Combat Butler, Variant (5e Class)
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This page is incomplete and/or lacking flavor. Reason: Almost no class page is in a finished state when it is first posted. For guidance, see the 5e Class Design Guide.
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Combat Butler[edit]
A butler is one who serves, who dedicates themself to a master, the right hand and leader of all a household's other servants. Combat butlers are this and more, bodyguard, spymaster, head of security, mage, each a different specialty, but each providing a multitude of essential services.
Bodyguard in Disguise[edit]
A combat butler may specialize in one of several roles based on who and where they trained, but all of them are required to meet a minimum baseline for combat capabilities, otherwise, what good are they?
Creating a Combat Butler[edit]
When creating a combat butler, ask yourself a few questions: how did you became a combat butler, were did you get your training? Have you been working for a noble house and trained as a staff member since your youth, or have you came from a renowned school of combat butlers? Why do you turned to a life of adventure? Have you failed your former masters, or did you decided that your talents were wasted serving a rich family and would be better employed helping an adventuring party to achieve glory and gold?
- Quick Build
You can make a Combat Butler quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the Butler background. Third, choose <!-elaborate on equipment choices->
Class Features
As a Combat Butler you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Combat Butler level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Combat Butler level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor:
Weapons: Simple Weapons
Tools: Cook's Utensils
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: choose two between Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Performance.
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) a shortbow and a quiver with 20 arrows or (c) two longsword (Academy of Blades only)
- (a) diplomat's pack or (b) scholar's pack
- leather armor, a uniform, two daggers, and Cook's utensils
- If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4 x 10 gp in funds.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Bodyguard in Disguise, Efficient Service, Butler Academy |
| 2nd | +2 | Emergency First Aid |
| 3rd | +2 | Always Prepared |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Princess Potato Sacks |
| 6th | +3 | Into the Line of Fire |
| 7th | +3 | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | Refined Behavior |
| 10th | +4 | — |
| 11th | +4 | Superior Service |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | — |
| 14th | +5 | Unto Death |
| 15th | +5 | A Moments Notice |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | — |
| 18th | +6 | Tireless Service |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Majordomo |
Bodyguard in Disguise[edit]
Beginning at 1st level you can tie yourself to another's service. Upon completing a long rest you can choose a willing, allied creature within 60 ft. of you to designate as your Master. Your master gains +1 to their armor class, and +2 to their Strength and Dexterity saving throws, when they are within 5 feet of you. You can designate a new master at the end of a long rest if you have spent at least 3 days accompanying and serving the target creature.
Efficient Service[edit]
Starting at 1st level you are fast and efficient at listening to the commands of others. An allied creature within 60 feet of you can spend their bonus action to give you a command. The command can be to take the interact action in a specific way with a specific object in your reach, make a single attack against a specific creature or object within attack range, or to take the help action for a specific check and a specific creature within 5 feet of you. At any time you are able to follow the command, you can spend your reaction to do so. If the creature giving you the command is your master, you can obey the command without expending your reaction once, regaining the ability to do so upon completing a short or long rest.
The types of commands your allies can give you increases at 7th level to include moving your full movement speed towards a specific place, to take the dodge action, or to take the hide action.
Butler Academy[edit]
At 1st level, you choose an Academy, representing the training you have undergone, whether under another head butler, or at an actual school. Choose between the Academy of Authority, Etiquette, Mystery, or Security, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 13th and 17th levels.
academy of security - fighter type (be the adam smasher or oda your DM didn't know they didn't need; extra uses of servant and master; master alone commands full attack action)
academy of etiquette - warlock/bard type (charming and magicky)
academy of mystery - rogue (sneaky assassin spy) (never seen, ever present: teleport to master from their shadow?)
academy of authority - leader type (yeah battle valets/maids!)
Emergency First Aid[edit]
Starting at 2nd level you are trained in first aid, able to react quickly to harm done to a member of the household. You can add your Dexterity modifier to your Wisdom (Medicine) checks used to stabilize a creature, and can make Wisdom (Medicine) checks to stabilize a creature as a bonus action. Additionally, if you successfully stabilize your master, you can choose to restore a number of their hit points equal to your Charisma modifier plus your Combat Butler level once, regaining use of this feature upon completing a short or long rest.
Always Prepared[edit]
Starting at 3rd level you can anticipate the desires and needs of your Masters, prepared to serve when the moment comes. Whenever you complete a long rest, you can roll a d20 and record the number rolled. When one of your master rolls an ability check, attack roll or saving throw, you can replace the roll result with the recorded number. You can use this feature once, regaining uses upon completing a long rest.
Ability Score Improvement[edit]
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.
Princess Potato Sack[edit]
Starting at 5th level you can drag your allies to safety, whether they want you to or not. You can lift a creature of your size or smaller as an action, ignoring their weight when determining how much you can carry, but not the weight of their gear. If the creature is unwilling, you can make an grapple contest against them, forcefully picking them up on a success. If the creature you are carrying is your master, you are considered to be one size larger when determining your carrying capacity.
Additionally, allied creatures can command you to move up to your full movement speed either in a specific direction, or to a specific location, as with the Efficient Service feature.
Into the Line of Fire[edit]
Starting at 6th level when an allied creature within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack or makes a saving throw, and you would be unaffected, you can swap positions with them, treating yourself as the original target. If the allied creature is your master you gain temporary hit points equal to 1d10 plus your Charisma modifier before taking any damage.
Refined Behavior[edit]
Starting at 9th level you have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks against any creature that serves another. In addition, when you are given a command through your Efficient Service feature, your allies can command you to take the dodge action.
Superior Service[edit]
Starting at 11th level your quick movement and ear for Commands allows you to take an additional reaction each round. This reaction can only be used for Combat Butler features.
Unto Death[edit]
Starting at 14th level your loyalty and professionalism become so strong as to link your life to that of your master. If your master must make a death saving throw and you are alive, any failed death save they roll is marked as if you rolled it instead. You die at three failed death saves even if you were above 0 hit points. If you and your master must both make death saves, either of your successes count for both of you instead.
A Moments Notice[edit]
Starting at 15th level, once per round when you would obey a command from your master, you can choose to make your attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws with advantage so long as they serve to complete the command (up to DM discretion).
Tireless Service[edit]
Starting at 18th level not even the cold embrace of death can keep you from finishing your job. When you would die within 60 feet of your master, you can choose to instead remove any effects that reduce your maximum hit points, regain a number of hit points equal to your maximum, and then take a turn immediately; this interrupts the current turn-goer, but they resume their turn at the end of yours. If you are still alive after an hour has passed, your heart is destroyed and you die.
Majordomo[edit]
Starting at 20th level you can designate a number of creatures as your master equal to your proficiency bonus. Choose one of them to be Head of the Household. The head of the household's commands never cost you a reaction, you always succeed on Wisdom (Medicine) checks to stabilize them, and they gain advantage on death saving throws when within 60 feet of you.
Academy of Authority[edit]
You have been trained in the managing of servants beyond just the routine housework normally required. For this, your academy has granted you licensing and a fully paid coworker from another course. You and the staff under you are all fully battle ready, able to appear to serve the master at any moment, in any situation.
- Household Staff
Starting at 1st level you gain the ability to call upon extra help from your academy in order to take care of your household. You gain the services of a maid or valet. Your housekeeper's looks are determined by you, and they share your alignment. Your housekeeper gains additional hit points equal to your Constitution modifier plus your Combat Butler level, and they use your proficiency bonus instead of the normal +2. Your housekeeper takes their turn after you in the initiative order and will follow your (or your master's) instructions to the best of their abilities. Your housekeeper benefits from your Combat Butler features and shares any limited uses with you.
If your housekeeper is reduced to 0 hit points they fall unconscious and begin making death saving throws unless another feature would prevent it. If they ever die, you can raise them from the dead as normal, or call for a replacement from your academy. Calling for a replacement requires you to send a formal letter, as well as 150 GP per housekeeper that needs replacing. The replacement housekeepers will find you after a week. If you are found to be replacing your staff too often, your academy may revoke your licensing and recall your staff, preventing you from using your subclass features, or may even send a cadre of Battle Servant
- Battle Staff
Starting at 3rd level
Starting at 3rd level you gain the service of a single Battle Servant, an incredibly capable NPC trained and armed for combat. They share the same alignment as you and will follow your orders fervently so long as it does not obviously end in the death of themself, you, or your Masters. You can summon the Battle Servant into an unoccupied space within 10 feet of you as an action. The Battle Servant acts after you in the initiative order, and can be given orders as a bonus action on your turn. If your Battle Servant is reduced to 0 hit points, it falls unconscious and must make death saves. If a Battle Servant dies, you can revive them as with your Housekeeper, or hire and train a new one for 250 gp over the course of a week. Damage dealt to your Battle Servant stays between summons
- Never Seen, Always Present
Starting at 7th level your Battle Servants and Housekeeper can sink into your shadow. Your Housekeeper has the statblock of a Battle Servant with minor changes.
- Endless Hands
Starting at 10th level your dedication to serve is so powerful you will never find yourself without an extra set of hands with which to serve your Master, calling the ghosts of dead servants to help you. You can cast unseen servant as a ritual. The spell has a duration of Until Dispelled and does not end early if more than 60 feet away from you so long as it is within 60 feet of your Master. The Unseen Servant appears like a ghostly maid or valet and will obey your commands or the spoken commands of your Master. You can have a single Unseen Servant created in this way at a time, with any subsequent casts dispelling the previous Unseen Servant.
Starting at 13th level you can
- Loyal Unto Death
Starting at 17th level Battle Staff wont die upon hitting 0 hit points and will continue fighting for a while.
Academy of Etiquette[edit]
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Spell List[edit]
You know all of the spells on the basic spell list and additional spells based on your subclass.
- 1st Level
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- 2nd Level
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- 3rd Level
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- 4th Level
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- 5th Level
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Multiclassing[edit]
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the <!-class name-> class, you must meet these prerequisites:
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the <!-class name-> class, you gain the following proficiencies:
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