Duelist Maneuvers

Mastery, Patience, Training

There are many facets to combat—how one places their feet, an adroit grip upon a weapon’s hilt, the angle of a shield arm—but achieving exceptional skill over specific weapons can be an efficient means to victory. By patiently focusing your martial studies you unlock secrets that general practitioners of combat never glean, and with dedicated training you master their use.

When you choose this combat tradition, choose bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. Weapons that deal this type of damage are Duelist weapons for you. Many Duelist maneuvers can only be used with Duelist weapons.

Classes: Adept, Arcane Warrior, Fighter, Marshal, Rogue, Slayer

1st Degree Maneuvers

Calling Card1 focus1st degree Duelist free action
Choose a simple symbol (such as a letter) to be your signature. When you flourish with a Duelist weapon, you can spend it to leave your signature on the creature or object you attacked. Your signature remains on a creature until it finishes a short or long rest. While a creature bears your signature, you have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks against the creature.
Lunge1 focus1st degree Duelist action (attack)
Take the Attack action. Until the end of your turn, increase the range of melee Duelist weapons you wield by 5.
Parry2 focus1st degree Duelist reaction
When another creature damages you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d6 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage).
Wounding Strikes1 focus1st degree Duelist bonus action
Each time you hit a creature with a Duelist weapon on this turn, your target begins bleeding for 1d4 necrotic damage, using your Maneuver DC or the normal bleeding DC (whichever is higher.)

2nd Degree Maneuvers

Preternatural Stance1 focus2nd degree Duelist bonus action (stance)
While you maintain this stance, Take the Attack action. For these attacks, Duelist weapons you wield count as magical for the purposes of bypassing resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.
Quick Strike3 focus2nd degree Duelist reaction
As long as you are not surprised, when combat begins, you can use your reaction to move up to half your speed, draw a melee duelist weapon, and make a single melee weapon attack with it.
Riposte2 focus2nd degree Duelist reaction
When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the creature with a Duelist weapon.

3rd Degree Maneuvers

Disarming Parry2 focus3rd degree Duelist reaction
When a creature in your reach no more than one size category larger than you misses you with a melee weapon attack while you are holding a Duelist weapon, you can use your reaction to try and disarm the creature. The creature makes a Strength saving throw. On a failure, the creature drops a creature or object of your choice that it is holding. If the creature or object is Small or larger, it lands 5 feet away from the creature that was holding it. Otherwise, it flies from its grip to land in a randomly determined space 10 feet away.
Staggering Blow3 focus3rd degree Duelist action (attack)
Take the Attack action. If you hit with a melee attack with a Duelist weapon, you may replace your next attack with a swift blow to the same target’s head. You inflict your unarmed damage to the target, and the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure the target loses concentration on any spell it has cast, any combat stance it is using ends, and it cannot use combat maneuvers or cast spells until the end of your next turn.
Victory Pose2 focus3rd degree Duelist free action
When you score a critical hit with a Duelist weapon, you can pose dramatically as you finish the strike. Choose a number of allies equal to your proficiency bonus within 30 feet. As long as they can see you, the chosen allies have advantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of their next turn.

4th Degree Maneuvers

Weapon Mastery Stance1 focus4th degree Duelist bonus action (stance)
While you maintain this stance, you are proficient with all simple, martial, and improvised weapons, and all of them count as Duelist weapons for you. You may add or remove the Finesse, Light, and Heavy properties to any weapon you wield. Additionally, all weapons you wield in 1 hand deal 1d10 damage and all weapons you wield in 2 hands deal 2d6 damage, unless they deal more.
Precise Strike2 focus4th degree Duelist free action
When you miss with an attack with a Duelist weapon, you may add your Proficiency bonus to the attack roll, possibly turning that miss into a hit. If it does, you flourish.
Wind Strike2 focus4th degree Duelist action (attack)
Take the Attack action. Until the end of your turn, melee Duelist weapons you wield gain the Thrown (20/60) property. When you make a ranged weapon attack in this way, rather than throwing the weapon, you swing it and attack with a surge of wind. If you hit the same creature with two or more attacks, you deal an additional die of damage.

5th Degree Maneuvers

Heart of the Sword3 focus5th degree Duelist bonus action
For the next minute, attacks made with a single Duelist weapon score a critical hit on a roll of 19–20 and ignore any damage resistances a target might have.
Perfect Assault3 focus5th degree Duelist action (attack)
Take the Attack action with a Duelist weapon. As long as you have no penalties on your attack roll, these attacks automatically hit and flourish as if the attacks are Called Shots.