Pugilist, a Fighter Archetype - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Dizziwing Jul 10, 2015 15:11:13	I present to you, the D&D community a Fighter archetype: the Pugilist. Basically it is focused on boxing and draws inspiration from traditional ring-based Boxing and from some fighting games (namely Street Fighter). Now my friend approached me with the desire for a character that boxes, based on his love for boxing, after speaking to him he told me that the Monk class wasn't right and that compromising with the Fighter class wouldn't work either so I took the only option I thought of to create a new class based around boxing, now I did that but after some comments here and thinking on it, I tried to condense the class into a Fighter Archetype instead. Now I havent presented this to him yet so he doesnt know exactly how this has been built. The basic idea is that from 3rd level onwards, Combo Attack feature means that the Pugilist can attack twice during an attack action freeing up the bonus action for Combo Finishers providing their requirements have been met. As the Pugilist levels and they gain extra attacks and more Combo Finishers once they meet all of the requirements to use a Combo Finisher during an attack action then they may immediatly proceed to the Combo Finisher Bonus Action. The Pugilist Fighter Archetype V1.1 Show Fighting style Bare Knuckle Fighting You may use your Dexterity modifier on your unarmed strikes. Martial Archetype - Pugilist Combo Attack When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, whenever you successfully hit with an unarmed attack your next unarmed attack gains a +1 to hit until the end of your turn, this bonus stacks for each successful hit but is lost if you miss an attack. If you have hit a target creature during your attack action then you may make one additional attack against that target during that action but cannot claim the Bonus Action to attack with your second weapon this turn. Well Aimed Strikes From 3rd level, your unarmed strike damage becomes a D4, this increases to a D6 at 7th level and further to a D8 at 15th level. Combo Finisher At 3rd level you gain access to three Combo Finishers; Quick Jabs, Overhand and Throw, they cannot be used on a creature that has Damage Resistance or Immunity to Bludgeoning Damage or if you are wearing Medium, Heavy armour, a shield or holding a weapon. If you meet the requirements, you may use a Combo Finisher as a bonus action immediately after your attack action. “Quick Jabs” You must have successfully hit the same target with all of your attacks during your attack action. You may attempt to attack the target for 2D4 Bludgeoning Damage, this increases to 3D4 at 7th level, 4D4 at 10th level and 5D4 at 15th level. “Overhand” You must have successfully hit the same target with 2 or more consecutive attacks during your attack action, your target must be Humanoid in shape and you must not have failed to hit with any other attack. You overhand the target creature and they must succeed on a Strength Save or be knocked prone. “Throw” You must have successfully hit the same target with at least 1 of your attacks during your attack action and your target must be Humanoid in shape. You may attempt to grapple your opponent, if you succeed then you throw the target to the ground where they slide 15 ft. behind you. Attacks of opportunity cannot be taken against a thrown target if they pass a hostile creature. In the heat of battle! At 7th level you gain the ability to use 'Counterpunch' and 'Not out Yet!' “Counterpunch” When you are attacked in melee range you may use your reaction to deal 1D4 damage to the attacker. “Not out yet!” When an attack would reduce you to 0 hit points you may, as a reaction immediately use the Second Wind feature. Refer to the Second Wind feature for effect and restrictions. Combo Finisher – Stunning Jab At 7th level you can use the Stunning Jab Combo Finisher, See the Combo Finisher feature for restrictions: “Stunning Jab” You must have successfully hit the same target with 3 or more consecutive attacks during your attack action, your target must be Humanoid in shape and you must not have failed to hit with any other attack. You jab the target creature with such force that they must succeed on a DC15 Constitution save or be stunned until the start of your next turn. Strike the Vital Points At 10th level, you score a Critical Hit on a 19-20, this improves to a 18-20 against a Humanoid target. Combo Finisher - Uppercut At 10th level you can use the Uppercut Combo Finisher, See the Combo Finisher feature for restrictions: “Uppercut” You must have successfully hit the same target with all of your attacks during your attack action and your target must be Humanoid in shape. You uppercut the target creature dealing 1D6 Bludgeoning Damage and they must succeed on a Strength Save or be pushed 10 ft. The damage increases to 1D8 at 15th level. Combo Finishers – Rabbit Punch, Mighty Strike & Force Blast At 15th level you gain the Rabbit Punch, Mighty Strike and Force Blast Combo finisher, See the Combo Finisher feature for restrictions: “Rabbit Punch” You must have successfully hit the same target with all of your attacks during your attack action and your target must be Humanoid in shape, also they must have been staggered by one of your attacks this turn and you scored at least one critical hit on the target creature this turn. Roll to hit, that roll becomes the DC for a Constitution Save that the target creature must succeed on or the target creature dies. Once you use this Combo Finisher, must finish a long rest before you can use it again. “Mighty Strike” You must have successfully hit the same target with 4 or more consecutive attacks this turn, staggered them and you must not have failed to hit with any other attack. You may make an additional attack the target for 2D10 Bludgeoning Damage. Once you use this Combo Finisher, must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. “Force Blast” You must have successfully hit the same target with 4 or more consecutive attacks this turn, you must be under the effects of a beneficial Magic spell and you must not have failed to hit with any other attack. You focus the magical energy into your fist and strike out in the direction of the target producing a magical projectile, the projectile travels 30ft in a straight line and deals 1D8 Radiant Damage to any creature caught in the path of the blast. You lose the effect of the beneficial Magic spell. Once you use this Combo Finisher, must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
#2 Captain_Kobold Jul 10, 2015 15:26:37	What exactly was your friend after? Why wouldn't Monk, or a mutliclass mix do?
#3 Dizziwing Jul 10, 2015 15:36:07	He's a big fan of boxing and wanted his character to be a boxer, basically he wanted his character to go in and punch something though he was adamant that the Monk and its asthetics werent right for him and that the Ki related abilites were a complete turn off. I beleive his comment was something along the lines of "With a monk, you imagine them spinning around on the spot and basically dancing with weapons as they attack, I just want a class that will run up to something and punch it in the face!"
(Reply to #3) SpinG22	Dizziwing wrote:
#5 Tempest_Stormwind Jul 10, 2015 16:47:41	On the Philosophy of Class Design was written for 3.5, but applies pretty well (arguably more well, due to subclasses) in 5th. The first principle is "Is there a reason to create a new class?". In this case, fighter (champion or battle master) or barbarian (berserker) with Tavern Brawler or Open Hand monk with reflavored abilities (it isn't a Kung Fu pressure-point Stunning Fist, it's Haymaker, etc.) does exactly what your friend wants already.
#6 Dizziwing Jul 10, 2015 19:37:47	He has the players handbook so I can only assume that he looked through it himself and decided that the classes or feats weren't suitable for what he wants. When he approached me about wanting a boxing character I suggested the monk but got the "when you think of a monk you see him spinning aroubd on the spot and basically dancing with weapons as they attack, I just want a class that will run up to and punch the enemy in the face' comment, I asked about the fighter as a compromise but he had said no to that too. I didnt think about anything else an just asked him what he wanted: he wanted a boxer with boxing moves that could punch his enemies in the face so believing a new class to be my only option, I looked up boxers and boxing moves and drafted a class for him based on the larger more bulky boxers and the small more agile boxers. I have updated my initial post as well.
#7 SDaken Jul 10, 2015 20:06:39	Here's a tip, instead of writing: “Quick Jabs” Style (Dexterity) From 1st level, unarmed attacks are considered Finesse attacks, and your movement speed is increased by 10 ft."
(Reply to #7) Dizziwing	SDaken wrote:
#9 Tempest_Stormwind Jul 10, 2015 21:38:03	Dizziwing wrote:
#10 Radaceus Jul 10, 2015 21:52:04	I like this, and agree with your player about a Monk not sufficing the role for a Pugilist ( one may argue that boxing is a Martial art though). I think a Boxer would be more inclined to the Fighter class than affiliated to the Monk ( d10 HD instead of d8) suggestions: Tweak the fighter to suit as a pugilist, using Tavern Brawler etc.. ( the Fighter has been my go to class as a plyer for almost 30 years, and every character i have played has been different, new eapons, new styles, etc. Once I wanted to be Cavalier (non LG, non religious, but chivalric), but the DM was not using those options, so I tweaked my fighter via proficiencies and created a Knight) or, add the above as a Martial Archetype to Fighter, using a form of Combat Superioty and boxing maneuvres to choose from ( for me this is better than a scripted generalised ' all boxers fight like this' template) or, add an Unarmed Combatant archetype, to fighter, using Combat Superiority, with unarmed maneuvres which would allow for both boxing and wrestling For flavour add a Boxer/Pitfighter variant to the Entertainer background
#11 Captain_Kobold Jul 11, 2015 1:55:47	Barbarian with Tavern brawler Feat is also a good option as Tempest mentioned, because you don't need to wear armour as much. If he can imagine the Monk spinning around etc, why can't he imagine a Boxer bouncing around on his toes, using a flurry of punches, knocking people silly with a fist to the jaw, and uppercutting someone so hard that they fall over? Is he hung up on thinking monks are exclusively oriental and use oriental styles? The very first martial art was probably Greek.
#12 cowleymen Jul 11, 2015 2:42:28	Captain_Kobold wrote:
#13 SDaken Jul 11, 2015 5:41:09	maybe would be more effective to build a new archetypal for fighter or barbarian to suit your boxer than a new entire class
#14 TylasRao Jul 11, 2015 7:39:20	Honestly, off the top of my head, all I'd do is, instead of creating a new class, go with battle master fighter, but replace the level 1 fighting style with the monk's Martial Arts ability and give him Unarmored Defense (Con). Maybe push Second Wind back to 2nd or 3rd level. Taking Tavern brawler would complete the deal. I know Tavern brawler and Martial arts has some overlap, but that is fine since replacing Fighting Style with Marial arts and Unarmored defense is probably a bit uneven (though I don't think that much so).
#15 Dizziwing Jul 11, 2015 8:19:19	After reading the new comments that I awoke to this morning I have tried to refit the Pugilist into a Fighter archetype. I admittedly based the Pugilist on the fighter anyway but didnt think of the archetypes that it has when creating the Pugilist as a class. I ask you all to take a look at both and aid me in deciding which one is the best to proceed with and shape it.
#16 rampant Jul 11, 2015 9:14:59	The full punch ability to up the damage die at levels 1-4 is a waste of design space. It either needs to continue upping the damage for the rest of the progression or you need to do somehtign else because the minute you hit level 5 it becomes a non-ability.
#17 Dizziwing Jul 13, 2015 13:44:29	Just going to focus on the Pugilist as a fighter archetype now, I still have the class if anyone is interested but the fighter archetype is the way I have decided to go with this.
#18 Ze_Azrael Jul 13, 2015 17:45:52	Just so you know, after errata, everyone is proficient in unarmed strikes, so that part in your fighting style is redundant. The other thing is you are setting unarmed strikes to deal 1d4 as a Fighting Style but then increasing the die size as an archetype feature. This should be stramlined. I would incorporate the 1d4 into the archetype, and rework your Fighting Style, as it would then only read 'You can use Dexterity for your unarmed strikes'. In addition, 2/5 Combo Finishers require a target be grappled, which discourages the use of DEX over STR. For the Combo Finishers, there is no mention as to when you use them? From the name I asume it is using the last attack granted by Combo Attack (which imo, you might want to make a bonus action to be more in line with similar features), but it is not specified anywhere. If it is indeed this last attack, then maybe it would make more sense for it to be under the Combo Finisher header instead of the Combo Attack one. I would avoid setting fixed DC's and instead go with the Battlemaster formula of 8 + proficiency + STR/DEX. Also saves for being pushed around and knocked prone are usually Strength, not Constitution. There is also a lot of redundancy between combo finishers, half of them knock a creature prone or push it around, or both. Also at 3rd level when you gain this feature, you can only choose the two features that required a target be grappled as there is no way you can do 3 attacks a turn. Stunning Jab should read 'until the start/end of your next turn' instead of 'for one round' for clarity and consistency. I don't really have time to give feedback on the rest right now but overall I have to agree with what people have said about there not being a need for a new class or archetype when there are already a few ways to support this concept. Personally, if your friend really just can't see himself being a monk, just introduce a new Fighting Style benefitting unarmed strikes and have him go Battlemaster/Champion. You will save yourself many headaches as it looks to me that your new archetype needs a lot of polishing. Or just use the monk chassis and rename and reword things so it sounds more boxer-like, i bet he wouldn't even notice xD
#19 Dizziwing Jul 13, 2015 19:45:48	Feedback received, Archetype editied accordingly!
#20 Danny_Montanny Jul 14, 2015 8:24:45	Here's what I'd do. Combo Attack would give the extra attack if you use all of your Attack action attacks on the same creature, not if all of your attacks hit. This will limit it to represent what this guy should be good at, boxing one opponent. This will in turn limit your Combo Finisher bonus actions to the same thing. Also, they've got some limiting factors to them, but some of them are really strong to be able to use them any time you want. Every other feature in the game limits abilities like this to uses/rest. I suggest going with limiting to CON modifier uses (minimum of 1) per short rest. Essentially representing the Pugilist's stamina to perform moves that are above and beyond normal brawling. The. You can take away their restrictions of hitting with all of your attacks and stuff like that. The punches in a combo that are feints are just as important as the ones that hit when lining up that last powerful shot.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Dizziwing

Jul 10, 2015 15:11:13

I present to you, the D&D community a Fighter archetype: the Pugilist. Basically it is focused on boxing and draws inspiration from traditional ring-based Boxing and from some fighting games (namely Street Fighter).

Now my friend approached me with the desire for a character that boxes, based on his love for boxing, after speaking to him he told me that the Monk class wasn't right and that compromising with the Fighter class wouldn't work either so I took the only option I thought of to create a new class based around boxing, now I did that but after some comments here and thinking on it, I tried to condense the class into a Fighter Archetype instead.

Now I havent presented this to him yet so he doesnt know exactly how this has been built.

The basic idea is that from 3rd level onwards, Combo Attack feature means that the Pugilist can attack twice during an attack action freeing up the bonus action for Combo Finishers providing their requirements have been met. As the Pugilist levels and they gain extra attacks and more Combo Finishers once they meet all of the requirements to use a Combo Finisher during an attack action then they may immediatly proceed to the Combo Finisher Bonus Action.

The Pugilist Fighter Archetype V1.1

Show

Fighting style

Bare Knuckle Fighting

You may use your Dexterity modifier on your unarmed strikes.

Martial Archetype - Pugilist

Combo Attack
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, whenever you successfully hit with an unarmed attack your next unarmed attack gains a +1 to hit until the end of your turn, this bonus stacks for each successful hit but is lost if you miss an attack.

If you have hit a target creature during your attack action then you may make one additional attack against that target during that action but cannot claim the Bonus Action to attack with your second weapon this turn.

Well Aimed Strikes

From 3rd level, your unarmed strike damage becomes a D4, this increases to a D6 at 7th level and further to a D8 at 15th level.

Combo Finisher
At 3rd level you gain access to three Combo Finishers; Quick Jabs, Overhand and Throw, they cannot be used on a creature that has Damage Resistance or Immunity to Bludgeoning Damage or if you are wearing Medium, Heavy armour, a shield or holding a weapon.

If you meet the requirements, you may use a Combo Finisher as a bonus action immediately after your attack action.

“Quick Jabs”
You must have successfully hit the same target with all of your attacks during your attack action.

You may attempt to attack the target for 2D4 Bludgeoning Damage, this increases to 3D4 at 7th level, 4D4 at 10th level and 5D4 at 15th level.

“Overhand”

You must have successfully hit the same target with 2 or more consecutive attacks during your attack action, your target must be Humanoid in shape and you must not have failed to hit with any other attack.

You overhand the target creature and they must succeed on a Strength Save or be knocked prone.

“Throw”

You must have successfully hit the same target with at least 1 of your attacks during your attack action and your target must be Humanoid in shape.

You may attempt to grapple your opponent, if you succeed then you throw the target to the ground where they slide 15 ft. behind you. Attacks of opportunity cannot be taken against a thrown target if they pass a hostile creature.

In the heat of battle!
At 7th level you gain the ability to use 'Counterpunch' and 'Not out Yet!'

“Counterpunch”
When you are attacked in melee range you may use your reaction to deal 1D4 damage to the attacker.

“Not out yet!”

When an attack would reduce you to 0 hit points you may, as a reaction immediately use the Second Wind feature. Refer to the Second Wind feature for effect and restrictions.

Combo Finisher – Stunning Jab
At 7th level you can use the Stunning Jab Combo Finisher, See the Combo Finisher feature for restrictions:

“Stunning Jab”
You must have successfully hit the same target with 3 or more consecutive attacks during your attack action, your target must be Humanoid in shape and you must not have failed to hit with any other attack.
You jab the target creature with such force that they must succeed on a DC15 Constitution save or be stunned until the start of your next turn.

Strike the Vital Points

At 10th level, you score a Critical Hit on a 19-20, this improves to a 18-20 against a Humanoid target.

Combo Finisher - Uppercut
At 10th level you can use the Uppercut Combo Finisher, See the Combo Finisher feature for restrictions:

“Uppercut”

You must have successfully hit the same target with all of your attacks during your attack action and your target must be Humanoid in shape.

You uppercut the target creature dealing 1D6 Bludgeoning Damage and they must succeed on a Strength Save or be pushed 10 ft. The damage increases to 1D8 at 15th level.

Combo Finishers – Rabbit Punch, Mighty Strike & Force Blast

At 15th level you gain the Rabbit Punch, Mighty Strike and Force Blast Combo finisher, See the Combo Finisher feature for restrictions:

“Rabbit Punch”

You must have successfully hit the same target with all of your attacks during your attack action and your target must be Humanoid in shape, also they must have been staggered by one of your attacks this turn and you scored at least one critical hit on the target creature this turn.

Roll to hit, that roll becomes the DC for a Constitution Save that the target creature must succeed on or the target creature dies.

Once you use this Combo Finisher, must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

“Mighty Strike”

You must have successfully hit the same target with 4 or more consecutive attacks this turn, staggered them and you must not have failed to hit with any other attack.
You may make an additional attack the target for 2D10 Bludgeoning Damage.

Once you use this Combo Finisher, must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

“Force Blast”
You must have successfully hit the same target with 4 or more consecutive attacks this turn, you must be under the effects of a beneficial Magic spell and you must not have failed to hit with any other attack.
You focus the magical energy into your fist and strike out in the direction of the target producing a magical projectile, the projectile travels 30ft in a straight line and deals 1D8 Radiant Damage to any creature caught in the path of the blast. You lose the effect of the beneficial Magic spell.

Once you use this Combo Finisher, must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Captain_Kobold

Jul 10, 2015 15:26:37

What exactly was your friend after? Why wouldn't Monk, or a mutliclass mix do?

Dizziwing

Jul 10, 2015 15:36:07

He's a big fan of boxing and wanted his character to be a boxer, basically he wanted his character to go in and punch something though he was adamant that the Monk and its asthetics werent right for him and that the Ki related abilites were a complete turn off.

I beleive his comment was something along the lines of "With a monk, you imagine them spinning around on the spot and basically dancing with weapons as they attack, I just want a class that will run up to something and punch it in the face!"

(Reply to #3)

SpinG22

Dizziwing wrote:

Tempest_Stormwind

Jul 10, 2015 16:47:41

On the Philosophy of Class Design was written for 3.5, but applies pretty well (arguably more well, due to subclasses) in 5th. The first principle is "Is there a reason to create a new class?". In this case, fighter (champion or battle master) or barbarian (berserker) with Tavern Brawler or Open Hand monk with reflavored abilities (it isn't a Kung Fu pressure-point Stunning Fist, it's Haymaker, etc.) does exactly what your friend wants already.

Dizziwing

Jul 10, 2015 19:37:47

He has the players handbook so I can only assume that he looked through it himself and decided that the classes or feats weren't suitable for what he wants. When he approached me about wanting a boxing character I suggested the monk but got the "when you think of a monk you see him spinning aroubd on the spot and basically dancing with weapons as they attack, I just want a class that will run up to and punch the enemy in the face' comment, I asked about the fighter as a compromise but he had said no to that too. I didnt think about anything else an just asked him what he wanted: he wanted a boxer with boxing moves that could punch his enemies in the face so believing a new class to be my only option, I looked up boxers and boxing moves and drafted a class for him based on the larger more bulky boxers and the small more agile boxers.

I have updated my initial post as well.

SDaken

Jul 10, 2015 20:06:39

Here's a tip, instead of writing:

“Quick Jabs” Style (Dexterity)
From 1st level, unarmed attacks are considered Finesse attacks, and your movement speed is increased by 10 ft."

(Reply to #7)

Dizziwing

SDaken wrote:

Tempest_Stormwind

Jul 10, 2015 21:38:03

Dizziwing wrote:

#10

Radaceus

Jul 10, 2015 21:52:04

I like this, and agree with your player about a Monk not sufficing the role for a Pugilist ( one may argue that boxing is a Martial art though). I think a Boxer would be more inclined to the Fighter class than affiliated to the Monk ( d10 HD instead of d8)

suggestions:

Tweak the fighter to suit as a pugilist, using Tavern Brawler etc.. ( the Fighter has been my go to class as a plyer for almost 30 years, and every character i have played has been different, new eapons, new styles, etc. Once I wanted to be Cavalier (non LG, non religious, but chivalric), but the DM was not using those options, so I tweaked my fighter via proficiencies and created a Knight)
or, add the above as a Martial Archetype to Fighter, using a form of Combat Superioty and boxing maneuvres to choose from ( for me this is better than a scripted generalised ' all boxers fight like this' template)
or, add an Unarmed Combatant archetype, to fighter, using Combat Superiority, with unarmed maneuvres which would allow for both boxing and wrestling
For flavour add a Boxer/Pitfighter variant to the Entertainer background

#11

Captain_Kobold

Jul 11, 2015 1:55:47

Barbarian with Tavern brawler Feat is also a good option as Tempest mentioned, because you don't need to wear armour as much.

If he can imagine the Monk spinning around etc, why can't he imagine a Boxer bouncing around on his toes, using a flurry of punches, knocking people silly with a fist to the jaw, and uppercutting someone so hard that they fall over?

Is he hung up on thinking monks are exclusively oriental and use oriental styles? The very first martial art was probably Greek.

#12

cowleymen

Jul 11, 2015 2:42:28

Captain_Kobold wrote:

#13

SDaken

Jul 11, 2015 5:41:09

maybe would be more effective to build a new archetypal for fighter or barbarian to suit your boxer than a new entire class

#14

TylasRao

Jul 11, 2015 7:39:20

Honestly, off the top of my head, all I'd do is, instead of creating a new class, go with battle master fighter, but replace the level 1 fighting style with the monk's Martial Arts ability and give him Unarmored Defense (Con). Maybe push Second Wind back to 2nd or 3rd level. Taking Tavern brawler would complete the deal. I know Tavern brawler and Martial arts has some overlap, but that is fine since replacing Fighting Style with Marial arts and Unarmored defense is probably a bit uneven (though I don't think that much so).

#15

Dizziwing

Jul 11, 2015 8:19:19

After reading the new comments that I awoke to this morning I have tried to refit the Pugilist into a Fighter archetype. I admittedly based the Pugilist on the fighter anyway but didnt think of the archetypes that it has when creating the Pugilist as a class.

I ask you all to take a look at both and aid me in deciding which one is the best to proceed with and shape it.

#16

rampant

Jul 11, 2015 9:14:59

The full punch ability to up the damage die at levels 1-4 is a waste of design space. It either needs to continue upping the damage for the rest of the progression or you need to do somehtign else because the minute you hit level 5 it becomes a non-ability.

#17

Dizziwing

Jul 13, 2015 13:44:29

Just going to focus on the Pugilist as a fighter archetype now, I still have the class if anyone is interested but the fighter archetype is the way I have decided to go with this.

#18

Ze_Azrael

Jul 13, 2015 17:45:52

Just so you know, after errata, everyone is proficient in unarmed strikes, so that part in your fighting style is redundant. The other thing is you are setting unarmed strikes to deal 1d4 as a Fighting Style but then increasing the die size as an archetype feature. This should be stramlined. I would incorporate the 1d4 into the archetype, and rework your Fighting Style, as it would then only read 'You can use Dexterity for your unarmed strikes'. In addition, 2/5 Combo Finishers require a target be grappled, which discourages the use of DEX over STR.

For the Combo Finishers, there is no mention as to when you use them? From the name I asume it is using the last attack granted by Combo Attack (which imo, you might want to make a bonus action to be more in line with similar features), but it is not specified anywhere. If it is indeed this last attack, then maybe it would make more sense for it to be under the Combo Finisher header instead of the Combo Attack one.
I would avoid setting fixed DC's and instead go with the Battlemaster formula of 8 + proficiency + STR/DEX. Also saves for being pushed around and knocked prone are usually Strength, not Constitution.
There is also a lot of redundancy between combo finishers, half of them knock a creature prone or push it around, or both. Also at 3rd level when you gain this feature, you can only choose the two features that required a target be grappled as there is no way you can do 3 attacks a turn.
Stunning Jab should read 'until the start/end of your next turn' instead of 'for one round' for clarity and consistency.

I don't really have time to give feedback on the rest right now but overall I have to agree with what people have said about there not being a need for a new class or archetype when there are already a few ways to support this concept. Personally, if your friend really just can't see himself being a monk, just introduce a new Fighting Style benefitting unarmed strikes and have him go Battlemaster/Champion. You will save yourself many headaches as it looks to me that your new archetype needs a lot of polishing.
Or just use the monk chassis and rename and reword things so it sounds more boxer-like, i bet he wouldn't even notice xD

#19

Dizziwing

Jul 13, 2015 19:45:48

Feedback received, Archetype editied accordingly!

#20

Danny_Montanny

Jul 14, 2015 8:24:45

Here's what I'd do. Combo Attack would give the extra attack if you use all of your Attack action attacks on the same creature, not if all of your attacks hit. This will limit it to represent what this guy should be good at, boxing one opponent. This will in turn limit your Combo Finisher bonus actions to the same thing. Also, they've got some limiting factors to them, but some of them are really strong to be able to use them any time you want. Every other feature in the game limits abilities like this to uses/rest. I suggest going with limiting to CON modifier uses (minimum of 1) per short rest. Essentially representing the Pugilist's stamina to perform moves that are above and beyond normal brawling. The. You can take away their restrictions of hitting with all of your attacks and stuff like that. The punches in a combo that are feints are just as important as the ones that hit when lining up that last powerful shot.