Fighters: Martial Archetypes

Created by u/UndeadPriest94

The Brutalizer

Several archetypes focus on arcane magic, martial prowess and raw physical power to improve their talents. The Brutalizer, however, focuses purely on the art of bringing pain and taking lives. A complete disregard of human life is neccisary for a follower of this archetype to have. The Brutalizer can use his or her talents to bring a slow, painful death to their foe, or make it as quick and bloody as possible.

Prerequisite - Non-Good Alignment

No good person can bring themselves to follow this archetype. The core talents of the Brutalizer are to brutalize his or her enemies, in a way that would abhor anyone with a sense of fair play and mercy. As such, psychopaths and sadists are the most common followers of this archetype, and those who aren't outright evil should have zero moral reservations for the brutalization of people.

Brutalizer Features

Bonus Proficiency

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Athletics, Insight, Intimidation or Medicine. Alternatively, you learn one language of your choice.

Brutal DC

Certain features of this archetype requires a creature to make a saving throw or ability check against an effect of yours. The DC for such are calculated as follows:

Wounding Blow

Starting at 3rd level, you know how to open up wounds to bleed your opponents out. When you hit a creature with a weapon, you can choose to open up a wound on the creature. The target must make a Constitution saving throw at the start of its turn or it takes 1d4 damage of the weapon's base damage type. Constructs, oozes and undead don't take this damage. Each time a creature takes a Wounding Blow, whether from you or from another creature, it rolls against the highest save DC and the damage increases by 1d4, dealing the same damage type as the first.

The target, as well as any creature within 5 feet of the target, can use an action to attempt to staunch a wound with a Wisdom (Medicine) check. Staunching a wound stops all damage caused by the wound but doesn't heal it. If the creature has taken a wounding blow from more than one creature, it uses the highest DC for for this check. If a creature that has a staunched wound takes a new Wounding Blow, the staunched wound reopens. The wound lasts until target regains hit points or a creature expends a use of a healer's kit on the target.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficency modifier and you can only use this feature once per turn. You regain all uses after a short or long rest.

Induce Dread

Starting at 7th level, you know how to use your knowledge and intimidating presence to induce dread in others. If you spend at least 1 minute interacting with a creature, you can make a Charisma (Intimidation) check contested against the target's Wisdom (Insight). If you dealt damage to the target at most 1 hour before this interaction, the target has disadvantage on its check. If you win your check, you gain advantage on all Charisma (Intimidation) and Wisdom (Insight) checks made against the target. This effect lasts for 8 hours, or 24 hours if you spend at least 10 minutes

interacting with the creature. If the target wins the contested check, you can't use this feature on it for 24 hours.

If this interaction repeats at least once every day for a week and succeed on each check, the effects becomes permanent.

Unyielding Critical

At 10th level, your vicious attacks are unyielding. A critical hit that you score can't be reduced to a normal hit by any means. In addition, when you score a critical hit on a creature and you use the Wounding Blow feature, you can choose to cause on of the following additional effects:

• Until the wound closes, the target's speed is reduced by 10 feet. This reduction of speed doesn't stack with additional uses of this option.
• Choose one arm on the creature. Any item being held in that arm is immediately dropped, and until the wound closes, the creature can't use that arm.
• Until the wound closes, the creature has disadvantage on Constitution saving throws for concentration.

Ruthless Brutality

At 15th level, when you roll initiative and you have no more uses of your Wounding Blow feature, you regain one use.

Killing Blow

At 18th level, you can go all out malicious and brutally murder an opponent outright. When you hit a creature that has 80 hit points or less with a melee weapon attack, you can expend a use of Wounding Blow and force a creature to make a Constitution saving throw. If the target has 40 hit points or less or is paralyzed or stunned, it makes the saving throw at disadvantage, and if the target is unconscious, it automatically fails. On a failed save, you kill the creature outright and you gain temporary hit points equal to half your hit point maximum. On a successful save, your attack instead deals double damage and suffers the effects of Wounding Blow as normal.

Whether it failed its save or not, a creature that's killed by this feature sustains extreme damage to the body and can only be brought back by means that creates a new body, such as with the clone spell, reincarnate spell, the true resurrection spell, or similar magic.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend 2 uses of Wounding Blow.

Wounding Blow with Magical Weapons

The nature of a wound caused by the Wounding Blow feature is affected by the nature of the weapon used to open it. As such, some magical weapons can have particular effects on a wound.

• Magical Weapon. When you use any magical weapon to cause a wound through the Wounding Blow feature, damage caused by the wound is considered magical for the sake of overcoming damage resistances and immunities.
• Sword of Wounding. When you use a sword of wounding to cause a wound through the Wounding Blow feature, any hit points lost through a wound cannot be regained by any means other than through a short or long rest.
• Vorpal Sword. When you use a vorpal sword to cause a wound through the Wounding Blow feature, damage caused by the wound ignores resistance to slashing damage.

The Iejir Arytiss

The blood of dragons run through the veins of dragonborn, and a few dragonborn will go down a path to strengthen this blood, turning them more like the dragons they derived from. The Iejir Arytiss (translated from Draconic as "Blood Warrior") is a dragonborn archetype that comes to embrace this heritage, becoming a mighty warrior that rains death from the skies. There are dragonborn who see this path as a dangerous one, turning these warriors into the very beasts that the dragonborn fought to free themselves from.

Prerequisite: Dragonborn Only

Only common dragonborn are capable of following this archetype, as they have the draconic blood and traditions to follow it correctly.

For a NPC, this archetype can be applied to a half-dragon, as they have the dragon-blood that's need for this archetype.

Iejir Arytiss Features

Dragon Speaker

Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in your choice of the following skills: Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion.

In addition, when you make a Charisma check when interacting with dragons, your proficiency bonus is doubled if it applies to the check. Lastly, you can communicate with dragons that can't speak, like wyverns, when speaking in Draconic.

Draconic Power

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you can use your draconic breath more rapidly. You can use your Breath Weapon racial trait a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier + 1 (minimum of 2) and you regain all uses after a short or long rest.

Elemental Strike

Starting at 7th level, you can channel your draconic power through your body, as well as enchant weapons so as to channel this power through. You can perform a 1 hour ritual, which you can perform during a short or long rest, to enchant one weapon of your choice. When the ritual is complete, you touch the weapon and enchant it. This enchantment lasts until you use this ritual on another weapon.

When you hit with an unarmed strike or with a weapon you've enchanted, you deal additional damage of the same type as your Draconic Ancestry. This additional damage is equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1).

Dragon's Zeal

At 10th level, you can tap upon your draconic zeal to escape certain death. Whenever you would be reduced to 0 hit points, you can choose to instantly regain a number of hit points equal to your fighter level. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Relentless Breath

Starting at 15th level, you roll for initiative and you have no uses of your Breath Weapon, you regain one use of your Breath Weapon.

Dragon's Majesty

At 18th level, you gain the traits of a true dragon's majesty. You grow wings, which grant you a flying speed equal to twice your walking speed. In addition, if you have the Damage Resistance racial trait, you gain immunity to the damage type associated with that trait.

Draconic Power and Dragon Fear

The Dragon Fear feat requires a dragonborn to use its Breath Weapon trait to use. As the Draconic Power feat grants additional uses of the Breath Weapon trait, these additional uses can thus be used for the Dragon Fear feat.

The Marilith Blade

As its name would pertain, the Marilith Blade is an archetype developed from the teachings of mariliths, powerful demonic women known for their six arms, serpentine tails and mastery of sword fighting. On occasion, these mighty demons will give tutelage to mortal warriors that they deem worthy. Those who were tough enough to survive the teachings of mariliths, or fortunate enough to get merciful teachers, learn to master ambidextrous hand-movements and defensive maneuvers, as well as a number of disciplines unique to their teacher's style.

Over generations, this teachings would be taught in various fighting schools across the world. Going by a variety of names, the core teachings of the Marilith Blade archetype remain: swift two-handed fighting and a respect towards their marilith teachers.

Prerequisite - Two Weapon Fighting

You must have the Two-Weapon Fighting fighting style. The Marilith Blade must know how to use a weapon in each hand to properly use this fighting style to its potential.

Marilith Blade Features

Dance of the Marilith

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you know the the sword dancing art that mariliths perform in combat. You gain proficiency in the Performance skill if you don't already have it. If you already have proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in your choice of Acrobatics or Persuasion. In addition, you master the neccisary tongue and etiquette of speaking with mariliths. You can speak, read and write Abyssal and you have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) and Charisma (Performance) checks when interacting with mariliths.

Parry

Starting at 3rd level, you learn how to use your weapons as a means of defense. When you are wielding a melee weapon with which you are proficient with and another creature you can see hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.

Quick Draw

At 3rd level, you know how to draw your blades on a dime. You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.

Marilith Discipline

At 7th level, you can take a discipline, which are derived from various marilith teachings. Select one of the following disciplines:

• Mental Strength. Through mental exercises, you've bolstered your mental resistances. You gain proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.
• Poison Tolerance. Through repeated controlled exposure of poisons, your tolerance to poisons is bolstered. You gain resistance to poison damage and you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.
• Rapid Defense. Through defensive maneuvers, you can forgo offense for increased defense. If you have a melee weapon you're proficient in each hand, you can use a bonus action to give yourself a +2 bonus to your Armor Class until the beginning of your next turn or until you're incapacitated.
• Serpentine Assault. Through martial arts training, you learn how to use your legs and feet like the tail of a marilith. You can use a kick attack as an unarmed strike, which deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage and you can choose to use your Dexterity modifier to determine attack and damage. In addition, when you grapple a creature, you can choose to use Dexterity (Acrobatics) in place of Strength (Athletics). When you have a creature grappled and your legs are free and not restained, you can attempt to restrain them. To do so, you must make another grapple check. If you succeed, the target is restrained whle grappled and your movement speed is reduced to 0 until the grapple ends.

At 15th level, you can select another option from this list.

Swift Offhand

Starting at 10th level, you learn to attack more rapidly with your off hand. When engaged in two-weapon fighting, you can make two attacks with an offhand weapon as a bonus action.

Marilith Reflexes

At 18th level, your reflexes have improved to truly match that of mariliths. If you aren't wearing heavy armor in combat and arn't restrained, you get a special reaction that you can take once every turn, except on your turn. You can use this special reaction only to use the Parry reaction, and you can't use it on the same turn as a normal reaction.

Marilith Blades and Gender

The vast majority of marilith blades are women. This is largely due to marilith having a strong preference towards female students, and commonly remains a tradition among these schools. As such, male students are extremely rare, usually having to follow this archetype from more direct students of the mariliths. In addition, male marilith blades are likely not to beneift on advantage on Charisma (Performance) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks when interacting with mariliths and may have disadvantage on such ability checks with certain mariliths.

The Warforged Juggernaut

Some believe that the ultimate expression of the warforged experiment is the juggernaut, a path that allows warforged to become living weapon of war. Following this archetype turns a warforged into a towering warrior with inhuman resilience and strength, topped with a variety of modifications it can take to make itself its own kind of war machine.

Prerequisite - Construct-Humanoid Only

Only warforged and other construct-humanoids can take this martial archetype. The very nature of this archetype requires a constructed creature to take, as a normal flesh-and-blood humanoid can't handle the shear amount of artificial modifications done to their body.

Warforged Juggernaut Features

Walking Tank

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your body is modified to be a hulking machine of war. Your height increases by 2d6 inches and your weight increases in pounds by 4 x what your rolled for your height. Your carrying capacity (including maximum load and maximum lift) is doubled. In addition, your unarmed strike deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage.

Custom Modification

Starting at 3rd level, you can take modifications to your body, which allow you to bolster you capabilities based on your preferences. You gain one modification of your choice from the Modifications list from below. You gain an additional modification at 7th level, and another at 15th level.

When you reach 18th level, you can select one modification you have from this archetype and improve upon it, granting you its Improved Modification benefits.

Optimized Body

At 7th level, you are better at integrating magical items into yourself. You can attune to any of the following items without having to use up any of your available attunments: armblade, armbow, armshield, integrated tool (from Exploring Eberron)

In addition, you can attune to one additional magical item in addition to the usual three items. This additional items must be with an arcane propulsion arm, a docent or an extreme warforged modification (in works). Lastly, you can attach an arcane propulsion arm without having to be missing an arm, by integrating it into your arm.

Endless Machine

At 10th level, your body is powered by endless energy. You're considered naturally adapted to cold and hot climates. In addition, you don't gain levels of exhaustion due to not taking rests.

Immutable Form

At 18th level, you are almost as immutable as a golem. You you have advantage on saving throws against being paralyze or petrified and and against magical effects that would alter your form against your will.

Modifications

The following lists is of all the possible modifications you can take, as well as what their Improved Modifications provide.

Adamantine Plating. Your body features adamantine plating, providing stronger protection. You gain a +1 to your Armor Class, and any critical hit scored on you is reduced to a normal hit. In addition, your unarmed strike counts as being made of adamantine for damage resistances and immunities.

If you select this modification for your Improved Modification, your adamantine plating grants you improved resistance to harm. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons not made of adamantine.

Charged Strike. Your arms feature arcane-energy charges, which enhance your fists with magic. You can use a bonus action to charge energy into your arms, which enhances the next attack you hit with using an unarmed strike or any built-in weapon in your arm (like an arcane propulsion arm or armblade) that you're attuned to. When you hit with a charged attack, you deal 1d10 additional force damage, or 2d10 force damage if the target is a building or object.

If you select this modification for your Improved Modification, the force energy in your charged strikes is powerful enough now to stun foes. Your charged attack deals an additional 1d10 force damage and the target must must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (Save DC = 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Strength modifier) or be stunned until the beginning of your next turn.

Gilded Plating. Your plating has been gilded to withstand a certain spread of elemental energies. Select one of the following damage type combinations: cold and necrotic, fire and radiant, or lighting and thunder. You gain resistance to the damage types you selected.

If you select this modification for your Improved Modification, the protection provided by the gilding can even reflect back at your attackers. If you take damage of one of the damage types associated with your Gilded Plating, roll a 6. On a 5 or 6, you're immune to that damage type.

Motion Booster. Your legs are modified for greater speed and efficency. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet and you can take the Dash action as a bonus action.

If you select this modification for your Improved Modification, you can rush into combat and hit like a ramming force. If you move at least 10 feet in a straight line right before attacking a creature with a melee weapon and you hit with the attack, that target must make a Strength saving throw (save DC = 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Strength modifier). On a failed save, the creature is knocked prone and pushed 10 feet from you.

Waist Gyro. You feature a gyro system built into your waist, allowing you to spin your upper torso around. As an action, you can make a spin attack, using a melee weapon that you're wielding. When you make the spin attack, each creature within 5 feet of you must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or take damage as if you hit with with your melee weapon. If a creature fails the save by 5 or more, it is also knocked prone.

If you select this modification for your Improved Modification, the damage is even more potent. When a creature fails on its save, it is knocked prone, and if the creature succeeds on its save, it takes half damage.

Weaponized Armor. Blades or spikes protrude from your armored body. Choose your choice of blades or spikes. When you grapple a creature, or a creature grapples you, the creature takes 1d6 damage. In addition, a creature takes 1d6 damage when it starts its turn grappling you or being grappled by you. The damage type is slashing if you picked blades or piercing if you picked spikes. This damage counts as magical for the sake of overcoming damage resistances and immunities.

If you select this modification for your Improved Modification, the damage caused by your weaponized armor is increases. When a creature takes damage from your armor, it takes an additional 2d6 damage.

The Mournlands

Many juggernauts reside in the Mournlands, fighting in the service of the Lord of Blades, possibly the mightiest and most unique juggernaut there is. The Lord of Blades, as an expert artificer himself, is more than willing to turn any warforged that serves him into another juggernaut. In the Mournlands, these juggernauts wait to be lead by the Lord of Blades to bring upon a Day of Mourning to the remaining Five Nations.

Magical Item

Armbow

Weapon (light or heavy crossbow), uncommon (requires attunement by a warforged)

An armbow is a magical crossbow that attaches to your arm, becoming inseparable from you as long as you're attuned to it. To attune to to this item, you must hold it against your forearm for the entire attunement period.

The armbow lacks the loading property and two handed property. If the armbow is a light crossbow, you can use a bonus action to retract the armbow into your forearm or extend it from there. A heavy crossbow armbow cannot be retracted. While it is extended, you can use the crossbow as if you were holding it, and you can't use that hand for other purposes.

If you load no ammunition in the weapon, it produces its own, automatically creating one piece of magical ammunition when you make a ranged attack with it. The ammunition created by this weapon vanishes after one minute of being fired.

Armshield

Armor (shield), common (requires attunment by a warforged)

A armshield is a magical shield that attaches to your arm, becoming inseparable from you as long as you're attuned to it. To attune to this item, you must hold it against your forearm for the entire attunement period.

While this shield is attached, you can use the shield as if you're holding it, and your hand is still open for use.

Extending Spear

Weapon (spear), rare (requires attunement)

You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls you make with this magical spear. This magic spear can extend or retract in length at your command. Changing the weapon's length can be done with an action or bonus action but only once per turn.

• Short: The spear retracts to a small, one-foot length. It has the stats of at shortsword while at this length.
• Base: The spear extends or retracts into its base length. It has the stats of a spear while at this length.
• Long: The spear grows to the length of a pike. It has the stats of a pike while at this length.
• 15+ Feet: The spear grows to an absurd length, from 15 feet to 100 feet. The spear becomes unusable in combat at this length.

Extended Attack. If you hit with this weapon and you can make an additional attack as part of your attack action, you can replace one attack to extend the spear's length. When extended in this way, you deal damage to the creature as you hit it with the spear and the target is pushed back 5 feet.

Spear-Head. As an action, you extend the spear to shoot down a line at a length of your choice, from 15 feet to 100 feet. Any creature within this line must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your attack modifier for the spear), or take 3d10 piercing damage and be pushed 10 feet.

The spear will only extend out as far as there is space for it. As such, if the spear is extended out to 50 feet but there's only enough room for 30 feet, it will only extend to 30 feet. After extending, the spear retains its length until retracted as usual.

Art Credit (by Page)

• Cover: "Dragonborn Paladin" by Lazerious (right), "A thief with two swords & poison" by Junq Jeon
• Pg. 1: "Centurain" by Erik Ly
• Pg. 2: "Bloody Battle" by Dani Canovas
• Pg. 3: "Dragonborn Breath" by Kerem Beyit (top), Dragonborn Treasure by unknown artist (bottom)
• Pg. 4: "Dragonborn Eldritch Knight" by Korborau
• Pg. 5: "Woman with dragon" by Tony Start
• Pg. 6: "Fem-Geralt - The Witcher" by Fredrick Runtu
• Pg. 7: "Warforged Juggernaut" by BenWootten