Samurai (improved)

The samurai are fearless warriors who value honor over life itself. To be a samurai, one must live by a strict code that regulates everything about the samurai’s life, down to the smallest details. This discipline makes them frightful warriors, unwilling to back down from any challenge, and with a fighting spirit that causes many to run rather than face their inevitable death.

Educated:

At 3rd level, when you choose this subclass, your proper education grants you proficiency in one of the following: History, Insight, Performance, or Religion. Alternatively, you can learn one language of your choice.

Preferred Stance:

Also at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use different fighting stances to give yourself an edge against your enemies. As a bonus action, you can enter one of the following stances (which lasts for 1 round, unless otherwise noted), gaining its benefits:

1. Stone: You gain 5 temporary hit points which last for 1 minute. The number of hit points increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 10 at 10th level and 15 at 15th level. When you leave the Stone Stance, any remaining temporary hit points are lost. 
2. Water: When you roll damage for your weapon attacks, roll an additional damage die for your weapon. This increases to 2 additional dice at 10th level, and 3 dice at 15th.
3. Wind: Your speed increases by 5’ for up to 10 minutes. The additional speed increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 10’ at 10th level and 15’ at 15th level. 
4. Moon: You gain advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks for the duration. Additionally, when you make an attack against a creature of size Large or larger you deal additional damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses after you finish a short or long rest. You can also seamlessly transition from one stance to another as part of a bonus action. To do so still requires that you spend another use of this feature.

Delayed Strike:

Years of training in battle have taught you to be patient and study your target to strike its weaknesses. Starting at 7th level, as part of holding your action for a melee weapon attack, you can choose to use a “Delayed Strike”. To do so, you must sheathe your weapon and suffer a -2 penalty to your AC for one round. However, when you use your reaction to attack with your previously held action, you can move laterally up to 15’ in any direction, ignoring difficult terrain. In addition, you gain advantage on this attack. 

Unbreakable Will:

At 10th level, through intense training of your mind and spirit you are provided with a firm resolve against even the most fearsome of foes. You are immune to the frightened condition.

Ever Ready:

Also at 10th level, you are never caught unprepared for a fight. If when you roll initiative to enter combat, and you have no more uses of your Preferred Stance feature, you regain one use.

Rapid Strike:

Starting at 15th level, you learn to trade accuracy for swift strikes. If you take the Attack action on your turn and have advantage on a melee attack roll against a target, you can forgo the advantage for that roll to make an additional melee weapon attack against that target, as part of the same action. You may continue to use your Rapid Strike ability on all of your attacks during the round, so long as each consecutive attack has advantage. As soon as one of your attacks does not have advantage, or you choose to take the advantage on the attack roll, the chain of Rapid Strikes is broken for that round. Once the chain is broken, you cannot use this feature again until the start of your next turn.

Strength Before Death:

At 18th level, your fighting spirit can delay the grasp of death. If you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to delay falling unconscious, and you can immediately take an extra turn. While you have 0 hit points during that extra turn, taking damage causes death saving throw failures as normal, and three death saving throw failures can still kill you. When the extra turn ends, you fall unconscious if you still have 0 hit points.

 

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.