Warlord
Go back to Reese's Campaign page.
Description
You know, in DnD every party has to have a Cleric. And yes, we tinkered the Cleric to make them six kinds of awesome fun, so that's no hardship. But there should be another class that can 'keep a party going' just as good as a cleric can.
Welcome to the Warlord, folks!
A warlord does not have even one single heal. Not one. But you know what, he'll support a party so well you can adventure just as hard as if you had a pocket band-aid wagon right behind you every step of the way.
If you like playing support toons, the Warlord is your cup of tea. And to make it even better, the Warlord is perfectly capable of wading into the front lines and doing just as much damage as any heavy-armor melee toon can dish out. Now, the Warlord is very much a team toon. The larger the party, the more powerful he gets and the more potent the buffs become. So while Clerics get a bit 'washed out' in large parties, Warlords just get stronger and stronger.
So, grab a Warlord and snuggle up to the barbarian, this class is a helluva good time!
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
Starting Wealth: Each character begins play with basic (non-armor) clothing worth 10 gp or less.
Class Skills: The warlords class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis) Survival (Wis) and Swim (Str).
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Table: Warlord
| Level | BAB | Fort | Refl | Will | Hold the Line | Formation | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | - | Inspiration 1d6, Combat Leader +2, Commanding Presence +1 |
| 2nd | +2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -4 to hit for +2 ac, affects adjacent allies | - | Hold the Line |
| 3rd | +3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | -4 to hit for +2 ac, affects adjacent allies | - | Inspiration 2d6 |
| 4th | +4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | -3 to hit for +2 ac, affects adjacent allies | 1d12 | Rallying Presence, Formation 1d12 |
| 5th | +5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | -3 to hit for +2 ac, affects adjacent allies | 1d12 | Inspiration 3d6 |
| 6th | +6/+1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | -3 to hit for +3 ac, affects adjacent allies | 1d12 | Force Majeure, Combat Leader +3 |
| 7th | +7/+2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | -3 to hit for +3 ac, affects adjacent allies | 1d12 | Inspiration 4d6 |
| 8th | +8/+3 | 6 | 2 | 6 | -2 to hit for +3 ac, affects adjacent allies | 2d12 | Formation 2d12, Commanding Presence +2 |
| 9th | +9/+4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | -2 to hit for +3 ac, affects adjacent allies | 2d12 | Inspiration 5d6 |
| 10th | +10/+5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | -2 to hit for +4 ac, affects adjacent allies | 2d12 | Cry Havoc |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | 7 | 3 | 7 | -2 to hit for +4 ac, affects adjacent allies | 2d12 | Inspiration 6d6 |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | 8 | 4 | 8 | -1 to hit for +4 ac, affects adjacent allies | 3d12 | Formation 3d12 |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | 8 | 4 | 8 | -1 to hit for +4 ac, affects adjacent allies | 3d12 | Inspiration 7d6 |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | 9 | 4 | 9 | -1 to hit for +5 ac, affects adjacent allies | 3d12 | Brilliant Leadership, Combat Leader +4 |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | 9 | 5 | 9 | -1 to hit for +5 ac, affects adjacent allies | 3d12 | Inspiration 8d6 |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | 10 | 5 | 10 | -0 to hit for +5 ac, affects adjacent allies | 4d12 | Formation 4d12 |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | 10 | 5 | 10 | -0 to hit for +5 ac, affects adjacent allies | 4d12 | Inspiration 9d6 |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | 11 | 6 | 11 | -0 to hit for +5 ac, affects allies within 10 feet | 4d12 | Onward to Victory, Commanding Presence +3 |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | 11 | 6 | 11 | -0 to hit for +5 ac, affects allies within 10 feet | 4d12 | inspiration 10d6 |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | 12 | 6 | 12 | -0 to hit for +5 ac, affects allies within 20 feet | 4d12 | Victorious Surge |
Class Abilities
- Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A warlord is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all armor, and with shields (including tower shields).
- Combat Leader
At 1st level, the warlord begins to demonstrate the brilliance of their battlefield leadership. The warlord and all allies the warlord can see gain a +2 bonus to initiative. This bonus increases to +3 at 6th level and +4 at 14th level.
- Commanding Presence
The mere appearance of a warlord upon the field of battle has a positive impact among his allies. The warlord and all allies that can see him gain a +1 bonus to attack and weapons damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 8th level, and +3 at 18th level.
- Inspiration
During battle, once per round, as a move action, the warlord may exhort his comrades with words of courage and determination. This inspiration affects all allies within a 30-foot radius centered on the warlord, and bestows 1d6 temporary hit points, plus 1d6 additional points for every two warlord levels beyond 1st (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on). These temporary hit points last until the battle ends, or until they are removed through damage. A warlord may inspire a number of times per day equal to 3+ his Charisma modifier. This inspiration does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The warlord can choose whether or not to include himself in this effect.
- Hold the Line (stance)
During battle, the warlord may enter a defensive stance centered on himself as a swift action. By doing so, he takes a penalty to his attack rolls of -4, but gains a bonus to his AC of +2, and grants this same bonus to all adjacent allies (but not the attack penalties). As he levels up, the penalties decrease, and the AC bonuses increase, eventually granting no to-hit penalties and a +5 AC bonus to the warlord and his allies. Beginning at level 18, the size of his defensive bastion increases to 10 feet, and increases to 20 feet at level 20. Note that this ability may be stacked with defensive fighting and/or combat expertise, though AC bonuses from these actions do not extend to the warlord's allies.
It takes no action to sustain or leave the stance. If the warlord is knocked prone, or suffers a condition which prevents him from taking actions, the stance ends (though the warlord can use another swift action to start it again).
Only one stance may be active at a time. (For clarity, defensive fighting and combat expertise are not stances. Stances are class powers that are labeled as stances.)
- Rallying Presence
As an immediate action, the warlord may grant an ally a reroll to a save. This must be done before the outcome of the save is resolved. The warlord can do this a number of times per day equal to 3+ CHA mod.
- Formation
At 4th level, the warlord begins to gain offensive power as long as there is at least one PC ally in the party who has temp hit points granted by his Inspiration power. After applying, and while maintaining, temporary hit points on any player character he is allied with, the warlord gets a formation dice pool, which he may apply as damage, once per round, as a free action, to a melee attack he has successfully made. Temp hit points from other sources, including other warlords do not count. At level 4, the size of this dice pool is 1d12, as shown in the table, "Table: Warlord", and it increases by one die each four levels until it reaches 4d12 at level 16.
Alternatively, once per round, as a free action, the warlord may 'gift' half the dice in his pool, round up, to a PC ally's melee damage roll. This ally must have remaining temporary hit points from the warlord's Inspiration power in order to receive this gift.
At level 8, the warlord's Formation dice go up to 2d12 (maximum gift of 1d12). At level 12, it increases to 3d12 (maximum gift 2d12), and up to 4d12 at level 16 (maximum gift 2d12).
- Force Majeure
Beginning at 6th level, the Warlord adds his CHA modifier to his melee damage rolls.
- Cry Havoc
After the warlord strikes a target, he may invoke havoc upon it as a free action. Until the end of the warlord's next turn, any attack roll against that target can now score a critical hit on an 18-20, or with a +1 increased crit range, whichever is preferred. If the warlord scores a hit that is also a critical threat he may use this ability and gain an additional effect. His roll to confirm critical attacks suffer no penalties from fighting defensively, hold the line or combat expertise if he uses Cry Havoc after he scores the threat. The warlord can use this ability a number of times per day equal to his CHA modifier (minimum 1).
- Brilliant Leadership
If the warlord successfully strikes an opponent while using 'Hold the Line', he may grant an ally receiving the 'Hold the Line' bonus an immediate opportunity attack against the same opponent. This may not occur more than once per round.
- Onward to Victory
Once per day as an immediate action, the warlord may grant himself and all allies within 10 feet per point of his CHA mod a move action. These moves are resolved immediately, in initiative order. Ongoing effects such as bleed damage do not 'tick' on this granted action.
- Victorious Surge
Once per day as an immediate action, the warlord may grant himself and all allies within 10 feet per point of his CHA mod a standard action. These actions are resolved immediately, in initiative order. Ongoing effects such as bleed damage do not 'tick' on this granted action. Special: This may be used as part of the same immediate action as Onward to Victory.