The Griffon's Saddlebag
Show Mercy to Enemies and Support Allies as a Paragon of Civility and Restraint
The Couatl Heralds were, or are, martial warriors whose intention was to neutralize threats without always resorting to deadly force. These combatants were a beloved symbol of peace in the once great city of Hearth, whose terrible destruction has been all but entirely lost to history. Perhaps you come from a long line of sequestered heralds who had escaped the city before its collapse, or maybe you found the age-old journals of one of the city’s training officers. Regardless of how you come across this knowledge, training, and virtue, a true Couatl Herald defends the lives of all, regardless of their transgressions.
Level 3: Agent of Mercy
You harbor a wellspring of positive magic within yourself. It is represented by your Mercy Dice, which fuel features you have from this subclass. The Mercy Dice table shows the die size and number of these dice you have when you reach certain Fighter levels.
Mercy Dice
| Fighter Level | Die Size | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | d6 | 3 |
| 7 | d6 | 4 |
| 10 | d8 | 4 |
| 15 | d8 | 5 |
| 18 | d10 | 5 |
A Mercy Die is expended when you use it. You regain all expended Mercy Dice when you finish a Short or Long Rest.
Benevolent Presence. When you make a Wisdom (Insight) check or Charisma (Performance or Persuasion) check, you can expend one or more Mercy Dice and add those dice to the roll.
Merciless Strike. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with an attack roll using a weapon or an Unarmed Strike, you can expend a Mercy Die to deal extra Radiant damage to the target equal to the Mercy Die roll.
Peaceful Ward. As a Bonus Action, you can expend a Mercy Die to gain Temporary Hit Points equal to the Mercy Die roll plus your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 Temporary Hit Point).
Level 3: One of the People
You gain proficiency in the Insight and Persuasion skills. In addition, when you would reduce a creature to 0 Hit Points with a melee or ranged attack, you can choose to knock it out, instead reducing the creature to 1 Hit Point. The creature then has the Unconscious condition and starts a Short Rest. The creature remains Unconscious until it regains any Hit Points or until someone uses an action to administer first aid to it, which requires a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check.
Level 7: Peacebringer
Whenever you deal damage with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike, it can deal your choice of Radiant damage or its normal damage type.
In addition, you always have the Calm Emotions and Sanctuary spells prepared. Your spellcasting ability for them is Charisma, and you can cast them without needing Somatic or Material components. With this feature, you can cast each of these spells without expending a spell slot. Once you cast a spell with this feature, you can’t cast that spell in this way again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.
Level 10: Calm Mind
Whenever you successfully persuade a creature to stand down or deescalate an otherwise violent situation, you regain one expended Mercy Die. If multiple creatures are persuaded in this way, you regain one expended Mercy Die for each affected creature.
In addition, you have Immunity to the Charmed and Frightened conditions.
Level 15: Paragon
You’ve learned how to lead your allies using magical words of empowerment. As a Bonus Action, you can command a creature you can see within 30 feet of you and expend a Mercy Die. If the creature can hear you, it gains Temporary Hit Points equal to the Mercy Die roll plus your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 Temporary Hit Point), and it can immediately take a Reaction to move up to half its Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks and make one attack with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike.
If damage dealt by an attack made in this way would reduce a creature to 0 Hit Points, that creature is magically knocked out instead.
Level 18: Heraldic Enforcer
Your training has taught you to strike with the magic and force of a mighty couatl. You can use your Merciless Strike once on each of your turns without expending a Mercy Die. If you do so, you can use your Merciless Strike again this turn, expending a Mercy Die as normal.
In addition, if you choose to knock a creature out instead of killing it when you would reduce it to 0 Hit Points, the target magically remains Unconscious for 8 hours or until you or an ally takes an action to shake it awake, even if the target regains Hit Points or someone uses an action to administer first aid to it.