Bulwark

Turn indomitable defense into inevitable victory

Some fighters adhere to a simple truth: There are no winners in battle. Only survivors. Bulwarks train in techniques meant to ensure that when everything and everyone else has surrendered or died, they're still ready to keep fighting. As their mastery of defense develops, they learn to take advantage of the smallest weakness in the defenses of their foes.

Level 3: Bulwark's Determination

You have access to a well of fierce determination that allows you to turn every setback and scar into power. Whenever you or an ally within 10 feet of you take damage from an enemy or hazard, you gain a resolve die. Resolve die are d4s. You can spend resolve die in the following ways:

• As part of the Attack action, spend any number of resolve die to gain temporary hit points equal to the roll of resolve die spent.
• When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can spend any number of resolve die to deal additional damage equal to the roll of resolve die spent.
• When you take damage, you can use your Reaction to spend any number of resolve die to reduce the damage by an amount equal to the roll of resolve die spent (to a minimum of 0 damage).

You may have a maximum number of resolve die equal to your level at any time. Any resolve die gained in excess of this maximum are lost.

You lose all resolve die at the end of an encounter. For each die lost this way, you regain 1 hit point.

Level 3: Ironclad

You have become so practiced fighting with the extra weight of heavy armor that you can use the leverage to hit harder. You deal extra damage equal to your Armor Class when you score a critical hit.

In addition, while wearing heavy armor or using a shield, your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 damage. At 13th level, your armored unarmed strike damage improves to 1d8.

Level 7: Bastion of the Mind

Your physical fortitude is complemented by your mental strength. You gain proficiency with Wisdom saving throws. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with any other saving throw of your choice.

Level 10: Find Weakness

You understand the nuances of defense so thoroughly that you can identify and ruin the defenses of your foes. If you damage a creature with a weapon you have mastery with, you can spend a resolve die. If you do, this damage ignores one damage resistance of your choice. (You can spend multiple resolve die to activate this ability multiple times, allowing you to ignore multiple damage resistances on the same attack).

Level 15: Impossible Determination

So perfect are your defenses, that you can render the deadliest attacks to little more than scuffs on your armor. Your resolve die becomes a d6. When you spend resolve die gained from your Bulwark's Determination ability, you add your Constitution modifier to the total result.

Level 18: Phalanx Breaker

You have become so confident in your ability to survive impossible odds, you can break the will of armies with a shout and a glare. With a Bonus Action, all enemies in the area that can see and hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 plus your Proficiency Bonus plus your Constitution modifier) or fall prone. For the next minute, enemies treat the area in 30 feet of you as difficult terrain. Enemies in that area make attacks against your allies with disadvantage. Enemies that are immune to the frightened condition are immune to this ability. 

You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus. You regain all uses of this ability when you finish a Long Rest.