Disciple

Disciple

An amazon strides calmly through a forest glade, smirking as she subtly grips her sheathed blade. She closes her eyes as brigands leap from the surrounding brush. Before they can even shout their demands, the woman's blade makes a wide arc at the group. Each brigand manages to barely dodge her preemptive strike, but their movements suddenly stop as they start to draw their blades. A large wound appears across each of their torsos where her blade had grazed them, and then they slump to the ground.

Atop a grassy plateau, a lone human figure stands in total focus amidst a swarm of hovering spectral blades. Like a masterful conductor, the figure directs the blades to fluidly strike the targets painted on the stones around. With a quiet whisper of pride, the figure recalls the blades before willing them to fall to dust and blow away with the wind.

A battle rages upon a blood-soaked field overlooked by a regal keep. In its center, stands a lone battle-worn drakyn fighting for his life. A pair of hulking spectral arms sprout from his back, allowing the tiefling to wield four axes at once. He charges into a group of soldiers, wreathing himself in flames as the lone figure carves into the enemy line. Each step taken could be his last, yet the tiefling fights with the widest of grins.

Although these warriors fight using a diverse range of extraordinary methods, they are all disciples. Disciples are defined by their mystical fighting styles and the introspective focus that gives purpose to their training. For a disciple, combat is a conduit of self-improvement, and battlefields exist to test the strength of ideals.

Masters of Tempo

The key to a disciple's magic prowess is awareness and focus. Every movement a creature makes causes a small, nearly imperceptible ripple across elements of the weave of magic. Using their ideals as an anchor for their focus, disciples enter a state of utter clarity where they can perceive and read these ripples, ultimately utilizing the power within these ripples—called tempo—to fuel their mystical techniques. As a disciple grows and solidifies their grasp on their ideals, their ability to maintain this focus increases drastically, improving their martial abilities.

Forged Ideals

A disciple's ideals are represented in their fighting style by the sublime disciplines they follow. While some disciples discover these paths themselves, others learn them from masters of the art. Each sublime discipline holds one ideal above all others, and it serves as the anchor for the tempo techniques of that discipline. As a result, combat using these disciplines is a form of self expression and an opportunity to refine one's philosophy. The danger and rigor of the battlefield provides the perfect situation to test the disciple's focus, their understanding of themselves, and their values.

Born Wanderers

Because of this predisposition towards experience and conflict, it is rare you'll find a disciple that stays in one place for too long, or subsisting under the yoke of military regulation. They are natural wanderers, and tend to flock towards interesting people that may lead them to greater challenges and adventures. Such people often prove to be worthy rivals and life-long friends for the wandering disciple: the perfect sparks to ignite the flames of inspiration.

Eternal Students

To a disciple, survival is often secondary to growth. To that end, you may yet find disciples working as sellswords or mercenaries in an attempt to find new conflicts to test themselves. Each and every fight is an opportunity to push past one's limits, and test not only ability, but also their willpower and determination. The path of the disciple is one filled with decision. Each must decide which disciplines to pursue and which to discard, as the path to perfection is littered with broken philosophies and weak hearts.

Creating a Disciple

When you are creating your disciple, the most important thing to consider is why they fight. For a disciple, fighting is a means of self-discovery and affirmation. What kind of lessons have their fights taught them up until this point? What kind of person or warrior do they strive to be, and how close to that idealized version of themselves are they? Do they have a specific person or creature they are trying to defeat? Or perhaps they are seeking out a new mentor to fill a gap they feel in their skill or personhood? Consider how your character would feel when faced with what looks to be an insurmountable threat, and how they would feel after losing or defeating it.

Equally important is when your character first began to notice the flow of tempo around them. Was it something they always saw, but never realized its significance? Maybe it was inherited? Or maybe the power was unlocked in a dire moment of emotional or physical danger? Or did you eventually come to see the tendrils of tempo through deliberate training, either alone or under a master or school? Which discipline did you manifest first, and why? Lastly, how does your character feel about their power now? How your character first came upon this magic should influence how they feel about both it and themselves in relation to it.

Quick Build

You can make a disciple quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending on whether you want to focus on weapons that use strength or finesse weapons. Your next-highest ability score should be Wisdom and then you make Constitution your third-highest score. Second, choose the folk hero background.

Class Stats

Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per disciple level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: All armor, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: Choose one type of artisan's tools or one musical instrument Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Performance, Religion, and Sleight of Hand
Starting Equipment
(a) chain mail, (b) scale mail, or (c) leather armor (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons (a) two javelins or (b) three daggers (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack ※ Alternatively, you may start with 4d4 × 10 gp to buy your own equipment.

Class Table

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Tempo Points	Disciplines Known
1st	2	Sublime Disciplines, Martial Intuition	─	1
2nd	2	Fighting Style, Tempo	2	2
3rd	2	Sublime Journey	3	2
4th	2	Ability Score Improvement	3	2
5th	3	Extra Attack, Alacrity	4	3
6th	3	Preternatual Awareness	4	3
7th	3	Sublime Journey feature	5	3
8th	3	Ability Score Improvement	5	3
9th	4	Blindsense	6	4
10th	4	Ability Score Improvement	6	4
11th	4	Sublime Journey feature	7	4
12th	4	Ability Score Improvement	7	4
13th	5	Imprinted Growth	8	4
14th	5	Sublime Journey feature	8	4
15th	5	Ageless Body	9	4
16th	5	Ability Score Improvement	9	4
17th	6	Tempo Mastery	10	4
18th	6	Sublime Journey feature	10	4
19th	6	Ability Score Improvement	10	4
20th	6	Great Master	10	4

Class Features

Sublime Discipline

A disicple's path begins with learning sublime disciplines. A sublime discipline is a kind of mystical martial art. Each discipline is centered on an ideal for the disciple to understand and internalize.

At 1st level, choose one sublime discipline, detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain disciple levels, you gain knowledge of new disciplines, as shown on the Disciplines Known column of the Disciple table.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the disciplines you know and replace it with another discipline.

Signature Art

Each sublime discipline has an associated Signature Art, the foundational ability of the discipline. You can use this feature to invoke the effects of the Signature Art of a discipline you know. If you use a Signature Art that has a duration while already under the effects of a Signature Art, the first Signature Art immediately ends.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Tempo Techniques

Each discipline has a list of techniques─its discipline techniques─that you gain at the disciple levels noted in the discipline's description. These techniques require you to spend tempo points to use which you gain at 2nd level.

Some techniques modify a specific attack. You can only use one such technique per attack.

Tempo Ability

Your ability to utilize tempo is tied your intuition and ability to perceive the ripples of magic around you; as such, Wisdom is the key ability for disciples. Some of your discipline features require for your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Tempo save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Martial Intuition

Your opponents' blows radiate a certain rhythm that your body has learned to read. If a creature attacks you or forces you to make a saving throw, your DM tells you one one of the following things about its capabilities (your choice):

• If one of its ability scores of your choice is higher than, lower than, or equal to your same ability score.
• If any of its speeds is higher than, lower than, or equal to a single speed of yours (your choice).
• If their statistics are being altered by a spell or magical effect.
• If they are proficient in at least one martial weapon.
• You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Tempo

Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to perceive and utilize the power in ambient ripples of magic, called tempo. Your access to this mystical energy is represented by a number of tempo points. Your disciple level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Tempo Points column of the Disciple table.

You can spend these points to fuel various tempo techniques granted by your disciplines. When you spend a tempo point, it becomes unavailable. When you take the Dodge action, you can use your bonus action to focus and regain any expended tempo points.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose a fighting style from the list of optional features. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you get to choose again.

• 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.

• Defense. While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

• Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second Attack.

Sublime Journey

At 3rd level, you have embarked on a personal journey that shapes your skills and draws you towards certain innate magical talents. Choose to follow the Journey of the Blade Dancer, the Journey of the Conjurer, or the Journey of the War God. Your choice of Sublime Journey grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 11th, 14th, and 18th levels.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Alacrity

Also at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet.

Preternatural Awareness

At 6th level, your body's familiarity with tempo allows it to react to conflict even when your mind lags behind. you can add your Wisdom modifier to initiative rolls and you can't be surprised while you are conscious.

Blind Sense

At 9th level, you are able to detect the thin ripples of magic caused by the subtle movements of hidden creatures. You are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you.

Imprinted Growth

Starting at 13th level, you gain proficiency in either Dexterity or Constitution saving throws (your choice).

Timeless Body

At 15th level, your body has become emboldened against the effects of age. You suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can't be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. In addition, you no longer need food or water.

Tempo Mastery

At 17th level, you regain all expended uses of your Signature Arts when you finish a short or long rest.

Great Master

At 20th level, your growth culminates with you becoming the master of a discipline. Choose any one discipline you follow. Whenever you use a tempo technique from that discipline, you spend 1 less tempo point than you otherwise would (minimum of 1).