Are you taking your D&D game into the great beyond and sailing the astral seas? Explore rules to augment a game with options beyond your campaign’s home world!
This final installment looks at a new archetype for the rogue similar to the fighter’s Battle Master, but focusing on vehicles and mounts.
New Rogue Subclass: Pilot
The pilot is a brash rogue who specializes in using their vehicle as a weapon, aiding those who ride along, or getting their vehicle in and out of tricky situations. When large distances over dangerous terrain need to be crossed, pilots don’t just ride or die—they ride and live.
When referring to a vehicle below, the term is inclusive of mounts, land vehicles, water vehicles, air vehicles, and vehicles in space powered by magical helms.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with two types of vehicles of your choice: land, sea, or air. Whenever you gain expertise from any source, you may choose to apply it to your proficiency with a vehicle type.
In addition, you ignore all class, race, and level requirements on the use of magical vehicles including helms of space vehicles. If a vehicle allows you to expend spell slots for some effect, you may choose to expend superiority dice instead.
Piloting Superiority
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn maneuvers that are fueled by special dice called superiority dice.
Maneuvers. You learn three maneuvers of your choice, which are detailed under Piloting Maneuvers below. In addition to piloting maneuvers, the following Battle Master maneuvers from the fighter archetype are also available to choose from: Ambush, Commanding Presence, Maneuvering Attack, Rally, and Tactical Assessment. Many maneuvers enhance an attack or ability check with a vehicle in some way. You can use only one maneuver per attack or check.
You learn two additional maneuvers of your choice at 9th, 13th, and 17th level. Each time you learn new maneuvers, you can also replace one maneuver you know with a different one.
Superiority Dice. You have four superiority dice, which are d8s. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest. You gain another superiority die at 9th level and one more at 13th level.
Saving Throws. Some of your maneuvers require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier (your choice)
Combat Specialist
Starting at 9th level, you begin to specialize in attacking from your vehicle. Choose from one of the following combat styles:
Drop Trooper. You specialize in getting into the fight as quickly as possible. As a bonus action you stop your vehicle, dismount, and move your speed toward an enemy that you can see.
Fire from the Cockpit. You can guide a mount or drive a vehicle briefly while keeping your hands free. Whenever you use an action to make an ability check with proficiency in a vehicle, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
Master Gunner. You are especially adept at using vehicle mounted weapons. You count as three crew members for the purpose of loading and firing siege weapons or vehicle mounted weapons that require more than person to use.
Improved Piloting Superiority
At 13th level, your superiority dice turn into d10s. At 17th level, they turn into d12s. When you roll initiative and have no superiority dice remaining, you regain one superiority die.
Better Lucky Than Good
Starting at 17th level, your connection to your vehicle becomes a thing of legend, almost as if you control fate itself. You make all ability checks with proficiency in a vehicle with advantage. After you have rolled but before you know the outcome of the check, you may choose to spend one of your superiority dice to reroll one of the d20s.
Whenever you roll superiority die for a maneuver, treat all 1s as 2s.
Piloting Maneuvers
The maneuvers are presented in alphabetical order.
Evasive Maneuver
When an ally riding your vehicle is attacked by an enemy you can see and that is not riding on your vehicle, you can use your reaction and expend one superiority die to add the number you roll on your superiority die to your ally’s AC.
Firing Solution
When a creature or vehicle you can see moves into the normal range of siege weapon or vehicle mounted weapon, you can use your reaction to expend one superiority die and make one attack against the creature, using that weapon. If the attack hits, add the superiority die to the weapon’s damage roll. The weapon must be loaded and properly crewed to fire.
Gunner
When you make a weapon attack roll with a siege or vehicle mounted weapon, you can expend one superiority die to add it to the roll. You can use this maneuver before or after making the attack roll, but before any effects of the attack are applied.
Hold It Together
When your vehicle would take enough damage to destroy it, you may expend one superiority die as a reaction. Your vehicle drops to a number of hit points equal to the number rolled on your superiority die, or the number of hit points your vehicle had before taking damage; whichever is less. This maneuver may not be used with mounts that are creatures.
Juke
When your vehicle is attacked, you can use your reaction and expend one superiority die to add the number you roll on your superiority die to your vehicle’s AC or Dexterity saving throw.
Playing Chicken
You pilot your vehicle directly toward another vehicle or creature and expend one superiority die to attempt to frighten the target. The target has disadvantage on Dexterity or Intelligence checks made to pilot their vehicle until the start of your next turn, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
Ramming Attack
You use your vehicle to make a shove attack against a creature or vehicle no more than one size larger than your vehicle. If the attack succeeds, in addition to be pushed or knocked prone, the target takes bludgeoning damage equal to the superiority die’s roll. If the vehicle is equipped with a ram, this added to the damage of that weapon.
Redline
You can use a bonus action and expend a superiority die to double your vehicle’s speed until the start of your next turn. Redline may not be used on consecutive turns. Your vehicle takes damage equal to the number rolled on your superiority die.
Strafing Run
When you move your vehicle toward another vehicle or creature, you can expend one superiority die to add it to the attack roll of an ally riding your vehicle made against the target before the start of your next turn. If the attack hits, add the superiority die to the weapon’s damage roll.
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Look for more awesome player options for your 5E game in Tome of Heroes. New races, class options, items, spells, and more—Tome of Heroes is an essential expansion to every D&D game!
