The Armsmaster

The half-elf gives a wicked smile as she draws two slender rapiers from their sheaths. Moments later, the goblins lie dead before her feet, some of them with their stubby swords still in their belts. One of the goblins gives a whimper, apparently still alive. Nonplussed, she wipes the blood off her swords and walks away. If the goblin survives - which she doubts - the tribes might hear of what happened and realize the futility of these raids.

The grizzled old orc trains with his axe from sunrise to sunset each day, in order to not repeat any of the countless mistakes his opponents have made moments before he killed them. His muscular arms contain a lifetime of battle experience, dearly paid for in the blood of his clan's enemies.

The gladiator's first strike was an overhead slash. His opponent got their shield up just barely in time, but the gladiator had already abandoned the attack as it hit the shield. Instead, a hard kick came from below, into the unguarded midsection of his opponent, felling them backwards to the ground. The next strike would not miss.

The Armsmaster is the living pinnacle of weapon mastery. Unleashing vicious hits, they force their opponents to commit defensive mistakes in order to deliver a finishing blow. As the Armsmaster's skill increases, they learn additional ways to manipulate the flow of combat to their advantage. An Armsmaster takes pride in their physical prowess and works hard to hone their skills.

Combination Strikes

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, the never-ending onslaught of your weapons keeps your opponents on their back feet in combat, letting you exploit openings in their defense. When rolling initiative, you start with zero Strike Points. Hitting a hostile creature with a weapon attack gives you a Strike Point, up to a maximum equal to your proficiency bonus. Once per round, if you are hit by an attack, you lose a Strike Point. If you become Incapacitated, your Strike Points reset to zero.

Some features require your target to make a saving throw. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Strike save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + either your Strength or Dexterity modifier.

You gain the Mortal Blow, Steel Whirlwind, and Ignore Pain features. Whenever you gain a level that lets you pick a feature in this subclass, you can change one of your previous feature choices. This represents you evolving your style and training regimen over time.

Mortal Blow

You learn to recognize opportune moments to devastate your enemies. When you hit with a melee weapon attack, you can spend Strike Points for a finishing move, dealing an additional 1d6 extra damage per Strike Point spent. This attack does not generate a Strike Point. The damage per point spent increases to 1d8 when you reach level 10 in this class and to 1d10 when you reach level 18.

Steel Whirlwind

When you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your attacks, spending Strike Points to make a sweeping whirlwind strike. Each creature within your melee reach must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take damage equal to 1d6 per Strike Point spent. The damage type is the same as for the weapon used. The damage per point spent increases to 1d8 when you reach level 10 in this class and to 1d10 when you reach level 18.

Ignore Pain

You have learned to fight through the pain. As a Bonus Action, you can spend Strike Points and gain temporary hit points equal to 1d4 per point spent plus your Constitution modifier. These hit points only last until the start of your next turn. You also do not lose Strike Points from being hit until the start of your next turn. The amount of temporary hit points per point increases to 1d6 when you reach level 10 in this class and to 1d8 when you reach level 18.

Defensive Maneuvers

At 7th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice:

Parries and Ripostes

You can use your opponents mistakes to your benefit. When a creature hits you with a melee weapon attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC, potentially causing the attack to miss you, in which case you gain a Strike Point.

Battlefield Mobility

You charge around the battlefield, shoring up the line wherever it is needed. You can Dash as a Bonus Action. You can do this a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier and regain all uses of this feature when you finish a short or long rest.

Battle Cry

Your allies trust you and follow your orders. As a bonus action, you let out a rallying shout, steeling your resolve along with that of your allies. All creatures that you choose within 60 feet gain temporary hit points equal to your level in this class. You can also end any effects that cause them to be Frightened. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Battlefield Techniques

At 10th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice:

In For the Kill

You let nothing stop you when you can smell victory. When you have your maximum amount of Strike Points, you have Advantage on all weapon attacks, and all attacks against you have Disadvantage.

Counterstrike

As a reaction when a creature within 5 feet of you starts casting a spell, you can spend three Strike Points to attempt to disrupt their spell. Any spell they cast of 3rd level or lower fails and has no effect. If the spell is of 4th level or higher, you must make a Strength check of DC 10 + the spell's level. On a success, the spell fails and has no effect. Once you do this, you cannot do it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Finding the Weak Spot

If you spend your maximum amount of Strike Points on your Mortal Blow or Steel Whirlwind, it gains an additional effect depending on the damage type dealt:

• Bludgeoning: The target can't take reactions until the start of your next turn.
• Piercing: The target can't regain hit points until the start of your next turn.
• Slashing: The target has their speed halved until the start of your next turn.

The Flow of Battle

At 15th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice:

Relentless Strikes

You learn to weave even longer series of strikes together. If you spend your maximum amount of Strike Points you regain a Strike Point.

Living War Machine

You relish in the bloodshed of battle. Once per turn, if you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hp, you gain a Strike Point. If you did this with an attack that spent Strike Points, you instead gain three.

Coup de Grace

Your attacks gain an instinctive flow, letting you act reflexively when hitting something vital. If you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, you gain an additional two Strike Points. These points are earned immediately and can be used for a finisher on the same attack.

Dreadnaught

At 18th level, the power of your onslaught is without equal. If you spend your maximum amount of Strike Points, it counts as having spent two additional points.