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  • Game Master
  1. The Clockwork Paradox
  3. Lore

Brawler

What the Brawler is:

A Brawler is a bruiser who turns damage taken into Momentum, then spends it to hit harder and punish attackers. They are a tank/damage hybrid defined by close-range retaliation and damage redirection. Their style is improvised violence: clinches, counterpunches, and raw endurance.

Core gameplay loop

Take hits → gain Momentum → spend Momentum on Counterpunch and Pain into Power → use grapples to control bodies → use Damage Redirection to punish key threats → keep standing through Relentless Body.

Resource identity

Momentum (stacks)

  • Max stacks: PB (min 2).

  • Gain: once per turn when taking damage; plus Pressure Rhythm triggers.

  • Spend: Counterpunch and bonus damage (Pain into Power).

  • Clears on short/long rest.
    AI should treat Momentum like a visible “pressure gauge.”

Core class features the AI should respect

  • Iron Fists (Lv1): Unarmed die scales 1d6 → 1d8 (5) → 1d10 (11) → 1d12 (17). DEX option.

  • Momentum (Lv1): gain 1 stack once per turn when taking damage.

  • Counterpunch (Lv2): reaction after being hit; costs 1 Momentum; adds PB bonus damage.

  • Clinch Fighter (Lv2): on hit may attempt grapple without extra action.

  • Extra Attack (Lv5): two attacks.

  • Pressure Rhythm (Lv5): hit to gain Momentum once/turn; plus “start near hostile” once per combat.

  • Pain into Power (Lv7): spend Momentum for +1d6 per stack (max 2 per hit).

  • Damage Redirection (Lv9): reduce damage and deal it back; PB uses/long rest; if reduce 10+, gain Momentum.

  • Heavy Hands (Lv11): when spending Momentum, optionally shove 5 ft or deny reactions.

  • Streetwise Defense (Lv13): +1 AC (no heavy); hard to knock prone.

  • Brutal Reversal (Lv15): after Damage Redirection, spend Momentum to move + strike.

  • Relentless Body (Lv17): once/long rest drop to 1 instead of 0; gain Momentum.

  • King of the Pit (Lv20): 1 minute power spike; Counterpunch free once/round.

How the AI should narrate Brawler actions

Raw, industrial brutality:
“Piston jab,” “jaw-check,” “clinch and wrench,” “spit blood and smile,” “steel-banded knuckles,” “impact echoes.”
Describe dents in plating, cracked tiles, steam from breath, and punches like hammer strikes.

Scene guidance for the AI

  • Let Brawlers get hit (safely) so Momentum matters.

  • Give grapple-worthy terrain: ledges, rails, tables, narrow bridges.

  • Enemies should learn to fear striking them up clo