Common Abilities are not limited to a certain class. Sometimes they are shared by multiple classes, though they often may be trained as your character progresses (see Customizing Abilities). Each ability has a base level of benefit, but for some, advanced characteristics can be unlocked once your character's stats meet the prerequisites. Some abilities also have base level prerequisites, a minimum standard most characters have to meet before they can use the ability. If you are granted a common ability through your class, you automatically qualify for it and can ignore these prerequisites.
If you study your victim for 3 rounds and then make a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either stunning (level 2) or killing the target (your choice). While studying the victim, you can undertake other actions so long as your attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect you or recognize you as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Con save against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the stun effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds. If the victim's saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once you have completed the 3 rounds of study, you must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds. Creatures immune to sneak attacks, precision damage, or critical hits are immune to assassination attempts. The GM may rule other conditions may make an assassination attempt impossible, as well.
You gain advantage on rolls made to avoid the effects of traps, and on perception checks made to avoid being surprised by a foe.
You gain 2 free ranks for Constitution saves. The maximum number of ranks you can add to your Constitution save also increases by two (i.e. the new max is your character level + 2). You may also sleep in light or medium armor without penalty. When you regain hit points by resting or through magical healing, you recover additional hit points equal to half your Constitution modifier (minimum +1).
In combat, you may use your bonus action to move 10 feet. You can use fleet whether or not you've already moved. You also gain advantage on jump checks when you have a running start first.
As a trained leader, you have experience organizing group combat, even among teams who haven't trained to work together. When you gain this ability, pick one team tactic without prerequisites (see teams). As a standard action, you can impart this tactic to all allies within 30 feet of you, provided they can see and hear you. Your makeshift team can use this bonus for a number of rounds equal to your charisma bonus.
Your daily meditation gives you preternatural control over your body. To gain this benefit, you must meditate for at least 1 hour after a long rest. The meditation effects last until the end of your next long rest. During this time, you need only half as much food to avoid starvation, half as much water to avoid dehydration, and half as much sleep to heal injuries, avoid fatigue, and prepare spells. Before the next long rest, you also gain one advantage roll that you can apply to any d20 roll. You can decide to use advantage after the first roll is made, but you must do so before the results of the roll are determined.
You can stealth in plain sight, even while being observed, as long as you are within 10 feet of some sort of shadow (not your own). In addition, you gain darkvision 60. Once per day, you can use shadows to weave a visual illusion similar to the image spell (level 1).
You can teleport to a nearby space as a movement action as if casting Misty Step. You must be able to see the space that you are moving to, and it must be within 30 feet. You cannot take other creatures with you when you teleport, except for familiars. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity. You can use shift twice per short rest.
Pick one skill or knowledge. When making checks, treat any roll of 9 or lower as a 10. You can take this ability multiple times, selecting a new skill each time.
Squires are young nobles who are apprenticed to be a knight. It is your responsibility to train, lead, and protect your squire as you help him or her grow into this role. Generally, your squire will follow your commands, though your GM may roleplay the squire's own needs, beliefs, and personality, which may make this interaction more complex.
Squires have the stats and proficiencies of a level 1 fighter though they have none of the fighter's abilities. As low-level fighters, they are still learning basic combat skills, so they avoid direct combat unless you order them to fight. Otherwise, they generally fill a supporting role, much like familiars.
Squires are always under your protection. As long as they are adjacent to you, they use your saving throws. While adjacent, you may also choose to soak up all but 1 hit point of damage inflicted on them, taking the damage yourself instead.
If your squire dies or is released from service (usually because they are ready to be knighted), you may contact your order to find a new candidate in a city or large town. This usually takes about two or three days. If your squire is killed due to negligence or an act contrary to the tenants of your order, you may be required to atone for your actions before being able to acquire another squire.
Squires start with three squire techniques that they know. When you acquire new technique slots (or a fighter's focus technique slots), you may use them to acquire a new technique for your squire instead of yourself. If you later get a new squire, they start with three free techniques plus any slots you've elected for squire techniques. You may choose all new techniques with your new squire.
You are able to move at normal speed while using the Track skill. You still make checks at disadvantage when tracking at twice your normal speed.
You gain +1 hit points per character level.
You react to danger before your senses would normally allow you to do so. You cannot be caught flat-footed unless physically immobilized. You are immune to precision damage (such as sneak attack) or any effect triggered by being flanked in combat.
You can use Animal checks on wild animals, not just domestic ones. This allows you to first improve the attitude of an animal, or eventually train them. To improve the attitude of an animal, you make an Animal check, just like you would make a Persuasion check with a humanoid. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, you must be able to study the animal, which means you must be within 30 feet of the animal under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. You can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but you make your Animal check at disadvantage.
You get advantage on all Strength saving throws.
You get advantage on all Dexterity saving throws.
You get advantage on all Constitution saving throws.
You get advantage on all Intelligence saving throws.
You get advantage on all Wisdom saving throws.
You get advantage on all Charisma saving throws.
In melee, you get +3 on vision-based cover rolls and are not flat footed against invisible creatures. You are also able to move at full speed while blinded.
You are trained to adjust certain aspects of melee combat to improve others. Before you make any attack rolls on your turn, select one of the following adjustments below. For each, you choose a penalty on one roll and add that as a bonus on another. Penalties/bonuses apply to all attacks and last until the start of your next turn. The penalty you select may not be greater than 5 or your combat proficiency bonus, whichever is lower. This ability only works on melee attacks made with weapons, not natural or spell attacks.
You get a number of reactions in a round equal to your Dexterity bonus. This includes Attacks of Opportunity. You still many only use one reaction per event that provokes it. So, you may only use one Attack of Opportunity against a creature leaving your threat range. Though if you have more reactions, you may attack a separate creature that also leaves your range, or also cast a spell as a reaction. This ability also allows you to use reactions while flat-footed if surprised.
You can perform a bewildering show of prowess as a full-round action. This allows you to make Intimidation checks against multiple opponents instead of just one. Make one check and apply it to all foes within 30 feet who can see your display. When you finish off a foe who is at least half your character level or above, you can spend a bonus action to intimidate a crowd with your Dazzling Display. Intimidation checks made by Dazzling Display last a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Charisma bonus.
If you make a successful Dex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, you instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if wearing light armor or no armor.
You have learned to enhance an item you are holding or wearing by imbuing it with arcane power. When you imbue your item, it takes on a supernaturally enhanced quality, making it function as +1 masterwork item, even if it is ordinary. Doing so takes a bonus action and the effect lasts until the start of your next turn. This enhancement doesn't stack if the item is already of masterwork quality. If you imbue a ranged weapon, the ammunition it shoots is enchanted once fired. As you progress, you gain enhancement points which can be used to further imbue your items. You gain one enhancement point at level 5, and 1 more every 5 levels afterward. Each enhancement point can be used to add another +1 to the masterwork quality of your imbued item. These points are not expended when used, but always ready to be used whenever you imbue your weapon.
The damage from your unarmed attacks deals 1d6 rather than 1d4 damage. Like all unarmed strikes, yours count as natural weapons. When making a full attack, you get two unarmed strikes, each made at your full attack bonus. Whenever you gain an extra attack, you also gain an extra unarmed attack, each made at a full attack bonus.
Choose one type of weapon group. When using a weapon from that group, your critical range is increased by one (i.e. weapons that score a critical on a 20 now do so on a 19 or 20, and weapons that score on 19-20 now do so on an 18-20).
You can use your Level + Strength Bonus instead of your Athletics score when making all grappling checks. These checks still count as skill checks. Furthermore, while dominated in a grapple, you may attempt to escape the grapple entirely, without first returning to a neutral grapple.
You always get a +4 competence bonus on initiative checks. In addition, you may reroll initiative at the beginning of a round, though you must take the results of the new roll, even if worse. You may use this reroll ability a number of times per encounter equal to your Dexterity modifier.
Opponents making attacks of opportunity against you do so at disadvantage.
When you adopt a defensive stance as a free action, you gain phenomenal strength and durability, but you cannot move from the spot you are defending. As long as you don't move, you gain
If you move from your defensive stance, you not only lose these benefits, but incur the opposite for 2 rounds (-4 dodge bonus to AC, disadvantage on strength check, disadvantage on constitution checks, disadvantage on grapple checks, and disfavor on attacks).
Increase the AC bonus granted by any shield you are using by 1. While using a shield, you gain advantage on Dex saves against area of effect attacks.
You must declare that you are using this technique before you make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Stunning Fist forces a foe damaged by your unarmed attack to make a Constitution saving throw against your DC, in addition to dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is stunned (level 1) for 1 round (until just before your next action). You may attempt a stunning attack once per day for every four levels you have attained, and no more than once per round. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be stunned. If you have learned multiple techniques that enhance stunning fist, only one may be used with stunning fist at a time.
You are trained in unarmored combat and are able to use your keen judgment or brute strength to augment your defense. When you acquire this ability, select either Wisdom or Constitution. Thereafter, when you are not wearing armor, you gain natural armor AC equal to your chosen ability bonus. This does not negate any dodge bonuses you already gain from your Dexterity.
Your weapon increment ranges are all increased by 25%.
You can shoot or throw ranged weapons with enough precision to avoid physical cover obscuring your target. You gain a +3 bonus on cover checks when the cover is mostly physical protection.
You may make attacks of opportunity with a ranged weapon. You threaten squares within 5 feet of you. You also don't make ranged attacks at disadvantage anymore when your opponent is 5 feet away.
Your ability to perform fundamental tasks related to your magical abilities is extra efficient. You know two extra cantrips. When preparing known spells or learning new spells, you halve the time necessary to do so. If using a spellbook, you also take half the required space to record the spell. Spellbook casters may also prepare a number of spells equal to your intelligence modifier without referring to it.
When casting dispel magic, you only use a spell slot if you are successful. Failed spell attack rolls do not use spell slots.
You may now counterspell as a reaction, instead of having to ready a spell. You may also use a spell from the same school being cast, provided it is at least one level higher than the target spell. You also gain +2 on your normal opposed spell attack checks made when using Dispel Magic.
Normal: Usually, you may only counterspell as a reaction with Dispel Magic. Otherwise, you have to ready a counterspell action and cast the same spell back at them to counter.
You get advantage on spell attacks made to overcome spell resistance.