The Godkiller
Beaten, bloodied, and surrounded by the corpses of a hundred dragons, a half-orc woman looks up at the sky towards the glowing behemoth above her. She smiles as two pairs of wings sprout from her back and she launches herself at the King of Dragons.
Standing adamant and steadfast, a towering goliath uses his own body as a shield, taking the onslaught of blades and chains as he and his companions retreat from the anger of a Demonic Prince. Yet, for each strike he takes, his own essence lashes out to deliver punishment twofold. A battle of attrition with little hope of success. Good odds for the goliath.
Floating high above the world, surrounded by a torrent of rain and living storms, a single figure holds out their hands as their eyes glow a bright blue. Electricity begins to crackle around them, energy flowing through them, before the sky cracks and the world is deafened.
These people are one in the same, yet different in every way. From all creeds and cultures, from all species and peoples, there have always been legends of those born with the blood of Gods in their veins. Demigods to enact the will of those that created them. Then there are those born with a mission, wrongfully scorned, or simply wishing to be greater than those who created them. These people are feared by all, even the Gods themselves. These people are known as the Godkillers.
Born Crusaders
Godkillers can be either born or created, either through circumstance or through action. Yet, all Godkillers have one thing in common: Hatred. The hatred they harbor for the Gods is palpable, no matter what form they or their prey take. Their quarry is powerful, so a Godkiller must spend almost every waking moment training and preparing their final encounter.
Mad Hunters
Folks say that a person had to be mad to declare war on the Gods, but those who see Godkillers in action know this to be a fact. All Godkillers have been driven to a certain degree of madness by their hatred of the Gods and they use this hate as both armor and weapon. The energy they gain from it is powerful and intoxicating, the only thing that can truly kill a God.
Creating a Godkiller
Remember that Godkillers are either born or created through chance or hatred born of an event. If your Godkiller was born as they were, what may have happened to their family in the past to cause it? Was it a blood curse or perhaps the fury of long-dead ancestors? If they were created, what happened to make you hate the Gods? Which God was it that made you what you are?
Quick Build
You can make a Godkiller quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score as Charisma, followed by Strength or Dexterity. Second, choose the Haunted One or Outlander background.
Class Features
As a Godkiller, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per Godkiller level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Godkiller level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: All armor, shields
- Weapons: Simple weapons, Martial weapons
- Tools: None
- Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
- Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Athletics, Arcana, History, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Religion, Stealth, Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) chain mail or (b) leather armor, longbow, and 20 arrows
- (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
- a spellcasting focus and a journal, quill, and one inkwell
Godkiller
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Vital Essence | Features | Cantrips Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | ─ | Supernatural Senses | ─ | ─ | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | ─ | Godkiller Specialty, Spellcasting | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | 6 | Fighting Style, Font of Essence | 2 | 3 | ─ | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | 8 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | 3 | ─ | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | 10 | Extra Attack | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | 12 | Specialty Feature | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | 14 | Planar Eviction | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | 16 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | 18 | ─ | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | 20 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | 22 | Heightened Fortitude | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | 24 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | 26 | Specialty Feature | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 14th | +5 | 28 | ─ | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | 30 | Unearthly Vitality | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 16th | +5 | 32 | Ability Score Improvement, Specialty Feature | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | 34 | ─ | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | 36 | Immortal Blood | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | 38 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | 40 | Specialty Feature | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Supernatural Senses
Starting at 1st level, you learn how to detect the essence of the Gods and their cohorts. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, or fiend within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, or fiend) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the elemental titan Zaratan, for instance).
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
You also gain 30 feet of darkvision. If you already have darkvision, its range is increased by 30 feet.
Godkiller Specialty
Starting at 2nd level, you, like other Godkillers, have learned that you have an affinity for a certain way of fighting, a modis operandi that is shared by other like-minded Godkillers. Choose from the Eviscerator, Evoker, Partisan, and Reclaimer Specialties.
Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 13th, 16th, and 20th level. Your choice also gives you different options for your Vital Essence feature.
Spellcasting
Starting at 2nd level, you discover a spark of essence within yourself, allowing you to cast spells in a similar fashion to Sorcerers or Paladins.
Cantrips
At 2nd level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the godkiller spell list. You learn additional godkiller cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Godkiller table.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Godkiller table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your godkiller spells. To cast one of your godkiller spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of godkiller spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the godkiller spell list. When you do so, choose a number of godkiller spells equal to your Charisma modifier + half your godkiller level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 5th-level godkiller, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of godkiller spells requires time, concentration, and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Spellcasting Modifier
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your godkiller spells; the training and meditation you have put in to harness energy from you spark of essence allows you to cast spells. You use your Charisma whenever an godkiller spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an godkiller spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell Save DC
Spell attack modifier
Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your godkiller spells.
Fighting Style
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Archery. You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Defense. While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new 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 your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Font of Essence
At 3rd level, you begin to unlock a well of extraordinary power within you. This power is represented by vital essence, which are used to activate essence manifestations and to empower certain abilities.
Vital Essence
You have 6 vital essence, and you gain more as you reach higher levels, as shown in the Vital Essence column of the Godkiller table. You can never have more vital essence than shown on the table for your level. You regain all spent vital essence when you finish a long rest.
Essence Manifestations
You can use your vital essence to activate different essence manifestations. Each godkiller specialty has its own list of essence manifestations that they have access to. Some of there manifestations require the target to make a saving throw. The saving throw DC for your essence manifestations is equal to your spell save DC.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one 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 using this feature.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Planar Eviction
At 7th level, you have learned to manipulate the Weave around extraplanar beings, causing them to lose their place on the world. Whenever you hit an aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, or fiend with a weapon or spell attack, you can spend 4 vital essence to deal 2d8 force damage and force them to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the target takes an extra 2d8 force damage and is banished to their home plane for 1 minute. If the target is native to the plane of existence you're on, it is banished to a harmless demiplane and is incapacitated for the duration of the banishment. The target remains there until the banishment ends, at which point the target reappears in the space it left or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied.
You can spend additional vital essence as a reaction to empower this ability, extending the duration of the banishment to 1 hour for 6 vital essence, 1 day for 10 vital essence, or 1 week for 14 vital essence.
Heightened Fortitude
At 11th level, your constant training has transformed both your mind and body into nigh unbreakable fortresses. You gain advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened and creatures cannot communicate with you telepathically and your thoughts cannot be ready by any
means unless you allow it. You know when a creature is attempting to telepathically communicate or read your thoughts, but you do not know what or where the creature is.
Also, you gain resistance to poison damage and immunity to the poisoned condition.
Unearthly Vitality
At 15th level, the strength and power of your own vital essence has permeated through your body, enhancing you already great vitality. Whenever you gain a level, your hit point maximum increases by an additional 4 hit points.
Also, whenever you are below half your hit point maximum, you regain hit points equal to half your godkiller level at the end of your turn, rounded down.
You can spend additional vital essence as a bonus action to empower this ability, momentarily increasing the magnitude of your regeneration. You can spend 10 vital essence to gain hit points equal to your godkiller level plus your Charisma modifier at the end of your turn.
Immortal Blood
At 18th level, the spark of essence within you and the hatred that fuels you both empower you in a way that is almost unimaginable to mortals. You now age 1 year for every 100 years that passes, you cannot be aged magically or otherwise, and you can no longer die from or suffer the effects of old age.
Also, having 0 hit points doesn’t knock you unconscious. You still must make death saving throws, and you suffer the normal effects of taking damage while at 0 hit points. However, if you would die due to failing death saving throws, you don't die until the end of your next turn, and you die then only if you still have 0 hit points.
Godkiller Specialties
Eviscerater
Godkillers that follow the Eviscerater Specialty favor weapons of almost any kind, preferring to use magic to compliment their already masterful fighting. Using blade and bow like extensions of themselves, Evisceraters are beautiful terrors to behold and terrifying foes to face.
Focused Anger
Starting when you choose this subclass 2nd level, you have learned how to use your anger as force of pain on those you strike. Once per turn, whenever you hit an aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, or fiend with a ranged or melee weapon attack, you deal additional damage of the weapon's type equal to your proficiency bonus.
Essence Manifestations
At 3rd level, you gain access to the list of essence manifestations below. See the Font of Essence feature above for how essence manifestations work.
Elemental Strike
When you hit with a weapon attack, you can spend 1 vital essence and choose acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder, dealing an additional 1d6 of the chosen damage type. You can increase the amount of damage dealt by spending a number of vital essence up to your proficiency bonus, adding an additional 1d6 per essence spent.
You can spend additional vital essence to empower this manifestation, increasing its potency. You can spend 3 vital essence to make the additional damage ignore resistance to the chosen damage type.
Esoteric Strike
When you hit with a weapon attack, you can spend 2 vital essence and choose force, necrotic, psychic, or radiant damage. dealing an additional 1d6 of the chosen damage type. You can increase the amount of damage dealt by spending a number of vital essence up to your proficiency bonus, adding an additional 1d6 per 2 vital essence spent.
You can spend additional vital essence to empower this manifestation, increasing its potency. You can spend 6 vital essence to make the additional damage ignore resistance to the chosen damage type.
Essence Infused Armament
As an action, you can spend 2 vital essence in order to use you Charisma modifier in place of your Strength or Dexterity modifiers for all attack and damage roles you make with one weapon for 1 hour. You can have up to 2 essence infused armaments. Whenever you create a third essence improved armament, you lose this effect on the oldest armament.
You can spend additional vital essence to empower this manifestation, extending its duration and increasing its power. You can spend 6 vital essence to increase the duration to 8 hours and making the weapon magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage.
Combat Casting
At 6th level, your ability to effectively weave spells into your fighting style becomes almost peerless. When you cast a spell that requires an action, you can spend 2 vital essence to change the casting time of the spell to a bonus action.
In addition, when you use your action to cast a spell, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
Persistent Weapons Training
At 13th level, your continued training and experience in warfare and differing combat styles had turned you into a more versatile and deadly warrior. You can choose a different fighting style from the Fighting Styles feature or from and of the fighting styles below. In addition, you can change one or both of these fighting styles for another whenever you finish a short or long rest.
Blind Fighting. You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn’t behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.
Interception. When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.
Superior Technique. You learn one maneuver of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice). You gain one superiority die, which is a d6 (this die is added to any superiority dice you have from another source). This die is used to fuel your maneuvers. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.
Thrown Weapon Fighting. You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
Unarmed Fighting. Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren’t wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8. At the start of each of your turns, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature grappled by you.
Fear Death
At 13th level, the possibility of death and the fear that comes with it becomes nothing but an afterthought, yet your very presence is enough to put that fear into others. You gain advantage on intimidation checks and can add double your proficiency bonus to all intimidation checks.
In addition, you can use your action to spend 8 vital essence and force all creatures of your choosing within 60 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell casting DC or be frightened for one minute. Aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, or fiends that are immune to being frightened instead make this save at advantage A creature frightened in this way has there speed reduced to 0. Creatures affected by this can make another Wisdom save at the end of the turn, ending this effect on themselves on a success.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier plus 1 (minimum of 1) per long rest
Achillean Warrior
At 16th level, your skill and effectiveness on the battlefield becomes almost legendary as the very essence fueling you begins to change you. As a bonus action on your turn, you can spend 10 vital essence to enter a trance-like state. While you are in this state, you can make two additional weapon attacks per turn, your walking speed increases by 15 feet, the first attack of opportunity you make in a round does not consume your reaction and the damage dealt by Focused Anger is doubled.
You can use this feature three times per long rest.
God-slaying Strike
At 20th level, you've reached the pinnacle of your strength and have learned a technique that even the gods fear. When you hit with a weapon attack, you can choose to spend 20 vital essence and force your target to make a Constitution saving throw. Aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, or fiends have disadvantage on this save. On a failed save, the target is reduced to 0 hit points and dies immediately. On a successful save, the target takes an additional 20d8 force damage and is paralyzed until the end of your turn.
Evoker
Evokers are Godkillers as powerful as they are clever, focusing almost entirely on their magic in combat and using it in surprising ways to devastating effect. Their level of magic control can approach that of even natural sorcerers or trained wizards, but sometimes the magic that even Evokers can wield can be matched by very few others.
Wellspring of Mana
Starting when you choose this subclass 2nd level, you learn how to draw on latent magically energy around you. As a bonus action, you can choose 2 expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your Godkiller level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 4th level or higher.
Additionally, you add your Charisma modifier to damage you deal with any Godkiller cantrip.
Essence Manifestations
At 3rd level, you gain access to the list of essence manifestations below. See the Font of Essence feature above for how essence manifestations work.
Arcane Overchanneling
When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you can spend a number of vital essence equal to spells level to cast it as if it were one level higher.
Crippling Magic
When you cast a spell that forces a creature to make a saving throw to resist its effects, you can spend 3 vital essence to give one target of the spell disadvantage on its first saving throw made against the spell.
Unbreakable Focus
As a reaction to being forced to make a concentration check to hold concentration on a spell, you can spend 2 vital essence to give yourself advantage on the roll.
Scornful Lash
At 6th level, you learn to punish those who'd dare to strike you down. As a reaction to succeeding on a saving throw from a spell or being missed by a weapon or spell attack, you can spend 4 vital essence to force the target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target takes 3d8 necrotic damage and is knocked prone. The target takes half damage on a successful save and is not knocked prone.
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Partisan
Those that specialize in the use of shields and magical wards are known as Partisans, using magic to create powerful wards to protect themselves and others and reflect attacks back to opponents. Dangerous to underestimate, Partisans are like titans on the battlefield and the presence of even one is enough to turn the tide.
Arcane Bulwark
Starting when you choose this subclass 2nd level, you learn how to project your very soul as a shield. As an action, you can summon