Archaic Warrior

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Overview & Creation

As the robbers stalk forward, the gaunt wood elven woman disappears. When the dubious pair suddenly stops the elf reappears in the shadows behind them. Silently drawing a dagger, she wordlessly calls ghostly fire to course up and down the blade and stalks forwards. A long-haired firbolg whistles their way through an ancient hymn, forming their energy into a current around them. As they spin their double-ended glaive between their hands the wind picks them up and they dissolve into formless air. They burst forward, congealing again in the air as they fly over the head of the ogre. It is only when they land and have already soared into the air again that the brute's head falls to the ground.   A goliath man catches the back edge of his own sword with his forearm guard, sending sparks spraying over his shoulder. As the orc warlord presses down on the blade with her massive club two chunks of rock from beneath the woman fly up from the ground, and burst into rubble in between the warriors. As the orc shields her eyes from the dust, the rocks begin to swarm around the goliath in a defensive curtain.   These are archaic warriors. People who have discovered lost techniques capable of harnessing the bygone magic of ancient civilizations.   Students of the Ancients The archaic arts focus on an ancient energy called resonance. Resonance is in essence, residual energy of life. Resonance was widely used long ago by forgotten races, but in modern times this method to pull power from life has been forgotten. Archaic warriors have rediscovered this practice, whether they did so through an ancient mentor, a tome from long ago, an innate connection they have within themselves, or something else, their unique talents are very hard to match in battle.   Variety in Tradition While these combatants draw from the same family of skills to form their arsenal, none of them have found the exact same arts. While one warrior might wield freezing energy as she blinks from place to place around the battlefield, another may send opponents and himself flying through the air with the power of the storm on his heels.   Creating an Archaic Warrior As you put together your character, consider how they have come to know these primordial fighting arts. What did they unearth in their travels that lead them to the practice? Do they seek to understand the ancients who left them behind in order to gain more power? Are they scared that others may learn such abilities as well? What drove them to the intense discipline required to command resonance? Do you want to take the flavor to another place entirely? Is resonance no longer a form of ancient magic in the world of your dungeon master, but something else entirely?

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Class Features

Resonance Starting at 1st level, your training allows you to tap into your reserve of resonance. Resonance is the force that flows through all natural things, the magic that is tethered to the world that allows it to function. Your ability to manipulate this power within yourself is represented by a number of resonance points. Your archaic warrior level determines the number of resonance points you have, as shown in the resonance points column of the archaic warrior table.   You can spend these resonance points to fuel various resonation features. You start out knowing the Archaic Stances feature. You gain more resonance features as you gain levels in this class.   When you spend a resonance point it is unavailable to you until after you finish a long rest, at which point you reassume control of the energy you have altered previously. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to gain your resonance points.   Some of your resonance features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The DC for these saves is calculated as follows.       Resonation save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier   Archaic Stances Starting at 1st level you learn to alter the resonation within you to call the elements to your presence through stances, attunements of energy. Stances are acheived in different ways, as many techniques of accessing this power existed before they were lost. You start out knowing two such stances and learn additional stances as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the stances known column of the Archaic Warrior table. In order to learn a stance you must have enough resonance points to activate it. The stances available to you can be found in the Archaic Stances section of this document. Whenever you gain a level in this class you may choose one of the stances you know and replace it with another available to you.   At the beginning of your turn you may choose to activate a stance by spending the amount of resonance points listed in the stance. Once a stance is activated it remains in effect until the start of your next turn, ending immediately before you are able to select another one. You may not activate a stance on a turn where the same stance has ended.   Fighting Style At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.   Archery You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.   Blind Fighting You have blindsight out to a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range unless the creature successfully hides from you.   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 a 2 on a damage die for an attack that 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.   Interception When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial melee weapon to use this reaction.   Resonative Fighting Your weapon attacks count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance or immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.   Shield Fighting While holding a light weapon in one hand and wielding a shield you are proficient with in the other you may treat the shield as a martial melee weapon with the light property that deals points of bludgeoning damage equal to your strength modifier on a hit (minimum of 1 point of damage).   Thrown Weapon Fighting You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.   Two-Weapon Fighting When you engage in two-weapon fighting you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.   Lethal Resonation   Also at 2nd level, you learn to pull some of your resonance through your body and into your weapon, charging your attacks with deadly power. While under the effects of a stance the first time on your turn that you hit with a weapon attack the attack deals an additional d6 of damage. The damage type is determined by the stance and listed in the resonation damage table. This damage increases as you gain levels in the archaic warrior class, as shown in the resonation die column of the archaic warrior table.   Resonation Damage Damage Type Stances Acid Rain, Water Bludgeoning Earth, Stone Cold Cloud, Cold, Ice, Snow Fire Air, Fire, Growth Lightning Lightning, Spark Piercing Wind, Tornado Poison Spore, Toxic Psychic Predator, Prey, Scavenger Slashing Hurricane Thunder Storm, Thunder   Archaic Discipline At 3rd level, you choose a discipline that follows the styles you seek to master through your resonation wielding. Choose Shadow Caller, Guardian Demon, Stance Master or Wind Skirmisher, all detailed in this document. The disciple you choose grants you features at 3rd, 6th, 11th, 13th, and 18th level.   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.   Martial Versatility Whenever you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace a fighting style you know with another fighting style available to archaic warriors. This replacement represents a shift of focus in your martial practice.   Extra Attack Starting at 5th level you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action on your turn.   Dual-Energy Surge Beginning at 7th level your control over your resonance has expanded to such an extent that you can influence enough energy at once to devote yourself towards two different attunements at the same time. You can choose to activate two stances at once at the beginning of your turn. When you do so you gain the benefits of both stances and you add two resonation dice to your damage, each corresponding to one of the stances.   Once you have entered a dual stance in this way you cannot do so again until you have finished a short or long rest. Starting at 15th level you may use this feature twice before a rest.   Reinforced Physique Beginning at 9th level, the energy that you call to your weapons and presence also surrounds you in a ward. Whenever you activate a stance, you gain temporary hit points equal to a roll of your resonation die. While you have these hitpoints, any damage matching the type of your lethal resonation that is dealt to your temporary hitpoints is halved. Any excess damage dealt to you is not halved. When the stance ends, any temporary hitpoints from this feature that you still have are lost.   Dismantle the Arcane At 10th level, you gain the ability to hone your weapons with resonation that is capable of unraveling magic. As an action you may spend 3 resonance points to choose a target you can see within range or reach of a weapon you are holding and attempt to destroy the threads of a magical effect tied to it. You do not need to know what the effect is, but you must know it is present. Make an attack with the weapon you used to activate this ability, on a hit, any spell of 3rd level of lower or any similar magical effect immediately ends. If a target effect is of 4th level or higher, make an intelligence check. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level (or other effects corresponding strength). On a successful check the magic is dispelled. You make both the attack roll and check with advantage when attempting to destroy a tangible magical barrier, such as that created by the wall of stone or magic circle spells.   Harmonious Energy Starting at 14th level, your mastery over resonance allows you to reach out towards other people's resonance, relaxing their subconcious by matching their energy. People often feel as if they have met you, and you sometimes seem to fade into the background. For example an archaic warrior who simply put on a guard's uniform would likely be welcomed into a garrison or castle as a friend so long as they were mindful of their speech, despite the fact that nobody actually recognized their face. Unless given an obvious reason to question you, creatures will not become suspicious of your presence. Additionally, creatures suffer disadvantage on Wisdom (insight) checks made to tell if you are lying and you have advantage on Wisdom (animal handling) and Charisma (persuasion) checks made to calm down creatures.   Volatile Response Beginning at 17th level, your martial talent is honed to a deadly perfection, and you have learned to capitalize on any weakness in yours opponent's defenses. When a creature within 5 feet of you makes a melee attack against you, you can use your reaction to make a melee spell attack against them using a weapon you are holding. You may make this attack even if it is not a melee weapon, as the attack is made with the resonance attached to it. On a hit, the counterattack deals force damage equal to a roll of your resonance die plus your strength modifier. If the target weapon had the ranged or finesse properties you may add your dexterity modifier in place of strength.   Ceaseless Resonance Beginning at 20th level, the erupting energy from your surrounding and self not only briefly flares alongside your attacks, but is carried in each one of your movements at full strength. You can now add your lethal resonation damage to all weapon attacks you make while under the effects of a stance, not just the first one you hit with on your turn.

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Starting Equipment

You start with the following equipment in addition to your background equipment: (a) chain mail or (b) leather armor, a recurve bow, and 20 arrows (a) a katana and a skirmish shield, (b) any weapon (a) 2 shortswords or (b) 4 throwing knives (a) an explorer's pack (b) a dungeoneer's pack

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Subclass Options

Guardian Demon

Guardian Demons use fear and physical debilitation to take on and immobilize multiple opponents at once in order to protect the people around them. In the same moment that their dark arts terrify the common citizen, so too are they the best at protecting them.   Desire to Preserve Starting at 3rd level when you select this discipline, the need to protect others allows you to use your energy to quicken your movements and intervene when those that surround you are threatened. When a creature within 15 feet of you is hit with an attack, you can use your reaction to spend one resonance point and move to a space within 5 feet of the target of the attack. If you do so, you suffer the damage instead of the original target. If you move within 5 feet of the attacker as well with this movement, you can choose to force them to make a strength saving throw against your Resonance save DC. On a failure, the target is knocked prone. You cannot take this reaction if there is no available path to the target, or no available space to move to.   Fearless Terror Beginning at 6th level the life you lead in inflicting intense psychological stress has granted you a rational mindset. You gain immunity to the frightened condition, and creatures suffer disadvantage on charisma (Intimidation) checks made to coerce you into doing something.   Demon's Presence Starting at 11th level your resonance can pull the inner demons of your enemies and manifest them in your vicinity. As an action, you can expend 3 resonance points to exude an aura of terror in a 10-foot radius sphere centered on you. When the aura begins, any creature of your choice within it must make a wisdom saving throw against your Resonance save DC. A creature of your choice must also make this save when they move into the aura. On a failed save, a creature becomes frightened of you until they are no longer within the aura. Attack rolls against the frightened creatures are made with advantage. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the ends of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. The aura fades after one minute, or until you dismiss it (no action required). Once you have activated this aura you cannot do so again until you have finished a long rest.   Reaping Slash Starting at 13th level, whenever you hit a creature who is frightened of you with a weapon attack, you gain temporary hit points equal to a roll of your resonation die.   Demon's Embrace Beginning at 18th level, your resonance can seize overwhelming control over the fragile minds around you, manifesting dark energy that physically rips into your foes. The radius of your aura of terror increases to 30 feet. Additionally, a creature who starts their turn in the aura while frightened of you suffers 2d8 points of psychic damage.  

Shadow Caller

Shadow callers are the most subtle of all archaic warriors. They have trained in subversive talents that allow them to avoid their opponent's fury and preserve their own resources. They can summon death and shadow to their presence, and have an acute control over these terrifying concepts in material form.   Umbral Stalker Beginning at 3rd level when you select this discipline, you gain the ability to shift your resonance and body into shadow. As a bonus action, you may teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 20 feet of you that is in dim light or darkness. When you teleport in this way, you may immediately attempt to hide as a free action, even if you are only obscured by dim light.   Shadow Sight At 6th level the touch of shadow energy infused in your resonance has enhanced your perception amidst that condition. You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision from your race, the range increases by 30 feet.   Unshackled Mobility Also at 6th level, you gain climbing and swimming speeds equal to your walking speed. Additionally, you have advantage on checks made to climb difficult surfaces or swim difficult currents.   Shadow Wielder Beginning at 11th level, whenever you hit a creature with a weapon attack while in dim light or darkness the target suffers an additional amount of necrotic damage equal to a roll of your resonance die as haunting energies tear into them.   Smother Illuminance At 13th level you gain the ability to exude an aura of soft shadows, woven by resonance. As an action, you can expend two resonance points. For one minute, an area in a 20 foot radius around you cannot become brighter than dim light through non magical means.   Soul Larceny Starting at 18th level, once per turn when you kill a creature of at least CR 1 to zero hitpoints you can call the energies of their dying soul to yourself, pulling the resonance within them into your own supply. If you do so you immediately regain 1 resonance point.  

Stance Master

Archaic Warriors who have learned the techniques of the stance master have focused on their stances. They have developed ways to further their stances, making them stronger and staying within them longer. Not only do they briefly re-tune spirits around them to exert elemental energy, they fully transform them, draining their energy to summon nature to their hand.   Versatile Essence At 3rd level when you select this discipline, you learn an additional stance of your choice.   Amplified Stances Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to not only sculpt your own resonance, but to direct massive amounts of it from the world to your presence. When you activate a stance, you may choose to amplify it by spending twice the required resonance points. If you do so you gain the following benefits;   The stance now lasts for two rounds, as opposed to ending after one. If you activate a stance on your second turn in an amplified stance, the first stance ends. You have resistance to the type of damage your resonation dice deal within this stance. You add your intelligence modifier to the damage of your lethal resonation while within this stance. You may amplify stances a number of times up to your intelligence modifier and you regain expended uses of this feature when you finish a long rest.   Command of nature Beginning at 6th level, your experience with resonance energy has allowed you a degree of influence over the elements around you. You can use your action to begin exuding an interfering aura that extends 20 feet around you, and moves with you. The aura lasts for as long as you can maintain concentration, as if you were concentrating on a spell. You can maintain this concentration even while resting. When you create the aura choose one of the following effects:   Precipitation does not enter the aura, including rain, mist, or snow and any of these substances will temporarily dissipate if the aura is moved over them until they are out of the aura. Areas of water freeze while within the aura. You can spend an action to unfreeze all or pieces of the water until you use an action to allow them to freeze again. The temperature within the aura is raised or lowered by up to twenty degrees. Difficult terrain created by plants or other natural sources does not affect creatures while it is within the aura. With your DM's permission you may produce a different effect in your aura along similar lines, but it should not be more influential than those presented here.   Intensified Stances Starting at 11th level, you roll two resonation dice to determine the damage dealt by your lethal resonation.   Drain Essence Beginning at 13th level, you can pull the innate resonance of those you strike down into your body to further it's current attunement. The first time that you reduce a creature to zero hitpoints while within a stance you can choose to extend the length of the stance by one round.   Transcendent Soul Starting at 18th level, your capacity for mimicking nature has expanded far beyond the potential of another not of your skillset. You may amplify stances an unlimited number of times. Additionally, you may amplify stances without paying any additional resonance points a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier.  

Wind Skirmisher

Wind Skirmishing is an incredibly mobile art. Practitioners of this style train extensively in moving themselves about with their resonance by manifesting wind and air. They are masters of throwing themselves into the air and back down, and are near-impossible to escape.   Aerial Dash Beginning at 3rd level when you choose this discipline, you learn to launch yourself forward with wind, striking targets in your path. When you take the attack action, you can dash up to 15 feet to an unoccupied space for every melee attack you make. You can choose whether to make the attack before, during, or after this movement. Dashing in this way allows you to pass through a hostile creature's space and this movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. Using this feature in midair or up into the air allows you to move up to 20 feet.   Wind-Borne Warrior You have become at home in the air, and fluid in your movements while at it's control. You gain resistance to fall damage, and your long jump and high jump distance are doubled. Additionally, when determining your distance for these jumps you can use your dexterity score in place of your strength score.   Plunging Attack Beginning at 11th level you can use your control of wind to hurl yourself towards the ground. While in the air when you take the attack action you can spend one of your attacks to plunge to the ground directly below you. You can then make a single melee attack with a melee weapon you are holding against every creature within the reach of your weapon from that point. Any creatures that are hit by this attack suffer force damage equal to 1d6 for every 5 feet you plunged, up to a maximum number of d6 equal to half your archaic warrior level.   Control of the Currents Starting at 13th level your aerial maneuverability has strengthened. Whenever you are subjected to forced movement you can use your reaction to reduce the distance by up to 20 feet. Additionally, you gain immunity to fall damage.   Gale Surge Beginning at 13th level, your dash distance for Aerial Dash increases to 20 feet. Dashing into the air or while in midair lengthens your dash distance to 25 feet.   Hurricane Dance Starting at 18th level, you gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed. If you end your turn while in the air you will fall to the ground.

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