Deepstriker Knight

The Deep Strikers are an order of knights who learned their style of combat from the motions of the ocean and its beasts. With fluid motions and strikes that range from smooth and calm like the tide and ranging to hectic and raging like a stormy ocean. The people who dedicate their lives to the practice of the Deep Striker learn to master the motions of battle and either find the right moment to strike or ignore the deeds of others to strike with overwhelming might instead. The most talented of the Deep Strikers also learn how to invoke the ferocity of a wild sea-borne animal to fight beside them. Beyond simply being a knightly order of elegant and vicious warriors, they are also entertainers and extravagant performers.

Supreme Bestial Comraderie

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn maneuvers for your beasts that are fueled by special dice called mastery dice.

Maneuvers. You learn three maneuvers of your choice, which are detailed under “Maneuvers” below. Many maneuvers enhance an attack in some way. You can use only one maneuver per attack.

You learn two additional maneuvers of your choice at 7th, 10th, and 15th level. Each time you learn new maneuvers, you can also replace one maneuver you know with a different one.

Mastery Dice. You have four superiority dice, which are d8s. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your expended mastery dice when you finish a short or long rest.

You gain another mastery die at 7th level and one more at 15th level.

Saving Throws. Some of your maneuvers require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice)

Deepborne Companion

3rd-Level Deepstriker Knight Feature

As an action, you can magically summon the deepborne companion that is bound to you. It appears in an unoccupied space of your choice within 30 feet of you.

The beast is friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. See its game statistics in the accompanying Deepborne Companion stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. Whenever you summon the beast you invoke the powers of the magical seas, creating an aura of 40 ft. around you where your beast can freely swim. You and your companion can use walking speed as usual. You can determine the cosmetic characteristics of the beast, such as its color, its animal type, or any visible effect of its magical connection to you.

In combat, the beast shares your initiative count and can trade an attack of your own to invoke the beast's fury to attack. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the beast will defend you at all costs, using Selfless Rescue for your sake until you get stable, not just Dodge.

The beast remains until it is reduced to 0 hit points, removed from your plane, until you use this feature to summon the drake again, or until you die.

Once you summon the beast, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher to summon it.

 

Techniques

The techniques are presented in alphabetical order.

Ambush

When your beasts make a Dexterity (Stealth) check or an initiative roll, you can expend one superiority die and add the die to the roll, provided you and they aren't incapacitated.

Brace

When a creature you adn your beast can see moves into the reach of your beast it can attack with their melee weapon and you can use your reaction to expend one superiority die and make one attack against the creature, using that weapon. If the attack hits, add the superiority die to the weapon’s damage roll.

Commander’s Strike

When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct one of your bestial companions to strike. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you and expend one superiority die. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack, adding the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll.

Disarming Attack

When you or a beast companion hits a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to disarm the target, forcing it to drop one item of your choice that it’s holding. You add the mastery die to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it drops the object you choose. The object lands at its feet.

Distracting Strike

When you or a beast companion hits a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to distract the creature, giving your allies an opening. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll. The next attack roll against the target by an attacker other than the one who hit them has advantage if the attack is made before the start of your next turn.

Evasive Nature

When your beasts are about to take damage, you can roll a Mastery Die as a reaction. Add the number rolled to that beast's AC until your next turn.

Feinting Order

You can expend one mastery die and use a bonus action on your turn to add the total to the damage roll and to gain advantage on a beast's next attack roll against a chosen creature within 25 ft. this turn. You have advantage on your next attack roll against that creature this turn. If that attack hits, add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll.

Gloating Strike

When your beasts hit with a weapon attack, you can expend one mastery die to add the total to the damage roll and the target must make a WIS saving throw (DC {{savedc:str,dex}}). On failure, the target has loses its reaction this turn.

Lunging Attack

When you make a melee weapon attack on your turn, you can expend one superiority die to increase your reach for that attack by 5 feet. If you hit, you add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll.

Maneuvering Attack

When your beasts hit with a weapon attack, you can expend one mastery die to add the total to the damage roll and to allow the beast to use its reaction to move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks from the target of its attack.

Menacing Attack

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to frighten the target. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Parry

When another creature damages your beasts with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend one mastery die to reduce the damage by the number you roll on your mastery die + your Proficiency modifier.

Precision Attack

When you make a weapon attack roll against a creature, you can expend one superiority die to add it to the roll. You can use this maneuver before or after making the attack roll, but before any effects of the attack are applied.

Pushing Attack

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to drive the target back. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you push the target up to 15 feet away from you.

Riposte

When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend one superiority die to make a melee weapon attack against the creature. If you hit, you add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll.

Sweeping Attack

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to damage another creature with the same attack. Choose another creature within 5 feet of the original target and within your reach. If the original attack roll would hit the second creature, it takes damage equal to the number you roll on your superiority die. The damage is of the same type dealt by the original attack.

Tactical Assessment

When you make an Intelligence (Investigation), an Intelligence (History), or a Wisdom (Insight), Charisma (Performance), (Intimidation) check, you can expend one superiority die and add the superiority die to the ability check.

Trip Attack

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to knock the target down. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you knock the target prone.

Unified Strike

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can roll a mastery die. This die is always a D8. When activating this Technique, you can compel all your beast companions to strike at your target by spending an additional attack. Add the rolled number of your mastery die to their hit and damage rolls. 

Will Over Reality

While you have one or more of your Beast Companions summoned, you and their melee weapons count as Magical as to pass by physical resistances.

Improved Combat Mastery

At 10th level, your mastery dice turn into d8. At 15th level, your mastery dice turn into d10.

Fearsome Battler

Starting at 15th level, You can proclaim a primary companion. The beast that stands above the rest. This beast can attack once for free directly after your turn. When activated, it can attack again with all of its attacks. This feature can only be used equally many times as your proficiency bonus.

Fearsome Battler Action

The beast can attack an additional time after your turn with its bite attack.

Drown With Us

At 18th level, so long as both your beasts are in the Aetherial Sea, you can command the sea to crush up to 3 creatures of your choice to suffer the severe crushing pressure of the ocean as an action. The creatures must succeed on a CON save equal to your Spell Save. If the creatures fail, deal 10d6 magical Bludgeoning damage to the creatures and knock them prone. Take only half the damage if they succeed and they do not fall prone. You can only use this feature once before a long rest.