An impressive attempt at updating D&D 4th Edition's iconic warlord class to D&D 5th Edition. The base class is a definite success, operating something like a hybrid of fighter and bard. (They also address one criticism of the warlord by making most of the HP they grant temporary.) Things get slightly shakier once you get to the subclasses, however. For one, when you have six subclasses, they need to have a stronger individual identity than these have. Which isn't to say that they're bad; they just needed some key mechanics or flavor to really distinguish them. (The Hordemaster and Shrewd Commander are the chief examples, as their mechanics only vaguely connect to the name and premise.) Also, some of the mechanics are a bit hard to parse (Daring Gambler's Risky Gambit and Golden General's Rally the Troops in particular) and the resource management seems inconsistent (sometimes it's a flat bonus or number of uses, when it should probably be tied to the bonus die or a character stat). Still, all in all, this is one of the best takes on a D&D 5E warlord out there, and definitely worth checking out. (4E fans should also be on the lookout for a few extra hidden 4E mechanics: Resourceful Leader's Find a Way feature, for example.) $2.49 for 9 pages of material is a bit too high, however, so wait for a sale.

I think the base class has a lot of potential, however I believe there are a few mechanics that can be tweaked or altered to be cleaner and more inline with the 5e mindset.

Full review here: https://youtu.be/6g1tjFWKpxg

A gorgeous pdf and an acceptable character class. It IS stronger than PHB classes, a d10 hit die and proficency in all armor and shields. Its based around Charisma (but has Wisdom as the Save it is proficent in?), which stacks a little too well with other Cha-based classes. That said, if you run or play in an especially brutal game, these benefits aren't going to effect the balance too much, the PC will need them to survive while he micromanages the battlefield.

This class is not the Striker of a group, its very solidly Support just like the Marshal was back in 3rd. It gives extra attacks, bonuses to AC, damage, movement and saves, helps with skill checks, and at the highest levels bring allies back from the brink of death. It IS a fiddly class. A halfling warlord, with the Luck feat, and a focus on grappling will be an action-denial/redo machine, add spellcasting to the mix from multiclassing and I'd restrict it to only your most veteran of players.

The Stratagems are all very flavorful and mechanically appropriate, though rules language seems to suffer towards the end of the pdf in one or two instances, but not enough to confuse what its trying to do. Out of all the Stratagems, Hordemaster seemed the weakest to me, less about contolling a group and more about just making it faster. I was surprised it didn't give a bump to AC against opportunity attacks to its allies, only gave a bump to Athletics instead of that and Acrobatics (to escape from gapples with Str OR Dex), and there was no do X after X feet of movement. I'd have loved to have seen Hordemaster directing its own Horde, with minions like in 4th that do poor-average damage, but drop on a hit. You know, for those low (1-2) player count groups.

I really, really liked the Daring Gambler Stratagem, even if giving baddies a free opportunity attack on an ally would come as a nasty surprise for a Player unaware that you can do it. I hope to see more things to compliment this class, Backgrounds, Equipment, Tools and Weapons, Magic Items, Mounts and Sidekicks (from UA) would all be great.

Got suckered into buying this because it says Warlord on it, which used to be my favorite class, but this seems like it was written by my 11 year old cousin.

The class doesn't follow any standard class building rules or powerlevels whatsoever; A brief look at any legal class in comparison will show the blindingly obvious power difference between them. Until this is re-written or at least very heavily edited and toned down, this PDF is not worth your money unfortunately.

HELL YES.

The Warlord was easily my favorite character class in 4E. I loved the ability to be the master of support, giving tactical bonuses and niche effects while also being a potent healer. Sure, I could do some damage on my own, but my main benefit was making everyone else better. This meant that I needed to be hyper focused throughout the combat to make sure each of my bonuses were being used, movements were clear of my triggers, and healing occurred at the proper times. I was a bureaucracy of one. So I completely understood when the Warlord was not among the light-hearted 5E classes. Even so, I mourned my favorite class.

Then Rob Schwalb shows up like he's Santa Claus and I'm on the nice list.

This version of the Warlord is outstanding. It grants positive benefits in both active and passive ways, requiring tactical thinking and play, but without taking too much away from the cleanliness of 5E combat. Issuing Battlefield Commands at the start of combat adds minimal time to a moment when everyone is waiting for the DM to organize combat anyways. The Warlord only gets a few temporary hit points to throw around, which is fine, since healing works so differently in this edition. Attack Command is a fantastic ability, especially with Extra Attacks at higher levels, and high level Warlords overall seem like a ton of fun.

Also, coming right out of the gate with SIX class archetypes is fantastic. These Military Stratagems each give a unique feel to the class, though none of them stray too far from the theme of a tactician. The Daring Gambler has a very strong ability at 3rd level, granting a kind of Reckless Assault to nearby allies. The Golden General has a great ability to inspire troops to fight at their very best. But my favorite might be the Resourceful Leader, who can find success even when things are about to go wrong.

The Warlord is an incredible addition to 5E, allowing you to play like a tactical genius without needing to micro-manage your adventuring party. Go click the button and buy it right now!