Night Terror

In the darkest corners of the underworld lurks a nightmare made flesh — the Night Terror, who breaks bodies and minds with equal ruthlessness. They are masters of brutal close combat, choking the life from their prey while whispering terrible truths that shatter their victims' resolve. Through sheer force of will, they've conquered fear itself, turning terror into their most potent weapon. In their wake, they leave only broken bones and shattered spirits – a reminder that some kinds of monsters live a little too close for comfort.

The Night Terror embodies every shadow that makes criminals look over their shoulder, every whispered warning about who might be coming for them next. They are the boogeyman of the underworld, mixing bone-breaking street fighting with a supernatural command of fear, crushing both body and spirit beneath their merciless grip. As their power grows, so too does their legend. They become living nightmares who stalk the darkness, immune to the very emotion they weaponize, leaving a trail of humbled, terrified victims who can only pray they never cross paths with such a creature again.

Level 3: Modus Operandi

You have developed a very particular set of skills that allow you to effectively control your targets in close quarters. You gain the following benefits.

Back-Alley Brawler. You gain the Unarmed Fighting feat, and can use either Strength or Dexterity for Unarmed Strikes. You can use your Dexterity modifier instead of Strength to determine the save DC for the Grapple and Shove options of your Unarmed Strikes. Your Unarmed Strikes are eligible for Sneak Attack.

‘Tween the Ribs. When you successfully Shove a creature or have one Grappled, you may make one melee attack against it as a Bonus Action.

Silent Strangler. Whenever you Grapple a Medium or smaller creature, you can start choking it. Maintaining this special Grapple requires you to use your action each turn. Until the Grapple ends, the target also has the Restrained condition, can’t speak, and can’t cast spells that require Verbal or Somatic components.

Level 3: Next Victim

Your presence alone is enough to make some quake in their boots. You gain Expertise in Intimidation. You also gain the following ability.

Terrify. As a Bonus Action, you can attempt to terrify a creature you are aware of within 30 feet that can see or hear you. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Charisma Modifier) or become Frightened of you for 1 minute or until you use this feature again on a different creature. At the end of each of its turns, an affected target repeats the save, ending the effect on a success.

You can use your Sneak Attack against creatures that are Frightened of you even if you don’t have Advantage on the attack roll, but all other Sneak Attack rules still apply to you. If you are Invisible or otherwise hidden, Terrify doesn’t reveal your position, only your presence.

At level 9, your Proficiency Bones is doubled when calculating this save DC. At level 13, Terrify's range increases to 60 feet.

Level 9: Problem Solver

You are a fearsome opponent in melee combat, especially when you have the upper hand. You gain the following Cunning Strike options, which can only apply to melee attacks.

• Snap (Cost: 1d6). You attempt to break one of the target’s legs, forcing it to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target’s Speed is halved until it receives magical healing. Using this option twice on the same target reduces its Speed to 0, even if it has more than two legs.
• Kidnap (Cost: 2d6). Immediately after the attack, you and your target move up to your Speed. If you end your turn in Dim Light or Darkness, you both gain the benefits of a successful Hide action.
• Blackmail (Cost: 4d6). You inform your target that you possess compromising information about them. If the target can understand you, it must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the target believes you and has the Charmed condition for 1 hour or until you damage it again. A creature is immune to Blackmail for 24 hours once the condition ends.

Level 13: Bump in the Night

You have mastered terror and transcended fear itself, using it as another blade in your arsenal. You gain the following benefits.

Iron Will. You are immune to the Frightened condition and have Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed.

The Mind-Killer. Whenever you deal Sneak Attack damage, you can change the damage type to Psychic. When you damage a creature that is Frightened of you, your Speed increases by 10 feet until the end of your next turn.

Hidden Threat. If you have the Invisible condition, you have Advantage on all Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma D20 Tests.

Level 17: Menace & Mayhem

Your grim reputation precedes you. They are right to be afraid. Whenever you damage a creature in melee combat, treat a roll of 1–2 on your damage dice as a 3.

Additionally, your Terrify ability now affects all creatures of your choice within 60 feet, and if you Grapple a creature that is Frightened of you, it immediately takes Psychic damage equal to your Rogue level.