Slinger (5e Class)

Slinger

A lone shepherd boy steps forward into the battlefield, facing a huge and mighty man with nothing but a sling. The man laughed at the boy, thinking that the boy can do nothing against him and his mighty armor. The man charges at the boy with his sword, screaming in full battle fury. The boy was unperturbed by this as he loaded his sling and started to spin it around. As the man grew closer, the boy let go of his sling, the stone hurtling towards the man with great speed. The shot strike true, the man now lying unconscious from the blow. The boy merely stepped over his fallen foe and decapitated him with his own swords.

Contrary to popular belief, the humble Sling is one of the mightiest weapons in all of history and this is made even more apparent by the men and women who wield them with great mastery, who are called Slingers. With great skill, they can hurl a bullet at a foe up to 400m away at speeds clocking in at around 100km/h.

Working mostly as skirmishers, these Slingers hurl their stones at the enemy, screening them before falling back and letting the frontlines deal with them. With their great skill and experience, they show the world that all it takes to change the battlefield is but just a few stones.

Creating a Slinger

How did your character become a Slinger? Were they raised to wield a Sling at a very young age? Were they inspired by another Slinger and wished to follow their footsteps? Have they just found the weapon to be to their liking and wanted to further their skills in it? These are some of the things that you can ask yourself when creating a Slinger.

Quick Build

You can make a Slinger quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Lastly, pick the Soldier Background.

Class Features

As a Slinger you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Slinger level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Slinger level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light Armor, Medium Armor, and Shields
Weapons: Simple Weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Dexterity and Constitution
Skills: Choose three from the following: Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Investigation, Intimidation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth

Equipment

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

• Sling with 30 Bullets
• Leather Armor
• (a) Spear and Shield or (b) Shortsword and Shield
• (a) Explorer's Pack or (b) Dungeoneer's Pack
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 4d4 x 10 gp in funds.

Table: The Slinger

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Sling Mastery, Fighting Style
2nd	+2	Skirmish Tactics
3rd	+2	Slinger Archetype
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Stunning Shot, Sling Mastery
6th	+3	Slinger Archetype
7th	+3	Agile
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Ricochet
9th	+4	Slinger Archetype
10th	+4	Sling Mastery
11th	+4	Fighting Style
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Marked for Death
14th	+5	Slinger Archetype
15th	+5	Sling Mastery
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Supreme Aim
18th	+6	Marked for Death
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Legendary Slinger

Sling Mastery

Like many others before you, you have endeavored to master the use of the sling. Starting at 1st Level, you are able to load ammunition into the sling without requiring a free hand to do so. When wielding a Sling, the range of it increases to (150/400). In addition, when wielding a Sling, the damage die increases by one tier (d4 -> d6). This further increases at Levels 5 (d6 -> d8), 10 (d8 -> d10), and 15 (d10 -> d12).

Fighting Style

Starting at 1st level and again at 11th level, you may adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Close Quarters Shooter

You are trained in making ranged attacks at close quarters. When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll and your base movement speed increases by 5 feet.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Piercing Shot

You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Skirmish Tactics

As a Slinger, your place in the battlefield is not to be in the frontline, but in the back peppering down the enemy with bullets from afar. Starting at 2nd Level, you can now Dash and Disengage as a Bonus action.

Slinger Archetype

Starting at 3rd Level, your character can now specialize in a role that he/she would be known for. The roles that can be picked are: Boulder Slinger and Runic Slinger. Your choice grant features at the 3rd level, and again at the 6th, 9th, and 14th.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach the 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. The number of attacks increases to three at 11th level in this class.

Stunning Shot

Starting at 5th Level, you are proficient enough in the slings that your sling attacks can now effectively daze the enemy. Once per round, when you managed to hit a creature with a sling attack, you can turn that hit into a Stunning Shot. The target must succeed on a DC (8 + Proficiency + Dexterity) Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier before needing a short/long rest.

Agile

Starting at 7th Level, you have learned to move more efficiently with less energy. Your Movement Speed is increased by 15ft and you are no longer hampered by nonmagical difficult terrain.

Ricochet

Starting at 8th Level, you are now able to shoot a bullet that can effectively ricochet onto incoming enemy foes. As an Action, you make a single attack roll with a sling against a target, of which it may be a creature, object, or surface. If the attack hits, it would ricochet onto another target of your choice that's within 15ft of the original target, using the same attack roll. This process would repeat until it hits 5 targets or it misses. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier before needing a long rest.

Marked for Death

Starting at 13th Level, you have learned to effectively study a creature and mark its weaknesses for you to exploit. You can now use your Bonus action to mark a single creature, the mark lasting for one minute. You now deal criticals on rolls of 18-20 made with the sling against the marked creature. This further increases to rolls on 16-20 at the 18th Level. If the marked creature drops to 0 Hit Points before the mark ends, you can use a Bonus Action on a subsequent turn of yours to mark a new creature. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier before needing a short/long rest.

Supreme Aim

Starting at 17th Level, your aim is so great that no one can compare to you. You can now use your Bonus action to grant yourself Advantage for all attacks on the same turn. You may only use this feature twice, regaining all uses after a long rest.

Legendary Slinger

Starting at 20th Level, the actions and feats you have accrued as a Slinger have made you a legend amongst them, cementing your life as an inspiration and story to be passed along for generations. Once per turn, you can declare one of your sling attacks to be a Legendary Shot. You may declare it before or after you make the attack roll, but must do so before the DM can tell you if the attack hits. If that attack hits, you may double the result of the damage roll. If it's a critical, you may triple the result of the damage roll.

Slinger Archetypes

Boulder Slinger

Among Slingers, Boulder Slingers are those who decided that regular sling bullets are just not enough and have decided to fling bullets double their usual size, often times being compared to as boulders when compared to regular sling bullets, their heavier ammunition easily dealing traumatic blows.

Heavy Rocks

Starting at Level 3, the rocks you sling are much more heavier than your regular counterparts. You can now add an additional 1d6 Damage to all sling attacks.

Traumatic Shot

Starting at Level 6, the weight of your ammunition causes more trauma. Your Stunning Shot is now instead Traumatic Shot, the DC now being a DC (10 + Proficiency + Dexterity) Constitution saving throw or be Stunned until the end of your next turn.

Strong Back

Starting at Level 9, you have grown used to carrying heavy loads. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Heavy Swings

Starting at Level 14, you have learned to effectively use your strength to fuel your swings. While using a Sling, you can now add half(rounded up) of your Strength modifier to all Damage rolls (minimum bonus of +1).

Rune Slinger

As Slingers have come to travel all over the world, some have come to find the utility of runes and magic very useful in their line of work, specifically the art of runes. Rune Slingers are those who've endeavored to master the art of runes, their study paying off as their rune infused bullets deal the power of the forces of nature.

Runed Ammunition

Starting at Level 3, you now have learned the ancient art of runes. You can now make runes on your sling ammunition to make them magical, allowing them to either do Fire, Cold, or Lightning damage. You can convert 10 regular sling ammunition into 10 Runed sling ammunition for 30 minutes, of which may be part of your short or long rest.

Stunning Curse

Starting at Level 6, your shots don't just deal trauma, but curses as well. Your Stunning Shot now deals an extra effect on a success depending on the damage type the Runed ammunition used.

• Fire: The target takes fire damage equal to that dealt by your Stunning Shot at the start of their next turn after the Stunned condition has worn off.
• Cold: The target's speed is reduced by 15 feet at the start of their next turn after the Stunned condition has worn off.
• Lightning: The target takes lightning damage equal to half that dealt by your Stunning Shot and its speed is reduced by 5 feet at the start of their next turn after the Stunned condition has worn off.

Advanced Runed Ammunition

Starting at Level 9, you have come to learn new runes that you can etch into your ammunition. You can now make your Runed Ammunition do Force, Radiant, or Necrotic damage.

Advanced Curses

Starting at Level 14, you have come to unlock the curses in your new runes as well. Your Stunning Shot now deals an extra effect on a success depending on the damage type the Runed ammunition used.

• Force: Restrains the target for one turn at the start of their next turn after the Stunned condition has worn off.
• Radiant: Blinds the target for one turn at the start of their next turn after the Stunned condition has worn off.
• Necrotic: Poisons the target for one turn at the start of their next turn after the Stunned condition has worn off.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Slinger class, you must meet these prerequisites: Dex 13

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Slinger class, you gain the following proficiencies: Simple Weapons, Light and Medium Armor

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