This fighter subclass, the Elemental Vanguard, channels the primal forces of nature into their weapons, fusing martial skill with elemental power. At 3rd level, they choose two elements—fire, cold, lightning, acid, or necrotic—and gain unique abilities to augment their attacks, both melee and ranged. As they level up, their bond with these elements deepens, granting defensive capabilities, battlefield-altering powers, and the ability to unleash catastrophic elemental surges. Whether they’re engulfing their enemies in flames, freezing them in place, or striking with crackling lightning, these warriors bring the fury of the elements to every strike.

Level 3: Elemental Versatility

At 3rd level, you attune to two elements of your choice, imbuing your strikes with their power. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack for the first time on your turn, you can expend one charge of your Elemental Weapon to unleash the chosen element’s effect. X is equal to your Proficiency Modifier. Y is equal to half of your Proficiency Modifier (minimum of 1).

Additionally, you can seamlessly shift your elemental focus. On your first attack each turn, you can choose to swap your active element and stance to another one.

Fire. 

Melee. Crescent Slash: Deal Xd6 fire damage to all creatures in a 5-foot crescent in front of you (5 feet to your left, directly in front, and 5 feet to your right).

Ranged. Explosive Strike: Deal Yd6 fire damage to the target and all creatures within 5 feet of them.

Lightning.

Melee. Surging Strike: Deal twice your weapon's damage as you channel lightning-enhanced speed and precision.

Ranged. Chain Lightning Shot: Deal Yd6 lightning damage to the target and each creature in a 10-foot line directly behind them.

Cold.

Melee. Freezing Strike: Deal Xd6 cold damage to the target and reduce their movement speed by half until the start of your next turn.

Ranged. Icy Focus: Deal Yd6 cold damage to the target. Until the start of your next turn, they subtract 1d4 from all Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws.

Acid.

Melee. Corrosive Strike: Deal Xd6 acid damage to the target and reduce their AC by an amount equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) until the start of your next turn

Ranged. Acid Pool: Deal Yd6 acid damage to the target and create a 10-foot puddle of acid centered on them. Creatures that start or end their turn in the puddle take Yd6 acid damage.

Necrotic.

Melee. Life Drain: Deal Yd6 necrotic damage to the target and regain hit points equal to the damage dealt if the target fails a Constitution saving throw.

 

Ranged. Soul Sap: Deal Yd6 necrotic damage to the target. Until the start of your next turn, they subtract 1d4 from all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.

Acid

 

• Corrosive Strike: Deal Xd6 acid damage to the target and reduce their AC by an amount equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) until the start of your next turn.
• Acid Pool: Deal Yd6 acid damage to the target and create a 10-foot puddle of acid centered on them. Creatures that start or end their turn in the puddle take Yd6 acid damage.

 

Cold

 

• Freezing Strike: Deal Xd6 cold damage to the target and reduce their movement speed by half until the start of your next turn.
• Icy Focus: Deal Yd6 cold damage to the target. Until the start of your next turn, they subtract 1d4 from all Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws.

 

Fire

 

• Crescent Slash: Deal Xd6 fire damage to all creatures in a 5-foot crescent in front of you (5 feet to your left, directly in front, and 5 feet to your right).
• Explosive Strike: Deal Yd6 fire damage to the target and all creatures within 5 feet of them.

 

Lightning

 

• Surging Strike: Deal twice your weapon's damage as you channel lightning-enhanced speed and precision.
• Chain Lightning Shot: Deal Yd6 lightning damage to the target and each creature in a 10-foot line directly behind them.

 

Necrotic

 

• Life Drain: Deal Yd6 necrotic damage to the target and regain hit points equal to the damage dealt if the target fails a Constitution saving throw.
• Soul Sap: Deal Yd6 necrotic damage to the target. Until the start of your next turn, they subtract 1d4 from all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.

 

Elemental Potency

At 7th level, your mastery over elemental forces grows stronger. You attune to a third element of your choice, gaining access to its unique effects for your Elemental Weapon.

Fire. Searing Heat. Creatures that start their turn within 10 feet of you take 2d6 fire damage as they are scorched by the intense heat radiating from your body.

Lightning. Energizing Current. Your aura crackles with energy, granting you an additional 10 feet of movement speed. Allies that start their turn within 10 feet of you gain this movement speed bonus until the end of their turn.

Cold. Freezing Ground. The ground within 10 feet of you becomes slick with frost, turning it into difficult terrain for other creatures. Whenever a creature other than you moves within this area, it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier) for each 5 feet moved or fall prone.

Acid. Corrosive Shield. When a creature makes a weapon attack against you, corrosive acid weakens their strike. Reduce the damage of the attack by Yd6 acid damage.

Necrotic. Mark of Decay. When you hit a creature with an attack, you can mark it with necrotic energy. While marked, the creature takes an additional 1d6 necrotic damage whenever it is damaged by any source. The mark lasts until the end of your next turn.

Elemental Surge

At 10th level, your mastery over the elemental forces reaches proven heights. You attune to a fourth element of your choice, further broadening your arsenal of elemental power.

As an action, you can unleash an Elemental Surge, releasing a powerful surge of energy from one of your attuned elements. The surge affects all creatures within a 15-foot radius centered on you, or within a point you choose within 120 feet if you are in a ranged stance. Each creature in the area must make a saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier). On a failed save, creatures take Xd10 damage of the chosen element’s type and are subjected to its additional effect. On a successful save, they take half damage and suffer no additional effect. X is equal to your Proficiency Modifier.

You can use this feature twice per day for each element you are attuned to.

Fire. Lingering Flames. Creatures that fail the saving throw are engulfed in flames. At the start of each of their turns, they take 3d4 fire damage. A creature can use its action to extinguish the flames, ending the effect.

Lightning. Stunning Shock. Creatures that fail the saving throw are paralyzed until the start of your next turn as the lightning surge overwhelms their body.

Cold. Freezing Bind. Creatures that fail the saving throw are restrained as ice encases their limbs, locking their movements. The effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

Acid. Corrosive Decay. Creatures that fail the saving throw have their nonmagical items and armor corroded. Nonmagical items worn or carried are destroyed. Additionally, the creature’s AC is reduced by half of your Proficiency Modifier until they use an action to remove the acid.

Necrotic. Soul Scour. Creatures that fail the saving throw have their maximum hit points reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until they finish a long rest or receive magical healing from the greater restoration, heal, or wish spells.

 

Elemental Convergence.

At 15th level, you attune to a fifth element of your choice, allowing your elemental powers to merge in devastating harmony.

While attuned to an element, resistance to the chosen damage type is ignored. Whenever you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you add of another element you are attuned to to the attack's damage roll equal to your Proficiency Modifier.

Elemental Cataclysm

Starting at 18th level, you can channel your elemental energy to enhance your attacks. As a bonus action, you can activate Elemental Cataclysm, amplifying your passive elemental damage to Xd4 for 1 minute by consuming one of its charges. You may use this feature once per element, per day.

Fire. A 30-foot radius centered on, and moving with, you becomes engulfed in intense flame. Hostile creatures within the area must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, they take 5d10 fire damage and are unable to move closer to you. Creatures that succeed the saving throw take half damage and are not hindered. The flames persist for 1 minute. Hostile creatures repeat this save if they start or end their turn in the radius of this ability.

Lightning. Your melee and ranged weapon attacks gain a range of 120 feet. Upon hitting a target, you immediately dash toward them, moving through any creatures in your path and dealing 6d6 lightning damage to each creature you pass through. This effect lasts for 1 minute.

Cold. A 120-foot radius around you becomes an icy wasteland. Hostile creatures within this area have disadvantage on all rolls, and their movement speed is reduced to half. If a creature’s movement speed is reduced to 0 while under this effect, they are petrified in solid ice until the effect ends. The chilling cold lasts for 1 minute.

Acid. Caustic acid rains down in a 120-foot radius centered on you. All hostile creatures within this area take 3d10 acid damage. Nonmagical items they are carrying or wearing are destroyed, and magical items lose half of their effectiveness (for example, a +3 item becomes a +1 item, and a magic item with charges loses half of its remaining charges). The acid rain lasts for 1 minute.

Necrotic. For 1 minute, hostile targets within 30 feet of you share the damage they take. The damage is not divided but instead is fully inflicted on each target that is within range. For each creature that suffers damage, you heal for a quarter of the total damage dealt to all affected targets.