Samurai

An elf in light robes stands in the middle of a dusty town, surrounded by men with clubs and axes drawn. They take a few cautious steps forward before lunging wildly at the robed figure. In an instant, all the assailants drop dead to the ground, the lone warrior still standing, motionless. To the untrained eye, it seems as though his blade was never even drawn.

Amidst cannon fire and the clashing of steel, a woman in lacquered armour leaps from foe to foe. Her sword flashing brightly against the blood red sky, the sound of singing metal is the only warning her enemies recieve before she descends upon them.

A group of assassins drop out of the darkness and into the city street. A man with a sword at his hip stands at the ready with his fellow guards, preparing to defend their lord. His smile lightly reflects against his blade as his companions make quick work of the assassins, his very presence encouraging their performance.

Peerless swordsmen and combatants, samurai also manipulate their very willpower to enhance their abilities past the limits of ordinary folk.

Sen and The Blade

Samurai wield an immaterial energy known as sen. It exists only within the self, and is made manifest in reality through the samurai's abilities. With every blow struck, these stalwart warriors are invigorated with sen, which they then unleash in woeful fury upon their foes.

A samurai may appear to possess unnatural calm in the heat of battle, but it indicates only that they are focusing a lethally precise strike. There are fewer things more dangerous than a samurai with sword sheathed, hand poised to draw.

The Way of the Warrior-Scholar

Bodyguards, wanderers, soldiers; samurai can be found in a variety of roles. What unites them in their endeavours is an unshakeable commitment to their ideals. A samurai might pledge her blade to a noble lord, or to the idea of justice itself. Another might wander the countryside, seeking stronger and stronger opponents against which to test his mettle. Others may seek only to do good, and draw their weapons as a last resort.

Possessing of many talents in combat, samurai are suited to dangerous work. Scant few sell their swords as mercenaries, but those that do are well worth the coin.

As adventurers, samurai are unshakeable companions. They take to the road to seek strength, or ancient knowledge, on behalf of their masters. Otherwise, they seek out injustice, so that they may uphold the law of the land as peacekeepers.

Creating a Samurai

As you make your samurai, think about to what you have pledged your blade. Have you been tasked with some quest by your noble master? Or do you seek strength, powerful opponents against which to test your skill?

Consider as well where you learned the way of the warrior. Did a samurai take you as an apprentice, so that you might rise above a life of poverty? Did you take up the sword to defend the meek, in order to atone for past misdeeds? Did you seek the knowledge yourself, to avenge the life of a loved one? Or was the code forced upon you, your training recieved due to your noble birth?

Samurai are not lukewarm in anything, and commit wholly to their ideals. For this reason they tend to the extremes of lawful or chaotic, and are almost never neutral.

Quick Build

You can make a samurai quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength your highest score, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the noble background.

Class Features

As a samurai, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per samurai level

Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Consitution modifier per samurai level after 1st

Proficiencies

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Armour: Light and Medium Armor

Weapons: All simple and martial weapons

Tools: None

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Saving Throws Strength, Wisdom

Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion, Survival

Equipment

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

• (a) a longsword and scale mail or (b) two shortswords and leather armor
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

Sen

Beginning at 1st level, you generate vigorous energy as you engage in combat. This energy is known as sen, and you gain a point of sen every time you successfully land an attack roll against an enemy. You can only hold a limited amount of sen within yourself at a time, and the maximum amount of sen you can possess at once is outlined in the class table. All accumulated sen is lost 10 minutes after the conclusion of combat.

You can spend sen in order to execute various sen features, most notably iaijutsu. When you expend sen points, it does not affect the maximum amount of sen you can hold.

Some of your sen features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is Calculated as follows

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

Iaijutsu

Beginning at the 1st level, you are able to harness the power of sen to execute devestating blows. When you reach the 14th level, your discipline mastery will grant you an additional iaijutsu. Any attacks made while using iaijutsu do not generate sen. As an action, you can spend sen points to perform the following:

Higanbana

You lash out with a multitude of swift strikes to cause lingering lacerations. You can spend 1 sen point to make a melee weapon attack. On a successful hit, the target suffers bleeding damage at the start of each of its turns. Every time the target takes this damage, it can roll a Constitution saving throw to end the effect. The damage higanbana causes changes with your level, and can be found on the samurai class table.

Tenka Goken

You strike forcefully to completely dominate your opponent. You can spend 2 sen points to make a melee weapon attack. On a successful hit, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target is knocked prone, and is stunned until the end of your next turn.

Midare Setsugekka

Taking a moment to focus, you strike suddenly with unnatural speed and ferocity. You can spend 3 sen points to make a melee weapon attack. On a successful hit, your weapon deals extra damage. The extra damage midare setsugekka causes changes with your level, and can be found on the samurai class table.

Third Eye

Beginning at the 2nd level, you can focus your will to gain prescience. As a reaction, you can spend 1 sen point to grant yourself resistance to one damage type of your choosing, excluding psychic damage. This feature can be declared after an attack roll or saving throw, but before the damage roll. This resistance fades at the start of your turn.

Discipline Mastery

Starting at the 3rd level, you begin to master a certain aspect in the way of the samurai, becoming either a: Master of the Self, Master of the Blade, or Master of the Mind, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your discipline grants you features at the 3rd level and again at the 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 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.

Meditation

Starting at the 4th level, you gain the ability to find tranquility in battle, and turn that focus into usable power. As a bonus action, you can grant yourself 1 point of sen, but only if you are currently engaged in combat. The sen you gain through meditation changes to 2 points at 11th level.

Extra Attack

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

Bushido

At 7th level, you have mastered the more scholarly elements of the way of the samurai. You have advantage on any persuasion check made against someone who respects martial prowess.

Additionally, whenever you perform an iaijutsu, you can spend an additional 1 sen point to grant yourself advantage on the attack.

Iaido

At 9th level, your expertly honed senses allow you to anticipate danger, and act accordingly. You gain 1 sen point whenever you roll for initiative and you can no longer be surprised.

Gedan

At 11th level, you become an implacable force on the battlefield. If an effect would move you without using your movement, you may choose to ignore it instead.

Ageha

At 13th level, felling your enemy fills you with resolve and determination. Whenever you reduce an enemy to 0 hit points, you gain 2 points of sen.

Jisei

Beginning at the 15th level, your commitment to the way of the samurai empowers you to resist anything that would betray your ideals. You have advantage on saving throws to resist being charmed, frightened, or paralyzed.

Meikyo Shisui

When you reach the 17th level, you have perfected the art of iaijutsu. Whenever you use your action to perform an iaijutsu, you can spend 1 sen to perform another, be it the same iaijutsu or a different one.

Shifu

At 18th level, whenever you land an attack, you generate 2 sen instead of 1.

Seppuku

At the 20th level, you are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in the face of defeat. By extinguishing your own life force, you are able to unleash all the latent sen within your body, dealing unfathomable damage to your foes, or granting inexhaustible vigor to your allies. As an action, you can turn your weapon against yourself, and perform one of the following actions in your final moments:

• You deal damage equal to twice your hit point maximum to a creature within 5ft, or...
• You choose up to 5 allies within 30ft, and each one regains the entirety of their hit point maximum

Once you perform seppuku, you die immediately, and your soul is consumed to fuel your final act. You cannot be resurrected through any means.

Discipline Mastery

A samurai can pursue the mastery of one aspect in the way of the warrior-scholar. While every samurai commands the same basic skills, they know that true mastery can only be achieved through dedicated, singular focus. Thus, they must decide what aspect of the samurai they wish to devote themselves upon reaching 3rd level.

Master of the Self

Samurai who choose to master the self are unmatched warriors in discipline. They command sen with complete adeptness, conjuring even more within themselves in order to surpass their mortal coil, and releasing it in incredibly destructive bursts.

Open Eyes

At 3rd level, you learn to harness the ire of your enemies' to your own advantage. Whenever you take damage of the type you are actively resisting through Third Eye, you roll a 1d6. On a die result of either 5 or 6, you regain 1 point of sen.

Kaiten

At 6th level, you can spin your weapon before striking, weaving sen into your next attack. When you make an attack roll, you can choose to spend 2 sen poins in order to maximize the damage die, should you succeed in the attack.

This effect extends to attacks made through iaijutsu. Should you use kaiten on iaijutsu: higanbana, the damage that it deals at the start of each round is also maximized.

Merciful Eyes

Beginning at 10th level, you can use sen to restore your life force. As an action, you can convert a sen point into hit points, restoring hit points equal to 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier. For every additional sen used, you restore an extra 1d6.

Iaijutsu: Fuga

At 14th level, you learn a new iaijutsu. You can unleash sen from your weapon, wracking a small area in front of you with numerous imperceptible slashes.

You can spend 3 sen points to lash out sen in a 20ft cone, forcing all enemies caught in it to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, they take 8d6 points of slashing damage, or half as much on a successful one.

Master of the Blade

Unparalleled duelists, and demons on the battlefield, masters of the blade focus on speed and maneuverability. By honing the art of war, these samurai can strike enemies from afar, attack faster than any other, or leap about their enemies unhindered.

Enpi

At 3rd level, you learn to strike with such precision that you cut the air itself, enabling you to attack from afar. You can use your action to make a melee weapon attack with a range of 30ft.

Jinpu

Starting at 6th level, you can spend 2 additional sen points in order to perform an iaijutsu as a bonus action.

Yaten

At 10th level, you learn to strike and retreat all in one motion. As an action, you spend 1 sen point to perform a melee weapon attack, and then immediately move up to 10ft without provoking opportunity attacks.

You may then choose to spend an additional 1 sen point to use enpi as part of this action.

Iaijutsu: Gyoten

At 14th level, you learn a new iaijutsu. You can spend 3 sen points to move up to your speed, passing through enemy spaces as though it were regular terrain, regardless of size. However, you cannot end this movement in the space of another creature.

Whenever you pass through an enemy space for the first time using this iaijutsu, you may make a melee weapon attack against that enemy.

Master of the Mind

Leading their comrades heroically into battle, these samurai are natural leaders. The sen these warriors generate radiate from them, affecting the minds of friends and foes alike in order to control their environment.

Hagakure

At 3rd level, you can invigorate your companions with sen, and are able to extend the benefits of Third Eye to all allies within 15ft.

Datotsu

At 6th level, you can issue a command to your allies, lending your sen to spur them on. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 sen point to direct an ally that can see or hear you within 60 feet to make a single weapon attack as a reaction.

Watchful Eyes

Beginning at 10th level, whenever you use Third Eye, you can instead spend 2 sen points to grant yourself resistance to one additional damage type. This extra resistance also extends to allies affected by hagakure.

Iaijutsu: Chugi

At 14th level, you learn a new iaijutsu. Your presence on the battlefield is an inspiration to your allies, and you can harness sen to invigorate their will.

You can spend 3 sen to choose a number of allies up to your Wisdom modifier within 60ft of you, who then gain advantage on all weapon attacks they make on their next turn.