Captain | Base Class

Captain

A half-elf, adorned in the ribbons and medals of a high-ranking commander, sits astride an armored warhorse. To her right, a powerfully built orcish man in more pedestrian attire sits atop his own horse, shouldering a hefty greataxe. They set down the road together, accompanied by blaring trumpets and banging drums, which announce their approach.
Puffing on a pipe and eyeing the room, a halfling guildmaster in a fitted suit twirls a dagger between his fingers. A crowd of thieves, crooks, and bandits are arrayed before him, all studying blueprints laid out on a candlelit table. Tonight, their chapter of the Thieves’ Guild becomes rich, and their guildmaster goes down in history.
Kobolds swarm left and right, scampering across piles of gold pieces, only to be met by the dwarf’s greataxe. Arrow after arrow, a human archer looses shots that merely plink off the enraged dragon’s crimson scales. A gnomish mage gathers crackling arcane might in his hands for a devastating magical blast. Across the chamber, amidst the chaos, a plan crystallizes in the adventuring company’s leader. She begins shouting orders, and the party sets into motion.
Decisive leaders and brilliant strategists, captains inspire their allies to greatness. Invariably, they stand alongside their cohorts—their devoted lieutenants, whom they entrust with their lives. Captains out-strategize their enemies, ensuring that, while they rarely deal the killing blow, they’re always on the winning side.

Fearless Leaders

Many people aspire to command, but few inspire loyalty as a captain does. Captains rally allies to their side through confidence and determination, but gain long-term friends through wisdom and accountability.
A good captain thinks a little bigger than their compatriots, planning one step further and fitting their allies like puzzle pieces to the challenges ahead. To their eyes, there are few defeats; only setbacks, diversions, and detours. Success is always on the path ahead.
Moreover, captains lead by example. They stand shoulder-to-shoulder with knights, creep through the night alongside rogues, and study arcane texts with mages, even when they barely understand what they’re reading. Captains are at the front line with their allies, not barking orders from afar.

Cohort and Commander

A captain is only as good as their second in command, their cohort, who stands by them at every step and safeguards their plan’s success. Far more than a simple ally, a captain’s cohort is a confidant, an advisor, and a trusted friend. Cohorts see their captain as a wellspring of information, and will follow them to the ends of the earth.

Creating a Captain

The ideal captain—a consummate leader—can be realized in many different ways. Your captain could be a head of an adventuring company, an officer in an army, the president of a corporation, the chief of a tribe, the admiral of a fleet, or any other type of leader. The only commonalities amongst captains are their positions of authority and natural inclinations towards leadership.
You should consider how your captain chooses to lead: not simply what banner they fly, but how they treat their followers and how they give orders. Do you rally others to your side with a magnetic personality or a stoic facade? How would you deal with a dilemma that offers only losing strategies? How do you treat your opponents once you’ve secured victory?
You should also think of previous victories or defeats that have defined your captain in the past. Has your story been that of a meteoric rise or a disgraceful fall? What event first thrust you into leadership, and how did you first take to it? Which success or defeat led you to the life of an adventurer?

Quick Build
You can make a captain quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Next, select History and Persuasion as your skills, and take the Dueling Fighting Style. Lastly, choose a background reflecting your leadership experience.

Class Feature

As a captain, you gain the following class features.

• (a) scale mail, or (b) leather armor
• A dagger and (a) a warhammer, (b) a longsword, or (c) any simple weapon
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts, (b) a shortbow and 20 arrows, or (c) 5 javelins
• An embroidered standard and (a) a diplomat’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack

Born Leader

By 1st level, your competence and commanding personality lend you a knack for leadership. Common folk defer to your authority and influence, especially in times of crisis. As a result, you have advantage on any Charisma (Persuasion) check you make to convince someone to let you take charge of a situation or to give someone orders in a dangerous situation.
Additionally, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of your Intelligence modifier, for any ability check you make related to planning, strategy, or tactics.

Fighting Style

At 1st level, you adopt a 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 to 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.

Protection
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Cohort

Starting at 2nd level, you gain a loyal cohort who carries your banner and follows your lead.

Initiating a Cohort
Select a companion from the Cohort section; following an 8-hour initiation period, that creature becomes your cohort. You can have only one cohort at a time.
If your cohort is ever slain, you can raise them from the dead by the usual methods, such as the raise dead spell, or you can spend 8 hours initiating a new cohort. If you do so, your previous cohort loses all abilities granted by this ability, even if it is later returned to life.
Your cohort obeys your commands as best it can. Your cohort takes its turn immediately before or after your turn each round (your choice), and you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own.

Cohort Features
At 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels, your cohort gains new abilities based on its archetype.

Hit Points
For each captain level you gain after 2nd, your cohort gains an additional Hit Die and increases its hit points accordingly.

Ability Scores
Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your cohort’s abilities also improve. Your cohort can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature, unless its description specifies otherwise.
When you improve a cohort’s ability scores, remember to also increase other relevant statistics, such as skill bonuses, bonuses to hit and damage, and spell save DCs.

Proficiencies
Your cohort gains proficiency in skills listed in its statistics. It also gains proficiency with simple weapons, martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, or shields if its statistics contain weapons or armor from that category.
Your cohort uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. Because cohort statistics already include a +2 proficiency bonus, you need only adjust the attack bonus, skill proficiencies, and saving throw proficiencies starting at 5th level.

Alignment
Your cohort’s alignment is within one step of your own, and has a personality trait and flaw determined by the GM. Its bond is always, “I will follow my commander into any fray, and I will gladly fight by their side until my death.”

Banner

Starting at 3rd level, you adopt a banner which you fly in combat, emblazon on your armor, and fix to your seal. You can select from the banners which are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 13th, and 17th level.

War Tactics

Starting at 3rd level, you have a pool of battle dice that you can use to bolster your allies or perform special maneuvers in combat. You begin with 2 battle dice, which are d8s. You regain all expended battle dice when you finish a short or long rest, or when you roll initiative.
Your battle die changes and more battle dice become available when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Battle Dice column of the Captain table.

Saving Throws
If one of your maneuvers calls for a saving throw to resist its effects, the saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Maneuvers
You can spend battle dice to use the following maneuvers:
Brace. As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend a battle die to bolster your allies. Each allied creature within 30 feet of you that can see or hear you adds the battle die to all saving throws it makes until the end of your next turn.
Rally. As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend a battle die to choose one allied creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can see or hear you. That creature regains hit points equal to the number rolled + your Charisma modifier. You can’t use this ability to heal a creature who has 0 hit points.
Staggering Strike. As a bonus action when you make a weapon attack against a Large or smaller creature, you can expend a battle die to attempt to daze the target. On a hit, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the start of your next turn.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 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 normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Blitz

Starting at 5th level, as a bonus action on your turn, you can direct your cohort or a friendly creature within 60 feet of you that can see or hear you to fight alongside you. The chosen creature can use its reaction to move up to its speed or make a single weapon attack.

Advanced Tactics

At 9th level, your maneuvers improve in the following ways:
Brace. Allies can also add the battle die to their ability checks until the start of your next turn.
Rally. Whenever you spend a battle die to cause a creature to regain hit points, that creature also gains temporary hit points equal to your captain level.
Staggering Strike. When you hit with a staggering strike, you add the battle die to the damage roll.

Coordinated Strike

By 11th level, you and your cohort fight as a perfect fighting unit. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can deal an extra 2d8 damage to the creature if your cohort has also hit that creature with an attack since the end of your last turn.

Lead by Example

Starting at 15th level, whenever you roll a 20 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, each friendly creature within 30 feet of you has advantage when it makes the same type of roll (attack roll, ability check, or saving throw) before the start of your next turn.

Legendary Commander

At 20th level, you have 3 legendary actions. At the end of another creature’s turn, you can spend a legendary action to take an action of your choice, or allow a friendly creature that can hear or see you to take an action of their choice. If a creature takes the Attack action as a legendary action, it can attack more than once if it has a feature, like Extra Attack, that gives it extra attacks.

You regain all expended legendary actions when you finish a long rest.

Cohorts

Your cohort is the most steadfast of allies, is loyal to a fault, and will likely be a lifelong ally and friend. But not all cohorts are cut from the same cloth or possess the same skills. Choose from the following non-player characters when you enlist a new cohort.

Abbot – Cohort
A devout adherent to the faith, an abbot can work minor divine miracles with the whispering of prayers and the waving of hands.

Abbot
Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
Armor Class 15 (chain shirt, shield)
Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 13 (+1)         DEX 11 (+0)          CON 12 (+1)
INT 10 (+0)          WIS 14 (+2)         CHA 11 (+0)
Saving Throws Wis +4, Cha +2 Skills Medicine +4, Religion +2
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages any one language (usually Common)
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Actions
Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.
Light Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d8) piercing damage.
Healing Hands (1/Day). The abbot or one creature the abbot touches regains 11 (2d8 + 2) hit points.
Bonus Actions
Guiding Strike (1/Day). When the abbot hits a creature with a weapon attack, it can wreathe the target in divine light. The next attack roll made against this target before the end of the abbot’s next turn has advantage.

Abbot – Cohort
While following the command of a captain, the abbot gains additional abilities based on the captain’s level:
2nd. Divine Devotion. The abbot can use its Healing Hands and Guiding Strike an additional time each when the captain reaches 5th level (2/day each), 11th level (3/day each), and 17th level (4/day each).
6th. Action: Spellcasting. The abbot casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 12): At will: guidance, spare the dying 1/day each: bless, lesser restoration, protection from evil and good
10th. Divine Strike. The abbot deals an extra 1d8 radiant damage when it hits with an attack roll.
14th. Action: Spellcasting. The abbot’s Spellcasting improves. It can cast the following spells in addition to those in its statistics: 1/day each: death ward, revivify, speak with dead
18th. Reaction: Merciful Light (1/Day). In response to a friendly creature within 30 feet of the abbot taking damage, the abbot causes that creature to regain hit points equal to 2d8 + the abbot’s Wisdom modifier.

Champion – Cohort
A champion is a skilled, tactical fighter, just as comfortable in the saddle during military drills as armored on the field of battle.

Champion
Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
Armor Class 16 (ring mail, shield)
Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 14 (+2)          DEX 11 (+0)          CON 13 (+1)
INT 11 (+0)          WIS 12 (+1)          CHA 9 (−1)
Saving Throws Str +4, Con +3
Skills Animal Handling +3, Athletics +4
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages any one language (usually Common)
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Indomitable (1/Day). The champion rerolls a failed saving throw.
Actions
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage, or 7 (1d10 + 2) slashing damage if used in two hands.
Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage in melee or 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage at range.

Champion – Cohort
While following the command of a captain, the champion gains additional abilities based on the captain’s level:
2nd. Bonus Action: Second Wind (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The champion regains 5 hit points. When the captain reaches 6th level, this amount of healing increases to 10, and when the captain reaches 14th level, this amount of healing increases to 20.
6th. Ability Score Increase. The champion’s Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
10th. Martial Prowess. When the champion hits with a melee weapon, the weapon deals an extra 3 (1d8) damage. When the captain reaches 18th level, this extra damage increases to 9 (2d8).
14th. Ability Score Increase. The champion’s Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
18th. Action Surge (Recharges on a Short or Long Rest). The champion takes two actions on its turn.

Hunter – Cohort
A hunter is a naturally skilled tracker and outlander, as comfortable in the depths of the woods as in a tavern or town.

Hunter
Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
Armor Class 14 (studded leather)
Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 10 (+0)          DEX 14 (+2)          CON 12 (+1)
INT 10 (+0)          WIS 14 (+2)          CHA 9 (−1)
Saving Throws Str +2, Dex +4
Skills Perception +4, Survival +4
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages any one language (usually Common)
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Keen Hearing and Sight. The hunter has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.
Actions
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

Hunter – Cohort
While following the command of a captain, the hunter gains additional abilities based on the captain’s level:
2nd. Bonus Action: True Shot (1/Day). Immediately after making an attack roll or a damage roll with a ranged weapon, the archer can roll a d10 and add the number rolled to the total. The hunter can use its True Shot an additional time when the captain reaches 5th level (2/day), 11th level (3/day), and 17th level (4/day).
6th. Vantage Point. The hunter gains a climbing speed equal to its walking speed.
10th. Bonus Action: Predator’s Mark (1/Day). When the hunter hits a creature with an attack, it marks the target for 1 minute or until it loses concentration (as if concentrating on a spell). The hunter has advantage on attack rolls against a marked target and deals an extra 1d8 damage on a hit.
14th. Reaction: Instinctive Dodge. In response to being hit by an attack or failing a Dexterity saving throw, the hunter can add 3 to its AC against the attack or to its saving throw, potentially changing the outcome.
18th. Multiattack (3/Day). The hunter makes two ranged weapon attacks.

Scoundrel – Cohort
Stealthy and subversive, the scoundrel is as adept an assassin as a burglar or thief.

Scoundrel
Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
Armor Class 13 (leather armor)
Hit Points 9 (2d8)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 8 (−1)          DEX 14 (+2)          CON 11 (+0)
INT 13 (+1)          WIS 12 (+1)          CHA 10 (+0)
Saving Throws Dex +4, Int +3
Skills Acrobatics +4, Perception +3, Sleight of Hand +4, Stealth +4
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages any one language (usually Common)
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Sneak Attack. Once on each of its turns, if the scoundrel hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, the target takes an extra 3 (1d6) damage from the attack. The scoundrel doesn’t need advantage if an ally of the scoundrel that isn’t incapacitated is within 5 feet of the target and the scoundrel doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Actions
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

Scoundrel – Cohort
While following the command of a captain, the scoundrel gains additional abilities based on the captain’s level:
2nd. Rogue Training. The scoundrel’s extra Sneak Attack damage increases by 3 (1d6) when the captain reaches 6th level (2d6), 10th level (3d6), 14th level (4d6), and 18th level (5d6).
6th. Bonus Action: Cunning Action. The scoundrel takes the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
10th. Reaction: Uncanny Dodge. The scoundrel halves the damage that it takes from an attack that hits it. The scoundrel must be able to see the attacker.
14th. Evasion. If the scoundrel is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the scoundrel instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw and only half damage if it fails, provided the scoundrel isn’t incapacitated.
18th. Assassinate (1/Day). During its first turn in combat, the scoundrel turns a hit that it makes with a weapon attack into a critical hit.

Banners

Captains adopt emblems that denote their virtues, skills, and command styles, which they fly upon their banners to rally allies to their side. A symbolic statement, this heraldry speaks volumes about what a captain prizes in the world, be it knowledge, allies, or personal gain.

Even more Banners can be found in Valda’s Spire of Secrets!