Combat Styles (5e Variant Rule)

Combat Styles

Inspired by the variant rule in The Quintessential Fighter book, published by Mongoose Publishing for the d20 system.

Training in a Combat Style

Only barbarians, fighters, monks and rogues can learn Combat Styles. To learn a new combat style, the character must fulfill its prerequisites and train continuously for a given time, during its downtime, to achieve the Journeyman level. For this period, the trainee can't perform any other action other than sleep and eat.

If the training period is disturbed for more than 8 hours, your training is lost and you must begin for the start.

Retaining the Style

You must train 1 hour per level you have in that given style each 7 days to retain it.

If you are detrained, you must spend half the time and gold equivalent to the number of weeks of detraining (up to the amount spent to achieve that style) to recover the ability to use the style.

Fighting Schools and Masters

Training in a school may accelerate the learning process. Doing so is more expensive, requiring you to pay 500 gp per week of training, but doing so reduces the training time to half.

Alternatively, a character may locate a master to teach him the style. Locating a master require an Intelligence (Investigation) check against a DC of 5 plus 5 per level that master have on the style. This also doubles the time spent to learn the style, but give you Advantage on all checks made to learn that style.

Learning the Style

All styles have 5 levels of proficiency, and each proficiency level require you to spend resources to learn it. These resources are a number of hit dice each day (which limits the level of the character capable of learning that style) and a number of gp equal to 100 gp per week of training (that represent spenditure with food, water, equipment etcetera). This gold expenditure is added to the costs of a school, if one is used.

The gold expenditure for resources during the training period can be cut by half if the character is capable of gathering resources on the environment, but doing so doubles the training period (and the DM can require checks to gather those resources).

To learn a level in a given style, you must learn all previous levels first.

Style Restrictions

Style restrictions are certain requirements that the character must meet to make the style work. They are often related to the specific weapons allowed by that style, use of armor and other circumstances.

Tempest

The tempest style involves the use of a pair of weapons in syncrony for a devastating effect.

• Restrictions: The character must wield a finesse weapon on one hand and a light and finesse weapon on another; wear light or no armor.

• Prerequisite: Two-weapon fighting Fighting Style.

Blade Shield (1 week)

level 1 technique

You can forgo the bonus action attack to gain +2 to your AC, as you use your dagger as a shield. You can't attack with your dagger when using this technique.

Feint and Stroke (2 weeks)

Level 2 technique, requires at least +3 proficiency bonus, proficiency in Deception and Charisma 11 or higher

When you take the Attack action, you have Advantage on your first attack.

Shoulder Wound (4 weeks)

level 3 technique, requires at least +4 proficiency bonus

When you take the Attack Action, you can attempt to disable the opponent's arm. Make an attack with a -5 penalty. On a hit, the target takes damage as normal and must make a Constitution save against your style DC, or have Disadvantage on attacks, checks and saves made with that arm until the end of your next turn.

Creatures immune to critical hits or without arms can't be targeted by this feature.

Circular Blades (8 weeks)

level 4 technique, requires at least +5 proficiency bonus, and Intelligence 13 or higher

As an Action, you can make two attacks against each creature within 5 feet of you: one with the primary weapon and one with the secondary weapon.

Blade Tempest (8 weeks)

Level 5 technique, requires at least +6 proficiency bonus

You expand the restriction to medium armor. In addition, you can make two opportunity attacks as part of the same reaction, one with each weapon you wield.

Oaken Heart

The oaken heart involves the use of a quarterstaff or greatclub.

• Restrictions: The character must wield a quarterstaff or greatclub, and wear light or no armor.

• Prerequisite: Medium size or taller, Constitution 15 or higher.

Defensive Twirl (1 week)

level 1 technique

When you take the Dodge Action while wielding the weapon, you gain the benefits of half cover.

Stunning Blow (2 weeks)

Level 2 technique, requires at least +3 proficiency bonus, Strength 10 or higher, proficiency in Athletics

When you attack, you can give yourself -5 on the attack roll. On a hit, in addition to the regular effect, you force the target to make a saving throw against the style save DC, or is stunned until the end of your turn.

Sweep (4 weeks)

level 3 technique, requires at least +4 proficiency bonus

When wielding the quarterstaff or greatclub, you have Advantage on your contested Strength (Athletics) checks to shove a target, and you treat Large creatures as medium and Huge creatures as Large for the purposes of shoving.

Vital Strike (8 weeks)

level 4 technique, requires at least +5 proficiency bonus, and Intelligence 13 or higher

When you attack, you can give yourself -5 on the attack roll. On a hit, the target is considered poisoned for 1 minute. The target can make a Constitution saving throw in each of its turns to end the effect.

Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to the vital strike.

Fast Strike (8 weeks)

Level 5 technique, requires at least +6 proficiency bonus

When you take the Attack action with the quarterstaff or greatclub, you can make one additional attack with it as a Bonus Action.

Ironborn

The ironborn style centers in the use of heavy armor, sword and shield.

• Restrictions: The character must be wielding a longsword, scimitar, rapier or shortsword in one hand, and a shield on another. It is also required Medium or heavier armor.

• Prerequisite: Proficiency in Strength saving throws, lawful alignment.

Shield Bash (4 weeks)

level 1 technique

Shields are considered light melee weapons on your hand, and cause 1d6 bludgeoning damage on a hit. Some shields may have different damage types, depending on the presence of spikes or blades on it. You add any magical bonuses to the attack and damage rolls made with it.

In addition, whenever you take the Attack action and make an attack with a weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with the shield. When you do so, you lose any AC bonus granted by the shield.

Shield Mastery (4 weeks)

Level 2 technique, requires at least +3 proficiency bonus

Choose one creature you can see. You gain half cover against it as long as you are within 5 feet of it.

Armor Mastery (8 weeks)

level 3 technique, Strength 15+, requires at least +4 proficiency bonus

You can ignore the effects of encumbrance and the Disadvantage to Dexterity (Stealth) checks granted by this armor. You can't do so again until 1 hour have passed.

You also don't have any penalties for sleeping with armor, and can don or doff armor with half the time.

Defensive Retreat (8 weeks)

level 4 technique, requires at least +5 proficiency bonus, and Intelligence 13 or higher

Once per turn, you can cause an opportunity attack directed towards yourself to automatically miss.

Bastion (12 weeks)

Level 5 technique, requires at least +6 proficiency bonus

When you take the Attack action, you can sacrifice some of your attacks to block your enemies attacks. For each attack sacrificed, you gain one additional reaction.

You can use these additional reactions to impose Disadvantage on attack rolls of enemies made against you.

Desert Scorpion

• Restrictions: A pair of scimitars or longswords, medium armor.

• Prerequisite: 30+ hit points, proficiency in Constitution saving throws, two-weapon fighting style.

Dune Walk

Level 1 technique

You ignore non-magical difficult terrain, and ignore any non-magical effects of fighting in slippery or unstable terrain.

Agile Sting

Level 2 technique, proficiency bonus +3

You can choose to add 1d4 to your Initiative roll, sacrificing your bonus action on your first turn of combat.

Sandstorm

Level 3 technique, proficiency bonus +4

When fighting on sand, gravel or other type of loose ground, you can try to kick dust in the face of a target within 5 feet. As a bonus action, make a ranged weapon attack. On a hit, the target has Disadvantage on attack rolls and attacks made against it have Advantage until the end of your target's next turn.

Further sandstorm against the same target have Disadvantage on the attack.

The target can make an Use an Object action to clean up the dust from his eyes.

Bloody Slash

Level 4 technique, proficiency bonus +5

A critical hit with a scimitar or longsword will cause your target to bleed profusely. The target loses 1 hit point per turn.

That lasts for 1 minute, until a success on a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check, or until the target regains 1 hit point. Multiple bleeding wounds stack.

Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this feature.

Bloody Fury

Level 5 technique, proficiency bonus +6

You can draw the blood of an enemy whose hit dice is greater than your level. You must have participated in his death. As a bonus action, you can drink from the blood, and enter in a state of fury.

For 10 minutes, you enter in the Bloody Fury state, gaining Advantage on Wisdom saving throws and a bonus of +2 on attack rolls. Once you do so, you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.

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