Five-Path Warrior
The Five-Way Warrior is a disciplined practitioner of Wuxing Martial Arts—a philosophy and fighting style rooted in the five elemental forces of nature: Earth, Water, Fire, Wood, and Metal. As a disciple of the Five Paths, you channel these philosophies in your fighting style, mastering their unique forms in combat.
Level 3: Elemental Discipline
You learn to the ways of one of the Five Paths. Choose one martial style from the Elemental Martial Styles section found later in this subclass. You gain that style’s Stage 1 features.
Level 7: Foundational Mastery
You deepen your connection to the Five Paths. You learn a new martial style that you have not learned before, or you advance your known martial style to Stage 2.
Level 10: Inner Focus
Your training has awakened your spiritual center. When you expend a use of your Second Wind to activate the Tactical Mind or Tactical Shift class feature, you regain hit points equal to your fighter level.
Additionally, choose one of the skills you gained proficiency in from a Stage 1 martial style that you know. You gain expertise in that skill.
Level 15: Advanced Mastery
Your understanding of the Five Paths grows even stronger. You learn a new martial style that you do not already know, or you advance a known style to its next stage.
Level 18: Perfected Mastery
You approach the pinnacle of Wuxing discipline. You learn a new martial style that you do not already know, or you advance a known style to its next stage.
Elemental Martial Styles:
Each martial style reflects a distinct elemental philosophy and grants unique combat abilities as you advance. When you gain a martial style, you gain the benefits of its Stage 1 feature. As you level up in the subclass, you may select new styles or advance existing ones to Stage 2 and Stage 3.
Water Style: The Path of Fluidity
The Water Style moves with grace and awareness. Practitioners of this style master the rhythm of battle through redirection and anticipation, using an enemy’s movements against them. Every strike is a ripple, every step a tide waiting to turn.
Stage 1. You learn to be adaptable as the flow of water. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws and the Insight skill if you are not already proficient.
When a creature enters a space within your reach for the first time on its turn, you can make a melee weapon attack against it as a reaction. This attack counts as an opportunity attack.
Stage 2. When you are about to be hit by a melee attack, you can use a reaction to make a melee weapon attack roll against the attacker. If your roll equals or exceeds the enemy’s attack roll, their attack misses and you strike them instead. If your roll is lower, their attack proceeds as normal and this ability does not consume your reaction. You can only use this feature once per turn.
OR
your range for opportunity attacks increase to a radius of 15ft. When you make an opportunity attack, you may expend your movement to approach the enemy to make an attack.
Stage 3. You can maintain heightened awareness in battle. You can have up to two reactions each round.
Fire Style: The Path of Ferocity
The Fire Style finds strength in speed, impulse, and overwhelming pressure. The practitioner is a blazing force, seizing initiative and raining blows with explosive power. Aggression becomes momentum, and momentum becomes victory.
Stage 1. You have learned to strike and move with explosive power. You gain proficiency in Acrobatics and Dexterity saving throws.
When you use Action Surge, you gain +10 feet of movement speed and your weapon attacks deal an additional 2 damage until the end of your turn.
Stage 2. When you use Action Surge, you also gain an additional bonus action on that turn. This bonus action can only be used to make an offhand weapon attack or to use Second Wind.
Stage 3. Once per short rest, you can make your weapon damage rolls deal maximum damage instead of rolling until the end of your turn (no action required).
Metal Style: The Path of Resilience
The Metal Style earns their might through endurance and control. As steel sharpens steel, practitioners hone themselves into impenetrable bulwarks. They absorb the weight of battle and return it with force, each blow measured, each defense deliberate.
Stage 1. The metal style teaches you how to become unbreakable. You have profiency in Athletics and you have advantage on constitution saving throws against effects that can deal damage.
You have a +1 bonus to AC when you wear medium or heavy armor. If you have a shield, you reduce the amount of physical damage taken by the AC provided by the shield. You can reduce damage in this way once per damage source.
Stage 2. When you use Second Wind, you gain temp HP equal to double your fighter levels. When you take damage while having temp HP, you can make one weapon attack against your attacker. You can only make this attack once on the enemy’s turn.
Stage 3. You can use an equipped shield as a weapon. It deals 1d6 + Str bludgeoning damage and has the Heavy property and the Topple weapon mastery, which you learn. The damage reduction from stage 1 increases to 5, regardless of its provided AC, unless it is higher.
Wood Style: The Path of Adaptability
The Wood Style teaches its disciples its to bend, twist, and grow with each exchange. Every mistake by an enemy is a chance to bind them in their own weakness.
Stage 1. Training in wood style teaches you to be flexible and patient. You have proficiency in Stealth and dexterity saving throws
You can take the dodge action as a bonus action. You can also use a reaction to give an attacking enemy disadvantage when they try to attack you. You can use the reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses on a long rest.
Stage 2. When an attack misses you, you can use a reaction to deliver a counterblow, exposing their weakness momentarily. The next creature to make an attack roll against the target does so with an advantage.
Stage 3. When you trigger the effect of Stage 2, you can also make an attack roll as part of the reaction. The advantage on the target lasts until the start of the enemy’s next turn.
Earth Style: The Way of Immovability
The Earth Style embodies the stillness and weight of stone. Practitioners become immovable anchors on the battlefield, using their stance and strength to control space, resist force, and subdue enemies through sheer presence and might.
Stage 1. The earth style teaches you how to stand your ground and become unmovable. You gain proficiency in Intimidation have advantage on Strength saving throws.
Your Grapple DC becomes 8 plus your Strength and Constitution modifier and Proficiency Bonus.
Stage 2. When you grapple a creature, you can slam them on the ground and give them the prone condition in addition to being grappled.
Stage 3. Creatures have disadvantage to resist or escape your grapple. You can make force a creature to become incapacitated instead of prone when you grapple them.
Note: remove early saving throws Consider mastery for LV 18 that requires 3 levels
to be specific about my general “its close to battlemaster critcism”, wood 2 is the same as riposte and water 2 is a stronger parry. i do think these should be better than BM features (you cant swap them and get less) but worth keeping in mind given theyre both fighter options