Exemplar (5A)

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This class is a development of the Savant class using other abilities instead of Intelligence.

An excemplar displays exceptional abilities in a specific ability, to the degree they seem fantastic or even supernatural. As a dventurers, excemplar leverage their specific abilities to the advantage of their team, each useful in their own peculiar way.

Excemplar Heroics

As an excemplar, you can do things others simply cannot without magic. Your abilities are all mundane, and cannot be countered or dispelled. Your area of ability might not be very wide, but you can usually find an angle where your skills shine.

Creating An Excemplar

The first decision when making an excemplar is deciding your subclass. A Strongman is totally unlike a Daredevil, and though they may have the same class, the way they do things is completely different. Second, why are you adventuring? Most excemplars can have a decent life exploiting their special talents, why seek out even more danger than your job already has? Mesh this with your background, and you are well on your way to an exiting character.

Quick Build

To quickly build an excemplar, choose the scrapper focus and the noble background. Put your highest ability score in Dexterity and then Constitution, Wisdom and Charisma in that order. Choose Insight and Survival as class skills and gain History and Persuasion from the Noble background. Choose proficiency in playing cards and smith's tools. For equipment, choose a rapier, a hand crossbow, and a set of smith's tools.

Class Profile

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per excemplar level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per excemplar level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: None
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, maces, rapiers, short swords.
Tools: Any one type of vehicle, musical instrument, gaming set, or set of artisan's tools.
Languages: Any one common language.
Saving Throws: None, see Focus Ability below.
Skills: Choose two from History, Nature, Religion, Insight, Survival, Performance.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background.

  • a set of traveler's clothes
  • an entertainer's pack
  • (a) a melee weapon you are proficient with
  • (a) a ranged weapon you are proficient with
  • (a) one set of tools you are proficient in.

Alternatively you can start with 4d4 x10 gp or 100 gp.

Multiclassing

Prerequisite: 13 in the ability selected for your Defense Focus ability.

Excemplar Table

Level Proficiency
Bonus
Excemplar
Dice
Features
1st +2 Focus, Versatile Defense
2nd +2 Analyzed need, Focus ability
3rd +2 d4 Excemplar Tricks
4th +2 d4 Ability Score Improvement
5th +3 d4 Extra Attack
6th +3 d6 Focus ability
7th +3 d6 Intelligent Caution
8th +3 d6 Ability Score Improvement
9th +4 d6 Focused Defense
10th +4 d6 More Tricks
11th +4 d8 Focus ability
12th +4 d8 Ability Score Improvement
13th +5 d8 More Excemplar Dice
14th +5 d10 Focus ability
15th +5 d10 Clockwork Mind
16th +5 d10 Ability Score Improvement
17th +6 d12 Focus ability
18th +6 d12 Mindful Soul
19th +6 d12 Ability Score Improvement
20th +6 d12 Ultimate Schema

Class features

As an excemplar, you gain the following class features.

1st Level: Escape Focus

Choose a defensive focus, one set of abilities from the list below. You gain proficiency with these saving throws.

  • Strength and Constitution.
  • Dexterity and Charisma.
  • Intelligence and Wisdom.

1st Level: Focus Ability and Defense

You can use your Focus Ability to improve your posture, using confidence and amazing ability to guide attacks away from yourself. Choose one of the abilities selected for Escape Focus. This is your Focus Ability. You gain an AC depending on your chosen ability. While you are wearing no armor and not using a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Focus Ability ability bonus.

Cane Mastery

In your hands a mace gains the finesse property, and you can use various canes and sticks as if they were a mace. Many excemplars sport a handsome cane that functions as a mace while appearing to be nothing but an accessory. Another fancy option is the cane sword, a cane that conceals a rapier. Such a concealed weapon costs an additional 5 gp.

1st Level: High Mobility

You can use Dexterity (Acrobatics) instead of Strength (Athletics) to climb, jump, or swim.

2nd Level: Excemplar Dice

You gain a pool of dice you can use to improve your chances. You have a number of d4 equal to your Proficiency Bonus. After you make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, you can spend a die from your excemplar pool and add the result to your roll. At level 6 your subclass gives you additional ways to spend dice from your excemplar pool. You regain one Excemplar Die each time you finish a short rest, up to your maximum. You recover all Excemplar Dice when you finish a long rest.

The size of your Excemplar Dice improve as you increase your level as an excemplar, becoming d6 at 6th level, d8 at 11th level, d10 at 14th level, and d12 at 17th level. The Excemplar Die type is also used as a general bonus die in many abilities, without consuming dice from your Excemplar Pool. When an Excemplar Die is added to damage it is rolled twice on a critical hit, like other damage dice are.

3rd Level: Excemplar Subclass

You gain an Excemplar subclass of your choice. A subclass is a specialization that grants you special abilities at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass’s features that are of your Excemplar level and lower.

Each subclass is linked to a particular ability score, called your Focus Ability. Your Focus Ability is used for calculations in other abilities. If your Focus Ability is not the ability used for the Defensive Focus ability and one of the abilities for your Escape Focus abilities, change those abilities to match.

3rd Level: Excemplar Tricks

Excemplar tricks are special abilities Excemplars use to reflect their skills and abilities. You know a number of tricks equal to your Focus Ability bonus. You can chose the tricks listed below, or other tricks available from your subclass. When you finish a long rest, you can replace the tricks you know with the same number of other tricks from this list or from your focus. You can use one trick once each round, regaining the ability to use a trick at the start of your next turn. Each use can be any one trick you know. Using a trick is not an action unless the description of the trick says it is.

Some of your tricks require your target to make a saving throw to resist its effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Trick save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Focus Ability bonus.

You know a number of tricks equal to your Focus Ability Bonus (minimum one trick). When you finish a long rest, you can replace the tricks you know with the same number of other tricks from this list or from your focus.

  • Diversion. You distract a creature who is attacking you or a creature within within 30 feet of you just as it is about to attack, giving it disadvantage on that attack roll.
  • Marvelous Escape. You can to reroll a saving throw that you have just failed. If you do so, you must use the new roll.
  • Off-Balance. When you damage a creature with a weapon attack, you can force the target to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it is either knocked prone or moved up to 10 feet, your choice of which and how. This movement can trigger attacks of opportunity. Until the start of your next turn, the target moves at half speed and has disadvantage on ability checks.
  • Sidestep. When you are hit or missed by an attack and there is another creature (not the attacker) within 5 feet of you, you can force the attacker to make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, the attack is redirected to strike a creature of your choice within 5 feet of you but not back at the original attacker. . You are not hit. The attacker makes a new attack roll and apply it against the new target.
Tricks and the Action Economy

A trick requires no action to use unless the description specifically says so, but you are limited to one trick per round. This effectively a fourth kind of action available only to excemplars, who can now use actions, bonus actions, reactions, and tricks, each once per round recharging at the start of your turn.

Most tricks can only be used in certain circumstances, often at a particular time during your turn or along with some other action such as Attack, but using the trick itself does not require any action. Some tricks do require an action, as given in the description of these tricks.

4th Level: Ability Score Improvement

You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.

5th Level: Extra Attack

You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

6th Level: Subclass Ability

You gain a feature from your Excemplar subclass.

7th Level: Excemplar Escape

When you fail a saving throw against a spell or effect that deals damage, you can use your reaction to reroll using your Focus Ability saving throw against the same difficulty. You can use this feature twice. At 12th level as an excemplar you can use this three times and at 17th level you can use it for times. Expended uses are recharged at the end of a long rest.

8th: Level: Ability Score Improvement

You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.

9th Level: Mob Defense

When you are facing more than one enemy you’re able to use them against each other. As long as there’s more than one enemy within 30 feet, you can use a bonus action to choose a creature within range. Until the start of your next turn, it has disadvantage on attack rolls against you and you have advantage on saving throws against its effects.

10th Level: Subclass Ability

You gain a feature from your Excemplar subclass.

11th Level: Reserve Trick

You can use two tricks in the same round. You can only do this once, and can regain the ability to use two tricks in one round by taking an action.

In addition, the number of tricks you know increases by two.

12th: Level: Ability Score Improvement

You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.

13th Level: Regain Excemplar Dice

You regain two Excemplar Dice when you roll initiative, not to exceed your maximum.

14th Level: Subclass Ability

You gain a feature from your Excemplar subclass.

15th Level: Perfect Escape

When you fail a saving throw, you can immediately reroll using your Focus Ability saving throw. You can do this three times, recharging the ability when you finish a long rest.

16th: Level: Ability Score Improvement

You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.

17th Level: Ultimate Tricks

You can use two tricks each round as well as the extra trick from the Reserve Tricks ability. You now know all tricks available from the Excemplar class and your Excemplar subclass.

19th Level: Feat

You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.

20th Level: Epic boon

You gain the following benefits:

Ability Score Increase. Your Focus Ability score increases by 2, and its maximum is now 30.
Epic Boon Feat. You gain the Epic Boon of XXX or another Epic Boon feat of your choice.

Excemplar Subclasses

Different paths of expertise pursued by excemplars, each a unique focus with its own range of abilities focused on a Focus Ability.

Daredevil (Dexterity)

A stampede! A stampede between us and our quarry? Challenge accepted!

A daredevil is a master of daring deeds. What others see as impassible, the daredevil sees as opportunity. Exploiting the most advantageous position in combat or maneuvers, a daredevil loves any situation where there is an elusive objective to pursue.

Daredevils from legend and fiction include Indiana Jones, Mario from Nintendo, and Gambit from the X-men.

3rd Level: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Dexterity. You are proficient with Dexterity and Charisma saving throws.

3rd Level: Daredevil Proficiencies

You gain proficiency and expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) with Acrobatics and all vehicles. You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) in Acrobatics and all vehicles. If you already know Acrobatics, you select another skill to learn.

3rd Level: Jockey

You master maneuvering in terrain and the piloting of all vehicles.

  • You can use Dexterity (Acrobatics) instead of Wisdom (Animal Handling) on any ability check to ride a mount.
  • You can use Dexterity for all ability checks involving vehicles.
  • You can use a bonus action to end the Grappled or Restrained conditions.
  • You can stand up from prone by expending 5 feet of movement.
  • You can mount or dismount a vehicle or mount by expending 5 feet of movement.

3rd Level: Daredevil Tricks

At 3rd level you can choose these tricks only available to daredevils.

  • Never Tell Me the Odds. When you fail an Dexterity ability check or saving throw, you can make another roll, using Dexterity (Acrobatics). If this second check succeeds, you succeeded at the task. Success or fail, you then fall prone.
  • Rush. You take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action as a free action.
  • Snag. A free action on your turn you grab an object, either from the ground or from an opponent within reach. An opponent is allowed a Dexterity saving throw against your trick save DC to keep possession of the object. If an object requires some kind of check or save to be picked up, you can use Dexterity (Acrobatics) instead of whatever ability check or saving throw you would normally use. If you pick an object from an opponent, this can be a scenario-related object or some random but distinctive piece of gear-a hat, scabbard, cloak, badge or such. As long as you hold this object in hand and the owner can see you the owner suffers disadvantage on any attack not directed at you. When you take damage, you risk dropping the object, this works the same as losing concentration on a spell. You cannot steal weapons, armor, shields, spell foci or magic components from a creature this way.
  • The Bigger They Are. When you attack an opponent or an opponent makes a melee attack against you, before the attack roll, you can force that enemy to make a Dexterity saving throw against your trick DC or fall prone. This also reduces their speed to zero until the start of their next turn.

6th Level: Skip and Jump

You ignore all difficult terrain, including that caused by magic, walls, and water—you can swim and climb at full speed. You also ignore difficult ground when driving a vehicle or riding a mount. Impassible terrain, such as dense woods or rocky areas when riding a vehicle, are still impassible.

6th Level: Daredevil Dice

You can use Excemplar Dice in new and interesting ways.

  • You can spend an Excemplar Die on your turn to immediately move you, or a vehicle or mount you are riding, 5 feet times the result of the die roll. This movement does not trigger attacks of opportunity. If you use this when jumping, this adds to the distance jumped, which can allow you to make exceptional jumps.
  • When you spend an Excemplar Die for any reason and roll an 8 or higher on the Excemplar Die, you can immediately make a weapon attack as a free action.

10th Level: Heroic Leap

When you have to take a saving throw against an area effect, you can use your Dexterity saving throw instead of what saving throw you'd normally use. When you pass a Dexterity saving throw against an area effect, you can move up to your speed as a reaction. If you end up outside the area of effect, you avoid all effects of that area effect, even if you would ordinarily suffer some result even on a successful saving throw.

14th Level: Know the Path

When you are seeking an object or person you have seen since your last long rest, you can use this ability to get an intuitive sense of how to get to it or them. This sense of direction lasts until you start a long rest. While you are traveling there, whenever you are presented with a choice of paths along the way, you automatically determine which path is the shortest and most direct route (but not necessarily the safest route) to the destination. The effect ends when you begin a long rest. You can select only one object or person to be pursued, and can use the power again after a long rest.

Engineer (Intelligence)

"Today is the worst day ever. We're literally caught between a rock and a hard place. The walls are closing in, and the hobgoblins on top of them are pelting us with arrows! Our paladin is trying to shield everyone and I am out of spells. Our engineer is doing something pointless over by the moving wall. Suddenly, the wall collapses, the entire side sliding down to become a slide, with the hobgoblins tumbling down to fall at our feet! Och joy, my mace speaks and heads crack. Today is the best day ever!"

An engineer is a master of construction and devices. Traps are their toys, walls and doors their weapons and shields. Play an engineer if you enjoy thinking on your feet and using the environment to advantage.

Level 3: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Intelligence. You are proficient in Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws.

Level 3: Engineer Proficiencies

When you choose this focus at 1st level, you gain proficiency with Investigation, carpenter's tools, and mason's tools. If you already know one of these skills or tools, you select another option of the same type: skill or tool.

You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) with Investigation, carpenter's tools, and mason's tools.

You can use Intelligence (Investigation) instead of Strength or Strength (Athletics) on checks to break things.

Level 3: Engineer' Analysis

As a free action you can observe your physical surroundings and learn the relevant ability check and DCs of various interactions with the environment, such as the Strength (Athletics) DC to climb a wall, the Strength DC break down a door, the Dexterity (Acrobatics) DC balance on a precipice, and so on.

When you first move within 30 feet of the danger zone of a trap the DM makes an Intelligence (Investigation) check for you to spot the trap. When you spot a trap, ether with this ability or in some other way, you instantly understand how it works, its danger zone, and how to trigger it.

Trap Danger Zones

Several engineer abilities mentions a trap's danger zone. This is the area where the trap can be triggered or where it can harm someone.

Level 3: Engineer Tricks

You can choose these tricks only available to Engineers.

  • Hazard. You can take an action to cause a hazard for an enemy within 30 feet. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw or you can move them 5 feet, they fall prone, and they take bludgeoning damage equal to your Excemplar Die + your Intelligence modifier. This does not use a die from your Excemplar Dice pool.
  • Superior Ground. When an opponent is standing next to a wall or other obstruction, at a lower altitude than you, or is on difficult ground, you can use this to your advantage as a free action. Until the start of your next turn you have advantage on attack rolls and you add your Excemplar Die to damage against this opponent. This does not use up you Excemplar Dice pool. The opponent suffers disadvantage on attacks against you.
  • Safe Path. You or an ally within 30 feet does not trigger attacks of opportunity and can ignore difficult ground and hazards such as caltrops, traps, lava, narrow paths, tight passages, precarious surfaces, magic tricks on the ground, or similar obstructions that involve danger or ability checks. This lasts until the next time the creature moves, all movement in the current turn is safe, and the target is safe as long as they remain still, but any later movement is not protected unless you use this ability again.
  • Trap Master. You can use this trick to activate a known trap within 5 feet. When you do so, you can protect yourself and allies in the danger zone, making the trap miss, making saving throws automatically succeed, or allowing movement up to their speed to the nearest safe space if there is no way the trap could miss, such as a pit trap. Add your Excemplar Die to the damage the trap inflicts on enemies. This does not use up you Excemplar Dice pool.

Level 6: Engineer Dice

An engineer can spend Excemplar Dice in unique ways.

  • When interacting with the environment requires an ability check, you can spend an Excemplar Die to master the situation. This decreases the DC and any damage taken for you and your allies, and increases the DC and any damage inflicted on your enemies. This lasts for one minute and applies to checks to climb, swim, balance, open doors, disarm locks, and similar environment interactions within 100 feet of you.

Level 10: Fieldcraft

Table: Object Armor Class & Vulnerability
Material Vulnerability Armor Class
Cloth, paper, rope Fire 11
Crystal, glass, ice, earth Piercing 13
Wood, bone Slashing 15
Stone Bludgeoning 17
Iron, steel 19
Mithral 21
Adamantine 23

At 10th level, you can take an action to modify the environment to your benefit. You use whatever resources are lying about, which is usually not a problem. In a very pristine environment this ability may not work unless you bring your own materials. Make a check using only your proficiency Bonus against a DC depending on the material. If you are able to do the damage type listed on the Object Armor Class & Vulnerability table, you have advantage on this check. On a successful check, you can do one of the following things:

  • You can change the danger zone of a trap if you are within 5 feet of the trap itself or its danger zone. The trap itself remains where it is, but the trigger and area the trap effects can be rotated 90 degrees (one cardinal direction on a grid) around the trap.
  • You can create camouflage in a number of 5-foot squares equal to your proficiency bonus. You and allies can use your Intelligence (Investigation) instead of Dexterity (Stealth) to hide in this space. You need to be concealed or in full cover to hide like this, but can remain hidden even when enemies move so that there is no cover or concealment. As soon as a creature hidden in camouflage moves, the camouflage ends. It otherwise lasts until the next dawn.
  • As an action you can give a creature within 5 feet half cover (+2 to AC and Dexterity saves) or a creature that already has half cover (including one you gave half cover) three-quarters cover (+5 AC and Dexterity saves). This cover reverts to how it originally was as soon as the creature moves.
  • You can change the terrain in a 5-foot square within 5 feet.
  • You can turn difficult ground into normal ground and normal ground into difficult ground.
  • You can create a stair that ascends or descends 5 feet.

Level 14: Mining

You can blow up walls, reducing them to rubble. As an action, make a check using only your proficiency Bonus against the wall's Armor Class, see Fieldcraft above. On a success, you create a 5 feet tunnel into the wall that is difficult ground.

Investigator (Intelligence)

When his manservant was questioned we were told that the Duke had arrived at sundown yet all signs indicated that he died hours earlier. This would suggest a shapechanger or possibly an illusion masquerading as the duke, making the Duke’s son—a known mage—a possible suspect. However when speaking with the servant I noticed something peculiar: he spoke the local dialect, yet his idioms suggest he comes from Ophar. Far be it from me to judge someone based on their origin, but Ophar is infamous for cults of the Abyssal Lords. Add into that the slight yellowing of his hand from the use of sulfur, his curious aversion to our cleric, and it becames clear he was a demonologist. A mystery solved but not the last—for he is not the murderer!

Investigators are exemplars of the notion that knowledge is power. They use their cunning to aid in endeavors—sometimes by solving mysteries and other times more militantly as they help allies to find a foe’s weaknesses. They have a sharp eye and a background that lets them assemble clues into a picture of events and who did what.

An investigator might be called a detective, sleuth, magistrate, inquisitor, bounty hunter, or truth-sayer.

Level 3: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Intelligence. You are proficient in Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws.

Level 3: Investigator Proficiencies

When you choose this focus at 1st level, you gain proficiency with Insight, Investigation, and thieves’ tools. You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) in Investigation. If you already know one of these, you select another option of the same type: skill or tool.

Level 3: Weave and Bop

When you take the Dodge action in combat you set up to deliver a counter attack. Until the start of your next turn, when an opponent makes an attack against you and misses, you can spend a reaction to attack that opponent with advantage on your attack roll.

Level 3: Investigator Tricks

At 3rd level you can choose these tricks only available to Investigators.

  • Analyze Move. When an enemy within 30 feet hits with an attack, you can force that opponent to re-roll and accept the second result.
  • Exploit Opening. When an ally attacks a creature in your reach, you can make a melee attack with advantage against that same creature.
  • Find Weakness. Use this trick at any time. Select a creature within 30 feet. You learn any damage resistances, damage immunities, and condition immunities the creature has, as well as identifying which of its saving throws is the worst. You also have advantage on your attacks against the creature until the start of your next turn.
  • Preempt. When an enemy within 10 feet is about to take its turn, you can use this trick as a reaction to take an action, including movement. Any attack you make as a part of this action must target the enemy that triggered Preempt. This does not begin a new turn for you; you cannot take a bonus action and you do not recover your reaction or the ability to use a trick.

Level 6: Investigation Dice

When you spend an Excemplar Die for any reason, you can pick a creature within 30 feet and learn information about this creature depending in the result of your Excemplar Die. If the action you are spending the Excemplar Die on is directed at a particular creature, this must be the creature you learn information about. You always learn what weapons they are carrying, what natural attacks they can use, and what armor they are wearing. In addition roll an Excemplar Die and learn additional information as given below.

  1. The target’s alignment, or a terse description of its personality if not using alignment.
  2. If the target is disguised or capable of changing their form or appearance
  3. If the target has spells or magical abilities. Also what spells the target is under (if any).
  4. What skills the target is proficient in.
  5. The target's point of origin, native terrain, and the approximate location (within 1 mile) they have spent the most time in the last three days.
  6. On a result of six or more, you get to chose what information you learn.

In addition, your skill and breadth of knowledge allows you to see the commonalities of all languages. You can translate any language, even one you have never heard of. Spend an action and roll an Excemplar Die to translate a number of pages of text or rounds of conversation equal to the result of the Excemplar Die. If you do this during a long or short rest, you translate ten times as much.

Level 6: Sucker Punch

When you have advantage on an attack roll and hit, you can add your Excemplar Die to the damage. This does not spend a die from your Excemplar Dice pool.

Level 10: Investigating the Scene

You can spend an Excemplar Die and learn information about the location you can see, up to 100 feet in radius. You always learn this information:

  • What this place is normally used for and what kind of people frequents it.
  • If an attack was made or a spell was cast in the last three days, you know that this happened but not the specific spell, attack, perpetrator or target.

In addition, roll an Excemplar Die and learn the corresponding information, below. You learn the described information and when these events happened.

  1. A brief description of all significant events in the last three days.
  2. The three highest-level spells cast in the last three days.
  3. Weapons attacks made here in the last three days.
  4. General description of creatures who visited in the last three days. If you are acquainted with these creatures, you identify them.
  5. A piece of or personal item from a significant creature who visited the location in the last three days. Useful for divination spells and physical evidence.
  6. Identify a creature that frequents the area and can be a possible witness.
  7. You spot any hidden construction, secret doors, hidden caches, and traps, even those who have been discharged or destroyed. You also learn when these things were used or triggered.
  8. On a result of eight or more, you get to chose what information you learn.

Level 14: Observations In Darkness

You gain blindsight with a range of 15 feet.

Ironman (Constitution)

So, the plan requires me to take a potion that makes me appear dead, drift with the current in the sewer, imitate a corpse as i float by the checkpoint, overcome the poison, fill my mouth with sewer water, and squirt this at the captain, who we know is squeamish? Excellent plan!

As an ironman, male or female, you have trained your endurance and resilience to be able to survive what would kill others in minutes. As an ironman, you might be known as a food taster, survivalist, courier, or boozer. Famous ironmen from stories include John McClane of Die Hard, Perceval is certain grail stories such as the movie Excalibur (1981).

Level 3: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Constitution. You are proficient in Strength and Constitution saving throws.

Level 3: Survivor

You can survive under extreme conditions much longer than others.

  • Add your Excemplar level to you Constitution bonus for such things as surviving without air, food, or water.
  • Add your Proficiency Bonus to the result of each of your Hit Dice, both when gaining a new Excemplar level and when you spend an Excemplar Hit Die to recover hit points on a short rest.
  • Add your Proficiency Bonus to the amount of hit points you recover each time you have hit points restored from any source except spending Hit Dice.

Level 3: Immune

You become immune to more and more conditions as you advance in level.

  • At 3rd level, you become immune to the blinded, deafened, and poisoned conditions.
  • At 6th level, you become immune to the Frightened or Stunned conditions. You cannot be put to sleep and are immune to disease.
  • At 10th level you become immune to the charmed and incapacitated conditions (except as a result of being paralyzed, petrified, or unconscious) and to exhaustion.
  • At 14th level you become immune to the paralyzed and petrified conditions.

Level 3: Ironman Tricks

You can choose these tricks only available to ironmen.

  • Invincible. At the start of your turn you can use this trick to end all of the following conditions affecting you: Charmed, Grappled, Incapacitated, Prone, and Restrained. You also end any effect causing damage over several rounds.
  • Last Man Standing. At the start of your turn you can expend a Hit Die to recover hit points.
  • Shrug it Off. When you are affected by a spell or ability that allows a saving throw and has a lasting effect, you can use this trick at the start of your turn to make a Constitution saving throw against the save DC of the spellcaster or against the effect in question. If you succeed at this saving throw, the effect ends.
  • Trap Weapon. When an enemy hits you with a melee weapon attack, you can trap that weapon in your body, including a natural attack. You can use this against opponents you could not normally grapple with, such as one too large or immune to being grappled. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw or become grappled by you. You do not need to use a hand for this grapple. As long as they are grappled by you, they cannot use the trapped weapon, and you have advantage on weapon attacks against them.

Level 6: Ironman Dice

An ironman can spend Excemplar Dice in unique ways.

  • Spend a an Excemplar Die when you fail a saving throw. Make a Constitution saving throw against the original difficulty, adding the Excemplar Die to the result. If this is better than your original saving throw result, use the new result instead.
  • At the start of your turn you can spend an Excemplar Die to end any one ongoing effect. Roll an Excemplar Die. On a result of 4 or higher you are no longer affected.

Level 10: Martyr

When a ally within 20 feet takes damage or suffers a harmful effect, you can use a free action to take the effect on yourself. You do this after the result of the effect is known. The ally avoids the effect entirely. The effect now targets you, beginning the process again, with new rolls for attack, saving throw, and effect. You can do this three times and regain the ability on a long or short rest.

Level 14: Tit for Tat

When an enemy forces you to take a saving throw, you can use a rection to force that enemy to make the same type of saving throw against your trick saving throw DC. If the enemy fails this saving throw, they suffer a limited version of the same effect they used on you. If the effect has a duration, the effect only lasts until the end of their next round. If the effect does damage, they only suffer half damage. This does not change the effect on you in any way.

Leader (Charisma)

"Our line of attack is on the right, with Arthorn leading. I will follow, and Dirgie will cover us with arrows from the left. I will call out any opening I see. We must keep Ilum safe at the rear so he can be ready to use a spell if things turn sour, but likely he can conserve power by using only cantrips. After all, this is just an early skirmish - I expect much tougher opposition later on."

Leaders are skilled experts who use their knowledge to guide other people. While their talents might seem magical, Leaders need no incantations to achieve the seemingly impossible. As a Leader you are best at supporting teammates, using your abilities to make your companions more effective.

A typical role for a leader is a mastermind, military officer, noble, official, or courtier.

3rd level: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Charisma. You are proficient in Dexterity and Charisma saving throws.

3rd level: Leader Proficiencies

When you choose this focus at 1st level, you gain proficiency with Insight, Intimidation, and Persuasion. You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) in Intimidation. If you already know one of these, you select another skill to learn.

3rd level: Cooperation

The Help action is improved in several ways when you use it.

  • You can use Hel against an ally as long as that ally can clearly hear you, typically 30 feet, but can be further with the help of things like the Message spell.
  • You can use the Help action as a bonus action, or as a reaction when an ally is taking an action.
  • You can always use the Help action, even if you are unable to perform the action you are assisting.

3rd level: Leader Tricks

You can choose these tricks only available to Leaders.

  • Coordinated Attack. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you leave the target vulnerable. You can use this trick to let an ally within reach of the target make an attack. Add your Excemplar Die to the damage on a hit. This does not spend a die from your Excemplar Dice pool.
  • Coordinated Move. Use this trick as you move. Allies within 30 feet can move up to their speed. Both you and allies that move do not trigger attacks of opportunity for this movement.
  • Precipitous Rescue. You can activate this trick when an ally within 30 feet of you fails an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. The ally may reroll their saving throw. Add your Excemplar Die to the reroll, and if this was an attack roll and hit, you also add the result of the Excemplar Dice to the damage inflicted. This does not spend a die from your Excemplar Dice pool.
  • Prepared Partner. When you are within 5 feet of a willing ally and either of you is attacked or subject to a single-target effect, you can switch location with that ally. This movement does not trigger attacks of opportunity. If you were the target, it now targets your ally. If your ally was the target, it now targets you.

6th Level: Leader Dice

You can use Excemplar Dice in unique ways to assist allies.

  • After an ally within 30 feet has made an attack, you can spend an Excemplar Die to add to the attack roll, possibly turning a miss into a hit. If the attack hits, you also add the result of the Excemplar Die to the damage of that attack. Like other damage dice, this extra die is rolled an additional time on a critical hit.
  • After an ally within 30 feet fails saving throw or ability check, you can spend a die from your Excemplar Dice pool and add the result to their roll.
  • When you or an ally within 30 feet is hit by an attack, you can spend an Excemplar Die and add the result to their Armor Class until the start of your next turn, possibly turning the hit into a miss and protecting from further attacks.
  • After a failed group check, you can spend an Excemplar Die and add the result to each of your allies' ability checks to help the group check to succeed.

10th Level: Battue

You can effectively coordinate with your allies to keep track of and attack concealed and invisible enemies. Allies within 30 feet of you gain blindsight with a range of 5 feet.

14th Level: Omnipresent Coordination

The Coordinated Move and Precipitous Rescue tricks and the Focused Defense, Informed Leader, Coordination Dice, and Battue abilities have their range increased from 30 feet to 100 feet.

Physic (Wisdom)

The tiny needle slid into the wizard’s gut as the physic gently slapped his face. “What in the hells?!,” cried the mage. “Why are you sticking a needle in me?” “Because you were stuck dead by a spell and I needed to reset your humors to bring you back,” she replies with an unnerving calm. “I was dead?” he asks, aghast. “Yes.” The physic answers, a bit frustrated. “Well, only temporarily.” Rubbing at his temples, the mage continues, “and you brought me back...from the dead?” “Yes.” She gestures behind her with one thumb. “Now try and keep up. The others are trying to kill that lich by themselves and it is not going well.”

The study of the body calls to some people. These excemplars want an understanding of life beyond magic, taking to wandering battlefields or back alleys in search of suffering to heal with nothing more than their hands and knowledge. Physic knowledge can seem esoteric — the relationship of natural humors, the importance of different organs to various functions, and the correct use of herbs may look like a magic, but is not.

As a Physic your role is primarily that of a healer, and though you have access to poisons and other forms of attack your abilities primarily focus on keeping your allies alive.

Mundane Healing in the Game

Magical healing in the game is cheap and effective, and to compete mundane healing needs to be the same. The two main branches of mundane healing is the exemplar Physic and the rogue Chirurgeon. To merit having two branches, they have to be different, which is expressed in the different classes they belong to. The Physic is focused on medicaments and the balance of the humors. From the Savant, it inherits stunts, and defense. The Chirurgeon is focused on the healing power of the knife, surgery. From the rogue it inherits sneak attack, cutting enemies with a surgeon's precision. The fencer Medico is a less proficient mix of the two styles.

A physic might be known as a doctor, apothecary, wise woman, herbalist, acupuncturist, or healer.

3rd level: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Wisdom. You are proficient in Wisdom and Intelligence saving throws.

3rd level: Physic Proficiencies

You gain proficiency with Medicine, the herbalists' kit, and the poisoner’s kit. You can use a healer's kit without expending any charges. You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) in Medicine. If you already know one of these, you select another option of the same type: skill/tool to learn.

3rd level: Physic ’s Care

You can optimize the effects of a short rest. You and any friendly creatures that take a short rest can add your Proficiency Bonus in addition to their Constitution Bonus to each of the Hit Dice they spend to recover hit points. In addition, you can remove one condition or a level of exhaustion from each resting creature. You can affect a number of creatures equal to your Medicine bonus. Undead, constructs, and the dead cannot benefit from this ability.

3rd level: Balancing the Humors

You can spend an action to identify maladies and rout them from a creature within 5 feet. Treating a disease or condition requires a successful Medicine check. If the effect allows a saving throw use the saving throw DC as the DC of Balancing the Humors. Otherwise use a DC of 15. If the Medicine check fails, you cannot attempt to use this ability on this particular creature again until it finishes a long rest. You can only remove effects that affect a living target. Undead, constructs, and objects cannot benefit from this ability.

At 3rd level you can remove a disease and the paralyzed, poisoned, and stunned conditions, as well as any effect on the patient's body that will do damage to the target on later rounds.

At 6th level, you can treat the blinded, charmed, and deafened conditions as well as any effect that can be removed with the Lesser Restoration or Dispel Magic spells. With this and higher level effects of Balancing the Humors, you can only remove effects from living creatures, even if Dispel Magic can remove an Alarm spell, you cannot use Balancing the Humors to remove it as Alarm does not directly affect a living body.

At 10th level, you can reduce the target’s exhaustion level by one, remove the frightened, and petrified conditions, and negate any reduction in maximum Hit Points, as well as any condition that can be removed by the Remove Curse or Greater Restoration spells.

At 14th level you can remove any conditions or effects that can be removed by the Wish spell.

3rd level: Physic Tricks

You can choose these tricks only available to Physic's.

  • Always With a Tonic. You ready and administer a potion to yourself or an ally within 5 feet without spending an action. At 6th level, you may instead use the Physic Dice ability as a free action.
  • Opening Wounds. Use this trick when you attack a creature with a weapon attack and the creature is missing any of its Hit Points. You have advantage on the attack roll and add your Excemplar Die to the damage. This does not spend a die from your Excemplar Dice pool.
  • Rescue the Suffering. You can use an action to activate this trick. You gain the benefits of the Dash and Disengage actions, and if you move within 5 feet of a willing creature no more than one size category larger than you, you can pull that creature along as you move. You can only move one creature with this ability.
  • Sinister Hand. When you hit with a weapon, you can inject the target with a poison in your possession. If the poison allows a saving throw, use your excemplar save DC if that is better than the poison's save DC. If you use no other poison with Sinister Hand, you can use a poison that does your Excemplar Die poison damage with no saving throw. This does not expend one of your excemplar dice.

6th level: Physic Dice

You can take an action and spend an Excemplar Die to heal a creature you touch. Roll the Excemplar Die and add your Medicine modifier, the target recovers Hit Points equal to the result. Undead and constructs cannot benefit from this ability.

10th level: Healer's Touch

You can use an action or a bonus action to touch a willing creature within 5 feet. The creature spends a hit die and adds your Medicine bonus to the hit points recovered. If the target has no hit dice to spend, you can choose to use the Physic's Dice ability instead. Constructs and undead cannot benefit from this ability.

10th level: Ailment Exposure

Vountless minor exposures to ailments of all kinds have made you immune to poison damage, the paralyzed and poisoned conditions, and all forms of disease, infection, or infestation.

14th level: Resuscitate

You can revive the dead if you reach them soon enough. You can spend an action touching a creature that has recently died. Make a Medicine check with a DC equal to the number of rounds the creature has been dead. On a success, the creature returns to life with Hit Points equal to the result of your Medicine check. A creature can only benefit from Resuscitate once between long rests. Undead and constructs cannot benefit from this ability.

Sage (Wisdom)

You all saw that the old and feeble king was surrounded by twelve advisors. They were all occupied with their own plots and plans. But there were two factions, that of Olar and Yrko. Olar was the tall man in black robes, he is interested in status. Yrko the woman in red with the magnificent earrings, she is interested in wealth. These are the two we have to deal with.

A sage is a wise man or woman. Well educated, but with a focus on understanding people and communities over understanding the natural world.

A sage might be known as a councilor, lawyer, judge, teacher, philosopher, or cenobite.

3rd level: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Wisdom. You are proficient in Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws.

3rd level: Sage Proficiencies

When you choose this focus at 1st level, you gain proficiency with History, Insight and Persuasion. When you make a History or Persuasion check, you can use Wisdom instead of what ability you'd normally use. You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) in one of these skills of your choice. If you already know one of these skills, select another skill to learn for each you already know.

3rd level: Sage’s Calm

At 1st level, you have insight into people's personality, including your own. You are immune to the charmed and frightened conditions. As an action, you can remove the charmed and frightened condition from a creature within 30 feet who can see or hear you.

3rd level: Sage Gestures

At 2nd level, you can communicate basic ideas to creatures with an Intelligence of 3 or more even if you lack a common language. You can communicate such things as friendly intent, need for basic things such as food or water, that you want to cross the creature's territory, or that you are willing to pay fors such help. You can understand similar basic replies. This allows you to use the Persuasion skill against such creatures even if you don't share a common language.

3rd level: Sage Tricks

At 3rd level you can choose these tricks only available to Sages.

  • Pierce Defense. When you hit with a weapon attack, you can turn that attack into a critical hit.
  • Preempt Opponent. When an enemy within 30 feet takes an action or makes a saving throw, you can give them disadvantage on their attack roll and your allies advantage on saving throws against the actions of that creature until the end of the current turn.
  • Sage Advice. As a free action you use the Help action to give an ally within 30 feet advantage on a check.
  • Stand Fast. When you or an ally within 30 feet would be moved and/or knocked prone, you can use this trick to prevent this from happening.

6th level: Sage Dice

You have unique ways to spend your Excemplar Dice.

  • When you fail an ability check, you can expend a sage die to make a Wisdom check and add the Excemplar Die to the result. Add the same tool and skill bonuses you did for the initial check. Use the new result if it is better.
  • When you take the Help action, you can add an Excemplar Die to the check of the ally you are helping.
  • When you spend an Excemplar Die for any reason, you can pick a creature within 30 feet and learn information about this creature depending in the result of your Excemplar Die. If the action you are spending the Excemplar Die on is directed at a particular creature, this must be the creature you learn information about. You always learn what weapons they are carrying, what natural attacks they can use, what armor they are wearing, and if they can cast spells. In addition roll an Excemplar Die and learn additional information depending on the result of the Excemplar Die..
  1. The creature's alignment. If alignment is not used, this gives a very brief description of the target's motivation.
  2. The creature's attitude to each other creature within 30 feet of the target.
  3. The target's ability scores.
  4. What skills and languages the target knows.
  5. The names of actions listed on an NPC's character sheet.
  6. or higher: Your choice of information.

10th level: Judgement of the Sage

You can negate a creature's action. After the actions of a creature within 100 feet have been resolved, you can declare those actions null and void. This negates all results of that action, restoring the situation to what it was before the action was taken. Any movement made remains and abilities used are not restored. If you use this to negate the effect of a dragon flying overhead and using its breath weapon, you do negate the effect of the breath, but the dragon's movement remains and the use of the breath weapon is still expended. At 10th level you can use this ability once. At 14th level you can use it twice, and at 18th level you can use it three times. You regain all uses at the end of a long rest.

14th level: Law of the Sage

You can take an action to proclaim a law that is enforced for the next minute. You must speak the law loud and clear. Choose a combat action. Typical choices are the Attack or Cast a Spell actions, but other actions are possible, even actions specific to a creature such as using a breath weapon. Each time an enemy within 100 feet takes the forbidden action they suffer disadvantage on all 20 checks and any saving throws against the effects caused by that creature have advantage until the end of that creature's current turn. You can use this ability once, and regain it at the end of a long rest.

Savant (Intelligence)

Hobgoblins are not always hostile. They respect displays of strength and adore banners. So let's put Yorik's shield on a pole and present ourselves boldly rather than skulk back here. Even if we have to fight them, they will fight more honorably if we face them openly.

A savant has a deep understanding of many subjects, allowing them to cross-reference information and see solutions that combine many fields of knowledge. They are masters of quickly finding solutions. The savant is perhaps closest to the general idea of what an excemplar is; a scholar or sage who goes out into the wider world in pursuit of knowledge. They might be known as advisors, scholars, sages, administrators, or armchair detectives.

3rd Level: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Intelligence. You are proficient in Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws.

3rd Level: Savant Proficiencies

You gain proficiency with Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion. For each of these skills you already know, select another skill to learn. You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) in one of these skills of your choice.

3rd Level: Savant Identification

As a bonus action, you can observe a creature and make an Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion check to recall knowledge about it. You always learn its creature type and any tags the creature has. If creatures of the target's type have a typical alignment, you learn that alignment. In addition you learn all its permanent damage immunities, damage resistances, damage vulnerabilities, and condition immunities. If a creature has any temporary abilities from this list, of if it temporarily lacks any of these abilities, you do not learn this.

3rd Level: Exploit Weakness

With alchemist's supplies in hand, you can spend a bonus action to change the damage type of a weapon you touch. For the next minute, the weapon inflicts your chosen damage type. You cannot use this ability on weapons held by enemies.

What damage types you can change into depends on your level.

At 3rd level you can make the weapon inflict magical damage without changing the damage type.
At 6th level you can make the weapon inflict magical Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage.
At 11th level you can make the weapon inflict Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison, or Thunder damage.
At 14th level you can make the weapon inflict Force, Necrotic, Psychic, or Radiant damage.

3rd Level: Savant Tricks

You can choose these tricks only available to Savants.

  • Create Instability. When you hit an enemy with an attack, you can use this trick to create an instability in the creature. The target must make an Intelligence saving throw, or it suffers disadvantage on all saving throws until the start of your next turn.
  • Create Opening. When you hit an enemy with an attack, you can use this trick to create an opening. The target must make an Intelligence saving throw, or all attacks against the creature have advantage until the start of your next turn.
  • Create Weakness. When you hit an enemy with an attack, you can use this trick to create a vulnerability or weaken a resistance in the target for the next minute. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, choose one damage type. If the creature lacks resistance or immunity to the chosen damage type, it gets vulnerability to this damage. If it has resistance to this damage, it loses that resistance. The effect ends at the start of your next turn.
  • Find Opportunity. Choose a creature you see and an immediate objective towards that creature, such as defeating, escaping, bypassing, or befriending it. You learn an action that (in the GM's estimation) would be a good way of achieving this immediate goal, and if you follow this advice, you have advantage on attack rolls or ability checks to focus this out until the start of your next turn. You can use Find Opportunity on behalf of another, in which case they get the advantage instead of you as long as they follow the recommended course of action. The suggested action is always something that can be done or at least started within the next round, but not necessarily something you are good at or eager to do.
How to Play Find Opportunity

The actions proposed by Find Opportunity are usually straightforward, geared towards exploiting an enemy's weakness. Find Opportunity plays on individual quirks in the target making the proposed action easier than similar actions done another way. Sometimes the suggested actions may require special equipment or be humiliating, you and allies might be unable or unwilling to follow such advice, but it is still a useful clue.

  • A Troll guarding a bridge might be bypassed by swimming the river.
  • Freeing prisoners from a chaotic band of orcs might be facilitated by pretending to be slaves.
  • Bypassing an ogre might be done by bribing it with food.
  • Befriending the leader of a band of elves might be done by showing interest in the intricate leather-work of his quiver.
  • Hitting a dragon might be best done by attacking the wings.
  • Escaping capture by a goblin chief might be done by embarrassing toadying.

It is important to note that the DM should not tell the players what to do. Find Opportunity should not lay out what to do, only how. That is why the objective given in Find Opportunity needs to be specific. The players should set their own objectives. Even if the plan is just to charge, then Find Opportunity can give them final details on how to make that plan work.

Another aspect of Find Opportunity is that it allows the GM to flesh out the opposition. If Find Opportunity recommends befriending a dwarf king by crawling on all fours, it is a clue to the king's sensitivity on stature.

6th Level: Savant Dice

When you spend an Excemplar Die on an action to interact with, harm, observe, or defend against a creature, you learn additional information about the target. Read the Excemplar Die and learn information as given below.

  1. What attacks the creature has and the damage each attack.
  2. What Armor Class the creature has, any reactions it can use, and what saving throws it is proficient in.
  3. What spells the target knows (if any). In the case of creatures that prepare spells, you learn what spell lists they can pick spells from.
  4. What skills the target knows.
  5. The target's point of origin, native terrain, and what languages it speaks (if any).
  6. On a result of six or more, you get to chose what information you learn.

10th Level: Polymath

You can cram a subject to bring out latent knowledge. During a long or short rest, choose a skill, tool, musical instrument, language, or vehicle. You can pick things you have never before encountered. If you chose a skill you know you gain expertise (double proficiency Bonus) in that skill. Otherwise you gain proficiency in the skill or tool. You retain this benefit until you use Polymath again.

14th Level: Wide Application

When you use any Savant Trick or the Create instability, Savant Understanding, or Savant Dice abilities, you learn which creatures that you see (if any) have identical statistics to the target, and all identical targets within 30 feet of your target also suffers the effect when you use any of these abilities against. Only the primary target makes any allowed saving throw, the effect of which applies to all targets.

Scrapper (Dexterity)

“I can’t let you do that,” said the small, unassuming fellow, brushing back his thin hair and wrapping one hand about the top of his walking stick as the brutes turn to face him, their would-be victim dangling in the air. One of the hobgoblins lashes out with an axe but misses, the short man pushing the weapon’s haft ever so slightly and leaning slightly to the side. The next thug stabs in a vicious thrust but his target steps to the right, lashing out with a cane to strike the attacker’s knee and diverting the assault into the hobgoblin holding the victim aloft. As they look upon him with new regard the little man squares himself once more and nonchalantly asks, “shall we begin?”

As a scrapper you are a master of violence. Most warriors work towards maximum force, but scrapper excemplars approach fighting from a different mindset, seeking to control a battle through intelligent application of force. Rather than try to overpower an opponent they maneuver them into a perilous position by way of a superior intellect. Whether you choose to do that up close or at range, you are as effective as any standard warrior and what’s more, because of your subtleties you are easily underestimated.

An scrapper might be a militant scholar, fencing-master, or sophisticated duelist. Others may call themselves armed companions or warriors of romance. Some work as bodyguards or discreet enforcers, usually hiding such duties under an air of sophistication. Individual adversaries defy expectations in many ways but are rarely are as flamboyant as the typical swashbuckler, seeing violence as an abhorrent but necessary skill to master.

3rd level: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Dexterity. You are proficient in Dexterity and Charisma saving throws.

3rd level: Scrapper Proficiencies

When you choose this focus at 1st level, you gain proficiency with all martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and the Intimidation skill. You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) in Intimidation. If you already Intimidation, you select another skill to learn.

Level 3: Armor Mastery

While you are wearing light or Medium armor and not using a shield, add your Proficiency Bonus to your Armor Class.

3rd level: Studied Target

You can spend a bonus action studying a creature. For the next minute, you can add your Excemplar Die to the damage of all weapon attack against the studied target. This does not consume dice from your Excemplar Dice pool.

3rd level: Scrapper Tricks

You can choose these tricks only available to Adversaries.

  • Affront. On your turn, use this trick to force all creatures within 30 feet to make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the target’s attention is drawn to you and it has disadvantage any attack or Perception roll it makes against anyone but you until the start of your next turn. You can use this outside of your turn, but then you only affect a single creature.
  • Blinding Strike. Use this trick when you damage a creature with a weapon attack. The target must make a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the start of your next turn. A creature that successfully saves against this trick automatically succeeds at the saving throw to avoid blindness for the next hour.
  • Pin Down. Use this trick when you damage a creature with a weapon attack. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw or it's speed is reduced to zero until the start of their next turn. They cannot gain any bonus to speed while this is in effect. When you see a creature moving, you can use this trick as a reaction to make a weapon attack against them, and if you inflict damage, they must save or have their movement stopped as above.
  • Tangled Dance. Use this trick at any time. Until the start of your next turn, your AC increases by 1 for each enemy within 30 feet of you (to a maximum bonus equal to your Proficiency Bonus).

3rd level: Tacticia

You can use dice from your Excemplar Dice pool to improve weapon attacks. After rolling for an attack, you can spend an Excemplar Die and add the result to both the attack roll and damage of the attack. This stacks with the added damage from Studied Target.

10th level: Exploit Patterns

You always get the bonus of Studied Target ability at all times, without needing to spend any action to get this bonus.

14th level: Disable

You learn how to immobilize an enemy. When you spend an Excemplar Die on a weapon attack and hit, you can force the target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target is Paralyzed for a number of rounds equal to your Dexterity modifier. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make a Constitution saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Spy (Charisma)

Oh, you work for the mayor? Here, have another drink. What is she like? Is it true she has a safe hidden behind a picture of her prize pig? Oh, the vanity!

Spies do investigative work like talking to locals, direct reconnaissance of enemy agents and facilities, infiltration, and even a fair bit of brawling in back alleys. A broad skill set is required—a spy must be able to sneak in and out of places, blend into the local populace, escape pursuit, and fight competently.

A spy might be known as a con-man, spy, crook, or tourist.

3rd Level: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Charisma. You are proficient in Dexterity and Charisma saving throws.

3rd Level: Spy Proficiencies

When you choose this focus you gain proficiency with Deception, Stealth, and thieves’ tools. You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) in Deception. If you already know one of these, you select another option of the same type: skill/tool to learn.

3rd Level: Ad Lib

You develop an ability to fake proficiency in abilities you do not have. You gain proficiency in martial weapons. You can wear the showy pieces of a suit of armor so that you appear to be wearing the armor, but do not gain any of the benefits or penalties of the armor. You can perform tasks that normally require a proficiency, such as using a tool or musical instrument. When another ask you about a skill or task or inspect your work, you can use Charisma (Deception) instead of whatever skill or ability you are supposed to be using.

When you use the Help action to assist another perform a task, you can make an Charisma (Deception) check as a part of the Help action. Onlookers who fail an opposed Wisdom (Insight) check will believe you were the one doing the task, and that the one actually doing the task was only helping you. Even the person you helped might believe your skill made all the difference, but has advantage on the Wisdom (Insight) check to see through your trick.

3rd Level: Spy Tricks

You can choose these tricks only available to spies.

  • Getaway. You can use this trick as an action to perform both the Dash, Escape, and Hide actions all in the same round.
  • Hindering Strike. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can use this trick to reduce its speed to 5 feet until the end of your next turn. You have the option to not deal damage with this attack.
  • Quick Change. When you are not directly observed by hostile creatures you may spend an action to make a significant change to your appearance. You can use Charisma (Deception) to assume a new identity as a part of this trick, as long as the disguise is only a matter of head and clothes. For the next minute, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide and Charisma (Deception) checks to hide your identity.
  • Vanish. You can use this trick as a free action to take the Hide action as long as you have sufficient concealment.

6th Level: Spy Dice

You can use Excemplar Dice to in new and interesting ways.

  • You can use an Excemplar Die die to add to the save DC of an effect you use.
  • When you do not have concealment enough to hide, you can spend an Excemplar Die. The number rolled is the number of turns you can hide without having anything to hide behind.

6th Level: Instant Native

You gain the ability to quickly blend into communities you operate in. You gain proficiency in an additional language. Whenever you finish a long rest, you may exchange this language for a different one, but the language you choose must be one widely spoken in the place you rested.

10th Level: Learn the Layout

You gain a much greater sense of your surroundings. When you enter a structure, you are immediately aware of any non-hidden exits within 100 feet. When you pass within 30 feet of a secret door in your line of sight, the DM makes an Intelligence (Investigation) check for you to find it.

14th Level: Tremorsense

Your already formidable situational awareness rises to preternatural levels. You gain tremorsense with a range of 30 feet.

Strongman (Strength)

The giant is standing on the grillwork trap door of the pit, the only exit, watching his pet wolves fight our heroes below. "Pitiful tiny ones, this pit will be your doom!". The giant laughs at his own wordplay. "Not so fast, you are not as strong as you think!" says the big guy in a leotard, incredibly lifting the trapdoor and giant together, causing the huge creature to fall over.

A strongman (male or female) is a master of strength and leverage, able to lift the heaviest loads and wrestle the mightiest of creatures. Breaching doors and even walls, tossing opponents about, and carrying their friends to safety on their shoulders.

A strongman might be known as a smith, lumberjack, carnie, bruiser, doorman, or footman. Famous strongmen from legend and fiction include Chewbacca, Heracles, Prince Lothar from the Mandrake comic series, Samson, and Thor.

3rd Level: Focus Ability

Your Focus Ability is Strength. You are proficient with Strength and Constitution saving throws.

3rd Level: Strongman Proficiencies

You gain proficiency and expertise with Athletics. You gain expertise (double Proficiency Bonus) in Athletics. If you already know Athletics, you select another skill to learn.

3rd Level: Feats of Strength

When you make a Strength check, add your excemplar level to the result of that check. Also add your Excemplar level to your Strength when calculating encumbrance. Here are some suggested difficulties.

Very High Strength Checks

A high level strongman can make Strength checks up to the 50 range. Expect them to routinely win hand wrestling matches with giants.

DC 20 Anything just barely possible to a human
DC 25 can bash through a log wall or iron door or pull a chain out of a wall.
DC 30 can break half a foot of brick or stone or half an inch of iron.
DC 35 can break a foot of masonry or an inch of metal.
DC 40 can break through 5 feet of stone of half a foot of metal.
DC 45 can break through 10 feet of stone or a foot of metal.
DC 50 can do ridiculous things, such as toppling a stone budling or pull a 10 boulder out of solid stone.

As a DM you may let a feat of strength have some effect, even if it doesn't match the DC to do everything the player wants. A failed attempt to break a hole in a stone wall may cause stones to fall out of the wall, allowing vision. An failed attempt to break manacles might leave it in place, but break the connection between hands, allowing free movement.

3rd Level: Master Grappler

Your grappling improves in several ways, and continues to improve as you advance in level.

  • Creatures you grapple are restrained instead of grappled.
  • The first creature you grapple with does not require a free hand. If you simultaneously grapple more than one creature, each creature after the first does require a free hand.
  • At the end of your turn, you can toss one or more of the creatures you grapple up to 10 feet into an empty space, where they land prone.
  • At 6th level a creature you Grapple or Shove takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Excemplar Dice + your Strength bonus.
  • At 14th level you can Grapple or Shove a creature up to two size categories larger than you.
  • At 17th level you can Grapple or Shove a creature of any size.

3rd Level: Strongman Tricks

You can choose these tricks only available to Strongmen.

  • Blitz. You make a Shove as a free action on your turn.
  • Casual Strength. Use this when you move. Until the end of your current turn you can make Strength and Strength (Athletics) rolls to affect the environment as free actions. This allows you to bash open doors and barriers, escape from webs, and similar Strength feats by simply walking through them. You must still make Strength checks as usual, but you do not need to take any action to do so. A failed Strength check costs 5 feet of movement and means you cannot use Casual Strength against this barrier again until the end of your current turn.
  • Fastball Special. Use this trick against an ally within 5 feet of your own size or smaller. You throw the target 30 feet. This movement does not trigger attacks of opportunity, does not inflict any damage, and your ally lands on their feet even if they started their turn prone. If the ally lands within reach of an enemy, they can take a reaction to make a melee weapon attack and gain advantage on this attack. At 5th level the thrown ally can be Medium in size even if you are Small. At 11th level the ally can be Large in size. At 14th level the thrown ally can be Huge. At 17th level the thrown ally can be of any size.
  • Make Way! Use this trick when moving. You can move into the space of other creatures, and creatures do not count as difficult ground. An enemy whose space you move into must make a Strength saving throw against your trick DC. If they succeed, your movement stops, you failed to move into their space and expend 5 feet of movement failing to do so. You can try to move into their space again if you have sufficient movement remaining. If they fail, you push them 5 feet away and can continue moving. If there is not sufficient space for them to be moved, they fall prone instead. A creature that you could not grapple or shove has advantage on this saving throw.

6th Level: Strongman Dice

You learn to use Excemplar Dice to in new and interesting ways.

  • When you throw a weapon, creature, or object, you can roll an Excemplar Die, multiply the result by 5 feet, and add this distance to the range of the thrown weapon or the maximum distance of the throw. You can continue to spend Excemplar Dice like this until you achieve the desired range.
  • When handling a heavy weight, you can roll an Excemplar Die and multiply the weight you can handle by the result of the die. On a die roll of 1, you still double your capacity. You can continue to spend Excemplar Dice like this until you achieve the desired weight. This lasts until the end of your next turn.

10th Level: Monster Hammer

When grappling an enemy, you can use that enemy as a weapon as a bonus action. The grappled creature takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Excemplar Die + your Strength bonus and continues to be grappled. Select a space equal to the grappled creature's space adjacent to you. Any creature in the space must make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (their choice) against your trick save DC. Those who fail fall prone and take bludgeoning damage equal to your Excemplar Dice + your Strength bonus. Your allies and creatures of a larger size than the grappled creature have advantage on this saving throw.

14th Level: Monster Toss

When grappling an enemy, you can throw that enemy up to 30 feet as a bonus action. There can be other creatures in the space where the creature lands. The grapple ends and the tossed creature lands prone and takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Excemplar Die + your Strength bonus. Any creature in the space where the grappled creature lands suffers the effect of Monster Hammer and is then moved to the nearest empty space outside the area.