not reactivate unless you return to life and activate it again.

Watchful Sentry

Upon reaching 14th level, your sentry can mentally warn you when danger is nearby. When a Tiny or larger creature enters your sentry's blindsight radius while it is active, a mental alarm alerts you with a ping in your mind if you are within 1 mile of your sentry while it is active. You can designate creatures that won't set off the alarm.

Additionally, as an action, you can see through your sentry until the start of your next turn, hearing what it hears and gaining the benefits of its blindsight. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.

Auxiliary Power

Beginning at 18th level, your bulwark armor can convert extra energy to mobility and combat capabilities, but only one at a time, as your armor’s energy is limited. You (or your sentry) can switch between these three passive effects using an action to modify your armor's power systems. You select one of the following modes, which grant the benefits either to your sentry or you while wearing the armor.

Offensive Mode. All of your weapon attacks deal an additional d6 of damage.

Defensive Mode. Your armor has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

Mobility Mode. Your movement speed increases by 10 feet.

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PART 2 | COMBAT CHASSIS



Bulwark Sentry

Construct (one size larger than you), unaligned


  • Armor Class (your bulwark armor AC)
  • Hit Points (your armor's hit point pool)
  • Speed 30 ft. (40 in mobility mode)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 9 (-1) 18 (+4) 7 (-2) 10 (+0) 3 (-4)

  • Saving Throws Str +8, Con +8
  • Skills Athletics +8, Perception +4
  • Damage Immunities psychic, poison
  • Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
  • Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 14
  • Languages understands commands given by you in any language but can't speak

Iterative Improvements. The following numbers increase by 1 when your proficiency bonus increases by 1: the bonuses to hit of its attacks, its proficient saving throws and skills, and two of its attribute scores of your choice.

Warclad Construct. The sentry has access to all base warclad class features that require you to wear your armor, as well as the Defend feature at 11th level. You and your sentry share a pool for these abilities, and the sentry expending a use of a feature expends it for the both of you. The sentry also has access to some abilities specific to your bulwark chassis. It can use items attached to its attachment points, and it benefits from the Auxiliary Power ability while in sentry mode. Any mention of an attribute score in your shared abilities uses your ability scores.

Actions

Unarmed Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 10 (2d4 + 4) bludgeoning damage.

Strength-Based Attack. +8 to hit, +4 to damage.

Dexterity-Based Attack. +3 to hit, -1 to damage.

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PART 2 | COMBAT CHASSIS

Crusader

The combat chassis of a crusader is imbued with power from other planes of existence. Whether the armor was originally made by gods, or the warclad changes its essence to utilize these powers, a set of warclad crusader armor is a show of otherworldly force. Veritable juggernauts like any other warclad, crusaders brazenly charge into battle without fear, leading the charge and taking hits for their allies. Crusaders are built for seizing territory and conquering lands. They wield mighty weapons, striking with deadly energies and tossing foes aside in their quest. While not necessarily fueled by faith in divine powers, crusaders have learned to cleverly harness the energies of beings either profane or divine in their combat armor.

Crusader Features
Warclad Level Feature
3rd Fighting Style, Strength in Arms
6th Energized Strike
10th Glorious Charge
14th Greater Defender
18th Felling Smash

Fighting Style

At 3rd level, you learn to use your newfound power of the crusader and hone it into a fighting style. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Blind Fighting

You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Interception

When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Strength in Arms

At 3rd level when you choose the crusader chassis, you wield weapons with greater might. While wearing your armor, you can ignore the Heavy melee weapon property of Heavy weapons, should you choose. You can also apply the Light property to all other melee weapons, should you choose. 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.

Energized Strike

At 6th level, you can manifest powerful energies through your armor and weapons. When attacking with a weapon while wearing your armor, you can expend one or multiple power dice to emanate energy from your weapon. You still attack with your weapon, but it now has a range of 30 feet. If it hits, the attack deals damage equal to the power dice you spent rolled together + your Intelligence modifier. The damage is either fire, lightning, necrotic, or radiant; you choose the damage type when you gain this feature. If you attack a target within your normal weapon range, it inflicts your weapon's normal damage as well. This attack can only be done once per turn.

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PART 2 | COMBAT CHASSIS

Glorious Charge

At 10th level, you can 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 charge into the next creature you come into contact within that straight line. The creature makes its choice of a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier).

On a failed save, the creature suffers bludgeoning damage equal to your warclad level + your proficiency bonus. If this damages the creature, 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 a pushed creature collides with a surface such as a wall, it suffers additional bludgeoning damage equal to your proficiency bonus, and your movement ends.

If the creature succeeds on its save, it suffers half the damage from the charge and is not pushed. Creatures two sizes or more larger than you automatically succeed this save.

Greater Defender

At 14th level, you are able to defend your allies even more effectively. When you take the Defend action granted by the warclad class, 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, you can strike the ground as an action once per long rest. Ground-bound creatures in a 15-foot cone emanating from you must make saving throw as if against your Glorious Charge. 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 Energized Strike. On a successful save, they suffer half as much damage and are not knocked prone.


Fleshbinder

A fleshbinder chassis occurs when a warclad dives deep into the 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." 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
6th Augmentation
10th Strengthened Mind
14th Symbiosis
18th Offspring

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.

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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.

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 it is best that the armor and the player character share a common goal. The armor will follow any command the warclad gives it.

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, but cannot add any proficiency bonus if you use your armor's. You must decide which before making the roll.

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. You can don as a bonus action once obtaining the Quick-Use feature at 15th level.

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. Your armor can also suffer poison and psychic damage for you using the Protection Protocol feature.

In your interactions with your armor, it is an NPC like any other. When your armor is at 0 hit points, the voice goes silent, and does not return until it has gained 1 hit point.

Augmentation

At 6th level, your sentient armor has learned to repurpose its physical composition 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.

Spider Climb. The surface of your armor modifies to be more adherent. You gain the ability to move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free. You also gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.

Striking Tendrils. You cause a number of tendrils equal to your total amount of warclad upgrade slots to sprout from the armor. These tendrils are made of your armor's material and can be used as melee weapons. You are proficient in their usage, and you use Intelligence as your attack modifier. They have a range of 10 feet and deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage + your Intelligence modifier. The tendrils can hold items that you could hold in one hand 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 all tendrils you have sprouted. No more than two tendril attacks can be made against the same target.

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

Strengthened Mind

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 and you can apply it to these skill checks your armor makes using the Armor's Will sub-feature. Its proficiency bonus is the same as yours.

In addition, your armor warns you of danger. While wearing your armor, you have advantage on initiative rolls, and you can’t be surprised.

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Symbiosis

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

Secondary Biology. When afflicted with a disease or poison, you can choose to have your armor suffer the effects of the ailment instead. You can end the poisoned condition using minor repairs on a short rest, and end a disease on your armor by using major repairs on a long rest.

Sharing Essence. Your armor can transfer hit points from itself to you while you are wearing it. This is done as a bonus action. The hit points transferred at once cannot exceed your warclad level.

Offspring

At 18th level, your armor has developed into a fully-fledged lifeform, able to reproduce and sustain life. When you gain this feature, the armor plants a seed within your body that lies dormant until a time of dire need. If you should ever die, as long as your armor has at least 1 hit point remaining, your armor can sacrifice its life force at any point within 7 days to activate the seed. The armor returns to the state before it became a warclad set, and you are revived with a total of 1 hit point, without access to any class features that require you to be wearing your armor.

The seed grows into a new set of warclad armor emanating from your body at the end of your next long rest. It gains the same features as your previous warclad set but with an entirely new personality (its attributes and skills might be different as well).

Coming back from the dead this way is an ordeal. You take a −4 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. Every time you finish a long rest, the penalty is reduced by 1 until it disappears.

Injector

The injector chassis taps into alchemical processes and the armor's highly adaptive harness to create a complex alchemical delivery system. The injector armor typically houses tubes, vats, and nozzles for injecting the wearer with strengthening salves and dousing foes with harmful concoctions. A warclad injector is an adaptable strategist as much as they are a mighty frontline fighter, knowing that their body is a tool that can be modified for different scenarios.

Injector Features
Warclad Level Feature
3rd Alchemist, Concoctions
6th Alchemical Thrower
10th Syringe
14th Filtration
18th Contingent Infusion

Alchemist

In order to truly comprehend how your armor's alchemical processes work, you gain proficiency with alchemist's supplies and either the poisoner's kit or herbalism kit at 3rd level.


Concoctions

When you reach 3rd level, you are able to create and use potions with your armor. Doing so is similar to casting spells, as your armor infuses substances together to make a short-lived replica of a potion. Most of these are either injected into your body upon their use or hurled at an enemy via a mechanism installed into your armor.

When you learn a potion, you are learning to program its formula into your armor's systems. Your armor can only hold so many formulas, and is only capable of producing so many per day. These limitations are represented by your Potions Known and concoction slots, respectively.

Alchemist Frame. Starting when you select the Injector chassis at 3rd level, your armor becomes a vessel for storing and deploying potions. Your warclad armor can only use the potions it creates.

Nonmagical Concoctions. You learn three nonmagical concoctions of your choice from the following choices: acid, alchemist's fire, antitoxin, holy water, oil, and basic poison (all found in the Adventuring Gear section of the Player's Handbook). You learn an additional concoction at 10th level. These learned concoctions can be used without using a concoction slot. Other nonmagical concoctions can be learned under "Potions Known," and as such are used by using concoction slots and are considered Common.

Concoction Slots. The Injector Concoctions table shows how many concoction slots you have to secrete and use your potions of Common or higher rarity. To use one of these potions, you must expend a slot of the potion’s rarity or higher. You regain all expended slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the Common potion potion of healing and have a Common and an Uncommon concoction slot available, you can use potion of healing using either slot.

Potions known of Common Rarity and Higher. You know three Common potions of your choice. Potions can be chosen from the nonmagical concoctions options as well, and as such are counted as Common potions.

The Potions Known column of the Injector Concoctions table shows when you learn more potions of Common rarity or higher. Each of these potions must be of a rarity for which you have concoction slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new potion of Common or Uncommon rarity.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the potions you know with another potion of your choice. The new potion must be of a rarity for which you have concoctions slots.

Concocting Potions. When you use this feature to concoct a potion, you must immediately use the required action to use the potion or else the potion is destroyed and the concoction slot is lost. All attempts to store these potions for later use destroys the potion.

Many potions have to be ingested in some form in order for the effects to take hold. Until you gain the Syringe feature at 10th level, you are limited to using these potions on yourself. Each of these potions are concocted and injected into you using a bonus action, after which they take effect.

Other potions are either applied to an item or area or are thrown in some form at a target. These potions are deployed by your armor's mechanisms, but still take the same amount of time to use as the potion's original description.

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Concocting Ability. Intelligence is your ability for your concoctions, since you learn your potions through study of alchemical processes. Many potions refer to a set saving throw that a target must make a save against. You instead use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a potion you concoct and when making an attack roll with a thrown one.

Potion save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier


Potion attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Injector Concoctions
Warclad Level Nonmagical Concoctions Potions Known Common Uncommon Rare Very Rare
3rd 3 3 3
4th 3 4 3
5th 3 4 3
6th 3 4 3
7th 3 5 4 2
8th 3 6 4 2
9th 3 6 4 2
10th 4 7 4 3
11th 4 8 4 3
12th 4 8 4 3
13th 4 9 4 3 2
14th 4 10 4 3 2
15th 4 10 4 3 2
16th 4 11 4 3 3
17th 4 11 4 3 3
18th 4 11 4 3 3
19th 4 12 4 3 3 1
20th 4 13 4 3 3 1

Alchemical Thrower

At 6th level, whenever you throw or splash a nonmagical concoction, the range you are able to throw it becomes 60 feet, as your armor launches it to greater distances. In addition, when you launch one of these concoctions, you can expend a power die, rolling it and adding the total onto either the attack roll or damage for the concoction attack.

Syringe

At 10th level, when you expend a concoction slot to use an ingested potion, you can instead choose to inject it into another creature as an action. Either touch a willing creature or make an unarmed attack against an unwilling one. When you touch the creature or make a successful unarmed attack, the target creature suffers 1 point of piercing damage if it is willing, or piercing damage equal to your unarmed strike if unwilling.


After this damage is applied, the potion is injected. The potion then takes effect as if it were ingested by that creature.

Filtration

At 14th level, your armor now knows how to put a stop to harmful substances and strengthen beneficial ones. You become resistant to poison damage while wearing your armor, and roll with advantage against being poisoned.

In addition, all healing potions you ingest while wearing your armor that aren't injected by your armor are maximized in the amount of healing they do.

If you take the Rebreather upgrade in addition to this feature, you gain immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition while wearing your armor.

Contingent Infusion

You can set special contingencies at 18th level. You can set up to two ingested potions at once to activate when a trigger event occurs. The trigger must be internal to you and the armor, such as reaching a specific hit point threshold, gaining the effects of a spell or potion, or becoming subject to a condition.

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You set up this contingency at the end of a long rest, and you can only have one contingency active at a time. When the triggering event occurs, if you have the concoction slots for it, the slots are expended. Once they are expended, the potions become injected, no action required by you. If you only have enough slots for a single potion, then only that potion is injected.

Concoction List

Nonmagical Concoctions
  • Acid
  • Alchemist's Fire
  • Antitoxin
  • Basic Poison
  • Holy Water
  • Oil
Common
  • Acid
  • Alchemist's Fire
  • Antitoxin
  • Basic Poison
  • Holy Water
  • Oil
  • Potion of Climbing
  • Potion of Healing
Uncommon
  • Oil of Slipperiness
  • Philter of Love
  • Potion of Animal Friendship
  • Potion of Fire Breath
  • Potion of Giant Strength
  • Potion of Growth
  • Potion of Poison
  • Potion of Resistance
  • Potion of Water Breathing
Rare
  • Elixir of Health
  • Oil of Etherealness
  • Potion of Clairvoyance
  • Potion of Diminution
  • Potion of Gaseous Form
  • Potion of Heroism
  • Potion of Invulnerability
  • Potion of Mind Reading
Very Rare
  • Oil of Sharpness
  • Potion of Flying
  • Potion of Invisibility
  • Potion of Longevity
  • Potion of Speed
  • Potion of Vitality

Variant Concoctions

There are some potions that can be changed slightly when they are concocted or even have different effects when concocted at higher rarity levels.


Potion of Diminution

When you concoct a Potion of Diminution using different rarity slots, it determines the duration of the potion's effects.

  • Rare. 2 hours.
  • Very Rare. 4 hours.
Potion of Giant Strength

When you concoct a Potion of Giant Strength using different rarity slots, it has the effects of different rarities of potion. They are as follows:

  • Uncommon. Hill Giant, 21 Strength.
  • Rare. Frost/Stone Giant, 23 Strength.
  • Rare. Fire Giant, 25 Strength (not available until 16th level).
  • Very Rare. Cloud Giant, 27 Strength.
Potion of Growth

When you concoct a Potion of Growth using different rarity slots, it determines the duration of the potion's effects.

  • Uncommon. 1 hour.
  • Rare. 2 hours.
  • Very Rare. 4 hours.
Potion of Healing

When you concoct a Potion of Healing using different rarity slots, it has the effects of different rarities of potions of healing. They are as follows:

  • Common. Healing, 2d4 + 2 hp.
  • Uncommon. Greater Healing, 4d4 + 4 hp.
  • Rare. Superior Healing, 8d4 + 8 hp.
  • Very Rare. Supreme Healing, 10d4 + 20 hp.
Potion of Resistance

When you concoct a potion of resistance, you choose the damage type it resists when you concoct it.

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Iron Mage

An iron mage taps into the magical essence of their armor to cast spells. Though warclad are usually not previously trained in magic, spending some time with the warclad armor has revealed some magical secrets. These discoveries set them on a path of magical study.

The iron mage's spellcasting focus is their armor, creating the convenience of not carrying a different one. However, the iron mage must have a hand free to cast spells, as the magical energy is channeled through the somatic movements of the hand.

The armor, being of a unique arcane nature, utilizes its own unique gambit of spells.

Iron Mage Features
Warclad Level Feature
3rd Spellcasting, Summoned Suit
6th Defensive Caster
10th Armor of the Arcane
14th Armored Flight
18th Magic Core


Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you are able to cast spells while wearing your warclad armor.

Spellcasting Focus. Starting when you select the Iron Mage chassis at 3rd level, your armor can become your spellcasting focus. You may only cast spells learned from this class while wearing your warclad armor.

Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the iron mage spell list. You learn an additional iron mage cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

When you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Increase feature, you can replace one of the cantrips you know with another cantrip from the iron mage spell list.

Spell Slots. The Iron Mage Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell magic missile and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast magic missile using either slot.

Spells known of 1st-Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the iron mage spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Iron Mage Spellcasting table shows when you learn more spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the spells you know with another spell of your choice from the iron mage spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Iron Mage Spellcasting
Warclad Level Cantrips Known Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
3rd 2 3 2
4th 2 4 3
5th 2 4 3
6th 2 4 3
7th 2 5 4 2
8th 2 6 4 2
9th 2 6 4 2
10th 3 7 4 3
11th 3 8 4 3
12th 3 8 4 3
13th 3 9 4 3 2
14th 3 10 4 3 2
15th 3 10 4 3 2
16th 3 11 4 3 3
17th 3 11 4 3 3
18th 3 11 4 3 3
19th 3 12 4 3 3 1
20th 3 13 4 3 3 1

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Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your iron mage spells, since you learn your spells through study of magic and your armor's mechanics. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an iron mage spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

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


Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Ritual Casting. You can cast an iron mage spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you know the spell.

Summoned Suit

At 3rd level, your attunement to your armor allows it to be called forth and dismissed at a moment’s notice. If your armor is on the same plane of existence as you, you can summon it as an action, causing it to teleport instantly around your body. You can also use a bonus action to dismiss the armor causing it to instantly teleport to a specified location on the same plane of existence. If you have no specified location, the armor teleports to any space of your choosing within five feet of you. You can summon the suit as a bonus action when you gain the Quick-Use feature at 15th level.

Said specified location must be determined beforehand by a 1 hour-long ritual, which can be done during a short rest. You must be in this location throughout the ritual, and at the conclusion of the ritual you must touch your armor and form the connection between the armor and the location.

You can have only one location set on each plane of existence. If you attempt to create a second location, you must break the bond between the armor and the previous location.


Defensive Caster

At 6th level, your defensive combat experience and spellcasting become intertwined, allowing you to cast spells and defend yourself simultaneously. When you take the Dodge action (and later the Defend action), you can cast a cantrip as a bonus action.

Armor of the Arcane

Starting at 10th level, your armor can substitute its own power for your spellcasting force. When casting a spell of 1st level or higher, instead of expending a spell slot, you can expend power dice, as long as you are wearing your armor. When you do this, you spend an amount of power dice equal to the level of the spell. For example, you would spend 3 power dice to cast a 3rd-level spell. You cannot use this feature in conjunction with using spell slots, and you cannot use it to cast spells at higher levels.

Armored Flight

Beginning at 14th level, the magical vibrations of your armor propel you into the sky, giving you a flying speed equal to your current speed. While wearing your armor, you can begin flying as a bonus action on your turn. Your flight lasts until you end it as a bonus action on your turn.

Magic Core

At 18th level, the magic of your armor has adapted to contain your magical essence. You can store up to three spells of 4th level or lower in the armor. To do so, you or a willing creature must cast a spell on the armor. The spell has no effect but is stored within the armor for a number of days equal to your spellcasting modifier (minimum 1 day). The spell can be cast while wearing the armor at any later point, using only a bonus action, requiring no spell slots, and using the original caster's statistics. Alternatively, you can cast multiple of them at once as an action. When the spell is cast, the spell is no longer stored. When attempting to store a fourth spell into the armor, you must choose one of the previously stored spells to dissipate, becoming no longer stored in the armor.

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Iron Mage Spell List

Cantrips (0 Level)
  • blade ward
  • booming blade
  • dancing lights
  • fire bolt
  • light
  • lightning lure
  • mending
  • message
  • poison spray
  • prestidigitation
  • ray of frost
  • resistance
  • shocking grasp
  • thunderclap
  • true strike
1st Level
  • absorb elements
  • alarm (ritual)
  • arcane weapon
  • burning hands
  • comprehend languages
  • chromatic orb
  • detect magic (ritual)
  • disguise self
  • faerie fire
  • identify (ritual)
  • longstrider
  • magic missile
  • sanctuary
  • shield
  • Tasha's caustic brew
  • thunderwave
  • witch bolt
2nd Level
  • alter self
  • arcane lock
  • continual flame
  • darkvision
  • enhance ability
  • enlarge/reduce
  • heat metal
  • invisibility
  • locate object
  • levitate
  • magic weapon
  • protection from poison
  • pyrotechnics
  • scorching ray
  • see invisibility
  • shatter
  • spider climb
3rd Level
  • counterspell
  • dispel magic
  • fireball
  • fly
  • glyph of warding
  • haste
  • lightning bolt
  • protection from energy
  • sending
  • tiny servant
  • water breathing
  • tongues
4th Level
  • arcane eye
  • elemental bane
  • fire shield
  • freedom of movement
  • ice storm
  • locate creature
  • Otiluke's resilient sphere
  • stoneskin
  • summon construct
  • wall of fire

Mechanomorph

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 an animated construct? 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, allowing the armor to take on the shape of different objects and even creatures. A mechanomorph uses their armor like a toolbox, using it to fit the needs of any given situation. This gives the mechanomorph a deeper knowledge of constructs, which allows these warclad to command and morph into construct forms.

Mechanomorph Features
Warclad Level Feature
3rd Modify Shape
6th Armor Morph
10th Mechanical Companion
14th Control Constructs
18th Construct Form

Modify Shape

At 3rd level, you have unlocked the potential of your armor to change shape, and you along with it. You gain a resource called Mod charges. You have Mod charges equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1), and all Mod charges replenish after a short rest. You can use Mod charges for the following effects.

Armor's Weapons. While wearing your armor, you can use an action and expend a Mod charge 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.

Inmutable Form. While wearing your armor, you can use a reaction and a Mod charge to become immune to any spell or effect that would alter your form, should you choose. This immunity lasts until the end of your next turn.

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Portability Mode. You can touch your armor as an action and expend a Mod charge to have your armor reconfigure to a small portable form. In your armor's portability mode, it is no larger than three cubic feet in volume and has its weight magically reduced to half of its usual weight. If portability mode is triggered while you are wearing the armor, it instantly doffs the armor as part of the action required to reconfigure. You can activate your armor in portability mode by touching it as an action, causing you to don the armor instantly. Portability mode and its quick-donning feature can be activated and deactivated as a bonus action once you gain the Quick-Use feature at 15th level.

Armor Morph

At 6th level, the shifting potential of your armor allows you to configure your armor in different shapes. You gain a resource called Morph charges. You have Morph charges equal to your proficiency bonus, which can be used to magically change your armor's shape while you are wearing the armor, or change the shape of your armor as it is in portability mode. You regain all spent Morph charges by completing a long rest.

To morph your armor, you either do so as a bonus action while wearing it or by touching it as an action while it is in portability mode. Each transformation lasts until you complete a rest as noted in the transformation description. You can use Morph charges regained at the end of a long rest to reactivate the transformation, maintaining the transformation without it ever reverting. You can end a transformation by touching your armor as a bonus action on your turn. Initiating a transformation reverts any active transformations in effect. If there is no room for the form to manifest when you activate it, the transformation fails and you lose your charges. Additionally, all portability mode transformations are capable of being enhanced by your Siege Engineer feature at 9th level.

Some forms can only be achieved while your armor is equipped or while in portability mode, which will be denoted in the form's description as either armor mode or portability mode. Some forms also require multiple Morph charges to activate, which is also noted in the form's description. The forms your armor takes in portability mode can be targeted by attacks and damaging effects, in which case it uses your armor's AC and hit points, and is immune to poison and psychic damage. If reduced to 0 hit points, it reverts to its default portability form and cannot transform again until it regains hit points.

Aerial Form

Armor mode, 5 Morph charges

You gain a flying speed of 60 ft. and don't provoke opportunity attacks when you fly out of an enemy's reach. This form lasts until you complete a short or long rest.

Aquatic Form

Armor mode, 2 Morph charges

You gain a swim speed of 60 ft. and can breathe both air and water. This form lasts until you complete a short or long rest.


Battlewagon

Portability mode, 4 Morph charges

Your armor turns into a self-powered wheeled wagon with a speed of 40 ft. and grants all passengers full cover. The wagon can hold 1200 lbs. worth of passengers and items, as long as no passenger or item is longer than 10 ft. on any side. The wagon takes a turn in initiative just after you, but cannot take actions other than movement. You can designate a single creature at a time who is able to pilot the wagon themselves, and instead use the wagon's movement on their turn. All creatures within the wagon can lean out of various openings to make ranged attacks.

This form lasts until you complete a long rest.

Chariot

Portability mode, 2 Morph charges

Your armor turns into a self-powered wheeled chariot with a speed of 60 ft. and grants all passengers half-cover. The chariot can hold 400 lbs of items or passengers, as long as no item or passenger is longer than 10 feet on any side. The chariot takes a turn in initiative just after you, but cannot take actions other than movement. You can designate a single creature at a time who is able to pilot the chariot themselves, and instead uses the chariot's movement on their turn.

This form lasts until you complete a short or long rest.

Fortress

Portability mode, 6 Morph charges

Your armor turns into a fortress with the same effect as the Instant Fortress rare magic item. This form lasts until you complete a long rest.

Hulking Form

Armor mode, 4 Morph charges

You become enlarged as if you are under the enlarge effect of the enlarge/reduce spell. This form lasts until you complete a short or long rest.

Launcher

Portability mode, 2 Morph charges

Your armor turns into a medium-sized powered launcher, similar to most siege weapons. You or a single creature you designate at a time can occupy the same space as the launcher and operate it. A creature can push the launcher, moving it at half their normal speed. It takes an action to load and an action to fire and can use any simple or martial ammunition or thrown weapon as ammunition. When you gain the Quick-Use feature at 15th level, you can load or fire the launcher as a bonus action on your turn.

The launcher, despite whoever uses it, uses your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier for attack rolls. It has a range of 120/480 ft. and regardless of the ammunition loaded into it, deals 1d12 + your Intelligence modifier of damage, the damage type dependent on the ammunition or weapon loaded into the launcher. Magical bonuses to fired ammunition or weapons still apply.

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The launcher can be attached to vehicles with your smith's tools and 10 minutes of work. Up to two launchers can also be integrated into other portability mode armor morphs by spending one extra Morph charge per launcher when transforming your armor, being automatically affixed and integrated into the form upon transforming.

This form lasts until you complete a short or long rest.

Ornithopter

Portability mode, 6 morph charges

Your armor becomes a self-powered flying vehicle with a flying speed of 60 feet. The vehicle is capable of carrying 600 lbs of passengers or items, as long as no passenger or item is longer than 10 feet on any side. All creatures within the vehicle have three quarters cover. The vehicle is not able to leave the ground or begins to fall out of the air if more is placed on the vehicle. The ornithopter takes a turn in initiative just after you, but cannot take actions other than movement. You can designate a single creature at a time who is able to pilot the ornithopter themselves, and instead uses the ornithopter's movement on their turn

This form lasts until you complete a long rest.

Racing Form

Armor mode, 1 Morph charge

Your walking speed increases by 30 ft. This form lasts until you complete a short or long rest.

Rampart

Portability mode, 1 Morph charge

Your armor turns into a wall that is 10 feet tall, 10 feet wide, and 1 foot thick which is implanted into the ground. You can add an identically sized segment of the wall for each additional Morph charge spent when you initiate this transformation, but cannot add more later. You can arrange each segment of the wall in whichever direction you choose.

This form lasts until you complete a long rest.

Skimmer

Portability mode, 3 Morph charges

Your armor becomes a buoyant self-powered vessel that floats above water, capable of moving at a speed of 50 feet. The skimmer is capable of carrying 600 lbs of passengers or items, sinking below water level if more try to board the vessel. The skimmer takes a turn in initiative just after you, but cannot take actions other than movement. You can designate a single creature at a time who is able to pilot the skimmer themselves, and instead uses the skimmer's movement on their turn.

This form lasts until you complete a long rest.

Sloop

Portability mode, 5 Morph charges

Your armor becomes a buoyant self-powered sail-ship with a waterborne speed of 3 mph. The sloop has a single deck of 40 square feet, which you decide the configuration of as long as the ship is longer than it is wide.

This form lasts until you complete a long rest.


Subterranean Form

Armor mode, 3 Morph charges

You gain a burrowing speed of 30 ft. and darkvision to a range of 30 ft. This form lasts until you complete a short or long rest.

Mechanical Companion

At 10th level you can expend a Morph charge to cast polymorph on your armor as if it were a creature. Its level is the same as your warclad level and uses its own hit points instead of the hit points granted by the spell's form, and reverts to its default portability form if reduced to 0 hit points. In this form, the armor acts right after you in initiative and can take movement and the Dodge action on its own, but you must use a bonus action on your turn to command it to take other actions available to it. It does not appear exactly as a beast, but is clearly made of the same materials and components as your armor. As is usual for your armor, it is immune to psychic and poison damage as well as being charmed, exhausted, frightened, paralyzed, or poisoned.

Your armor must be in portability mode to activate this feature if you transform it into a creature of your size or smaller. If you wear the armor while transforming it into a creature at least one size larger than you, then you end up inside of the mechanical creature as a vehicle you are piloting, granting you full cover.

You can designate one creature at a time who can also enter your armor in a similar fashion while it is in this beast form, as long as it is at least one size smaller than the armor's beast form.

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The armor in this form has access to all base warclad class features that require you to wear your armor. You and your armor share a pool for these abilities, and the armor expending a use of a feature expends it for the both of you.

Control Constructs

At 14th level, your knowledge of complex constructed creatures allows you to attempt to take control of them. As an action, you can cast dominate monster, requiring no spell slots. Using this spell, you can only target constructs. This feature ignores any construct's immunity to being charmed, though such creatures do roll their save with advantage. 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 or long rest.

Construct Form

At 18th level, your knowledge of constructs and transmuting your armor expands yet again, and you learn to emulate constructs. When you expend a Morph charge to cast polymorph on your armor, you can transform it into a construct-type creature in addition to beasts, using the same rules as your Mechanical Companion feature. The form your armor takes is a replica of the original creature type but made out of the same material and components as your armor.

In addition, your time studying and emulating these construct forms has granted you construct-like features. You can't be charmed or poisoned, and you are immune to poison damage.


Morph Forms by Charges

1 Charge
  • Racing Form (Armor Mode)
  • Rampart (Portability Mode)
2 Charges
  • Aquatic Form (Armor Mode)
  • Chariot (Portability Mode)
  • Launcher (Portability Mode)
3 Charges
  • Skimmer (Portability Mode)
  • Subterranean Form (Armor Mode)
4 Charges
  • Battlewagon (Portability Mode)
  • Hulking Form (Armor Mode)
5 Charges
  • Aerial Form (Armor Mode)
  • Sloop (Portability Mode)
6 Charges
  • Fortress (Portability Mode)
  • Ornithopter (Portability Mode)

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PART 2 | COMBAT CHASSIS

Toa

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

Toa Features
Warclad Level Feature
3rd Spellcasting, Toa Element
6th Elemental Resistance
10th Nova Blast
14th Elemental Immunity
18th Elemental Absorption

Spellcasting

By 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 use the primal power of your toa mask to cast spells.

Preparing and Casting Spells. The Toa Spellcasting table shows how many Mask Charges you have to cast your spells. You must use one mask charge per level of the spell you wish to cast. For example, if you have the 2nd level spell levitate prepared, you can expend 2 mask charges to cast the spell. You regain all expended mask charges when you finish a long rest. You can use extra charges to cast spells at higher levels, expending a charge per each level of the spell you wish to cast. You cannot cast a spell at a level higher than your highest spell level.

You prepare a single spell (cantrips included), choosing from the Mask Power spell list. The spell must be of the highest spell level you have available or lower (shown on the Toa Spellcasting table).

You can change your prepared spell when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new spell requires time spent modifying your armor: at least 5 minutes per spell level for the spell you are preparing (1 minute for cantrips).

Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your toa spells, since your magic draws on your knowledge of nature and ability to modify your armor. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

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


Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spellcasting Focus. You use your mask as your spellcasting focus for your Toa spells.


Toa Spellcasting
Warclad Level Mask Charges Highest Spell Level
3rd-5th 0 0 (cantrips)
6th 3 1
7th 4 1
8th 4 1
9th 5 1
10th 5 2
11th 6 2
12th 6 2
13th 7 2
14th 7 3
15th 8 3
16th 8 3
17th 9 3
18th 9 4
19th 10 4
20th 10 4

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PART 2 | COMBAT CHASSIS

Toa Element

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 later. You gain several benefits from your elemental choice.

Unity with the Wilderness. Each element has a geographic region and a damage type associated with it. When you select an element at 3rd level, you gain benefits while in this environment. You cannot be surprised while in your associated environment and can complete short and long rests in half the amount of time that you normally would.

Duty to the Domain. 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.

Elemental Destiny. You learn two cantrips specific to your element, shown in the Elemental Spells tables. You learn more spells and innate talents as you gain levels in this class, as also shown in the Elemental Spells tables. These spells don't count as your prepared Mask Power spell, but you use your mask charges to cast them (unless they are cantrips).

Toa Elements
Toa Element Region Damage Type
Fire Hot, Volcanic Fire
Water Aquatic, Coastal Acid
Air Forest, High elevation Lightning
Earth Caverns, Underground Thunder
Stone Desert, Dry rocky Bludgeoning
Ice Arctic, Tundra Cold
Light Holy ground, Upper planes Radiant
Shadow Cursed Land, Graveyards Necrotic

Elemental Resistance

At 6th level, you gain resistance to your element's damage type, as long as you are wearing your armor.


Nova Blast

At 10th 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 emanating from you. 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 Immunity

At 14th level, your attunement to your element is so great that you and your armor are now immune to your elemental damage type, and you can confer this immunity to those you are defending with the Defend action. You must be wearing your armor to gain this benefit.

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.

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Mask Powers

Cantrips (0 Level)
  • druidcraft
  • friends
  • guidance
  • mage hand
  • mending
  • message
  • minor illusion
1st Level
  • animal friendship
  • catapult
  • cause fear
  • command
  • comprehend languages
  • disguise self
  • longstrider
  • shield
  • speak with animals
2nd Level
  • alter self
  • blur
  • darkvision
  • detect thoughts
  • enhance ability
  • enlarge/reduce
  • hold person
  • invisibility
  • levitate
  • locate animals or plants
  • locate object
  • misty step
  • silence
  • suggestion
  • summon beast
3rd Level
  • animate dead
  • blink
  • clairvoyance
  • fear
  • fly
  • haste
  • intellect fortress
  • major image
  • sending
  • slow
  • tongues
  • water breathing
4th Level
  • charm monster
  • dimension door
  • dominate beast
  • greater invisibility
  • hallucinatory terrain
  • locate creature

Elemental Spells

Toa of Fire
Warclad Level Spells/Abilities Known
3rd control flames, produce flame
6th burning hands, searing smite
10th Aganazzar's Scorcher, heat metal
14th elemental weapon (fire only), fireball
18th fire shield (warm shield only), wall of fire
Toa of Water
Warclad Level Spells/Abilities Known
3rd acid splash, shape water
6th create or destroy water, cure wounds
10th lesser restoration, swim speed equal to walking speed (passive ability)
14th tidal wave, wall of water
18th control water, watery sphere
Toa of Air
Warclad Level Spells/Abilities Known
3rd booming blade, gust
6th jump, thunderwave
10th gust of wind, warding wind
14th call lightning, wind wall
18th elemental bane (lightning only), storm sphere

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PART 2 | COMBAT CHASSIS

Toa of Earth
Warclad Level Spells/Abilities Known
3rd mold earth, thunderclap
6th earth tremor, thunderwave
10th earthbind, Maximilian's earthen grasp
14th erupting earth, wall of sand
18th burrow speed equal to walking speed (passive ability), elemental bane (thunder only)
Toa of Stone
Warclad Level Spells/Abilities Known
3rd magic stone, mold earth
6th catapult (stones only), hail of thorns (stone shards instead of thorns)
10th knock, shatter
14th meld into stone, Melf's minute meteors (bludgeoning damage instead of fire)
18th stoneskin, stone shape
Toa of Ice
Warclad Level Spells/Abilities Known
3rd frostbite, ray of frost
6th armor of Agathys, grease (ice slick)
10th cloud of daggers (ice daggers), Snilloc's snowball swarm
14th elemental weapon (cold only), sleet storm
18th fire shield (chill shield only), ice storm
Toa of Light
Warclad Level Spells/Abilities Known
3rd light, word of radiance
6th color spray, divine favor
10th branding smite, moonbeam
14th blinding smite, daylight
18th aura of life, sickening radiance
Toa of Shadow
Warclad Level Spells/Abilities Known
3rd chill touch, toll the dead
6th arms of Hadar, inflict wounds
10th darkness, shadow blade
14th bestow curse, vampiric touch
18th blight, shadow of moil

Vanguard

The warclad vanguard is a mobile, reflexive warrior. They hone their abilities in battle and enhance themselves using their armor. While not always peak fighters, their armor pushes the limits of their physical capabilities, making them more than a match for the fiercest of foes. Unlike the heavy bruisers they appear to be, warclad vanguards are precise, swift, and clever fighters.

Vanguard Features
Warclad Level Feature
3rd Enhanced Mobility, Fighting Style
6th Overload Surge
10th Mission Training
14th Meteor Slam
18th Extra Attack

Enhanced Mobility

When you select the vanguard chassis at 3rd level, your armor becomes modified for intense mobility in combat. When wearing your armor, your movement speed increases by 10 feet. Additionally, you can use a bonus action to double your jump height and distance until the start of your next turn.

Fighting Style

When you select this chassis at 3rd level, you prepare yourself for the path of the vanguard by adopting a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Blind Fighting

You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Interception

When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

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Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Overload Surge

At 6th level, your armor can push you beyond your limits, allowing you to perform remarkable physical feats.

While wearing your armor, as a bonus action on your turn, you are filled with magical energy, allowing either enhanced strength or speed until the start of your next turn. You must first expend a power die before choosing from one of the two effects below.

Strength Overload. You have advantage on Strength-based checks and saving throws. You may double the amount you can push, drag, or lift. Each of your Strength-based weapon attacks deal an additional die of damage equal to one of your current power die.

Speed Overload. You have advantage on Dexterity-based checks and saving throws. You may take an additional Dodge, Dash, Disengage, or Hide action on your turn.

Mission Training

As an adaptable warrior, at 10th level you can modify your skillset to fit each situation you undertake. You gain proficiency in any skill, tool, or saving throw. You can change this proficiency to another over the course of a long rest.

Meteor Slam

Beginning at 14th level, your vanguard armor reacts and cushions falls for you, making you immune to damage inflicted by falling when wearing your armor. The vanguard armor can also convert the force of a fall into offensive damage. Upon hitting the ground after falling, you can use a reaction to strike the ground and send out a shockwave of damaging energy. All creatures within 10 feet of you upon impact must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) or suffer a d6 of force damage for every 10 feet you fall, to a maximum of 20d6. Creatures suffer half damage on a successful save.

Extra Attack

At 18th level, you can attack three times instead of twice, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Wetworker

The wetworker takes a different approach to using their warclad armor. While still able to defend allies and take hits in combat, the wetworker modifies the armor for a more precise purpose. A wetworker chassis is optimized for staying undetected, tracking down targets, and eliminating them silently. 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 Night Vision, Soft and Silent
6th Active Camouflage, Silent Takedown
10th Persistent Camouflage
14th Tracker's Sight
18th Unseen Strike

Night Vision

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

Soft and Silent

At 3rd level when you select this chassis, your armor becomes modified for stealth and infiltration. When moving 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, which you do so over the course of a long rest with your smiths' tools. The base armor for your warclad set can be Medium armor instead of Heavy. A warclad set made from Medium armor is called a warclad wetworker set, and has its drawbacks and advantages. They are as follows:

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PART 2 | COMBAT CHASSIS

  • The wetworker set doesn't impose disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made while wearing the armor.
  • You may add the entirety of your Dexterity modifier, not just the maximum of 2, to your AC for any Medium armor you convert into a wetworker set.
  • Your wetworker set sacrifices durability for undetectability. Your wetworker armor's hit point pool is equal to your warclad level times 3.

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).

Active Camouflage

By the time you’ve reached 6th level, your armor has learned to blend in with your environment, making you unseen. While wearing your warclad armor, you can spend an action to cast invisibility on yourself. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, after which you must complete a long rest to regain all uses.

Silent Takedown

At 6th level, you are a master at dispatching unaware foes. If you score a hit against a creature while you are hidden from it and deal damage, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Intelligence modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a failed save, the creature falls unconscious. This does not reduce the creature to 0 hit points automatically, but your normal damage from the triggering attack is still inflicted. If this causes the creature to fall prone, it does so silently.

If you successfully knock a creature unconscious with this effect, you can use a reaction on your turn to take the Dash or Hide action. If you still have uses of your Active Camouflage, you can use this reaction to expend a use and cast invisibility on yourself.


Persistent Camouflage

At 10th level, your armor perfects its invisibility. You can expend two uses of your Active Camouflage feature to cast greater invisibility on yourself as an action.

Tracker's Sight

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.

Unseen Strike

At 18th level, you are a master of fighting while invisible. Once per turn, if you score a hit with a weapon attack while you are invisible, you can turn that hit into a critical hit, as long as the target cannot see invisible creatures. This also applies to attacks that end your invisibility.

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Roleplaying options

The burden of a warclad is that their greatest strength can also become their greatest weakness, if taken away from them. Unlike the innate abilities of a sorcerer or the martial prowess of a fighter, warclad can be separated from what makes them powerful. If caught off-guard without their armor, a warclad is forced to improvise and adapt to their dangerous situation.

For a warclad, much of their adventuring is spent being nigh-invincible. But the tables quickly turn when the armor is off. What truly makes a warclad in these moments is their quick wit and unorthodox methods to get them through sticky situations. Warclad are not simply fighters wearing fancy armor. They are sharp-minded engineers who are always on the search for solutions. Because of this, it's important to ask what your character is like when they take off the armor.

To help you explore this further with your own warclad, the sections below offer suggestions to flesh out and strengthen the concept of who your warclad really is under the 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 signature possession is very telling of who they are. If your warclad doffs their 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, as a rich noble commissions the armor to have a very simple design. 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 the extravagance of your armor 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-traveled
5 Hood up, wrapped in tabard and cloak, you'd prefer not to reveal the pistons and whirling machinery that makes up your armor
6 Bedecked in ancient symbols and of a seemingly impossible design, this armor is constructed of otherworldly material that befit its mysterious origin

Armor Origin

A question that 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 an answer to this question somewhere in your character's past.

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 armor, its mere presence is enough to warrant some interest in it from the world around you.

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PART 3 | ROLEPLAYING OPTIONS

Armor Origins
d6 Origin
1 This armor is a privilege 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 You traded something valuable for this armor, as it was more important to have this armor than anything else
4 This armor doesn't belong to you, and its previous owner is out there somewhere looking for it
5 You stumbled into this armor, hidden away from the world, without knowing the secrets it holds
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

Power Source

Your armor has an element that sets it apart from all other armors. This element helps it perform all of the wondrous deeds that warclad are capable of. It is represented by your power dice and other limited-use abilities. This source of power depletes with usage and eventually needs recharging. This is what you replenish when you restore power dice and other abilities over the course of a rest.

This power source is typically unique to the armor set, and often it is what you install into other armors when you convert it to a warclad set. Your knowledge of how to work this element of your armor determines most of your effectiveness as a warclad, thus the many warclad features affected by Intelligence.

You might develop several different power sources over the course of your adventures, each one capable of enhancing your armor and granting you its signature abilities.


Power Sources
d6 Power Sources
1 Alchemy. A very specific combination of alchemical materials powers the armor, as the energized mixture pumps through its systems, producing a reaction that powers the suit.
2 Elemental Energy. You have harnessed the power of the elements, be it fire, lightning, or some other primordial force. It surges through your armor and must be replenished with great care.
3 Rune Magic. The arcane runes patterned into your armor invoke the magics that it utilizes. Some of the runes can be destroyed with repeated use, and must be re-patterned into the armor.
4 Steam. Your mastery in machinery has utilized the pressure of steam to operate your armor's functions. The maintenance of your armor's complex engines and machinery keeps it going.
5 Sustenance. Like a living creature, your armor must feed to function. You might have designed it to turn energizing material into fuel. Or the armor has a life of its own and demands to feed on something.
6 Trapped Being. A creature of great power (or some aspect of it) has been encased in the armor, or willingly siphoned some energy to it. In either case, the armor draws on the creature's innate magical properties, sometimes upon its very soul.

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PART 3 | ROLEPLAYING OPTIONS

Warclad Class and subclasses created by /u/fatchalupa

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.

Special Thanks to

  • VampireBagel, NASA, and SgtBriar from The Discord of Many Things for feedback and tweaks.
  • u/thedavidadams from Reddit for feedback and collaboration.
  • r/UnearthedArcana for being a great community for providing feedback and producing new ideas.

Art Credits

In order of appearance:

  • The Armor Shop by sweetmoon (via DeviantArt)
  • Warclad Class symbol made with royalty-free clipart
  • Huxley concept armor by MGSmaster101 (via DeviantArt)
  • Plate armour Dungeons & Dragons Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Drawing (via KissPNG)

  • Bacon and Hams by Un Lee (via ArtStation)
  • Something never change by Kirill Leonov (via ArtStation)
  • Torn World Golem by Alyssa Faden
  • Armed and Armored by Svetlin Velinov (via ArtStation)
  • Knight by artkingman (via Pinterest)
  • Hundred Soul by Oh Jinwook (via ArtStation)
  • Lady Death by Jessada Sutthi (via ArtStation)
  • Character Concept Design by xiang zhang (via ArtStation)
  • Pestilence by Stanislav Galai (via ArtStation)
  • The Avengers - Iron Man by theDURRRRIAN (via DeviantArt)
  • Magebane Armor by Izzy Medrano
  • Guild Wars 2 Forgeman Heavy Armor concept art
  • steampunk vehicles by Elle-Shengxuan-Shi (via DeviantArt)
  • Vindictus Exquisite Naturewalker armor concept art
  • 33 by Sepan Alekseev (via ArtStation)
  • Royalty-free tribal mask stock image drawing
  • Gearforged Templar by Bryan Syme
  • assassin by Sergey-Lesiuk (via DeviantArt)
  • Medieval Vector: Armor & Weapons Decorative Graphic by Eric Fritz (via Vintage Vectors)
  • Wonderbook: Book of Spells - Environment Concept by atomhawk (via DeviantArt)
  • Vintage Suits of Armor Illustration via Silver Spiral Arts

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PART 4 | CREDITS