Gentle Blade (5e Subclass)

Gentle Blade

Rogue Subclass

Like a Tender Rain Falling Before the Storm

A soft wind billows through the air, carrying on it the weak cries of those wounded and left behind. Lost in the thicket with nary a hope for their safety, the tired adventurer ceases the pointless limping they’ve been partaking in for the better part of an hour, slumping against the rough bark of a gnarled tree. The canopy of leaves somehow seem so much more grim, almost prison-like, the unsettling sound of the night encroaching inwards on their position, but the pool of blood underneath their figure a greater concern. A lull of sleep begins to overcome the sensation of pain, and their eyes start to close, exhaustion and fatigue mounting on, before an unusual sensation overcomes their body: warmth.

Instead of sorrow, there is hope, as a subtle energy from an unknown source begins to flood their form, flowing from the hands of a nearby shadow. An acute feeling like the glowing rays of sunlight enthrall their mind, restoring vigor to the wayward adventurer. Confused but thankful, they pull themselves from the mud, casting dirt and soot from their person, before quickly casting off towards the nearest exit of the forest, within their heart an eternal sense of gratitude for whatever had saved them.

Pulling a hood to further obscure their features, the silhouette pulls an arm back inside their cloak. They quietly follow the lost adventurer, assuring that they make the path out of the woods safety. They speak not a word, utter not a noise, before solemnly disembarking, their duty as a Gentle Blade fulfilled.

A Hallowed History

A Gentle Blade is an obscure classification of Rogue, those walking the path of remedy over vengeance. Gentle Blades specialize in the art of healing, using their own sacred dualities as a conduit for mending others. Despite this, they are commonly thought of as rogues with the addition of healing.

In their land of origin, Gentle Blades were an order who used a combination of medicinal healing and special magical signs to aid the oppressed peasant population. Their acts inspired what would become known as the Shinobi, a clan of rebels who used espionage and trickery to aid the fight against the tyranny of the nobility. What was once a group of healers became a feared force of covert warriors, losing the ways of the true Gentle Blades.

After word had spread, the legends of the Gentle Blades would morph into a heavily debated philosophy within the underground community. To some, the way of a Gentle Blade was akin to ‘rogue ethics’, something that many found ill-suited to the life of a rogue. Others saw it as an honourable code in a dishonourable life, a standard to look up to in a world of scoundrels.

The original Gentle Blades were said to have had a deep connection with the mountainous wolf spirits, who were guides and guardians of their realm. This relationship inspired the rogues of the mountains, helping others in kind. To this day, the spirit of the wolf remains interwoven with the hearts of the Gentle Blades

The Gentle Blade use a distinct form of magic, one that shapes itself around the use of written symbols. These sacred icons can be casted with one’s finger or focusing tool, and once drawn, would have their desired action(s) unfold.

To become a Gentle Blade is a process very few can maintain. One must abandon their selfish ways, and uphold a creed:

• Guard With Compassion - Preserve the mortality of your peers, even if it means putting yourself in danger.
• Protect Without Mercy - Those who pose a threat to others must be stopped before harm can be done.
• Arbitrate With Judiciousness - Make your choices with a level head, never forget that you too are mortal.
• Shelter Without Recourse - Do good without expecting a reward. The world is cruel, living is reward enough.

The Sign of The Wolf

The Gentle Blade draws its magical power from the ancient spirit of the wolf, and from writing hallowed symbols in the air. A Gentle Blade can only be under the effect of one sigil at a time - you can freely choose between sigils as a bonus action, but doing so within range of an enemy will provoke an opportunity attack. Depending on what sigil the Gentle Blade is under, they will have shifting resistances.

Sign	Affinity	Powers Imparted
Rain Water	Cold	The sign of Rain, quiet and gentle. This sign of power allows the Gentle Blade to teleport as their movement action. The amount of space you can teleport is equal to half of your max speed, and you can teleport a number of willing creatures within 5 feet of you with you equal to your Rogue level divided by 4 (minimum of 1) with either this or Tender Rain. You also gain a climbing speed equal to your movement speed so long as you remain under this sign. If you use Tender Rain While under the effect of this sign, the amount of distance you can teleport yourself and others to your allies is doubled. At 17th level you can teleport your full movement speed.
Gale Storm	piercing	The sign of Wind, sharp and deadly. This sign of power reduces the critical hit range of any thrown weapon attack by one and the increased damage given on a critical hit is triple instead of double. Thrown weapon also add your Wisdom modifier to hit; At 17th level the critical hit range is increased by three and you also add your wisdom modifier to damage dealt.
Soothing Sunlight	Fire	The sign of Light, warm and relaxing. If you use Sunlight’s Reprieve while under the effects of this sign you add your Wisdom modifier for each dice of healing you spend and the range of your healing increases by your maximum movement speed. If you choose to heal at the ability’s normal range, the healing increases to 1d12. Also while under this sign, you can replace one dice of healing to remove a poison or disease affecting the target. The amount of healing increases at level 17 to 2d6, and 2d12 respectively.
Requiem Bolt	Lightning	The sign of Lightning, quick and biting. While under the effect of this sign, your movement speed increases by 10 feet and you can move through creatures as if they were difficult terrain. Creatures you pass through using this feature take piercing damage equal to your rogue level. A single creature can only be moved through a number of times equal to your proficency. Once you finish your movement, any enemies you passed through can make a Dex save to halve the damage taken (DC=8+prof bonus+Wisdom modifier.) The movement penalty for moving through people is removed upon reaching 17th level.
Cloud Burst	Thunder	The sign of Thunder, deafening yet freeing. While under this sign, you gain an aura out to 30 feet from yourself. You and any allies within this aura gain a bonus equal to your Wisdom modifier to one save of your choice, which you make when you switch to this sign. At 17th level the aura expands out to 60 feet from you.

To Guard With Compassion

When you choose this subclass at 3rd level, you gain access to two traits: Tender Rain, and Sunlight’s Reprieve. These features are influenced by which Sign of The Wolf you are currently using. Refer back to the ‘Sign of The Wolf’ table for information regarding what extra each sign receives.

• Tender Rain - You can, as your movement action, teleport to the side of one of your allies, assuming they are within your maximum movement speed.
• Sunlight’s Reprieve - You can, as an action, invoke your magic on an ally and impart upon them some of the healing energy within you. You have a pool of d6s that you can spend to heal others. The number of dice in the pool is equal to 2 + your rogue level. You can heal one creature you can see within 30 ft of you at a time, spending an amount of dice up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one die) per instance of healing. Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total.

Whenever you hit a sneak attack on an enemy, you can forgo any amount of d6s worth of sneak attack damage to regain a number of sunlight reprieve dice equal to the amount of d6s you didn’t use for damage.

Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.

To Protect Without Mercy

When you reach 9th level, you gain the extra attack feature, your damage with throwing weapons is increased by 1 for each five feet the object travels towards its target, thrown weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances, and you treat a piercing immunity as a resistance. You can now also switch what sign you're under as a reaction.

To Arbitrate With Judiciousness

At 13th level, you receive access to Purity’s Song. As an action on your turn, you can call upon the Sign of The Wolf on a number of allies up to your proficiency bonus within 30 feet of you, healing all chosen creatures by 4d6 Hit Points, clear one negative status effect of your choice as per the effects of the Greater Restoration or Lesser Restoration spells (you can choose a different one for each creature), and are given temporary immunity to the first instance of damage they recieve. This effect lasts for 12 seconds; you can use this feature twice and you regain these uses on a long rest.

To Shelter Without Recourse

Upon reaching 17th level, your Sign of The Wolf abilities increase in strength. The amount of times you can use Purity’s Song also increases by 2 per day, to a maximum of 4 times a day before you need to take a long rest.

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