Fighter - Apex (Patreon)

Cleave the World Beneath Your Titanic Weaponry

Of all the martial practitioners in the world, fighters drawn to the mastery of gargantuan weapons inevitably find themselves at the Apex of battle. Employing humongous armaments against their foes, these fighters become hurricanes of flesh and steel on the battlefield, acting as extensions of their weapons rather than the opposite. Those who stand against an Apex must prepare to be torn asunder by a force beyond comprehension as their feats of strength defy any and all expectations. 

Apex Weaponry

3rd level Apex feature

You gain proficiency with Oversized Weapons meant for creatures one size larger than you, and you can make attacks with such oversized weapons without disadvantage. 

[Oversized weapons created for larger creatures deal more damage: For weapons meant for Large creatures the damage dice are doubled, for Huge creatures they are tripled, and for Gargantuan creatures they are quadrupled. They have the Two-Handed and Heavy properties for any creature smaller than the creature they are designed for. You can rule that a weapon sized for an attacker two or more sizes larger is too big for the creature to use at all. Oversized weapons are normally only found wielded by creatures of the appropriate size, but can be fashioned by smiths, requiring additional materials and cost matching their dice multipliers.] 

Mighty Maneuvers

3rd level Apex feature

You have trained in the way of overwhelming steel, and now you can perform certain martial maneuvers. A maneuver requires you to spend maneuver points to use it. 

You know three maneuvers of your choice from the list below. You learn additional maneuvers at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level. Each time you learn a maneuver, you can also replace one maneuver you know with a different one you can learn.

Maneuver Points. You gain a pool of maneuver points which represents the limit of your abilities to perform maneuvers. The number of maneuver points you have is equal to two times your fighter level, and you regain all spent maneuver points at the end of a long rest.

Using Maneuvers. You can use one maneuver during each turn, and must be wielding a weapon that has the two-handed or heavy properties. Many maneuvers gain a bonus if you are wielding an oversized weapon. 

Saving Throws. Some of your Maneuvers require your 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 modifier.

Colossal Strikes

7th level Apex feature

At 7th level, your strikes carry such force that they push beyond the physical realm. Melee attacks you make with weapons with the two-handed or heavy properties ignore resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. 

At 18th level, such attacks also treat immunity to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage as resistance instead. 

Great Power

10th level Apex feature

At 10th level, your training emerges as you push your limits. When you use your Action Surge, you can use a maneuver this turn even if you have already used one. 

Immense Force

15th level Apex feature

While wielding a weapon that has the Two-Handed or Heavy properties, you can use it to make a devastating blow in an area as an action. The area originates from you, beginning in a space within 5 feet of you. The shape of the area is determined by the damage type of the base weapon: 

Bludgeoning: a 30-foot-radius sphere

Piercing: a 5-foot-wide line that is 120 feet long

Slashing: a 60-foot cone

Make a melee attack roll against each creature in the area of effect. On a hit, the target takes damage equal to one roll of the weapon’s damage dice plus your Strength modifier. If you use an oversized weapon to use this feature, on a hit you can reroll any 1’s on the damage dice but must use the new roll. 

Any object or structure within the area takes double damage, and any surface within it becomes difficult terrain. A structure may collapse from this damage, causing any creature within a distance equal to half the structure’s height to make a Dexterity saving throw against your Maneuver Save DC. On a failed save, the creature takes 12d6 bludgeoning damage, is knocked prone, and is buried in the rubble, requiring a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to escape. On a successful save the creature takes half damage only. 

You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your Strength modifier (rounded down, minimum one). You regain one expended use when you finish a short rest, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Titanic Build

18th level Apex feature

At 18th level, your knowledge of large weaponry is second to none. You can wield a weapon with the two-handed or heavy properties with one hand. You can only wield one such weapon in this way. 

Additionally, when you use your Second Wind you can choose to regain a number of maneuver points equal to half your fighter level instead of hit points. 

Maneuvers

Aggress (2 points)

As a bonus action, you can spend 2 maneuver points to adopt an aggressive stance. You gain advantage on melee weapon attacks using Strength this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage. 

Batter (1 point)

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can spend 1 maneuver point to force the target to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the target is pushed in a direction of your choice up to 5 feet times your Strength modifier. 

Oversized weapon: The target makes their saving throw with disadvantage. 

Break (3 points) 

When you hit a creature with an attack, if it is wielding a weapon, you can spend 3 maneuver points and deal no damage with that attack. Instead, the target must make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, one of their weapons is damaged. A damaged weapon deals half as much damage. If this maneuver is used on a damaged weapon, that weapon is destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable. This maneuver has no effect on natural or magical weapons. 

Oversized weapon: This maneuver costs 1 less maneuver point to use. 

Concuss (4 points)

When you hit a creature with an attack, you can spend 4 maneuver points and that creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become stunned until the end of its next turn. 

Crush (4 points)

When you hit a creature with an attack, if it is wearing armor, you can spend 4 maneuver points and deal no damage with that attack. Instead, the target must make a Dexterity or Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, their armor is damaged. A creature with damage armor has its AC reduced by 2. If this maneuver is used on damaged armor, that armor is destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable. This maneuver has no effect on natural or magical armor. 

Oversized weapon: This maneuver costs 1 less maneuver point to use.

Deflect (1 point) 

As a reaction when you are hit by a melee attack, you can spend 1 maneuver point to add half your Strength modifier to your AC until the start of your next turn (rounded down).

Oversized weapon: Add your Strength modifier to your AC instead. 

Domain (4 points)

As an action, you can spend 4 maneuver points to prepare for assault. Until the start of your next turn, when a creature you can see moves into the reach you have with the melee weapon you’re wielding, you can use your reaction to make one attack against the creature, using that weapon. On a hit, you gain an extra reaction which you can only use for this maneuver and is lost at the start of your next turn. You can only gain a number of these extra reactions up to your Strength modifier. 

Oversized weapon: Your weapon gains 5 feet of reach until the start of your next turn. 

Endure (1 point)

As a reaction when you are forced to make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, you can spend 1 maneuver point to use your weapon to shield or stabilize yourself, making your saving throw with advantage. You can do so after you roll, but before the DM tells you whether you succeed or fail. 

Hew (4 points)

As an action, you can spend 4 maneuver points. Until the end of your turn, you can make a number of attacks equal to 1 + your Strength modifier, provided that each attack targets a different creature. Additionally, each of these attacks deal 1d6 additional damage.

Oversized weapon: Each of these attacks deal 2d6 additional damage instead.

Hurl (2 point)

As an action, you can spend 2 maneuver points and throw a melee weapon you are wielding, affecting an area the size of a 5-foot-wide line that is 30 feet long. Each creature in the line must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take damage equal to one roll of that weapon’s damage dice plus your Strength modifier. 

Oversized weapon: The damage dealt is equal to one roll of that weapon's damage dice plus two times your Strength modifier instead. 

Intimidate (3 points)

As an action, you can spend 3 maneuver points to threaten creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you with your imposing presence. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the start of your next turn. 

Oversized weapon: Your maneuver save DC is increased by 2 for this maneuver. 

Maim (2 points) 

When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, you can spend 2 maneuver points to halve the creature’s speed for the rest of the turn. 

Oversized weapon: The creature’s speed is reduced to 0 for the rest of the turn instead. 

Momentum (1 point)

When you miss with a melee weapon attack, you can spend 1 maneuver point as a reaction to make a second attack roll against the same target as part of that attack action. 

Oversized weapon: On a hit your attack deals an additional weapon damage die of the weapon’s type when determining damage. 

Payback (1 point)

As a reaction to being targeted by a melee attack, you can spend 1 maneuver point to allow yourself to get hit by the attack. If you do, you can then make a melee weapon attack against the attacking creature with advantage as part of the same reaction. 

Oversized weapon: The creature has disadvantage on the next attack it makes this turn. 

Sharpen (1 point) 

If you have two or more attacks remaining as part of your attack action, you can choose to forgo one or more extra attacks by spending 1 maneuver point per extra attack. When you do, the threshold for a critical hit on the next melee weapon attack you make this turn is reduced by 1 for each extra attack you forgo (ex. if you forgo 2 extra attacks, your attack scores a critical hit on a roll of 18-20). 

Smash (4 points)

As an action, you can spend 4 maneuver points to slam your weapon on the ground, shaking the floor. Each creature on the ground within 20 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone. 

Oversized weapon: Your maneuver save DC is increased by 2 for this maneuver. 

Vault (3 points)

As an action, you can spend 3 maneuver points to launch yourself at a point you can see within 30 feet of you. When you reach that point, you can make one melee attack against a creature within range. 

Oversized weapon: If you hit a creature with that melee attack, the target is knocked prone.

This Subclass was pitched by one of our Patrons, and chosen by our Patrons as a special Curated Curio!