Path of the Empath

Propelled by a protective instinct, Empath's learn to harness emotions like no other Barbarian. They are sometimes confused with Zealots due to difficulty opponents have with killing them, but the sign of an empathic warrior is clear. A Barbarian who has yet to be harmed, yet lies at the verge of death. Always close, but never fully there. Empath Barbarians embrace the role of living shield, sacrificing themselves emotionally and physically for the sake of protecting their allies. Once the true potential of an Empath is unlocked, their ability to endure pain for the sake of friends becomes almost limitless.

Empathic Power

3rd level Path of the Empath feature

You harbor a wellspring of empathic energy within yourself. This energy is represented by your Empathic Energy dice, which are each a d6. You have a number of these dice equal to twice your proficiency bonus, and they fuel various empathic powers you have, which are detailed below

Some of your powers expend the Empathic Energy die they use, as specified in a power’s description, and you can’t use a power if it requires you to use a die when your dice are all expended. You regain all your expended Empathic Energy dice when you finish a long rest.

When you reach certain levels in this class, the size of your Empathic Energy dice increases: at 5th level (d8), 11th level (d10), and 17th level (d12). The powers below use your Empathic Energy dice.

Inspiring Sympathy. When a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see falls unconscious, you may use your reaction to stabilize the creature, a creature stabilized by this ability also gains an extra dice of healing on any form of healing it receives to return it to consciousness. You must expend one Empathic Energy die to use this feature.

Empathic Link. As an action you can establish an emotional link between yourself and another willing creature you can see for a number of hours equal to a roll of your Empathic Energy die. While you are both part of this link you can share your emotions with each other. Once you take this action, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Or until you expend one Empathic Energy die to take it again.

Greater Empath

6th level Path of the Empath feature

You have mastered new ways to use your empathic abilities, detailed below.

Empathetic Protection. You can use an action to touch a creature other than yourself, momentarily linking yourself to it emotionally. Roll one Empathic Energy die, you grant the target temporary hit points equal to the amount rolled plus your charisma modifier, these temporary hit points last 1 hour. You must expend one Empathic Energy die to use this feature.

Emotional Aura. Whenever you roll a Charisma check that you are proficient in, you can expend one Empathic Energy die, doing so gives you advantage on that check. You use this ability after you see the roll, but before the outcome of that roll is determined.

Living Barricade

10th level Path of the Empath feature

You take empathy to another level, sharing in the pain your allies suffer. Once per long rest, when you start your rage you can expend 3 Empathic Energy die to choose a number of allied creatures equal to your proficiency bonus. Until the end of your rage, whenever one of those creatures takes damage, so long as they are within 60 feet of you, they only take half that damage, and you take the other half. If an effect hits several creatures simultaneously, you may only take half damage for one of them.

Empathy Shield

14th level Path of the Empath feature

Similar to a Zealot's Rage beyond Death, while you’re raging, 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. If you would die due to failing death saving throws, you don’t die until your rage ends, and you die then only if you still have 0 hit points. However, in order for this ability to be active, you must have at least 5 Empathic Energy die remaining. If at any point you drop below 5 remaining Empathic Energy die remaining, this ability ends instantaneously.