D&D 5e class: Fiendslayer

Fiendslayer (D&D 5e)

Image credit: Astri Lohne

Choosing to sacrifice their name and claim to their people, these warriors choose to fight fire with fire, using fiendish energies to strike down not only fiends themselves, but any who would destroy what they hold dear.

Level	Proficiency bonus	Special	Unholy Energy	Natural attack damage
1	+2	Manifestation, Profane brands, Fiendbane	-	1d4
2	+2	Unholy energy	2	1d4
3	+2	Dark path	3	1d4
4	+2	Ability score improvement, Dark blood	4	1d4
5	+3	Manifestation	5	1d6
6	+3	Dark path feature	6	1d6
7	+3	Conviction	7	1d6
8	+3	Ability score improvement	8	1d6
9	+4	Fiendish blood	9	1d6
10	+4	Manifestation, Darksight	10	1d6
11	+4	Dark path feature	11	1d8
12	+4	Ability score improvement	12	1d8
13	+5	Dark fury	13	1d8
14	+5	Fiendslayer	14	1d8
15	+5	Manifestation, Greater darksight	15	1d8
16	+5	Ability score improvement	16	1d8
17	+6	Dark path feature	17	1d10
18	+6	Magic resistance	18	1d10
19	+6	Ability score improvement	19	1d10
20	+6	The fiend within	20	1d10

Basic Features

Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per fiendslayer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per fiendslayer level after 1st

Proficiencies
Armor: None
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Religion, and Survival
Languages: Fiendslayer know how to read, write, and speak abyssal and infernal.

Equipment
(a) longsword or (b) any simple weapon
(a) dungeoneer's pack or (b) explorer's pack
(a) a shortbow with 20 arrows or (b) 10 darts

Alternatively, you can ignore the equipment given by your class and background, and start with 5d4 gp.

Profane brands

At 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and are not wielding a shield, your focus on the profane brands you bear makes your AC equal 10 + Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier. 

Manifestation

At 1st level, the fiendslayer begins manifesting monstrous features due to their connection to the abyss. They first manifest claws. These claws deal 1d4 slashing damage. They may make one attack with their claws using the attack action. As a bonus action on their turn, the fiendslayer can make an attack with their other claw.

At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, the fiendslayer manifests one additional attack of: Horns (Gore, 1d4 piercing), Tail (tail slap, 1d4 bludgeoning), Hooves (Hoof, 1d4 bludgeoning), Teeth (Bite, 1d4 piercing). The fiendslayer can make attacks with all of their attack-based manifestations and weapons, but if they attack with weapons, they take disadvantage on all natural attack rolls that turn.

The damage of these manifestations increases as the fiendslayer levels, indicated by the natural attack damage in the table above. They are always considered proficient for these manifested attacks.

Fiendbane

At first level, the fiendslayer adds their proficiency bonus to damage rolls against fiends.

Unholy energy

Starting at 2nd level, your access to the abyss grants you a pool of unholy energy points. Your fiendslayer level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the energy points column of the fiendslayer table.

When you spend an energy point, it is unavailable until you finish a long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended energy from the abyss. Energy can only be spent once per round.

Some of your features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

You can use unholy energy in one of the following ways:

Dark resilience: The fiendslayer can spend one energy point as a reaction to gain advantage on a constitution or charisma saving throw.

Deadly strike: The fiendslayer can spend one energy point to roll damage twice and take the preferred result.

Fiendish resistance: The fiendslayerr can spend one energy point as a reaction to gain resistance to cold, fire, and lightning damage for one spell or effect.

Dark Path

When you reach 3rd level, you take after a specific fiend and gain their abilities. Your path grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Fiendslayer DCs, if not mentioned in the ability, are equal to 8 + their proficiency bonus + their Charisma modifier

The paths available are:

Path of the Balor

Path of the Glabrezu

Path of the Hezrou

Path of the Marilith

Path of the Nelfeshnee

Path of the Vrock

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 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.

Dark blood

At 4th level, the fiendslayer gains advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage.

Unholy strikes

Starting at 6th level, your natural attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage, and the fiendslayer's natural attacks overcome piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning damage resistances of fiends.

Conviction

At 7th level, when you are subjected to an effect that would cause them to be charmed or frightened, the fiendslayer gains advantage on the roll. This can be used once per short or long rest. If the effect is given by a fiend, this does not consume the use.

Fiendish blood

At 9th level, you are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

Darksight

At 10th level, you gain darkvision out to a distance of 60 ft. When making perception checks to see a hidden creature, you gain advantage on the roll. If you spend one energy point, you can pinpoint invisible creatures within 60 ft.

Dark fury

Starting at 13th level, the fiendslayer can spend energy as many times per round as they have actions to do so.

Fiendslayer

Starting at 14th level, when the fiendslayer brings a fiend to 0 hit points, they are instantly subject to a constitution saving throw (DC 5+damage done). If they fail, they instantly die. If a fiend dies in this way, the fiendslayer regains 1 energy point. This does not bring their energy above their daily allotted amount of energy. In addition, the fiendslayer now adds their proficiency modifier twice when considering damage done to fiends.

Greater darksight

At 15th level, you are able to see in all forms of magical darkness, as long as the caster level of the effect is not more than higher than your own. Once per long rest, you can use one energy point to see in all magical darkness regardless of level for 1 minute. 

Magic resistance

At 18th level, the fiendslayer's dark resilience applies to all magical effects.

The fiend within

The fiendslayer can transform into a full-fledged fiend for one minute, gaining resistance to all damage and advantage on all attack rolls and saving throws. This ability can be used once per long rest.

Dark Paths

Demons

Path of the Balor

Balor's whip

At 3rd level, while wielding a whip, the fiendslayer can choose to entangle a creature (instead of dealing damage) with a successful attack roll, causing the creature to take disadvantage on attack rolls and dexterity saving throws and skills. A creature can break free of this effect using their action as an opposed strength or escape artist check. Fiendslayers are considered proficient with strength saving throws for these checks. The fiendslayer can move the target toward them into a grapple with an opposed grapple check. They gain advantage on these checks.

Flame body
At 6th level, as an action using two energy points, you can wreathe yourself in flame as an action for one minute. Creatures adjacent to the fiendslayer take 1d6 fire damage per round, and take 1d6 fire damage when attacking the fiendslayer in melee combat. During this time, fiendslayers gain resistance to fire damage. The damage of this ability increases by 1d6 at 12th and 18th level.

Death throes
At 11th level, the fiendslayer can, when taken to 0 hit points, activate death throes. This deals 1d6 damage per level to creatures within 30 ft., and half as much on a successful dexterity saving throw. If they do not activate this when they are taken to 0, it activates automatically if they die. This ability activates once, and is refreshed after a long rest.

Devastating critical
At 17th level, when dealing a critical hit, the fiendslayer rolls the damage dice three times, instead of twice.

Path of the Glabrezu

Innate spellcasting

Instead of gaining various abilities as they grow in power, these fiendslayers slowly gain innate spellcasting abilities, which they can also use their energy pool to use.

At 3rd level, the fiendslayer gains innate spellcasting of their demonic path. They may cast detect magic and darkness each once per long rest. They can spend 2 energy points to cast these in addition to their uses.

At 6th level, The fiendslayer can cast dispel magic once per long rest. They can spend 3 energy points to cast this in addition to their uses.

At 11th level, they can cast confusion and fly once per long rest. They can spend 4 energy to cast these outside of these uses.

At 17th level, they can cast power word: stun once per long rest. They can spend 5 energy to cast this outside of these uses.

Path of the Hezrou

Stench

Starting at 3rd level once per short rest, the fiendslayer can release a stench that poisons creatures within 10 ft. until the end of the fiendslayer's next turn if they fail a constitution saving throw.

Tough hide
At 6th level, the fiendslayer's AC changes to 11 + their dexterity modifier + their charisma modifier.

Sickening strikes

At 11th level, the fiendslayer can spend 1 energy point to poison a creature for 1 minute if they fail a constitution saving throw. If they fail they also take 1d6 additional poison damage. Once affected (whether they pass the save or not) a creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours.

Fetid aura

At 17th level, the fiendslayer can activate a fetid aura out to 10 ft. for 1 minute. While active, all creatures within are poisoned (no save) and take 1d6 poison damage per round. If targets fail a constitution save in this aura, they cannot take reactions due to how distracting the wretched scent is. This can be used once per long rest.

Path of the Marilith

Note: the marilith fiendslayer must choose the tail manifestation at 5th level.

Reactive

The fiendslayer can spend one energy point to make an additional reaction during a round.

Multiattack

Starting at 6th level, they do not take disadvantage on natural attack rolls while attacking with weapons. In addition, their weapon attacks are always considered magical.

Tail grab

When successfully striking an enemy their size or smaller with its tail, the fiendslayer can spend 1 energy point to make a grapple check against the target. if they succeed, the target is restrained (escape DC 10 + the fiendslayer's proficiency bonus + their strength modifier).  The fiendslayer is considered proficient with athletic checks and strength saving throws regarding grapples. The fiendslayer can spend 1 energy point to gain advantage on these rolls. While restraining, the fiendslayer can automatically hit the target with their tail, but they can't use it to strike other targets.

Final embrace

At 17th level, when dealing tail damage to a grabbed enemy, the fiendslayer can inflict immeasurable pain, causing the creature to fall unconscious for 1 minute if they fail a constitution saving throw. They can use this once per short or long rest.

Path of the Nelfeshnee

Distracting lights

At 3rd level, the fiendslayer can use one energy point as an action to cause their body to flash with bright lights, causing creatures within 15 ft. to make a charisma saving throw or be charmed until the end of the fiendslayer's next turn.

Tough hide
At 6th level, the fiendslayer's AC changes to 11 + their dexterity modifier + their charisma modifier.

Horror nimbus

At 11th level, the fiendslayer can enhance their lights to instead cause a visceral fear in targets within 15 ft. of them. As an action, they emit these horrifying lights that cause creatures within to become frightened for 1 minute if they fail a wisdom saving throw. Creatures get a new save each round to end this effect.This can be used once per long rest.

Frightening display

At 17th level, the fiendslayer can spend 3 energy points to cause a horror nimbus to occur in any 15 ft.-radius area within 100 ft of them, with the source of the fear being the nimbus created.

Path of the Vrock

Wings

At 3rd level, the fiendslayer's manifested claws transfer to their feet, to be talons. Also, vulture-like wings sprout from their back, but they are not powerful enough to fly. If they spend 1 energy point, they gain a fly speed equal to their base movement speed for 1 minute.

Spores

At 6th level, the fiendslayer can spread spores in a 15-ft. radius cloud around them. These spores reach around corners. Creatures within the cloud are poisoned if they fail a constitution saving throw. At the beginning of a poisoned creature's turn, they may make a new saving throw against the effect, and take 1d10 poison damage if they fail. The fiendslayer can use this ability once per short rest.

Stunning screech

At 11th level, the fiendslayer can let out a horrific screech that stuns creatures within 20 ft. that can hear them if they fail a constitution saving throw. This can be used once per short rest.

Part of the flock

The fiendslayer gains wings permanently, with a flight speed of 60 ft. In addition, they are able to spend 3 energy points to use their spores or stunning screech abilities outside of their uses per rest.