Path of the War Dancer

Barbarians who follow the Path of the War-Dancer do not abandon themselves completely to fury. They give that fury rhythm. Every charge, weapon strike, shield bash, pivot, and crushing blow becomes part of an escalating martial sequence fueled by their Rage.

While Raging, a War-Dancer gains Finishing Moves by striking hostile creatures with melee attacks using Strength. These Finishing Moves represent the momentum accumulated through continuous combat and can be expended to perform specialized martial techniques.

Steps disrupt opponents through aggressive footwork and precisely timed strikes, weakening their defenses, limiting their movement, or disrupting their attacks.

Waltzes turn accumulated momentum toward survival and support. A War-Dancer can restore their own vitality, aid nearby allies, remove debilitating conditions, or enter a defensive rhythm capable of reducing incoming damage. These techniques are expressions of extraordinary physical endurance and martial discipline rather than spellcasting or magical healing.

Flourishes convert Finishing Moves into explosive displays of martial prowess, allowing the War-Dancer to empower devastating melee attacks or reclaim the primal fury needed to Rage again.

As their mastery develops, War-Dancers can maintain greater reserves of Finishing Moves and execute increasingly potent Steps. Eventually, they learn to enter Trance, a heightened state of battle rhythm in which their attacks generate momentum at an extraordinary rate and their martial techniques become nearly effortless.

A master War-Dancer is therefore never stationary in purpose even when holding the front line. Every successful attack feeds the next technique, every technique changes the rhythm of the fight, and every moment spent in melee brings the War-Dancer closer to their next devastating crescendo.

Level 3: Finishing Moves

When you enter a Rage, your fury settles into a relentless battle rhythm. Successful strikes build momentum that you can channel into powerful techniques called Finishing Moves.

While your Rage is active, whenever you successfully hit a hostile creature with a melee attack using Strength, you gain 1 Finishing Move.

You can have a maximum of 5 Finishing Moves at one time.

You can't gain more than 1 Finishing Move from the same creature on the same turn.

Your Finishing Moves last until your Rage ends. When your Rage ends, you lose all unspent Finishing Moves.

Certain Path of the War-Dancer features require you to expend Finishing Moves. You can't expend more Finishing Moves than you currently have.

That “same creature on the same turn” line is important.

Level 3: Steps

At 3rd level, you learn to channel the momentum of your battle rhythm into specialized techniques called Steps.

When you hit a creature with a melee attack using Strength, you can expend 1 Finishing Move to perform one Step you know against that creature. You can perform only one Step per attack.

A Step lasts until the start of your next turn, unless its description says otherwise.

You learn the following Steps:

Box Step. Your precise movements expose weaknesses in the target's defenses. The target takes a −2 penalty to AC for the duration.

Quickstep. You disrupt the target's movement and balance. The target's Speed is reduced by 10 feet, and it can't take the Dash action for the duration.

Feather Step. Your shifting movements disrupt the target's attacks. The target has Disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the Step ends.

Level 3: Box Step

Your aggressive footwork and shifting attacks expose weaknesses in your target's defenses.

As a Bonus Action, expend 1 Finishing Move and choose one creature you have hit with a melee attack using Strength this turn. The target takes a −2 penalty to AC until the start of your next turn.

Level 3: Quickstep

Your relentless footwork disrupts your opponent's balance and ability to reposition.

As a Bonus Action, expend 1 Finishing Move and choose one creature you have hit with a melee attack using Strength this turn. The target's Speed is reduced by 10 feet, and it can't take the Dash action until the start of your next turn.

Level 3: Feather Step

Your unpredictable footwork throws your opponent's attacks off balance.

As a Bonus Action, expend 1 Finishing Move and choose one creature you have hit with a melee attack using Strength this turn. The target has Disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the start of your next turn.

Level 3: Curing Waltz

You channel your strength, agility, and endurance through the rhythm of battle to restore the fighting strength of yourself or an ally.

As a Bonus Action, expend 1 to 5 Finishing Moves and choose yourself or one creature you can see within 50 feet. The chosen creature regains Hit Points based on the number of Finishing Moves expended:

1 FM: 1d8

2 FM: 2d8

3 FM: 3d8

4 FM: 4d8

5 FM: 6d8

Add your Strength modifier + Dexterity modifier + Constitution modifier to the Hit Points restored.

The Hit Points restored by Curing Waltz are not magical healing.

Level 6: Healing Waltz

You channel your battle rhythm into a restorative technique, helping yourself or an ally break free from debilitating effects.

As a Bonus Action, expend 2 Finishing Moves and choose yourself or one creature you can see within 30 feet. You end all of the following conditions currently affecting the chosen creature:

Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Incapacitated, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, and Stunned.

Healing Waltz doesn't restore Hit Points and can't affect a creature that is dead.

The effects of Healing Waltz aren't magical.

Level 6: Divine Waltz

You turn the momentum of your battle rhythm outward, bolstering your companions through sheer presence, determination, and martial vigor.

As a Bonus Action, expend 1 to 5 Finishing Moves and choose a number of creatures you can see within 30 feet of you, including yourself, up to your Constitution modifier (minimum of one creature).

Each chosen creature regains Hit Points based on the number of Finishing Moves expended:

1 FM: 1d6 + your Constitution modifier

2 FM: 2d6 + your Constitution modifier

3 FM: 3d6 + your Constitution modifier

4 FM: 4d6 + your Constitution modifier

5 FM: 6d6 + your Constitution modifier

The Hit Points restored by Divine Waltz are not magical healing.

Divine Waltz has no effect on Constructs or Undead.

Level 6: Fan Dance

You turn your battle rhythm into a relentless defensive stance, rolling with blows and redirecting their force while maintaining your assault.

As a Bonus Action, you can expend 1 to 5 Finishing Moves to begin a Fan Dance that lasts until the start of your next turn.

Whenever you take damage from an attack while Fan Dance is active, reduce the damage by an amount based on the number of Finishing Moves expended:

1 FM: 1d6

2 FM: 2d6

3 FM: 3d6

4 FM: 4d6

5 FM: 6d6

Roll this damage reduction separately for each attack that damages you while Fan Dance is active.

This damage reduction is applied after any resistance you have to the triggering damage.

Level 6: Reverse Flourish

You reverse the flow of your accumulated battle rhythm, converting your momentum back into raw primal fury.

As a Bonus Action, you can expend 5 Finishing Moves to regain one expended use of Rage.

You can use Reverse Flourish a number of times equal to twice your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Reverse Flourish can't increase your number of available uses of Rage beyond your normal maximum.

Level 6: No Foot Rise

At 6th level, you can instantly bring your battle rhythm to its peak without interrupting the flow of combat.

Without using an Action, Bonus Action, or Reaction, you can set your current number of Finishing Moves to your maximum.

You can use No Foot Rise a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Level 10: Climactic Flourish

You gather the momentum of your battle rhythm into a devastating martial crescendo.

As a Bonus Action, you can expend 1 to 5 Finishing Moves. The next time you hit a creature with a melee attack using Strength before the end of your current turn, the attack deals additional damage based on the number of Finishing Moves expended:

1 FM: +1d10 damage

2 FM: +2d10 damage

3 FM: +3d10 damage

4 FM: +4d10 damage

5 FM: +6d10 damage

The additional damage is the same damage type as the triggering attack.

Level 10: Expanded Finishing Moves

Your mastery of the War-Dance allows you to maintain increasingly complex sequences of attacks and techniques.

The maximum number of Finishing Moves you can have at one time increases to 10.

All other rules for gaining, expending, and losing Finishing Moves remain unchanged.

Level 10: Improved Steps

At 10th level, your mastery of battle rhythm allows your Steps to disrupt your opponents with greater effectiveness.

Your Steps gain the following improvements:

Improved Box Step. The AC penalty imposed by your Box Step increases from −2 to −4.

Improved Quickstep. The Speed reduction imposed by your Quickstep increases from 10 feet to 20 feet, and the target still can't take the Dash action for the duration.

Improved Feather Step. Instead of imposing Disadvantage on only the target's next attack roll, the target has Disadvantage on all attack rolls until the start of your next turn.

These improvements don't change the 1 Finishing Move cost of your Steps.

Level 14: Trance

At 14th level, you can surrender completely to the rhythm of battle, entering a heightened state in which instinct, fury, and movement become one.

As a Bonus Action while Raging, you enter a Trance for 1 minute. The Trance ends early if your Rage ends or you are Incapacitated.

While your Trance is active, you gain the following benefits:

Perfect Rhythm. Whenever you would gain 1 Finishing Move from hitting a hostile creature with a melee attack using Strength, you gain 2 Finishing Moves instead. You still can't exceed your maximum number of Finishing Moves.

Accelerated Assault. Once on each of your turns, you can make one additional melee attack using Strength as a Bonus Action.

Effortless Technique. Whenever you expend Finishing Moves to use one of your Path of the War-Dancer features, reduce the number of Finishing Moves expended by 1, to a minimum of 1.

You can use Trance a number of times equal to 1 + your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.