Hard Knocks Archetypes

A collection of homebrew archetypes for Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Ed.

T
here are those adventurers who learn in Practicum
schools or in militaries, who train diligently
under professional tutelage. There are also Upon reaching 14th level, you have gained an unparalleled
those adventurers who have power thrust upon understanding of magic. Before each long rest, you may
them - in an accident, passed down through a attempt to add one spell you have encountered within the last
parent, as a side effect of a deal with a 24 hours to your spellbook. It must be a wizard spell of a level
powerful entity. which you can prepare. Make an Intelligence (Arcana) check,
And then there are these. These who chose to make with a DC equal to 12 + the spell’s level. If successful, you are
something greater of themselves in the face of frightening able to determine how to reproduce the spell, and add it to
odds or difficult circumstance. Those who worked, and your spellbook. If not, the materials and time are consumed,
strove, and despite the perfectly reasonable failures of those and the attempt to add the spell fails.
around them, succeeded. Additionally, any creature that must make a an attack roll
These archetypes are for those individuals who made their or ability check as part of casting a spell which targets you
path themselves, without instruction. There was a problem, must do so at disadvantage if you have that spell prepared.
and they solved it, because the alternative was not
acceptable. These are the Hard Knocks archetypes.
Encountering a Spell:
This subclass makes reference to “encountering” a
Wizard School: School of spell. Some scenarios which count as
“encountering” a spell are as follows:
Experience
You are individually targeted by a spell.
requested and ideated by chu_bacca You are in the area of effect of a spell.
The science of magic is a complex one, and one that is nearly You recognize what spell has been cast on an
always taught in a formalized setting, whether via object, creature, or area, via an Intelligence
apprenticeship or in a school. Just like any other subject, (Arcana) check or some other method.
however, it can be self-taught. It may be difficult, and requires This is not an exhaustive list of all possible ways
a very dedicated mind, but it can be done. in which you might encounter a spell. Simply
having someone explain a spell or tell you of a spell
Experiential Learner is not sufficient, however - you must personally
interact with or see the magic in some way.
Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold
and time you must spend to copy a spell you have
encountered in the last 24 hours into your spellbook is
halved.
Practical Application
At 2nd level, you have an extremely effective working Optional Feats
knowledge of your spells. If you must make a saving throw Enhanced Recall
against any spell you have prepared, you are considered
proficient in the saving throw, even if you would not normally Preqrequisite: Must be able to prepare spells.
be. When you take this feat, you gain the following benefits:
Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Eidetic Memory You may prepare an additional number of spells equal to
When you reach 6th level, you may prepare an additional half of your proficiency bonus (rounded up).
number of spells each day equal to your proficiency bonus. Natural Resistance
Clear Reminders When you take this feat, you gain the following benefits:
Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Starting at 10th level, you may apply the benefits of Practical You become resistant to one of the following damage
Application to any spell in your spellbook, not just those you types of your choice: Fire, Cold, Poison, Acid, Lightning,
have prepared. Thunder.
Additionally, if you encounter a spell in your spellbook that
you did not prepare, you may consider it prepared until your
next long rest.
Ranger Conclave: Sorcerous Origin: Death's
Homesteader Door
Many rangers are members of military organizations, Your innate magic comes from your sheer refusal to die. Your
wandering protectors of society at large. Many others find magic first stirred as a response to some situation that should
themselves attuned to nature, roving alongside beasts to have killed you - perhaps you were nearly dead of starvation,
defeat stranger monsters. Rangers of the Homesteader or were hopelessly lost in the midst of a blizzard. Your sheer
Conclave, however, are those who took up weapons to protect desire to stay alive woke something in you that you didn't
themselves, their families, or their communities. Frequently know was there before, allowing you to utilize your natural
self-trained and fighting alone, these rangers often use magic.
unconventional strategies and are very capable one-on-one
combatants. They prefer to fight one creature at a time, and Veiled Threshold
when they cannot, will tend to focus on bringing a single Starting at 1st level, you have a magical resistance to death. If
enemy down before moving on to another. you have more than 0 hit points and less than or equal to one-
Single Combat fourth of your maximum hit points at the beginning of your
turn, you regain a number of hit points equal to your sorcerer
At 3rd level, you learn the hunter’s mark spell, if you do not level.
already know it. When you cast the hunter’s mark spell, the
marked target becomes focused on you. Whenever it makes Grim Adaptation
an attack roll on a creature other than you, it takes a -2 Beginning at 6th level, you have resistance to necrotic
penalty to the attack. damage, and your hit point maximum can't be reduced. Your
Additionally, you may cast the hunter’s mark spell without body continues to be shielded against the forces of death.
using any components.
Extra Attack Gift of Life
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, Upon reaching 14th level, you may utilize your own resistance
whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. to death to bring back others. You may bring a single creature
The number of attacks increases to three when you reach back to life, as though casting the raise dead spell. This
15th level in this class. feature requires no components, but otherwise functions
identically to the spell. Upon using this feature, you lose the
Resilience benefits of Veiled Threshold and Grim Adaptation for one
week, and you cannot use this feature during that time.
When you reach 7th level, you can use your reaction to make
one weapon attack against a creature that damages you with They Who Cannot Die
an attack, spell, or effect. At 18th level, you become nearly immortal. You no longer age,
Also, when a creature deals damage to you, you may and are immune to effects that magically change your age.
choose to become resistant to the type of damage dealt. If you You cannot die of old age, are immune to disease, and no
are dealt damage of multiple types at once, you must choose longer need food or water.
one. This damage resistance lasts for one minute, and you Additionally, once per long rest when you are brought to 0
must complete a short rest before using this feature again. hit points, you may cast the finger of death spell as a reaction,
Improved Single Combat using a sorcerer spell slot. If this kills a creature, you may
choose to gain hit points equal to half the damage dealt. If
At 11th level, if you land at least two attacks during your turn you do so and the target is a humanoid, it does not rise as a
on a creature affected by your hunter’s mark spell, that zombie.
creature gains disadvantage on attack rolls against any
creature other than you until the end of your next turn, in
addition to the penalty imposed by your Single Combat
feature.
Strength of Self
Upon reaching 15th level, you gain proficiency in all saving
throws.
Cleric Domain: Common Divine Strike
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your allies’ weapon
Folk strikes with divine energy. Once per round when an ally you
There are gods of many things, and many aspects, but can see hits a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause
perhaps the most common type of deity is a god of the people; the attack to deal an extra 1d8 damage of the same type dealt
one that is begged to in times of strife, or given thanks to in by the weapon to the target. When you reach 14th level, the
moments of joy. These might be gods of agriculture. They extra damage increases to 2d8.
might be gods of love, or gods of luck, or gods of livelihood.
Perhaps they might be gods of commerce or of travel. Refuse To Fail
Regardless of what the specific focus of their sight is, all of When you reach 17th level, your deity allows you to bring
these center around one thing - people. These gods tend to about success through nothing more than sheer force of will.
favor those who are resilient and stand together in times of After an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw is made by a
trouble, and are often worshipped by the downtrodden and creature within 100 feet of you, you can make that roll a 20.
lower classes. You may do this twice, and must complete a long rest before
Common Folk Domain Spells doing so again.
Spell Level Spells
1st absorb elements, heroism
2nd calm emotions, warding bond
3rd aura of vitality, crusader’s mantle
4th aura of life, aura of purity
Bardic College: College
5th antilife shell, wall of force of Hard Knocks
The College of Hard Knocks is not, as you may have guessed,
Leadership a proper College at all. Rather, a an individual claiming to be
of this college is a bit of a jab against those bards who have
At 1st level, you gain proficiency in the Insight and been “properly” educated. Bards of this archetype have
Persuasion skills. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any learned their trade through need - street performers,
ability check you make using these skills. vagabonds, and the like. Most of these will have
unconventional methods of performance - those who are
Inspiring Resilience musicians tend to be vocalists, percussionists, or players of
At 1st level, you inspire confidence in your allies. You may instruments that are relatively easy to procure and learn
spend 10 minutes in prayer and meditiation. Upon without professional lessons, while others might perform
completion of this time, you and up to 7 other creatures of card tricks or read fortunes.
your choice that you can see each gain temporary hit points
equal to your cleric level + your Wisdom modifier. These Superior Focus
temporary hit points last for a maximum of 12 hours. You When you choose this college at 3rd level, you may expend
must complete a long rest beofre using this feature again. one use of your bardic inspiration to gain advantage on a
concentration check. You’re used to performing in difficult
Channel Divinity: Deific Blessing and distracting circumstances.
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to
bring your deities’ favor to bear on your party. As an action, Inspiring Story
choose up to 4 creatures of your choice that you can see, Upon reaching 6th level, you gain an additional number of
including yourself. They can give themselves advantage on a uses of your bardic inspiration equal to half of your
single ability check, attack roll, or saving throw they make proficiency bonus (rounded up).
within the next minute. They must choose to do so before
making the roll. Multitasker
Cooperation At 14th level, you can steel yourself to perform magical feats
others would consider impossible. When you cast a spell that
Upon reaching 6th level, whenever you or a friendly creature targets only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, you
within 30 feet of you uses the Help action, the creature being may expend one use of your bardic inspiration to target a
helped treats a result on the roll being helped of 2-9 as a 10. second creature in range with the same spell.
Magic Items The People's Elbow
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
Ahtar's Pelt This is a matte black metal elbow pad. While attuned to it,
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement) your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 damage, unless another
This massive red-furred wolfskin is said to have been taken feature causes them to deal more, and you become proficient
from a werewolf that terrorized the denizens of an elven in unarmed strikes. One unarmed strike per round you
forest. While wearing it, you have advantage on Wisdom successfully land on a prone creature is automatically
(Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell, gain a +1 considered to be a critical hit.
bonus to your AC, and your Strength-based melee attacks You also have proficiency in Performance while wearing
deal 1d6 additional damage. The People's Elbow.
Curse. This pelt is cursed. Upon attunement, you must
make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. A failure means you True Death Arrow
immediately begin attacking the nearest creature until you Weapon (arrow), legendary
succeed on the save, become unconscious, or have the curse This +1 arrow is inscribed with runes of an ancient
removed (via the remove curse spell or similar). While in this celestial script. When this arrow successfully hits a creature
state, you are in a mindless frenzy, and automatically fail that has less than 100 hit points, it instantly dies. It cannot be
Intelligence saving throws. You may repeat this saving throw brought back to life by any means other than the wish spell. If
every time you take damage. the creature has 100 or more hit points, it takes damage as
Unless the curse has been removed from Ahtar's Pelt, the though this were a simple +1 arrow.
same effect occurs again when you are hit with a critical hit Immediately upon use, whether it hits the target or not, the
or see the full moon. If you succeed on a saving saving throw arrow disappears. It reappears at a random location in 1d100
made due to the presence of the full moon, you are immune years.
to the effect of the moon for the duration of that night.
Belt of Insignificance The Voice of the Masses
Wondrous item, rare Weapon (pike), legendary (requires attunement)
While wearing the Belt of Insignificance, other creatures This pike is a weathered object, visibly old and well-used. It
have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made to is not a fine weapon, and no collector unaware of its true
pick you out from a crowd or group. nature would put it on display.
In truth, this was once the weapon used by the leader of a
great revolutionary army. Enchanted by arcanists of the
Cap of Revolution revolution, its capabilities inspired the rebellion to greatness,
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) and eventually success.
While wearing this cap, you have advantage on all This is considered a +3 pike. While attuned to the weapon,
Charisma (Persuasion) checks made to incite a revolt or any unconscious friendly creatures within 30 feet of you at
dissent against a higher class, an elected leader, or a superior. the beginning of your turn are immediately stabiilzed. Any
friendly creatures that die within 60 feet of the pike are
Enforcer's Cudgel considered to immediately be under the effects of the gentle
repose spell. The pike has an additional +1 bonus to damage
Weapon (club), very rare (requires attunement) for each friendly creature that is unconscious or dead within
This +1 club grants you advantage on melee attacks made 60 feet of it.
with it against creatures within melee range of a friendly
creature.
Etzemmeron's Walking Stick
Weapon (quarterstaff), rare (requires attunement by a
spellcaster)
This gnarled wooden staff can be used as an arcane focus.
While attuned to it, it cannot be forcibly removed from your
grasp. You are not affected by difficult terrain and cannot be
knocked prone while holding it.
Additionally, once per long rest, you may empower this
staff as a bonus action, as if you had cast the shillelagh spell This sheet was laid out using The Homebrewery, located at
on it. homebrewery.naturalcrit.com. The content was created by
Horserider's Leathers quadz08. Many thanks to the several people who have looked
over / playtested this class before its release for sale,
Wondrous item, rare including Persnicketese, SamUndomiel, geonerd, go_jg,
While wearing these black leathers, a creature has eTruffery, tempuslibris, jacelevine, and probably a whole
proficiency in Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks, and gains a bunch of other people who I am totally forgetting because I
+1 bonus to AC while mounted. suck.