Path of The Boxer

Boxers are combatants who specialize in the use of fists to win fights. These fighters are usually prizefighters and athletes, and fight in order to win competitions, being rewarded with fame, glory and sometimes gold for their victories. Using a combination of agile footwork, great endurance and powerful punches, they can defeat enemies even without relying on weapons, and can ignore protections by aiming at vulnerable and non-protected areas of their opponents bodies.

Restless Athletes

Boxers are known for their relentless training, submitting themselves to a hard and exhausting workout regime in order to achieve peak conditioning. Endurance is one of the most important aspects of a boxing match, reason why they will go for distant runs, long hours of muscular training and countless drilling sessions, training their bodies to react instinctively to attacks.

Rhythm

Starting at 3rd level, whenever you connect your punches you can build a consistent rhythm of strikes. When you roll initiative, you gain a number of rhythm points equal to your proficiency bonus. You can spend your rhythm points to fuel Rhythm abilities. Activating a Rhythm ability of a subclass costs 1 rhythm point.

Once you spend a rhythm point, you can only regain 1 point when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, a glove weapon, or by using your bonus action to recover 2 rhythm. You recover 2 points if your attack scores a critical.

When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or glove weapon, you can spend any amount of rhythm points. If you do you deal additional damage equal to 1d6 x the amount of points spent.

Tricks

You learn three boxer tricks: quick footwork, feint, and lunge. You can use these tricks as a bonus action, and recover 1 rhythm point when you do so.

Quick Footwork

You can dance quickly through the battlefield. You can take the Disengage action as a bonus action.

Feint

You can make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, contested by your target's Wisdom (Insight) check. On a success, you gain advantage on the next unarmed strike or glove weapon attack you make.

Lunge

Your unarmed strikes gain the benefits of reach until the end of your turn.

Boxer

At 3rd level, you start to master the art of boxing, and you gain the following features:

Remarkable Athlete

Starting at 1st level, you can add half your proficiency bonus (rounded up) to any Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check you make that doesn't already use your proficiency bonus.

In addition, when you make a running long jump, the distance you can cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Strength modifier.

Punches

Your punches are powerful as weapons. If you aren't wielding any weapons or a shield, you can roll a d6, instead of the normal damage for unarmed strikes. In addition, you can choose to use either Dexterity or Strength, for attacks and damage rolls.

Finally, you can throw a punch using your bonus action.

Guard

You can use your bonus action to lift up your guard. While in guard, whenever you take damage from a melee attack made with a natural weapon or unarmed strike that deals bludgeoning damage, you can spend your rhythm to reduce the damage by 1d6 per rhythm point spent.

Power Punch

When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike on your turn, you can use your bonus action to make a Power Punch. On a hit, your power punch causes its normal damage, plus additional damage equal to 1d6 per rhythm point you currently have. Doing so doesn't spend your rhythm.

Brace

Whenever you are hit by a melee weapon attack, you can use your reaction, and 1 rhythm to halve the damage. If the attack deals bludgeoning damage, you can spend 2 rhythm and use your reaction to reduce the damage to 0.

Adept Boxer

At 6th level, you further hone your skills and learn new ways to fight as you gain the following features:

Knockout Strike

Your unarmed strikes and glove weapon attacks ignore resistance and immunity to non-magical damage.

In addition, when you use a Power Punch, you can choose to spend 1 rhythm point to force the target to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier). On a failed save, the target is stunned until the end of your next turn.

Punch Sequence

You can throw punches in a quick succession by spending your rhythm points. When you take the Attack action, you can throw one additional punch for each 3 rhythm points you spend.

Bob and Weave

When a creature within 5 feet makes a melee weapon attack against you, you can spend 1 rhythm as a reaction to make a Dexterity saving throw against the result of the attack.

On a success, you manage to avoid the attack, causing the attack to miss.

Prodigious Boxer

At 10th level, you strive to reach the pinnacle of your abilities, gaining the following features:

Physical Prowess

Whenever you make a Strength, Dexterity or Constitution check, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

In addition, when you make a Strength, Dexterity or Constitution saving throw, you can use your reaction to reroll that save, using the new result. Doing so spend all your Rhythm, and you can't do it again until you finish a short or a long rest.

Ten-Count Recovery

At 10th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points you are not incapacitated. You still must make Death Saving Throws, and still die if you fail three times.

In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against the stunned condition.

Counter

When you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against that creature.

You can use Brace and Counter as part of the same reaction.

Veteran Boxer

At 14th level, your efforts in honing your abilities have reached the summit as you gain the following features:

Endurance

You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

In addition, you add your proficiency bonus to Death Saving Throws. If your roll is a total of 20 or higher (adding the proficiency) you regain 1 hit point.

Survivor

You attain the pinnacle of resilience in battle. At the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.