Warlord

When dark forces muster in the wilderness, when hosts of monsters assemble to sack civilization’s last redoubts, it falls to the marshal to lead the warriors in defense of their lands. Marshals draw from their experience and passion to lend courage, skill, and hope to those under their command. A warlord forms the iron core of any unit of soldiers, uniting their purpose and bolstering their commitment to see the conflict to its conclusion. A marshal’s talents can come from many different aspects of personality or endeavor. Some depend on their bravado, goading their companions to take risks in order to reap great rewards. Others have keen insight into their enemies’ minds. Some marshals specialize in hit-and-run tactics, and others are resourceful leaders who always have some trick up their sleeves. The most common marshals include those whose presence alone is enough to bind disparate heroes together and the tactical savants who spot weaknesses and exploit them. Marshals develop specialized combat maneuvers called exploits. In their elementary form, they are strikes and commands designed to shift the battle toward a more favorable outcome. In addition to these exploits, marshals issue commands and orders that improve their allies’ performance. Some of these commands can restore health and vigor, while others make allies more alert and ready for new challenges. Most marshals have already had experience in the field, even if it came from leading a tiny expedition. Some are former military leaders who have relinquished their commands to seek their fortunes in the world. Others might have lost their units and be out for revenge against the enemy that brought them to ruin. Whatever the individual’s triumphs or defeats were before becoming an adventurer, every marshal has the ability to lead, and lead well.

CLASS TRAITS

• Role:Leader. You rally your companions with a mixture of shouted commands and cunning stratagems, leading them to victory through superior tactics.
• Power Source:Martial.
• Key Abilities:Strength; Intelligence or Charisma
• Armor Proficiencies:Cloth, leather, hide, chainmail; light shields.
• Weapon Proficiencies:Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged.
• Bonus To Defense:+1 Fortitude, +1 Will.
• Hit Points At1st Level: 12+ Constitution Score.
• Hit Points Per Level Gained: 5
• Healing Surges Per Day: 7+ Constitution Modifier.
• Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose 4 trained skills at 1st level.
• Build Options:Bravura Warlord, Insightful Warlord, Inspiring Warlord, Resourceful Warlord, Skirmishing Warlord, Tactical Warlord.
• Class Features:Archer Warlord, Battlefront Leader, Canny Leader, Combat Leader, Commanding Presence, Inspiring Word.

CLASS FEATURES

• Proficiency Option:you may choose to keep the standard warlord options or replace them with the Archer Warlord feature.
  • Standard Warlord:You have proficiency with chain mail and light shields
  • Archer Warlord:When you choose the Archer Warlord class feature, you lose proficiency with chainmail and light shields. You gain proficiency with military ranged weapons. In addition, when you make a ranged basic attack with a bow, you can use Strength instead of Dexterity for the attack roll and the damage roll.
• Leadership Option:You gain one of the following benefits:
  • Battlefront Leader:This class feature replaces your Combat Leader class feature. You gain proficiency with heavy shields, and you gain the battlefront shift power.
  • Canny Leader:This class feature replaces your Combat Leader class feature. You and any ally within 10 squares of you who can see and hear you gain a +2 bonus to Insight checks and Perception checks.
  • Combat Leader:You and each ally within 10 squares who can see and hear you gain a +2 power bonus to initiative.
• Commanding Presence:Choose one of the following presence benefits below. The choice you make also provides bonuses to certain warlord powers. Individual powers detail the effects (if any) your Commanding Presence selection has on them.
  • Bravura Presence:When an ally who can see you spends an action point to take an extra action and uses the action to make an attack, the ally can choose to take advantage of this feature before the attack roll. If the ally chooses to do so and the attack hits, the ally can either make a basic attack or take a move action after the attack as a free action. If the attack misses, the ally grants combat advantage to all enemies until the end of his or her next turn.
  • Insightful Presence:When any ally who can see you spends an action point to take an extra action, that ally gains a bonus to all defenses equal to half your Wisdom modifier or half your Charisma modifier until the start of his or her next turn.
  • Inspiring Presence:When an ally who can see you spends an action point to take an extra action, that ally also regains hit points equal to one-half your level + your Charisma modifier. If the ally can see multiple warlord allies who have this class feature, the ally regains hit points from only one of them (the ally’s choice).
  • Resourceful Presence:When an ally who can see you spends an action point to take an extra action and uses the action to make an attack, that attack gains a bonus to damage equal to one-half your level + your Intelligence modifier. If the attack hits no target, the ally gains temporary hit points equal to one-half your level + your Charisma modifier.
  • Skirmishing Presence:When an ally who can see you spends an action point to make an attack, that ally can use a free action to shift a number of squares equal to your Intelligence or Wisdom modifier before or after the attack.
  • Tactical Presence:When an ally you can see spends an action point to make an attack, the ally gains a bonus to the first attack roll of that attack. The bonus equals half your Intelligence modifier. If multiple warlord allies who have this class feature can see the ally, he or she gains the bonus from only one of them (the ally’s choice).
• Inspiring Word:Using the inspiring word power, warlords can grant their comrades additional resilience with nothing more than a shout of encouragement.

Published in Player's Handbook, Class Compendium