Samurai, Variant (5e Class)

Samurai

Noble warriors from Japan, these warriors follow a code called Bushido, which guides to their path of honour; masters in the art of swords these warriors use them with grace and unmatched skill. Using their skills for themselves or for others, these warriors will fight to the death and won't surrender. Some legends say they are able to control the elements after years of study and meditation. Follower of the Bushido. Warrior with unique abilities achieved throughout years of training, the samurai is well known by it's fighting style, code of conduct and weapon proficiency, being able to defeat a foe in one single draw or sustaining several attacks swiftly and commanding its allies to victory. Not only deadly with a katana, the samurai is specialized with several kinds of weapon, but tend to stick with one style for the rest of its life as its trademark.

Creating a Samurai

Why does your character follow the Bushido, or why don't they? Why did they decide to travel? Do they fight for their master, for themselves or to protect someone? Did they flee from their master or was their master killed and now they seek revenge? Is their honor important as their life?

Quick Build

You can make a samurai quickly by following these suggestions. First, constitution should be your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the soldier background. Third, choose a longsword, a chain shirt, and an explorer's pack as your starting equipment. Choose either the painter's supplies or the musical instrument, depending on your samurai's preferred artistic pursuit.

Class Features

As a Samurai you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Samurai level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Samurai level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Simple Weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Artisan's tools, one musical instrument of your choice
Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Perception, Survival, and Stealth

Equipment

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

• (a) a longsword or (b) two shortswords
• (a) chain shirt or (b) traveler's clothes
• (a) dungeoneer's pack or (b) explorer's pack
• (a) painter's supplies or (b) a musical instrument of your choice
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4 x 10 gp in funds.

Table: The Samurai

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Weapon Dancer, Fighting Style
2nd	+2	Fighting Posture
3rd	+2	Way of Bushido
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack
6th	+3	Bushido Feature
7th	+3	Acrobatics Master
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Indomitable
10th	+4	One With The Blade
11th	+4	Bushido Feature
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Precise Strike
14th	+5	Last Efforts
15th	+5	Bushido Feature
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Wind Rider, Indomitable (2)
18th	+6	Bushido Feature
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Fruits of Discipline

Weapon Dancer

As a samurai, you are extremely proficient in the use of lighter melee weapons in combat. When wielding a melee weapon without the heavy or two-handed properties, you can use either your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage roll of the attack.

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t choose a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Mobile Fighter

As long as you are wearing light or no armor, and are not wielding a shield, your speed is increased by 5 feet, and you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Brawler

If you take the Attack action on your turn to make one or more melee weapon attacks—excluding unarmed strikes—but hit with none of them, you can use your bonus action to make an unarmed strike.

Fighting Posture

Starting at 2nd level, you learn how to take a more proper fighting stance. As a bonus action, you can posture yourself defensively or offensively, gaining the benefits below. The benefits of a posture last for 1 minute, until you are knocked unconscious or until you change your posture.

Defensive Posture

When you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to roll 1d4 and add to your AC against that attack roll, potentially causing the attack to miss. The die rolled increases to 1d6 at 5th level, 1d8 at 9th level, 1d10 at 13th level and 1d12 at 17th level.

Offensive Posture

Once per turn you cause additional 1d4 damage with your attacks. This damage increases to 1d6 at 5th level, 1d8 at 9th level, 1d10 at 13th level and 1d12 at 17th level.

Way of Bushido

At 3rd level, you choose a style that shapes the nature of your samurai training. Choose the Hiten Mitsurugi Style or the Genso Buredo Style, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, 15th, and 18th levels.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action on your turn.

Acrobatics master

At 7th level, you proficient in the Acrobatics skill. If you are already proficient, then add double your proficiency bonus to Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.

Indomitable

Beginning at 9th level you can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest. You can use this feature twice starting at 17th level.

One With The Blade

At 10th level, your weapon becomes an extension of your body and soul. You now have advantage on opportunity attacks, and hostile creatures have disadvantage on opportunity attacks against you.

Precise Strike

Beginning at 13th level, you learn how to more easily defeat your opponents. When you roll for attack, you land a critical hit on a roll of 19-20.

Last Efforts

At 14th level you have full control over your body. When your hit points drops to zero but doesn't kill you outright, instead of falling unconscious, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point. You need to finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

Wind Rider

At 17th level, your movement speed increases by 10 feet. In addition, once per turn, if you move 20 feet or more in a straight line immediately before making a melee weapon attack, you deal 2d6 additional damage to the target on a hit.

Fruits of Discipline

At 20th level, your practice empowers your body and soul. Your Dexterity and Wisdom scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

Hiten Mitsurugi Style

The Style of the Three Dragons Who Rise to the Skies.

Ryu Tsui Sen

Beginning at 3rd level, you learn how to fight opponents who outmatch yourself. When you fight with an opponent with the size Large or higher, or when you have two or more opponents and no allies within 5 feet, you cause additional 1d8 damage with your melee weapon attacks. You can cause this additional damage once per enemy.

Ryu Kan Sen

Beginning at 6th level, whenever an opponent fails an attack against you while you are at you maximum hit points, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against them.

Kurichikaru

Beginning at 11th level, when you score a critical hit against a creature with a samurai weapon, you force that creature to make a Constitution saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability score used for the attack. On a failure, your target is reduced to 0 hit points.

If the target succeeds, you double the damage of your attack and the target is immune to this feature for the next 24 hours.

Bukimina Dojji

Beginning at 15th level, you can use your reaction to halve the damage you would take from an attack.

Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki

Beginning at 18th level, you can use a bonus action to deal 6d10 slashing damage to all hostile creatures in a 10 foot radius of yourself. Each hostile creature must make a Dexterity save of DC 15 + your Dexterity modifier. If they succeed they take half damage, and if they fail they take full damage. You are able to use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your dexterity modifier (minimum of 1), and regain expended uses upon finishing a long rest.

Genso Buredo Style

Elemental Blade Style

Elemental Strike

Beginning at 3rd level, whenever you make an attack with a melee weapon, you can choose to cause damage from one of the following types: acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder, rather than the normal damage type. In addition, whenever you use your elemental strike, you can force a creature within 5 feet of your target to make a Constitution saving throw, or take damage from the same type equal to 2d6.

Master of the Element

Beginning at the 6th level, when you finish a long rest, choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder. You have resistance to the chosen type until your next long rest.

Improved Elemental Strike

Beginning at 11th level, you cause additional 1d4 damage from the chosen type whenever you use your Elemental Strike.

Breath of the Element

Beginning at 15th level, you can make an elemental breath attack of the chosen type from acid, cold, fire or lightning. The breath weapon is a 15 foot cone. The DC for the breath attack is 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 5d6 damage on a failed save and half as much damage on a successful save. You can use this feature 3 times, and regain expended uses upon finishing a short or a long rest.

Elemental Fury

Beginning at 18th level, you have mastered the ability to channel your chosen element into your weapon. As an action, you deal 10d10 damage of the chosen element in addition to your weapon damage. You are able to use this feature 1 time, and regain expended uses upon finishing a long rest.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Samurai class, you must meet these prerequisites: 14 Dexterity, 12 Wisdom

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Samurai class, you gain the following proficiencies: Martial Weapons

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