Harlequin

Harlequins are a rare and dazzling breed of rogue, born of maniacal lust for combat and a rapturous devotion to the bladesong. Where others strike with precision, the Harlequin performs; surrendering to the rhythm of violence as if it were a symphony. They hum their own tune as they weave through foes, a blur of singing steel and blood-spattered grace. With every step and slash, they dance the waltz of death, lips curled in a macabre grin, exalting in the final act of every encounter: the curtain fall.

Bladesong

Your combat style is a blend of elegance and frenzy. While dual wielding light melee weapons, you may add your Dexterity modifier to the damage of your off-hand attack.

Masque of Madness

You gain proficiency in Deception and either Performance or Persuasion.

Once per short rest, you may don the Masque Macabre, a horrific grin that blooms across your face mid-combat. While wearing the Masque, when you reduce a creature to 0 HP, each creature within 5 feet must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus) or become Frightened until the start of your next turn.

 

Whirlwind Pirouette

When you use Cunning Action, you may immediately make an off-handed weapon attack as part of that bonus action. 

Additionally, when you succeed on a sneak attack while dual-wielding, you can choose to deal half the sneak attack damage to another creature within 5 feet as a sweeping flourish of your entrance into the dans macabre. 

Grand Jetè

When you take the Dash action, you may move through enemy spaces without provoking opportunity attacks. Any creature you move through must make a Dexterity Saving Throw (DC 8 + DEX + PB) or fall prone as you trip or confound them with your movement.

Encore

Using your action and bonus action, you can unleash a deadly flourish of strikes. You may make up to four melee attacks with your dual weapons against creatures within range (spending both your action and bonus action). These attacks can each apply Sneak Attack once per creature. 

For the next minute, while Masque of Madness is active, you are under the effects of Blur (as per the spell), without requiring concentration. This blur may not be disrupted during the minute of the activation. 

When you reduce a creature to 0HP,  the Blur duration is reset to 1 minute if active, or recast if it has run out. 

You can use this feature four times. Resets are granted EITHER: 

A. Through a long rest dedicated to performance, practice, or ritual

B. At the DM's discretion, as a reward for significant roleplay — such as performing in towns, impressing divine forces, or reclaiming lost inspiration

 

Starting at level 17+, Encore becomes especially deadly. You may choose one of the following per use of Encore:

Critical Climax: One Encore attack of your choice is a critical hit

Syncopated Rhythm: You may use a Cunning Action once immediately after your attacks 

Flourish and Fade: 

At level 20, 

- You may make 5 attacks during Encore 

- Your Blur duration becomes 2 minutes 

- You no longer provoke Opportunity Attacks during Encore. 

Dans Macabre

Your movements become impossible to follow, your strikes a blur of rhythm and instinct. Each enemy felled adds to your tempo.

When you roll initiative, you may choose to enter the Dans Macabre, a trancelike state of violent harmony that lasts until combat ends or you are Incapacitated. While in this state, you gain the following benefits:

- You gain +5 to Initiative, and may choose once creature that you can see at the start of combat. Until the end of your first turn, you have advantage on all attacks, acrobatics, performance and DEX saves against or involving that creature.

- You gain advantage on DEX, performance and Acrobatics saving throws while in combat. 

Each time you land a successful melee weapon attack while dual wielding, you gain 1 Cadence Stack (max 10). When you reduce a creature to 0 HP, gain 2 Cadence Stacks instead.

You may expend Cadence to enhance your actions:

• Flourish (1+ stacks): Add bonus damage equal to [Cadence x your proficiency bonus] to one attack.

• Blinkstep (3 stacks): As a bonus action, teleport 10 feet.

• Rising Note (5 stacks): Immediately use your Cunning Action, even if already used this turn.

• Encore Reset (10 stacks): Refresh one use of Encore if you have expended all uses.

All Cadence Stacks vanish when the dance ends.

- If you have reduced 4+ enemy creatures to 0HP this encounter, you may activate Final Bow regardless of charge using 5 stacks of Cadence.

Final Bow

Once per long rest, you may activate Final Bow during combat:

• When you activate Final Bow, you may immediately make a single melee attack as a bonus action. If this attack reduces a creature to 0HP, you may immediately use Encore, even if you’ve used it already this day.

• Your movement speed doubles, and you cannot be flanked or restrained for 1 minute. 

• For 1 minute, you may treat Acrobatics and Performance checks as weapon attacks for the purpose of triggering Sneak Attack, provided they directly lead into an attack or combat maneuver.

• If you reduce 4+ enemies to 0HP during this minute, you may choose to end Final Bow with a flourish. All remaining enemies within 30 feet must make a Wisdom Saving Throw (DC 8 + your Dexterity + PB) or become Frightened for 1 minute, hearing phantom applause and seeing a bloodstained silhouette of your final pose. If fewer than 4 enemies are defeated (but greater than 1), or more than half succeed their saving throw, all enemies struck while using Final Bow suffer disadvantage on their attack rolls until the end of their next turn. 

• During the duration of Final Bow, you may treat occupied space, both hostile and friendly, as Difficult Terrain for the purposes of movement.

Dancer's Grace

The Harlequin’s art demands balance, precision, and speed — not brute strength. You may only access the full power of your subclass features while wielding two Light melee weapons, such as daggers, sickles, or short swords. Attempting to wield heavier or non-Light weapons breaks the rhythm of the dance, causing you to forfeit the benefits of your Harlequin features while doing so.

Unobstructed Rhythm

You may not wear Magical Helms nor any masks nor headgear that obstruct your entire face. The Masque must remain visible and expressive, or you forfeit the ability to enter your Dans Macabre and cannot activate subclass features until the obstruction is removed.

Relentless Tempo

If you fail to deal damage for two consecutive turns in combat, you lose your rhythm. Until you successfully deal damage again in a subsequent combat encounter:

• You have disadvantage on your next initiative roll

• You suffer disadvantage on all persuasion, performance, and deception rolls both in and out of combat. 

These penalties end when you successfully deal damage in relevant combat. 

Shattered Focus

If you are Surprised, Frightened, or afflicted by Madness before you take your first Action in a combat encounter, you are unable to use Reactions until the end of your second turn.

To steel yourself for the chaos of an early entrance, you gain Advantage on saving throws against being Surprised, Frightened, or rendered Mad—a benefit of your relentless mental and physical preparation for the spectacle of battle.

Ritual of the Masque

You may only be attuned to one magic item, which must be a Light melee weapon. You cannot attune to or benefit from the magical properties of any other weapon. This weapon becomes your Dancing Focus - the epicenter of your grace. 

When you enter combat, a perfect mirrored copy of your attuned weapon materializes in your off-hand. This copy shares all magical properties, enchantments, and effects of the original. While wielding these paired weapons:

• You are treated as ambidextrous — you may apply your ability modifier to damage rolls with both weapons, and neither is considered “off-hand” for the purposes of attack penalties or class features.

• Any magical effects that apply “on hit” or to weapon attacks apply independently from each hand.

• The mirrored weapon vanishes at the end of combat.