Swordsman, 2nd Variant (5e Class)

Swordsman

A young man with a black leather coat stares at the battlefield before him, filled to the brim with hordes of enemies. Unsheathing his two swords, he charges into the fray, cutting down swathes of enemies as he wreaks havoc in their lines. The horde would not be defeated easily as it swarmed and rushed to attack the man. Seeing this, the man goes into a stance and would parry each of their attacks with ease, only for him to unleash a great counter against all who attacked him. By the end of it, only the young man would be standing alone as the battlefield is filled with all he cut down.

With odds stacked against her, a lone elf faces off a giant ogre, holding a shortsword in each hand as the ogre roared as it slammed its club towards her. She dodged and weaved the ogre's attacks, making her own counter attacks against the ogre with cuts and stabs that landed each time against it. The ogre would not be felled so easily however and would land a strike against her, bludgeoning her with great force. Defiant and still standing, the elf seeked to finish it as she unleashed a deadly technique against the ogre, striking the ogre seven times in various vital areas. By the end of it, the elf stands triumphant over her foe, covered in blood from the freshly slain ogre.

Careful and precise movements define the fighting style of a swordsman. They are diligent adepts who spend their entire lives perfecting their techniques to become more refined and dangerous warriors. Swordsmen are famous for being great mercenaries and duelists, trusting in their reflexes and honed instincts to survive any battle.

The Honed Edge

While a sword is deadly by itself, it's but just a tool when not in the hands of someone dedicated to it. Swordsmen are those who've come to adopt swordsmanship as their own, mastering its techniques and art to better make use of the deadly edge the sword possesses as it becomes an extension of themselves. Many styles and techniques were born from the many users of the sword, often forming schools to teach others of their own style and techniques, which often would develop into great rivalries, looking to make others see that their own style and techniques are superior and above all others.

Through this constant conflict, swordsmen would hone their craft even further, becoming deadly and frightening opponents in the battlefield. Focused and determined, these men and women would slice through anyone who opposed them as they left nothing but spilled blood and their opponents lacerated, decapitated, and even eviscerated.

Sharpening the Steel

A Swordsman's path is paved with danger and conflict, but with this comes the possibility of improvement and new knowledge. It is no wonder that swordsmen are seldom seen as peaceful as they can only ply their deadly trade in areas of war, strife, and conflict. Because of this, their combat prowess is valued, making swordsmen excellent soldiers, bodyguards, bounty hunters, enforcers, and etc.

Creating a Swordsman

When creating your Swordsman, consider what type of sword would fit the history and personality of your character as swords are a reflection of who the character is. What motivated you to become a swordsman? Have you lived a violent life and sought the edge of a sword to protect yourself? Maybe you have a family tradition or a master and wanted to continue the tradition of your style of sword fighting? Maybe the sword was the first ever weapon you used and merely continued what has been started? These are some questions you should ask yourself when making a Swordsman.

Quick Build

You can make a Legendary Swordsman quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength or Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the folk hero background. Third, choose a longsword, a dungeoneer's pack.

Class Features

As a Swordsman you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Dagger, greatsword, longsword, rapier, scimitar, and shortsword
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength and Dexterity
Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth and Survival.

Equipment

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

• one martial weapon of your choice
• (a) leather armor or (b) scale armor
• two shortswords
• (a) dungeoneer's pack or (b) explorer's pack

Table: The Swordsman

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Honed Edge	Features
1st	+2	1d4	Honed Edge, Sword Arts
2nd	+2	1d4	Switch, Primary Sword Skills
3rd	+2	1d4	Swordsmanship School, Superior Reflexes
4th	+2	1d4	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	1d6	Extra Attack
6th	+3	1d6	Swordsmanship School
7th	+3	1d6	Evasion
8th	+3	1d8	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	1d8	Advanced Sword Skills
10th	+4	1d8	Superior Velocity
11th	+4	1d10	Swordsmanship School
12th	+4	1d10	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	1d10	Lethal Precision
14th	+5	1d10	Adrenaline Rush
15th	+5	1d10	Unyielding Will
16th	+5	1d10	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	1d12	Master Sword Skills
18th	+6	1d12	Swordsmanship School
19th	+6	1d12	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	1d12	Extra Attack (2)

Honed Edge

At 1st level, any Sword (Shortsword, Scimitar, Rapier, Longsword, or Greatsword) that you are wielding gains a bonus +1d4 to its damage rolls. This die changes as you gain Swordsman levels, as shown in the Honed Edge column in the Swordsman table. When wielding a sword with the two-handed or heavy property, it may benefit from the effects of Honed Edge, but the weapon's damage die is lowered to 1d10 if its damage die is greater.

Sword Arts

At 1st level, you've come to adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. These styles of fighting can only be used when using a Sword (Shortsword, Scimitar, Rapier, Longsword, or Greatsword).

Choose one of the following options. You can't take the same Sword Art option more than once.

Aggressive Dueling

While wielding a sword, you may choose to make a melee attack without your proficiency bonus. On a hit, your damage roll gains a bonus amount of damage equal to twice your proficiency modifier.

Classical Swordfighting

While only wielding a sword in one hand and nothing else, you gain a +1 bonus to your attack rolls and armor class.

Defensive Guarding

While wielding one or more swords, you gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class and saving throws.

Dual Sword Mastery

When you take the Attack action while two-weapon fighting with swords only, you can make a single additional attack with your off-hand weapon as part of your attack action instead of your bonus action, adding your ability modifier to the damage roll of this attack.

Featherlike Agility

While wielding only swords with the Light property and nothing else, your movement speed increases by +10ft and whenever you hit a melee weapon attack against a creature, you don't provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn.

Heavy Swings

While wielding a sword with the Heavy property, on a hit, you can choose to deal no damage equal in exchange to knock the target prone if they were your size or smaller.

Mordhau

While wielding a sword that you can hold two-handed, on a hit, you may choose for the damage type to deal slashing, bludgeoning, or piercing damage.

Sword and Board

While wielding a sword and shield, you may now make attacks with your shield, of which you are considered proficient, it uses Strength or Dexterity for its attack and damage rolls, and deals bludgeoning damage equal to your Honed Edge die. On a hit, you may choose to also shove your target 5 ft away from you in any direction.

Two-Handed Reach

While wielding a sword with the Two-Handed property, your weapon's reach is extended to 10ft and gain a +1 bonus to your attack rolls.

Switch

At 2nd level, your reaction speed is enough to help an ally. As a reaction, you switch positions with a friendly creature within 5 feet of you that is about to be attacked and take the damage, of which it is reduced by 2 rolls of your Honed Edge die.

Sword Skills

Also at 2nd level, your training and dedication with the sword has opened you to the use of Sword Skills.

Flurry Points

To use these Sword Skills, you must be using a Sword and spend Flurry points. You have a number of flurry points equal to your Swordsman level added twice. When you use a flurry point, it is considered spent. You regain all flurry points at the end of a long rest.

You cannot spend more Flurry Points into a Sword Skill than your proficiency bonus.

Learning Sword Skills

You gain two Sword Skills of your choice, as long as you meet their prerequisites. Whenever your proficiency bonus increases, you gain another Sword Skill which you meet the prerequisites of.

In addition, when you take a long rest, you can change a number of Sword Skills equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down).

Sword Skill Abilities

All Sword Skills benefit from any attack or damage modifiers the sword possess (i.e. when wielding a Sun Blade, the Sword Skill still benefits from the sword's +2 to attack and damage rolls and its bonus 1d8 radiant damage when attacking an undead).

Some of your Sword Skills and features that use flurry points require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Sword Skill save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier

Swordsmanship School

Starting at 3rd level, you decided to follow in the footsteps of a great swordmaster, learning from his school and martial treatesies. Choose a Swordsmanship School.

Your choice of school grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 11th and 17th level.

Ability Score Improvement

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

At 5th level, you can attack twice whenever you take the attack action in your turn. You can attack thrice instead of twice at 20th level.

Evasion

At 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as an ancient red dragon’s fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Superior Velocity

At 10th level, you are so fast that it's difficult to hit you. When a creature makes an attack against you at Advantage, you can spend your reaction to cancel any advantage that creature has against you until the end of its turn.

Lethal Precision

At 13th level, you are as precise as you are fast. You now score critical hits on a 19 or 20, and you roll one additional damage dice when rolling critical hits.

Adrenaline Rush

At 14th level, the rush of battle can make you regain your momentum, being able to fight for longer. Whenever you score a critical hit, you regain 5 Flurry Points.

Unyielding Will

At 15th level, you can use your will to keep fighting through the most grievous of wounds and situations. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you may spend up to 5 Flurry points (minimum of 1). You roll an amount of Honed Edge die equal to the amount spent, regaining hit points equal to the amount rolled.

You can only use this feature once regaining use after taking a short or long rest.

Swordsmanship Schools

Just as the sword have many forms and can take many shapes and sizes, there are as many schools in swordsmanship that cater to many different techniques, methods, and philosophies on how a sword is to be used and many schools have popped up in an effort to proclaim that their school is the greatest above all others.

School of the Bear

Students of the school of the Bear take pride in their great strength, wielding a strong body to crush any opponents. They are known for using heavy weapons and to make their opponent’s defenses frail with their overwhelming force.

Mighty Sword

Starting at 3rd level, your strength is incomparable in battle. You add your modifier twice to damage rolls made with swords that have the Heavy, Versatile (only when wielded with two hands) and Two-Handed properties.

In addition, Grapple and Shove checks made while wielding one of these swords receive a +2 bonus.

Deep Wounds

At 6th level, the power behind your sword blows can destroy an enemy’s defense. Whenever you score a critical hit on a creature using a Sword that qualifies for the Mighty Sword feature, the target is unable to move and has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks and saving throws until the end of your next turn.

Powerful Build

At 11th level, you count as one size larger for all intents and purposes, however your actual size doesn’t change. In addition, you have advantage on Strength checks and Saving throws.

Hope Crusher

At 18th level, your might has become so great that you can destroy a creature’s hopes of defense simply by hitting them hard enough. When a creature is affected by the Deep Wounds feature, you may spend 2 Flurry Points to also reduce any rolls they make by your Honed Edge die.

School of the Cheetah

'Strike fast, strike hard, and let the violence of action carry your blade through' is the core tenet that the students of the Cheetah School follow. Focusing on speed, initiative, and momentum, they are quick to draw their blade and are even faster when wielding them. With their speed, they can easily catch any fleeing opponent and it is even said that master swordsmen from this school can catch any opponent, even when they're in flight.

Athletic Body

Starting at 3rd level, you have been trained for speed and to move faster than anyone against you. Your movement speed increases by 5 times half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) in feet.

In addition, you receive a +2 bonus to your initiative rolls.

Efficient Movements

At 6th level, your movements waste no energy, allowing you to move even faster for less effort. You can now take the Dash action as a bonus action, and non-magical difficult terrain does not affect you.

In addition, when you take the dash action you may choose to use a Sword Skill that would normally cost an action as a bonus action, however its cost is doubled.

Freerunning

At 11th level, you've learned the art of 'freerunning', allowing you to climb over obstacles easily and safely fall from heights that to most would injure them. You now gain climbing speed equal to your movement speed and falling from heights equal or lesser than your movement speed doesn't harm you.

Sky Walk

At 17th level, your movements are so fast and smooth that you can now do the ultimate technique of the school, the Sky Walk. Your jump distance is tripled, and when you start your turn you may choose to gain a flying speed equal to your movement speed. You fall if you are still aloft by the end of your turn.

School of the Fox

Adepts from the school of the fox are reactive warriors who rely heavily on their honed instincts, using their spontaneous body movement while trusting that their constant training will trigger when needed. They can quickly counter or evade attacks and amongst the swordsmen are the ones more suited to battle multiple opponents.

Honed Instincts

Starting at 3rd level, your instincts are sharper than ever, allowing you to react to multiple situations at the same time. You gain one additional reaction per round (for a total of two), regaining both at the start of your next round. You only benefit from this while wielding a sword.

In addition, as a reaction you may spend 1 flurry point to use the Dodge action.

Vicious Response

At 6th level, you've come to learn the stance that the school is known for, the 'Vicious Response'. Whenever a creature makes a melee attack against you, you can spend a reaction to make a melee weapon attack roll against them.

Reactive Defense

At 11th level, your defense rises when you use your instincts to the maximum. Whenever you use a reaction, you gain a +1 to your AC and saving throws until the start of your next turn.

In addition, as a reaction to a creature entering your sword’s reach, you can make a melee weapon attack against them.

Evasive Sword

At 18th level, you now don’t need to spend a Flurry Point to use the Dodge action as a reaction. In addition, any attack rolls you make with swords as part of a reaction are made with advantage.

School of the Snake

Silent and unseen, swordsmen from the Snake school focus on gaining an advantage on their opponents by striking unseen against their enemies. Opportunists and pragmatists, they never take a fight that they can't win and would always seek to gain any advantage they can get to further bolster their chances against any foe they face.

Unseen Strike

Starting at 3rd level, you have been trained to fully take advantage from striking your opponent unseen and to make such opportunities available to you. Once per turn, you can deal extra damage equal to a number of rolls of your Honed Edge die equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must be made using a sword with the finesse property.

You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

In addition, you may now take the Hide action as a bonus action.

Capitalize

At 6th level, you've learned to fully maximize the opportunities given to you. When hitting an Unseen Strike, you can choose to spend 1 Flurry point to deal maximum damage with your Honed Edge die instead of rolling. This only counts for the Honed Edge die rolled in the feature, not any outside of it.

Blade in the Dark

At 11th level, you've now combined your swordsmanship and the advantages that darkness. While under dim light or darkness, you have advantage on all rolls made to Hide and you no longer suffer disadvantage on your attack rolls with a Sword unless in magical darkness.

Dark Execution

At 18th level, you've become a master of striking unseen and are capable of ending your enemies in one slice. When you hit an Unseen Strike, the attack is considered a critical on a 18 or higher, and you roll two additional dice on a critical instead of one.

Sword Skill List

Primary Skills

You may learn these Sword Skills at any level.

Avalanche

Cost: 1 Flurry Point

As part of making a melee weapon attack, you can spend a bonus action to perform a massive overhead swing with your sword to bring your opponent down to their knees. On a hit, the target is knocked prone.

Honorable Strike

Cost: 1 Flurry Point

When you hit a creature with a sword, you can spend a bonus action to follow up with a blindingly quick attack with the butt/pommel of your sword or your shield against the creature. Make a melee weapon attack against them. On a hit, they take bludgeoning damage equal to your Honed Edge die + your Strength or Dexterity modifier and must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, they are stunned until the end of their next turn.

Leaping Edge

Cost: 1-2 Flurry Points

Whenever you move at least 10 feet and stop within 5ft of a creature, you may perform a leaping attack against them as a bonus action. For the purposes of this attack roll, their AC is reduced by 1. On a hit, your Honed Edge die is rolled twice instead of once.

You may spend one additional Flurry Point to use this as a reaction to falling on top of a creature, taking no fall damage on a hit.

Mocking Blade

Cost: 1 Flurry Point

As part of hitting a melee weapon attack, you can provoke the enemy by attacking both the body and mind by insulting the enemy after the attack. The creature must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it must spend its next turn using its movement to get closer to you and to attack you.

If it was a critical hit, the creature does the save with disadvantage.

Parry

Cost: 1 Flurry Point

As a reaction when you are targeted by a melee attack, you may roll a melee weapon attack against the attacker. The results vary depending on your roll, as shown below:

• If your attack is a critical, you take no damage and may immediately make one melee weapon attack against them.
• If you exceed their attack roll, you take no damage.
• If you match the result, you take half as much damage from the attack.
• If your attack is lower than the result, the damage is reduced by your Honed Edge die.

Snake Bite

Cost: 1 Flurry Point

As an action, you make a swift fainting attack to disarm the enemy. Make a melee weapon attack. On a hit, your Honed Edge die is rolled twice instead of once, and they drop one weapon or item they're holding in their hand of your choice.

Wind Slash

Cost: 1 Flurry Point

Whenever you make a melee weapon attack, you may replace the attack by a wind slash as long as the attack did not benefit from any other Sword Skill. The attack’s range is increased to 60 feet, and on a hit you roll your Honed Edge die twice instead of once.

Flash

Cost: 2-5 Flurry Points

You perform a superfast sword strike that leaves no room for an enemy to counter you. As an action, you move up to 15 feet in a straight line. If you end the movement within 5ft of a creature, you make one melee weapon attack against it. On a hit, your Honed Edge die is rolled thrice instead of once and they take +1 additional damage per 5 feet moved.

This movement does not generate opportunity attacks.

For every Flurry Point spent above 2, you can move 5 additional feet.

Advanced Skills

You may learn these Sword Skills at 9th level and above.

Path of Blades

Cost: 3 Flurry Points

As an action, you dash towards a point 30ft in front of you, slashing all who were in your way. All creatures that were in a 10 feet width of the line you just moved are forced to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take one roll of your melee weapon + three rolls of your Honed Edge die. On a success, they take half as much damage.

This movement doesn’t generate opportunity attacks. If a creature would be in a condition where melee attacks would have advantage against them, they have disadvantage on this Dexterity saving throw.

Riposte

Cost: 3 Flurry Points

As a reaction when you are targeted by a melee attack, you may roll a melee weapon attack against the attacker. The results vary depending on your roll, as shown below:

• If your attack is a critical, you take no damage and may immediately make two melee weapon attack rolls against them.
• If you exceed their attack roll, you take no damage and may immediately make one melee weapon attack roll against them.
• If you match the result, you take no damage.
• If your attack is lower than the result, the damage is halved.

Serration Wave

Cost: 3-7 Flurry Points

As an action, you cause all creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take four rolls of your Honed Edge die in slashing damage and their movement speed is reduced to 0 until the end of their next turn. On a success, they take half as much damage and their movement speed isn’t reduced.

If they fail by 5 or more, they also have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws for the duration.

For every Flurry Point spent above 3, the range is increased by 5 feet.

Shield Breaker

Cost: 4 Flurry Points

As an action, you can try to break an opponent’s defense by forcing your sword against their protection. Make a melee weapon attack. On a hit, you roll your Honed Edge die thrice instead of once and their AC is reduced by half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) until the start of your next turn.

If the attack was a critical, the AC reduction is increased to your proficiency bonus.

Square Dance

Cost: 4 Flurry Points

As an action, you dash to four points along a square and unleash a barrage of slashes from each point with such speed that all that can be seen is a blur of your shadow moving. Choose up to four creatures within your movement speed range. Make one melee weapon attack roll against each. On a hit, your Honed Edge die is rolled four times instead of once.

Vanishing Blade

Cost: 4 Flurry Points

As a bonus action, you can enter a stance of accelerated speed, causing your attacks to become mere blurs that are hard to keep up with. Until the end of your turn, you have advantage on melee weapon attack rolls.

In addition, for the duration you don’t generate opportunity attacks if you were moving towards a hostile creature.

Master Skills

You may learn these Sword Skills at 17th level and above.

Deadly Sins

Cost: 6 Flurry Points

As an action, you perform a seven-hit skill that consists of various slashes, several full-circle spins, and a backward somersault. Choose one target within 30 feet of you. You move up to them without provoking attacks of opportunity, and make a melee weapon attack roll. On a hit, your Honed Edge die is rolled six times instead of once. Hitting or missing, all creatures within 10 feet of the target must succeed a Dexterity saving throw or take half as much damage the target takes or would have taken. As a finale to your attack, you leap 15 feet backwards in a direction of your choice without provoking attacks of opportunity or taking fall damage.

Meteor Break

Cost: 6 Flurry Points

As an action, you perform a flurry of strikes in combination with swift shoulder bashes to disorient your opponent as you expertly dismantle them. Make a melee weapon attack roll. On a hit, your Honed Edge die is rolled five times instead of once and the creature is stunned until the end of their next turn.

Nova Ascension

Cost: 6 Flurry Points

As an action, you enter a stance to parry all incoming attacks against you until the start of your next turn, of which you can't use your bonus action, reaction, or movement. For the duration, whenever an attack targets you, you can roll an attack roll against it. The results vary depending on your roll.

• If your attack is a critical, you take no damage and may immediately make one melee weapon attack against them.
• If you exceed their attack roll, you take no damage.
• If you match the result, you take half as much damage from the attack.
• If your attack is lower than the result, the damage is reduced by your Honed Edge die rolled twice.

For every attack you take no damage from, you gain a +1 to the next melee weapon attack roll you make to avoid attacks, to a maximum of a +3 and losing all bonuses at the start of your next turn.

Star Fall

Cost: 6 Flurry Points

As an action, you hurl your blade high into the air, then dash forward with blinding speed to deliver a devastating haymaker.

Choose one creature within 10 feet of you. You dash toward the target without provoking opportunity attacks and make a melee weapon attack roll. On a hit, the target takes bludgeoning damage equal to 2 rolls of your Honed Edge die + your Strength modifier and is launched 15 feet directly away from you.

If the target collides with a solid structure or another creature of equal or larger size, both the target and the object/creature it collided with take bludgeoning damage equal to half the original damage dealt (rounded down).

Then, you leap into the air, catching your blade mid-flight to deliver a finishing strike. All creatures within 10 feet of your original target (including themselves) must make a Dexterity saving throw.

On a failure, they take slashing damage equal to six rolls of your Honed Edge die + your Strength or Dexterity modifier and are knocked 20 feet away from you. On a success, they take half as much damage and are not knocked back.

Thousand Cuts

Cost: 6 Flurry Points

You unleash your mastery of the sword arts, using all of your skill into this singular attack. As an action, you may make an amount of melee weapon attack rolls equal to your Strength or Dexterity modifier. Whenever you hit any of these attacks, your Honed Edge die is rolled thrice instead of once.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the legendary swordsman class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength and Dexterity 13 or higher

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the legendary swordsman class, you gain the following proficiencies: Dagger, greatsword, longsword, rapier, scimitar, and shortsword. One skill proficiency.

3.43

(7 votes)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes