Dragoon

Dragoon
Homebrew Class – No Expansion

A half-elf man approaches the mouth of a dark cave. He shouts loudly, drawing out the monster within. The allosaurus charges out, mouth open to devour the intruder. Focusing his mind, the half-elf sends a surge of magic through his body to jump high out of the way, over the creature's head. Turning in midair, he uses the same magic to come plunging down on top of the allosaur's neck with his spear. He has hit just the right spot to make the monster start bleeding out. All that remains is to finish the beast off.

A tiefling woman finds herself surrounded by gnoll slave traders. The horde plans to add her to their stock of slave inventory. Unknown to them, they deal with a dragoon. The tiefling jumps high into the air, and rains blasts of wind onto her aggressors. The gnolls barely have time to realize what has just happened, before the tiefling lands with her spear stuck through one's head. The gnolls attack, and are effortlessly parried and cut down. Soon, they are all dead, and the tiefling goes to free the captured slaves.

Of Arcane Blood
A Dragoon is someone who has been gifted with arcane magic. Instead of using this to become a traditional magic user, the individual uses it to increase their physical prowess. This magical energy fuels their powerful leaps and precise attacks.

The Dragoon’s place is not in the heat of battle, but rather it is soaring above in leaps and bounds, usually picking foes one at a time and rocketing down with deadly precision.

Reach of Dragons
Dragoons use polearms as their preferred weapon, striking down and through enemies with the force of the skies themselves. With the reach that these weapons grant, they can spin through combat like blades themselves, rocketing across the battlefield.

Creating a Dragoon
As you create your dragoon, ask yourself how you gained the arcane energy that grants you your strength and skill in aerial and grounded combat. Do you have the blood of a dragon pulsing through your veins? Did you have elemental energy grafted onto you in a freak storm? Perhaps you simply studied the arcane arts, and turned these powers towards physical prowess?

Quick Build
You can make a Dragoon quickly by following these suggestions. First make Strength your highest ability score. Your next highest ability score should be Dexterity. Second, choose the soldier background.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

 * Armour:  Light, Medium
 * Weapons:  Simple Weapons, Polearms
 * Tools:  None
 * Saving Throws:  Strength, Dexterity
 * Skills:  Choose two from Athletics, Acrobatics, Survival, Intimidation, Performance, Perception

Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
 * (a)  a halberd or  (b)  a polearm of your choice
 * (a)  a dungeoneer’s pack or  (b)  an explorer’s pack
 * (a)  a chain shirt or  (b)  scale mail or  (c)  leather armour

Dragoon Weapons
As a dragoon, you are specially trained to make maximum use of polearms. When wielding any polearm, the damage die for the weapon is a d10. This die changes as you gain dragoon levels, as shown in the Dragoon Weapons column of the Dragoon table.

Enhanced Jump
A dragoon's standing jump height is equal to 20 + your Strength score + your Dexterity score + your Dragoon level in feet. You take no fall damage from heights equal to or less than 20 x your Strength modifier in feet (minimum 20 feet).

At 15th level, you've finally perfected the art of jumping, and have reached the point where you can finally safely tap into your remaining hidden potential when you leap. Your standing jump height is doubled, and you become completely immune to fall damage.

Jump Attack
As an action, you may leap high into the air, allowing you to perform a melee attack with advantage on your first attack on your next turn. On a hit, this attack deals an extra 1d6 damage. The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Jump Attack column of the Dragoon table.

You may not take actions in the air unless specified otherwise. You may cancel the jump attack and drop down as a bonus action if you do not wish to complete it. This can be done on either turn.

Dragoonic Resilience
At 2nd level, your trained control of the innate arcane energy in your own body allows you to specialise in one of the chromatic elements. You become resistant to either Fire, Cold, Lightning, Acid or Poison damage.

Starting at 17th level, when you successfully attack a creature with a Jump Attack, you can choose to convert the Jump Attack's extra damage to the damage type of your Dragoonic Resilience.

Dragoon Archetype
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype to specialise your dragoonic abilities in. Your archetype grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 9th, 13th, and 17th level.
 * Breaker
 * Commander
 * Monster Hunter

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 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
Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. You may forego one of your attacks to perform both actions of the jump attack in a single turn.

Channeled Spears
Starting at 6th level, your attacks with dragoon weapons count as magical for the sake of overcoming resistances and immunity.

Aerial Evasion
Starting at 7th level, the Dragoon has learned to perform aerial maneuvers to avoid harm. While airborne, 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.

Additionally, if you succeeded on the saving throw while you are on the ground, you may use your reaction to make a Jump Attack Takeoff without provoking any opportunity attacks.If you are able to make this Jump Attack Takeoff you take no damage instead of half as if you were in the air.

Crippling Strike
Starting at 9th level, whenever you land a successful Jump Attack, you may inflict one of the following effects on the target: The DC for these effects is equal to 8 + your Dexterity modifier + your Proficiency bonus.
 * The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
 * The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be disarmed.
 * The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have their movement speed cut in half until the end of their next turn.

Acute Impact
Starting at 10th level, you've learned to use your balance of nimble dexterity and brute force in tandem in order to strike precisely and powerfully.

When you land a successful Jump Attack, you can reroll a number of damage dice equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of 1). You must use the second number that you reroll.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum of 1), and regain expended uses upon finishing a long rest.

First Strike
Starting at 11th level, you have learned to leap into action at any moment. You gain advantage on initiative checks.

Elemental Takeoff
Starting at 18th level, when you initiate a Jump Attack, you can choose to release a shock-wave of channeled elemental power, which is the same as your Dragoonic Resilience.

When you use your jump attack, every creature within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 5d6 damage of the Dragoonic Resilience element, or half damage on a success. On a failure, the creature is also knocked prone.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Windfury
Starting at 20th level, you can temporarily enter a state of heightened physical prowess. As a bonus action, you can channel the same force of momentum as a finished Jump Attack without leaping into the air. Your normal attacks have advantage, and you add your Jump Attack dice to them on a successful hit. This heightened state lasts an amount of turns equal to your Strength modifier or your Dexterity modifier (minimum of 1).

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again. If you attempt to use this again without completing a long rest, it will cause heavy strain on your body, inflicting 5d6 force damage and a level of exhaustion to yourself for each turn that you are in your Windfury state.

Breaker
Aerial combat is the forte of the Breaker. Most at home in the air, jump attacks are their most formidable weapons in their arsenal.

Comet Landing
Starting at 3rd level, upon landing a jump attack you can choose to execute a Comet Landing. All creatures within 10ft of where you land must make a Constitution saving throw, taking bludgeoning damage equal to your dragoon weapon damage, be pushed 10 feet away and be knocked prone or half damage on a success and not be pushed away or knocked prone.

This feature can be used a number of time equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of 1), and you regain expended uses upon finishing a long rest.

Elemental Blast
Starting at 3rd level, as a bonus action after a jump attack, you may throw a blast of energy down at any creature within a 20ft radius of the initial takeoff spot. On a successful hit, the creature takes damage of your dragoonic resilience type equal to your jump attack damage. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Subtle Leaps
Starting at 6th level, you can initiate jump attacks without provoking attacks of opportunity as long as you do not perform the second part of the jump attack within the same turn.

At 14th level, you may perform both parts of the jump attack within the same turn without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Steadfast Shaft
You have learned how to use the long shaft of your weapon to block attacks occasionally. Starting at 10th level, while you have both hands on your polearm you may use your reaction to increase your AC by your proficiency modifier until the start of your next turn. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum 1), and regain expended uses upon finishing a long rest.

Commander
Commanders lead others into combat, inspiring those around them to fight with increased vigour.

Battle Cry
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you can inspire those around you to take up arms. As a bonus action, you can call out to an allied creature within 60 feet of you. For the next minute, the target deals additional damage on all damage rolls equal to your proficiency bonus.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. You can use this feature twice between rests starting at 6th level, three times between rests starting at 10th level, and four times between rests starting at 14th level.

Taunt
Also at 3rd level, you have learnt to goad enemies into targeting you.

As a bonus action, you can choose a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus within 60 feet of you to taunt, forcing them to make a Charisma saving throw. The DC for this feature is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier.

On a failed save, a target must use its action on its next turn to perform a weapon attack against you. If it is not within range to attack you with a weapon attack, it must spend its turn moving towards you, taking the path of least resistance that will not place it in danger, such as walking over a pit of spikes. This does not include avoiding taking attacks of opportunity.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Rally
At 6th level, your presence inspires those around you. When you use your Taunt feature, you can speak out words of encouragement to all allied creatures within 60 feet of you, granting them temporary hit points equal to 1d12 + your dragoon level.

Persistence
Starting at 10th level, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Battle Cry remaining, you regain 1 use.

Improved War Cry
Beginning at 14th level, your words you speak inspire those around you to an even greater degree. You gain one of the following features of your choice.
 * War Cry.  Whenever you use your Battle Cry feature, you may choose to target a number of creatures up to your Strength modifier instead of a single creature as part of the same action. Once you use the Battle Cry feature in this manner, you can't use it this way again until you finish a long rest.
 * Hindering Cry.  Whenever you use your Battle Cry feature, you may instead choose to target a hostile creature, inflicting a penalty to their damage rolls equal to your proficiency bonus.

Monster Hunter
Monster hunters strive to rid the world of the beasts that plague the material world. Your skills are put to use to fight creatures larger than yourself.

Hunter's Quarry
At 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.
 * Colossus Slayer. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 damage if it’s below its hit point maximum. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn.
 * Horde Breaker. Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon.
 * Precise Leap. When fighting a creature sized large or larger, you may make a Jump Attack in a single attack, gaining all the normal benefits, and landing on the creature itself. This feature only works if you are on the ground when you begin the attack. Additionally, When you leap off of a creature, you use half of your movement or your bonus action.

Pressure Point
Starting at 3rd level, when fighting a creature sized large or larger, you score a critical hit with a d20 roll of 19-20. At 10th level, when fighting a creature sized large or larger, you score a critical hit with a d20 roll of 18-20.

Defensive Tactics
At 6th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.
 * Escape the Horde. Opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage.
 * Multiattack Defence. When a creature hits you with an attack, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against all subsequent attacks made by that creature for the rest of the turn.
 * Steel Will. You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Pinpointer
At 14th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.
 * Arterial Destruction. When you succeed on a jump attack against a creature sized large or larger, you can attempt to sever an artery of the creature and force it to make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d10 damage at the end of each of its turns for a number of turns equal to your Strength modifier (minimum 1).
 * Blitz. After you make an attack, you may move up to half your speed towards an enemy that you can see.
 * Ferocious. If you have advantage on an attack roll, on a hit you may deal additional damage equal to your Strength modifier.