Fancy full class doc here. Same details can be found below:
A vanguard spends their life gleaning techniques from warriors and casters alike, endeavoring to use the disparate disciplines to enhance one other in unconventional ways. Blending martial attacks with arcane spells, vanguards are unpredictable front line combatants whose abilities marry both traditions to devastating effect.
First on the Field
Vanguards use arcane magic to enhance their abilities as in-your-face combatants, performing unusual feats with their bonded weapons and swordplay-enhancing spells. They thrive when dynamically navigating a battlefield, teleporting between combatants to land strikes on marked foes to release devastating magical energies. While vanguards are competent casters, their unique strength is their ability to channel magical energies from melee attacks and spells that fuel their suite of bonus actions. While they lack the extra melee attacks of other martial classes, no one else can mix cantrip usage and swordplay like they do.
Innovative Swordplay
A vanguard is a kind of aggressive battlefield artist, and their two muses are the blade and the weave. They respect the technical mastery of their fighting brethren, but ultimately finds their approach a bit mundane. Why trip an opponent when one can have their weapon emit a thunderous boom that does the same? Rather than reach for a bow, a vanguard would sooner throw their blade and magically recall it to their hand. That these methods are unanticipated by their foes, all the better.
Key to this creative fighting style is a symbiotic relationship between sword and spell that the vanguard has learned to cultivate. When they cast a spell, they trace its energies and channel it to enhance their weapons, and as they performs weapon actions that come from martial training, the combat fervor it produces is redirected to strengthen their cantrips.
Class Features
As a vanguard, you gain the following class features:
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d8 per vanguard level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per vanguard level after 1st
- Armor: Light and medium armor, shields
- Weapons: All simple and martial weapons
- Saving Throws: Constitution and Intelligence
- Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Acrobatics, Investigation, Arcana, Insight, Perception, Intimidation
Spellcasting
You've studied the workings of magic and how to cast spells, channeling the magic through your bonded weapons.
Cantrips
Vanguards rely heavily on their cantrips and have made it an area of focus. At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the Vanguard spell list. At higher levels, you learn additional vanguard cantrips of your choice, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Vanguard table.
Spell Slots
The Vanguard Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your vanguard spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Shield and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Shield using either slot.
When multiclassing, add half your levels (rounded up) in the vanguard class to the appropriate levels from other classes to determine your available spell slots.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level vanguard spells of your choice.
The Spells Known column of the Vanguard Spellcasting table shows when you learn more vanguard spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the vanguard spells you know with another spell of your choice from the vanguard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your vanguard spells. You use your Intelligence whenever a vanguard spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an vanguard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spellcasting Focus
A vanguard uses their bonded weapons as spellcasting foci.
Features
Weapon Bond
At 1st level, you learn how to create a magical bond between yourself and your weapons. A weapon must be equipped during the process, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge a bond that lasts indefinitely. You can forge this bond once per long rest. You can have up to two bonded weapons.
Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself, you can't be disarmed of that weapon. After throwing the weapon as part of your attack, it immediately teleports back into your hand.
Close Cantrips
At level 1, you can enhance your cantrips when they are cast within 5 feet of your target: you ignore disadvantage for close range attacks, add your spellcasting modifier to damage rolls, and enemy saves against your cantrips' non-damage effects are made at Disadvantage. This does not apply to cantrips that use weapons attacks.
Eldritch Inspiration
At level 2, you gain a reservoir of magic energy that you can use to produce a number of magical effects called Inspirations, represented by eldritch points.
You have 1 eldritch point, and you gain more as you reach higher levels, as shown in the Eldritch Points column of the Vanguard table. You can never have more eldritch points than shown on the table for your level. You regain all spent eldritch points when you finish a long rest.
When engaged in combat, alternating melee and cantrip attacks builds stacks of Arcane Fervor. Upon reaching the maximum of four stacks, all of your Inspirations have their eldritch point cost reduced by 1, and any with a default cost of 1 can be used for free. Upon expending any eldrtich points, all Arcane Fervor stacks are removed. Stacks decay over the course of 10 turns, dropping you down to a lower tier each time. If you have 3 or more stacks, they will never be reduced to less than 2.
Arcane Strike (Inspiration)
At 2nd level, you may imbue an equipped bonded weapon with an attack cantrip of your choice. The next time you hit an enemy with that weapon, you deal both normal weapon damage and all the effects of your chosen cantrip. These attacks automaticaly benefit from Close Cantrips. This costs 1 eldritch point and can be done only once per turn. You cannot imbue a weapon with more than one cantrip.
Arcane Armor (Inspiration)
At level 2, use magic to alter your armor. Any medium armor worn conforms to your body shape, allowing you to use your Spellcasting Ability Modifier in place of Dexterity when calculating your Armor Class. Any light armor you wear magically hardens, allowing you to add half your Spellcasting Ability Modifier, rounded down, to AC. This effect lasts for a number of hours equal to your Vanguard level. At level 9, it lasts until a long rest.
Symbiotic Channeling: Melee
At 3rd level, you learn to how to channel magical energies from weapon actions. Using a Weapon Action provides magical benefits, and casting a leveled spell enhances your physical attacks.
After using a weapon action (such as Cleave) on a bonded weapon, you temporarily gain the following:
- Martial Flow State: Add the greater of your Strength or Dexterity modifiers to cantrip damage rolls.
- Ethereal Pirouette: A bonus action that teleports the player 15 feet. Enemies within 5 feet of the teleporting player must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be considered surprised against your actions until the end your next turn. Surprised enemies have a -2 penalty to their attack rolls and vanguards have a +2 advantage on attack rolls against them.
- Note: Weapon actions are a mechanic specific to Baldur's Gate 3 that have limited usage. Normal weapon attacks cannot trigger Symbiotic Channeling. Note that weapon actions refresh after a short rest.
Symbiotic Channeling: Spells
At 5th level, you learn to how to channel magical energies from spellcasting. After casting a leveled spell or using an action that consumes a spell slot, you temporarily gain the following:
- Synergetic Strikes - You add your Intelligence modifier to weapon damage rolls.
- Eldritch Mark - A bonus action that enhances your damage potential. On use, it marks a target with your personal sigil. The next time the target is hit with a melee attack from your bonded weapon or a spell you cast from a range of 5 feet or less, a burst erupts out in a 10-foot radius, dealing 1d6 force damage to all enemies in the area. The mark then transfers to another random target, making them vulnerable to your next attack. The mark's damage increases every time it transfers to a new target in this order: 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 2d6. If there is no other valid target within range, the effect expires and the player is able to mark another target. Once activated, Eldritch Mark cannot be used again until another leveled spell has been cast. At level 10, the mark's maximum damage increases to 2d8. At level 15, it improves further to 3d6. At level 20, it becomes 5d4.
Synergetic Strikes remains active and Eldritch Mark is usable for a number of turns equal to 1 + your character's proficiency bonus.
Bound Weapon Enhancement (Inspiration)
At 5th level, you gain the ability to magically enhance a bonded weapon with the Light, Finesse or Thrown properties. For the cost of 1 eldritch point, all one-handed weapons can be given the Light Property and one-handed weapons that lack the Versatile property can be turned into Finesse weapons. All melee weapons can be given the Thrown property for free. Only one property can be applied at a time.
Martial Magic
Beginning at 6th level, you can make a standard attack and cast a cantrip when taking your action. This ability does not stack with any sources of Extra Attack.
Blade Dash (Inspiration)
At 7th level, you may throw your Bonded Weapon at a creature or location and teleport there instantly. You gain the effects of the Blur spell for 2 turns. If you use a normal Throw attack and successfully hit a creature, you may choose to teleport to it after confirmation of the hit. Using this ability costs 2 eldritch points.
Improved Symbiotic Channeling
At level 11, you gain the following enhancements to Symbiotic Channeling.
- Hasted Throw - When Symbiotic Channeling: Melee is active, you you move with magically-enhanced speed and make a throw attack with a bonded weapon as a bonus action. Hitting an enemy tagged by Eldritch Mark will trigger the mark's normal effects. In addition, you may use Blade Dash to teleport to the next enemy your mark has settled upon.
- Eldrtich Ember - When Symbiotic Channeling: Spells is active, a fragment of your Arcane Strike's expended energy is retained after a successful strike, captured in the form of a magical ember perched upon your weapon. As a bonus action, you may cast this cantrip and swing your weapon to launch the ember at a target, dealing your spellcasting modifier in fire damage and pushing them back 10ft. Any hit target has Disadvantage on its next Saving Throw against a spell you cast before the end of your next turn. Only one Ember may be active at any given time, and it is extinguished upon use.
Eldritch Combat (Inspiration)
At level 14, after casting a spell and while holding your bonded weapon, you can spend 1 eldritch point to make an additional melee attack on your turn.
Improved Arcane Strike (Inspiration)
At level 18, you can spend 3 eldritch points to create an improved arcane strike enhancement, allowing you to apply a cantrip's effects to all attacks made with your bonded weapon until the end of your next turn.
Vanguard Mastery
At level 20, you have mastered a vanguard's blend of martial and spellcasting combat. You gain the following:
- You regain 5 eldritch points after a short rest.
- When Arcane Fervor is at max stacks and after applying its eldrtich point discount to an inspiration, you may continue to take advantage of that discount until the end of your next turn.
Class Subclasses
At 3rd level, you choose a type of vanguard specialization. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, 10th level, and again at 15th level.
Elementalist
Elementalists seek to empower their weapons and abilities with acid, cold, fire lightning and thunder. They are flashy and deadly combatants.
Features
Elemental Smite
At level 3, you can perform an Elemental Smite on a hit by sacrificing a spell slot. Your target must roll to save against a debilitating effect based on the type of smite performed:
- Booming Smite: Target takes 2d6 thunder damage. If they fail a STR save, they are pushed back 10 feet and knocked prone. (Level 1 spell slot)
- Erupting Smite: Target takes 3d6 fire damage. If they fail a DEX save, they are blinded. (Level 2 spell slot)
- Shocking Smite: Target takes 4d6 lightning damage. If they fail a CON save, they are stunned. (Level 3 spell slot)
- Corrosive Smite: Target takes 5d6 acid damage. If they fail a CON save, they are afflicted by feeble, acid and nauseated. (Level 4 spell slot)
- Frigid Smite: Target takes 6d6 cold damage. If they fail a CON save, they are paralyzed and chilled. (Level 5 spell slot)
Elemental Blade (Inspiration)
At level 10, you can use a bonus action to empower your bonded weapon with magical energy (choosing between Acid. Cold, Fire, Lightning and Thunder). Your weapon attack deals an additional 1d8 damage. This effect lasts for 1 hour and costs 3 eldritch point to activate.
The effect's damage improves to 1d10 at level 12, 2d6 at level 15, and 2d8 at level 18.
Elemental Aura (Inspiration)
At level 15, you can spend 5 eldritch points to generate a damaging aura in a 15 foot radius around yourself for 10 turns. Each turn, targets entering or remaining within your aura must contend with one of the following effects:
- Acidic Aura: 3d6 acid damage or half damage on a successful Intelligence save. Creatures that fail their save gain the Acid status (-2 to armor) for a turn.
- Cold Aura: 2d8 cold damage or half damage on a successful Intelligence save. Creatures that fail their save gain the Chilled status (vulnerable to cold, resistant to fire) for a turn.
- Fiery Aura: 3d8 fire damage or half damage on a successful Intelligence save. Creatures that fail their save gain the Burning status (1d4 fire damage) for a turn.
- Lightning Aura: 3d6 lightning damage or half damage on a successful Intelligence save. Creatures that fail their save gain the Shocked status (cannot take reactions and has Disadvantage on Ability Checks and Dexterity saves) for a turn.
- Thunderous Aura: 2d8 thunder damage or half damage on a successful Intelligence save. Creatures that fail their save gain the Wet status (vulnerable to cold and lightning damage, resistant to fire damage, immune to burning) for a turn.
Blink-Bonded
Blink-Bonded vanguards are connected to nature and have formed a unique bond with a Blink Dog, gaining one as a fey companion.
Features
Blink Dog Companion
At level 3, you gain proficiency with Animal Handling and can magically summon a blink dog, which draws strength from your bond with nature. The beast is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. As you gain vanguard levels, it gains increased health and new features. Summoning your blink dog costs 1 eldritch point at level 3, and increases by 1 point each at levels 7, 12, and 17.
Your blink dog gains pack magic points that it may spend on specific features as it levels, as indicated in the blink dog table below. These points refresh every time combat begins.
Fey Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn additional nature-based spells when you reach certain levels in this class. Each spell counts as a vanguard spell for you and doesn't count against the number of spells you know.
Marked Prey
At level 5, your blink dog's attacks trigger Eldritch Mark effects. Triggering Eldritch Mark allows it to use Bite as a bonus action for 2 turns.
Wounding Bite
At level 5, Your blink dog's bite may potentially inflict Gaping Wounds upon the target, taking an addition 2 piercing damage when next hit.
Bond of the Pack
At level 5, your Proficiency Bonus is added to your Blink Dog's Armour Class, attack and damage rolls. As a bonus action, you may also consume eldritch points and convert them into pack magic points for your blink dog, so long as it is within 60 feet.
Disarming Bite
At level 7, your blink dog's can make a surprise blink attack, biting an opponent's main hand to wrestle away their weapon. If the enemy is unarmed, the attack's damage increases to 2d4.
Arcane Bite
At level 10, when you imbue a weapon in your main hand with Arcane Strike, your blink dog's attack is also enhanced with the same effect if it is within 30 feet.
Bonded Swap
At level 12, your blink dog may magically swap positions with you. If you are both threatening the same enemy, it becomes Off-Balanced. If that enemy is also Flat-Footed, they become Overwhelmed, making the next hit on it an automatic critical hit. These statuses can be combined in any order to produce this effect. This feature consumes 2 pack magic points.
Share Spells
At level 15, any beneficial vanguard spell you cast on yourself can also be applied to your Blink Dog, as long as it is within 30 feet.
Legendary Bond
At level 20, whenever you cast a spell of level 3 or higher, your blink dog's once-per-combat features are refreshed and available for use.
Shadow Adept
Shadow Adepts have been touched by the Plane of Shadow and are fearsome predators that thrive in darkness.
Features
Darklands Magic
Your strange connection to Shadowfell allows you to learn specific spells as you increase in level.
Born in the Dark
At level 3, you gain darkvision. When lightly or heavily obscured, you gain several benefits. You have a +2 bonus to your attack, damage and AC. Bonded weapon melee and thrown attacks, along with spells that deal necrotic or psychic damage, deal bonus necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus. At level 5, any attacks or spells that deal necrotic or psychic damage trigger Eldrtich Mark explosions as well.
Shadow Rift
At level 3, you may open a rift into the shadow plane, transforming the selected area into a dark mirror of itself that blinds all save the caster. All nearby flames are extinguished, and everyone within the plane is Heavily Obscured. While in this space, all leveled spells that deal necrotic or psychic damage roll their damage die with Advantage.
Shadowfell Form
At level 10, you can transform your body, granting it qualities associated with shadows. Gain damage reduction 5 against all forms of damage except Radiant and Force. When casting a leveled spell that deals necrotic damage or involves shadow or psychic-based effects, follow it up with an extra melee attack. Once per turn, immediately travel from one shadowed location to another.
Shadow Rift Mastery
You may now open up to 3 rifts into the shadow plane by expending additional Eldrtich Points. Allies are protected from Shadow Rift's effects.
Dweller-in-Darkness
Your connection to Shadowfell has reached its maximum potential, granting you increased benefits when standing in a Shadow Rift. You gain the ability to teleport to any location within a rift at will for the cost of 10 movement. Your shadows become an extension of yourself, allowing you to cast any shadow, fear-based, psychic-based or necrotic-based spells on targets within one of your rifts, regardless of distance. In addition, the damage bonuses granted by Born in the Dark are doubled.
Vanguard Spells
Cantrips (0 Level)
- Acid Splash
- Blade Ward
- Booming Blade
- Bone Chill
- Create Bonfire
- Dancing Lights
- Frostbite
- Green-Flame Blade
- Gust
- True Strike
- Toll the Dead
- Light
- Lightning Lure
- Mage Hand
- Mind Sliver
- Minor Illusion
- Mold Earth
- Poison Spray
- Prestidigitation
- Produce Flame
- Ray of Frost
- Shape Water
- Shocking Grasp
- Sword Burst
- Thunderclap
1st Level
- Absorb Elements
- Armor of Agathys
- Burning Hands
- Cause Fear
- Caustic Brew
- Colour Spray
- Dissonant Whispers
- Earth Tremor
- Wrathful Smite
- Expeditious Retreat
- False Life
- Feather Fall
- Grease
- Enhance Leap
- Longstrider
- Mage Armour
- Protection from Evil and Good
- Ray of Sickness
- Searing Smite
- Thunderous Smite
- Thunderwave
- Witch Bolt
- Zephyr Strike
2nd Level
- Aganazzar's Scorcher
- Blindness
- Blur
- Darkness
- Darkvision
- Dragon's Breath
- Enhance Ability
- Enlarge/Reduce
- Gust of Wind
- Invisibility
- Kinetic Jaunt
- Knock
- Magic Weapon
- Maximilian's Earthen Grasp
- Mind Spike
- Misty Step
- Phantasmal Force
- Ray of Enfeeblement
- Rime's Blinding Ice
- Scorching Ray
- Shadow Blade
- Shatter
- Snowball Storm
- Tasha's Mind Whip
- Vortex Warp
- Web
- Wither and Bloom
3rd Level
- Ashardalon's Stride
- Blink
- Counterspell
- Erupting Earth
- Fear
- Grant Flight
- Gaseous Form
- Glyph of Warding
- Minute Meteors
- Protection from Energy
- Slow
- Speak with Dead
- Stinking Cloud
- Thunder Step
- Vampiric Touch
- Water Walk
4th Level
- Banishment
- Blight
- Dimension Door
- Black Tentacles
- Fire Shield
- Greater Invisibility
- Ice Storm
- Phantasmal Killer
- Polymorph
- Raulothim's Psychic Lance
- Resilient Sphere
- Stoneskin
- Summon Elemental
- Wall Of Fire
5th Level
- Cloudkill
- Cone Of Cold
- Far Step
- Hold Monster
- Negative Energy Flood
- Planar Binding
- Seeming
- Skill Empowerment
- Steel Wind Strike
- Synaptic Static
- Telekinesis
- Wall Of Stone
Optional Class Variants
There are a few optional variants of this class that I've made available, most of which I consider for fun but not balanced or lore-appropriate.
- Charisma variant of this class still fits the identity, so this is a "core" variant.
- There's a compressed version of the class that smooshes all features into levels 1-12. Not balanced, as one might expect.
- Wisdom variants and variants with Deity selection are other available options.
- There's also the ability to add scroll scribing for base INT vanguards.
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