Demon Hunter
A lithe half-orc keeps to the shadows, stalking her prey with deadly precision. At her quarries weakest, she strikes with lethal precision.
A tall Half-Elf furiously weaves his way through his enemies, causing damage and leaving them demoralized in his wake. Using his incredible speed and fury, he destroys his enemies with a withering barrage of attacks.
Wading wholeheartedly into the fray, a stout Dwarf shrugs off the blows of his enemies, all while keeping his foes attention off his allies.
Leaping towards her enemies, a partially transformed High Elf steals the power of the very demons she hunts, using it against them in a dangerous dance of power.
Hunters of Evil
Demon Hunters are people who have taken it upon themselves to eradicate evil in its purest form. They study and, in some rare cases, emulate demons and fiends in order to truly eradicate them. Demon Hunters are those people with the most staunch beliefs, and the deepest convictions.
Most Demon Hunters simply study demons, learning weaknesses and training to bolster their abilities against them, but some Demon Hunters go so far as to copy and desecrate their own bodies, taking on aspects of the very evil they hunt. While most demon hunters are welcome in society, these few are almost universally shunned for their willingness to copy their foes. Most Demon Hunters use their agility and cunning intelligence in tandem to outwit and destroy demons of all kinds.
Though they tend to tailor their abilities to hunting demons, the skills of a Demon Hunter make them uniquely suited to hunting monsters of all types, and some Hunters choose instead to focus their time on hunting Monstrosities, Aberrations, or Undead as well.
Creating a Demon Hunter
When creating your Demon Hunter, consider why you've chosen to pursue the destruction of demons. Did you have a terrifying experience with a single demon, who now is the target of your passion? Or were you somehow tainted by demons and resent the influence they had on you? Perhaps your path was chosen for you by a family tradition or paying an ancient debt.
Quick Build
You can build a Demon hunter quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence or Constitution. Second, choose the Outlander background.
Class Features
Hit Points
Hit Dice 1d10 per Demon Hunter Level
Hit points at 1st level 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit points at higher levels 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Demon Hunter level after first.
Proficiencies
Armor Light, Medium Armor
Weapons Simple and Martial weapons
Tools Alchemist's Tools
Saving Throws Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Persuasion, Religion, and Survival.
Multiclass Simple and Martial weapons; Demon Hunter's require a score of 13 Dexterity and 13 Intelligence.
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Two Shortswords or (b) a greatsword
- (a) Leather armor or (b) scale mail armor
- A crossbow and 20 bolts
- (a) a Dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an Explorer’s Pack
Demon Hunter
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Hunter's Bite | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | 1d6 | Hunter's Bite, Demon Sense, Demonic Study |
| 2nd | +2 | 1d6 | Relentless Pursuit |
| 3rd | +2 | 2d6 | Hunter's Path |
| 4th | +2 | 2d6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | 3d6 | Hell Hunter |
| 6th | +3 | 3d6 | Relentless Pursuit Improvement |
| 7th | +3 | 4d6 | — |
| 8th | +3 | 4d6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | 5d6 | Path Feature |
| 10th | +4 | 5d6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 11th | +4 | 6d6 | — |
| 12th | +4 | 6d6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | 7d6 | Path Feature |
| 14th | +5 | 7d6 | — |
| 15th | +5 | 8d6 | — |
| 16th | +5 | 8d6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | 9d6 | Path Feature |
| 18th | +6 | 9d6 | — |
| 19th | +6 | 10d6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | 10d6 | Path Feature |
Demon Sense
At 1st level, you're time studying demons allows you to detect their very presence. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of all fiends and undead within 60 feet of you that are not behind total cover. You know the location of any creatures you sense, and if you have previously encountered a fiend you sense, you recognize it as well. Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the Hallow spell.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Intelligence modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Hunter's Bite
Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike ferociously and exploit a foe’s weakness. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a one- or two-handed melee weapon.
You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Hunter's Bite column of the Demon Hunter table.
Demonic Study
At 1st level, during your study of demons, devils, and their ilk, you've gained knowledge of their dialects, habits, and subtleties. You learn the Infernal and Abyssal languages if you do not already know them.
Relentless Pursuit
At 2nd level, you become as relentless as the Demons you hunt. Your speed increases by 10 feet, and non-magical difficult terrain does not reduce your speed.
At 6th level, your speed increases by an additional 10 feet, and magical difficult terrain also does not reduce your speed.
Hunter's Path
At 3rd level, you choose a Path that you follow in the pursuit of your hunted foes: Path of Shadows, Path of Devastation, or the Path of Transformation, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your Path choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 9th, 13th, 17th, and 20th level.
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.
Hell Hunter
By 5th level, your study of demons, fiends, and their lairs gives you a better understanding of their habitats. While in the Abyss or the Nine Hells, you have advantage on checks made to navigate those areas, and you cannot become lost by non-magical means.
Additionally, you gain the hunter's mark spell and may cast it a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier without requiring a spell slot. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell. You regain expended uses upon completion of a long rest.
Slayer's Edge
Beginning at 7th level, your skill manipulating your weapons heightens, and you are able to weave small fragments of magic into any attack. When you deal damage with a non-magical weapon, it ignores resistance to non-magical weapons.
Additionally, when you deal damage with a magical weapon, it deals additional damage equal to your intelligence modifier.
Hunter's Resilience
Beginning at 11th level, your study of fiends and their ilk allows you to more easily shrug off their effects. You gain resistance to both poison and fire damage.
Demonic Counsel
At 14th level, your study of demons and fiends gives you greater understanding of their motivations and feelings. You gain advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) and Charisma (Intimidation) checks when interacting with fiends and their minions or followers.
Hunter's Fortitude
At 15th level you gain proficiency with constitution saving throws.
Siphoning Bite
At 18th level, you can draw the very life energy out of the creatures you hunt. When you hit with an attack using your Hunters's Bite class feature, you regain hit points equal to your intelligence modifier. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier, and must complete a long rest before using it again.
Hunter's Paths
All hunters share certain skills, such as their study of fiends, or their quick and terrifying style of combat, but they vary wildly in their application of those skills. Your chosen Path defines more closely how you choose to focus your abilities and hone your strengths.
Path of Shadows
A Demon Hunter following the Path of Shadows uses his knowledge of these foul creatures to stay hidden from his enemies, striking at the opportune moment and inflicting as much damage as possible before slipping away. These hunters prefer to catch their quarry when it is at its weakest, and attempt to set ambushes for their greatest foes.
Shadow Hunter
At 3rd level when you take this archetype you are more easily able to get the drop on your enemies. You may take the hide action as a bonus action instead, and while in dim light or darkness, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Additionally, you gain Devil's Sight and can see through magical and non-magical darkness to a range of 120 feet.
Prey on the Slow
At 9th level, your study of fiends and their habits allows you to more easily get the drop on your enemies. You may choose to add your intelligence modifier to your initiative rolls.
Additionally, when you roll initiative, you may move up to your speed and, if you stop within melee range of a creature, make one melee weapon attack against that creature. If this attack hits, it is an automatic critical hit.
Demonic Whispers
Beginning at 13th level, you are able to whisper terrifying words to your prey. You gain the charm monster spell, and may cast it a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus without requiring a spell slot. You regain expended uses upon completion of a long rest. If you are hidden from the target when you cast the spell, it has disadvantage on the saving throw and, when the spell ends, it does not know it was charmed by you.
Undetectable
Upon reaching 17th level, you take on the chracteristics of some of the most powerful demons. You can't be targeted by divination magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors.
Additionally, you may use your action to become invisible for 1 minute, including all items you are wearing or carrying. This effect ends upon you making an attack or forcing an enemy to make a saving throw. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain expended uses upon completion of a long rest.
Consumed by Shadows
At 20th level, your time spent in the shadows and hiding from your foes propels you to the pinnacle of stealth. When you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide, creatures do not gain benefit from special senses such as Truesight, Blindsight, Devil's Sight, or Tremorsense.
Additionally, as a bonus action you may choose a target you can see that you wish to designate for termination. For 1 minute, when you start your turn hidden from your chosen target, all melee weapon attacks you make that hit the chosen target are automatic critical hits. You must complete a long rest before using this feature again.
Path of Devastation
Those who follow the Path of Devastation focus their learning on the ways to best stand toe-to-toe with demons. These hunters may not be the most cunning, but they are the most capable when one needs to square off against a demon on its own turf, going head to head and taking it down.
Bonus Proficiency
When you follow this path at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor.
Demon Armor
At 3rd level when you take this Path, your study of demons and their tactics in turn sharpens your resolve, and allows your skill with your weapons to defend you in combat. When wielding a melee weapon and not using a shield, you gain a +2 bonus to your AC.
Additionally, when you take the attack action on your turn using a melee weapon, you may make another melee weapon attack against the same target as a bonus action. If this second attack hits, the target has disadvantage on attacks against targets other than you until the beginning of your next turn.
Evasion
At 9th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a pit fiend's fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Intimidating Presence
By 13th level, your time spent fighting demons and devils has hardened your resolve and gives you unflinching confidence in your interactions. You gain proficiency in the Charisma (Intimidation) skill, and may add double your proficiency bonus to checks made with that skill.
Demonic Resilience
At 17th level, your resolve against your demonic enemies heightens, and you become immune to the poisoned condition.
Additionally, you gain resistance to magical and non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Into the Fray
At 20th level, you are at the pinnacle of your craft. Standing toe-to-toe and trading blows with your most powerful foes grants you the ability to shrug off even the most powerful attacks. When you hit with the bonus action attack granted by your Demon Armor feature, until the beginning of your next turn, you also gain a bonus to your AC and saving throws equal to your intelligence modifier.
Path of Transformation
Demon Hunters on the Path of Transformation take the powers of the very evils they hunt as their own, turning that power against their foes. The most ruthless and determined hunters, these renegades skirt the line between champion against evil, and falling to evil themselves. Those on the Path of Transformation often swear away their own life, vowing that once their sworn foe is dead they will willingly end their own life as well, in order to rid the world of the demonic taint they tap into while hunting down their foes.
Demonic Transformation (Offensive)
At 3rd level when you take this path, you take on aspects the demons you hunt. Your eyes become a deep black, and your skin tightens and fades to grey, red, or green. This transformation is permanent. Upon transformation, your body may mutate in more ways than listed here.
Barbed Devil Hurl Flame. The fire of hell courses in your veins. You gain the firebolt cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Maw Demon Rampage. Your hatred of fiends fuels your rampage against your foes. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee weapon attack on your turn, as a bonus action you may move up to half your speed and make a melee weapon attack.
Goristro Charge. If you move at least 15 feet straight toward a target and then hit it with a melee weapon attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra die of damage from the weapon and must succeed on a strength saving throw or be pushed up to 20 feet away and knocked prone.
Fiendish Movement (Movement)
By 13th level your ability to turn the fiends powers against them makes you nearly unstoppable. Choose one of the following.
Vrock Fly. Demonic wings sprout from your back. You gain a fly speed of 60 ft.
Arcanaloth Teleport. As an action, you may magically teleport, along with anything you are wearing or carrying, up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space your can see. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier, and regain expended uses upon completion of a long rest.
Shadow Demon Incorporeal Movement. You may briefly take on the incorporeal form of a Shadow Demon. As an action, you may become incorporeal for 1 minute, along with anything you are wearing or carrying. You can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, and you take 5 force damage if you end your turn inside an object. If this effect ends while you are inside an object, your are shunted to the nearest unoccupied space outside the object, and take 5 force damage for every 5 feet moved. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier, and regain expended uses upon completion of a long rest.
17th level (Defensive)
At 17th level you learn to imitate the defenses of powerful fiends. Choose one of the following options.
Juiblex Partial Regeneration. You regain 3 hit points whenever you hit with your Hunter's Bite feature.
Orcus Magic Resistance. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Become the Demon
At 20th level, your mastery over your demonic self is at its peak. Choose one of the following fiends: Balor, Goristro, or Pit Fiend. As an action, you can magically become the chosen creature for one hour or until you lose concentration (as if concentrating on a spell). Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the chosen creature, though you retain your alignment and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus listed in its statistics is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus in place of yours. You can’t use any legendary actions or lair actions of the new form.
You assume the hit points and Hit Dice of the new form. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. If you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious.
You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them, provided that your new form is physically capable of doing so. You can’t use any special senses you have (for example, darkvision) unless your new form also has that sense. You can only speak if the creature can normally speak.
When you transform, you choose whether your equipment falls to the ground or merges into the new form.
Once used, you must complete a long rest before using this feature again.
IGNORE THIS SECTION
Path of Transformation
Demon Hunters on the Path of Transformation take the powers of the very evils they hunt as their own, turning that power against their foes. The most ruthless and determined hunters, these renegades skirt the line between champion against evil, and falling to evil themselves. Those on the Path of Transformation often swear away their own life, vowing that once their sworn foe is dead they will willingly kill themselves as well, in order to rid the world of the demonic taint they tap into while hunting down their foes.
Spellcasting
When you reach 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the wizard spell list.
Cantrips. You learn three cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. You learn another wizard cantrip of your choice at 10th level.
Spell Slots. The Demon Hunter Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell charm person and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast charm person using either slot.
Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level wizard spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the evocation and transmutation spells on the wizard spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Demon Hunter Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be an evocation or transmutation spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic.
Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another spell of your choice from the wizard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be an evocation or transmutation spell, unless you’re replacing the spell you gained at 8th, 14th, or 20th level.
Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a wizard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell Save DC
Spell attack modifier
.
Demon Hunter Spellcasting
| Demon Hunter Level | Cantrips Known | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 3 | 3 | 2 | ─ | ─ | — |
| 4th | 3 | 4 | 3 | ─ | ─ | — |
| 5th | 3 | 4 | 3 | ─ | ─ | — |
| 6th | 3 | 4 | 3 | ─ | ─ | — |
| 7th | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | ─ | — |
| 8th | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | ─ | — |
| 9th | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | ─ | — |
| 10th | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | ─ | — |
| 11th | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | ─ | — |
| 12th | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | ─ | — |
| 13th | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 14th | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 15th | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 17th | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 18th | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 19th | 4 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 20th | 4 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Demonic Transformation
At 3rd level when you take this path, you partially become a demon. Your eyes become a deep black, and your skin tightens and fades to grey. This transformation is permanent.
You gain advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks against all creatures, and disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks against all creatures other than fiends.
9th level
Thing
13th Level
Thing
Hunter's Bane
Beginning at 17th level, you are able to use your martial prowess to briefly augment your spellcasting. If you are hidden from a creature when you hit it with a spell that targets only one creature, you may add your Hunter's Bite damage to the damage of that spell. You may use this feature once, and must complete a long rest before using it again.
Fiendish Tenacity
At 20th level, you gain the tenacity and willpower of a Pit Fiend. You are immune to fire and poison damage.
Additionally, you know the fireball spell and it counts as a Demon Hunter spell for you. You may cast fireball as a 3rd level spell at-will, requiring no spell slots or material components.
===================
Balor. The resilience of the Balor flows through you. You gain resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Goristro. Labyrinthine Recall. Your mind mimics the Goristro and becomes better than any map. You can perfectly recall any path you have traveled.
Pit Fiend. Bite. Your jaws become a fanged maw; a natural weapon with which you are proficient and you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike, and the target must make a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 poison damage.
===================
Demonic Endurance
At 5th level, you learn to more easily avoid the magic that your foes throw at you. You may add your Intelligence modifier to saving throws against spells and magical effects. On saving throws against spells and magical effects cast by Fiends, you may instead add twice your intelligence modifier.