Implacable Brawler (5e Martial Archetype)

Author: Zhenra-Khal (talk) Date Created: 4-16-2022 Status: First Draft Editing: Don't edit without discussion. Unauthorized edits will be reverted.

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This Martial Archetype represents the idea that the best offense is an impenetrable defense, and that while you can never hope to be stronger than every foe, you can learn to use their own strength against them in order to match them. An Implacable Brawler specializes in unarmed combat and superior defense, representing the unarmed warrior that wades into an army of foes alone, and comes out with barely a scratch. Once you take your position, you are incredibly difficult to overwhelm, dislodge, or harm.'

Unarmored Defense

Beginning at 3rd level, while you are not wearing any armor, your armor class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Strength modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Martial Arts

Table: Martial Arts Die

Fighter Level	Martial Arts Die
3rd-5th	1d4
6th-10th	1d6
11th-16th	1d8
17th+	1d10

Beginning at 3rd level, you gain the following benefits while you are unarmed and not wearing heavy armor:

• You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes.

• You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike. This die changes as you gain Fighter levels, as shown in the Martial Arts Die table.

• When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn.

Additionally, if you possess Monk levels, you may add together your Monk and Fighter levels for the purposes of determining the size of your Martial Arts Die.

Combat Trance

On your turn, you may enter a Combat Trance as a bonus action. You may also enter your Combat Trance as part of the bonus action used to activate your Second Wind ability.

While in Combat Trance, you gain the following benefits, as long as you aren't wearing heavy armor:

• You gain advantage on Dexterity checks, and on Dexterity saving throws made against effects you can see;

• You gain advantage on saving throws and ability checks made to resist any effect that would knock you Prone or move you against your will;

• Each time you take nonmagical Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing damage from a source you can see, you may roll your Martial Arts Die and reduce the damage taken by that amount;

• Whenever a creature within 5ft of you that you can see makes a melee attack against you, or against an ally within 5ft of you that you can see, and the creature misses, that creature provokes an Attack of Opportunity from you.

In order to maintain your Combat Trance, you must concentrate, as if concentrating on a spell. As such, you cannot enter your Combat Trance while Raging, nor may you Rage during Combat Trance. Additionally, if you can cast spells, you cannot cast or concentrate on them during your Combat Trance.

You may concentrate on your Combat Trance for up to 1 minute, and it ends early if you are knocked unconscious, if you lose concentration, or you end your Trance as a Bonus Action.

Once you use your Combat Trance, you may not do so again until you finish a Short or Long Rest. Beginning at 10th level, you may use Combat Trance twice between rests, and up to three times between rests at 18th level.

Unyielding Defense

Beginning at 7th level, you learn several techniques to drastically improve your survivability on the battlefield. In order to use the following abilities, you must have at least one hand free, and you cannot be wearing heavy armor.

Divert Projectiles

When you are hit by a ranged weapon attack, you can use your Reaction to attempt to catch or deflect the projectile. When you do so, the damage of the attack is reduced by an amount equal to one roll of your Martial Arts Die + your Strength or Dexterity modifier + your Fighter level.

If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can choose to immediately make a ranged attack with a range of 20/60 using the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, and if the missile's damage die is lower than your Martial Arts Die, you may use your Martial Arts die for this attack instead.

You can use Divert Projectiles a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Redirecting Parry

When you are hit by a melee weapon attack, you can use your Reaction to attempt to block or redirect the attack. When you do so, the damage of the attack is reduced by an amount equal to one roll of your Martial Arts Die + your Strength or Dexterity modifier + your Fighter level.

If you reduce the damage to 0, you can grab the weapon if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free; When you do so, the weapon does not leave the grasp of the creature holding it. If you block an attack in this way, you can choose to immediately make a melee attack using the weapon you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, and if the weapon's damage die is lower than your Martial Arts Die, you may use your Martial Arts die for this attack instead.

You can use Redirecting Parry a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Note: Redirecting Parry can be used against unarmed strikes and natural weapons just as well as it can be used against manufactured weapons; The wording specifies "weapon" purely for clarity and ease of reading.

Eye of the Storm

Immediately after taking the Dodge action on your turn during Combat Trance, if you have not moved since the beginning of your turn, you can activate this ability as a Bonus Action. Doing so reduces your speed to 0, and prevents you from benefitting from any bonuses to your movement speed, until the beginning of your next turn. The benefits of this ability end early if your Combat Trance ends.

While this ability is active, you may make an Attack of Opportunity with an unarmed strike, or use your Divert Projectiles or Redirecting Parry features, an unlimited number of times, without using your Reaction. Using Divert Projectiles or Redirecting Parry while under the benefits of Eye of the Storm does not count against the number of uses you have remaining for those abilities.

You can use Eye of the Storm a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Evasion

Beginning at 10th level, when you are subjected to an effect, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or a Lightning Bolt spell, that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on a saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Greater Unyielding Defense

Beginning at 10th level, when you use Divert Projectiles or Redirecting Parry, you can choose to expend two uses of the ability instead of one. When you do so, you reduce the attack's damage by 3 rolls of your Martial Arts die + your Strength or Dexterity modifier + your Fighter level. Additionally, when you're subjected to a melee or ranged spell attack, you can treat it as if it were a weapon attack instead of a spell attack for the purposes of using your archetype features by expending a use of your Eye of the Storm, Divert Projectiles or Redirecting Parry feature.

Immortalem Vindicta

Beginning at 15th level, you can expend two uses of your Eye of the Storm feature, or one use of your Combat Trance feature, in order to activate your Second Wind feature without expending its use, even if you've already used your Second Wind.

Additionally, when you finish a Short Rest, you regain one use of each of your Eye of the Storm, Divert Projectiles and Redirecting Parry features.

Finally, when you successfully take no damage from an effect with your Evasion ability, until the end of your next turn, each time you land an unarmed strike, it deals additional damage equal to 1 roll of your Martial Arts Die; The type of this additional damage is the same type as the damage you avoided with your Evasion.

Ultimate Defense

Beginning at 18th level, when you roll initiative, you regain one use of each of your Eye of the Storm, Divert Projectiles and Redirecting Parry features.

Additionally, when you roll a Martial Arts die to reduce nonmagical Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing damage dealt to you during Combat Trance, you may roll the die twice and use the higher result.

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