Landsknecht (5A)

This is an original Fighter subclass for 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 or 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.

Subclass Abilities

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 .

Cutting Pikes

Starting at 7th level, you have mastered the abilities to cut or shove aside pikes and other weapons used for opportunity attacks. When you are within the reach of an opponent, that opponent cannot make opportunity attacks.

Universal Reach

At 10th level, when wielding a melee weapon with the two-handed property, that weapon gains the reach property. This does not stack with any reach property your weapon already has.

Controlling Reach

Starting at 15th level, you learn to fully control the space around you. You get a special reaction that you can take once on every creature's turn. You can use this special reaction only to make an opportunity attack. You cannot use this and a normal reaction on the same creature's turn.

Rapid Strikes

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

Designer's Notes

A very mundane subclass, the landsknecht doesn't do anything even the least bit magical—but it hits hard and controls a decently large area.