Mtembe Jabali
Mtembe Jabali
Sheet
AC 16 · HP 94 · 35 ft.Saving throws
Skills
- AcrobaticsDEX
- Animal HandlingWIS
- AthleticsSTR
- HistoryINT
- InsightWIS
- IntimidationCHA
- PerceptionWIS
- SurvivalWIS
Armor
Weapons
Tools
Languages
Features
29 featuresAction
- Extra AttackLevel 5
You can attack twice instead of once whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
- Tactical MasterLevel 9
When you take the Attack action on your turn and attack with a weapon that has a mastery property, you can use a different mastery property from the same weapon during that turn, provided you have the required weapon mastery.
Bonus action
- Second WindLevel 1
You have a limited well of physical and mental stamina that you can draw on. You can expend uses to regain hit points, take the Dash action as a Bonus Action, or stand from the Prone condition as a Bonus Action. You have three uses, regained after a Short or Long Rest. When you regain hit points with this feature, you regain 1d10 plus 10 hit points.
- Large FormGoliathStarting at level 5, Mtembe can become Large for 10 minutes as a Bonus Action, if there is enough room. While Large, he has Advantage on Strength checks and his Speed increases by 10 feet.
Reaction
- Riposte
When When a creature misses you with a melee attack
When a creature misses you with a melee attack, use your Reaction to make a melee weapon attack against it and add a Superiority Die to the damage if it hits.
- Parry
When When a creature hits you with a melee attack
Use your Reaction to reduce the damage of a melee attack by the roll of a Superiority Die plus your Dexterity modifier.
- Giant AncestryGoliathChoose one giant-related supernatural benefit, such as Cloud's Jaunt, Fire's Burn, Hill's Tumble, Stone's Endurance, Storm's Thunder, or Frost's Chill. Mtembe chose Stone's Endurance, allowing him to use a Reaction to reduce incoming damage by 1d12 plus his Constitution modifier, a number of times equal to his proficiency bonus per Long Rest.
Always on
- Precision Attack
When After making a weapon attack roll
Add a Superiority Die to the attack roll after seeing the roll but before knowing whether it hits.
- Menacing Attack
When When you hit with a weapon attack
Add a Superiority Die to the damage roll and force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw or become Frightened until the end of your next turn.
- Sweeping Attack
When When you hit with a melee weapon attack
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, expend a die to damage another creature within your weapon's reach and adjacent to the original target.
- Pushing Attack
When When you hit with a weapon attack
When you hit with a weapon attack, add a Superiority Die to the damage and push the target up to 15 feet away if it fails a Strength saving throw.
- Disarming Attack
When When you hit with a weapon attack
When you hit with a weapon attack, add a Superiority Die to the damage and force the target to drop one held object if it fails a Strength saving throw.
- Fighting Style: Great Weapon FightingLevel 1
Choose the Great Weapon Fighting style. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack made with a Melee weapon that has the Two-Handed or Versatile property, you can reroll the die, and you must use the new roll. You can use this benefit only once per die.
- Weapon MasteryLevel 1
You gain mastery with six weapons of your choice. You can use the mastery properties of those weapons. Chosen weapons include the greatsword, longsword, maul, handaxe, javelin, and heavy crossbow.
- Action SurgeLevel 2
You can take one additional action on your turn, except a Magic action. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until a Short or Long Rest. Beginning at level 5, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on a turn.
- Tactical MindLevel 2
When you fail an ability check using one of the skills you have proficiency in, you can expend one use of Second Wind to add 1d10 to the check, potentially turning the failure into a success.
- Battle Master: Combat SuperiorityLevel 3
You learn Combat Superiority maneuvers and gain four d8 Superiority Dice. You regain all expended dice after a Short or Long Rest. Your Battle Master maneuvers include Precision Attack, Menacing Attack, Riposte, Sweeping Attack, Pushing Attack, Disarming Attack, and Parry.
- Battle Master: Student of WarLevel 3
When you finish a Short or Long Rest, you can choose three different skills or tools. You gain proficiency in them until you use this feature again.
- Ability Score ImprovementLevel 4
You gain the Great Weapon Master feat.
- Tactical ShiftLevel 5
Immediately after you use Second Wind, you can move up to half your Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
- Ability Score ImprovementLevel 6
You gain the Resilient feat, choosing Constitution. Your Constitution score increases by 1, and you gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.
- Battle Master: Improved Combat SuperiorityLevel 7
You learn two additional Battle Master maneuvers and gain two additional Superiority Dice, which are d10s. You now have six Superiority Dice.
- Ability Score ImprovementLevel 8
You gain the Polearm Master feat. Although Mtembe usually fights with his father's greatsword, this training represents his mastery of reach weapons and battlefield spacing.
- IndomitableLevel 9
You can reroll a failed saving throw. If you do so, you must use the new roll. You can use this feature once and regain the ability after a Long Rest. You can use it twice between Long Rests starting at level 13.
- Battle Master: Additional ManeuversLevel 10
You learn two additional Battle Master maneuvers. Your Superiority Dice are d10s, and you have six of them.
- Creature TypeGoliathHumanoid.
- SpeedGoliath35 feet.
- Powerful BuildGoliathMtembe counts as one Size larger when determining carrying capacity and the amount he can push, drag, or lift.
- Military RankSoldier
You retain your military rank and can invoke the authority of your former service to influence soldiers and other members of military organizations. You can usually secure simple lodging, food, or aid from sympathetic military personnel, though they will not risk their lives or violate orders for you.
Gear
14 itemsWeapons
- Ndele ya Mvua, GreatswordThe family greatsword, carried in a reinforced back scabbard. It is a mundane greatsword with exceptional sentimental value and elemental engravings.
- FlailA military sidearm used for close fighting and ceremonial challenges.
- Heavy CrossbowA ranged weapon and twenty bolts for situations where reaching an enemy is impossible.
- ShortbowA shortbow and twenty arrows issued during military service.
Armor
- Chain MailHeavy armor of linked steel rings. It sets Mtembe's base Armor Class to 16.
Tools
- Gaming SetA set of carved knucklebones used for gambling and reading the mood of a camp.
Gear
- 20×Crossbow BoltsAmmunition for the heavy crossbow.
- Dungeoneer's PackA sturdy pack containing supplies for long marches, including a bedroll, mess kit, tinderbox, torches, rations, waterskin, and rope.
- 20×ArrowsAmmunition for the shortbow.
- Military InsigniaA token of rank from Mtembe's former military unit, useful for identifying him to soldiers and veterans.
- Trophy from a Fallen FoeA fragment of a broken enemy banner, folded inside oilcloth.
- Traveler's ClothesA common set of traveler's clothes, altered repeatedly to fit Mtembe's unusual height.
- Belt PouchPurse containing the remainder of Mtembe's starting wages.
Purse
- 10×Gold PiecesStarting currency from the Soldier background.
Appearance
Mtembe is an extraordinarily tall goliath, standing nearly eight feet and two inches, with a long-backed, powerful frame built for carrying weight over impossible distances. His skin is deep slate-gray, marked with pale geometric birth patterns across his shoulders and forearms. His black hair is worn in a thick, carefully maintained braid threaded with small brass rings, each ring representing a place where he survived a battle or difficult journey. He wears well-fitted chain mail beneath a dark blue soldier's coat that has been repeatedly repaired at the elbows. His greatsword is noticeably overlarge even for him, its broad steel blade etched with shifting symbols of flame, wind, stone, frost, and thunder. The sword is not visibly magical at rest, but its edge sometimes gathers a faint elemental shimmer when Mtembe grips the hilt. Before speaking, he usually takes one slow breath through his nose, as though making room for his voice, which is surprisingly soft and measured for someone of his size.
Mannerisms
Mtembe pauses and takes a deliberate breath before answering difficult questions. He crouches slightly when speaking to shorter people, not from submission but from consideration. When irritated, he silently straightens objects on nearby tables until they form an exact line.
Personality
Mtembe is deliberate, courteous, and intensely practical. He listens longer than most people expect, then offers a short answer that is usually more perceptive than it sounds. He has a dry sense of humor and treats cooking, equipment repair, and camp organization as serious arts. He dislikes boasting, but he quietly notices every exit, loose stone, and nervous hand in the room.
Ideals
Strength is a shelter, not a throne. The strong should make danger smaller for everyone standing near them.
Bonds
The greatsword Ndele ya Mvua belongs to my family, but I am only its current keeper. I will return it to my father's people or discover the truth of its elemental forging before I die.
Flaws
I assume that if I do not personally take responsibility for a problem, someone weaker will suffer for it. This makes me easy to manipulate and leaves me exhausted, resentful, and unwilling to admit that I need help.
Quirks
Background
Mtembe was born among the highland goliaths of the Kivuli Escarpment, where children learn early that height is not the same thing as strength. He was taller than every other child in his clan, but he was also patient, observant, and unusually reluctant to solve disagreements with violence. His father, Jabali, served as a caravan guard and sword-bearer for generations of traders. When Mtembe came of age, Jabali gave him the family greatsword, a weapon called Ndele ya Mvua, the Rain-Splitter. According to the old story, the sword was forged where five primordial forces met beneath a mountain, and each force left a temper in the steel. Jabali never explained whether the story was literal. He only told Mtembe that the sword would reveal its purpose when its bearer learned to carry more than his own anger.
“He was taller than every other child in his clan, but he was also patient, observant, and unusually reluctant to solve disagreements with violence.”
- Background
- Soldier
Connections
Species
Goliath
Media
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