Yojimbo (5e Class)

Yojimbo

Yojimbo's are warriors trained to protect other creatures. Most of them are trained since young age to serve as guardians of members of a certain clan or noble house, being loyal and devoted to this protection. Is not rare, however, that a particularly talented swordsman or any person who perform a important favor to a powerful noble, either by saving his life or the life of someone of value, to be accepted to this honorable position.

Not all Yojimbo are members of the nobility. In times when traditional hierarchies are on decay, it's common that ronin wardens wander the land, protecting anyone who offers enough gold for their skills, acting as bodyguards for whoever pays the better price.

Finally, there are those who protect not by tradition or gold, but for personal reasons. These wardens are often linked to a person, someone they deeply love or care, like a son, a brother or a lover, or even just a person or group of people that are not able to defend themselves.

Creating a Yojimbo

Lone Wolf and Cub by Mehmet Ozen

When creating a Yojimbo, ask yourself why did you become a warden. Have you been born to become a warden as a family tradition? Is this a path you chose as a profession? You have been forced by the circumstances to protect those you love and care?

Quick Build

You can build a warden quickly with these suggestions. First, make Constitution your highest ability score, followed by either Strength or Wisdom. Second, choose either the noble or the far traveler background. Third, choose the longsword and a shortsword, two handaxes, an explorer's pack, a chain mail and a caligrapher's tools as your starting equipment.

Class Features

As a Yojimbo you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Caligrapher's tools
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Perception and chose one from Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion.

Equipment

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

• (a) a longsword and a shortsword or (b) a glaive, a longbow and quiver of 20 arrows or (c) two martial weapons
• (a) two handaxes or (b) five daggers or (c) any simple weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• scale mail and a caligrapher's tools
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 4d4 x 10gp in funds.

Table: The Yojimbo

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Diligent Guardian, Daisho
2nd	+2	Warden's Defense
3rd	+2	Bodyguard Code
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Steely Resolve
5th	+3	Extra Attack
6th	+3	Bodyguard Code Feature
7th	+3	Protector's Charge
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Immortal Guardian
10th	+4	Fighting Style
11th	+4	Retaliatory Strike
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Bodyguard Code Feature
14th	+5	Diligent Guardian
15th	+5	Defender's Renewal
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Bodyguard Code Feature
18th	+6	Unshakable Defender
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Indomitable Warden

Diligent Guardian

At 1st level, you can use your bonus action to protect allied creatures from harm. Until the beginning of your next turn, all melee attacks made against any friendly creature within 5 feet of you are made at disadvantage.

Starting at 14th level, this ability also affects ranged attacks.

Daisho

Starting at 1st level, you have the ability to use your daisho in combat. Your daisho is compound by a longsword and a shortsword. While using these weapons, you gain the following benefits:

• Whenever you make an attack with your longsword as an action, you can use your bonus action to make one additional attack with your shortsword. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of this attack.

• If you haven't use your bonus action to make an attack with your shortsword, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage of the next succesful attack against you until the start of your next turn in 1d6.

• When using the longsword in two hands, you roll 1d12, instead of 1d10, for the damage rolls.

Warden's Defense

At 2nd level, you can use your bonus action to choose a number of creatures you can see within 30 feet, equal to your Constitution modifier, to protect. While the chosen creatures are within 5 feet of you, all attacks against it are made at disadvantage. The defense lasts for 1 minute, or until you choose to use the defense on another group of creatures, become incapacitated, or die.

Bodyguard Code

By the time you reach 3rd level, you decide to follow a code, that define the way you go about with your warden duties. You can choose one of the options bellow.

Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 13th, and 17th level.

Fighting Spirit

Starting at 3rd level, whenever your hit points are less than half your maximum, at the start of each of your turns, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your level in this class, as long as you have at least 1 hit point.

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.

Steely Resolve

At 4th level, you have advantage on any checks you make to avoid any harmful condition imposed on you. If the harmful effect impose the harmful condition in addition to another effect (such as damage), the advantage only affects the condition.

Extra Attack

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

Protector's Charge

Starting at 7th level, you become fully aware of dangers that can affect your protectee. When you roll initiative, you can move 30 feet towards one friendly creature you can see, ignoring difficult terrain and not triggering opportunity attacks.

Immortal Guardian

At 9th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points and are not killed outright, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Fighting Style

At 10th level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Daisho Specialist

When you engage in combat with your Daisho, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. In addition, you can add your ability modifier to the damage reduction of your Daisho's shortsword

Immobilizer

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, the target must make a Constitution saving throw against your 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier, or it is unable to move until the end of your next turn.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a weapon or shield.

Interception

When a creature you can see hits a target that is within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Retaliatory Strike

Starting at 11th level, you gain one additional reaction in each of your turns to make one attack against a creature within reach that targets a creature under your Warden's Defense feature with an attack or harmful spell.

Defender's Renewal

When you reach the 15th level, you can use your bonus action to regain a number of hit points up to half your maximum of hit points, if it is lower. Once you use this feature, you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.

Unshakable Defender

Starting at 18th level, you become immune to being charmed or frightened.

In addition, whenever you within 5 feet of a creature protected by your Warden's Defense feature, both you and one defended creature gain advantage on Constitution and Wisdom saving throws.

Indomitable Warden

At 20th level, your Constitution and Wisdom scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

Bodyguard Code

Defender's Code

Some Yojimbo devote their bodies to protect other creatures from harm, interposing themselves between attacks against the original targets. The defender's code preaches that's, in order to protect, you must launch yourself towards danger, becoming a living shield of your protectee. These Yojimbo have impenetrable skins and immeasurable vigor, being more tolerant to harm and pain than most Yojimbo.

Extra Proficiency

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with heavy armors.

Defensive Posture

Starting when you choose this code at 3rd level, you can enter into a defensive posture as a bonus action. While in your defensive posture, you gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on Constitution checks and saving throws.
• All friendly creatures within 5 feet have advantage on Strength checks.
• Your movement speed is halved.
• Any creature targeted by your Warden's Defense feature is considered to have 3/4 cover while within 5 feet of you.
• When you suffer damage due to your Diligent Guardian feature, the damage taken is reduced to half.

Your defensive posture lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you or a creature defended by your Yojimbo features haven’t be attacked by a hostile creature since your last turn.

Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Tireless Defender

At 6th level, you keep your protectee under constant protection. You can choose one allied protected by your Diligent Guardian to be under the effect of this feature for the next 24 hours.

In addition, you can use your bonus action to move up to your speed towards any of your protected allies of your choice that you can see or hear, if there's an hostile creature within 5 feet of it. You must end this move closer to the ally than you started.

Steel Body

Beginning at 13th level, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw, you can use your Constitution instead.

Impenetrable Defender

Starting at 17th level, when you enter your Defensive Posture, you have resistance to all damage except psychic.

Watcher's Code

As a follower of the watcher's code, the Yojimbo focus in noticing threat's against your protectees and allies before any harm happens. The watcher's code demands that the Yojimbo should always be mindful of his surroundings, always careful and with his eyes always open. The watcher's are always aware of the surroundings, and always vigilant, having an almost supernatural nature to perceive menaces.

Unarmored Defense

Starting at 3rd level, when you aren't using armor or shield, you gain AC equal 10 + your Constitution modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Vigilant Defender

Starting when you choose this code at 3rd level, when you defend a creature with your Warden's Defense, you become fully aware of your surroundings. While any hostile creature is within 10 feet of a defended creature, the creature can't benefit from being hidden or invisible.

Beholder's Eye

At 6th level, you gain proficiency in the Perception skill, if you did not have it before. You can add the double of your proficiency bonus if you already have this skill. Also, you can never have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception checks.

Additionally, whenever a creature is under your Warden's Defense feature, you always know the position and if the creature while you are in the same plane of it.

Third Eye

Starting at 13th level, you become immune to illusions and can see invisible creatures as if they were visible. In addition, gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.

Interrupt

Starting at 17th level, you can use your awareness to stop attacks against your allies before they happen. Whenever a friendly creature within 30 feet, affected by your Warden's Defense is targeted by a harmful spell or attack, you can use your reaction to move towards it become the target of the attack or spell instead.

Multiclassing

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

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Yojimbo class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, medium armor, simple weapons, martial weapons.

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