Warlord
Contents
- 1 Warlord
- 2 Creating a Warlord
- 3 Class Stats
- 4 Class Table
- 5 Class Features
Warlord
Two vast armies stand across the field of death, fear gripping the heart of every soldier. From their ranks, the banner is carried forth - a shining beacon without fear. Before they even know it, their feet pound across the ground, their fear left behind as they follow their symbol of hope to victory.
Collapsing to the ground, a man succumbs to wounds, exhaustion, terror, and the overwhelming clash of steel all around. Death closes in, but before it can claim him, a hand appears, pulling him to his feet. "On your feet, soldier".
The line will soon be overrun—until, among the broken ranks of soldiers, a lone soldier spots his liege. She stands, unwilling to turn aside, unwilling to step back from danger, holding back the horde of enemies alone. Retreat is no longer an option. With newfound strength behind every blow, the soldiers stand and fight like no one has ever fought before.
"How did you do it?" hisses the marauder, his sword dropped before him in surrender. He kneels beside his captured comrades, encircled by a smaller force that seems to have come from nowhere. The victorious general smiles knowingly and shrugs. "Luck," he says. "And perhaps a bit of planning."
Warlords are force multipliers for their companions. Some may be fearsome combatants, while others may never lift a weapon, but in either case their presence on the battlefield will drive their allies to new heights, guiding them safely through what would surely have been their doom.
How victory is stolen from the jaws of defeat can vary, from inciting crazed zeal, to tempering an overeager charge, to pulling their friends out of the line of danger in the nick of time. The sole commonality is that a Warlord alone is but a man, while a Warlord with their companions is a legend.
Purpose and Drive
Purpose is a common element to those that walk the path of a Warlord. Purpose empowers Warlords to be a larger-than-life, and allows them to be a guiding hand to their comrades. Some Warlords may not seek any particular cause, and merely pursue victory - either as a tribute to a god they worship or simply to attain personal glory. More often, though, a Warlord is driven by a higher purpose - a loyalty to their country or their men, a drive to protect the innocent or crush the weak.
Purpose is an important consideration to a Warlord in understanding why they fight, as it will inform how they fight. Do they try to keep their companions and followers out of danger? Or do they simply press for the strategy that is most likely to win?
Power of Presence
Most warlords have no explicitly magical powers, but the presence on the battlefield allows people to exceed what they might have thought of as their own limits, pushing beyond what they could hope to achieve on their own. A Warlord will make their allies feel like they've become better at everything, they will make problems seem surmountable, and they will make the path clear. They make the world less bleak, they make the foes less terrifying. When you have a Warlord on your side, more things go right.
Just as a dragon's frightful presence instills a supernatural dread in mortal adventurers, a Warlord's presence is more than just simple common sense and a head for strategy, it is the power of conviction, the perfection of tactics, or the will to win incarnated in Adventurer form.
Creating a Warlord
When creating a Warlord you should always start with answering the question: what sort of Presence does this person bring to the battlefield? Are they a charismatic inspiration to their allies that drives them to fight on? Are they a wise veteran who acts as a force multiplier for their companions, offering pointers and grit? Or are they a scheming manipulator who sees one step ahead of any move their foes can make, always making sure their allies are in the right spot?
Quick Build
You can make a warlord quickly by following these suggestions. For a Commander select Strength as your highest attribute followed by Wisdom. For a Chieftain or Paragon select Strength as your highest attribute followed by Charisma.
For a Noble select Charisma as your highest attribute followed by Constitution. For a Packleader, select Dexterity as your highest stat followed by Wisdom. For a Tactician select Intelligence followed by Constitution.
Class Stats
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| Proficiencies |
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| Starting Equipment |
※ Alternatively, you may start with 5d4 × 10 gp to buy your own equipment. |
Class Table
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Proficiency Bonus | Features | Leadership Die | Leadership Dice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Warlord's Presence, Battlefield Presence | -- | -- |
| 2nd | +2 | Leadership Dice | d4 | 1 |
| 3rd | +2 | Presence Feature, Warlord's Expertise | d4 | 1 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | d4 | 1 |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | d6 | 1 |
| 6th | +3 | Prepare for Battle, Leadership Dice Limit Increase (2) | d6 | 2 |
| 7th | +3 | Presence Feature | d6 | 2 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | d6 | 2 |
| 9th | +4 | Press the Attack | d6 | 2 |
| 10th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | d6 | 2 |
| 11th | +4 | Presence Feature, Leadership Dice Limit Increase (3) | d8 | 3 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | d8 | 3 |
| 13th | +5 | Warlord's Intuition | d8 | 3 |
| 14th | +5 | Shift the Field | d8 | 3 |
| 15th | +5 | Presence Feature | d8 | 3 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | d8 | 3 |
| 17th | +6 | Unbreakable Will, Leadership Dice Limit Increase (4) | d10 | 4 |
| 18th | +6 | Presence Feature | d10 | 4 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | d10 | 4 |
| 20th | +6 | Tireless Leader | d10 | 4 |
Class Features
Warlord's Presence
At 1st level, you choose one of the Warlord Archetypes below. Your choice grants you features at 1st, 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, and 18th level.
Battlefield Presence
Starting at 1st level, when you take the Attack action, in place of making an attack, you can use your Battlefield Presence to grant a friendly creature that can see or hear you an additional attack the next time they take the Attack action during their turn.
Any additional attacks granted that are unused at the start of your next turn are lost. A friendly creature can only gain one additional attack from this feature per round from this feature.
Leadership Dice
Starting at 2nd level, you have access to Leadership Dice. These represent your ability to focus your battlefield presence for powerful results. Your Warlord level determines the number and size of the dice, as shown on the Leadership Dice column of the Warlord table. You can spend these to fuel various features.
You know three such features: Rallying Mark, Urgent Orders, and Helpful Word. When you get this feature, you can spend one Leadership Die per turn. Starting at 6th level, you can spend two Leadership Dice per turn. The number you can expend increases to three at 11th level, and to four at 17th level.
A Leadership Die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your expended Leadership Dice when you finish a short or long rest.
Rallying Mark
As a bonus action, you can expend a number of Leadership Dice (up to your per turn limit) to rally your allies to attack a hostile creature within 60 feet of you.
The next time damage is rolled against that target by an allied creature before the start of your next turn, they can add the Leadership Dice to the damage roll, and the attacking creature regains hit points equal to the amount rolled on the Leadership Dice.
Urgent Order
As a bonus action, you can expend a number of Leadership Dice (up to your per turn limit) to guide your allies in expeditious action.
Target an allied creature within 60 feet of you that can see or hear you, that creature can immediately use its reaction to move up to its movement speed (up to a maximum of 30 feet) without provoking opportunity attacks. Roll the leadership dice expended, the target gains temporary hit points equal to the value rolled.
Helpful Word
As a bonus action, you can spend a Leadership Die to take the Help action. When you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking a creature, the target of that attack can be within 30 feet of you, rather than within 5 feet of you, if your ally can see or hear you.
Warlord's Expertise
Starting at 3rd level, choose one of the following skills: Investigation, Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion. If you are not proficient in the chosen skill you become proficient If you are already proficient in the skill you select, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses that skill.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 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.
You can use Battlefield Presence in place of either or both attacks.
Prepare for Battle
Starting at 6th level, you can spend a minute preparing up to five allies for combat. You can expend a number of Leadership Dice up to your per turn limit, rolling them and causing your allies to gain temporary hit points equal to the number rolled. Allies that have benefited from this ability can expend a number of hit dice equal to the number of Leadership Dice you expended, using them as they would during a short rest. Any temporary hit points gained from this last until you complete a short or long rest.
Press the Attack
Starting at 9th level, your abilities are further empowered:
Rallying Mark: Boost Morale.
When a creature gains hit points from Rallying Mark, you can expend one Leadership die to cause another creature within 30 feet to regain the same number of hit points.
Urgent Orders: Coordinated Movements.
When you use Urgent Orders, you can target a number of creatures equal to the number of Leadership Dice spent, spending dice on each target individually.
Helpful Word: Expert Instructions.
When a creature benefits from your Help action, you can use your reaction to expend a Leadership Die and add it to their roll. You can use this ability after the original roll, but before the outcome is revealed.
Warlord's Intuition
Starting at 13th level, before rolling an ability check you are proficient in, you can exercise this ability, choosing for the d20 to be equal to your Warlord level rather than rolling. Once you do this, you cannot do this until you complete a long rest.
Shift the Field
Starting at 14th level, you gain the ability to relocate friendly creatures. As an action, you can expend one Leadership Die to move up to 5 friendly creatures that can see or hear you up to half their movement speed without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Unbreakable Will
Starting at 17th level, you are immune to the frightened and charmed conditions.
Tireless Leader
Starting at 20th level, you can roll d4s and use them instead of expending Leadership Dice for Rallying Mark, Urgent Orders, Helpful Word, or Prepare for Battle.