Meatshield (5e Class)

The Way of the Meatshield

“	I'm not the sharpest tool in the box, and will be. But I'm the biggest, heaviest and most likely to smash someone's head in.	”
—Leodor Steakhammer, Master Meatshield

Meatshields are disciplined warriors, devoted to protecting others no matter the cost. Lead by the ways of the great Leodor Steakhammer, Meatshields live in a world of honor and smashing monsters heads in. They willfully risk their lives to slay dragons and demon lords just because they were told to. Often Meatshields are hired to become primary fighters in adventuring parties around the world, their perseverance and abundant hit points a valuable asset to any adventurer.

Creating a Meatshield

Meatshields are the masters of running into battle, kicking ass, taking damage and letting other people kill-steal. Meatshields are trained in shrugging off lethal damage and to take as much damage as possible. Almost all Meatshields are Lawful and certainly not the smartest among thier peers.

Quick Build

You can make a Meatshield quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength and Constitution should be your highest ability scores, and Intelligence should be the last to worry about. Second, choose the | City Guard background. Third, choose heavy-duty damage dealing weapons, or a weapon and shield for more survivability, as well as medium armor. From now on it's your job to hemorrhage hit points so buckle up.

Class Features

As a Meatshield you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d12 per Meatshield level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Meatshield level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, marital weapons
Tools:
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Acrobatics, Medicine, Perception, Athletics, Survival

Equipment

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

• (a) One martial melee weapon or (b) shield
• (a) Two simple melee weapons or (b) One simple melee weapon and five javelin
• (a) Dungeoneer's pack or (b) Explorer's pack or (c) Healer's Kit
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4x10 in funds.

Table: The Meatshield

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Stoic Stance	Weapon Mastery (Optional)
1st	+2	Stoic Stance, Rock-Hard Body, Weapon Mastery (Optional)	1d4	2
2nd	+2	Not Going Down, Ready for Battle	1d4	2
3rd	+2	Meatshield School Feature	2d4	2
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Intimidating Physique	2d4	3
5th	+3	Extra Attack	3d4	3
6th	+3	School Feature	3d4	3
7th	+3	Bull-headed Resilience	4d4	3
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Improved Stoic Stance	4d4	3
9th	+4	Endless Energy	5d4	3
10th	+4	School Feature	5d4	4
11th	+4	Final Stand	6d4	4
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	6d4	4
13th	+5	Non-Stopping	7d4	4
14th	+5	School Feature	7d4	4
15th	+5	Not Going Down Improvement	8d4	4
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	8d4	4
17th	+6	Battle Hardened	9d4	4
18th	+6	Unbreakable	9d4	4
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	10d4	4
20th	+6	Ultimate Tank	10d4	4

Stoic Stance

Starting at 1st level, you harbor a vast amount of vitality within yourself and now can withstand pain that would normally knock a man out.

Whenever you take damage from any source and you aren't wearing heavy armor, once per round you may reduce the damage by 1d4. The damage you get to reduce increases as you level up, as shown in your Stoic Stance column in the Meatshield Table.

You must be conscious to use this ability.

Rock-Hard Body

At 1st level, your body has become as solid as a rock as you dedicate yourself to become the toughest object around. You gain the following:

• You gain natural armor. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 12 + your Constitution. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

• Your hit points maximum increases by 2, and it increases by 2 every time you gain a MeatShield level afterwards.

• You have advantage on strength checks against being grappled or shoved.

Weapon Mastery (Optional)

At 1st level, your training with weapons allows you to use the Mastery property of two kinds of Simple or Martial Melee weapons of your choice, such as Maul and Light Hammer. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can practice weapon drills and change one of those weapon choices.

When you reach certain levels in this class, you gain the ability to use the Mastery properties of more kinds of weapons, as shown in the Weapon Mastery column of the Meatshield table.

Not Going Down

By 2th level, as a bonus action, you can recover hit points equal to 1d12 + your Constitution modifier.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 15th level, you can use it twice before a long rest.

Adrenaline

At 2nd leve, whenever an hostile creature"s hit points is reduced to zero within 10ft of you, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Meatshield level.

Schools of the Meatshield

At 3rd level, you choose one School of the following: School of the Shielding, School of the Smashed, School of the Aggressor, or School of the Healing. Your chosen combat School grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Intimidating Physique

At 4nd level, getting hit a number of times caused your body to grow and thicken in attempt to adept to your environment. You may add an extra 1d4 inches to your height.

Additionally, your presence alone can be intimidating to others. You get proficiency with Charisma (Intimidation) checks.

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

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

Bull-headed Resilience

At 7th level, you may add your Constitution modifier to any saving throw you do not already have proficiency in. You can use this feature a number of times equal to Constitution modifier, and regain your uses after finishing a long rest.

Improved Stoic Stance

By 8th level, you learn how to become a more effective tank. When you use your Stoic Stance feature, any more subsequent damage in that round of combat is reduced by half the number you rolled for Stoic Stance (rounded down). This benefit lasts until the start of your next turn.

Endless Energy

By 9th level, you tap into a new energy source to help fuel you against waves of enemies. You can now remove a level of exhaustion if you take a short rest instead of a long rest.

Final Stand

When everyone is down, you're still left standing amidst the carnage. By 11th level, when your hit points is less or equal to twice your MeatShield level, you enter an enrage-like state. You gain a +2 bonus to weapon attack rolls you make while in this state. You deal an extra 1d6 bludgeoning damage to any creature you hit with these attacks. If you receive healing that would bring you above twice your MeatShield level, you lose this benefit.

Non-Stopping

At 13th level, you have advantage on saving throws against being paralyzed or stunned.

Battle Hardened

Starting at 17th level, your body can now adapt to any situation needed. You pick two types of damage to become resistance against.

You can change these resistances during a long rest.

Unbreakable

Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Constitution ability check or saving throw is less than your Constitution ability score, you can use that score in place of the total.

Ultimate Tank

At 20th level, you refuse to die. When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you may come back with third of your maximum hit points (rounded down) immediately, ignoring any effects that happens when reaching 0 hit points. When you do so, you gain the effects of the invulnerability spell until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.

Schools of the Meatshields

School of the Shielding

The School of Shielding are paragons of virtue, rushing into battle to protect others at their own risk. They believe that another adventurer's life is sacred, and others must never be hurt. The School of Shielding Meats is only for the truest of hearts, the lawfulness of the stupid.

Iron-Body

By 3rd level, you gain proficiency in heavy armor and now able to use stoic stance feature with heavy armor.

Protector

Starting at 3rd level, you can menace your foes, foiling their attacks and punishing them for harming others. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can mark the creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends early if you are incapacitated or you die, or if someone else marks the creature.

While it is within 5 feet of you, a creature marked by you has disadvantage on any attack roll that doesn't target you.

In addition, if a creature marked by you deals damage to anyone other than you, you can make a special melee weapon attack against the marked creature as a bonus action on your next turn. You have advantage on the attack roll, and if it hits, the attack's weapon deals extra damage to the target equal to half your Meatshield level (rounded down).

Regardless of the number of creatures you mark, you can make this special attack a number of times equal to your Strength modifier (a minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

Can't Hurt Friend

By 6th level, you are always on the lookout for your allies, ready to help them in a pinch. When an ally within 10 feet of you that you can see is attacked, you can spend your reaction to use your Stoic Stance feature on another and reduce their damage taken by that amount rolled. If you use it in this way, you cannot use ((inpage|Stoic Stance}} on yourself until the start of your next turn.

Saving Tackle

Starting at 10th level, when an ally is about to go down you throw caution to the wind to save them. When an ally within walking distance is about to take damage which would force them unconscious or kill them outright, you can use a special reaction to push them away 10ft in any direction, taking their place, and receiving the damage instead. You can use this special reaction even if you already used your reaction for the turn. You can only use this once per long rest.

Unbreakable Stance

At 14th level, you understand that you can not show weakness when confronting the enemy. As an Action, for the next minute you mobilize your body's muscles at its fullest, you of you gain the following:

• If you are smaller than Large, you become Large, along with anything you are wearing. If you lack the room to become Large, your size doesn't change.
• You gain a +1 to their AC.
• You gain advantage on ability checks and saving throws vs being moved against their will, being knocked prone.

Any allies within 15ft of you gain the following:

• Allies gain advantage on ability checks and saving throws vs being moved against their will, being knocked prone, paralyzed, or stunned.
• Allies now benefit from half-cover.

You must be conscious to grant this bonus. You may also end this early at no cost.

School of the Smashed

The School of the Smashed believes that to truly be a Meatshield, you must destroy all that opposes your way to the enemy. Whatever it be doors, walls, objects, and all other forms of cover, including people. That's basically it, whenever you enter a room, you kick down doors or anything else standing in your way and sending monsters running.

Sustainable Fighter

At 3rd level, you are proficient in Improvised Weapons as you learn from your teaching that anything can be a weapon in the right hands, whatever it be a rock, a log, or a table.

Destructive Combat

You realize the potential of using the environment around you to help assist you in combat that was never thought possible. At 3rd level, you learn new special moves, called Destructive Technique that allows you to use the environment around you to your advantage. Choose two Destructive Technique shown below. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can change one of the Destructive Technique with other another one. You learn an extra Destructive Technique at 11th level.

If your Destructive Techniques effects require a saving throw, the DC equals to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier.

Forceful Push: You may use to bonus action to violently push back enemies. The creature make a strength saving throw or be push back 10 feet away from you. If the creature's force movement were to be disrupted with an physical object, such as a wall, the creature takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage on impact.

Iron Gasp: Creatures you grapple that are your size or smaller that can now be used as an Improvised Weapons. Whenever you use this creature to deal damage to an object, it deals damage to it and to the creature grappled. Grappled creatures deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage.

Shaking Stomp: As an Action, you to create a shockwave that can knock a foes off their feet as you pound the ground. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage, and it has disadvantage on the next weapon attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn. The creature must be large or smaller to be affect by this. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 17th level.

Shot Put: When you take the attack action, you can replace one of your attacks to throw compact balls of debris with sheer force towards your enemies. These uses the properties of darts, but deals bludgeoning damage instead. You create a number of compact rocks equal to double your proficiency bonus every short rest. The damage die increases to 1d6 at 5th level, 1d8 at 11th level, and 1d10 at 17th level.

Splintering Kick: As an Action, you can destroy the environment around you and fling small shrapnel into the air towards your enemies. Any creature within a 15ft cone coming from you must make a Dexterity saving throw. The target takes 1d8 piercing damage on a failed save. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d8 at 5th level, 3d8 at 11th level, and 4d8 at 17th level.

You learn an extra Environmental Technique from this feature at 11th level and 17th level.

Wallbreaker

By 6th level, if barrier is within melee range, a locked door or a stone wall for example, you can create a medium-sized entrance for you and your party. You can use a bonus action to make a Strength (Athletics) check for breaking through a physical barrier. The DC will depend on the materials used to create the barrier. This barrier has to be something you can reasonably break through to gain these benefits.

You can do this once per long rest. Although, if the check fails, this use of Wallbreaker isn’t expended but you must wait an hour to be able to do so again.

Demolition Tendencies

By 6th level, you create new ways of attacks to help support your unique way of fighting. You learn a powerful Destructive Technique, a new explosive move that deal damage in a wide area. You learn one of these as shown below:

Bull Rush: When you use your action to dash, you may charge forward (at no additional cost) and attacking everything in your way. For the rest of that movement as long as you move in a straight line, any creatures in front of you must succeed on either a Strength saving throw. On failure, they take 3d8 bludgeoning damage be push 5ft to either left or right (your choice), and be knocked prone. If they succeed on the save, they are just take half damage (rounded down). If you end your movement inside the space of another creature, that creature is moved 5ft in any direction to a safe area of their choice. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity and the force movement only affect large or smaller creatures. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 4d8 at 10th level, 5d8 at 15th level.

Boulder Extraordinaire: As an Action, you may create a medium-sized boulder that explodes on impact sending fragments across the battlefield. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point within 100ft of you must make a dexterity saving throw. A target takes 4d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The bludgeoning damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 5d6 at 10th level, 6d6 at 15th level.

Once you use either of these Destructive Technique, you must wait until a long rest to do so again. You gain another use of this at 13th level.

Built Different

At 10th level, your body has adapted to your training and way of brute force, enabling you deal explosive like damage. Your Environmental Techniques now deal Force damage instead of their regular damage.

In addition, you deal double damage to objects and structures.

Cataclysm Impact

When reaching 14th level, you finally become a force of nature. You learn an ancient, dangerous, Destructive Technique that can create artificial gravity by contracting your muscles and increasing your body's density. You may cast the Gravity Sinkhole as a 6th spell without using a spell slot or material components, with a range of self. This spell does not harm you in way away and will be considered a Destructive Technique in terms for figuring out the saving throw DC.

You may do this once per long rest.

School of the Aggressor

The School of the Aggressor teaches that the best defense is a excellent offence. They say that the best protection is the one where you are never in danger of having to fight yourself at all. These guys are the most offensive of all the Meatshields, preferring to do damage over tanking as much. The teaching's of the School goes by this motto: "If you beat your enemies to a bloody pulp, they can't even think about hurting your allies!"

Devastating Brute

By 3th level, your unarmed strikes are now a d6. At 5th level, they becomes a d8, 11th level a d10, and at 17th level a d12.

Additionally, when you hit a creature with a melee attack you can attempt to grapple or shove that creature as a bonus action.

Devastating Attacks

Additionally, whenever an enemy's hit points is reduced to zero within 10ft of you, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Meatshield level + Constitution modifier.

Metallic Fists

Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Powerful Reach

At 10th level, through training and battle experience, you learned to move your arms in unique ways to deliver powerful strikes. When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.

In addition, once on each of your turns, one of your attacks with an unarmed strike can deal an extra 1d8 damage to a target on a hit.

Onslaught

By 14th level, you get lost in the chaos of battle, becoming a force of nature — a whirlwind of destruction, leaving naught but a trail of shattered bodies in your wake. The thrill of combat causes you to keep beating your foes into a bloody pulp. When you use this Action, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) to withstand the pain. On a failed save, the target takes 8d10 bludgeoning damage and becomes paralyzed for the next minute. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage (rounded down) instead. The target can make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turn.

You can do this once per long rest.

School of the Healing

The School of the Healing is looked down upon by the other schoolings for its teachings of blood magic. Created by Leodor Steakhammer's very distant brother, Alfredd Steakhammer, it combines the ruthless behavior of the Meatshield fighting style along with black magic to keep the user alive for longer. While not forbidden, is it generally disliked the Meatshield society.

Blood Transfusion

At 3th level, you gain the ability to turn death into a source of energy that can heal from. When a creature that is isn't a constructs dies within 30 feet of you, its magical life essences leaves its body and floats harmless in the dead creature's space and flickers there for 1 minute. When you or a friendly creature you can see enters that space, you can use your reaction to the transferer the energy there and either heal the creature there for 1d8. You may also expend a Might Die to share this healing as well to another target 10 feet away from the essence and gain half the healing rolled. This healing increases to 2d8 at 14th level.

You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your Wisdom (with a minimum of 1), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Weapon Siphon

At 3rd level, you learn how to involve blood magic in combat. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch one non-magical weapon, focusing your magic on it and bonding with it. You can deal necrotic damage instead of the regular weapon's damage, and heal half (rounded up) that amount of damage dealt. Whenever another creature besides you holds the weapon, you may also active this feature and deal 1d10 necrotic damage to the current wielder. This benefit lasts until you attempt to bond with a second weapon, where you break the bond with the first weapon. This feature has no effect on constructs or undead.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Death's Body

Your body has become more accustomed to black magic and has gained a resistance against it from outside sources. Beginning at 6th level, you have resistance to necrotic damage, and your hit point maximum can't be reduced.

Additionally, your body mutants as its tries to cope with the black magic residing inside you. Faint black veins now cover your body, while your sclera have turned black and your irises shine a bright shade of red.

Hematic Control

By the 10th level, you have master the basics to blood magic as it is detailed below.

Ever-living: When you use your Blood Transfusion feature, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the healing.

Blood Clot: When you deal necrotic damage, the target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier) or be restrained by its own blood as it hardens inside their body. The target can make a new Wisdom saving throw to free itself at the end of each of its turns.

Blood Mastery

When reaching 14th level, you gain the ability to harness blood magic at its full potential. As an action, you can magically become an avatar of death, shedding bright red light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. You gain the following:

• You gain resistance to poison damage.
• You gain immunity to necrotic damage.
• You gain vulnerability to radiant damage.
• You may use you Weapon Siphon feature with no cost.
• As a bonus action, choose up to three creature within your light. They must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or take 3d6 necrotic damage.

This lasts for the next minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). You can do this once per long rest.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Meatshield class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 Strength and 13 Constitution

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Meatshield class, you gain the following proficiencies: (Athletics), and (Survival). You also gain in proficiency in Light and Medium Armor.

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