Samurai (Revised)

A samurai is a warrior who battles with a surging spirit and an unbreakable resolve, tempered by their honor and honed by their endless practice to refine their skills. The samurai is a versatile warrior. A samurai can walk one of two paths, that of a Clan Samurai's path, or a Ronin.

Adaptive Warrior

The samurai is a warrior that can fill many roles. While some samurai choose to join a clan and receive heavy armor and a plethora of weapons, others follow the path of the Ronin, wearing little to no armor and wandering the world aimlessly with their trusted sword or weapon of choice. 

Starting at 3rd level, a Samurai must choose their path. They can either join a clan and become an official Samurai, or walk the masterless path of the wandering Ronin. Once a path is chosen at this level you may not change paths for later class features.

As a warrior of the samurai subclass, regardless of your path,  you gain proficiency with a foreign weapon unique to your home country. For example, you might use a unique curved longsword known as a Katana. Whatever name you use for a samurai weapon, you can use the game statistics provided for the weapon in the Weapons section. A true Samurai may take any weapon, but it is recommended that a Ronin take a weapon with the versatile trait.

You gain the following benefits depending on your chosen path:

Ronin: While wearing light armor or no armor; you may use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your samurai weapon, so long as it has the versatile property.

Clan Samurai: While wearing medium or heavy armor, you can strike fear into the heart of your enemies with your martial prowess. As a free action, upon landing a critical hit, you may force an enemy that can see the attack within 60ft to make a wisdom save (DC: 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Wisdom modifier). If the target fails the saving throw, they have disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you as long as you remain within 60ft. This effect ends after one minute or if the samurai willingly attacks a creature other than the one challenged.

Additionally, you can use a bonus action to challenge a target within 60ft to a duel without landing a critical hit. Once you have challenged a creature in this way, you cannot do so again until you have finished a long rest.

Versatile Stance

A samurai is trained to be a versatile warrior with varying weapon stances. Once you reach 3rd level you gain the following abilities depending on your path:

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Ronin: As a Ronin you may adopt the following forms, so long as you are wielding a samurai weapon with the versatile trait in two hands. When initiative is rolled you may choose a stance to enter. You may change your stance as a bonus action.

Viper Stance: A low, fast stance that focuses on rapid strikes eroding attacks. Consecutive strikes on an enemy have a way of wearing them down. While in this stance, if all of your attacks target a single enemy this turn that enemy's speed is reduced by half and they cannot take reactions.

Moon Stance: A sweeping stance that uses wide arcing crescent shaped attacks to deal with crowds. When making an attack with more than one opponent in melee you may make your next attack using the same attack and damage roll. This still counts as one of your attack actions and this attack cannot target the same enemy that was the initial target of the triggering attack. You can only use the same attack roll one additional time before you must roll again (requiring four attack actions in order to use this feature twice in a single turn, six to use it three times in a single turn, etc.). The enemies need not be adjacent, but both must be within reach of your weapon when you make the triggering attack.

Iai Strike Stance: A stance with the weapon sheathed, or withdrawn, allowing you to strike unpredictably. You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage on your first attack that turn.

Turtle Defense Stance: You assume the most balanced kendo stance, granting yourself a +2 to your AC. (Must be wearing light armor or no armor.)

Clan Samurai: As a samurai you may adopt the following stances while wielding a samurai weapon with two hands, whether it has the versatile or two-handed feature or not. When initiative is rolled you may choose a stance to enter. You may change your stance as a bonus action.  A samurai may stow and draw a weapon as part of their stance change.

Stone Stance: A balanced defensive stance that grants a +1 to AC and gives you advantage on checks against being moved or grappled. (Must wield a one handed or versatile weapon.)

Flowing Stance: A stance that uses motion and momentum to press the attack. If you took the attack action this turn you may make a bonus action attack that deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage + your damage modifier with the opposite end of the weapon. (Must wield a polearm.)

Roaring Stance: A stance that emphasizes the fury of a samurai's spirit. On a successful attack you may force the enemy to make a STR saving throw against your DC (8 + proficiency modifier + Strength modifier) or be knocked back 5ft.  (Must wield a melee heavy weapon.)

Whipping Winds Stance: A ranged stance that grants unerring calm and accuracy. Once per turn, as a bonus action, you may grant yourself a +2 bonus to attack with a ranged weapon. Alternativel, a bonus action can be used to grant advantage on saves against fear effects until the end of your next turn. (Must wield a ranged weapon.)

Refined Mastery

At 7th level a samurai has refined their mastery of their skills. You gain a new class feature depending on your path:

Ronin:
Once per short rest, when you move at least 10 ft before making an attack on your turn, you may make your attack as a Masterful Stroke. Instead of rolling to hit, your opponent must make a dexterity save equal against the attack's DC (10 + attack modifier). On a failed save, you deal normal attack damage plus your wisdom modifier and you move 5 ft through the opponent without provoking opportunity attacks. If the opponent succeeds, they take no damage and may make an attack of opportunity as you pass them, still ending your attack 5ft behind them.

Clan Samurai:
As a reaction you may grant yourself a bonus to your AC equal to your proficiency bonus against a single attack you can see, before damage is applied, potentially causing the attack to miss. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier per long rest. Additionally, you gain proficiency in wisdom saving throws.

Tempered Temperament

Starting at 10th level the samurai has tempered their mind and their temperament as well as their battle skills. You gain a benefit according to your chosen path:

Ronin: 
You can add your Wisdom modifier to your initiative rolls.

Clan Samurai:
Whenever you make a Charisma (Persuasion) check, you gain a bonus to the check equal to your Wisdom modifier. You may also inspire yourself and one ally over a short rest, granting each of you temporary hit points equal to your fighter level.

Surging Spirit

When you reach 15th level your surging spirit can turn the tide of combat. As a bonus action on your turn, you can give yourself advantage on one of your weapon attack rolls. When you do so, you also gain temporary hitpoints equal to your Fighter level.

You can use this feature three times, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest. This feature gains an extra benefit depending on your chosen path:

Ronin:  You may trade accuracy for swift strikes when using Surging Spirit. You may substitute the advantage granted by this feature for two attacks that only count as one attack action. If Surging Spirit is used in Iai Strike Stance on your first attack, both attacks gain the bonus of +2 attack and damage.

Clan Samurai: When you gain temporary hit points from Surging Spirit, you may extend those hitpoints any number of creatures you choose within 10ft of you, so long as they can hear you.

Strength Before Death

Starting at 18th level, your fighting spirit can delay the grasp of death. If you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points and doesn’t kill you outright, you can use your reaction to delay falling unconscious, and you can immediately take an extra turn, interrupting the current turn. While you have 0 hit points during that extra turn, taking damage causes death saving throw failures as normal, and three death saving throw failures can still kill you. When the extra turn ends, you fall unconscious if you still have 0 hit points.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.