Fighter Archetype – Spartan

Spartans are the elite warriors of Mount Olympus. Exceedingly skilled in a small number of focused weapons, they deal out death with ease. While all fighters are skilled with a range of weapons, Spartans are exceptionally proficient with a few choice weapons that are used in their national fighting style.

Spartans focus heavily on using spears, swords, shields, javelins and nets in a way that is unique to them. From birth they train with this selection of weapons and become unparalleled in their skill with them, using techniques no other could accomplish.

Spartan Features

Level	Features
3rd	Weapon of Choice, Spartan’s Tools
7th	Unarmoured Defence
10th	This is Sparta!
15th	The Few Against Many
18th	The Pride of Olympus

Weapon of Choice
(3rd-level Spartan feature)

Beginning at level 3, during a long rest you may choose two of the following equipment to assign as your Loadout. Depending what you assign, you gain the associated features:

• Spear: Charging Strike. If you move 15ft straight towards a creature and then hit with a spear attack on the same turn, creatures stood 5ft behind the target also take the damage.
• Shield: Full Cover. When you are hit by a ranged attack you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d10 + con modifier.
• Net: Catch and Drag. While you have a creature restrained by your net you can drag them without taking a penalty to your move speed.
• Javelin: Mighty Throw. You ignore the disadvantage caused by attacking at the maximum range.
• Shortsword: Comboing Strike. If you kill a creature with your shortsword and there is another creature within 15ft you may immediately move to the target and make an attack.

Spartan’s Tools
(3rd-level Spartan feature)

At level 3 you learn to quickly craft rudimentary weapons. During a long or short rest you may choose from the following to craft: Spear, Shield, Net, Javelin, Shortsword.

You may craft one Spartan’s Tool during a short rest or two during a long rest.

These tools are fragile and will break after 12 hours.

Unarmoured Defence
(7th-level Spartan feature)

At level 7 you learn to free yourself of your need for armour.

While you are not wearing any armour, your Armour Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

In addition, while you are not wearing armour, your movement speed increases by 10 feet.

This is Sparta!
(10th-level Spartan feature)

At level 10 you learn the powerful, famed kick of Sparta. When you make a successful shove attack the target takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage.

In addition, instead of choosing between pushing or making the target prone, the target is pushed 10ft and knocked prone.

The Few Against Many
(15th-level Spartan feature)

At level 15 you learn to hold your own even when heavily outnumbered. When you make a melee attack you may add a +2 to the attack roll for each enemy within 10ft.

The Pride of Olympus
(18th-level Spartan feature)

Starting at 18th level, your fighting spirit can delay the grasp of death. If you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points and doesn’t kill you outright, you can use your reaction to delay falling unconscious, and you can immediately take an extra turn, interrupting the current 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.

Final Thoughts

Thank you for reading this post and learning about the Spartan Fighter archetype! This archetype felt like a requirement for the Oceans of Contest and it was important to me that if was highly thematic. If you want to see the creative process live you can join me and the community on Twitch or Discord.

Thank you for reading and may your next session be filled with glory!