In this post we are going to talk about the D&D samurai. This is very powerful character on dnd game.
Samurai 5e
Warrior of old and soldiers of war, wielding techniques perfected and passed down through countless generations strike fear into those that witness them on the battlefield.
While not in combat, they prefer to keep to themselves. There is very little, if anything, they hold more value in than their honor.
A human in oddly dressed attirr spots a foot soldier up ahead surrounded by goblins.
He rushes over with extraordinary speed and charges in between the barrage of incoming blades, shielding every last one with his scabbard.
The goblins step back, however it was to late. The crackle of lightning fills the air as each goblin falls simultaneously. He flicked his blade, sheathed his sword, and kept on his way.
As an Eladrin silently drinks his ale two men interrupt him, threatening him to give over all his money.
The Eladrin snickers, then continues drinking his ale. The two men attack. With unnatural speed the Eladrin throws his ale up in the air and lazily throws his ale up in the air and lazily dodges the first jab.
He tosses his chair toward the second man before he could react and in a single blink of an eye, his curved blade presses at the other neck. The Eladrin instinctively catches his ale and takes a sip.
An Orc charges toward an Elf, who stand calm and composed. As the Orc closes in, the Elf focuses until her mind is completely blank. She opens her eyes and notices an opening in the Orc’s defense.
The Orc lifts his greatclub and get ready to strike. As they meet halfway, the Elf ever so slightly dodges his attack then gracefully cleaves through from the left waist past its right shoulder.
The beast let’s out an ugly scream, then falls at her feet.
Regardless of the origin or path of these swordsman, one thing is certain, they are all known as Samurai.
Creating a Samurai
Were you born into your characters allegiance, or were you training for the day you could call yourself a Samurai even though you were not born into the middle or upper crust of society (yet you seem to know matters of etiquette that could not be matched by your current social position)?
Did you have your Daisho (nodachi or naginata) passed down to you by your parents, or did you acquire your weapons knowns as the soul of a Samurai from the local lord of your residence or your master?
Did you always have a soul that was meant for honorable deeds in word, action and thought? If this is so, what drove you to such selfless service?
Quick Build:
you cam make a Samurai quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strenth or Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution, Second, choose the soldiers background.
Class Feature:
As a Samurai you gain the following clsss feature;
Hit point
Hit Dice: 1d10 per Samurai level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10+Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6)+ Consitution modifier per Samurai level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: All armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: A gaming set and one artisan’s tool of your choice
Saving Throws: Strength, Consitution
Skills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion, Survival and Stealth.
Equipment:
You start with the following equipment in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a)leather armor (Samurai Kimono) or (b) Chain mail (Samurai Armor)
- (a) a longsword (Katana) and a dagger (Tanto), or
- (b) a greatword (Nodachi or Katana) or a glaive (naginata), or
- (c) a lomgbow and 20 arrows, a tanto and one simple weapon.
- A shortsword (Wakizashi)
- (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) an explorer pack
Level Proficiency
BonusFeatures1st+2Daisho Set, Parry2nd+2Bushidō, Fighting Stance3rd+2Honor Archetype4th+2Ability Score Improvement5th+3Extra Attack6th+3Fighting Stance7th+3Honor Archetype Feature8th+3Ability Score Improvement9th+4Crucial Seppuku10th+4Honor Archetype Feature11th+4Possessed Blade, Fighting Stance12th+4Ability Score Improvement13th+5Precise Strike14th+5Honor Archetype Feature15th+5Fighting Stance16th+5Ability Score Improvement17th+6Bushidō (x2), Supreme Meditation18th+6Honor Archetype Feature19th+6Ability Score Improvement20th+6Rōnin, Fighting Stance
Daisho
You start out with your chosen Samurai weapons: The Katana/Nodachi/Naginata/Longbow and a Wakizashi.
They represent your honor and the souls of your ancestors. You may carve a symbol of your choice into the weapon.
If you weapon is lost or destroyed, you can summon it back to you by drwaing the symbol (in blood) you carved, into a solid surface that is larger than your weapon.
This requires meditating over a long rest to complete. You must be on the same plane of existence that you lost the weapon to succeed in this.
Additionally at the 7th level your Daisho weapon becomes magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.
Fighting Stance:
Time in brutal training has allowed you to perfect your ability to adapt your stance to your opponents in combat.
You can learn a total of 8 different Stances (Void Stance is only unlocked at level 11 and Kami’s Stance is only unlocked at level 20).
You learn 2 stances at level 2 and learn 2 new stances at the 6th and 15th level. Upon reaching 15the level you gain the ability to activate and maintain two Stance at once.
Upon Reaching 20th level you can activate all stances simultaneously (except Kami’s and Void Stance) and retain them untill the end of your 2nd turn after using this ability.
After the 2 turns you are unable to enter stances for 2 turn and are only able to move 5ft per turn.
All activate can only be used once every 24 hours, in addition, you also lose access to Kami’s Stance for the duration.
A Stance is activated and changed as a bonus action, and lasts for 1 minute, or until you activate a different Stancen, if you are knocked prone, become grappled or restrained.
The number of time a Samurai can activate a Stance a day is equal to half your total Samurai Level (rounded down) +1, however changing stance does not count as activating a stance and does not reset the time. A long rest restores all expended uses.
Stone Stance: When you enter this Stance and at the start of each of your turna while you have at least 1 hit point or more remaining, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Constitution Modifier (Minimum of 1) + your proficiency bonus.
These temporary hit points last until you are no longer in this Stance. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you deal an additional 5 weapon damage to the creature.
Opportunity attack made against you are rolled with advantage and if you use more than half of your movement speed in a turn, this Stance immediately ends.
Wind Stance: While in this stance, you become both quick and maneuverable. You may take the Dash or Disengage action as a bonus action, and you ignore difficult terrain when you Dash.
Melee attack rolls made against you are at disadvantages and upon an attack missing you are able to make an attack of opportunity against them if they are within weapon range.
If you have access to Strike from the Void, you can use one of the charges to make this attack regardless of range.
Water Stance: When you successfully hit a creature with a melee weapon attack while in this stance, you may immediatly spend your bonus action to attempt to knock the creature prone.
If you do this, you force them to make a Dexterity saving throw equal to (8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus). Falling this attempt grants the creature advantage on their next attack roll made against you.
Additonally, while in this stance, landing an attack of opportunity on an enemy reduces that creatures movement to 0 ft until the beginning of its next turn.
Earth Stance: While you are in this stance, you have advantage on Strength checks made to grapple and can hold a two-handed weapon in one hand whilst grappling a creature.
Additionally, on one attack per turn, you may use your bonus action to gain a bonus to your AC equal to your proficiency modifier if the attack hit.
This bonus AC lasts until the start of your next turn. Also while in this stance your feet are planted firmly on the ground, doing this grants advantage on Strength saving throws and disadvantages one Dexterity saving throws.
Fire Stance: While in this stance, you focus all you have on offence by sacrificing your defences.
The first attack you make each turn is made with advantage. Additionally, you suffer a 4 to AC as long as you are in this stance.
When you hit a creature with an attack, you may add your Proficiency Modifier to the damage roll as fire damage, which also doubles on a critical hit.
Lightning Stance: As long as you are in this stance; if you use the Dash action, you can attack all the enemies that you come within weapon range of.
These attacks require your bonus action. Treat them as critical if they hit enemies who are unaware of you and are unprepared for the attack. Also, you can use your action to attack a single target fuiously 3 times.
These attack are incredibly fast but difficult to land accurately, and as such attack rolls are made without proficiency or ability score bonuses (damage is dealt normally with each hit).
At the 10th level, you can use this stance to attack a single target 5 additional times without proficiency bonus.
Void Stance: While in this stance, your mind is at its calmest and your senses are heightened to their maximum.
All Perception checks are made with advantage. You are immune to the Blinded condition and gain 50ft of Blindsight.
The first creature you hit with a weapon attack in this stance take an additional 2d6 Necrotic or Cold damage ( your choice before rolling) to the damage roll.
Additionally you can use a full round to extend your Blindsight out to 100ft for the duration of the stance. This stance can not be used with other stances.
Switching out of this stance leaves you unable to use any stance for 2 turns.
Kami’s Stance: Once per turn, when you take the Attack Action, you may turn one of your attack into a special attack. This attack requries a single attack roll and target every enemy within 20 ft of you.
Using Parry while in this stance does not consume one of its uses. Additionally, when you make a ranged weapon attack, you add an extra weapon die to damage rolls. This stance can not be used with other stances.
Parry
Beginning at the 1st-level, when another creature hits you or another creature within 5ft of you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage dealt by the attack by 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier + your Samurai level.
You can use this feature twice, you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. You gain an additonal use of this feature at 7th and again at 15th level.
Bushido
Upon reaching 2nd level, you have settled into the way of the warrior. On your turn, as long as you are in one of your stance, you may use this ability: If you land all the attacks available to you this turn, you may take an additional attack and add your Samurai level to the damage roll as weapon damage.
You must finish a long rest to regain use of this feature. Starting at 17th level, you can use this feature 2 times, but only once per turn, between long rests.
Honor Archetype
Upon reaching 3rd level, choose an archetype that you want to be emulating in combat techniques. Choose either Shogun, laijutsu Master or Kyudo.
The archetype you pic grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 10th, 14th and 18th level.
Ability Score improvenent:
Upon reaching 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of you choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Upon reaching 5th level, when you take the attack action, you may attack an additional time.
Crucial Seppuku
Beginning at 9th level, you must succeed even if it costs your life. Before rolling any d20, you may choose to roll with advantage.
After the outcome of the roll is determined, you take 3d6 Necrotic Damage. You may use this ability once per turn and twice between a long rest.
Possessed Blade
At the 11th level, your ancestors take notice of your Samurai prowess and offer what they can to aid you.
As an action, you can turn one sword you are carrying into a Flying Sword (Monster Manual P.20) for 1 Hour.
It takes on all properties of the Flying Sword except Actions; it has the same to hit and damage (not granted by Stances) as if you were using it and requries your bonus action to move and attack.
If you don’t use your bonus action to control the sword, it remains motionless in its position.
The sword remains this way for the duration or until it drops to zero hit points, where it returns to a normal weapon. You can use this once per long rest.
Precise Strike
Beginning at the 13th level, your attacks count as critical hit when you roll a 19 or 20 on the d20.
Supreme Meditation
At the 17th level, while your Daisho Weapon is on your person, you can use an action to use up to half your total Hit Dice (rounded down).
If you do so you cannot regain any spent hit dice for 24 hours. You also gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.