Ronin

The Samurai is a fighter who draws on an implacable fighting spirit and inner resolve to overcome enemies. A Samurai seeks artistry in all aspects of their life, from poetry to the battlefield.

Bunbu Ryodo

For a samurai, the martial and literary arts are one path. When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you take your first step on the way of pen and sword.

• The Pen
  • You gain proficiency in one skill from this list: History, Insight, Performance, or Persuasion.
  • You also gain proficiency with one musical instrument of your choice, one game set of your choice, and one of the following artisan's tools: Calligrapher’s Supplies, Painter’s Supplies, Herbalism Kit
• The Sword
  • You have a number of Fighting Spirit uses equal to your Proficiency Bonus which power your martial and literary arts. You regain one expended use when you finish a Short Rest where you expend one or more Hit Die, and you regain all Fighting Spirit uses when you finish a Long Rest.
  • You may use your Bonus Action to spend a Fighting Spirit use to enhance your swordsmanship. If you do so, you gain advantage on weapon attack rolls until the end of the current turn. You also gain Temporary Hit Points. The amount of Temporary Hit Points increases as you level up: 5 at level 3, 10 at level 10, 15 at level 15.
  • You have a spirit die which can empower your abilities when called for. Your Spirit Die is a d6. It becomes a d8 at level 7, a d10 at level 10, and a d12 at level 18.

Ability Proficiency

You gain proficiency in one skill from this list: History, Insight, Performance, or Persuasion.

Artisan's Tools

You gain proficiency with one of the following: Calligrapher's Tools, Painter's Supplies, or Herbalism Kit

Gaming Set

You gain proficiency with one gaming set of your choice.

Musical Instrument

You gain proficiency with one musical instrument of your choice.

Gunjutsu

Starting at 3rd level, your martial techniques hone into an arsenal as deadly as any blade. 

You learn 3 techniques from the list of Samurai Techniques. You know one more at levels 7, 10, 15, and 18. Whenever you gain a Fighter level, you can swap one technique for another. A technique costs one Fighting Spirit use unless it says otherwise. You can only use a technique if you satisfy the requirements for it, if any.

If a technique requires a saving throw, your Save DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice, selected when you gain this subclass)

Chado

Prerequisite: Herbalism Kit
No Fighting Spirit Cost. Once per Short Rest.

You hold a tea ceremony during a Short Rest. When you do, roll your Spirit Die. Up to your Proficiency Bonus creatures who take part in the ceremony regain HP equal to your Spirit Die roll if they also spend one or more Hit Die. All participants have Advantage on their next Wisdom save before the next sun rise.

Iaijutsu

No Fighting Spirit cost.

• When you roll Initiative, you may stow any item you are holding for free and draw a weapon.
• During your first turn of combat, you may add your Spirit Die to the damage roll of your first weapon attack. Extra Attacks and Bonus Action attacks do not benefit from this.

You may expend a Fighting Spirit use to repeat this technique at the start of any of your turns after the first.

Kagekaze

When you make a successful attack roll, after you roll damage, you may reposition yourself, moving up to a maximum of 15 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Ki Smite

When you hit with a weapon attack, you can imbue your Ki into your weapon. When you do so, declare an element you choose from the below list. You may roll your Spirit Die twice and add that amount of the selected element to the damage roll. The target then makes a Constitution saving throw. If they fail and they aren't immune to the element you selected, you also add that element’s effect:

• Fire: At the end of their next turn, roll your Spirit Die and inflict that much fire damage to the target.
• Cold: The target’s Speed drops by 10 ft until the end of your next turn.
• Lightning: The target can’t take Reactions until the start of your next turn.
• Thunder: If the target is Large or smaller, you may either push the target 10 ft away or knock it Prone.
• Radiant: If the target is not already Blinded, they gain the Blinded condition until the end of their next turn.

You cannot use this technique without choosing an element type, and you cannot use this ability more than once per turn.

Kiai

As a Bonus Action, you focus your battle spirit into your core and shout for all to hear. Each creature you choose within 20 ft must make a Wisdom save. On a failure, it is Frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

The selected targets must be able to hear your shout.

Metsuke

When another creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, after seeing the roll but before the DM declares the result, you can use your Reaction to force the attacker to reroll the d20. They must use the new roll.

Migawari

When you’re within 5 feet of a creature on your turn, you can switch places with that creature, provided you spend at least 5 feet of movement and the creature is willing and doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition. This movement doesn’t provoke Opportunity Attacks.

Until the start of your next turn, you and the other creature gain a bonus +2 to AC.

Mushin

As an Action, you enter a state of Zen, reducing your presence to nothingness. For 10 minutes, you have advantage on Stealth and Perception checks. Additionally others have disadvantage on Insight checks made against you, and they have disadvantage on Perception checks based on vision to discover you so long as you are at least partially obscured from them, such as standing in a crowd.

Using your Action or Bonus Action other than to Hide or Search breaks this state and ends the effect early.

Shodo

Prerequisite: Proficiency with Calligrapher's Supplies
No Spirit cost

You spend 30 minutes writing a single character on paper, such as Courage, Vigilance or Resolve, imbuing it with your ki. Before your next Long Rest, a creature holding the paper can use its reaction to add your Spirit Die to one ability check that fits the word. The paper then burns harmlessly into ashes that float away into nothing.
If you spend a Fighting Spirit use when writing the character, the Shodo can be applied to one save or ability check that fits the word.

The DM will decide if a given check applies to the Shodo you have created.
You may only have one Shodo active at a time. If you create another, the previous paper burns away as if it was used.

Shunpo

You may take the Dash action as a free action. You may only use this technique once per turn.

Uke Nagashi

When an opponent you can see hits you with a weapon attack, you may use your Reaction to reduce the damage by your Spirit Die + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (chosen when you gained this subclass). If the damage is reduced to 0, you may choose one of the following:

• The attacker has Disadvantage on its next attack roll against you.
• Make a weapon attack against the enemy. The enemy must be in range of your equipped weapon to use this option.

Zanshin

You may use your Bonus Action to enter a state of complete awareness, preparing a devastating counter attack. When you use this ability, the following occurs until the start of your next turn:

• Your movement speed drops to 0 feet.
• You gain Blindsight to a range of 5 feet. If you already have Blindsight, you instead gain Tremorsense.
• You may use your Reaction to make one Opportunity Attack against a creature that moves anywhere within 5 feet of you. If you do so, you may add your Spirit Die to your attack roll and to your damage roll.

Hachijin

Starting at 7th level, your study of the way of war has made your mind as sharp as your blade. You are able to instruct others on military tactics to maximize combat effectiveness.

You learn 3 formations from the Hachijin Formations list. Whenever you gain a Fighter level, you can replace one formation you know with another formation from the list.

At the start of each of your turns, you can declare one formation you know (no action required). You and each ally of your choice who can hear you are members of the formation. A member who meets the formation's condition at the start of its turn gains the formation benefit until the start of its next turn. A declared formation remains in effect until you declare another formation or have the Incapacitated condition.

Formation Conditions. Each formation uses one of four conditions:
    Closed: The member is within 5 feet of another member.
    Open: The member is within 30 feet of you, and no other member is within 5 feet of it.
    Guarded: The member is within 5 feet of you. You cannot Guard yourself.
    Engaged: The member is within 5 feet of an enemy that is also within 5 feet of two other members.

Choda

Formation: Closed

Formation members can't be knocked Prone. A member may use their Reactions to make an Opportunity Attack when an enemy either leaves or enters melee range, and the Disengage action doesn't prevent them from making their Opportunity Attack.

Engetsu

Formation: Open

Once per turn, when a formation member misses an attack, another formation member may use their reaction to add your Spirit Die to the attack roll, possibly turning a miss into a hit.

Ganko

Formation: Open

When any member of the formation is hit by an attack, any other formation member may use their reaction to take any amount of the damage roll themselves. The target member receives the remainder. Only one formation member may use this feature per attack.

Gyorin

Formation: Closed

A member gains +1 AC and +1 to Dexterity saving throws, or +2 to both if it is within 5 feet of two or more other members.

Hoshi

Formation: Guarded

While at least one formation member is guarded, you have +2 AC and +2 to Dexterity saving throws.
When an attack targets a Guarded member, you can use your Reaction to become the target of the attack instead.

Houen

Formation: Guarded

When a Guarded member is hit by an attack, you can use your Reaction to reduce the damage by your Spirit Die.

Kakuyoku

Formation: Engaged

Once per round, one formation member can add your Spirit Die to an attack roll or damage roll against an enemy it is Engaged with.

Koyaku

Formation: Engaged

If a formation member hits an Engaged enemy with an Opportunity Attack, they may forego their damage roll to instead reduce that enemy's movement speed to 0 until the start of its next turn.

Fukutsu no Seishin

Starting at 10th level, your battle hardened spirit becomes like steel, pushing you and your allies ever onward toward victory.

Kihaku. When you roll initiative, if you have no uses of Fighting Spirit remaining, you regain one Fighting Spirit use.

Daisenryaku. When you declare a Hachijin formation, roll your Spirit Die. The first time a member gains the formation's benefit, they may gain Temporary HP equal to that roll. A creature can only receive this benefit once per combat.

Sarei. As a Bonus Action, you can direct your allies across the battlefield. Choose a number of willing creatures up to your Proficiency Bonus that can hear you, not including yourself. Each chosen creature can immediately move up to half its Speed (rounding up) without triggering Opportunity Attacks. This feature cannot be used again unless you either spend a Fighting Spirit use or complete a Long Rest.

Renzoku

Starting at 15th level, the pen and blade have become extensions of your body.

The Pen. You gain expertise in your selected Bunbu Ryodo skill. If you already have expertise in it, you may select another skill you have proficiency in and gain expertise in that instead. You may also add your Spirit Die to any checks involving a tool you have proficiency in.

The Sword. If you take the Attack action on your turn and have advantage on an attack roll against one of the targets, you can forgo the advantage for that roll to make an additional weapon attack against that target as part of the same action. You can only use this ability once per turn.

Jisei

Starting at 18th level, when you drop to 0 HP and don’t die outright, you can remain on your feet to face death with bravery. You do not fall Prone and you are not Unconscious. You may take turns as normal, though your movement speed is reduced to 5 feet, and you cannot use Fighting Spirit nor declare formations. You must still make Death Saving throws. While you are at 0 HP, taking damage causes Death Save failures as normal, and three failures kill you. If you roll three Death Save successes, you immediately regain 1 HP.

The effects of this feature last until you regain HP or die. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.