Tactical Commander (5e Subclass)
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Tactical Commander[edit]
Fighter Subclass
The Tactical Commander is a master of battlefield strategy and unit cohesion, leveraging intelligence and leadership to enhance the effectiveness of allies and disrupt enemies. This subclass excels in directing combat from the front lines or the rear, using a combination of strategic insight and charismatic leadership to outmaneuver foes and bolster friends. The Tactical Commander is adept at identifying enemy weaknesses, issuing commands that exploit these vulnerabilities, and adjusting tactics on the fly to respond to the ebb and flow of battle. Through unparalleled coordination, this subclass ensures that every member of the team functions as part of a greater, more efficient whole, turning individual efforts into a devastating collective force.
- Commanding Presence
Starting at 3rd level, you harness your innate leadership and strategic acumen to direct the flow of battle, bolstering your allies and disorienting your foes. Your presence on the battlefield is enough to inspire confidence and fear in equal measure.
- Battlefield Coordination : You gain the ability to use a bonus action on your turn to issue a command to one ally you can see and who can see and hear you. This ally can immediately use their reaction to make one weapon attack, move up to half their speed without provoking opportunity attacks, or take the Use an Object action, based on your command. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.
- Strategic Insight : You also add double your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make that involves the History or Insight skills when it relates to military tactics or the capabilities of organized groups (such as armies or thieves' guilds).
- Tactical Maneuvers
At 3rd level, your understanding of military tactics and your ability to communicate complex plans swiftly and effectively allow you to execute maneuvers that can change the course of battle. Your knowledge of combat scenarios enables you to exploit openings and weaknesses in your enemies' defenses, guiding your allies to victory with precision and authority.
- Maneuver Points: You gain a resource known as Maneuver Points, which are used to execute special tactical maneuvers. You have a number of Maneuver Points equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1) + half your Fighter level, rounded down. You regain all expended Maneuver Points when you finish a short or long rest.
- Executing Maneuvers : As an action, you can spend Maneuver Points to execute a tactical maneuver. At 3rd level, you learn two maneuvers of your choice from a list of Tactical Commander maneuvers (seen at the end of this page). Each maneuver has a Maneuver Point cost and specific effects. Examples include bolstering an ally's defense, forcing an enemy to move out of a strategic position, or creating an opening for an ally to exploit. You must be able to see and communicate with your allies to execute these maneuvers.
- Learning More Maneuvers : You learn an additional Tactical Commander maneuver at 7th, 10th, and 15th level. You can also replace one maneuver you know with a different one when you gain a level in this class.
- War Insight
By 7th level, your experience and keen observational skills allow you to read the battlefield with uncanny precision, anticipating enemy strategies and identifying critical moments to lead your allies to victory.
- Anticipate Strategy : You gain the ability to use your reaction to grant an ally advantage on a saving throw against a spell or ability used by an enemy that you can see. You must use this reaction before the saving throw is rolled, and you can do so after you know which ally is targeted but before the effects of the spell or ability are applied. This represents your ability to quickly assess threats and warn your allies of impending danger.
- Tactical Acumen : You also gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Insight, Perception, or Survival. If you are already proficient in the chosen skill, you instead gain expertise in it, doubling your proficiency bonus for any ability check made with that skill. This reflects your heightened awareness and ability to gather critical information in the midst of combat or while planning strategies.
- Master Tactician
By 10th level, your experience in the thick of battle and your study of warfare have honed your ability to make split-second decisions that can turn the tide of combat. Your strategic mind now operates at a peak level, allowing you to anticipate enemy actions and coordinate your allies with unprecedented efficiency.
- Improved Coordination : When you use your Battlefield Coordination feature, you can now choose up to two allies within range, instead of one. Both allies can benefit from your command, using their reactions accordingly. This enhancement reflects your growing ability to manage multiple facets of the battlefield simultaneously.
- Strategic Advantage : You gain the ability to exploit the chaos of battle to your advantage. Once per turn, when you or an ally successfully hits an enemy with an attack, you can use your reaction to grant advantage on the next attack roll made against that enemy by an ally before the start of your next turn. This represents your skill in identifying and communicating critical vulnerabilities in real-time.
- Commanding Aura
At 15th level, your presence on the battlefield becomes so inspiring and commanding that it passively enhances your allies and intimidates your foes. Your leadership is a beacon of hope and a source of dread, a testament to the countless battles you've influenced and the strategies you've mastered.
- Aura of Inspiration : Allies within 30 feet of you who can see or hear you gain a bonus to damage rolls equal to your Intelligence modifier. This bonus reflects your ability to inspire your allies to fight with greater ferocity and precision.
- Aura of Intimidation : Enemies within 30 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened. Additionally, the first time you successfully intimidate or demoralize an enemy during an encounter, you can choose to make one enemy within sight make a Wisdom saving throw against your Tactical Commander spell save DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier). On a failed save, that enemy is frightened of you for 1 minute. This effect showcases your reputation and strategic acumen, unsettling your foes before you even engage them.
- Grand Stratagem
Upon reaching 18th level, your mastery of warfare transcends the battlefield, allowing you to formulate and execute grand strategies that shape the course of entire campaigns. Your strategic genius is unmatched, and your ability to anticipate and counter enemy movements borders on precognition.
- Strategic Visionary : You gain proficiency in the Intelligence saving throw if you don't already have it. Additionally, you can now spend 10 minutes studying a battlefield or planning an operation to gain insight into the enemy's tactics and weaknesses. After this study, you can choose one of the following benefits :
- Gain advantage on all Intelligence (History) or Intelligence (Insight) checks related to understanding the enemy's tactics or predicting their movements for the next 24 hours.
- Identify one significant vulnerability or weakness in the enemy's defenses, such as a hidden passage, a key weakness in their formation, or a critical resource they rely on. You can exploit this vulnerability to gain a significant tactical advantage in your next encounter with them.
- Master Strategist : You can now use your Tactical Maneuvers feature twice between short or long rests instead of once. This represents your ability to orchestrate complex maneuvers and coordinated assaults with greater frequency and finesse.
- Tactical Commander Maneuvers List
- Shielding Command : (Cost: 2 Maneuver Points) As a reaction to an ally being attacked, grant them a bonus to their AC equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1) against that attack.
- Displacement Order : (Cost: 2 Maneuver Points) Choose an ally within 60 feet. They can use their reaction to move up to half their speed without provoking opportunity attacks. This movement must end in a space that is not within an enemy's reach.
- Focused Assault : (Cost: 3 Maneuver Points) Choose one enemy within your line of sight. Until the start of your next turn, the first attack roll made against this target by an ally has advantage, and if it hits, the attack deals extra damage equal to your fighter level.
- Rallying Cry : (Cost: 3 Maneuver Points) As a bonus action, bolster the spirits of your allies. You and any allies within 30 feet who can see and hear you gain temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier + half your fighter level (rounded down).
- Feinting Order : (Cost: 2 Maneuver Points) Choose an ally within 60 feet of you. Their next attack against an enemy grants them a bonus to the attack roll equal to your Intelligence modifier. If the attack hits, the enemy's next attack roll against anyone but the chosen ally has disadvantage.
- Strategic Reposition : (Cost: 3 Maneuver Points) Choose up to three allies within 60 feet. Those allies can use their reactions to move up to their speed, following a path you dictate. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
- Ambush Setup : (Cost: 4 Maneuver Points) You direct your allies to prepare for a coordinated strike. Choose a point you can see within 60 feet. The first attack made by an ally against an enemy within 30 feet of that point before the start of your next turn is made with advantage and deals an additional 2d6 damage on a hit.
- Defensive Formation : (Cost: 3 Maneuver Points) As a bonus action, you can fortify your allies' defenses. Choose up to three allies within 30 feet; until the start of your next turn, they gain a +2 bonus to AC and saving throws.
- Countermand : (Cost: 4 Maneuver Points) Use a reaction when an enemy within 60 feet you can see makes an attack or casts a spell targeting you or an ally. That enemy must make a Wisdom saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier. On a failed save, the attack misses or the spell is wasted.
- Tactical Withdrawal : (Cost: 2 Maneuver Points) Choose an ally within 60 feet. That ally can use their reaction to disengage and then move up to their speed.
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