Duelist

The goal of this subclass is to focus on style and choice, while providing a style of fighter subclass that does not currently exist in D&D 5e. Duelists must be tactical, encouraging smart decisions in combat and creative play. This subclass is also designed to dip into rogue without multiclassing, much like the eldritch knight does for wizards.

Level 3: Signature Weapon

When you chose this archetype at 3rd level, you must choose one simple or martial melee weapon that does not have the heavy or two-handed property, this weapon becomes your signature weapon.

All weapons of that type grant the following benefits when used by you:

• You may use dexterity instead of strength for attack and damage rolls with that weapon type.

• You gain advantage on checks related to the history, crafting, and usage of your signature weapon type.

You may change your signature weapon when you take a long rest, during which you must spend at least 1 hour practicing with your new signature weapon. You must then wait 1d4 long rests before changing your signature weapon type again.

Duelist Stances

Duelist stances are specialized combat styles for fighting a single opponent. The user focuses on their opponent when they enter a stance, gaining benefits against them but often weakening themselves at the same time, especially when fighting multiple opponents.

Stance benefits only apply to your duel focus, which is a single target you can declare before you make an attack roll. You may change your duel focus before each attack you make in an attack action. The penalties from stances apply to all enemies, not just your duel focus.

You may only uses stances with your signature weapon type

3rd Level Stances

At 3rd level, you learn 3 stances the following list, which you may enter and then switch between as a bonus action. You gain additional stances at 7th and 10th level. You gain access to advanced stances at 10th level, which grant two bonuses instead of one. You may swap any stances your know for others when you gain levels in this class.

Base Stances:

• Ox: You gain a +1 to AC towards your duel focus, but you cannot make opportunity attacks while this stance is active.
• Wolf: You gain a +1 to attack rolls towards your duel focus if an ally is within 10ft of you, but you receive a -1 to attack rolls if an ally is not within 10ft of you while this stance is active.
• Bear: You gain a +2 to damage rolls towards your duel focus, but you receive a -1 to attack rolls while this stance is active.
• Eagle: You may disengage after making an attack roll towards your duel focus, regardless of whether you hit or not, but you receive a -1 to attack rolls while this stance is active.
• Viper: You may use dexterity instead of strength on attempts to grapple, shove, and knock your duel focus prone, but you receive a -1 to attack rolls while this stance is active.
• Cat: Missed attacks from your duel focus provoke opportunity attacks from you, but you receive a -1 to AC while this stance is active.

Level 3: Confidence

Confidence is a duelist's secret weapon, allowing them to avoid being hit, protect themselves and others, and deal extra damage.

Starting at 3rd level, you gain confidence if one of the following things happens during combat:

• You hit an enemy before they hit you during an encounter.
• An enemy misses you with an attack.
• You defeat an enemy while other enemies are present.
• You succeeded on a saving throw, taking no damage while doing so.

Confidence is the fuel for many of your abilities. You will gain more ways to earn and use confidence as you gain levels.

Confidence has 3 benefits at this level:

• While confidence is active. you may add half your charisma modifier to your AC, rounded down.
• You may spend confidence to add 1d6 temporary HP to yourself or another ally within 30ft for up to 1 minute. Only one creature can benefit from this temporary HP at a time. Allies can only benefit from this temporary HP once per long rest.
• You may spend confidence to deal an extra 1d6 damage to any enemy using your signature weapon. A creature can only take this extra damage once per round.

You can gain 1 use of confidence at a time. This increases to 2 uses at 7th level and 3 uses at 18th level.

Can gain confidence through stated means in the class, but cannot lose confidence. In exchange for this feature shift, the following restrictions apply.
- You may only be able to use confidence a number of times up to half of your fighter level rounded down.
- Your pool of confidence starts at zero after each long rest, which removes any sort of retained confidence from the day prior.
- You may spend confidence to deal an extra 1d6 damage to any enemy using your signature weapon. A creature can only take this extra damage once per round. Upon a critical hit, this damage is not affected, rolled or doubled.

The number of dice you can use for your confidence abilities increases to 2d6 at 7th level, 3d6 at 10th level, 4d6 at 15th level, and 5d6 at 18th level.

Level 7: Duelist's Confidence

You have learned to be exceptional and confident at more than just the blade.

At 7th level, choose one of the following skills to gain proficiency in: performance, persuasion, deception, stealth, or slight of hand.

You may also chose one of your skills to gain expertise in, doubling your proficiency. This may be a skill from the above list or from another source such as the skills from the fighter list.

You now gain confidence anytime you pass a skill check.

You may now spend a use of confidence to gain advantage on a skill check, but only outside of combat.

Level 10: Battle Flourish

You flourish on the field of battle. Your confidence now propels you into the front lines, allows you to avoid damage, and take advantage of enemies mistakes.

At 10th level you gain the following benefits:

• You may add half your charisma modifier to initiative rolls, rounded down. This does not require confidence.

• While confidence is active, you may add half your charisma modifier, rounded down, to any saving throw that does not already use it. If the saving throw is against an effect that allows you to make a saving throw to take only half damage, you may spend one use of your confidence to take no damage if you succeed.

• While confidence is active, you may sacrifice extra attacks to instead make an equal amount of extra opportunity attacks per round using your signature weapon. These can be made against a single target or several, but each attack must be triggered separately.

Level 15: Signature Stance

At 15th level, you may choose one stance you know to be your signature stance, gaining the following benefits:

• You always start combat with that stance active.

• You may ignore the penalties of that stance while you have confidence active.

You may change your signature stance when you take a long rest, during which you must spend at least 1 hour practicing your new signature stance.

Level 18: Undefeatable

At 18th level, while you have confidence active, you gain the following benefits:

• You may now add your full charisma modifier to your AC.

• You may now ignore the penalties of all stances you know, not just your signature stance.

• You may choose to reroll your initiative at the end of your turn if you have confidence, adding your full charisma modifier to the result. You must use the new result. This new initiative takes effect at the start of the next round. You can only do this once per encounter.

• You may add your full charisma modifier to any saving throws that do not already use it. If the saving throw is against an effect that allows you to make a saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed. This no longer requires a use of confidence to perform.