Landsknecht (5A)

A landsknecht is a professional infantryman, specialized in large weapons such as pole arms and greatswords. An infantry army needs an elite on the first rank to take the brunt of an enemy charge. This becomes doubly true when facing large creatures and mounted troops. These soldiers fight with heavy weapons such as pikes, halberds, and greatswords, disrupting enemy formations and breaking enemy ranks. Landsknechts also make formidable individual warriors, eschewing shields to develop an overwhelming counterattack to break an enemy charge and settle the combat fast.

Greyhawk Landsknechts are common in egalitarian countries where they make up a professional core of their militia forces. Perrenland and the Yeomanry are places associated with landsknechts, but their true home is in mercenary companies world-wide.

Defensive Reach

At 3rd level, creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move from one spot within your reach to another spot also within your reach. If the opponent is mounted or Large or larger and you hit with such an opportunity attack, the hit is automatically a critical hit.

Great Weapon Shove

At 3rd level, once per turn when you do damage to an opponent with a melee weapon with the two-handed property, you can make a Strength (Athletics) check to Shove that opponent. If you do this following an opportunity attack, you can shove an opponent of any size.

Additional Reaction

Starting at 7th level, you have an additional reaction each round that can only be used for opportunity attacks .

Cut Down Reach

Starting at 7th level, when within the reach of an opponent and armed with a weapon that has the two-handed property and lacks the reach property, that opponent cannot make opportunity attacks.

Additional Reach

At 10th level, when wielding a melee weapon with the two-handed property, you reach increases by 5 ft. This does not give the weapon the reach property, which matters for the Cut Down Reach ability. You also gain immunity to Cut Down Reach and any other ability that would prevent you from making an opportunity attack.

Controlling Reach

Starting at 15th level, you learn to fully control the space around you. In combat, you get a special reaction that you can take once on every creature's turn, except your turn. You can use this special reaction only to make an opportunity attack, and you can't use it on the same turn that you take your normal reaction. This replaces the Additional Reaction ability gained at level 7.

Rapid Strikes

At 18th level, when you take the attack action, you can make two additional attacks as a bonus action.