College of Swords: Duelist

Duelists of the College of Swords are proud performers who depend on their artistry with the blade when civility fails. As accomplished musicians, dancers, and orators, Duelists command respect and attention often from their reputation alone. Though they claim to practice patience and restraint, woe to the audience member who heckles a Duelist a little too much.

Duelists are trained by a master who teaches them the code to which they adhere: Duty and Honor. 

• If violence breaks out, it is the Duelist's duty to prevent injury from those involved, and is most honorable to include even the attackers in this prevention.
• If a duelist's honor is challenged, it is their duty to defend it in a proper duel.
• If a peaceful resolution is not possible, it is a duelist's duty to forsake honor, and kill as quickly as possible. 

While the life of a travelling musician who is their own arbiter of justice is an attractive lifestyle for the young, few are able to continue the practice into later years. Most Duelists grow weary of answering every challenge, or the often unrewarding demand of the crowd. Others forsake the Code, becoming Rogue Duelists, utilizing their training for crime and selfish deeds. The Duelist is often an individual that struggles to fit in with groups, but whose presence in the right one serves as an emotional touchstone for all. 

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Swords at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and the scimitar.

If you’re proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Fighting Style

At 3rd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if something in the game lets you choose again.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Interception

When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Duelist Stances

At 3rd level, you learn to vary your fighting style based on the situation.

At the beginning of your turn, you may spend 20ft of movement to assume one of the following three Duelist Stances. You can benefit from these effects only while wielding a melee weapon.

Defensive Stance.  

Your AC is increased by +2. When a creature misses you with a weapon attack within five feet of you, you may use your reaction to attempt to disarm the creature. Make an ability check with your weapon's to-hit modifier. On a success, the attacker's weapon is flung an amount of feet equal to the difference between your attack rolls in a direction of your choosing. If the weapon is two-handed, or if the attacking creature is greater than one size larger than you, the weapon is not flung, but the attacker's next attack with the offending weapon will be at disadvantage.  

Attack rolls in Defensive Stance deal no damage. Instead, every hit with a melee attack grants an additional use of a Duelist Stance: reaction separate from your normal reaction. 

You cannot benefit from Defensive Stance while wielding a second weapon.

Offensive Stance.  When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you may attempt to Taunt your enemy with your words and movements. You and your target make contested raw Charisma rolls. On a success, the damage die for your attack is also subtracted from the to-hit of your target's next attack before the beginning of your next turn. Subsequent Taunts are applied to the attacker's subsequent attacks, in order. On a failure, reroll one of the attack's damage die and use the lower roll.

You can choose not to deal any damage to your target's HP. Every hit with a melee attack made without damage grants an additional use of a Duelist Stance: reaction separate from your normal reaction. 

Duelist Riposte: When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the creature.
Duelist Parry: When another creature damages you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by the damage dice of your wielded weapon + your Dexterity modifier.

Attack rolls in the Offensive Stance deal non-lethal damage. 

You cannot benefit from Offensive Stance while wielding a second weapon.

Lethal Stance. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you may choose to deal no damage, and instead roll an additional D20 and damage die for a melee weapon attack against that same creature that you make before the beginning of your next turn. 

When a creature makes an attack against you, you may use your reaction to study their form. Make an Insight or Perception check vs their Deception. On a success, gain +1 to-hit on all attacks versus that creature when in Lethal Stance. This bonus cannot exceed your proficiency bonus. 

Two-Weapon fighting adds your ability modifier in this stance.

Attack rolls in Lethal Stance cannot deal non-lethal damage.

Ringing of the Blades

Whenever you cast a spell that has a casting time of one action, you may use Two-Weapon Fighting as if you took the attack action with an eligible weapon.

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. 

Fluid Duelist

Starting at 14th level, assuming a Duelist Stance only costs 5ft of movement, and you may change between stances at any time during your turn, or for free as a reaction when it is not your turn. You may use the Change Stance reaction as one of the additional-use reactions of the Defensive and Offensive stance if available.