Striker

To a striker, only one thing matters: rhythm. Combat is a delicate dance for these daredevils, weaving in and out of skirmishes. Combat isn’t worth it without risk, as strikers thrive on taking risks and living to tell the tale. While other warriors may boast of their ability to hold others at bay, a striker delights in risking life and limb in the pursuit of the combat high which drives them, willing to do anything to reach that state of excitement, even at the cost of their lives.

Quick Build

You can make a striker quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending upon whether you want to focus on melee weapons or ranged combat (or finesse weapons). Your next-highest score should be Constitution. Second, choose the Urchin background, with Roof Runner (Wis), Street Tough (Cha), or Thrower (Int) as your martial tradition. The martial tradition you choose determines what should be your third-highest ability score.

Class Features

As a striker, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per striker level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per striker level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Saving Throws: Strength and Dexterity.
Skills: Choose any two.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background and martial tradition:

  • (a) A burglar's pack, (b) a dungeoneer's pack, or (c) an explorer's pack

Tradition

If this is your first level in any class, you may select a martial tradition

Martial Training

You gain 3/4ths of a martial talent every level, according to Table: Striker.

Table: Striker
Level Proficiency Bonus Features Martial Talents Maximum Tension
1st +2 Martial Training, Striker Conditioning, Tension 0 2
2nd +2 Tension Boost 1 2
3rd +2 Striker Art 2 3
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 3
5th +3 Extra Attack 3 4
6th +3 Greater Tension Techniques 4 4
7th +3 Striker Art Feature 5 5
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 6 5
9th +4 Indomitable 6 5
10th +4 Striker Art Feature 7 6
11th +4 Tension Boost 8 6
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 9 6
13th +5 Deadly Tension 9 7
14th +5 Striker Art Feature 10 7
15th +5 Greater Strikes 11 7
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 12 8
17th +6 Tension Boost 12 8
18th +6 Striker Art Feature 13 9
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 14 9
20th +6 Ultimate Tension 15 10
Striker.png

Striker Conditioning

You gain your choice between either the Unarmed Training or Unarmored Training talent from the Equipment sphere as a bonus martial talent.

If you already possess the chosen martial talent, you instead gain a bonus talent from the Equipment sphere of your choice.

Tension

A striker is at home in battle, thriving on the raw energy of combat to fuel her attacks.

Your tension is a pool of points that go up or down throughout the day, with its maximum listed on Table: Striker. As you perform specific actions in combat, Tension Builders, you gain tension points which can be spent on tension techniques.

You cannot gain tension except against serious enemies in a serious fight; sparring with allies or attacking harmless creatures cannot grant you tension.

You lose all of your tension if you are knocked unconscious or if you have not attacked or been attacked by a hostile creature for 1 minute.

Tension Builders

All strikers begin with the following Tension Builders:

  • Defensive Determination: Whenever a hostile creature successfully attacks you or uses a magical effect on you that deals damage, you gain 1 tension.
  • Offensive Pressure: Whenever you successfully damage a creature with an attack made by a weapon, improvised weapon, or unarmed strike, or successfully perform a shove or a grapple, you gain 1 tension.
  • Victorious Defense: If you make a successful saving throw against a non-harmless effect, you gain 1 tension.

Tension Techniques

During your turn, you can spend tension to accomplish incredible feats. Each tension technique can only be used once per round unless it says it is repeatable.

Repeatable techniques have cumulative benefits and may be used an additional time per round at 5th level (twice), 11th (thrice), and 17th level (four times).

1 Tension

  • Expert Guard: You gain a +1 bonus on all saves until the beginning of your next turn. This is repeatable.
  • Fiery Offense: You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls until the beginning of your next turn. This is repeatable.
  • Light Step: You gain a 5 feet bonus to your speed this turn. This is repeatable.
  • Timely Dodge: You gain a +1 bonus to armor class until the beginning of your next turn. This is repeatable.

Note: When Can You Use Fiery Offense?
Fiery Offense cannot be used retroactively; To apply the tension bonus to the attack roll, you have must use the technique before the results of the die has been declared.

If the attack is declared a hit, and you haven't already used Fiery Offense, you can still use it to get the bonus to damage, but it must be used before the results of the damage die have been revealed.

2 Tension

  • Powerful Charge: You may take the dash action as a bonus action.
  • Rapid Pummel: Make an unarmed strike as a bonus action.
  • Swift Disengage: You may take the disengage action as a bonus action.

Tension Boost

At 2nd level, if you ever start your turn with 0 tension, you gain 1 tension. At 11th level, you instead gain 2 tension if you start your turn with 0 tension, and 1 tension if you start your turn with 1 or more tension. At 17th level, you instead gain 2 tension per turn, whether or not you are at 0 tension.

Striker Art

At 3rd level, choose a striker art: Boxer, Sage, or Skirmisher, all detailed at the end of the class description. These striker arts grant you special benefits at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th, 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 usual, 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.

Greater Tension Techniques

At 6th level, you gain the ability to use the following 3-cost tension techniques:

3 Tension

  • Rapid Strike: Make a weapon attack as a bonus action.
  • Resilience: Use your reaction to reduce the damage from one attack by an amount equal to your level.
  • Second Chance: Use your reaction to reroll a saving throw you just failed. If the check was made with advantage or disadvantage, reroll only one die.
  • Swift Focus: Regain your martial focus.

Indomitable

Beginning at 9th level, you can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Deadly Tension

At 13th level, you gain the following new Tension Builders. Neither of these grant tension if used against a helpless or unaware creature:

  • Critical Offense: If you score a critical hit, you gain 1 tension.
  • Deadly Offense: If you reduce a creature’s hit points to 0, you gain 1 tension.

Greater Strikes

At 15th level, when you use the Rapid Pummel or Rapid Strike tension techniques, you may make two attacks as a bonus action instead of one.

Ultimate Tension

At 20th level, reduce the cost of all tension techniques by 1 to a minimum of 1.

Striker Art

Strikers come from diverse walks of life. The striker art you choose, sets you apart from others and reflects your combat style.

Boxer

Boxers are powerful fighters who specialize in the art of unarmed combat, bearing down on their opponents and trading blows until one falls and the other is crowned the victor.

Boxer Talents

You gain a bonus martial talent from the Barroom or Retribution sphere at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels.

Boxer Tension

Strikers with the boxer striker art gain the following new Tension Builders at 3rd level:

  • Broken Weapon: Whenever you break a weapon or improvised weapon, you gain 1 tension.
  • Drunken Swagger: Whenever you drink a formula, potion, or alcoholic beverage as an Action, you gain 1 tension.
  • Retributive Counter: Whenever you ready an action to perform a melee attack or counterstrike, you gain 2 tension.

Evasion

At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity 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.

Potent Fists

At 10th level, the damage you deal with unarmed strikes increases by one step (1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12). When using the Rapid Pummel tension technique, the unarmed strike damage increases by two steps.

Diamond Soul

Beginning at 14th level, you gain proficiency in all saving throws.

Tenacity

Beginning at 18th level, when you are reduced to 0 hp, you may spend 5 tension as a reaction to instead be reduced to 1 hp.

Sage

Sages are masters of their internal energy, using tension to foster and grow this energy within themselves. True masters can mold this energy to create or emulate magical effects; Firing blasts of destructive energy, creating protective barriers, or boosting physical performance and abilities.

Note: Adapting The Sage To Your Setting
While the features of the sage striker art might imply that it is designed for enlightened monks, the subclass itself is meant to be tailored to the setting; Simply renaming the features of the class can have wildly different results. For example, the sage striker art could be refluffed for blood-casters, force-users, or psionics depending on the setting.

Chi-Casting

You gain the ability to spend tension to cast certain spells, known as fǎshù at 3rd level. You use the spell’s casting time and other rules, but you don’t need to provide material components. Fǎshù are not considered a spell list and cannot be added to by anything that adds spells to a spell list. Whenever you gain a new fǎshù, you may exchange one you already know for a different one up to the maximum level you can cast.

You use your key ability whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your key ability modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your key ability modifier

Low Fǎshù

You gain 2 cantrips of your choice, chosen from the fǎshù list. Using cantrips is not a tension technique and can be done normally. You also gain one 1st level fǎshù. As a tension technique, you may spend 3 tension to cast a 1st level fǎshù.

Sage Tension

Strikers with the sage striker art gain the following new Tension Builders at 3rd level:

  • Destructive Power: Whenever you successfully deal damage to one or more hostile targets using magic, you gain 1 tension.

Middle Fǎshù

At 7th level, choose an additional cantrip and a new fǎshù of up to 2nd level. You may cast a 2nd level fǎshù, or a 1st level fǎshù heightened to 2nd level, by spending 5 tension.

Quick Casting

At 10th level, you gain 2 new fǎshù of up to 2nd level. You gain the following tension techniques:

3 Tension

  • Quickened Cantrip: Use a cantrip as a bonus action.

5 Tension

  • Swift 1st Fǎshù: Cast a 1st level fǎshù with a casting time of an action as a bonus action.

Special Fǎshù

At 14th level, gain a cantrip and a new fǎshù of up to 3rd level. You may cast a 3rd level fǎshù or a 1st or 2nd fǎshù heightened to 3rd level by spending 7 tension.

High Fǎshù

At 18th level, you gain a fǎshù of up to 4th level. You may cast a 4th level fǎshù or a lower-level fǎshù heightened to 4th level by spending 9 tension. You gain the following tension techniques:

7 Tension

  • Swift 2nd Fǎshù: Cast a 2nd level fǎshù, or a 1st level fǎshù heightened to 2nd level, as a bonus action.

9 Tension

  • Swift 3rd Fǎshù: Cast a 3nd level fǎshù, or a 1st or 2nd level fǎshù heightened to 3rd level, as a bonus action.

Fǎshù Spell List

Cantrips (0 Level)

Acid Splash
Chill Touch
Dancing Lights
Druidcraft
Fire Bolt
Light
Mage Hand
Mending
Message
Minor Illusion
Poison Spray
Prestidigitation
Ray of Frost
Shocking Grasp
Spare The Dying
Thaumaturgy
True Strike		 1st Level

Burning Hands
Charm Person
Color Spray
Command
Cure Wounds (others only)
Expeditious Retreat
False Life (self only)
Feather Fall (self only)
Fog Cloud
Jump (self only)
Magic Missile
Sleep
Thunderwave		 2nd Level

Alter Self
Blindness/Deafness
Blur
Darkness
Detect Thoughts
Enhance Ability (self only)
Enlarge/Reduce
Gust of Wind
Hold Person
Invisibility (self only)
Lesser Restoration (others only)
Mirror Image
Misty Step
Scorching Ray
See Invisibility
Shatter
Spider Climb (self only)
Web		 3rd Level

Blink
Daylight
Dispel Magic
Fear
Fireball
Fly (self only)
Gaseous Form (self only)
Haste (self only)
Hypnotic Pattern
Lightning Bolt
Protection from Energy (self only)
Remove Curse
Sleet Storm
Slow
Stinking Cloud
Suggestion
Vampiric Touch		 4th Level

Aura Of Purity
Blight
Confusion
Dimension Door
Freedom Of Movement (self only)
Greater Invisibility
Ice Storm
Polymorph (self only)
Stoneskin
Wall of Fire

Sage, Spheres of Power Variant

If using *Spheres of Power* consider using this variant of the sage striker art.

Spherecasting

At 3rd level, you can combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. You gain a casting tradition, magic talents, and a spell pool.

Casting Tradition

If you do not already have a casting tradition, you gain one at 3rd level. If your casting tradition uses a different key ability modifier than your martial tradition, you must choose which one of the two key ability modifiers to use.

Magic Talents

You gain a bonus magic talent of your choice at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels. These magic talents must be chosen from spheres on your fǎshù list.

Spell Pool

At 3rd level, you gain access to a reservoir of energy you can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. However, this pool does not contain any spell points unless you gain them from another source, such as a casting tradition or feats.

Chi-Casting

Beginning at 3rd level, you can spend tension to power your magic sphere talents or abilities instead of spell points, provided the base sphere is on your fǎshù list; Casting a sphere effect using tension, instead of spell points, has no impact on the normal required casting time or other requirements of the ability. Each spell point you replace in this fashion costs 3 tension.

Any effects with a duration, which have been cast using tension (either as initial cost, or as an augment), end when you are knocked unconscious or if you have not attacked or been attacked by a hostile creature for 1 minute.

Fǎshù List

- Alteration (self only),
- Destruction,
- Enhancement (self only),
- Illusion,
- Life (others only),
- Mind,
- Nature,
- Telekinesis, and
- Warp (self only) spheres.

Sage Tension

Strikers with the sage striker art gain the following new Tension Builders at 3rd level:

  • Destructive Power: Whenever you successfully deal damage to one or more hostile targets using magic, you gain 1 tension.

Metasphere Fǎshù

At 10th level, you gain the Quicken (metasphere) talent as a bonus talent. You may use tension to power the effects of any (metasphere) talents you possess.

Note: Chi-Casting And The Spherecasting Sage
The Spheres of Power variant of the sage striker art, has a limited number of spheres that it may use tension with; However, some player character concepts which otherwise would work perfectly with the sage, require different magic spheres. When this happens, GMs are advised to carefully consider the ramifications modifying the base spheres listed in Chi-Casting.

It should be noted, that just because a sphere isn't listed in Chi-Casting doesn't mean that the sphere cannot be used, just that tension cannot be used to cast or augment them; Players can still cast the sphere effect provided they have spell points from another source, such as casting traditions or feats.

Skirmisher

Skirmishers use fast movements and the terrain around them to their advantage so they can hide, observe their enemies, and launch deadly attacks.

Skirmisher Talents

You gain a bonus martial talent from the Athletics or Scout sphere at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels.

Skirmisher Tension

Strikers with the skirmisher striker art gain the following new Tension Builders at 3rd level:

  • Fearless Advance: Whenever you perform the Dash action, you gain 1 tension.
  • Perceptive Evaluation: Whenever you successfully scout an enemy, you gain 1 tension.
  • Tactical Retreat: Whenever you perform the Disengage action, you gain 2 tension.

Skirmisher Technique

At 7th level, you may use the Dash action as a bonus action. You gain the following tension technique:

2 Tension

  • Lethal Skirmish: Add 1d8 to a damage roll of a weapon attack you make. At 14th level, this increases to 2d8.

Stealthy Techniques

Starting at 10th level, you gain the following tension techniques:

1 Tension

  • Blurred Visage: When you use the Dodge action, you also become lightly obscured.

2 Tension

  • Hidden Skirmisher: You can make Dexterity (Stealth) checks to use the Hide action, even while being observed.

4 Tension

  • Invisible Scout: As an action, you (and anything you are wearing or carrying) become invisible for 1 minute. The tension technique ends if you attack, or cast a spell or sphere effect, or take damage.

Vanish

Starting at 14th level, you can use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn. Also, you can’t be tracked by nonmagical means unless you choose to leave a trail.

Feral Senses

At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can’t see. When you attack a creature you can’t see, your inability to see it doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it.

You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature isn’t hidden from you and you aren’t blinded or deafened.

New Feats

Expanded Fǎshù

*Prerequisite: Chi-Casting feature*

You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your key ability score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Gain one cantrip and one additional fǎshù of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th level; these do not count against your maximum fǎshù known.

Special: If you are using *Spheres of Power*, you gain one sphere (or a talent from a sphere) on your fǎshù list instead of a cantrip and additional fǎshù.

Expanded Tension

*Prerequisite: Tension feature*

You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your key ability score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Increase your maximum tension by 2.

Special: You can take this feat multiple times, its effects stack.

This website uses cookies. See the Legal & OGL page for important information. Any material NOT covered by the Open Game License Version 1.0a is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.