Archer

Alternatively: Bowman, Crossbowman, Slinger, or Skirmisher.

Every army requires ranks of soldiers whose task is to kill the enemy without having to actually put themselves at risk. Bowmen or other ranged units aim to get as many missiles into packed forces as possible, either to kill, maim, or at least distract. Becoming an archer requires years of practice to get good at it, and bowmen get paid a little more than the average man-at-arms for their specialized ability.

          Sometimes, exceptional archers might represent their unit in archery competitions, which in some lands can fetch luxurious prizes and great reputation. The archers who win these competitions can expect their careers to look up, and they often use the wealth and fame to kickstart a successful career in adventuring. Archers who turn to a life of adventuring will likely use their skills in combat, always keeping a distance from their opponents when they can manage it.

          Kill Streak: Your intense focus pays off when you string multiple shots together in quick succession, each arrow flying truer than the last as you home in on your targets. For every creature in combat that you have dealt damage to with your ranged weapon that drops to 0hp for any reason, you gain a cumulative +1 to the rest of your attacks in that combat, up to a maximum of +5. Keeping this streak going requires Concentration, just as with a spell, and therefore if you are hit with damage during the streak, you have to make a Constitution saving throw as you would with maintaining concentration over a spell - however, this "Concentration" for Kill Streak does not conflict with concentration from actual spells like Hunter's Mark. If you fail this Constitution saving throw or fall unconscious, you lose the bonus. When an encounter ends, you also lose the bonus, even if some of your enemies escape alive.

If you choose Archer, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Dexterity score or a +1 to your Strength score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Perception or Acrobatics~

~A Tool Proficiency with Woodcarver's tools (for the maintenance of bows and arrows)~

~The following items: A ranged weapon, 20 pieces of ranged ammunition, woodcarver's tools, a bracer for your shooting arm, and a belt pouch with 12sp~

~Kill Streak feat~

Camp Follower

Alternatively: Merchant of War.

Armies require a number of non-combatants in order to function properly while on campaign - aides, couriers, suppliers, merchants, cooks, slaves, shepherds, and all sorts follow with an army on the trail, and stay at camp while they fight their battles. Camp followers tend to enjoy relative safety from battle - however, when an army does decide it wants to raid an army camp, the casualties can be massive.

          Camp followers make the perfect candidates for becoming adventurers - used to traveling over long distances and relatively flexible given changing circumstances, camp followers might find a career in adventuring to be just what they are looking for. Adventurers who used to work as camp followers are likely keenly aware of how many innocents are required to make any force the way it is, and will likely advise their fellow adventurers to show restraint when faced with unarmed combatants and similar creatures.

          Staying Alive: Your job was not to get in the fight, but to stay out of it. In the cases when enemies attacked the camp, you were trained to fight back if you must, but to avoid being hit at all costs. Therefore, you are able to take the Dodge action as a bonus action once per short rest. Furthermore, if you have extra attack, you may also use the Dodge action as an attack once per short rest.

If you choose Camp Follower, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Charisma score or a +1 to your Constitution score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Persuasion or Survival~

~A Tool Proficiency with any one Artisan tools set that could be used to help out at a military camp~

~The following items: A set of artisan's tools, a two-person tent, a bedroll, a linen coif, and a belt pouch with 10sp~

~Staying Alive feat~

Cavalryman

Alternatively: Cataphract, Warg Rider, or Goat Rider.

Cavalrymen make up the most expensive and valuable core of most armies. Cavalry are more expensive to equip, train, and supply than any other kind of soldier, and they often make or break a victory over an opposing force - cavalry sit most of the battle out, waiting for the moment to strike, hoping to cause a route in a single lightning fast strike. Lighter cavalry are used to guard the flanks, or might sometimes act as scouts to survey surrounding territory ahead of an army on campaign.

          Cavalrymen are often paid more than other members of the rank and file, and statistically have more of a chance to survive any given battle, because they are better equipped, and used more cautiously in battle. They are often also high or at least middleborn. All of these reasons mean that members of the cavalry are unlikely to see the need to adventure - but things happen. Those that do are likely to find ways to utilize their mount whenever they can in battle.

          Battlefield Bully: The great benefit to cavalry is not their actual combat ability, though this is crucial, but instead what the enemy imagines will happen when the 2,000lbs of steel and muscle makes contact with them. Whenever you take your first turn in a combat encounter, if you are mounted, you can mark an opponent in the battle. If you then move at least 20ft directly towards that target, they must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened by you, but they can repeat their save each round.

If you choose Cavalryman, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Dexterity score or a +1 to your Strength score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Acrobatics or Animal Handling~

~Either a Tool Proficiency with any one Gaming set or any one language that could be used to command a horse~

~The following items: A gaming set, a warhorse, a lance, the tabard of your liege or company, and a belt pouch with 12sp~

~Battlefield Bully feat~

Knight

Alternatively: Hedge Knight, Samurai, or Ronin.

Knights are the elite warriors of the feudal realm - they train for most of their early life and swear oaths of loyalty to a noble liege, swearing to defend their house to the last. Knights act as part ceremonial figure, part elite soldier, part royal guard, and part officer of the law. Indeed, knights hold such a position that when necessary, they can act as judge, jury, and executioner for any criminals they encounter in the liege's realm. Their badges of office are first and foremost their swords, which have more ceremonial purpose than anything else.

          When knights turn to a life of adventure, they rarely revoke their knightly oath to do so. Rather, when they are not called to other duties, they may view a life of adventuring as a way to serve their general oath of chivalry, helping the weak and innocents, defending the name of their liege, and keeping law and order in the land. Knights who adventure are likely to keep to their oaths while they do so, and they may be appalled or offended when their fellow party members hold no such honor.

          Chivalrous Deeds: Knighthood is separated from the steel-clad cutthroats of the world by the concept of chivalry, which regulates knightly behavior, and gives you something to focus your energies on besides killing all the time. When you perform a Chivalrous Deed successfully, you gain a Chivalry Die, which is a die that can be spent as a bonus action to regain 1d10 hit points or can be added to the damage of an attack to deal an additional 1d10 damage. You may not use two chivalry dice in one long rest, nor can you have more than one chivalry die at a time. The following are some examples of chivalrous deeds, but anything approved by the DM can suffice:

• Keeping your word even when it harms you
• Telling the truth even when it harms you
• Saving an innocent person from some harm
• Capturing an opponent, and then letting them go free
• Challenging another warrior to a sparring match or duel
• Defend a friend or loved one's honor
• Hold a lawful trial for a criminal

If you choose Knight, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Strength score or a +1 to your Charisma score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Athletics or Intimidation~

~Either a Tool Proficiency with any one Gaming set or any one Language used to impress others at court~

~The following items: A shield with your crest, a shortsword or longsword with sheath, chainmail, a tabard with your crest, and a belt pouch with 15sp~

~Chivalrous Deeds feat~

Man-at-Arms

Alternatively: Footman or Soldier.

In war, the vast majority of soldiers, other than the peasant levies, are simple men-at-arms, sometimes called footmen or just plain soldiers. Men-at-Arms specialize in using melee weapons, usually spears or pikes, and form the front line of a battlefield. Their job is to keep enemy forces at bay, and protect the more valuable units, such as cavalry and archers. Men-at-Arms are paid poorly, and often die before they make retirement.

          Men-at-Arms are frequently deserting a battlefield, or finding some way to leave the army they serve in - the pay is terrible, and their lives often end poorly. Men-at-Arms might sometimes be pulled towards a life of adventuring, where their skill in battle can raise a much better wage - even if the danger is similar or worse. Former soldiers turned adventurers will probably have trouble shaking their discipline, and might sometimes feel aimless without a commanding officer giving them directions.

          Stay in Formation: You fight best when in a packed formation with your comrades protecting your flanks. You gain +1 to your AC if you are within 5ft of one of your allies, and a +2 to your AC if you are within 5ft of two of your allies. Furthermore, at the start of combat, you may declare a formation, and this is the position in which the party may place themselves at the start of battle. So long as they remain in that configuration with one another, and so long as it is such that no two members of the party are further than 30ft away at any time, then you shall gain a +2 bonus to your AC, while all of your other party members will gain a +1 bonus to theirs.

If you choose Man-at-Arms, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Strength score or a +1 to your Constitution score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Athletics or Perception~

~A Tool Proficiency with any one Gaming set~

~The following items: A gaming set, a simple weapon, a chain shirt, a tabard of your liege or troop, and a belt pouch with 12sp~

~Stay in Formation feat~

Mercenary

Alternatively: Sellsword or Condottiere.

Mercenaries are professional or semi-professional soldiers who hold no oaths or very few bonds to any liege or national government. Instead, they sell their services to the highest bidder, either a country, noble, aristocrat, or anyone that can pay. Some mercenaries work in small bands, hiring their services out to towns or petty aristocrats, while others form whole companies or battalions, selling their services to bolster the ranks of a nation's army.

          Mercenaries, particularly ones working in smaller bands, tend to have a profession very similar to that of an adventurer - indeed, many adventurers are called mercenaries, and many mercenaries are called adventurers. The primary difference seems to be that mercenaries are primarily soldiers, and their solution to any problem is with steel. Adventurers however tend to take hosts of problems into their purview, and don't always work simply for a wage or monetary reward. Mercenaries who transition into a life of adventuring more broadly are likely to always push their fellow adventurers towards jobs that pay better, and away from pro-bono work.

          Mercenaries on Retainer: Often, organizations and individuals will hire the same mercenaries again and again, once they've been proven to be reliable. You are good at forming these kinds of working relationships. For every quest after the first that you perform for the same private person, organization, or faction, you will receive a 5% cumulative increase in the payout from quests with that entity. This payout only increases if those you are working with would know of your previous work with them. The total bonus you can receive will cap out at 30% + 5% for every increase in proficiency bonus over a +2 on your character.

If you choose Mercenary, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Strength score or a +1 to your Constitution score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Athletics or Intimidation~

~A Tool Proficiency with any one Gaming set~

~The following items: A gaming set, a martial weapon, a chain shirt, a helmet, and a belt pouch with 15sp~

~If You Want That, You'll Need to Pay Extra feat~

Quartermaster

Large armies need a constant flow of supply and equipment to troops on the frontlines - baggage trains, supply posts, and field foraging are all required to keep an army fed and equipped. It is the job of quartermasters to oversee army logistics, and make sure that everyone has what they need to do their jobs. Quartermasters might also work not just for armies but also for castles or other organizations as well.

          Quartermasters are sometimes beset by adventurers in the field who need equipment desperately enough to barter with an army to get it. Quartermasters themselves are always valued in the service of large adventuring parties or companies who suffer the same logistical challenges as any army, only on a smaller scale. Former quartermasters who become adventurers are likely to focus on keeping their fellow party members supplied, and try to think ahead when it comes to being prepared for whatever challenges meet the party on an adventure.

          Preemptive Requisition: Whenever you arrive in a market, you spend time resupplying on all of those little things that your allies will end up needing later, even if right now they swear they are fine without them. Once per long rest, you or one of your party members can purchase an item, as if they are purchasing it directly from a merchant, even when no merchants are around. This represents you having preemptively bought it, and them reimbursing you. In addition to the long rest restriction, you may only use this feat a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier since the last time you visited a market where adventuring equipment can be found - furthermore, the items must be fairly mundane (adventuring gear, weapons, armor, ammo, etc.).

If you choose Quartermaster, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Intelligence score or a +1 to your Wisdom score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Insight or Animal Handling~

~A Tool Proficiency with Calligrapher's supplies~

~The following items: Calligrapher's supplies, a supply ledger, a chest for storing supplies, the tabard of your liege or company, and a belt pouch with 12sp~

~Preemptive Requisition feat~

Sergeant

Alternatively: Drill Instructor.

The rank and file need organization, discipline, and direction. Without constant focus and leadership, a professional army turns into a horde of individuals, all fighting for themselves. With leadership, they are a unit, they are a battalion, they are an army. The connective tissues between the generals and the soldiers are sergeants, officers promoted from the rank and file, usually from humble origins, who direct troops assigned to them in battle. Away from the battlefield, sergeants are employed in mobilization, in pulling armies together from peasant stock and training them to fight.

          Sergeants are sometimes pulled into a life of private adventure, where their skills can be used to train other adventurers, or the hirelings that aid them in battle. Sergeants who become adventurers likely try to keep their party together, despise breaks in formation or splits, and might sometimes reflexively try to curb failings in discipline, even when it is usually entirely inappropriate for their new life.

          Rally the Troops: You specialized in leading the rank and file, taking them into devastating charges and brutal slogs, keeping their heart in the battle and never letting them turn their backs on the enemy. When your party is leading a large scale battle, once per long rest you may exempt one of your units from making a Morale check that it would normally be required to make. Furthermore, all units allied with you have +1 to Morale checks. If you yourself personally lead a single unit in battle, that unit has advantage on Morale checks.

If you choose Sergeant, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Charisma score or a +1 to your Constitution score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Intimidation or Perception~

~A Tool Proficiency with a Horn~

~The following items: A horn, a whistle, a whip, the tabard of your liege or company, and a belt pouch with 15sp~

~Rally the Troops feat~

Siege Engineer

In the medieval age, most powers that be build mighty fortresses and castles to protect hard points, and larger settlements are outfitted with formidable stone walls. This means that to defeat your enemy, you have to be able to conquer certain fortresses or settlements, and you need siege engineers to do it - specialists who design siege engines, anything from a catapult to the humble ladder, all the way to the cutting edge and terrifying trebuchet. The better the siege weapons, the faster the siege.

          Siege engineers are ingenious thinkers, who specialize in figuring out any way they can to overcome obstacles that a direct approach wont work for. Siege engineers who turn to a life of adventuring are likely to bring their ingenuity to a smaller scale, crafting devices that might help in a dungeon or out on the frontier, and if any large projects need doing, former siege engineers are naturals to organize their party to get it done.

          Bring Up the Wolf's Head: You were tasked by your liege to gather supplies and quickly build siege weapons when on campaign, particularly when a siege was being undertaken. When on a military campaign, you can create one free Siege Engine Unit in one week of preparation, and an additional free Siege Engine Unit for every 5 other units in the army you are fighting in. Furthermore, when you are utilizing siege weapons in regular combat encounters, you make attack checks with them at advantage.

If you choose Siege Engineer, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Intelligence score or a +1 to your Strength score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Athletics or Survival~

~A Tool Proficiency with Carpenter's tools, Smith's tools, or Tinker's tools~

~The following items: Either carpenter's tools, smith's tools, or tinker's tools, a portable ram, a series of blueprints, a leather apron, and a belt pouch with 12sp~

~Bring Up the Wolf's Head feat~

Squire

Alternatively: Aid-de-Camp.

In the orders of knighthoods across Adra, there is a process by which folks learn to be a knight. Children start as Pages at a young age, and then become Squires, serving at the side of a Knight for years, before becoming a fully-fledged knight in their own right. Squires tend to be highborn, and act to perform tasks that their knights require, usually helping with the donning and doffing of armor, attending to a knight's steed, and maintaining a knight's equipment.

          Squires tend to rise to knighthood whenever they can, but sometimes they get lost along the way, either through intrigue, random happenstance, a change of heart, or the loss of a mentor. Squires who never finish their path to knighthood find themselves equipped with the skills and expertise needed to live a life of adventure. Those who make this step might continue to seek a mentor among their adventuring party, even if they will never truly be a knight.

          Skillful Support: As a squire, you usually accomplished more by helping your master knight than by running into combat yourself. When you use the Aid action to help an ally with an attack, not only do you grant advantage as per usual, but if the attack hits, it deals an additional die of damage. Furthermore, you can also use Aid as if it were an attack for the purposes of Extra Attack.

If you choose Squire, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Strength score or a +1 to your Constitution score~

~A Skill Proficiency in either Athletics or Animal Handling~

~A Tool Proficiency with Smith's tools~

~The following items: A shortsword or longsword with sheath, a shield with your knight's crest, smith's tools, the tabard of your knight, and a belt pouch with 10sp~

~Skillful Support feat~