3rd Level: Unit Formation

Create three members:

The Commander

The strategist and tactician.

The Vanguard

The offensive specialist.

The Bulwark

The defensive specialist.

Each member has their own:

• HP
• Equipment
• Initiative
• Conditions
• Death saves
• Inventory
• Position on the battlefield

Movement

Movement speed is not divided.

Each member uses the normal racial movement speed.

Each member also has their own turns

Base Sheet Division

Create a normal Fighter character sheet first.

This is called the Base Sheet.

Any numerical resource from the Base Sheet that can be divided is divided as evenly as possible among the three members.

If a value cannot divide evenly, the player distributes the remainder.

Examples

A Base Sheet with:

• 90 HP

Becomes:

• 30 HP
• 30 HP
• 30 HP

A Base Sheet with:

• 92 HP

Becomes:

• 31 HP
• 31 HP
• 30 HP

   

  Ability Score Assignment

  Instead of dividing scores freely, each member specializes.

  Commander

  The Commander receives the largest share of:

  • Intelligence
  • Wisdom
  • Charisma

  The Commander cannot have the highest Strength score among the three.

   

  Vanguard

  The Vanguard receives the largest share of:

  • Strength
  • Dexterity

  The Vanguard cannot have the highest Constitution score among the three.

   

  Bulwark

  The Bulwark receives the largest share of:

  • Constitution

  The Bulwark cannot have the highest Intelligence score among the three.

   

  Example

  Base Sheet:

  • STR 18
  • DEX 15
  • CON 18
  • INT 12
  • WIS 10
  • CHA 8

  May become:

  Commander

  • STR 4
  • DEX 4
  • CON 5
  • INT 8
  • WIS 5
  • CHA 4

  Vanguard

  • STR 10
  • DEX 7
  • CON 5
  • INT 2
  • WIS 2
  • CHA 2

  Bulwark

  • STR 4
  • DEX 4
  • CON 8
  • INT 2
  • WIS 3
  • CHA 2

  Totals remain equal to the Base Sheet.

   

  Role Bonuses

  Each member gains a permanent role feature. 

  Intended Feel

  The team ends up looking like:

  Commander

  • Handles skills, planning, support, and tactical positioning.

  Vanguard

  • Deals most of the team's damage and chases targets.

  Bulwark

  • Holds chokepoints, protects allies, and absorbs punishment.

  Together, they function like a mini adventuring party contained within a single Fighter subclass.

 

 

Passive Traits

Commander: Tactical Mind

The Commander gains proficiency in:

• History
• Investigation
• Insight

If already proficient, gain expertise.

Vanguard: Assault Specialist

The Vanguard gains:

• +2 damage on weapon attacks.
• +10 movement speed.

Bulwark: Living Shield

The Bulwark gains:

• +1 AC.
• Temporary HP equal to Fighter level after every long rest

 

The Unit members have access to their passives only*

Individual Unit Ability

Commander: 

Battlefield Orders

As a bonus action, choose one ally within 60 feet.

That creature gains one of:

• Advantage on its next attack roll.
• Advantage on its next saving throw.
• 10 feet additional movement.

Uses equal Intelligence modifier per long rest.

Vanguard: 

Relentless Assault

When the Vanguard reduces a creature to 0 HP:

The Vanguard may immediately move up to half their speed.

Bulwark:

Guardian

Creatures provoke opportunity attacks from the Bulwark even when using Disengage.

 

The Unit members have access to their skills only*

Level 7: Team Drill

When one member hits a creature:

Another member gains advantage on their next attack against that creature before the start of your next turn.

This is used as a bonus action

Formation Shift

As a bonus action, two members within 60 feet may swap positions.

This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Uses equal proficiency bonus per long rest.

Level 15: Combined Maneuver

If all three members successfully hit the same creature during one round, choose one:

• Knock prone.
• Push 20 feet.
• Disarm.
• Reduce speed to 0.

No saving throw.

This is a passive*

Level 18: Perfect Coordination

The team functions as a single military unit.

Commander

Can issue two Battlefield Orders with one bonus action.

Vanguard

Scores critical hits on 19–20.

Bulwark

Gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while above half HP.

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This is a Passive*

Level 18: Triple Assault

When all three members hit the same creature before the start of your next turn, the third hit deals an extra 8d10 damage.

 

This is a Passive*

Level 18: No One Left Behind

The members of the Three-Man Unit have trained together for so long that they refuse to allow a fallen comrade to stay down.

Emergency Recovery

As an action, a living member may attempt to revive a deceased member of the Unit.

The revived member returns to life in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the reviving member with:

• Hit points equal to one-quarter of their maximum HP.
• All conditions removed except exhaustion.
• One level of exhaustion.

Once a member is revived this way, they cannot benefit from this feature again until they complete a long rest.

Restrictions*

A member cannot be revived if:

• They have been dead for more than 1 minute.
• Their body has been completely destroyed.
• They died of old age.
• All members of the Unit are dead.

The revival automatically fails if there is no surviving Unit member to perform it.