Fighter Subclass: The Weapon Saint

The Weapon Saint is a master of a single damage type—bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing—and dedicates their life to perfecting their combat prowess with weapons of that category. They forge an unbreakable bond with one chosen weapon, unlocking its true potential and achieving unparalleled mastery. As they progress, their connection to their chosen weapon grows, enabling them to perform feats of unparalleled skill and power.

Weapon Affinity

At 3rd level, you choose a damage type to specialize in: bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing. This choice defines your path as a Weapon Saint and influences your future abilities. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.

Additionally, you select one weapon to become your "Chosen Weapon." This weapon type must correspond to your chosen damage type (e.g., if you chose slashing damage, your Chosen Weapon could be a longsword, scimitar, or similar slashing weapon). You gain proficiency with your Chosen Weapon if you don't already have it. And can wield your chosen weapon, despite any restrictions (This would allow you to  wield heavy weapons despite not being medium or larger, or use 2 handed weapons without needing to use two hands.)

Whenever you make an attack with your Chosen Weapon, you deal an additional 1d4 damage of your chosen damage type. This damage scales as your mastery does, increasing to 1d6 at 7th, 2d6 at 10th, 3d10 at 15th 4d12 at 18th. Similarly you also get a +1 to attack rolls with this weapon, which also increases as your mastery does, increasing to +2 at 7th, +3 at 15th, +4 at 18th.

 

Weapon Mastery

Starting at 7th level, your skills with your Chosen Weapon have reached new heights. You gain the following benefits:

• Critical Finesse: When you score a critical hit with your Chosen Weapon, you can roll one additional damage die.

• Weapon Bond: You can now summon your Chosen Weapon to your hand as a bonus action, even if it is not within your reach. It magically appears in your grasp, ready for battle.

• Advance Or retreat: Depending on whether your chosen weapon is ranged or melee you get the following actions.
  
  • Melee: Advance: As an action, you may close the gap between you and an enemy or ally, dashing to their location within 60 feet, at the end of this movement you may make one melee attack.
  • Ranged: Retreat: As an action, you can make a movement faster than the eye can perceive, shunting yourself back up to 60 feet, as a part of this, when you're at 30 feet you may make 1 ranged weapon attack.
• Counter: As a reaction, you can ready yourself for attacks, increase your AC by 3 until the start of your next turn. If an attack hits within 3 of your current AC you can reactively make a melee attack as a counter.

• Glimpse of perfection: Once per creature(Once done on a creature it can't be affected by it again for the next 24 hours), you may steel your resolve and focus on your target, channeling all your current experience into one decisive strike against it. You make one weapon attack against your target that crits on a 19, this attack deals maximum damage for your weapon. Once this ability has been used, your turn is ended, regardless of how many actions or movement you have left.

Aura of Precision

Upon reaching 10th level, you radiate an aura of precision when using your Chosen Weapon. This aura extends within a 10-foot radius around you. While you are wielding your Chosen Weapon and not incapacitated, you and your allies within this aura have the following benefits:

• Advantage on attack rolls made with melee attacks using your Chosen damage type.

• When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack using your Chosen damage type, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

• Damage done with the chosen damage type, ignores resistances on a critical hit.
  
  
• Resistance to the Chosen damage type.

True Weapon Mastery

At 15th level, your mastery over your Chosen Weapon transcends mortal limits, and you become a true virtuoso of combat. You gain the following abilities:

• Flawless Strikes: When you make an attack roll with your Chosen Weapon, you can choose to treat the roll as a 10. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier, whichever is higher. You regain all expended uses after finishing a short or long rest.

• Weapon Essence Unleashed: Your Chosen Weapon becomes an extension of your very soul. It gains a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls, and it becomes a magical weapon if it wasn't already. When you hit a creature with your Chosen Weapon, it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier, whichever is higher) or suffer an additional 4d10+(proficiency bonus + strength or dexterity modifier) damage of your chosen damage type. This extra damage ignores resistance and immunity. This ability can be used once per minute within combat rounds. On a critical hit(if the weapon attack crits) or a critical failure on the saving throw, this damage is maxed. On a succsessful save they take 1d(weapon dice) extra of damage.

The Perfect weapon.

At 18th level, your connection with your Chosen Weapon reaches an ascendant level, and you become an unparalleled master of combat. You gain the following abilities:

• Supreme Precision: When you make an attack roll with your Chosen Weapon, you can choose to treat the roll as a critical hit. You can use this ability once per long rest.

• Terrible wound: When you score a critical hit with this feature, your target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier, whichever is higher) or suffer a grievous wound. A creature that fails this save has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks and takes ongoing damage equal to (your proficiency bonus +half your level Rounded down) at the start of each of its turns. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. A creature can only suffer the effects of this once per long rest.

• Weapon Mastery Unbound: Your Chosen Weapon transcends the boundaries of reality. It gains a +4 bonus to attack and damage rolls, and it becomes a sentient artifact, forging an unbreakable telepathic bond with you. The weapon communicates with you and has an intelligence of 17, wisdom of 13 and a charisma of 13, it's personality is decided by the DM, but generally represents how the weapon was used throughout time(If it killed many innocents in cold blood it might take on a murderous personality, if it was wielded for the purposes of good, it might act like a righteous paladin). This sentient weapon can cast spells such as haste, shield, dimension door and steel wind strike (using your proficiency bonus as its spellcasting modifier) without expending any spell slots. These spells can be cast once per long rest each, and they don't require concentration.  You regain all uses after a long rest.

• One Mind: Once per long rest, you can channel the full might of your Chosen Weapon. You make a single attack with it, targeting a creature within range. On a hit, a creature makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier, whichever is higher), on a failure they take 10d10(slashing, bludgeioning or piercing) + weapon damage, This attack treats them as if they were vulnerable to the damage of the attack, should they be left alive after this attack they suffer the effects of Terrible wound, regardless of if they have saved against Terrible wound once before. On a success they take 2d10 extra damage ontop of weapon damage, but do not suffer any other effects.

This enhanced Transcendent Blade ability transforms the Weapon Saint into an unparalleled master of combat, wielding a legendary and sentient weapon capable of devastating strikes and wielding the power of annihilation. The ascendant Weapon Saint is a force of nature on the battlefield, wielding their Chosen Weapon with godlike precision and power.


Sentient properties: The weapon's sentient properties, are a mimicry of your mental stats, when wielded by anyone that isn't you. When wielded by you, the weapon acts as a weapon master with an intelligence of 17, wisdom of 14 and charisma of 12(Personality determined by the DM). Regardless of what version it is, it has blindsight out to 30ft around itself, it speaks all of the wielder's languages and communicates telepathically.