C hessmasters

C ommanders
and
The Noble Class
S
ome adventurers work their whole lives

to become great rulers, but to others,

nobility is just the beginning of the
adventure. In fifth edition, the noble background
provides this starting point, but what if you
want your character concept to be mechanically
supported from levels 1 through 20? The noble
character class gives you this choice, allowing you
to play and create valiant scions, naïve princes,
and highborn generals.
Most nobles are hands-off characters, prefer-
ring to achieve victory by empowering and
strengthening their comrades rather than doing
the dirty work themselves.

Class Features
‣‣ Hit Dice. 1d6 per level of noble
‣‣ Hit Points. 6 + your Constitution modifier
‣‣ Hit Point Advancement. 1d6 + your Consti-
tution modifier per noble level gained

Proficiencies
‣‣ Weapons: None
‣‣ Armor: None
‣‣ Tools: None
‣‣ Saving Throws: Charisma, Wisdom
‣‣ Skills: Pick two from: Deception, Insight,
Medicine, Performance, and Persuasion
writing A. Nova
Equipment art Ellis Goodson
Nobles start with the following equipment in Shannon White
addition to the equipment granted by their back- editing James Haeck
ground. Alternatively, noble characters can start layout Eric Life-Putnam
with 5d4x10 gp to buy equipment.

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 ‣‣ Fine clothes. Proficiency
‣‣ A diplomat’s pack, priest’s pack, or scholar’s Level Bonus Features
pack. 1st +2 Rallying Word, Noble Path
‣‣ A melee martial weapon and scale armor, or 2nd +2 Path Feature, Direct Ally
two sets of artisan’s tools. 3rd +2 Spur Ally, Rallying Word (2 allies)
4th +2 Ability Score Increase
Noble Path (1st Level) 5th +3 Coordinated Attack
Your Noble Path defines what kind of noble you 6th +3 Path Feature
are. You can choose between Path of the Brave, 7th +3 Rallying Word (short rest)
Path of the Heart, and Path of the Tactician. Your 8th +3 Ability Score Increase
Noble Path gives you access to unique abilities 9th +4 Direct Ally (extra action)
and characteristics at first level, and more at 2nd, 10th +4 Noble Renown
6th, 11th, 14th and 17th level. 11th +4 Path Feature
12th +4 Ability Score Increase
Rallying Word 13th +5 Spur Ally (short rest)
At 1st level, you can use a bonus action to make an 14th +5 Path Feature
ally within 30 feet of you to regain hit points. The 15th +5 Expertise
amount healed is equal to 1d8 + your noble level. 16th +5 Ability Score Increase
After you use this ability, you must take a long 17th +6 Direct Ally (bonus action)
rest before you can use it again. Starting at 3rd 18th +6 Path Feature
level, you can target two allies with this ability. 19th +6 Ability Score Increase
Starting at 7th level, this ability recharges after 20th +6 Devoted Commander
a short rest.
Ability Score Improvement
Direct Ally When you reach 4th level, you can increase an
You are better at guiding allies than engaging ability score by 2, or two ability scores by 1. You
the enemy personally. Starting at 2nd level, you gain this feature again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th
can use your action to allow an ally that can hear level.
or see you to make a single weapon attack, cast
a cantrip, or move up to half their movement on Coordinated Attack
your turn as a reaction. You can only use this abil- Starting at 5th level, your leadership allows you
ity once per short or long rest. At 9th level, your and your allies to strike in unison. Once per turn
ally may instead choose to take the Attack action when you take the attack action, one ally within
or cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action as a 30 feet can use his or her reaction to make a single
reaction. weapon attack against a valid target of your
Starting at 17th level, you may use this ability choosing.
as a bonus action.
Noble Renown
Spur Ally By 10th level, tales of your fame (or infamy) have
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your reaction taken root in the hearts of the people. Your reputa-
to allow an ally to re-roll a failed saving throw or tion precedes you in any civilized settlement. By
ability check. You can only use this feature once revealing your identity, you gain advantage on all
between long rests. Starting at 13th level, this fea- Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation) checks in
ture may be used again after a short or long rest. that settlement for the next hour. You may not use
this feature again until you complete a long rest.

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Expertise Overwhelming Stroke
At 15th level, you may double your proficiency At 14th level, you learn a deadly technique. You
bonus to three of your skills or tool proficiencies. may choose to make a single weapon attack as an
action. If this attack hits, the target must make a
Devoted Commander Strength saving throw (DC is equal to 8 + your
When you reach 20th level, your connection to Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus) or
your party runs so deep that you can just find and be knocked prone and stunned until the end of
exploit the precise moment for a final attack. Once your next turn. This feature may be used three
per long rest, your Direct Ally grants an action to times, and uses are regained after a short or long
up to 5 allies at the same time. rest.

Lionheart
Noble Paths Beginning at 17th level, you cannot be frightened
and allies who can see or hear you have advan-
Path of the Brave tage on saving throws made to resist becoming
Few nobles possess the courage and selflessness frightened.
to walk the Path of the Brave. Those who do often
won their rank through deeds of valor, or are Path of the Heart
descended from someone who did. Nobles who follow the Path of the Heart lead
When you first choose the Path of the Brave you on subtle ways. They inspire loyalty out of their
gain the following features: empathy, kindness, and even their own ingenuity.
A noble who follows the Path of the Heart may
Bonus Proficiencies lack ambition, but they make up for it in honesty
You gain proficiency with simple weapons, melee and charm.
martial weapons, and with light and medium
armors and shields. Noncombatant
You are the heart of your group, and you never
Resilient Leader draw a weapon except in dire circumstances. You
Your hit point maximum increases by 2 for every have disadvantage on all attack rolls and lose
noble level you possess. proficiency with all weapons and armor, includ-
ing those granted by your race. You cannot gain
Dauntless weapon or armor proficiencies from any source or
Starting at 2nd level, you have advantage on sav- cast spells that deal damage or require an attack
ing throws against spells and abilities that would roll or saving throw.
cause you to become frightened.
Aura of Innocence
Combat Style When unarmored and not wearing any shield,
At 6th level, you gain one Combat Style from you reflect an air of vulnerability and innocence
among those available to the fighter. that makes even the most heartless monster
hesitate to attack you. Your AC becomes 10 + your
Extra Attack Charisma bonus + your Dexterity bonus.
Starting 11th level, you may make two attacks in-
stead of one whenever you take the Attack action.

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Vicarious Attack ‣‣ Cry for Attention. As a bonus action, you may
When you take the Attack action, you can choose select a hostile creature. Until your next turn,
not to make any attack. If you do this, one of your that enemy has advantage on attacks against
allies can make a weapon attack against an enemy you and disadvantage to attack anybody else.
of their choice or cast a cantrip targeting an en- ‣‣ Cry for Help. When an enemy attacks you,
emy of their choice. you may cry for help as a reaction. An ally
can use their reaction to move up to 30 feet
Bonus Proficiencies towards you and make a single weapon or
You gain proficiency with a set of artisan’s tools cantrip attack against that enemy.
of your choice and two skills. These skills can be ‣‣ Cry for Life. When an ally is reduced to 0 hit
from the noble class list or from the following: points, you may use your reaction to allow
Animal Handling, History, Investigation, Nature, your ally to spend a number of hit dice equal
and Religion. to half your level. They regain hit points
equal to the result + their Constitution modi-
Cries fier + your Charisma modifier.
Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to use ‣‣ Distracting Cry. As a reaction when an ally is
cries to influence enemies and allies. You can use about to be attacked, you may impose disad-
two cries between short or long rests, but only vantage on the attacker on all attacks made
once per round. against that ally this turn.
Starting at 14th level, you can use your cries
three times between short or long rests.

Force of Personality
At 6th level, you gain proficiency in the Persua-
sion skill. Additionally, you add your Charisma
bonus (minimum 1) to the hit points recovered by
your Rallying Word.

Tears of the Pure-Hearted

The gentleness of your heart and the strength of
your love infuses your tears with magical power.
Starting at 6th level, you can use your action to
shed tears so they touch a friendly creature next
to you. The creature can spend any number of
hit dice to recover hit points, and if he or she is
blinded, charmed, deafened, paralyzed, or poi-
soned; the condition ends. You must finish a long
rest before you can use this ability again.

Stirring Words
Starting at 11th level, your allies add your Cha-
risma bonus to their attack rolls when they are
granted attacks through your Vicarious Attack,
Cry for Help, Coordinated Attack, or Direct Ally
features.

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 Abandoning Path of the Heart Path of the Tactician
A Noble can abandon Path of the Heart at any Though nobles who follow the Path of the Tacti-
time. That character loses all Path of the Heart cian may seem like lazy aristocrats, always letting
abilities, regains any lost proficiencies, and can others do the hard work while they keep their dis-
choose a different Noble Path. With the GM’s tance and leeching off other people’s effort. That
consent, he or she can instead pick a different couldn’t be farther from the truth. Tacticians lead
class. These changes can be made at different from the sidelines, guiding others with knowl-
speeds depending of the needs of the campaign. edge and strategy while keeping their distance.
About 250 days of training during downtime is
enough for more open-world campaigns, but in Tactical Adaptability
more cinematic campaigns, a particularly dra- When you roll for initiative, you can switch your
matic moment could inspire a noble of the heart initiative roll with any ally.
to instantly retrain his noble levels into fighter
levels. Bonus Proficiencies
You gain proficiency with all simple weapons, the
Loved by the People longbow, the glaive, the halberd, and the whip.
Starting at 14th level wherever you go people are You also gain proficiency with light and medium
charmed by your love and compassion; they put armor.
grudges aside and go out of the way to help you
and your allies to achieve peaceful goals. Maneuvering Command
As long as you are within civilization, you and Starting at 2nd level, you gain knowledge of tacti-
your allies only need a tenth of the time needed cal maneuvers that you can direct your allies to
for downtime activities. use in combat.
Maneuvers. You know two maneuvers from
Heart’s Redemption those available to the battlemaster. You can choose
Starting at 17th level, your words gain the abil- any maneuver except for Rally, Commander’s
ity to turn even the darkest of monsters to your Strike, Riposte, and Parry. You learn one addi-
cause. As an action, you may select a single hostile tional maneuver at 6th, 11th, 14th and 17th level.
creature that can hear you and shares a language You cannot use these maneuvers yourself.
with you. That creature makes a Charisma saving If the maneuver requires a saving throw, the
throw with a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your
bonus + your Charisma modifier. On a failed Intelligence modifier.
save, the target can’t attack or cast spells targeting Superiority Dice. You have four superiority
your allies that turn. On a success, the target acts dice, which are d6s. As a bonus action, you may
normally. give a superiority die to an ally to allow that ally
At the beginning of your turn, you may use to use a maneuver you know. If the ally already
your action to sustain the effect, requiring the has the Combat Superiority or Improved Combat
target creature to make a Charisma saving throw Superiority class features, they use a superiority
at the beginning of each of its turns. After three die of the appropriate size for their level instead
failed saves, the target stops being hostile to you of a d6. If the maneuver is not used in a number
and your allies, and may flee or fight by your side of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier, the
at the GM’s discretion. You need a long rest before maneuver is lost. You regain all spent superiority
you can use this ability again. dice after a long rest.
You gain another superiority die at 6th level
and again at 14th level.

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Rules of Engagement Tactical Mastery
Starting at 6th level, you and allies within 30 feet At 17th level, you can effortlessly identify your
of you add your Intelligence modifier to their enemies’ weaknesses. As a bonus action, you can
initiative. spend any number of superiority dice to expose
a single creature’s fatal weakness. Until the end
Focused Fire of your next turn, all weapon and spell attacks
Starting at 11th level, you can spend one supe- against that creature have advantage and deal ex-
riority die as a bonus action to select an enemy. tra damage as if all the superiority dice you spent
Until the end of your next turn, creatures of your rolled the maximum result.
choice within 30 feet may deal extra damage equal
to your superiority die when they damage the
chosen target. Multiclass Nobles
Multiclassing requirements for Nobles are 13 in
Renewed Superiority Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma. The Noble
Starting at 14th level, you regain a number of su- class grants no multiclassing proficiencies.
periority dice equal to your Intelligence modifier
each time you take a short rest. You cannot exceed
your normal maximum this way.

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