Musketeer

When the gnomes of Apollonia revealed the secrets of gunpowder to the elite humans, most bounty hunters, government officials and criminals who could afford to, chose to abandon their swords and archaic weapons in favour of destructive, long ranged firearms. 

However, there were some stubborn veterans who both acknowledged the powerful utility of the gun, but also refused to part with their finely honed skills with the blade. These developed the supreme speciality of the "musketeer", combining deadly short-ranged sword techniques with the ranged efficacy of guns. The secrets of this hidden art is only known to a select few human fighters. 

Firearm and Sword Prodigy

Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with firearms, allowing you to add your proficiency bonus to attacks made with firearms. As an expert of both melee and ranged combat, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain the archery and duelling fighting styles.
• You ignore the loading property of firearms.
• Any one-handed melee weapon counts as a finesse weapon for you.
• Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls.
• You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a melee and a ranged weapon in each hand.
• You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one handed weapons you are wielding aren’t light or melee.

 

Shoot, Stab & Slice

You've learned to quickly adapt to hostile situations, and know how to gain an upper hand when facing multiple foes. When wielding a sword in one hand and a gun in the other, you gain the following benefits:

• When you attack using both a melee weapon and a firearm, you may use a bonus action to make another attack.
• When you attack multiple targets on your turn, you gain advantage on the attacks.
• Any attack roll you make against them is a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20, and you gain a bonus to damage rolls against both targets equal to your proficiency bonus.

Wrath of Ares

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn to invoke the Ares, God of War, to deliver extra potent attacks against your opponents.

Ares Tricks. You learn three Ares Tricks of your choice, and can use only one trick per attack, either before or after you've rolled the attack. You learn two additional Ares Tricks of your choice at 7th, 10th, and 15th level.

Saving Throws. Some of your Ares Tricks require your target to make a saving throw. The saving throw DC is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier.

Regain. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier. You regain 1 Ares Trick each time you roll 20 on the d20 roll, and regain any expended uses when you finish a Short Rest.

Multi-Opportunist

You learn how to use the element of surprise against your foes. When you make an Opportunity Attack, make it with your gun or your melee weapon to receive following benefits:

• If you choose the melee weapon and manage to hit the creature, you can immediately make a ranged attack with your gun against a different target within 60 feet.
• If you choose the gun, you can hold the reaction to aim against the target as if you used the Ready action. Whenever you hit the creature with the held opportunity attack, its speed drops to 0 for the rest of the turn. 

 

Alert Gunblade

When you reach 7th level, you add your proficiency bonus to your initiative. You can also stow a firearm, then draw another firearm, shield or melee weapon as a single object interaction on your turn.

Trick of Distraction

When you reach 10th level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one Ares Trick, rolling a d10 and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails.

Ares Reloaded

Starting at 15th level, you can spend a bonus action to regain 1 Ares Trick. 

Hemorrhaging Critical

Upon reaching 18th level, whenever you score a critical hit on an attack with a firearm, the target additionally suffers half of the damage from the attack at the end of its next turn.

Ares Tricks

These Ares tricks are presented in alphabetical order.

Commander's Trick

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend 1 Ares Trick to aid one of your comrades. Choose one of 2 options:
- Your ally can use its reaction to move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks from the target of your attack.
- Let that ally make a bonus action on your turn, replacing your use of the bonus action.

Disarming Trick

When you make an attack against a creature, you can expend one Ares Trick to attempt to remove an object from their hands. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw or drop 1 held object of your choice and have that object be pushed 10 feet away from you.

Expert of War

You can invoke this Ares Trick as a bonus action to enter a prophetic state for 1 minute. Until the state ends, when you or another creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, you can use your reaction to cause the roll to have advantage or disadvantage. 

Fearsome Flourish

You wound a creature so grievously that you trigger its instinctual fear of death. When you hit a creature with an attack, spend 1 Ares Trick to make the target roll a Wisdom Saving Throw. If it fails, the target is Frightened of you for 1 minute. While Frightened by this trick, a creature can only use its movement to move away from you by the safest available route. The creature can make another Wisdom saving throw at the end of their turn.

Forceful Hit

When you make an attack against a creature, you can expend one Ares Trick to attempt to trip them up and force them back. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from you.

Strategy of Assessment

"To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy."

 

Spend 1 Ares Trick and an Action to assess another creature's capabilities compared to your own. The DM tells you if the creature is your equal, superior, or inferior in regard to two of the following characteristics of your choice:

• if you spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with another creature outside combat, you can learn certain information about its capabilities compared to your own. The DM tells you if the creature is your equal, superior or inferior in regard to two of the following characteristics of your choice:

  • Strength score
  • Dexterity score
  • Constitution score
  • Armor Class
  • Current hit points
  • Total class levels, if any
  • Any 1 Saving Throw

Strategy of Cameraderie

"He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks."

Spend 1 Ares Trick. After a minute of bolstering your allies' resolves, up to 10 allies of your choice gain 1d10 temporary hit points.

Strategy of Chaos

"In the midst of chaos there is also opportunity."

As part of any action, bonus action or reaction you take, you may spend 1 Ares Trick to distract a Spellcaster within 60 feet. They must then immediately roll a Constitution Saving Throw against your Save DC to maintain concentration on a spell. 

Strategy of Deceit

"Engage people with what they expect, it settles them into predictable patterns of response, while you prepare that which they cannot anticipate."

Use an action to spend 1 Ares Trick. You gain double proficiency in Wisdom (Insight) checks and advantage on Charisma(Deception) checks and (insight) checks made to hide and discern motives, for 10 minutes. The effect ends when you use another Ares Trick, make an attack or cast a spell. 

Strategy of Diplomacy

A leader leads by example, not by force. Use an Action to spend 1 Ares Trick. You gain Advantage on (Persuasion) checks and (deception) checks made to keep the peace or 10 minutes.

Strategy of Discretion

"Be subtle to the point of formlessness, mysterious to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent’s fate.”

You may spend 1 Ares Trick and a bonus action to activate your Cloaking Device and attempt a Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide, even when in plain sight of another creature.

 

Strategy of Peace

Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. Spend 1 Ares trick and an action to gain resistance to all damage for 10 minutes. The effect ends when you make an attack, cast a spell, or use another Ares Trick.

 

Stunning Stab

When you attack a creature with a melee weapon Attack, you can spend 1 Ares Trick to attempt a Stunning Stab. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be Stunned until the end of your next turn.

Trip Attack

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one Ares Trick to attempt to knock the target down. If the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you knock the target prone.

Violent Trick

When you make an attack against a creature, you can expend 1 Ares Trick to deal 15 points of additional damage of the attack's damage type.