Vagabond

Peals of thunder and sheets of rainfall batter a lone traveler on a forest road. In a flash of lightning, a half-dozen hooded bandits emerge from the treeline, brandishing crossbows and shouting demands. Weary but unfazed, the traveler draws a longsword and plunges into an exotic stance, sweeping through the brigands with terrible speed. On another road, caustic bile drips from a behir’s teeth as it surveys its latest victim—its next meal. The elf adorned in patchwork armor, beaten and bruised, snaps awake and seizes a cracked floor tile with both hands. Wild desperation in her eyes, the elf drives the tile into the behir’s skull over and over, carving a path toward salvation. No matter where they’re going or what they’re running from, a vagabond’s only home is the open road. The peril of their journey would leave most dead on the roadside, but the vagabond endures, driven by a desperate will to survive and a mastery of fierce combat maneuvers. Endless Wanderers Vagabonds are constantly on the road, drifting between taverns and backwoods villages on an endless, wandering journey. Some choose the unrooted lifestyle, but many more were driven from their homes, never to return. Whether a particular vagabond is a dangerous fugitive, penniless vagrant, or devout pilgrim is a secret known only to them. After all, anonymity is a precious boon for the road-weary. Many vagabonds prefer to travel alone, but just as many find themselves in the company of adventurers. There is safety in numbers, after all, and a lifestyle of questing and dungeon-delving rarely lets one settle in one place for long. Desperate Maneuvers The long miles of their journeys instill a feeling of desperation in vagabonds. They’re desperate to continue, to reach their destinations. But most of all, they’re desperate to survive. When a vagabond is backed into a corner, they fight like a crazed animal, slashing wildly, biting and scratching if necessary. But they also learn more practical tools for survival. Vagabonds are experts at performing maneuvers picked up from traveling companions and warriors they encounter on their globe-spanning travels. Those that fail to master these exotic fighting styles end their wanderings early, dead on the roadside. When other means fail, vagabonds can always find short-term employment as sellswords or bodyguards, for few can match their experience in perilous combat with equal vigor. Creating a Vagabond As you create your vagabond, consider why your character has taken to the road. Do you one day wish to return home? Consult the options in the Wander’s Secret feature for ideas. Also consider how your journey has shaped your character so far. Do you take joy in finding companionship wherever you travel, or do you prefer anonymity underneath a drawn hood? Are you roadweary from your travels or does seeing a new horizon invigorate you each day? Who taught you how to wield a weapon, and who trained you in the deeper arts of battle tactics? You might be self-trained, learning through near-death experiences and careful observation of others. Or you might have had a tutor, even several of them, whose teachings have resulted in your unique fighting style. Were you a dangerous combatant before you left home, or are your fearsome maneuvers a survival mechanism learned on the road? Vagabond Complete Vagabond 4 Proficiencies Armor: Light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, and Survival Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: • (a) chain mail or (b) leather armor and two daggers • (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons • (a) two handaxes or (b) a shortbow and 20 arrows • (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack • A trinket from your home Alternatively, you may start with 4d4 × 10 gp to buy your own equipment. Quick Build You can make a vagabond quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending on whether you want to focus on melee weapons or on a combination of archery and finesse weapons. Your next-highest score should be Constitution, or Charisma if you plan to take a subclass, such as Mage Brand, that employs spellcasting or other magical abilities. Finally, choose any background, preferably one that ties into your choice for your Wanderer’s Secret feature. Class Features As a vagabond, you have the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per vagabond level Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per vagabond level after 1st Level Proficiency Bonus Features Maneuvers Known Battle Dice 1st +2 Wanderer’s Secret, Battle Tactics 2 2d8 2nd +2 Desperate Attack, Breather 3 2d8 3rd +2 Wanderer’s Road, Battle Edge 4 3d8 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 4 3d8 5th +3 Extra Attack 5 3d10 6th +3 Wanderer’s Road feature 5 3d10 7th +3 Mettle 6 4d10 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 6 4d10 9th +4 Ambush Reflexes 7 4d12 10th +4 Wanderer’s Road feature 7 4d12 11th +4 Battle Edge improvement 8 5d12 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 8 5d12 13th +5 — 9 6d12 14th +5 Wanderer’s Road feature 9 6d12 15th +5 Desperate Survival 10 7d12 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 10 7d12 17th +6 — 11 8d12 18th +6 Martial Recovery 11 8d12 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 12 8d12 20th +6 Wayworn 12 8d12 The Vagabond Mage Hand Press 5 Battle Tactics In your endless wandering, you have adopted a handful of maneuvers from traveling companions and foes that are fueled by special dice called battle dice. Battle Dice You have two battle dice, which are d8s. A battle die is expended when you use it. Your battle die changes and more battle dice become available when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Vagabond table. You regain all of your expended battle dice when you finish a short or long rest, or when you roll initiative. Once per turn, you can use a maneuver of your choice. Maneuvers typically expend a battle die, but you don’t add this battle die to the maneuver’s attack or damage roll unless otherwise noted. Maneuvers You learn two maneuvers of your choice, which are detailed at the end of the class description. You gain additional maneuvers as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Maneuvers Known column of the Vagabond table. When you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the maneuvers you know and replace it with another maneuver that you could learn at that level. Overexertion If you have no battle dice remaining, you can still expend a battle die once per turn to fuel a maneuver or feature. When you do so, you roll the battle die and lose hit points equal to the number rolled. Saving Throws Some of your maneuvers require the target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows: Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) Desperate Attack By 2nd level, you are most dangerous when backed into a corner. If you have no more than half your hit points left, you have advantage on weapon attack rolls. Breather Also at 2nd level, you can take a breather, 1 minute of downtime during which you compose yourself and mend your wounds. When you do so, you can expend one Hit Die to regain hit points as if you finished a short rest. Wanderer’s Road By 3rd level, you adopt the mannerisms, style, and skills of an archetypal wanderer, embodied by a wanderer’s road. These subclasses are detailed at the end of the class description. The road you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level. Wanderer’s Secret By choice or necessity, you have left your home and committed to a life of aimless travel. Your reasons for drifting through the world are deeply personal, either a closely-guarded secret or a painful aspect of your life. Choose your reason for traveling from the options below: Avenger. You have set out on a mission to exact vengeance. You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill. Choose up to five specific creatures that have wronged you that you wish to seek revenge against. You must know these creatures’ names or must otherwise have enough information to identify them. Your weapon attack rolls against these creatures have a +5 bonus to hit and deal an extra 5 damage on a hit. Bohemian. Wanderlust is in your bones; you couldn’t stay in one place for too long if you tried. You ignore nonmagical difficult terrain. Additionally, you can communicate simple ideas to any creature that understands at least one language using universal gestures and some creativity. Explorer. Consulting vague maps and ancient texts, you have embarked upon an expedition to find a mythical location or chart a distant corner of the world. You gain proficiency in the Survival skill and with cartographer’s tools and navigator’s tools. Additionally, you learn one language of your choice. Ghost. You are dead, as far as anyone knows. If you can keep moving and remain anonymous, no one will be the wiser. You gain proficiency in the Deception skill. Additionally, when you gain this feature, choose one falsehood about yourself that you practice until you can recite it perfectly. This falsehood can be a single lie or an entire false history. You never need to make a Deception check for this falsehood. Hunted. You are pursued by those who would kill you on sight or drag you to an ill-fated end. You might be on the run from the law, a wayward assassin, or a supernatural force. This constant threat grants you a +5 bonus to your passive Wisdom (Perception) score and allows you to instantly awaken whenever a creature moves within 30 feet of you. Pilgrim. Your journey is to a remote holy site, both as a test of faith and in search of enlightenment. You gain proficiency in the Religion skill. Additionally, you learn the light and spare the dying cantrips. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this feature (choose when you select this motive). Seeker. You are searching for something or someone that is precious to you, such as a loved one or a powerful magic item. You have advantage on ability checks you make to gather information about the object of your search. Additionally, you can take the Search action as a bonus action. Vagrant. You are penniless and just trying to get by. Because you are beneath the notice of most people, you never need to make a Stealth check to move unnoticed while traveling alone in public spaces. This anonymity fails if your conduct draws undue attention to yourself. Additionally, you can perfectly conceal one-handed weapons on your person. Complete Vagabond 6 Maneuvers The vagabond can spend battle dice to utilize special maneuvers listed in this section. They are presented in order of prerequisite level. If a maneuver has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the maneuver at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class. Bear Hug Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack on your turn, you can expend one battle die as a bonus action to attempt to grapple the target. Add the battle die to the Strength (Athletics) check. If you successfully grapple the target, it takes bludgeoning damage equal to the battle die’s roll + your Strength modifier. Bull Rush When you move at least 10 feet in a straight line and immediately make a melee weapon attack against a creature, you can use a bonus action and expend one battle die to shove the target after the attack. Add the battle die to the Strength (Athletics) check you make to shove the target. On a success, you can choose to either knock the target prone or push it up to 10 feet away from you. Cleave Once on each of your turns, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points or score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can expend a battle die to move up to 15 feet and make another melee weapon attack as part of the same action. On a hit, you add the battle die to the attack’s damage roll. Dig Deep As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend one battle die to gain temporary hit points equal to the number rolled on the die + your Constitution modifier. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute. Dodge Roll You can expend one battle die as a bonus action to move up to 15 feet. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks, ignores difficult terrain, and allows you to move through a hostile creature’s space, as long as you don’t end your movement there. Eagle Shot When you make a ranged weapon attack roll against a creature, you can use your bonus action and expend one battle die to add it to the roll. You can use this ability before or after making the attack roll, but before the GM says whether the attack hits or misses. Effortless Dodge As a bonus action, you can expend a battle die to take the Dodge action. You can’t use this maneuver while wearing medium or heavy armor. Battle Edge Also at 3rd level, you gain an additional way to spend your battle dice. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can expend one battle die and add it to the attack’s damage roll. Starting at 11th level, you can use this feature twice on each of your turns. 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 Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Mettle At 7th level, your determination allows you to shrug off effects that would otherwise harm you. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Constitution 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. Ambush Reflexes Beginning at 9th level, you can sense ambushes moments before they happen. You can’t be surprised while you are conscious. Additionally, when you roll initiative, you can move up to your walking speed without provoking opportunity attacks. Desperate Survival By 15th level, you have a knack for evading lethal blows. If you have no more than half your hit points left and aren’t incapacitated, critical hits against you automatically miss. Martial Recovery Starting at 18th level, you can use your bonus action to regain all of your expended battle dice. You can use this bonus action only if you haven’t used a maneuver this turn, and after you use the bonus action, you can’t use a maneuver until the end of the current turn. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Wayworn By 20th level, your long years on the road have left you bone-weary, but always ready for danger. You are always considered to have fewer than half of your hit points for the purposes of your class features. Mage Hand Press 7 Lion’s Challenge When you hit a creature with a weapon attack on your turn, you can expend one battle die as a bonus action to challenge the target to a duel. Until the end of your next turn, that target has disadvantage on any attack roll that isn’t against you. Staggering Strike As a bonus action when you make a weapon attack against a Large or smaller creature, you can expend a battle die to attempt to daze the target. On a hit, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the start of your next turn. Viper Strike When you make a weapon attack on your turn, you can expend one battle die as a bonus action to extend the strike’s distance. If it is a melee attack, increase your reach by 5 feet for that attack. If it is a ranged attack, increase the attack’s range by 30 feet for that attack. Additionally, if the attack hits, the target can’t take reactions until the start of its next turn. Heel-Cutter When you make an opportunity attack against a creature, you can expend one battle die to knock the creature off balance, preventing it from escaping. You add the battle die to the attack roll, and on a hit, the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, its speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its turn. Iron Wall As a bonus action, you can expend a battle die to fortify yourself. The next time you are hit by an attack within the next minute, roll the battle die. You gain a bonus to your Armor Class against the attack equal to half the number rolled on the battle die, rounded down (to a minimum of +1), potentially causing the attack to miss you. You must be wearing heavy armor to use this maneuver. Lightning Reflexes After you regain battle dice when rolling initiative, you can immediately expend one battle die and add it to your initiative roll, provided you aren’t incapacitated or surprised. Vagabond Maneuvers Maneuver Prerequisite Level Battle Dice Cost Description Bear Hug — 1 Grapple a target and crush them Bull Rush — 1 After a charge, push a target away or knock it prone Cleave — 1 Perform a deadly follow-up to a critical hit or mortal blow Dig Deep — 1 Bolster yourself with temporary hit points Dodge Roll — 1 Roll out of harm’s way without provoking opportunity attacks Eagle Shot — 1 Make a ranged attack with pin-point accuracy Effortless Dodge — 1 Take the Dodge action as a bonus action Heel-Cutter — 1 Prevent a foe from retreating Iron Wall — 1 Gain an AC bonus against the next hit against you Lightning Reflexes — 1 Add a battle die to your initiative roll Lion’s Challenge — 1 Challenge a target to single combat for one round Staggering Strike — 1 Attempt to temporarily incapacitate a foe Viper Strike — 1 Increase your reach and prevent a foe’s reactions Blinding Attack 5th 3 Aim for the eyes and attempt to temporarily blind a foe Coup de Grace 5th Varies Attempt a killing blow Ruinous Blow 5th 3 Permanently damage a foe’s armor Volley 5th 3 Target several foes with ranged attacks Whirlwind Attack 5th 3 Attack multiple foes around you Critical Strike 11th Varies Make an attack with a high chance of scoring a critical hit Flourish 11th Varies Perform an elegant maneuver with up to five effects Focused Assault 11th Varies Keep attacking until you miss Stunning Blow 11th 5 Perform a powerful blow with a chance to stun Wounding Strike 11th Varies Inflict bleeding wounds on a foe Complete Vagabond Flourish Prerequisite: 11th level You can use your action to perform a graceful maneuver with a melee weapon you are holding. Make a weapon attack against a creature. On a hit, expend up to five battle dice and add any number of them to the damage roll. Additionally, you can choose to inflict one of the following effects, plus an additional effect for each die you didn’t add to the damage roll: • If the target is Large or smaller, you knock it prone or push it 15 feet away from you. • If the target can make multiple attacks on its turn, it can make one fewer than normal, to a minimum of one. • The target has disadvantage on the next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw it makes. • The target can’t take reactions until the start of its next turn. If it has Legendary Actions, it can take one fewer before the start of its next turn. • The target drops one item of your choice that it’s holding. The object lands at its feet. Focused Assault Prerequisite: 11th level You can use your action to initiate a series of rapid strikes. Make a weapon attack against a creature. On a hit, you can expend one battle die to attack the target again. You can continue expending battle dice and attacking the target, up to a maximum of five attacks, until you miss. On each hit after the first, add a battle die to the damage roll. Stunning Blow Prerequisite: 11th level You can use your action to make a weapon attack against a creature, attempting to stun it with the force of the blow. On a hit, you expend five battle dice and add them to the damage roll. The target you hit must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned for up to 1 minute. A creature stunned by this maneuver makes another Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, it is no longer stunned. Wounding Strike Prerequisite: 11th level You can use your action and make a weapon attack against a target, attempting to deal a bleeding wound. On a hit, you expend two, four, or six battle dice, and add half of them to the damage roll. The target suffers a bleeding wound for every two dice you expended. Constructs, Oozes, and Undead can’t get bleeding wounds. While the target has one or more bleeding wounds, it loses hit points at the start of each of its turns equal to one roll of your battle die for each wound. The creature can use an action to staunch the bleeding of all of its wounds. While a target is bleeding, it can’t regain lost hit points. Blinding Attack Prerequisite: 5th level You can use your action to make a weapon attack against a creature, attempting to temporarily blind it. On a hit, you expend three battle dice and add them to the damage roll. The target you hit must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be blinded for up to 1 minute. A creature blinded by this maneuver makes another Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, it is no longer blinded. Coup de Grace Prerequisite: 5th level You can use your action to make a melee weapon attack against a creature that is missing any of its hit points. On a hit, you expend up to three battle dice and add them to the damage roll. If this attack reduces the target to 0 hit points, this maneuver expends no battle dice. Ruinous Blow Prerequisite: 5th level You can use your action and make a melee weapon attack against a target that has natural armor or is wearing armor, attempting to sunder its defenses. On a hit, you expend three battle dice and add them to the damage roll. The target you hit suffers a −3 penalty to its Armor Class. The penalty imposed by this maneuver is cumulative if a creature is affected by it multiple times. Armor reduced to an AC of 10 in this way is destroyed. A creature can repair its armor or heal the damage dealt to its natural armor over the course of a long rest. Volley Prerequisite: 5th level You can use your action and expend three or more battle dice to make a ranged weapon attack against a number of creatures up to the number of battle dice expended. Each target must be within 10 feet of a point you can see within your weapon’s range. You must have ammunition for each target, as normal, and you make a separate attack roll for each target. On a hit, add a battle die to the damage roll. Whirlwind Attack Prerequisite: 5th level You can use your action and expend three or more battle dice to make a melee attack against a number of creatures within 5 feet of you, up to the number of battle dice expended, with a separate attack roll for each target. On a hit, add a battle die to the damage roll. Critical Strike Prerequisite: 11th level You can use your action to aim for a foe’s vital areas. Choose how many battle dice to expend on a hit, up to five, and make a weapon attack against a target. For each battle die, the number you must roll on the d20 to score a critical hit decreases by 2. For example, if you expend five battle dice, you score a critical hit on a roll of 10–20. On a critical hit, expend the chosen number of battle dice and add half of them, rounded down, to the damage roll. Mage Hand Press 9 Maneuver: Sick ‘Em! Also at 3rd level, you learn the following maneuver: As a bonus action, you can expend a battle die to command your hound to attack a creature you can see within 40 feet of it. The hound moves up to its speed and makes one Bite attack against the target, adding the battle die to its attack roll. Desperate Companion Also at 3rd level, your hound will stop at nothing to protect you. If you have no more than half your hit points left, your hound has advantage on weapon attack rolls. Hound’s Instincts By 6th level, your hound can pick up a scent and follow it for miles. While your hound is at your side, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks you make to track a creature and can always discern if a creature has passed through a location. Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks you make to discern if a creature is hostile and any ability check you make to determine if a creature is disguised, possessed, or transformed. Wanderer’s Roads No two vagabonds embark on the same journey; no two roads are the same. However, the destinations sometimes rhyme. Each of a vagabond’s choices on their endless journey is a fork in the road that shapes them. Each mile hardens them a bit more. Ultimately, a vagabond’s choices and skills converge on an archetypal expression, that of a wanderer’s road. This road represents how the vagabond chooses to travel, what they value most, and lines they will never cross. Houndmaster Stretching ever onward, the road is grueling and unforgiving. But, as houndmasters know, it need not be lonely. A single dog, mankind’s most loyal companion, can make all the difference in the world. Houndmasters are never found without their dogs, who both serve as inseparable companions and fearsome defenders as the need arises. Faithful Hound Starting when you set out on this road at 3rd level, you always have your loyal hound at your side. Your hound’s statistics improve as you gain levels in this class. Commanding Your Hound. You can control your hound with verbal commands or hand signals while you are conscious without using any actions. In combat, your hound takes its turns immediately before or after your turn each round (your choice). If you are unconscious, your hound will move and attack to protect your body from harm. Hit Points. For each vagabond level you gain after 3rd, your hound gains an additional Hit Die and increases its hit points accordingly. If your hound drops to 0 hit points, it is stable but unconscious until it regains any hit points. See the Does the Dog Die? sidebar for how to govern your hound living or dying. Proficiencies. Your hound uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. Due to your connection and your hound’s training, your hound adds your proficiency bonus to its Armor Class, saving throws, and damage rolls. Wanderer’s Roads Name Description Houndmaster A wanderer, inseparable from their dog Mage Brand Burns their body with magical runes to command minor magic Rōnin A dangerous and disgraced knight Hound Medium Beast, Unaligned Armor Class 12 Hit Points 16 (3d8 +3) Speed 40 ft. STR 13 (+1) DEX 14 (+2) CON 12 (+1) INT 3 (–4) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 7 (–2) Skills Perception +3, Survival +3 Senses passive Perception 13 Languages — Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 Keen Hearing and Smell. The hound has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell. Actions Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Complete Vagabond 10 Spellbranding Starting when you set out on this road at 3rd level, you have been taught the agonizing magic of spellbranding. Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. You learn an additional wizard cantrip of your choice at 10th level. Branded Spells. By searing arcane symbols into your flesh, you gain the ability to harness certain spells. You gain two 1st-level spells of your choice from the Branded Spells table. At 6th level, you gain two 2nd-level spells of your choice from the table. Because your spells are branded onto your skin, you can’t later remove or replace a spell after it is gained. Casting Spells of 1st-Level or Higher. To cast one of your branded spells, you must expend a number of battle dice equal to the spell’s level. Spellcasting Ability. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your branded spells, so you use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a branded spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier Loyal Redirection By 10th level, you would put your life on the line for your hound. When your hound is within 5 feet of you and is targeted by an attack while you are within the attack’s range or reach, you can use your reaction to change the target of the attack to you instead. Or vice-versa, your hound can use its reaction to change the target of an attack to it instead, provided it is within 5 feet of you and within the attack’s reach or range. Old Dog, New Tricks Starting at 14th level, your dog has learned how to perform dangerous combat maneuvers. Battle Dice. Your hound has two battle dice, which are d12s. A battle die is expended when your hound uses it. It regains all of its expended battle dice when it finishes a short or long rest, or when it rolls initiative. Maneuvers. Your dog knows two of your maneuvers that don’t have a prerequisite. If a maneuver you use requires a target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects, the saving throw DC equals your Maneuver save DC. Mage Brand Searing runes and arcane geometry into one’s skin is an agonizing practice known as spellbranding. Though it was once used by tyrannical giants to imbue their conscripts with a mote of magical potential, spellbranding has long since been disparaged in polite society. However, a few that are willing and desperate enough to burn themselves with magical runes might still utilize that magic today. The so-called “Mage Brands” need none of a mage’s intellect or a priest’s faith; they need only tenacity and a tolerance for pain. Does the Dog Die? Your hound isn’t just a minion to be sacrificed in combat: it’s your most loyal companion, an important part of your character, and an integral component of your playstyle. Therefore, discuss with your GM about how to handle the possibility of your dog’s death. Your dog might be narratively immortal and fully healed overnight, or its death might represent a major moment in your character’s story, causing you to adopt another subclass, such as Death Wish, instead of this one. Mage Hand Press 11 Recall 2nd-level conjuration (chronomancy) Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: 1 round Record where you are when you cast this spell. Until the end of your next turn, you can use your reaction to teleport back to that location, or to the nearest unoccupied space. If you use this reaction in response to an attack, spell, magical effect, or any other damaging effect, resolve the triggering effect before teleporting. Stone Bones 2nd-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: 1 round You magically reinforce a creature you can see within range, granting it resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks until the end of your next turn. Swift Flight 2nd-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (a wing feather from any bird) Duration: 1 round Streaks of energy flow from the back of a willing creature you touch, tracing the shapes of wings. The target gains a flying speed of 30 feet until the end of its next turn. When the spell ends, the target falls if it is in the air and nothing is holding it aloft. Time Hop 1st-level conjuration (chronomancy) Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (the second hand of a clock) Duration: Varies You shunt yourself a few seconds into the future. Choose a duration: 1 round, 2 rounds, or 3 rounds. You vanish, reappearing after the duration at the start of your turn in the nearest unoccupied space to where you disappeared. While vanished, you are outside time; you can’t take actions or reactions, time doesn’t pass for you, your spell effects are suspended, and you can’t be affected by attacks or effects. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can choose a duration of 1 minute. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can choose a duration of 1 hour. Branded Spells New spells are marked with an asterisk (*) and included at the end of the class description. Spell Level Spells 1st expeditious retreat, instant replay,* time hop,* sanctuary 2nd magic weapon, misty step, recall,* stone bones,* swift flight* Arcane Synesthesia Starting at 6th level, due to your spellbrands, you can smell and taste the lingering evidence of magic. You can instantly identify a creature that has cast a spell within the last 24 hours. If you touch an object, you can detect if it is a magic item, but not its properties. Aegis Mark By 10th level, you bear a defensive spellbrand that wards you from harm and punishes your foes. You can cast the spell hellish rebuke or shield using this feature without expending a spell slot or battle dice. Once you use this feature to cast one of these spells, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest, unless you expend two battle dice to use it again. Imprinted Spellscar Beginning at 14th level, when a spell is cast that targets you, or you are in the area of a spell’s effect, you can temporarily learn that spell if it is of 5th lever or lower, marking it on your skin as a faint spellbrand. You can’t use this ability to learn a spell that had no effect on you, even if it forced you to make a saving throw against it. Once before you finish a long rest, you can cast this spell as a branded spell by expending a number of battle dice equal to the spell’s level. You know this spell until you cast it or you use this feature again. Branded Spells The following spells are available to the Mage Brand as branded spells, and are presented in alphabetical order. Instant Replay 1st-level transmutation (chronomancy) Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: 1 minute The next time you miss a creature with an attack before this spell ends, you can instantly reset yourself to the moment before the attack and repeat it against the same target. Complete Vagabond 12 Rōnin You were once a knight of renown, a blademaster almost without peer. But those days are long gone. You have broken the only vows you have ever sworn, and worse, lived to tell the tale. Disgraced and despised, people know you only as a dangerous swordmaster—someone to be feared. You may search for a new master, a way to redeem the black mark on your honor, or simply to survive another day in your endless journey. Perhaps your broken vows still guide you, or perhaps you have abandoned all semblance of honor; only your conduct, and your blade, define you. Infamy Starting when you set out on this road at 3rd level, your violent reputation precedes you. Choose the Deception or Intimidation skill. You gain proficiency in the chosen skill. Whenever you make a Charisma check using the chosen skill, you can treat the result as a 10, or your vagabond level plus your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Maneuver: Grudge Also at 3rd level, you learn the following maneuver: As a bonus action, you can expend a battle die to mark a creature that has dealt damage to you or a friendly creature with a grudge. This grudge lasts for 1 minute, or until you use this maneuver again. At the start of each of your turns while the creature is marked, you gain a grudge battle die, which is a d6. You can only have one of these battle dice at a time. You can only use your grudge battle die to either fuel maneuvers or use Battle Edge targeting the marked creature. Lone Wolf By 6th level, you’re used to being outnumbered. When you roll initiative and there are more hostile creatures than friendly creatures in the initiative order, you have advantage on the roll. Additionally, other creatures don’t gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of the Ambusher, Blood Frenzy, Grappler, or Pack Tactics traits, nor do they gain advantage as a result of the Help action. Furthermore, circumstances such as enemies flanking or surrounding you don’t grant other creatures advantage on attack rolls against you. Killing Stroke Starting at 10th level, when a creature that you can see makes a melee attack against you, you can use your reaction to preemptively strike. Make a melee weapon attack against the attacker; your attack precedes the triggering effect. You can draw a melee weapon as a part of this reaction. On a hit, the target takes damage as normal and its attack misses you, regardless of its roll. Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest. Swordmaster By 14th level, your skill with a blade has no equal. Once on each of your turns when you make a melee weapon attack and miss, you can repeat that attack against the same target. New Subclasses: Brigand Death Wish Justicar Knight Errant Pugilist Troubadour Check Out the Complete Vagabond! Get It On: magehandpress.com