Example Character: Sorcerer / Leader
There are many different ways that the flavor of the new Leader Prestige Class can be attached to a character. Some Leaders are tactical geniuses who support their allies by always knowing when and where to strike. Others are consummate tricksters who distract and fool their foes into the path of their allies’ sharpened blades. Today we’ll be looking at a different variety of Leader: one who supports their allies simply by being a glowing bastion of hope, confidence, and friendship -- a common trope in Japanese anime, among others. This works best with high Charisma characters, so we’re going to exemplify it by combining the Leader with the Sorcerer.
We’ll be calling this sorcerer/leader build “The Soulcaster,” since they use the raw emotional power of their soul to wield magic and to support their allies (no, this one isn’t a Stormlight Archive reference). Oh sure, they cast dangerous spells like fireballs, but they also never stop reminding their allies that they have friends to help them and shouldn’t give up! The Soulcaster is a level 10 character, with levels evenly split between the two classes. But how is the Soulcaster actually built?
The Soulcaster’s first 5 levels go into the sorcerer class, but the particular subclass doesn’t matter for the purposes of the example. You could use this Soulcaster build for a dragon sorcerer, chaos sorcerer, storm sorcerer, or any other (yay flexibility)! With just a Wisdom of 11, the Charisma-based Soulcaster should have no difficulties meeting the prerequisites for the Leader prestige class. As such, the Soulcaster puts their 6th level into the Leader class, and selects not only a skill proficiency but two Stratagems of Command as well:
Inspiring Word
You can use a bonus action to grant one ally within 30 feet temporary hit points equal to 1d4 + half your proficiency bonus, or you can use an action to instead grant that ally temporary hit points equal to 1d4 + your leader level + your proficiency bonus. These temporary hit points disappear at the end of the target's next turn. When you reach 3rd level, the die rolled increases to 1d6, and at 5th level it increases again to 1d8.
Guiding Magic
You can choose to use this stratagem at the start of your turn. Until the start of your next turn, whenever you hit a creature with a spell attack from a spell you cast or force a creature to make a saving throw which they fail using a spell you cast, that creature is highlighted by your magic until the start of your next turn. Allies of your choice ignore the effects of cover and three-quarters cover when targeting a highlighted creature with an attack, spell, or ability, ignore the effects of light obscurement for Wisdom (Perception) checks made to detect highlighted creatures, and gain a bonus to those checks equal to your leader level.
Inspiring Word is a fantastic bread-and-butter stratagem for the Soulcaster to use on most turns. It can be used as a bonus action when the Soulcaster is using their action to cast a spell, but it can also be used as an action alongside bonus action spells, such as misty step or a spell enhanced by the Quickened Spell metamagic, instead of simply casting a cantrip. The Soulcaster’s verbal components can be flavored as the same speech that inspires allies, with the Soulcaster relying on the flames of hope and confidence for both magic and nonmagical support. Of course, if the Soulcaster wants to use their bonus action and their action to cast spells or do something else on a turn, they can use Guiding Magic instead, hurling magic at their foes to light the path for their allies’ attacks, and to help protect them against hidden attackers.
The Soulcaster’s 3rd level in the Leader prestige class grants them Leadership Expertise as well as a third Stratagem. The skill expertise could be anything -- though if we must pick one for this example (rather than leaving it to your imagination), we’d choose Persuasion. Battlefield Conductor is the most appealing option, since it doubles the range of Inspiring Word and Moment of Glory, enabling the Soulcaster to keep a safer distance from melee threats while spellcasting. For a third stratagem, Helping Hand gives the Soulcaster an option to save a friend in need, and can be made good use of while concentrating on any powerful spell that doesn’t require repeated actions to get value out of:
Battlefield Conductor
You treat your leader class features and stratagems that describe 30 feet or 60 feet as if those ranges were doubled.
Helping Hand
You can use an action to enable one ally that you touch to immediately stand up from prone or make an attempt to escape from a grapple with a bonus to the roll equal to your leader level, requiring no action. The target also gains a bonus to saving throws that they make before the end of their next turn equal to 1 + your leader level.
When the Soulcaster finally reaches 10th level, they put their 5th level into the Leader prestige class and gain access to a 4th stratagem as well as a Leader’s Presence of their choice:
Fall Back & Assemble
You can use a bonus action on your turn to signal one ally. They can use their reaction to move up to half their speed in your direction, and they gain a bonus to AC against opportunity attacks provoked by this movement equal to your leader level. Then, each ally of your choice within 5 feet of you gains temporary hit points equal to half your proficiency bonus, which disappear at the start of your next turn.
Inspiring Presence
Other creatures of your choice that can see and hear you are bolstered by the inspiring nature of your very presence and countenance. Affected creatures gain a +2 bonus to saving throw rolls and Charisma ability checks. In addition, whenever an affected creature gains temporary hit points, you increase the temporary hit points gained by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum +1).
Fall Back & Assemble is a useful ability for a back-range spellcaster, and it helps to feed into the thematic flavor that the Soulcaster wants to be surrounded by their friends and comrades. It also synergizes well, alongside Inspiring Word, with the choice of Inspiring Presence. The Soulcaster can make excellent use of their high Charisma modifier that way, and the temporary hit points granted to allies between these two stratagems can add up very, very quickly. The Soulcaster, radiating natural magical power and confidence at all times, can bolster their allies by their very presence, reminding the party that they can’t give up yet.
Now the Soulcaster is a level 10 character, but only a level 5 Sorcerer. Those 5 missing levels leave out a lot: 4th and 5th level spell slots as well as a third 3rd-level slot, a powerful subclass feature, another metamagic option, 5 spells and 1 cantrip known, and 5 sorcery points to boot. While other pure spellcasters are throwing around spells like cone of cold, the Soulcaster will be stuck with fireball. However, for those 5 levels, the Soulcaster gains the ability to grant 10-20 temporary hit points to allies each round, blocking a significant amount of damage, as well as other support abilities like Guiding Magic, Moment of Glory, and Perfect Coordination. As an added bonus, the Soulcaster has some extra hit points because the Leader prestige class has d8 hit dice as opposed to the Sorcerer’s d6s. They aren’t as strong of a spellcaster as some others, but they make up for it through the sheer heart they display in never giving up on their friends -- and never letting their friends give up on themselves, either. It’s a common trope in a lot of fictional media, especially in anime, but while it can be difficult to reach in regular D&D, with D&D Unleashed it’s not too difficult to become the Shounen character shouting about the power of friendship -- and maybe proving it too!
