Tactician
A dwarven mage lies wounded on rocks, their dimming vision barely registering the cackling mercenaries approaching them. As they murmur one final prayer to their god, the shrieks of steel and cries of pain echo before them. Suddenly they find themselves on their feet, their pains fading as they find themselves facing a stone-skinned warrior. "Trust in yourself before the gods, friend." Is all that is said, before both march forth against incoming forces.
A salt-haired commander arrives atop a cliff, witnessing her men struggling to fight back against a horde of undead. A sharp whistle escapes her lips, the sound of her arrival creating a booming roar as the soldiers renew their effort. In a flash, she appears by their side, sword and shield drawn as she charges alongside her comrades.
In the darkness of night, a commander guides their party quietly towards the enemy camp. They catch their ranger's flickering hand movements, confirming the enemy numbers. In the minute that would follow, the enemy camp would lose half their men, witnessing nothing but a storm of violence arrive and vanish before the camp could respond.
Be it out of duty, loss, or study, those who take up the titles of tacticians are warriors that place the survival of their allies as their highest priority. Through strategy, motivation, and magic, they maximize the potential of those around them so that they may all see another day alive.
The World is a Battlefield
War and conflict is a tragedy to many, but to those interested in it, it is an art. Each creature on the battlefield becomes a pawn, a piece to plan and prepare for. Those who revel in this art are tacticians, having spent countless seasons studying this bloody aspect of life. Everywhere they go, a tactician sees dangerous possibilities, weaknesses within people they meet, and maneuvers to perform with their allies onto enemies.
How a tactician approaches combat varies from one to the other. Some may charge alongside their allies to the front-line, while others may command far away from danger. Some learn to use their intellect to take on positions of leadership, while others learn the art of medicine to keep their allies alive. Regardless of the specific depths that one may go to specialize to perfect combat, all tacticians rely on one shared power for their survival; tactics.
Master Strategist
The signature aspect of a tactician lies within their tactics. Deliberate and studied ploys, these arts of war are called upon by a tactician to command and aid their allies in the field of battle. Tacticians may perform these tactics through the use of magic, stirring an ally's spirit to fight further, or by group work in recognizing when to fight best together, all with the objective of empowering the party to its limit.
Creating a Tactician
When creating a tactician, consider the path your character made to become one. Did your character become a tactician through sheer ingenuity on fights and strategy, or did they take this role to ensure they wouldn't lose those close to them again?
You choose with your DM how your character came to be a tactician, and can use Tactician Origin table as possible inspirations for your class origins.
Tactician Origin
| d8 | Origin |
|---|---|
| 1 | You were raised in a family invested in war. You learned the art of warfare through their teaching and practices against your siblings. |
| 2 | You were sent off at a young age to a military academy. There, you finally graduated or left after countless exhausting simulations and tests. |
| 3 | You were raised on the streets, becoming a chief of scoundrels as you lead them towards survival and a better life. |
| 4 | You came across a sacred text from a famous warlord, and you have been trying ever since to understand it so you can follow their footsteps. |
| 5 | You have watched countless battles take place, finding and learning the mistakes made within them so you could avoid them. |
| 6 | While you were raised with animals, you learned just how effective fights can be won as a group rather than alone. You continue to use your feral family's teachings in your way of life now. |
| 7 | Your lord banished you for prioritizing minimizing loss of life over total victory. You seek out to stop him before they drown the region in blood. |
| 8 | You watched as your loved ones were slaughtered by religious zealots, sacrificing themselves for your survival. Since then, you have relentlessly studied to avenge them and smite down the zealots and their gods. |
Class Features
As a tactician, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per tactician level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per tactician level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, two martial weapons of your choice
Tools: Cartographer's tools
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Intelligence
Skills: Choose three from Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Persuasion, and Survival.
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) leather armor (b) scale mail, or (c) chain mail
- (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) 5 javelins
- (a) a diplomat's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
- (a) a dagger and cartographer's tools
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Tactical Strikes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Battle Orders, Combat Tactics | 4 |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style, Strategic Action | 4 |
| 3rd | +2 | Principles of War | 5 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack, Post-Battle Analysis | 5 |
| 6th | +3 | Principle feature | 6 |
| 7th | +3 | Discern Strength and Weaknesses | 6 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 |
| 9th | +4 | Master of Maneuvering | 7 |
| 10th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement, Manifestation feature | 7 |
| 11th | +4 | Improved Discern Strength and Weaknesses | 7 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability School Improvement | 8 |
| 13th | +5 | A Life of Combat | 8 |
| 14th | +5 | Principle feature | 8 |
| 15th | +5 | Ready for Bloodshed | 9 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 9 |
| 17th | +6 | Improved Master of Maneuvering | 9 |
| 18th | +6 | Signature Tactic | 9 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 10 |
| 20th | +6 | Master of War | 10 |
Quick Build
You can quickly create a tactician by following these suggestions. Make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence. Your third highest ability score will then be Constitution. Second, choose the Mercenary Veteran or Noble background. Third, choose the Charge, Quick Cast, Maiming Strike, Rally, and/or Reposition as your combat tactics.
Optional Rule: Multiclassing
If your group uses the optional rule on multiclassing in the Player's Handbook, here's what you need to know if you choose the tactician as one of the classes.
- Ability Score Minimum. As a multiclass character, you must have at least a 13 Intelligence score and a 13 Strength or Dexterity score to take a level in this class, or to take a level in another class if you are already a tactician.
- Proficiencies Gained. If tactician isn't your initial class, you gain proficiency in light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons, and one skill from the class's skill list.
Battle Orders
1st-level Tactician feature
You can command your allies to fight for you. As an action, choose a friendly creature within 30 feet of you that can see or hear you. They can spend their reaction to make one weapon attack.
Combat Tactics
1st-level Tactician feature
In your research on combat and warfare, you have learned a series of combat orders that you use to enhance yourself and your allies in combat. You have prepared a number of tactics to use called Combat Tactics. Your choice of tactics are detailed on the Combat Tactics page. You know an amount of tactics equal to your Intelligence modifier plus half your levels in this class (rounded up).
Additionally, whenever you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the tactics you know and replace it with another tactic that you can learn.
If the tactic has a principle requirement, you must be following that principle to learn it.
You can use these tactics a select number of times, regaining all expended uses after finishing a long rest. The number of uses can be seen in the Tactical Strikes column of the tactician table.
Some of your tactics require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Life Lesson
2nd-level Tactician feature
Your experience with war has shaped your very core. Choose one of the following options.
- Answers in Scars. You can use your Intelligence modifier, rather than your Wisdom, when using Medicine and Insight. Furthermore, you gain proficiency in death saving throws.
- Danger at Every Corner. You add your proficiency bonus to your initiative rolls.
- Improve, Adapt, Overcome. If you fail to harm a creature through a tactic, you can perform this tactic again on your next turn without expending a Tactical Strike.
- Survival of the Fittest. Your hit point maximum increases by 2, and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class.
Strategic Action
2nd-level Tactician feature
You have learned to keep a keen eye for key events happening around you. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns to make a Help, Ready, or Search action.
When making a Ready action in this way, you can only ready a combat tactic, but can ready combat tactics that use a bonus action. You can only ready one combat tactic on your turn.
Principles of War
3rd-level Tactician feature
You have chosen a principle that instills how you guide yourself and others through war. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
| Principle of the Commander |
| Principle of the Guerrilla |
| Principle of the Mystical Strategist |
| Principle of the Vanguard |
| Principle of the War-Medic |
Certain principles provide their exclusive Combat Tactics. You may find principle-specific tactics immediately after their principles.
Ability Score Improvement
4th-level Tactician feature
When you reach 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.
Extra Attack
5th-level Tactician feature
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Post-Battle Analysis
5th-level Tactician feature
You can regain your uses of Tactical Strikes after a short rest. Once you have done so, you only regain half as many uses (rounded up) from short rests until you finish a long rest.
Discern Strengths and Weaknesses
7th-level Tactician feature
You know how to find weaknesses within your opponents. As a bonus action, you can make a Wisdom (Insight) check against a creature you can see, contested by the target's Charisma (Deception) check. If you succeed, you discern one of the following characteristics of your choice about them.
- Hit point maximum, or if their hit points are below half their hit point maximum,
- Armor class,
- Highest ability score,
- Lowest ability score,
- Highest saving throw,
- Lowest saving throw,
- One resistance, immunity, or vulnerability they possess (if any).
You automatically succeed this check if the creature is incapacitated, or if you spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting that creature outside of combat. If you fail this check, this creature is immune to this feature until you finish a long rest.
While in combat, you can also use a successful check to know how to better fight that target. Doing so allows you to use your Intelligence modifier on any attack rolls and damage rolls you make towards that creature, as well as any checks and saving throws you make that were provoked by them, rather than the normal ability score. This bonus lasts for a minute, or until you use this feature again on another creature. Upon doing so, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
At 11th level, you can perform this feature on a creature as part of rolling initiative.
Master of Maneuvering
9th-level Tactician feature
You are an expert at using the terrain to your advantage. You and any friendly creatures within a 15-foot radius of you do not suffer the penalties of nonmagical difficult terrain. Any friendly creature that starts their turn in this radius with a walking speed lower than yours has their walking speed increased to your speed.
At 17th level, this radius increases to a 30-foot radius.
A Life of Combat
13th-level Tactician feature
You are always prepared for battle. You are never surprised, and whenever you roll for initiative, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
Ready for Bloodshed
15th-level Tactician feature
You always come to a fight prepared. Whenever you would roll initiative and have 0 tactical strikes uses, you regain 2.
Furthermore, in combat, you get an additional reaction that can only be spent on readied tactics.
Signature Tactic
18th-level Tactician feature
You have become an expert in a specific tactic. Choose a tactic that you know to become your signature tactic. You always know this tactic, and can use it without expending a tactical strike use.
By spending 8 hours on studying and simulating, you can swap this tactic with another that you know.
Master of War
20th-level Tactician feature
You are unrivaled in the art of warfare. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, to a maximum of 22.
Additionally, whenever you would roll initiative, you can give a willing creature within 60 feet of you an extra turn during the first round of combat. This turn is taken immediately after yours.
