Character Builds - The Samurai
With the introduction of the 2024 rules, many subclasses from the 5th edition of the game have been phased out. This includes the samurai, a fighter subclass that, despite its intriguing name, was not particularly effective in gameplay. While the subclass captured some aspects of what samurai were historically about, it didn't resonate well with players. Samurai history has been well-documented and popularized through various TV shows and movies.
The samurai were members of the warrior class in feudal Japan, recognized for their martial skills, disciplined lifestyle, loyalty, and adherence to the ethical code known as bushido, or "the way of the warrior." They served as soldiers and protectors, often pledging their loyalty to a daimyo, or feudal lord, and were willing to sacrifice their lives in service to their masters. Renowned for their exceptional combat training, samurai mastered skills such as swordsmanship (especially with the iconic katana), archery, and hand-to-hand combat. However, samurai were not solely warriors; they adhered to a strict social code and were well-educated, studying the arts, literature, and philosophy. To fully understand the samurai, one must also grasp the significance of bushido. This ethical and moral code guided their actions and decisions, symbolizing honor and discipline in combat and culture. Bushido emphasized the following values:
Loyalty: Absolute devotion to one’s lord or clan.
Honor: Preserving one’s reputation and integrity at all costs.
Courage: Facing danger and adversity with bravery.
Respect: Showing courtesy to others, including one’s enemies.
Benevolence: Using one’s strength to protect and aid others.
Sincerity: Acting with honesty and authenticity.
Self-Control: Maintaining discipline and composure in all situations.
The Samurai
Oath of Devotion Paladin/Battle Master Fighter
Species - High Elf
I’m not sure if it’s the portrayal of elves in "The Lord of the Rings" or the fact that they can live for up to 1,000 years, but elves feel cultured and honorable—traits that encapsulate the samurai. Therefore, high elf it is.
Darkvision: Darkvision with a range of 60 feet lets you fight your enemies no matter where you are or the time of day.
Elven Lineage: Charisma is your best choice for your spellcasting ability. The 1st level of Presidigation keeps the samurai clean and presentable, as cultured warriors should always maintain a presentable appearance. Detect Magic is always nice to have (3rd-level). The 5th level addition of Misty Step gives the Samurai a tactical advantage on the battlefield that every warrior wishes they had.
Fey Ancestry: The samurai remain true to their beliefs and cannot be charmed into thinking otherwise.
Keen Senses: You should either go with Insight or Perception. Perception is probably the better fit for the samurai since a warrior should be aware of their surroundings at all times.
Trance: I really like this trait for the samurai. You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep, and finishing a Long Rest in 4 hours in a conscious meditative state means the samurai is always ready to protect their lord while focusing on themselves, tying into the mental aspects of Bushido.
Background: Soldier
There is an almost embarrassing amount of background on the PHB, given its importance. The Soldier is the best choice for the samurai build. Savage Attacker feat enhances the warrior aspect of the samurai, while the History skill supports the role-playing elements of a thoughtful and educated warrior. Additionally, the samurai automatically gains proficiency in Intimidation, which should help when considering the History skill. I recommend using the +2/+1 stat increase option, placing +2 in Constitution and +1 in Strength, as you will have Intimidation proficiency automatically.
Stats
Str. 15 (+1 Soldier), Dex. 12, Con. 14 (+2 Soldier), Int. 11, Wis. 12, Cha. 13
You’ll need Strength and Constitution for obvious reasons. Charisma is your spellcasting ability, meaning you cannot make it your dump stat. The +1 to Dexterity will allow you to take the proper samurai armor (see below) and feel slightly better about it. Intelligence may seem like a waste, but it’s essential, at least to me, for the whole educated and cultured part of the samurai.
Armor/Weapons
Take the gold instead of the equipment for both (paladin and soldier), giving you 400 gp to spend. Sadly, there’s no katana. Buy a rapier and beg your GM to homebrew a katana for you. Samurai are also highly skilled archers. Buy a longbow. Scale mail is almost the exact type of traditional armor a samurai wears. Splint Mail provides a much better AC (17), so no one will blame you if you buy it. But I’m going to scale mail to stay true to the build. You’ll have 275 gp left, so go nuts.
Our character sheet is filled out. Let's start leveling up our character.
Paladin 1
Weapon Mastery - No katana, so you bought a rapier. Vex gives you Advantage next turn on a hit. Always nice. A longbow slows your target so you can fire another arrow or get up in his face before it can get up in yours. Switching out your weapon after a long rest can allow you to switch to the katana when your GM gets around to homebrewing the katana we already requested.
Lay on Hands - Always nice to heal yourself, and healing others is part of practicing Bushido.
Spells - Compelled Duel and any of the Smite spells.
Paladin 2
You’ll want the paladin abilities before you dip into fighter.
Fighting Style - Archery. Feels weird, right? You might as well take it now, since most everything moving forward will be about your katana…I mean rapier.
Divine Smite - Rule changes aside, smiting creatures is what paladins are all about.
Paladin 3
Level 3 is where all the goodies come into play.
Oath of Devotion - Pledging yourself to a person or deity you believe in so strongly that you are willing to fight till the death is the samurai through and through. Living a life where you hold yourself to the highest standards of conduct is literally the core tenet of Bushido. Shield of Faith is great since my splint mail armor looks cool, but doesn’t provide the best protection.
Channel Divinity - Nothing wrong with sensing undead. Most of the time, however, Sacred Weapon is what you're using your two charges for.
Sacred Weapon - You get a glowy sword! That’s more of a flavor addition, but it still looks cool. More damage is always better, even if it’s just plus +1 for now. It’s making me rethink my stat distribution, but I can always increase my Charisma later, so I’m (mostly) ok with it.
Spells - I like Heroism here. Samurai know no fear.
Paladin 3/Fighter 1
It's time to rush fighter until we get to the 3rd level.
Fighting Style, Two-Weapon Fighting—The samurai commonly carried a wakizashi in their off-hand. This sword typically measured between 12 and 24 inches in length, featuring a slightly curved blade and a square hilt. The wakizashi is shorter than the katana and was exclusively used by samurai, symbolizing their personal honor. However, there is no equivalent weapon in D&D, so you might want to consider getting a scimitar instead. For reference, a traditional rapier is approximately 41 inches (3.4 feet) long, while the average length of a scimitar is about 33 inches.
Second Wind - In the 2024 rules, you can now use this ability twice per short or long rest, regain one use per short rest, and all uses when you take a long siesta. Bonus actions are always good. You regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level. The more hit points, the better.
Weapon Mastery - Scimitar for obvious reasons. Take Glaive as it is very similar to the Naginata, another weapon the Samurai commonly used—player’s choice for the third option.
Paladin 3/Fighter 2
Action Surge - An extra action on a turn once per short or long rest. There's no doubling up on a sneak attack since the wording states it's only once per turn. Still, I'll take an extra attack whenever possible.
Tactical Mind - Not sure why this is a thing, but it is.
Paladin 3/Fighter 3
Martial Archetype - Battlemaster. Here’s the description of the Battle Master from the PHB:
Battle Masters are students of the art of battle, learning martial techniques passed down through generations. The most accomplished Battle Masters are well-rounded figures who combine their carefully honed combat skills with academic study in the fields of history, theory, and the arts.
If that isn’t the samurai, I don’t know what is.
Student of War - Proficiency in Persuasion is the way to go here. Why fight when you can convince someone you're in the right (ok, experience points, but you shouldn’t kill everyone). Calligrapher’s tools are the best fit, and least from a roleplaying perspective.
Combat Superiority - We start with 4 Superiority dice and a Maneuver save DC 14. Speaking of maneuvers, let's get to the juicy stuff that makes us badass pirates.
Commanding Presence - More ‘color’ than anything.
Riposte - Take the Reaction maneuver to attack.
Player’s choice for the third.
As with many multi-class builds, we'll want to get both classes to level 4, taking a Feat with one and ASI with the other. It doesn't make much difference which order you level up in. Other abilities are really up to you.
ASI - +1 Constitution & Charisma. More hit points are always better, and now we have a +2 to our spellcasting ability.
Feat - Enhanced Dual Wielder. Add that +1 to your Strength for the +3. You’re a samurai and wielding your poor man’s katana and wakizashi, so fight with them both with the skills expected of these warriors.
Paladin 5/Fighter 4
Faithful Steed - Samurai were known as mounted warriors, and considered their steed a special weapon when riding into battle. Make sure to take the Mounted Combatant feat at the next opportunity.
After that, it’s all about fighter levels. I’m not certain if the Samurai will be included in future updates or books. If they are, I hope it will be improved and worth considering as a subclass. If not, this build remains a viable option for you.
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