Samurai
In the land of Crescent, Samurai are not fighters. They are paladin members of the Order of the Legacy of the Mind and Heart, founded by Sir Nigel IronFaith and Sir Kimo DawnBreaker.
Oath of the Samurai
The Samurai is a paladin who draws on an implacable fighting spirit to overcome enemies. Bolstered by the holy power of Pelor, a Samurai's resolve is nearly unbreakable, and the enemies in a Samurai's path have two choices: yield or die fighting. They believe in personal honor, impeccable decorum, honor for one's ancestors, and tradition.
Tenets of Bushido
The samurai follow the Eight Principles of Bushido, the samurai code of behavior for all aspects of life.
- Rectitude or Justice
- ‘Rectitude is one’s power to decide upon a course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering; to die when to die is right, to strike when to strike is right.’ A true samurai does not attack the enemy without reason.
- Courage
- A samurai fights without hesitation, perceiving what is right and doing it. Fear must never incapacitate a samurai, nor must courage be exercised in without Rectitude.
- Benevolence or Mercy
- A mortal invested with the power to command and the means to kill must demonstrate love, magnanimity, affection, sympathy, mercy, and pity.
- Respect
- Courtesy and good manner stem from benevolent regard for the feelings of others, regardless of status or position. In its highest form, politeness approaches love.
- A samurai should respect everyone, regardless of status, even their enemy.
- Honesty and Sincerity
- A samurai never lies. “Deception” does not exists in the book of a samurai.
- Honor
- A vivid consciousness of personal dignity and worth, to value the duties and privileges of one's station.
- At the same time, a samurai must not disgrace themselves by taking offense at the slightest provocation, instead bearing the unbearable.
- Loyalty
- As a personal virtue, loyalty is of paramount importance to samurai. Oaths sworn under the code of bushido must never be broken on pain of dishonor and death. Owe no debt to any being, lest your loyalty to your Oath be compromised.
- Character
- Bushido teaches that mortals should behave according to an absolute moral standard, one that transcends logic. What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. The difference between good and bad and between right and wrong are givens, not arguments subject to discussion or justification, and a mortal should know the difference.
Oath Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | compelled duel, heroism |
| 5th | calm emotions, magic weapon |
| 9th | beacon of hope, dispel magic |
| 13th | aura of purity, death ward |
| 17th | commune, holy weapon |
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of the Samurai Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature in the Player's Handbook for how oath spells work.
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
- Fighting Spirit
- You can use your Channel Divinity to enhance your intensity in battle. This will shield you and help you strike true. As a bonus action on your turn, you can give yourself advantage on weapon attack rolls until the end of the current turn. When you do so, you also gain 5 temporary hit points. The number of temporary hit points increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 10 at 10th level and 15 at 15th level.
- Sacred Weapon
- As an action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with positive energy, using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma modifier to attack rolls made with that weapon (with a minimum bonus of +1). The weapon also emits bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light 20 feet beyond that. If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration.
- You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends.
Elegant Courtier
Starting at 7th level, your discipline and attention to detail allow you to excel in social situations. Whenever you make a Charisma (Persuasion) check, you gain a bonus to the check equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Your self-control also causes you to gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. If you already have this proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in Intelligence or Charisma saving throws (your choice).
Rapid Strike
Starting at 15th level, you learn to trade accuracy for swift strikes. If you take the Attack action on your turn and have advantage on an attack roll against against one of the targets, you can forgo the advantage for that roll to make an additional weapon attack against that target, as part of the same action. You can do so no more than once per turn.
Strength Before Death
Starting at 20th level, your fighting spirit can delay the grasp of death. If you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to delay falling unconscious, and you can immediately take an extra turn. While you have 0 hit points during that extra turn, taking damage causes death saving throw failures as normal, and three death saving throw failures can still kill you. When the extra turn ends, you fall unconscious if you still have 0 hit points.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.