Striker

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Overview & Creation

To a striker, only one thing matters: rhythm. Combat is a delicate dance for these daredevils, weaving in and out of skirmishes. To a striker, combat isn’t worth it without risk, as they thrive on taking risks and living to tell the tale. While other warriors may boast of their ability to hold others at bay, a striker delights in risking life and limb in the pursuit of the combat high which drives them, willing to do anything to reach that state of excitement, even at the cost of their lives.   Quick Build You can make a striker quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending upon whether you want to focus on melee weapons or ranged combat (or finesse weapons). Your next-highest score should be Constitution. Second, choose the Urchin background, with Roof Runner (Wis), Street Tough (Cha), or Thrower (Int) as your martial tradition. The martial tradition you choose determines what should be your third-highest ability score.

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Class Features

Martial Training You gain a martial talent at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, according to Table: Striker.   Tension A striker is at home in battle, thriving on the raw energy of combat to fuel her attacks.   Your tension is a pool of points that go up or down throughout the day, with its maximum listed on Table: Striker. As you perform specific actions in combat, you gain tension points which can be spent on tension techniques:

• Offensive Pressure: Whenever you successfully damage a creature with an attack made by a weapon, improvised weapon, or unarmed strike, or successfully perform a shove or a grapple, you gain 1 tension.
• Defensive Determination: Whenever a hostile creature successfully attacks you or uses a magical effect on you that deals damage, you gain 1 tension.

You cannot gain tension except against serious enemies in a serious fight; sparring with allies or attacking harmless creatures cannot grant you tension. You lose all of your tension if you are knocked unconscious or if you have not attacked or been attacked by a hostile creature for 1 minute.   Tension Techniques During your turn, you can spend tension to accomplish incredible feats. Each tension technique can only be used once per round unless it says it is repeatable. Repeatable techniques have cumulative benefits and may be used an additional time per round at 5th level (twice), 11th (thrice), and 17th level (four times).   1 Tension

• Expert Guard: You gain a +1 bonus on all saves until the beginning of your next turn. This is repeatable.
• Fiery Offense: You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls until the beginning of your next turn. This is repeatable.
• Light Step: You gain a 5 feet bonus to your speed this turn. This is repeatable.
• Timely Dodge: You gain a +1 bonus to armor class until the beginning of your next turn. This is repeatable.

  2 Tension

• Powerful Charge: You may take the dash action as a bonus action.
• Rapid Pummel: Make an unarmed strike as a bonus action.
• Swift Disengage: You may take the disengage action as a bonus action.

    Tension Boost At 2nd level, if you ever start your turn with 0 tension, you gain 1 tension. At 11th level, you instead gain 2 tension if you start your turn with 0 tension, and 1 tension if you start your turn with 1 or more tension. At 17th level, you instead gain 2 tension per turn, whether or not you are at 0 tension.   Striker Art At 3rd level, choose a striker art to determine the type of striker you will be. These striker arts grant you special benefits at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.   Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th, 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 usual, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.   Extra Attack Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.   Greater Tension Techniques At 6th level, you gain the ability to use the following 3-cost tension techniques:   3 Tension

• Rapid Strike: Make a weapon attack as a bonus action.
• Resilience: Use your reaction to reduce the damage from one attack by an amount equal to your level.
• Second Chance: Use your reaction to reroll a saving throw you just failed. If the check was made with advantage or disadvantage, reroll only one die.
• Swift Focus: Regain your martial focus.

  Easy Tension At 9th level, you gain the following new ways to gain tension.

• Deceptive Taunt: You gain 1 tension whenever you use the Help action, such as feinting with the Fencing sphere.
• Maneuvering Movement: If you successfully tumble through an enemy’s space, or if you use the dash or disengage actions, you gain 1 tension.
• Victorious Defense: If you make a successful saving throw against a non-harmless effect, you gain 1 tension.

  Deadly Tension At 13th level, you gain the following new ways to gain tension. None of these grant tension if used against a helpless or unaware creature:

• Critical Offense: If you score a critical hit, you gain 1 tension.
• Deadly Offense: If you reduce a creature’s hit points to 0, you gain 1 tension.

  Greater Strikes At 15th level, when you use the Rapid Pummel or Rapid Strike tension techniques, you may make two attacks as a bonus action instead of one.   Ultimate Tension At 20th level, reduce the cost of all tension techniques by 1 to a minimum of 1.

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Starting Equipment

You start with equipment granted by your background, and either the following equipment or the equipment granted by your martial tradition; You must be proficient with the chosen class equipment to select it as part of your starting equipment:

• (a) a burglar’s pack, (b) a dungeoneer’s pack, or (c) an explorer’s pack
• (a) one type of artisan’s tools, (b) one musical instrument, or (c) thieves’ tools
• A martial or simple weapon

  Tradition If this is your starting class (Character level 1), you may select a martial tradition.

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Subclass Options

Boxer

Bloodrisers, like sorcerers, possess some form of magic in their blood. However, it is the thrill and adrenaline of combat, rather than arcane invocations, that brings that power to the surface.   Spherecasting At 3rd level, you can combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. You gain a spell pool, magic talents, and a casting tradition.   Spell Pool At 3rd level, you gain access to a reservoir of energy you can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. However, this pool does not contain any spell points unless you gain them from another source, such as a casting tradition or feats.   Magic Talents You gain a bonus magic talent of your choice at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels.   Casting Tradition If you do not already have a casting tradition, you gain one at 3rd level. If your casting tradition uses a different key ability modifier than your martial tradition, you must choose which one of the two key ability modifiers to use.   Bloodcasting Beginning at 3rd level, you can spend tension to power your magic sphere talents or abilities instead of spell points. As a tension technique, you may spend 3 tension in place of 1 spell point, 6 tension in place of 2 spell points, and 9 tension in place of 3 spell points when using spells.   However, you can only spend these spell points to power effects from the Alteration (self only), Destruction, Enhancement (self only), Mind, and Nature spheres. Additionally, any effects with a duration created through tension end when you are knocked unconscious or if you have not attacked or been attacked by a hostile creature for 1 minute.   Magician's Tension Successfully dealing damage to one or more hostile targets with a spell gives you 1 tension. | Bloodriser[/spoiler]
Skirmishing Scout

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