Base Class: Fighter
Classically, a ranger likes their bow, a wizard their quarterstaff and a rogue their daggers but everyone has such a diverse selection of weapons that it can be trouble to even realise what someone is wearing at their hip. As an Ironclad Fighter, you take on the responsibility of laughing in the face of all of them. A true Juggernaut on the battlefield, you will take hit after hit and keep marching towards your foes with vigor. Be it Light, Medium or Heavy armour, Bucklers to Tower Shields, you find a way to userp the flow of damage and grind your enemies to a paste to finish the fight.
This is my first attempt at making a Sub Class so any feedback is appreciated. Make sure you check with your DM before you use and unofficial content.
Improved Defense
Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your AC increases by 2 and different armour provide different boons;
Light Armour allows you to add half your Proficiency bonus to a Dex Saving Throw. At Level 10, you gain advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws in Light Armour
Medium Armour grants the wearer +1 AC and you can add half your Proficiency to a Dexterity Saving Throw against a spell or effect you can see being cast or channelled. At Level 10, Medium Armour also resists Fire and Cold Damage.
Heavy Armour grants +1 AC and now resist non magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage for you. At Level 10, Heavy Armour also resists ranged damage.
Shields also gain the ability to be used as 1d6+Str Bludgeoning Weapons. This becomes a 1d8 at Level 10
Bulwark
Starting at 7th level, you can provoke your enemies into attacking your impenetrable defense. Through a display of sheer will power, you force creatures within 15 ft of you to make Wisdom Saving Throws. On a successful save, the creature is unaffected. On a failed save, the creature is charmed for 1 minute, during which, it must use it's action, if possible, to attack you in some way. This effect persists if you fall unconscious. You also gain +1 AC for every hostile charmed creature within 5 ft of you. You can use this effect up to your Constitution Modifier + 1 and regain any spent uses upon taking a long rest.
Additional Fighting Style
At 10th level, you can choose a second option from the Fighting Style class feature.
Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Protection
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Critical Defense
Starting at 15th level, your knowledge of battle has grown so deep that even higher beings would struggle to defeat you. Once per day, when you are struck by a Critical Hit that you can you can perceive, you may spend a reaction to resist all effects of that Critical Hit, including the guaranteed hit. You may only use this ability again after the dawn of a new day.
Invincible
At 18th level, through many hard fought victories, you have attain the pinnacle of resilience in battle. Your Constitution score increases to 20 if it hasn't already and your Maximum Constitution is now 26.
At the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don’t gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.
Once per long rest, resist even Death itself. If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you may revive to 5 hit points plus your Constitution Modifier but suffer disadvantage on all ability checks during your next turn.
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Posted Jan 17, 2022I had some thoughts and I think you made some good points, but I have a couple additional insights:
for the Critical Defense thing, most fighter abilities reset on short or long rests, so that would be good instead of "at dawn" which is reserved for magic items, at least on long rests would fit more with standard class practice.
The final feature is an improved version of the Champion 18th level feature, essentially adding the Half-Orc racial trait and the constitution change to the existing feature, as this seems to try and capture the goal of the Champion fighter, except not super dull and uninteresting and not very good. I would say that maybe just a +2 to constitution disregarding the usual stat maximum? or something like that
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Posted Dec 4, 2019Okay so, this is got super long so I apologize for that lmao.
Improved Defense
For this, I like the idea of different benefits for each armour type, but I feel it could also be a bit more simplified? The extra +2 AC seems a bit much, especially when paired with the Defense Fighting Style that Fighters can get at level 1, that’s an extra +3 AC off the bat, which is a lot.
Instead, maybe when you take this subclass at level 3, you can wear armour without getting disadvantage on Stealth checks, and you can ignore the Strength requirements of heavy armour. Something like that, to bring home the fact that characters with this subclass have mastered how to fully utilise their armour.
Light Armour: I like the advantage to Dexterity Saving Throws, but the half proficiency thing is a bit noodly and players will definitely forget about it.
Medium Armour: Maybe you can add up to a +3 of your Dex Modifier to your AC in Medium Armour instead of the baseline +2?
Heavy Armour: This is a hard one because resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage is extremely strong, it’s something a Barbarian gets only while in Rage. The damage resistance I think would actually make for a good level 7 or 10 ability? Otherwise, maybe you have advantage on checks to resist grapples and falling prone?
The Shield bash could be something that takes a Bonus Action, which causes the enemy to make a Strength Saving Throw (DC = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Strength or Dexterity), knocking the enemy prone. I don’t think adding damage to it will be useful as Fighters will prefer using an actual weapon for damage, but knocking someone prone will give them advantage on their attacks.
Bulwark
This ability actually reminds me of Rogue Swashbuckler’s Panache ability at level 9:
“At 9th level, your charm becomes extraordinarily beguiling. As an action, you can make a Charisma (Persuasion) check contested by a creature’s Wisdom (Insight) check. The creature must be able to hear you, and the two of you must share a language.
If you succeed on the check and the creature is hostile to you, it has disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than you and can’t make opportunity attacks against targets other than you. This effect lasts for 1 minute, until one of your companions attacks the target or affects it with a spell, or until you and the target are more than 60 feet apart.
If you succeed on the check and the creature isn’t hostile to you, it is charmed by you for 1 minute. While charmed, it regards you as a friendly acquaintance. This effect ends immediately if you or your companions do anything harmful to it.”
Something like it could work? Also, again, the additional AC for every enemy charmed can get a bit ridiculous, so maybe instead they get +5 Temporary HP for every enemy affected? Still retaining that tankiness, but if you wanna keep the AC thing the caveat of only enemies within 5 feet of you granting it is a good idea. Also really like the uses being based on your Con mod, good stuff.
Additional Fighting Style
This is the same as Champion’s level 10 ability if I recall? Maybe instead, the Fighter gains that resistance to nonmagial bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. It seems appropriate at this level, and an additional Fighting Style isn’t particularly useful at this point. Also you can throw in a +1 AC to any armour you’re wearing here if you’d like.
Critical Defense
Really like the idea of cancelling Critical Hits, reminds me of the Grave Cleric’s ability at level 6. Instead of it being a once per long rest thing, I think a similar thing to Bulwark might be good, a number of uses equal to your Con Modifier, which recharge on a long rest. Otherwise, I’d actually say it’s a bit weak in comparison to other level 15 abilities.
Invincible
This ability reminds me of a couple others from Celestial Warlock actually:
“Starting at 10th level, you gain temporary hit points whenever you finish a short or long rest. These temporary hit points equal your warlock level + your Charisma modifier. Additionally, choose up to five creatures you can see at the end of the rest. Those creatures each gain temporary hit points equal to half your warlock level + your Charisma modifier.”
“Starting at 14th level, the radiant energy you channel allows you to resist death. When you have to make a death saving throw at the start of your turn, you can instead spring back to your feet with a burst of radiant energy. You regain hit points equal to half your hit point maximum, and then you stand up if you so choose. Each creature of your choice that is within 30 feet of you takes radiant damage equal to 2d8 + your Charisma modifier, and it is blinded until the end of the current turn.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.”
But in other words, I think this is pretty good for a level 18 ability, it maybe needs a bit more clarity or simpler wording, and the disadvantage on ability checks isn’t really necessary in my opinion? Getting back from 0 HP is something that Half-Orcs can just do once per day, so it’s not a huge thing to nerf. Even something similar to the Celestial Warlock’s ability could be fun.
Overall, pretty good for your first Homebrew subclass! Lots of good ideas, and I like the concept of making the Ultimate Tanky Boi.