Commander (5e Class)

## **The Commander**

Not all adventurers want to dive right into the front of combat. Some of them would prefer to stay behind, while instead having something different fight for them: Minions. Wherever it's a giant spider, a panther, or even an intellect devourer, The Commander is an expert tactician to be feared on the battlefield.

## **Playing a Commander**

As a Commander, you are not a front-line fighter. Instead, you yourself are more of a supporting class, however, your minions that you control are not. You can control an insanely large variety of creatures, so having some knowledge of the Monster Manual (or a resource/dungeon master willing to look through everything for you) can help you expand your roster of minions to include an insane variety.

## **Creating a Commander**

### **Requirements**

**Alignment:** Any Lawful

**Starting Age:** Moderate

**Race:** Any, provided they can speak at least one language.

### **Class Features**

As a Commander you gain the following class features.

Hit Points
**Hit Dice:** 1d8 per Commander level

**Hit Points at 1st Level:** 8 + Constitution modifier

**Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Commander level after 1st

Proficiencies
**Armor:** Light Armor and shields

**Weapons:** Simple Weapons, Weapons with the Reach property

**Tools:** One Musical Instrument

**Saving Throws:** Intellect, Charisma

**Skills:** Choose 2 from Arcana, Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion. You always get Animal Handling as a third skill.

Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

* (*a*) 3 javelins or (*b*) a pike
* a Musical Instrument
* (*a*) Padded Armor & Shield or (*b)* Studded Leather
* 6d6 (21) gold

### **Spells and Whatnot**

#### **Conjure Minion**

Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to summon a single minion. This minion can only be of the Beast monster type, and must have a CR equal to or less than the one specified in the table above. The summoning takes 4 hours to do, and you must make a check of DC (5 + creature's int modifier + creature's CR). If the creature understands any languages, you use your Persuasion bonus. Otherwise, you use your Animal Handling bonus. If you succeed, they are put into your service as a minion, if you fail, then you failed to turn them into a minion, and they disappear. You can have a maximum of minions equal to half of your Proficiency bonus, rounded up.

#### **Recall Minion**

At 1st level, if a minion is on the same plane of existence as you, 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier times per day (min 1), you can teleport them to within 15 ft. of you. This action takes 1 minute of concentration to complete, and being hit will break your concentration.

#### **Minions**

You have minions, which are your allies to command. They level up as you do (their level being signified by their hit die: 1d4 = a level 1, 2d4 = a level 2, etc.), roll their own initiative (but are controlled by you), and have some restrictions to them. First, their damage in one attack cannot exceed 8 + your level. Second, if they have Multiattack, then that is removed. Third, they cannot be larger than size Large. Additionally, whenever you increase your ability scores, so do they. As (most of them) they cannot wear armor or bear weapons, you add your Proficiency bonus to their AC, and their damage rolls (**Note:** If they actually CAN wear armor and/or weapons, such as if they're a Mind Flayer or Skeleton, then do not add your proficiency bonus to their AC and/or damage rolls). If they are within 120 ft. of you, you can telepathically speak with them, with them only able to respond if they can speak a language, otherwise they just display emotions to you. Finally, they have a minimum damage, which is shown by this table below. (e.g. a cat only has a max of 1 damage, but a minion cat would have between 1d4-1d12)

 5
 10
 15
 20

#### **Commander's Claw**

Beginning at 2nd level, 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier times per day, you can add bonus damage to any weapon attack you make, equal to a minion within 30 ft. of you's strongest weapon attack die. (e.g. a baboon would add 1d4 piercing, not 1d4-1 piercing)

#### **Benevolent or Malevolent Archetype**

Beginning at 3rd level, you choose an archetype, based on how you treat your minions; Fairly, or unfairly, kindly, or ruthlessly.

#### **Ability Score Increase**

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.

#### **Increase Roster**

At 5th level, you can choose two types of creature, from the following list: aberrations, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. You can now summon them as minions. At 10th and 15th levels, you can choose two more. At 20th level, you can choose one more and can summon humanoids.

#### **Letter of Recommendation**

Starting at 6th level, whenever you try to summon a minion that you already have one of (e.g. a wolf), you get advantage on the Animal Handling/Persuasion check.

#### **Extra Commander's Claw**

Beginning at 9th level, you can add two Commander's Claws to your attack, instead of one, if you choose to. At 17th level, you can add three.

#### **Right-Hand-Minion**

Starting at 10th level, you can recruit an extra powerful minion, to be your right-hand-minion. They can be any kind of creature, even if you don't have them on your Increase Roster list. If they are a humanoid, they can be given (your prof bonus) levels of any class (aside from Commander), if they are not, they can be increased in size. If they are Small or smaller, they are increased to Medium size, modifying speed and hit die accordingly. If they are Medium, they are increased to Large size. If they are Large, they stay Large, but gain the stats of a creature one size larger. Note, if a creature is not humanoid but would make sense to be considered one for this (e.g. mind flayer), then they may be given a class. If a creature has an Int score of 3 or lower, than their Int score is increased to 4.

#### **Swift Order**

Starting at 13th level, you can choose to move a minion up to half of their movespeed, and have them attack or do any other action they'd be able to on their turn, as a full-round action, during your turn. (meaning you will not be able to use your bonus action or move action if you choose to do this.)

#### **Augmentation**

Beginning at 15th level, you can choose to splice minion abilities. For example, you could give a Wolf minion a Bullywug minion's Standing Leap. However, if the original owner of the ability is either dispelled, killed, or somehow relieved of your service, they will regain that ability, with the spliced minion losing it. This does not apply to Actions, unless they somehow involve a passive ability directly.

#### **Master Linguist**

Starting at 17th level, you now know every single language that your minions know, even if it's normally exclusive to species. You lose these languages if the minions knowing them are dispelled, killed, or relieved of your service.

#### **In You We Trust**

Starting at 18th level, once per day (not long rest, 24 hours), you can revive a single minion back to life. You must have their body/a piece of their body/something containing their soul, and concentrate for 4 hours, as well as their spirit must accept coming back to their body. If you are hit, you must make a DC (8 + damage taken) Constitution save, or your concentration is broken.

## **Benevolent Archetype**

Those who chose the path of the Benevolent Commander believe that their minions are truly their friends, and allies. While this path is more kind to their minions, it is not restricted to the Good alignment, as evil characters could simply believe their minions are close allies.

### **Piercing Conversationalist**

Starting at 3rd level, when you choose this archetype, you can add half of your proficiency bonus to all checks with targets that understand a language you speak, if you are able to speak to them, and if they are able to hear you. (this includes attack rolls, but not damage rolls.)

### **Mend Minion**

At 3rd level, when you choose this archetype, your proficiency bonus + 1 times per long rest, you can heal a minion you can touch for 1d8+your Charisma modifier hp. At 7th level, this increases to 2d8, at 11th to 3d8, and at 14th to 4d8. If they are not able to be healed normally (e.g. undead or constructs), you may still heal them with this.

### **Safeguard of the Crown**

At 7th level, 3 times per long rest, you can shield up to 6 targets of your choice that are within 15 ft. of you. Targets that are affected have advantage on all saving throws, their AC is increased by 2, and you can choose to halve the damage they take, causing you to take the other half of the damage.

### **Leader's Way**

At 11th level, 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier times per long rest, you can intercept an attack that would hit a minion within 60 ft. of you, taking the damage yourself, and cause the target who attacked to take half of the damage you took as radiant damage.

### **Total Attunement**

At 14th level, your benevolent ways have heard your god that you worship. You get a free Angel minion, which respawns 24 hours after death. (It's the same stats as an Imp, but the size is replaced with Small, Infernal with Celestial, and Devil's Sight with Truesight). It has the appearance of a winged man/woman, with a halo. If you're evil aligned, it is a Fallen Angel, with black wings instead of gold/white. Additionally, you also get one more minion slot. The Angel minion does not take up the amount of minions you can have summoned at once.

## **Malevolent Archetype**

Those who choose the path of the Malevolent Commander believe that their minions are just tools for them to use, and that they shouldn't care for them. While most Malevolent Commanders are evil aligned, they can also be good aligned, either misguided or untrustful of their minions.

### **Tyrant's Fortitude**

Starting at 3rd level, when you choose this archetype, you gain +2 hit points per level. This includes your 2 levels before this, adding a total of +6 to your hit points when you choose the archetype.

### **Meatshield**

At 3rd level, when you choose this archetype, you can force a minion within 30 ft. of you to take a hit for you. This ignores the minion's AC, and if they are immune to the damage type, it is treated as resistance, instead. At 11th level, you can add 1/2 of the minion's AC + their Constitution modifier, treating it as their AC for this hit.

### **Slave Driver**

Starting at 7th level, you can choose to make an attack on a minion, instead of an enemy. All attacks that minion makes within the next (your prof bonus) rounds add how much damage you did to them (this only counts the first die if you get a critical hit) to the damage roll.

### **Fighting Style**

Beginning at 11th level, you are closer to a warrior than a leader. Choose one of the following Fighting Styles. You cannot take a Fighting Style more than once.

#### **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.

#### **Two-Weapon Fighting**

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier.

### **Sacrifice Minion**

At 14th level, you can sacrifice a minion, rolling 8 of the damage die of a regular attack as them (e.g. greatsword wouldn't be 16d6, it'd be 8d6). If enemies are immune or resistant to the damage type, ignore the resistance/immunity. At 20th level, this deals 10x the damage, instead.