Chapter IV: Character Options (Part I) much like Chapter 2 this is split into 2 parts.
The bulk of this section hosts class-centric options, but new backgrounds and feats are also included. And in fitting with the setting’s maritime theme, quite a few grant one or more of the following: proficiency with water vehicles (5), a swimming speed (6), and/or the ability to breathe underwater (2). Many existing PHB classes allow the option of alternative starting Equipment reflecting Vodari’s technology level, notably exchanging default ranged weapons and accompanying ammunition for firearms.
Gunslinger is a new core class with four archetypes, reflecting a specialized type of warrior who relies on the innovative new black powder weapons to gain an edge in battle. They are more of a mobile warrior type, with a d8 Hit Die, proficiency in light armor, simple weapons and firearms, and martial firearms. They are proficient in Dexterity and Charisma saves, tinker’s tools, and choose two skills from a selection of mobile, quick-witted options (Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, etc). For their core 1st level features they choose from a list of Fighting Styles, with Archery and modified versions of Duelist and Two-Weapon Fighting that apply to pistols, can expend money to create ammunition as a Gunsmith, and can gain and spend Bravado Points to perform special actions in combat which are restored on a short or long rest. At later levels they get more martial options, such as not suffering disadvantage on ranged attack rolls within 5 feet of an enemy, ignoring the loading property on firearms, add Charisma to initiative, an Extra Attack at 5th level, can halve an attack’s damage as a reaction, spending Bravado Points to better guarantee critical hits, and so on.
A base Gunslinger has three types of Bravado Deeds they can perform, but their Archetype subclasses can grant them unique Deeds. The base deeds include adding proficiency bonus to AC as a reaction vs a single attack, gaining advantage on an attack roll with a firearm, and an all-purpose “utility shot” where a firearm shot can open a lock, push a light unattended object, and other such open-ended effects.
At their core Gunslingers feel very much like a Fighter/Rogue hybrid. Their skills are broadly useful ones, and unlike some settings with sucky firearms rules (critical fumble misfires, useless when wet, etc) such rules are optional rather than inherent in the system. They also reload faster than the ones in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and a few of the range increments are farther albeit their damage is closer to crossbows. What this means is that Gunslingers aren’t necessarily relying upon suboptimal gear like they would in Pathfinder and other settings with selective realism for firearm rules. The class is a bit more fragile than the typical heavily-armored d10/d12 warrior, and their more defensive class features kick in at middle-to-higher levels.
Arcane Gunmaster is our first archetype, representing gunslingers who learned magic to enhance their fighting prowess. They gain proficiency in the Arcana skill, smith’s tools, and gain partial casting akin to an Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster. But unlike said subclasses they aren’t limited by schools of magic and choose from the list of and spontaneously cast as sorcerers. At 6th level they gain Deeds where they apply magical touches to their shots, such as changing the damage type to an elemental one, making their shot silenced, or a silvered shot that can deal bonus radiant damage. At 10th level they can simultaneously shoot and cast a cantrip (or 1st level or higher spell via Bravado) as an action and bonus action, at 15th they can restore spell slots via Bravado and vice versa, and at 18th level they learn new Deeds (3d8 bonus elemental damage, reroll damage dice and choose the new or old results, ignore shield spell and magically-created barriers).
Musketeer is our second subclass, representing gunslingers who mix things up with some swordplay. At 3rd level they gain proficiency in Persuasion, all martial weapons and medium armor, can choose a bonus Fighting Style from the Fighter class (Dueling, Protection, Two-Weapon Fighting), and enjoy +1 AC when wearing light or medium armor. At 6th level they gain new Deeds which include adding 1d6 to an ally’s saving throw result as a reaction, making a firearm attack in addition to a melee one as a bonus action with +1d8 damage, and can make an immediate firearm attack when initiative is rolled and they’re not surprised. At 10th level they can spend Bravado to reroll a non-Performance related Charisma skill check, using the higher result, at 15th level they gain new and improved deeds (Dodge as a bonus action, +2d8 and push opponent 10 feet away with a firearm attack, and can grant two allies firearm attacks as a reaction), and at 18th level they automatically regain Bravado points equal to their Charisma modifier whenever they roll initiative.
Pistolero are trick shooters who focus on quick, showy gunplay. At 3rd level they gain proficiency in Performance and double proficiency bonus when using said skill for gunplay. Their new Deeds include shots that can disarm, deal half damage on a miss, and gain advantage on Intimidation and Persuasion checks vs nearby targets after firing a shot into the air (specifies you cannot choose a target to hit when doing this). At 6th level they add their proficiency bonus on top of Dexterity and Charisma to initiative rolls and can never be taken by surprise as long as they’re conscious. At 10th level their new deeds grant 2d8 bonus damage of a certain type along with a debuff condition on a failed saving throw (piercing, thunder, and and thunder for prone, frighten, deafened respectively). At 15th level they learn how to build a special Experimental Weapon which reflects some technological innovation. By default said weapons are magic +1 guns that jam on a natural 1 and can be replaced via 100 gold and 3 days of work, and up to 2 can be maintained at a time. There’s only two selections: a Revolving Pistol that can fire all 6 of its bullets at once for +1d4 damage per bonus shot beyond the initial attack (1d10), and a Double-Barrel Musket that deals +2d10 piercing on top of the base damage value (2d6). The 18th level legendary Deeds include a successful shot made with disadvantage robbing the target of opportunity attack attempts, a shot that deals +1d8 damage and stuns on a failed Constitution save, and a shot that deals +3d8 damage and causes all further firearm attacks made against the target that round deal +1d8 piercing until the end of the gunslinger’s next turn.
Snipers are long-range specialists. They initially gain proficiency in either Perception, Stealth, or Survival and their bonus Deeds include doubling the weapon range, Hide as a bonus action with +1d8 to the Stealth roll, and granting +2d6 to +6d6 damage on a shot dependent on their level in which they have advantage. At 6th level they gain advantage on musket attacks vs surprised targets and automatically crit on hits if hidden or invisible from said targets. At 10th level they can learn information from observing an individual or a group of up to 10 creatures: who is the greatest threat, who is in charge, are any under the effects of enchantment or illusion magic, etc. Said information is nearly impossible to trick or conceal from the Sniper, even with magic. At 15th level they gain their best Deeds instead of the usual 18th, including options such as Stunning a creature on a failed Constitution save (seen that already), an AoE shot that deals +1d10 piercing to every creature in a line, and can make a reaction-based attack on a creature that recovers from the Prone condition. At 18th level they can move at full speed while hidden and can remain hidden even when leaving cover/concealment as long as they obtain new cover/concealment before their turn ends.
Of the four archetypes, the Arcane Gunmaster seems the most appealing. They are a partial caster but have a wide degree in versatility from a selection of sorcerer spells. While their spell slots are restored during a long rest, the fact that Bravado refreshes on a short rest means that they can cast spells far more often than it would initially seem, and their ability to change their damage types to elemental and even silver helps overcome common resistance and immunities to physical attacks. The Musketeer gets a good survivability upgrade with medium armor and +1 AC and has a nice ability to play with action economy via Deeds. The Pistolero feels a bit more situational in terms of initial low-level choices, and their 10th level Deeds felt a bit too samey. I would’ve preferred more Experimental Weapons, but I also understand the need for concise and short archetypes. The Sniper is great at doing a lot of damage from a fair distance, although its 18th-level ability is rather underwhelming.
Barbarian Path of the Buccaneer represents your typical reaving pirate. At 3rd level they add double their proficiency to Athletics when climbing and swimming, have climb and swim speeds equal to their walking speed, and advantage on Stealth checks when engaging in said alternative movements. At 3rd level they can shove enemies as a reaction when entering a rage or as a bonus action while raging, dealing Strength modifier in damage and can move along with shoved enemies at no movement cost. At 6th level they can do the same reaction/bonus actions for Dash in regards to rage and also attack enemies hit by allies within 5 feet as a reaction. At 10th level they gain advantage on grappling checks when they have a rope in hand and can impose the blind condition on targets grappled in such a way. At 14th level they can attack targets while raging as a reaction if said targets ever suffer disadvantage on attack rolls for any reason, and can attack in such a manner even if they already used a reaction that turn (but only 1 + STR modifier times per long rest).
When stacked up against the official Barbarian Paths, the Buccaneer focuses heavily on mobility and some debuffs at the expense of staying power. They don’t have much in the way of utility like an Ancestral Guardian or Totem Warrior, and the need for a handful of rope for their Blinding debuff prevents them from easily using two-handed weapons barring some creative workarounds. They may be good for characters who want to ensure that their Barbarian can move quickly and at great distance in a variety of terrain, but beyond that I don’t know how much I can recommend this over something like Storm Herald.
Bardic College of Nature are those magical musicians devoted to Aubori, some other nature deity, or even just the natural world itself. They initially gain proficiency in two skills (Animal Handling, Nature, or Survival), herbalism kits, and a druid cantrip of their choice which they cast as a bard cantrip. Additionally, they can select a natural environment from which they gain constant boons: this commonly manifests as resistance to a certain damage type (fire for desert, lightning for mountain, etc), better maneuvering in said terrain type (climbing speed, swimming speed, ignoring difficult terrain/speed bonus when not wearing heavy armor), and in some cases general utility (advantage on Stealth in grasslands, requiring only half a gallon of water, etc). At 6th level they can choose new spells from the druid and ranger lists when learning new bard spells, and automatically gain 2 spells from their favored environment which tend to be a mixture of utility and offense. At 14th level they can create pleasant sensations associated with nature in their works (smell of flowers, a gentle breeze, etc), meaning that any roll an ally performs with a Bardic Inspiration die ignores any disadvantage imposed on said roll.
Overall the College of Nature doesn’t have anything truly original, instead deriving most of its powers from other classes and concepts. But gaining 2 entire classes’ worth of spell lists is great for all the potential options. The focused environment is much more situational, and while some have some nice boons I feel that the Coast option is going to be a favorite (swimming speed, breathe air and water) given Vodari’s emphasis on seafaring.
Bardic College of Shanties contains virtuosos who use their skills to improve efficiency and morale among a ship’s crew. At 3rd level they gain proficiency in any two skills of choice plus one choice of land vehicles, water vehicles, or one type of artisan’s tools. Additionally they can use their own singing voice as a focus for bard spells, no longer requiring a musical instrument. Their final 3rd level feature is a Song of Work that grants a number of targets equal to their Charisma modifier advantage on ability checks for up to 1 hour. provided the Bard concentrates on the song. As this song refreshes every short and long rest, it can effectively grant advantage for hours. At 6th level they can expend a Bardic Inspiration to sing a Duet whenever they cast a non-Cantrip bard spell, granting a target that sings along with them a bonus on an attack roll equal to the Bardic Inspiration die result (said attack is performed as a reaction). Finally at 14th level they can lead a song of Camaraderie, affecting a number of targets equal to their Charisma modifier, granting them temporary hit points and advantage on the next attack/save/ability check if they’re within 5 feet of the bard.
This College is very obviously geared towards a Skill Monkey build, both on the part of the Bard and allies via their Song of Work. The extent of its utility is providing advantage on rolls vs more magical flair such as Glamour’s charming presence or Creation’s item-summoning features. I’d rank it better than a Whisper or Valor Bard if only because it more effectively plays to the Bard class’ strengths, as opposed to turning the class into something it’s not or cannot do as well as another class.
Spirit Domain Clerics are those who pray to whatever deity suits their needs at the moment as well as honoring various lesser spirits, resulting in a syncretic faith. Their Domain Spells include heavy use on making use of summoned unseen forces, such as Unseen Servant, Faithful Hound, Spiritual Weapon, Animate Dead, Animate Objects and the like, with some unrelated spells like False Life, Confusion, and Dream. At 1st level they gain proficiency with herbalism kits, their choice of History/Nature/Survival as a bonus skill, and learn a unique Spirit Slash cantrip only Clerics of this domain possess. Said cantrip is a 60 foot ranged attack that takes an action to cast, allowing a spirit companion to deal 1d6 slashing damage (+1d6 every proficiency bonus increase like most cantrips) and targets subtract d4 from their next saving throw result even if the attack missed.
Speaking of spirit companions, that is the other major feature gained at 1st level. Said Companion is a Tiny-to-Medium sized creature that has a wide selection of default forms that can be called from the Ethereal Plane as a bonus action. It has the same movement modes as the Cleric so it can’t ‘ghost around’ as a scout by default. The spirit can attack enemies by itself if the Cleric doesn’t perform offensive actions on their turn, and it is immune to all damage save force damage (which can disperse it on a failed Constitution save). At 2nd and 6th level the Spirit Domain Cleric gains Channel Divinity options based on the general ‘type’ of spirit companion summoned at the time. For example, Warrior spirits grant resistance to a single damage source as a reaction for a normal Channel and adds temporary HP as Greater, while Messengers can lift and move allies without provoking opportunity attacks for a normal channel and grants darkvision/+5 passive Perception/advantage on Perception as a Greater. At 8th level the Spirit Companion can make an attack even if the Cleric performs an offensive action (both have to attack the same enemy), and at 17th level they can choose any one feature from another Cleric domain of 6th level or below. Domain Spells have to replace the Spirit Domain spells during such a switch, but the Cleric can pick and choose on an individual level. Said feature can be swapped for another appropriate domain feature on a long rest.
The Spirit Domain Cleric has a pretty good spell list, and the Spirit Companion makes for a rather good ‘animal companion’ style ally. The capstone feature is very versatile in representing the syncretic faith, although it feels a bit lackluster in that like the Nature Bard it’s more borrowing from other content rather than presenting a unique new thing for players.
Druid Circle of the Deeps are those devotees who honor the oceans’ dark depths. At 2nd level they gain resistance to cold damage, gain a swimming speed and the ability to breathe underwater, and can safely exist in environments of high pressure of 1,000 feet below sea level per Druid level. Their Wild Shape is expanded, where they can change into Beasts that have a swimming speed and at 8th level into such Beast of up to CR 2, and can communicate simple concepts to aquatic creatures in any form. Their last 2nd level boon lets them spend a bonus action to knock a target prone and halve their speed for 1 turn when using a hostile spell attack, and can do this a number of times equal to their Wisdom modifier per long rest (or short rest at 14th level). At 6th level they gain Water Breathing as an additional prepared spell that also grants targets cold resistance, swim speed, and pressure immunity like the druid. At 10th level they gain 60 feet of blindsight, can communicate telepathically up to 120 feet, and at 14th level creatures that are knocked prone via the 2nd level feature can suffer +5d10 cold damage and the restrained condition. Their last 14th level feature makes their special Water Breathing spell unable to be dispelled by any means besides the Druid dispelling it themselves.
Circle of the Deeps gets a nice mixture of offense and utility, with the utility very useful in Vodari’s aquatic campaign emphasis. Blindsight and telepathy are great to have even out of water, and prone/halving speeds of struck opponents is overall pretty nice. Their ability to Wild Shape into aquatic creatures is a bit underwhelming, as the CR 2 cap gates off some of the cooler and larger monsters of the depths such as the Giant Crocodile (CR 5), Killer Whale (CR 3), and such. As a result any player thinking “I wanna be an orca” is still going to pick a Moon Druid. Bummer.
Cannoneer Fighters love big balls and they cannot lie. They initially gain proficiency with handcannons* as well as smith’s tools or another artisan’s tools if already proficient. They can also build a culverin, a specialized type of handcannon that applies a variety of bonus features, ranging from the Cannoneer applying their Strength modifier to attack and damage rolls with the weapon’s ranged attacks, can fire different types of ammunition besides the handcannon’s cannonball default, can use it as a 1d10 bludgeoning melee weapon, ignore its heavy and loading properties, and can build a greatculverin at 10th level. They can build new culverins and ammunition types (cannonballs, grenados, stinkpots) with gold and time. At 7th, 10th, 15, and 18th level they can apply a Heavy Modification (start with 2 at 7th) to their culverin, with a diversity of choices such as scoring a critical on 19-20, rolling damage die twice and keeping the better result when using cannonballs, doubling the weapon range, and ignoring the natural 1 misfire property of their own culverins** among other options. At 10th level they can use black powder for more non-offensive uses, such as destroying locks and traps via smith’s tools check with advantage, creating blinding fireworks, a timed noisemaker for distractions, and a 20 foot radius of harmless but opaque smoke. At 15th level they can use gold and smith’s tools to create canisters that can fire more specialized ammunition from handcannons: explosive fire damage, blind/deafening flashbangs, AoE scattershot balls, and silver cannonballs. At 18th level they can use 2 pounds of gunpowder loaded into their handcannon to do a 6d6 30 foot cone attack that keeps on rolling 1d6 bonus damage until a 1 is rolled on the dice, but 40 or more damage causes a backfire that deals 3d6 damage to the culverin wielder.
*Detailed here as their own special table. Culverins deal 2d6 bludgeoning and have a range of 150/300 feet, while greatculverins deal 2d8 and have a range of 250/750. They have other typical firearm properties, such as Loud and Loading along with Heavy and Two-Handed.
**Handcannons misfire on a natural 1 even if not using the optional misfire rules. Detailed in the next chapter, misfire basically fouls/jams the weapon and renders it inoperable until fixed via an Action.
The concept of making a specialized BIG GUN wielder is a cool one, although it feels a bit of a one-trick-pony for an otherwise low-utility class. Handcannons have a damage die unmatched by any other ranged weapons and allow for versatile attacks, but the later-level utility features can be easily replicated by lower-level spells. The AoE damage capstone seems cool, but dealing damage to the user makes it rather unappealing.
Corsair Fighters are those who pledge allegiance to Fortana and rely upon luck to enhance, rather than guide, their fates. They are akin to Battlemaster Fighters in that they gain Fortana Dice which can be spent to add to and activate rolls and features that require the use of such a die. Said die is a d6, but if they roll a 6 they can roll the dice again and again until they no longer roll a 6. But if they roll a 1 after rolling a 6 they add nothing to the result instead. Instead of maneuvers they learn a Tradewind at 3rd, 7th, 10th, and 15th level (there are only 4, one for each compass direction). North automatically reduces all unwanted movement imposed by 5 feet, turns all versatile weapons into finesse weapons, said weapons deal bonus damage equal to the lower STR/DEX modifier when used two-handed, and Fortana dice can be spent to add to damage rolls with said weapons. South increases damage die of loading and reach weapons by one size, the first 15 feet of difficult terrain is treated as normal terrain when moving during their turn, and Fortana dice can add to the damage rolls of loading/reach weapons. East adds the Fighter’s lower STR/DEX mod to the attack rolls of light and thrown weapons on top of the higher modifier, increases speed by 5 feet, and adds Fortana dice to AC when Disengaging. West lets the Corsair use Help as a bonus action after using the Attack action, and they can grant an ally Helped in such a way a Fortana die on their next attack/damage roll.
Beyond the Tradewinds Corsairs, can spend Fortana dice to Dash or Disengage as a bonus action, add to their AC as a reaction against an attack, and move 15 feet when unarmoured or lightly armored, or if wearing Medium armor can spend Fortana to reduce damage and move 5 feet. At 7th level they gain proficiency in one gaming set and advantage on Insight rolls when playing dice or card games. They can reroll any natural 1 on an Acrobatics, Athletics, or Stealth roll when unarmoured or lightly armored, and can reroll natural 2s and 3s if in water or while standing on something that’s floating in water. At 10th level for 1 round after using Second Wind they impose disadvantage on attack rolls that would normally have advantage against them, and gain advantage on saving throws if they’d roll with disadvantage. At 15th level they gain temporary HP after using their Indomitable class feature, and at 18th level treat the first result of 1 on a Fortana die as a 6.
Overall I like the Corsair as a concept, but feel that it can be better. While the d6 Fortana are lower than a Battlemaster’s d8 (and later d10 and d12), their ability to effectively add their Strength and Dexterity together for certain types of weapons can be a good damage boost depending on the build. They aren’t as versatile as the Battlemaster either in that they have just a few Tradewinds, and their focus is more on dodging and weaving than straight offense which I feel the core Rogue can do better. Their utility feature for games of chance is rather limited, only applying to one skill.
