An unassuming human pounces in the night, his blade and revolver at the ready. A gunshot, followed by the sound of metal against flesh and the splattering of blood over cobblestone. He snickers before plunging his blade anew into his battered prey.
An elegant manikin vaults atop a maddened monster, before putting the barrel of her cannon against its skull and pulling the trigger. She always loved explosions. Battleaxe in hand, a massive tiefling brutally decapitates a beast, then leaps towards another, impaling the silvered weapon in the creature’s chest and ripping a gashing wound from neck to groin.
Jaegers are defined by their efficiency in battle, using their mastery over both steel and gunpowder to lay waste to all who oppose them. More than just soldiers, their skills represent the last wall of defense of a world fated to extinction; they are unstoppable and unbreakable. They strike fear in the heart of their foes, and bring hope to those theyprotect.
Engineered Perfection
In the ease and safety that contemporary advancements bring, city dwellers frequently forget how fortunate their lives are. They have all but forgotten the life of pain that would befall them if the system failed. Which is precisely what took place in Luyarnha.
The urbanites were left defenseless when the scourge swept the streets of the city, snapping like twigs in the face of such ferocity. While the denizens of the town struggled against insurmountable odds, the church and the nobility didn’t remain inert, instead concentrating their efforts to engineer the ideal weapon, something capable of annihilating the beasts plaguing the city. This weapon came to be known as the jaegers.
Jaegers thrive in the savagery of the hunt. Their reflexes more honed than that of mere mortals, jaegers are capable of dodging the most vicious of blows and using that momentum to drive their blade deep into the heart of their prey. A jaeger’s thirst for battle is endless; only in inaction can they experience fatigue. They are the perfect weapon against the nightmarish tides of beasts and the sole reason Luyarnha still stands.
Bonds of Blood
One who hunts beasts is a “hunter”, as they are commonly called by civilized society, but few hunters
have the jaeger class. Coming from all walks of life, jaegers blend in with their communities, only unleashing their abilities in times of need. They act as guardians for people who are unable to defend themselves, and they serve as the bloody sword of vengeance in a world that is hell-bent on destroying itself. Life in the city-state of Luyarnha is fraught with peril: gang warfare, infectious madness, and harrowing beasts. Amidst this chaos, jaegers are the first to charge into battle so that their brothers and sisters can survive to live another day.
Jaegers rarely leave their home city of Luyarnha; they would rather die than see it fall to the scourge. Following the jaeger's creed—'survive together, or die together'—they never hunt by themselves unless forced to. The nights can be brutal and the beasts are relentless; against such a ferocious onslaught, only a united front can hope to survive. As a result, jaegers are aware of the importance of teamwork and never charge into battle alone, save to retrieve fallen allies. The bonds formed during the hunts are stronger than those of many families. Blood is thicker than water, and the gods know that blood is shed when the hunt rages on.
Creating a Jaeger
Think about the nature of your abilities and what gave rise to them as you construct your jaeger character. Were you one of the numerous orphans whose bodies were experimented on in the jaeger research project? Did you voluntarily join the ranks of hunters, or were you abducted and brainwashed into the ideal soldier? Alternatively, you might have defied the established order and joined the jaegers by a different route, perhaps after finding an eldritch carving and engraving it on your flesh. You might be self-taught—a loner who learned combat skills, tracking, or even a magical connection to the cosmos through the necessity of surviving the hunts. Alternatively, you might have learned from the comrades you now consider family.
What fuels you? Is it a visceral hatred of the beasts that slaughtered your loved ones? Or is it a reflection of your desire to stop these monsters' devastation, committing yourself to reining in their carnage? Is your adventuring career a continuation of your work in annihilating the scourge of beasts, or a significant change? What made you join a band of adventurers? Do you enjoy the break from the hunt that new allies provide, or do you find it difficult to teach them the jaeger ways?
Quick Build
You can make a jaeger quickly by following these guidelines. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Constitution, and then Intelligence. Second, pick a background, preferably one that involves the city of Luyarnha.
The Jager Overview
Jager Class Traits
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d8 per jaeger level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per jaeger level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light armor, medium armor
- Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
- Tools: None
- Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
- Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, and Survival
Starting Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- Two martial weapons
- (a) a pistol and pouch of 20 bullets or (b) any two simple weapons
- (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
- (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
Jager Class Features
Flexible Combatant
Beginning at 1st level, you can draw or stow two one- handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one, and you can reload weapons with the loading, reload, or barrel properties without a free hand.
Additionally, if you are carrying a one-handed melee weapon in one hand, and a one-handed ranged weapon in the other, you do not have disadvantage from being within 5 feet of a hostile creature on attacks made with that ranged weapon.
Focus
Starting at 1st level, your concentration during battle is razor sharp, letting you keenly focus during critical moments. You have 1 Focus Point. You gain additional Focus Points at 2nd, 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level, as shown on the Jaeger table. You can expend Focus Points to use Focus Arts. You learn two such Focus Arts: Weapon Parry and Dodge Step. You learn one additional Focus Art of your choice at 2nd, 7th, 13th, and 17th level.
You regain all expended Focus Points when you finish a short or long rest. When you roll a 20 on a saving
throw or an attack roll against a hostile creature, you regain 1 Focus Point. When you roll initiative and have no Focus Points remaining, you regain 1 Focus Point.
Weapon Parry
Focus Art, reaction
As a reaction to being hit by a creature you can see within range of a weapon you are holding, you can expend 1 Focus Point to make a special weapon attack against that creature. This attack does no damage, but instead blocks an amount of damage from the incoming attack equal to the weapon's damage roll (including your ability modifier), unless your attack roll is a 1. On a 20, any weapon damage dice are rolled twice (like a critical hit would be), and if this total fully blocks the incoming attack, the target is stunned until the start of its next turn.
Dodge Step
Focus Art, reaction
As a reaction to being attacked by a creature you can see, if your speed is not 0, you can expend 1 Focus Point to move 5 feet without provoking opportunity attacks and make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC equal to the attacker's attack roll (including modifiers). On a success, you evade completely and take no damage. On a failure, you halve the attack's damage against you.
Eldritch Hunter
Also at 1st level, when you make an ability check to track or identify an aberration, celestial, fiend, monstrosity, or undead, you can add your proficiency bonus to the ability check. If you are already proficient in the ability check, you can double your proficiency bonus.
Momentum
Starting at 2nd level, any time you expend a Focus Point, you gain 1 Momentum die, which is a d6. This die changes as you gain jaeger levels, as shown in the Jaeger table. You can have a maximum number of Momentum dice equal to your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (whichever is higher). Whenever you gain a Momentum die, or if you attack or end your turn within 5 feet of a hostile creature, all of your Momentum dice last until the end of your next turn.
While you have 1 or more Momentum dice, you can expend all of your Momentum dice to execute a Finisher. You know Brutal Finisher. You learn one additional Finisher of your choice at 4th, 6th, 8th, and 12th level, and may gain others through Jaeger Chapter features.
Note: Momentum functions like a barbarian’s rage—as long as you meet one of the criteria, you keep all your Momentum dice until the end of your next turn. Did you gain a Momentum die? If yes, keep your momentum dice. Did you attack a hostile creature? If yes, keep your Momentum dice. Did you end your turn within 5 feet of a hostile creature? If yes, keep your Momentum dice.
Brutal Finisher
Finisher, special
When you hit a creature with an attack, you can expend all of your Momentum dice and add them to the
damage roll. If you reduce the target to 0 hit points with this Finisher, or the target is reduced to 0 hit points before the start of your next turn, you regain 1 Focus Point.
Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Flexible Fighting
You can engage in two-weapon fighting with any weapons you can wield in one hand, including one-handed ranged weapons and weapons without the light property. When you do so, you gain a +1 bonus to the damage rolls of both weapons.
Focused Fighting
You learn an additional Focus Art, and you gain 1 additional Focus Point.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Jaeger Chapter
When you reach 3rd level, you choose a jaeger chapter that suits the means by which you intend to further your powers. Select one of the following:
Piercing Gaze
Also at 3rd level, you gain the ability to activate a magical sight at will (no action required), allowing you
to effortlessly pierce the gloom and see what lurks within. For 1 hour, you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range increases to 120 feet. This vision lets you see normally in dim light and darkness, both magical and nonmagical.
When you reach 7th level, you also gain the effect of see invisibility for the duration, and when you reach 13th level, you additionally gain the effect of true seeing for the duration.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Seasoned Survivor
At 4th level, you gain advantage on Investigation checks made to find secret passages, interpret markings or messages left by other creatures on walls or surfaces, or determine the fate of creatures from blood stains and remains.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Hunter's Pursuit
Starting at 6th level, at the start of your turn, you can expend 1 Focus Point to immediately move up to half your speed without using any of your movement and without provoking opportunity attacks.
Evasion
Beginning at 9th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Lethal Tempo
Starting at 11th level, the first time you hit a creature on your turn, you gain 1 Momentum die. You gain 1 additional Momentum die any time you reduce a creature to 0 hit points.
Relentless Pursuit
Starting at 13th level, when you use your Hunter's Pursuit, if you end your movement next to a hostile creature, you regain the expended Focus Point.
Inured to Madness
At 15th level, you gain advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and against effects that cause madness. If you fail a saving throw against madness, you can expend 1 Focus Point to reroll the die. You must use the new roll.
Eternal Watch
Starting at 18th level, you are always under the effect of your Piercing Gaze.
Always Ready
Starting at 20th level, once per round (beginning at the start of each of your turns), you gain one additional reaction, which you can only use on a Focus Art that requires a reaction (such as Weapon Parry or Dodge Step). When you expend a Focus Point on this special reaction, you immediately regain the expended Focus Point.
