Warlord Facing impossible odds, a Dragonborn captain smashes through an enemy's guard and barks orders at his squad. Fortified by his confidence, the soldiers each begin to fight with the strength of ten men, slowly turning the tide of battle back in their favor. Surveying the battlefield as her companions fight, a Gnome archer spies a weakness in the enemy lines. Under her direction, the group's rogue slips through the hole and strikes down the mage supporting the enemy fighters. As foreign soldiers march through their forest, a Wood Elf signals for her team to hold until the perfect moment. Once the invaders are surrounded, the defenders strike as one from the shadows. A Warlord is a special kind of warrior, one whose strength lies not in their own body, but in the bodies of those around them. In the presence of a Warlord, soldiers fight harder, spellcasters focus more adeptly, and the whole party works together more effectively. Warlords lead their parties in battle, ensuring that everyone works together and achieving victory through teamwork, coordination and tactics. Leaders and Warriors Warlords are usually primarily focused on making sure that their squad, party, or team is working effectively. After all, their strength comes from the people that they direct and work with, so it's in their own interest to ensure that the team is as strong as it can be. Many are diplomats, smoothing over intra-group tensions and making sure everyone gets along, but some may consider babysitting beneath them. Their ability to lead others is what makes a Warlord truly special, but even alone a Warlord is a capable warrior. The additional exigencies of command mean that they are not the paragons of martial ability that Fighters are, but they trade raw power for the ability to support their team. Creating a Warlord As you build your Warlord, think about two related elements of your character's background: Where did you get your combat training, and what pushed you into a position of leadership? Perhaps you come from a military background, and were promoted through the ranks thanks to your own merit--or through family connections. Maybe you led a mercenary company, or led a group of guards that watched over a temple or town. Or maybe your training was more informal--you were the leader of a band of rebels, or bandits in some far-off wilderness. A Warlord is often comfortable in a position of leadership, but that doesn't have to be the case. As leaders, a Warlord's relationship to their party is more important than it is to most classes. Consider how you came to join the party, and what you see as your position in the party. Warlords typically had a position of leadership in the past, so how did you lose it? Did you walk away willingly, or was it taken from you? Perhaps the temple you were guarding was burned down, or perhaps you were caught sleeping with your superior's husband. Do you see yourself as the leader of the party, and does that cause conflict within the party? Or perhaps you take more of a supporting role, tired of the stress of leadership but always willing to command the party in combat.

The Warlord Level Proficiency Bonus Features 1st +2 Command to Strike, Leadership Style, People Person 2nd +2 Fighting Style, Rally 3rd +2 Tactics 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 5th +3 Adept Command (2) 6th +3 Leadership Style Feature 7th +3 War Cry 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement, Tactics (2) 9th +4 Leadership Style Feature 10th +4 Ability Score Improvement 11th +4 Adept Command (3) 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 13th +5 Leadership Style Feature 14th +5 Blind Faith, Tactics (3) 15th +5 War Cry Improvement 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 17th +6 Leadership Style Feature 18th +6 Battle Sense 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 20th +6 Unerring Commander Quick Build You can make a Warlord quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score depending on whether you want to focus on melee or ranged (or finesse) weapons. Your next-highest score should be in Charisma. You should then prioritize Constituition if you intend to specialize in melee combat, or Intelligence if you intend to stay at range. Second, choose the Soldier background. Lastly, choose the Vanguard Leadership Style. Class Features As a Warlord, you gain the following class features: Hit Points Hit Dice : 1d8 per Warlord level

: 1d8 per Warlord level Hit Points at First Level : 8 plus your Constitution Modifier

: 8 plus your Constitution Modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) plus your Constitution Modifier per Warlord level after the 1st Proficiencies Armor : Light, Medium, Shields

: Light, Medium, Shields Weapons : All Simple and Martial Weapons

: All Simple and Martial Weapons Tools : None

: None Saving Throws : Constitution, Charisma

: Constitution, Charisma Skills: Choose two from Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidate, Perception, Persuasion, Medicine or Survival Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor, longbow and quiver of twenty (20) arrows

(a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons

(a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two daggers

(a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack Leadership Style At 1st level, you choose a Style that will grant you additional features in this class at 1st, 6th, 9th, 13th and 17th level. Command to Strike At 1st level, you can use your Action to allow an ally that can see or hear you to expend their reaction to make a single weapon attack or cast a cantrip against a creature you can see or hear, adding your Charisma modifier to the damage dealt. You can use this feature once per turn. People Person At 1st level, your experience leading people lends you excellent communication skills. You can nonverbally communicate simple ideas (verbs, non-proper nouns) to any humanoid creature that speaks a language, even if you don't share a language. You also have advantage on Insight checks to understand gestures. Fighting Style At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. Archery You gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls you make with ranged weapons. Defense While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. Dueling When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon. Great Weapon Fighting When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an Attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the Two-Handed or Versatile property for you to gain this benefit. Rally At 2nd level, as a bonus action, you can allow an ally within 30 feet of you to expend a number of hit dice up to one-third of your Warlord level (round up), gaining hit points equal to the numbers rolled plus your Charisma Modifier. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma Modifier (min. 1), and regain uses on completing a long rest.

Tactics At 3rd level, you learn to specialize based on the circumstances. Upon completing a short or long rest, choose one of the following bonuses, which applies to allied creatures within 30 feet as long as you are not incapacitated. Tactics bonuses are inactivated while you are concentrating on a spell. The bonus lasts until you complete another short or long rest, at which point you can change your active bonus. Coordinated : When initiative is rolled, you may exchange the d20 rolls of a number of allied creatures in range up to your Charisma modifier with each other (each creature still applies their own initiative modifiers).

: When initiative is rolled, you may exchange the d20 rolls of a number of allied creatures in range up to your Charisma modifier with each other (each creature still applies their own initiative modifiers). Fire Support : Allied creatures do not make ranged attack rolls at disadvantage in melee range if a friendly creature is within 5 feet of them.

: Allied creatures do not make ranged attack rolls at disadvantage in melee range if a friendly creature is within 5 feet of them. Hold the Line : Allied creatures that end their turn without moving gain 1 AC until the beginning of their next turn.

: Allied creatures that end their turn without moving gain 1 AC until the beginning of their next turn. Phalanx : Creatures within 5 feet of an allied creature wielding a shield gain 1 AC.

: Creatures within 5 feet of an allied creature wielding a shield gain 1 AC. Pincer : If two or more allied creatures are within 5 feet of a creature that they can see, they make opportunity attacks against that creature with advantage.

: If two or more allied creatures are within 5 feet of a creature that they can see, they make opportunity attacks against that creature with advantage. Prepared : When your party rolls initiative, they can add half of your Charisma modifier to their initiative score.

: When your party rolls initiative, they can add half of your Charisma modifier to their initiative score. Responsive: When a creature would provoke an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to instead target an ally with Command to Strike, although that ally must attack the creature that would have triggered the opportunity attack. At 8th level, you can have up to two tactics active at the same time. At 14th level, you can have up to three tactics active at once. Ability Score Improvement At 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 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. Adept Command At 5th level, when you use your action on your turn to use your Command to Strike feature, you can target up to two allies instead of one. Alternatively, you can target one ally and make a single weapon attack as part of the same action. At 11th level, you may target up to three allies per use of Command to Strike, or target two and make a weapon attack. War Cry At 7th level, when your party rolls initiative, you can expend one use of your Rally feature to grant a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier within 30 feet temporary hit points equal to your Warlord level. These temporary hit points last up to 10 minutes. At 15th level, you can target an additional two allies with this feature. In addition, your presence bolsters your allies' mental fortitude: allies with temporary hit points from this feature have advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration. Blind Faith At 14th level, your allies trust you enough to use your senses as their own. If an allied creature is deafened but can see you, or is blinded but can hear you, they do not suffer the effects of those conditions so long as you are not also afflicted with the same condition. Battle Sense At 18th level, your feel for battle becomes a sixth sense. You cannot be deafened or blinded. In addition, if you see a creature turn invisible, you can track its location as long as it remains within 60 feet of you. While you are tracking the invisible creature's location, allies that can hear you don't suffer disadvantage on their attacks against the invisible creature due to its invisibility. Unerring Commander At 20th level, your ability to command becomes almost limitless. When you use your Command to Strike feature, the targeted allies can cast any cantrip or spell with a casting time of 1 action or 1 bonus action, and attack rolls made because of your command are made with advantage. Leadership Styles Each Warlord has different methods of leadership. At third level, you will choose between the Tactician, Vanguard, Guerilla Commander, Inquisitor, Warden, Spellguider and Mentat Styles. Vanguard Many Warlords lead not necessarily through tactical genius, but rather by example and bravery. These Warlords are often found on the front line, barking commands over the clash of steel or even simply directing with their weapon rather than their voice. Center of Attention Upon choosing this Style at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor and your choice of Persuasion or Intimidation. Inspiring Presence Also at 1st level, you become a beacon of hope and confidence for your compatriots. Allied creatures within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. In addition, when you use your Rally feature, the targeted ally can expend their reaction to make saving throws against any conditions causing them to be frightened or charmed. If Rally causes the target to no longer be unconscious, they can stand up as a reaction. Covered Retreat At 6th level, your mere presence on the battlefield disrupts enemy tactics. Enemy creatures within 15 feet of you make opportunity attacks at disadvantage unless they are targeting you. This feature is disabled until your next turn if you take the Disengage action.

Draw Their Eye At 9th level, people have a hard time taking their eye off of you. When you are not in combat, any creature within 10 feet of you that can see and hear you has disadvantage on Perception and Insight checks unless targeting you. Fearless Rescue At 13th level, you can throw caution to the wind to save an ally. When a creature you can see takes damage that would drop them to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to immediately move twice your speed towards them. If you reach the creature by the end of your movement, they gain temporary hit points equal to double your Charisma modifier, plus additional temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier for every opportunity attack you provoked during your movement. The damage from the triggering attack is only applied after they gain these temporary hit points. Once you use this feature, you must complete a short or long rest before you can use it again. Lead by Example At 17th level, you become a pillar of inspiration around which entire armies can rally. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can mark them until the beginning of your next turn as a bonus action. A creature that damages the marked creature gains temporary hit points equal to your Warlord level. Once you use this feature, you must complete a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Tactician Tacticians focus on positioning and gaining tactical advantages, rather than raw strength. General Knowledge Upon choosing this Style at 1st level, you gain proficiency in Insight, either Cartographer's Tools or Navigator's Tools, and one type of gaming set. When a Warlord feature refers to your Charisma modifier, you instead use your Intelligence modifier. You have proficiency in Intelligence saving throws instead of Charisma saving throws. En Passant At 1st level, when you use your Command to Strike feature, the targeted ally can also move up to half their speed as part of their reaction before or after attacking. Any opportunity attacks triggered by this movement are made at disadvantage. If the ally moves using this feature, they can move only half their speed on their next turn. Grandmaster At 6th level, your familiarity with tactics sharpens into expertise. You can have an extra Tactic active in addition to the normal number for your Warlord level, and you can choose from an expanded list that also includes the following: Kriegspiel : You and allied creatures within 60 feet can take the Hide action as a bonus action.

: You and allied creatures within 60 feet can take the Hide action as a bonus action. Zugzwang : Once per round, each allied creature can make an opportunity attack without expending their Reaction.

: Once per round, each allied creature can make an opportunity attack without expending their Reaction. Zwischenzug: If an ally does not take the Attack action or cast a spell on their turn, they can take the Dodge action as a bonus action. Blitz Chess At 9th level, you learn to adapt your strategies incredibly quickly. As a bonus action, you can reassign your active Tactics. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again. In addition, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any skill check made with a gaming set you are proficient with. Endgame At 13th level, you adjust the battlefield to suit your needs. As a bonus action, choose a number of allies up to your Intelligence Modifier within 60 feet that can hear you: they can expend their reaction to take the Dash action. Opportunity attacks triggered by movement granted by this feature are made at disadvantage. Once you use this feature, you must complete a short or long rest before you are able to use it again. Checkmate At 17th level, you are able to orchestrate an enemy's inevitable end. As a bonus action, you can designate an enemy within 60 feet as the King and a number of allied creatures within 60 feet up to your Intelligence modifier as Pieces. At the beginning of your next turn, the King must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 10 plus the number of successful attack rolls made by Pieces against them in the previous round. If the King fails this saving throw, it is reduced to 0 hit points. Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before you are able to use it again.

Guerrila Commander Some Warlords believe that flexibility and ruthlessness are the most reliable paths to victory. What they lack in battlefield prowess, they more than make up for in unorthodox tactics and creativity. Underhanded Tactics Upon choosing this Style at 1st level, you gain proficiency in Deception or Stealth and with one set of Tools. Accurate Command At 1st level, when you use your Command to Strike feature, your ally can add half your Charisma modifier (round up) to their attack roll instead of adding your Charisma mod to their damage roll. Fighting Dirty At 6th level, your allies learn to embrace your...nontraditional combat style. You and any allied creature within 30 feet gain a +1 to attack rolls against any creature that has not yet acted in the combat. Ready for Whatever At 9th level, your habit of being prepared for anything begins to rub off on your allies. When an ally within 30 feet of you makes a Dexterity saving throw, they can use their Reaction to gain advantage on that save. In addition, you learn to marry your skill at improvising with that of your allies'. When taking the Help action out of combat, the ally you are helping can add half their proficiency bonus to the result if they are not already adding their proficiency bonus. Violent Recovery At 13th level, when you use your Rally feature, the targeted ally can also use their Reaction to make a single weapon attack against a target of their choice. Make it Work At 17th level, you exploit any advantage, and can cover for your allies' mistakes. Your Fighting Dirty feature also applies to any attack roll made with advantage, and you can't be surprised. In addition, if an ally is surprised, they can still be targeted with Command to Strike and use it as if they had a Reaction. An ally targeted this way cannot take a Reaction until your next turn. Inquisitor Most Warlords choose their path, but for some Warlords, the path chooses them. Some rare Warlords are appointed by divine edict, chosen by gods of war and conflict to lead armies in their patron's name. Sanctification Upon choosing this Style at 1st level, you gain proficiency with Heavy Armor and the Religion skill. Command of the Gods Also at 1st level, the deities you serve protect your allies. When you use your Command to Strike Feature, you can use your bonus action to grant temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier to all allies you targeted with Command to Strike. Foretold Attack At 6th level, your strikes are harbingers of your god's will. The first creature you hit with a weapon attack on your turn is marked with holy light. The next attack roll made against that creature before the beginning of your next turn is made with advantage. Divine Guidance At 9th level, the gods begin to place a firmer hand on the wheel, steering you towards the greater goal that you are meant to fulfill. You can cast augury twice per day without material components, and without the penalty for casting it two or more times. David and Goliath At 13th level, the gods begin to twist fate around you to even the odds. When an allied creature within 30 feet of you (including you) makes an attack roll against a creature that is of a size larger than them, they score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.



Mission from God At 17th level, you and your comrades become a divinely protected army. You and any ally within 30 feet of you that can see you gain advantage on Charisma saving throws and saving throws to resist being blinded or poisoned. Warden Warlords typically gain their leadership experience by leading other sentient humanoids, but rare individuals learn by commanding animals and other natural forces. While that experience doesn't necessarily translate smoothly to commanding fully sentient beings, these Warlords generally have enough tricks up their sleeve to compensate for any deficiencies. Natural Talent Upon choosing this Style at 1st level, you gain proficiency with the Nature and Survival skills, or double your proficiency bonus in them if you already were proficient in them. Wild Servant Also at 1st level, you can cast the find familiar spell once per long rest without material components. The creature summoned with this spell is a beast. When you use your Command to Strike feature, the familiar summoned with this feature can first take the Help action as a reaction. In addition, the effects of your People Person feature also apply to beasts that don't have a language. Ounce of Prevention At 6th level, the forces of nature protect you and your allies. You can expend your bonus action to cause the terrain in a 15 foot radius around you and a number of allied creatures you can see within 60 feet up to your Charisma modifier to be difficult terrain for hostile creatures until the beginning of your next turn. Once you use this feature, you must complete a short or long rest before you are able to use it again. Nature's Army At 9th level, your mastery of the natural environment allows you to sway beasts to your side. You can cast conjure animals twice per long rest as a 3rd level spell. At 14th level, conjure animals cast with this feature is cast as a 5th level spell. At 18th level, it is cast at 7th level.

Commanding Grasp At 13th level, you can cause nature to work through the actions of your allies. When an ally hits with an attack granted by your Command to Strike feature, you can use your reaction to cause the target's surroundings to attempt to grab ahold of it. After damage calculation, the target must succeed on a Dexterity save (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or else be grappled (escape DC = save DC). They can attempt to escape as an action on their turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain uses on completing a long rest. Vigor At 17th level, your leadership bolsters your allies' vitality. Whenever you use your War Cry feature, you grant double your Warlord level in temporary hit points, and creatures with temporary hit points from this feature have advantage on all Constitution saves. Spellguider The study of magic is a more diverse field than most consider; most study its application, but some rare individuals study its direction. These Warlords specialize in leading spellcasters, even though they do not cast spells themselves. Takes One to Lead One While you are not truly a spellcaster, you've picked up the basics. At 1st level, you become proficient in your choice of Arcana, Nature or Religion. You also learn one of the following cantrips and can cast it at will: Prestidigitation, Thaumaturgy or Druidcraft. Mage Commander You are an expert at guiding the spellcasting of others. At 1st level, enemies within 5 feet of you have disadvantage on any saving throw caused by a cantrip that you command. Arcane Geometries At 6th level, you develop new techniques for guiding the attacks of your allies. Ranged attacks granted by your Command to Strike feature ignore the effects of half-cover, treat three-quarter cover as if it were half cover, and do not suffer disadvantage when targeting a prone creature. Thaumic Conduit At 9th level, you are able to tap into more magical energy than you can actually use, allowing others to siphon the excess off. You have a pool of Spell Points equal to half of your Warlord level plus your Charisma modifier. When an allied creature within 30 feet of you casts a spell of 5th level or below while you are not incapacitated, they can draw from your pool of Spell Points to create and use a spell slot, as shown in the below table: Spell Slot Point Value Spell Slot Level Points Required 1st 2 2nd 3 3rd 5 4th 7 5th 9 You recover your spell points after a long rest.