Landsknecht

Mercenary duelists and battlefield professionals, the Landsknechts hone their art not through brute force but through precision, agility, and unrelenting discipline.

Where most fighters train to overwhelm foes with armour, strength, and endless endurance, the Landsknecht approaches combat as a contest of timing, footwork, and exactness. Inspired by the fencing manuals, or Fechtbücher, of great masters, these warriors see each fight as a dialogue written in steel. Their techniques emphasise deft movement, accuracy, and decisive strikes that punish overextension and guard against being swarmed.

A Landsknecht excels in single combat, where their mastery of binding, winding, and breaking their opponent’s guard makes them nearly unstoppable. Against larger groups they rely on superior mobility, punishing attacks of opportunity, and evasive manoeuvres to control the flow of battle.

Most Landsknechts are mercenaries, sworn swords, or champions of noble houses, their reputation carried on the strength of their duels and their discipline on the field. Where others see chaos, the Landsknecht sees form—a rhythm to combat that they alone can master.

Fechtbuch Training

Your training in historical fencing (the Fechtbuch, or fencing manual) emphasises agility, accuracy, and technique.

• Duelist’s Agility: You can use Dexterity in place of Strength when wielding versatile weapons in one or two hands, provided they lack the heavy property.

• Guarded Footwork: When you make a melee attack against a creature, you can move 5 feet without provoking opportunity attacks from that creature. This movement must be directly toward or away from the target.

• Precision Fighting: Once per turn when you make a weapon attack with a finesse or versatile weapon and miss, you can reroll the attack roll. You must use the second result.

Bind and Break

You learn to exploit the bind, the moment blades cross.

When a creature within 5 feet misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to attempt to break their guard. Make a weapon attack against them. On a hit, you deal normal damage and reduce their speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.

Zornhau

You master the strike of wrath, a decisive attack that punishes aggression.

When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, you deal extra damage equal to your fighter level. Additionally, when a creature you can see moves within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to make a weapon attack against them (this does not stack with Polearm Master).

Meisterhauen

You learn the master strikes that overcome guards and defences.

Once per turn when you hit with a weapon attack, you can impose one of the following effects (your choice):

• Durchwechseln (Change Through): You ignore resistance to slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage until the end of your turn.
• Absetzen (Setting Aside): If the target attacks you before the start of your next turn, they make the attack with disadvantage.
• Zwerchhau (Thwarting Cut): You may immediately make a second attack against a different creature within reach.

Winden

You learn to wind your blade around an opponent’s guard, seizing control of the duel.

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can choose to contest their weapon. The target makes a Strength saving throw against your attack roll. On a failure:

• They drop their weapon if it’s held.
• Or, if they are unarmed or wielding a natural weapon, you impose disadvantage on their attacks against you until the start of your next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum 1), regaining all expended uses on a short or long rest.

Thrust of Finality

Your strikes become impossibly fast, aimed at the decisive opening.

When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one attack with a Final Thrust. Make a single weapon attack with advantage. On a hit, it deals an additional 6d10 piercing damage, and the target cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.