Dueling Association

Usually reserved for nobles and those with prior training, the Dueling Association masterfully uses poise and fights on behalf of others under contract. They fight masterfully and quickly, using poise to deliver perfectly aimed strikes and achieve swift victory. Fighters who embody the Association's style view battle as a refined, high-speed contract. Specialized in duels and agile rapier work, duelists rely on fast footwork, overwhelming initiative, and building up momentum to execute deadly, critical thrusts before their opponent can react.

 

Level 3: Poise

You have learned to build combat momentum through continuous offensive pressure. You gain a pool of Poise stacks that powers your most lethal strikes.

• Building Poise: Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you gain 1 stack of Poise. You can have up to 30 max poise stacks, and a minimum of 0.

• Poise Burst: After gaining Poise on a hit, roll a separate d20. If the result of this d20 roll is equal or less than your current Poise stack count, your attack deals additional damage equal to half of your Fighter Level (Rounded down).

• Poise Consumption: When you take damage, roll a constitution saving throw, DC is half the amount of damage that you took (minimum 10). On fail, you lose half your poise stacks.

• Expanded Critical Threshold: Your melee weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of:

  • 19–20 while you have at least 10 Poise.

  • 18–20 while you have at least 20 Poise.

  • 17–20 while you have 30 Poise.

All accumulated Poise stacks reset to 0 when combat ends or after 1 minute of taking no damage and making no attacks.

Level 3: High-Speed Opening

 You can add your Constitution Modifier to your Initiative rolls.

• During the first round of combat, or against any creature that has a lower Initiative score than you, your melee weapon attacks deal additional damage equal to half of your poise. (round down)

 

Level 7: Precise Tempo

You seamlessly weave high speed into superior accuracy, utilizing your momentum to slip past defenses.

• Target Exploitation: Whenever you make a melee weapon attack against a creature that would act after you in the initiative order, you gain a bonus to your attack roll equal to +1 for every 5 Poise stacks you currently possess.

• Rapid Entry: When you roll Initiative at the start of combat, you immediately gain a starting number of Poise equal to 1/4 of your initiative, minimum of 1.

Level 7: Weak Point

As a bonus action, you can attempt to hit a weak point (chosen by the DM) in which you make a (INT) investigation check to identify.

When you attack, and you hit, you can roll a (DEX) Sleight of Hand check, against a dexterity save from the target creature, you can attack the weak point, making them taking double damage from the attack. This can only happen once per round and in one attack, and a creature can only be targeted by this once per combat.

When you successfully hit an enemies weak point, if the creature had a feature that requires that appendage, limb, etc... It cannot use those features that require it. The creature makes a constitution saving throw in order to end this condition on the end of each of their turns. The DC is determined by half of the amount of damage they took from the attack.

For example, you make a investigation check, DC 15, and on success, you strike at the creature's arm. You make a Sleight of Hand Check against their dexterity saving throw. On success, you deal double damage with that attack, 25 to 50, and the creature can no longer use that arm. On the end of their next turn, they must make a constitution saving throw, and on success, they may use that arm again.

If you have 15 or more poise, you have advantage on the skills for this feature.

Level 10: Declared Duel

As a bonus action you can issue a challendge you can see within 30 feet of you. When they are affected by the challenge, you gain the following effects.

• Whenever you hit the challenged target with a melee attack, you gain 2 stacks of poise instead of 1. 

• Your opponent has disadvantage on attack rolls against other creatures and other creatures that roll a save against the targeted creature have advantage.

• When you gain the extra damage from Poise, you don't lose any stacks when attack the challenged creature.

• When you roll a d20 to check whether your poise burst damage triggers against this target, if your Initiative score is higher than theirs, the damage increases by the difference.

• The "Challenge" disappears if you attack another creature, or if the creature dies; in that case, you can target another creature for the challenge upon its death by expending a use.

• If your target attacks another creature, you can use your reaction to perform the attack action against that creature, but you cannot activate Poise Burst, and you do not gain poise stacks from this attack action. 

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. 

 

 

 

Level 15: Overwhelming Speed

When you score a critical hit or trigger your Poise Burst extra damage on a melee weapon attack, you can immediately make one additional melee weapon attack against the same target as part of that same action. You can benefit from this extra attack once per round.

When rolling for initiative, you can instead choose for your initiative to be (10 + Initiative bonus) after rolling.

Level 18: Apex Dueling

 Your dexterity is increased by 7, with a maximum of 30

Your movement speed increases by 15 feet, and nonmagical difficult terrain cannot reduce your movement.

When you trigger Poise Burst extra damage against a target that acted after you in the initiative order, the Poise stack reduction cost is reduced to 5 - constitution modifier (minimum of 0).

When you roll Initiative at the start of combat, you immediately gain 10 Poise stacks instead of your Dexterity modifier.

If you land a critical hit using a finesse weapon, you deal the maximum damage.