hailing from a life where you either grew up poor and made the most of your scrappy fighting skills, or born into nobility but born to seek a title for yourself, earned through blood, sweat, and tears, both of these Duelists have one thing in common; the Thrill of killing a foe in a single blow unites you in more ways than one.
- Skill Proficiencies: Athletics or Acrobatics (Players choice)
- Tool Proficiencies: Blacksmiths Tools, of which you normally have a custom-made set.
- Languages: No Bonuses Here
- Equipment: a set of Smithy Tools (Customized to your preference, as the player, within limitation of the DM), a Melee Martial Weapon, and, if the campaign allows it, a one-handed Ranged Martial Weapon, such as a Matchlock or Mana Pistol. might be a Dagger or other small defensive tool instead.
all duelists have a preferred weapon, and to you, there is none more specific than your particular weapon.
pick a weapon from this list, or roll 1d8 to determine. the weapon you pick will be useful with your Features and Traits gained by this Background.
refer to the Features and Traits, as Follows, for your bonuses in relation to this.
| d8 | Duelist Type |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1. Small Swords, such as the Short sword, Gladius, or other blades with the Light Property. |
| 2 | 2. Middle-Light Swords, such as the Long sword, Rapier, and infamous Cavaliers Sabre. any Sword with the Versatile Property follows this category. |
| 3 | 3. Middle-Class Swords, such as the Claymore or King sword, these Swords have the Two-Handed Trait, but not the Heavy Trait. |
| 4 | 4. Heavy Swords, such as the Great sword or Flamneberge from classic history any Sword with the Heavy, Two Handed Trait that deals Slashing damage falls into this category. |
| 5 | 5. Axes: ranging from the massive Great Axe, to the tiny Hand Axe, you're a user of all axes. pretty self explanatory. |
| 6 | 6. Bludgeons: while crude, you use any and all Bludgeons to deal damage against specifically armored foes. it must deal Bludgeoning damage and be a Martial Weapon to be considered one of these. |
| 7 | 7. Special Melee, such as the Lance or Whip, fall into this Category. any melee weapon with the Special trait falls into this. |
| 8 | 8. Ranged, such as Hand Crossbows or even Muskets and the like, any weapon with a range notation larger than 15' count as a weapon you can use with bonuses according to this style. |
you incorporate your Favorite Weapon with your fighting style. starting with Light Swords and going down the list to Ranged, I'll explain everything about it.
before I begin, you gain a weapon that would fall under this category, as well as any equipment to maintain it, such as a whetstone or Arrows/Bolts/Munitions
1; you gain the ability to wield a single Light weapon as if it had the Reach Property, allowing for much further range attacks than most.
2; you gain the ability to Parry one hit that would normally leave you wounded or worse. if an attack would reduce your current hit points, you can insert an amount of temporary hit points equal to your level + your Prof. Bonus + your Dex/Str Mod., minimum of 4, maximum of 30, and if the damage would be stopped by this THP, then the damage is stopped and you lose all additional THP at the start of your next turn. if the attack still deals damage, you suffer the Guard Broken status (a Custom condition that means you cannot take this action again until it ends), and it lasts for 1d4 rounds. any damage remaining is applied to your HP, and you suffer as normal with the reduced damage.
3; you gain the Feat Second Wind, except it restores 1d12+CON Mod. per level you have, and recharges after a long rest, which you must spend the entire time sleeping or recovering for it to enact.
4; you gain the Dogged trait, which means if you land a hit on an enemy, that enemy cannot take the Dash or Disengage options, and you have advantage on your next attack against that enemy, regardless of normal factors (disadvantage is still in effect if it is applied, but you cannot, for instance, lose advantage because of the terrain around you, for instance an uneven but stable surface).
5; you are adept at getting enemies where you want. once per turn, you can attempt a Strength or Dexterity Contest with an enemy. you add your Prof. to the total, but unless the enemy has the Grappler Feat, they do not. if you win, you push the enemy 10' in any direction you want, if they win, they knock you prone.
6; skilled at hitting past armor, you ignore resistance and immunity to damage as if your weapon was magical. as well, if an enemy has an AC that is above its natural Dex Mod. +10, then you deal +3 Damage when hitting the enemy, and at level 5, this increases to +5 damage, at level 11, this increases to +7 damage, and at level 17+ this increases to +10 damage.
7; you fit into no category, but you do your job well. +2 to Hit and Damage with weapons of your type.
8; you are exceptionally skilled with ranged items. when making a ranged attack, add +3 for the sake of hitting an enemy and determining if you score a critical hit. you do not add this for damage, but, if the attack IS a critical hit, you gain an additional two dice for the damage, which stacks with Brutal critical.
Suggested Characteristics
Duelists tend to be of a mindset that, regardless of where their talents came from, they are born for greatness. the Folk Hero Background has the normal list for duelists who come from the common ranks, and the Noble Background has the normal list for those born into higher status. for this born into a middle-class system, try to ask yourself this
what two things do you notice about the character instantly?
what non-specific entity, such as a concept, like imagination or creation, would your character throw themselves on the line for? maybe a people, or maybe art? perhaps your character loves merely being a protector more than anything else? or perhaps they follow a set of honor? whatever the case, think about it in terms of "what greater purpose does my character have?"
what person, place, or thing is your character unable or unwilling to part with, or let fade? perhaps, a family member who relies on you for income, or a band of brothers you enjoyed your time with as a child and teen. whatever the case, your special, unique location, person, or thing is yours to guard, at all costs.
what would your character prefer others didn't know, or is a glaring flaw in their ability to interact with others? are they born to run, and being inside makes them antsy? are they cold and distant to even their allies, until they earn the trust of the duelist? what does the duelist do to correct these things, if any?
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