Death's Vassal 5e Class

# Death's Vassal

##### A 5e class by platinumsketch

##### This class is a heavy work in progress, and is not in playable condition. For some reason it will not remove itself from the g, search even though it is no longer published.

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## Death's Vassal
A large man stands clad plate so thick you can't make out his race. As he slowly comes towards his target, an elvish man looking to be well over 800, his target jumps into a river. Not skipping a beat, the man walks into the water, weighed down by his plate, and gives chase to the elvish man. When the elvish leaps up for air, the armored man closes in, revealing a ghastly face that horrifies and stuns the elf just long enough for him to get close and swiftly end him.

Covered in clerical garb, an old human woman walks out into the undisturbed graveyard, alone except for the few crows squawking on occasion. As she tends to the stones and the sight, an undead rounds a corner which she could not see past. Yet as he nears, she simply speaks to him, telling him to go lay back down, their rest is not over.

A tiefling woman, young and spry, bounds about on the cliff face along a mountain ridge. Having heard tales of some hidden library, she set out to here, slowly scaling the cliff face. As she nears the top she sees nothing, yet does not give up. Instead she focuses on the place, and sees into the past, time reversing around herself. Seeing the entrance, she snaps back to reality, and moves towards the well hidden opening.
### Harvester of Soul and Body
Much as death itself, Death's Vassal harvest the souls of their foes, much as their bodies. Yet to what end is up to each Vassal, as a Vindicator may simply utilize their form to replenish their own, allowing them to better chase their next target. Meanwhile a Herald or Sage may use it to gin knowledge or amass a small force.
### Living or Undead
Though in the early stages of servitude a Vassal might seem more so human, the transformation to undeath leads to superior power. As such, those who have served death for many years often become undead in some way.
### Creating a Death's Vassal
While making your Death's Vassal, spend some time thinking about the character and how they gained their power. Did they die and make a pact with death, agreeing to return as its servant? Or did they seek out the power in an attempt to become immortal? Does this act like a burden placed upon them, something that weighs heavily on their consciousness? Perhaps they use their power without consideration for others, raising the long dead back into a servitude which they finished long ago?

Work with your DM to figure out how exactly death communicates with you. MAybe its through dreams? Or perhaps a direct courier, some undead beast that drops letters off to you?
#### Quick Build
You can make a Death's Vassal quickly by following these steps. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest score, followed by Constitution. If you want to become a Herald then you should make Wisdom your second highest score. Second, choose the acolyte background. Third, choose the *Absorb Life* and *Requisition to Death* Aspects.

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##### Death's Vassal
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|:---:|:---:|:---:|
| 1st | +2 | Aspect of Death, Invoke the Reaper |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style |
| 3rd | +2 | Instruction |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Increase |
| 5th | +3 | Aspect of Death (2), Extra Attack |
| 6th | +3 | Ability Score Increase |
| 7th | +3 | Instruction feature |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Increase |
| 9th | +4 | Aspect of Death (3) |
| 10th | +4 | Instruction feature |
| 11th | +4 | Extra Attack (2) |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Increase |
| 13th | +5 | Aspect of Death (4) |
| 14th | +5 | Ability Score Increase |
| 15th | +5 | Instruction feature |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Increase |
| 17th | +6 | Aspect of Death (5) |
| 18th | +6 | Instruction feature |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Increase |
| 20th | +6 | Death's Champion |

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## Class Features
As Death's Vassal, you gain the following class features

#### Hit Points
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- **Hit Dice:** 1d10 per Death's Vassal level
- **Hit Points at 1st Level:** 10+Constitution modifier
- **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 6 (1d10)+Constitution modifier

#### Proficiencies
___
- **Armor:** light armor, medium armor
- **Weapons:** simple weapons, martial weapons
- **Tools:** none

___
- **Saving Throws:** Strength, Wisdom
- **Skills:** Choose two from Athletics, Intimidation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion, and Survival.

#### Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- *(a)* chain shirt or *(b)* studded leather
- *(a)* a martial weapon or *(b)* longbow and 20 arrows
- *(a)* two handaxes or *(b)* any simple weapon
- *(a)* an Explorer's Pack or *(b)* Priest's Pack

### Aspect of Death
When you choose this class at 1st level, you begin to slowly embody death. You learn two Aspects of Death, and will learn one additional Aspect at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level. These Aspects give your character some sort of benefit, often passive, which causes your character to become more like death. After gaining 3 Aspects, you gain the Undead typing. After gaining 5 Aspects you lose the Humanoid typing, becoming purely undead.

### Invoke the Reaper
When you choose this class at 1st level, you gain the ability to call upon death itself to aid you. You gain the following effect, and other effects from the Instruction you choose. These effects may only be used a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).

***Claim to Souls.*** You target a creature within 30 feet of you. As an action, you launch a weakened form of death itself at this creature, forcing it to make a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier Slashing + 1d6 Necrotic damage, with half damage on a success. The Necrotic and Slashing damage of this effect increases by 1d6 at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. The DC for this effect is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.

### Fighting Styles
At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't choose the same Fighting Style option twice, even if you later get to choose again.

#### Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

#### Defense
While wearing armor, you gain a +1 benefit to AC.

#### Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage with that weapon.

#### Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die with a weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new result, even if the roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

#### Protection
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use you reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

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### Instruction
At 3rd level, the demands and knowledge death places upon you becomes evident. Choose an instruction, for which you will gain features for at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 11th, 15th, and 18th level.

### Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase on ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 by this method.

### Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, when you take the Attack action on your turn.

The number of increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class.

### Death's Champion
At 20th level, you can assume the form of death itself. Using your action, you can gain the following benefits for the next minute:
* You become immune to necrotic damage, and take half damage from all other non magical sources.
* You can attack four times when you take the attack action instead of just three.
* If you are to die or fall unconscious, it will not occur until this form ends.
* You gain a fly speed of 30 feet.
* You can pass through solid objects, so long as you wouldn't end your turn in them.

## Instruction
As you use your life to aid death, you slowly become closer and closer to it, until the point you can hear it. This is the point in which you gain your Instructions, that is, the way in which you should carry out death. Some are told to become Heralds, summoners of the dead and determiners of fate. Others are told to be Sages, those who master body and mind to to teach the world about death, and others still are told to be Vindicators. These are the few are told to unrelentingly hunt down death's enemies.

### Instruction of the Herald
Herald's are practitioners of magics, and use such to aid death. OFten they do so by summoning forth the dead to aid them, making armies of death's domain.

#### Spell Casting
Once you choose this Instruction at 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast spells given to you by your worship of death.

#### Cantrips
You know 2 cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. You learn additional cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Herald Magic table.

#### Spell Slots
The Herald Magic table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these cleric spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all spell slots when you finish a long rest.

#### Preparing Spells
You can prepare a set amount of cleric spells, which is equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your Death's Vassal level (minimum of 1). You can change the spells you have prepared over the course of a long rest.

#### Spell Casting Ability
Wisdom is the spellcasting ability for your cleric spells. Your magics come from an understanding of and ability to commune with spirits. You use your Wisdom whenever a cleric spell refers to your spellcasting ability.

<div style='margin-top:20px'></div>
 
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 <center> 
 
 **Spell Save DC** </font> = <font face='scalysans' size=''> 8 + your proficiency bonus + 
 
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 <div style='margin-top:-8px'></div>
 
 <center> your Wisdom modifier </center>
 
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 **Spell attack modifier** </font> = <font face='scalysans' size=''> your proficiency bonus + 
 
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 <div style='margin-top:-8px'></div>
 
 <center> your Wisdom modifier </center>
 
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#### Ritual Casting
You can cast a cleric spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have it prepared.

#### Herald's Invocations
Once you choose this Instruction at 3rd level, you gain the following Invocations.

***Implore the Dead.*** You call a creature to aid you in battle. You can summon upon a number of undead creatures with a combined CR equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded down. These creatures will stay summoned for 1 minute, or until they drop to 0 hit points, whichever comes first.

***Lay to Rest.*** Much as you can call the dead to aid you, so can you lay them back to rest. You can select a single undead within 60 feet of you, instantly killing and disintegrating it. This undead must have a CR no higher than half your proficiency bonus rounding down.

#### Turn the Faithless
At 7th level, you can force back those who would seek to halt death. Once per short or long rest, you can use your action to select a number of creatures equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) within 30 feet of you that can see or hear you. These creatures must make a Wisdom save against your spell save DC or become frightened of you for the next minute, rerolling the save at the end of each of their turns.

#### Determine their Fate
By 10th level, death will allow you to sway a creature's fate if for a short time. When you kill a creature, you can choose to either instantly raise it as a zombie or skeleton using your next bonus action, or you can choose to siphon some of its soul, healing yourself a number equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). You may utilize either of these effects a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).

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##### Herald Spell Chart
<div style='column-count:2'>

| Level  | Cantrips Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th
|:---:|:-----------:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
|  3rd  | 2 | 2 | __ | __ | __ | 
|  4th  | 2 | 3 | __ | __ | __ | 
|  5th  | 2 | 3 | __ | __ | __ | 
|  6th  | 2 | 3 | __ | __ | __ | 
|  7th  | 2 | 4 | 2 | __ | __ | 
|  8h  | 2 | 4 | 2 | __ | __ | 
|  9th  | 2 | 4 | 2 | __ | __ | 
|  10th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | __ | __ | 
|  11th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | __ | __ | 
|  12th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | __ | __ | 
|  13th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | __ | 
|  14th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | __ | 
|  15th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | __ | 
|  16th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | __ | 
|  17th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | __ | 
|  18th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | __ | 
|  19th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 
|  20th  | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 
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#### Speak to the Restless
When you reach 15th level, you can speak to that which dead. You can talk with undead creatures, even if they can not speak. Additionally, you can cast *Speak with Dead* without expending a spell slot once per short rest.

#### Service of the Loyal
Stating at 18th level, you can summon undead nearly at will. You can cast *Animate Dead* without expending a spell slot a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) + your proficiency bonus. Additionally, you can have a number of undead equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) not decay, and instead stay under your control without rot until they die.

### Instruction of the Sage
Masters of mind and body, Sages travel the world learning of it and teaching it both of death and their way of causing it.

#### Ancestor's Teachings
Once you choose this Instruction at 3rd level, you learn how to utilize your body itself as a weapon. When you use unarmed strikes, you deal 1d4 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier damage. This damage increases to a 1d6 at 5th level, 1d8 at 9th level, 1d10 at 13th level, and 1d12 at 17th level.

#### Sage's Invocations
Once you choose this Instruction at 3rd level, you gain the following Invocations.

***Hand of Death.*** You can infuse your strikes with eternal pain. When making an unarmed strike, you can choose to use this Invocation, though you must do so before it is declared whether or not this attack hits. This causes one unarmed strike to deal an additional die of its damage, the damage done with which is necrotic. You heal a number equal to the necrotic damage dealt, and roll an additional die of necrotic damage if you rolled the maximum number on the damage die.

***Thousand Years Knowledge.*** You can reach into your ancestor's memories and knowledge, momentarily learning something. You gain proficiency in a number of skills, tools, vehicles, or gaming sets equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1)for the next hour.

#### Unerring Strikes
At 7th level, you can utilize your knowledge to further enhance your attacks. When you make an unarmed strike, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the damage. You may do this once per turn. Additionally, your unarmed strikes are magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances.

#### Evasion
Beginning at 10th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area of effect, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or an *ice storm* spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to only take half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

#### Ancestor's Sight
Starting at 15th level, you can search the past to learn of something. By meditating upon an object or location for an hour, you learn the major points of the history of the object up to 25 times your level in years ago. The larger the area or item is, the less specific it becomes. Additionally, you use this knowledge of the past as foresight, learning from your mistakes. You may reroll one attack, saving throw or skill check per day. This reroll ignores disadvantage as well as advantage.

#### Pure Knowledge
By 18th level, you have learned much of the world. You add half your proficiency bonus to all checks and saving throws made that you are not proficient in. Additionally, when you use *Thousand Years Knowledge* you have the chosen proficiencies until you utilize the Invocation again.

### Instruction of the Vindicator
Unstoppable, unrelenting, and unyielding, the Vindicators are the few elite guards and champions of death, bringing destruction upon its foes.

#### Master Combatant
Once you choose this Instruction at 3rd level, you learn of more martial combat. You gain proficiency with heavy armor and shields, as well as two additional skills of your choice.

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#### Vindicator's Invocations
Once you choose this Instruction at 3rd level, you gain the following Invocations.

***Death's Blade.*** You can strike harder with the aid of the reaper. When you make a weapon attack, before it is declared whether or not the attack hits, you may choose to add 1d8 Necrotic damage to the hit. You may expend several uses of Invoke the Reaper to further increase the damage by 1d8 Necrotic damage per use. Additionally, you heal a number equal to half the Necrotic damage dealt.

***Undying Form.*** You can create sutures to stitch your body back together even after you've taken fatal wounds. As a bonus action, you heal an amount equal to your Death's Vassal level.

#### Hasten Death
By 7th level, you can further hasten the end of your foes. When you attack a creature, you deal an additional 1d4 Necrotic damage on hit.

#### Unstoppable Demise
Starting at 10th level, your form becomes even more indestructible. You take half damage from non magical damage, and always take half damage from one damage type of your choosing.

#### Reaching End
When you reach 15th level, your form adapts to allow you to catch any foe. You ignore difficult terrain, and gain a climbing, flying, and swimming speed of 20 feet.

#### Death is No End
At 18th level, you can attack even past death. If you drop to 0 hitpoints or are to be outright killed, you can instead choose to delay death or falling unconscious until the end of your next turn. You may do this once per long rest.

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## Aspects
The following are the Aspects of Death, which are listed in alphabetical order.

***Absorb Life.*** When you utilize *Claim to Souls*, you absorb some of the life essence from the creature you hit. You heal an amount equal to half the Necrotic damage dealt (rounding down), or double that amount if this kills the targeted creature.

***Allies in Death.*** You can change your now dead enemies into allies. When you kill a creature, you may use your bonus action to bring them back as an undead of CR 1/4 or lower. These undead last for the next minute, after which the magic that was imbued within them falters and fades.

***Ashen Corpse.*** The flames of hell could no longer scorch the skin on your body alone. You become resistant to Fire damage, and learn the *Firebolt* cantrip if you did not know it already.

***Cold Death.*** Death imbues you with a cold hate for your enemies. You become resistant to Cold damage and learn the *Ray of Frost* cantrip if you did not know it already. This cantrip uses your Wisdom modifier.

***Dark Stalker.*** You can meld with the shadows around you. While in total darkness, you can hide or dash as a bonus action, and add double your proficiency bonus to stealth.

***Dead Walking.*** Your body seems to be no longer living, and is thus no longer effected by poison. You become immune to the Poisoned condition and Poison damage.

***Dooming Onslaught.*** Your assaults are unending, though the slight decay of body causes those final attacks to be weakened. You may make an attack as a bonus action on your turn, though this attack deals half damage.

***Eyes of the Damned.*** Your sight is of that beyond your body and the graze. You have 60 feet of darkvision, and can see into the ethereal plane if you so choose to.

***Find the Path.*** Your movement remains unhindered. You gain a fly, climbing, and swim speed of 10 feet, and ignore non magical difficult terrain.

***Horrid Sight.*** The sight of your partially undead form causes others to run in terror. You can cast *Fear* once per long rest without expending a spell slot, the DC for which is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).

***Requisition to Death.*** Your connection to death has grown ever stronger. You can use Invoke the Reaper one additional time per long rest. Additionally, half the uses of Invoke the Reaper (rounding down) are restored upon a short rest.

***Shadow's Form.*** Your body takes on a slightly ethereal manner. You can now squeeze through cracks and spaces that are wider than an inch, and may move through objects and creatures. If you end your turn in the space of an object or creature however, you take 5 (1d10) force damage at the start of your next turn.

***Shield from Necrosis.*** Your body becomes resistant to death and decay. You gain resistance to Necrotic damage.

***Siphon Life.*** The rotting essence which so consumes you is now imbued into your attacks. You deal an additional 1d4 Necrotic damage on one ability or attack that deals damage per turn. You heal an amount equal to the damage rolled. You may decide to use this before the attack's success is declared.

***Undying Eternal.*** You no longer age. Additionally, you do not need food, drink, or sleep.

***Without Fear.*** Your undead form holds little fear for the light that might pursue it. You have advantage on saving throws against effects that turn undead.

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## Multiclassing
As with most homebrew, multiclassing can cause unexpected results. The following are rules on how to do so, though do so at your own risk.

### Prerequisites
To qualify for your new class, you must meet both the prerequisites for your new class, shown in the Prerequisites table, and the prerequisites of your current class.

##### Prerequisites

### Proficiencies
When you gain a level in a class other than your first, you only gain some of that class's starting proficiencies, as shown in the Multiclassing Proficiencies table.

##### Multiclassing Porficiencies

## Credits
**Author:** u/platinumsketch
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