Super Minion (5e Subclass)

Super Minion

From the clumsy maul wielding brute, to the wiry lab assistant being shot by his boss, to the death trooper painting a hero’s silhouette into a wall with bolts, the life of a minion is an arduous one. Though they work tirelessly to achieve their goals, their only purpose in life seems to be to flail pathetically just before being mowed down by someone stronger. You’re different though. Through a bit of luck, a talent for improvising, and a vice-grip on your last breath, you’ve established yourself as a cut above the common minion, a super minion if you will. Unfortunately, like any minion you still can’t seem to hit those deceptively agile barns, and are much better at taking lumps than dishing them out. Worst of all is arguably your knack for screwing things up the moment people start to believe in you, but, when the chips are down and the stars are just right, the world might find you to be the hero (or villain) they need.

RESTRICTION: Minimal Weapon Proficiency

You can only take this class if you have had no other weapon proficiencies aside from unarmed attacks and improvised weapons at any point prior to taking this subclass (see minion fighting styles [1]). If you possess this subclass, you cannot gain proficiency in any weapons except unarmed attacks and improvised weapons.

Bonus Proficiency

From latrine duty to lab assistant, the minions are the backbone that make an organization run. At 3rd level you can choose a tool proficiency of your choice. The proficiency should relate to a role you have gained experience in as a minion.

Twisted Fate

As a pawn with a destiny, you are anathema to the natural order. The tides of casualty crash around you, ever on the verge of fortune and disaster. At 3rd level, when you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw:

• You critically fail if the d20 roll is a (natural) 1; dramatically failing the task as if you had a total modifier of -5.
• You critically succeed if the d20 roll is a (natural) 19 or 20; automatically succeeding in any task with a dc of 35 or below, and gaining any other benefits of a roll of a 20 even if only through sheer luck. If an exact modifier is required, as in initiative, you can chose to add +15 to your roll or use your actual modifier.
• Fate rebounds upon your success. When you critically succeed, your next significant attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, is treated as a roll of a 1 if the d20 roll is an (natural) odd number. This effect overrules the usual benefits you gain on a natural 19.
• Fate rebounds upon your failures. You gain one Karma point whenever you critically fail a roll. After you or an ally within 60’ makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can expend as many of your Karma points as you want to add an equal value to the roll. You can have no more Karma points at once than twice your Charisma modifier.

You cannot be affected by any other effects, not from this subclass, that are based upon the concept of luck, fate, or causality manipulation such as the Lucky feat or halfling racial trait.

Minion Tactics

At 3rd level, you learn a set of techniques that are fueled by special dice called superiority dice.

Techniques

You learn three techniques of your choice, which are detailed under “Techniques” below. Many techniques enhance an attack in some way. You can use only one technique (or maneuver) per attack.

You learn two additional techniques of your choice at 7th, 10th, and 15th level. Each time you learn new techniques, you can also replace one techniques you know with a different one. If you take the Martial Adept feat, you can choose Super Minion techniques in place of Battle Master maneuvers.

Saving Throws

Some of your techniques require your target to make a saving throw to resist the technique’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Technique save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice)

Improved Accuracy

Watch out world. This underdog CAN be taught new tricks.

At 7th level, you can add half of your proficiency bonus to attack rolls with any weapon you are not already proficient with.

Networking

At 7th level, you can add your Charisma modifier as a bonus to any checks you make to recall information about villainous or criminal behavior, organizations, or reputations. This bonus reflects knowledge gained through your contacts and connection within villainous groups, and a significant success may mean that you have a contact or close relationship with a member of an organization relevant to your check.

In addition, you have advantage on any Charisma (Persuasion) or Wisdom (Insight) checks made against any low ranked servants, slaves, minions, or similarly ranked individuals.

Improved Combat Superiority

At 10th level, your superiority dice turn into d10s. At 18th level, your superiority dice turn into d12s.

Better Luck Next Time

At 10th level, you gain 2 Karma points whenever you critically fail a roll. At 18th level, you gain 3 Karma points instead.

The Underdog Has Its Day

One day, you look back and see all that you have accomplished. For the first time, you are starting to understand the what you are truly capable of, and now possess the will and cunning to defy your twisted fate.

At 15th level, when you critically fail a roll, and before the consequences of it, you can forgo gaining any Karma points and choose to Overcome or Adapt. If you choose to Overcome, you can ignore the previous result, and roll once more with advantage. You must take the result of this new roll, even if it critically fails. If you choose to Adapt, you can replace one of your current techniques with another of your choice when you finish your next Short Rest.

You can't use this feature again until you finish a Long Rest.

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Techniques

Always Prepared. To avoid your master’s ire, you’ve developed an uncanny knack for having what he needs whenever he needs it. Out of combat, you can expend a superiority die, and request the cost of a nonmagical item of your choice. You can then roll your superiority die. If the result multiplied by your level is equal to or greater than the cost of the item, you can spend the gold to purchase the item and add it to your inventory. If the item is too large to carry, it can instead be found inside your nearest suitable vehicle or residence. This technique automatically fails if used to produce a unique item such a specific key, or you have no place to store the item. You must have also been able to have realistically purchased the chosen item at some prior point. (e.g., You can't immediately use the gold gained from a treasure chest or an ally on this ability.)

At Your Service. When you possess this as a learned technique, you become vaguely aware of whenever a close ally or superior is seeking or desires your presence. When his happens, you can expend a superiority die to determine the ally’s direction from you, and roughly how far away they are for 10 minutes or until you are no longer wanted. You also become aware of whether they in immediate danger or upset with you, but not the reasons for it. If they are in immediate danger, your movement speed increases by 20 feet, standing up from prone only costs 5 feet of movement for you, and you gain advantage on all Strength and Dexterity checks as long as you are doing nothing but attempting to move towards your ally. If your ally is upset with you, you have advantage on stealth checks made to hide from them.

Cheap Shot. If you attack a creature that you haven’t previously attacked, and they have not targeted you with an attack or harmful spell in the past 24 hours, you can expend a superiority die to gain advantage on your attack roll. If your attack hits, you can add your superiority die to the damage, but the creature’s newfound scorn towards you grants it advantage on all attacks against you until it willingly targets a different creature with a spell or attack. If you critically hit with this attack, you may additionally add your Fighter level to the damage.

Cling to Life. When you possess this as a learned technique, you gain advantage on all death saving throws, and can regain consciousness with 1 hp after a minute spent stabilized. Additionally, when dying, you can expend a superiority die to immediately stabilize before the effects of a roll or failed save that you know would otherwise kill you.

Emergency First Aid. You’ve had to nurse yourself from near death so often that you’ve become skilled at healing the critically injured. As an action you can expend a superiority die, and a use of a healer's kit to heal a living creature within 5 feet for 2+ 1d4 hit points for every fighter level you possess. If used on an unconscious creature, they also gain resistance to all damage until the end of their next turn. This technique cannot heal a target above half their hit point maximum.

Endure Abuse. You abandon all attempts to avoid getting hit, and devote your entire energy to simply surviving your foe's attacks. If you are not wearing heavy armor, you can use a bonus action to expend a superiority die to gain resistance to all non-psychic damage for one minute, and add half your superiority die, rounded up, to your next Constitution save within that minute. However, while this technique is active, you automatically fail all Dexterity saving throws, and your current AC becomes equal to 10+ your Constitution modifier regardless of all other effects or modifiers. You can end this technique early as a bonus action.

Explosive Arsenal. As a bonus action, you can expend a superiority die to draw a siege bomb or bottled cloud from your bag. Each can be used as an improvised ranged weapon and detonate at the end of you next turn if not thrown. A bottled cloud deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage, and fills a 10-foot radius of its striking point with smoke that blocks vision for one minute. A siege bomb deals bludgeoning damage equal to two times your superiority die to a creature, and five times your superiority die to a 5-foot area of a structure it hits. A siege bomb can also be fastened to a structure as an action.

Feign Death. When you take damage, you can fall prone and expend a superiority die to make a deception check and add it to the result. Anyone with a passive insight equal to or below your check believes that you have died. You are conscious, but appear to experience no pain and have no breath. Insight has no effect after the apparent death, but if the body is being physically examined for two consecutive rounds, a DC 20 medicine check reveals a subtle heartbeat.

Let Me Help. When an ally within 5 feet of you fails an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, and before the effects of it, you can use your reaction to expend and roll a superiority die in an attempt to help. On the roll of a 2 or greater, you can add the result to your ally's roll, possibly turning their failure into a success. However, if you roll a 1 on your die, your attempt to help makes things significantly worse. Examples of this would be bowling an ally over, tangling yourself in a rope bridge, or offending a neutral party into hostility. You cannot use this on checks to recall information.

Live Bait. As a bonus action, you can expend a superiority die to goad a creature within 90 feet into attacking you. Make a Charisma check plus your superiority die, contested by the creature’s Insight. If you succeed, the creature becomes hostile, and has disadvantage on attack rolls against anyone but you until the end of your next turn, or until you fall unconscious.

Narrow Escape. When you are hit by an attack, you can use a reaction to expend a superiority die to cause the attack to automatically miss. You must then make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to the damage you would have taken if you had been hit. If you fail, you become frightened of the attacker until the end of your next turn.

Scrambling Movements. When you take the dodge or dash action on your turn, you can expend a superiority die to increase your movement speed by 15 feet, and increase your AC by your superiority die until the end of your turn. While your ac is increase in such a manner, and you aren’t wearing heavy armor, you can force an enemy that misses an attack against you to repeat the attack against a different creature within 5 feet of you.

Strike Dumb. When you critically hit with a blunt weapon, you can expend one superiority die to add it to the attack’s damage, and force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it can’t concentrate and has disadvantage on Wisdom and Intellect checks and saves until the end of its next turn. If it fails by 5 or more, the creature is also stunned for the same duration.

Surge of Confidence. When you critically hit an enemy, and have your Second Wind available, you can expend a superiority die to immediately use your Second Wind feature without expending a bonus action. In addition, you can add your superiority die to either your damage or Second Wind, and gain temporary hit points equal to three times your level. You lose these temporary hit points immediately upon critically failing a roll.

Superior Grunt Work. As a bonus action, you can expend a superiority die to gain proficiency with a tool, other than a gaming set, of your choice until you finish your next Short or Long Rest. If you already have at least proficiency with the tool, you can instead push your limits and add your superiority die to the next check you make with the tool before your next rest. However, if the added superiority die rolls a 1, you suffer a level of exhaustion after the effects of the check.

Supporting Strike. When an ally makes an attack against a creature within 5 feet of you, you can expend a superiority die to make a basic melee attack, grapple, or shove check against it as a reaction before your ally rolls. If you succeed on your roll, your ally can add your superiority die to their attack roll, and your Charisma modifier to their damage if they hit.

Take the Blow. When an ally within 10 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can expend a superiority die to use your reaction to move adjacent to them, and redirect the attack against you. The attack continues as if you had been the original target, and had possessed an ac of zero (regardless of your actual current ac).

Throw Everything. When you possess this as a learned technique, you regain your free use of Interact Object whenever you make a thrown improvised weapon attack with a tiny object you picked up on the same turn. Additionally, when you make a thrown improvised weapon attack on your turn, you can expend a superiority die to use your bonus action to throw two additional tiny objects as improvised weapon attacks. If both attacks hit the same target, you can add your superiority die to the damage of the second attack.

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