Base Class: Rogue
A Rogue who walks closely beside death has likely spent a long time working as an assassin or engaging in the trade of life. The weight of those they have killed clings to their back, a haunting reminder of the tasks they have completed and those yet to come—a flame that must be kept burning, no matter the cost. Deathwalkers typically show no hesitation in revealing their exhaustion, but only a fool would think that fatigue could deter such an assassin.
In realms like Faerûn, Deathwalkers are often seen in taverns without the typical dark hoods, more focused on finding a moment of rest before taking on their next job, whether it comes from the Harpers, the Zhentarim, or another employer. In other places, such as the forsaken mists of Ravenloft, Deathwalkers are individuals who have embraced the pervasive sense of death around them, allowing it to fester in their hearts like decay. They use this very poison to sustain themselves, transforming it into a formidable force of nature.
Level 3: Extreme Fatigue
You’ve lived a life filled with death, and it takes its toll on you, weighing down your shoulders akin to a forlorn spirit clinging to its last sparks of life. Nevertheless, you keep onward, wading through the exhaustion. Upon reaching the 3rd level, the way Exhaustion affects you is different from most others, as you are used to its weight and know how to wield it to your advantage. The following table details the effects of Exhaustion on you:
| Exhaustion | Effects |
|---|---|
| 1 | You’re assaulted by a general drowsiness, causing you to retreat slightly into your thoughts. You suffer a disadvantage on ability checks. |
| 2 | Your body feels heavy and sluggish, but you know how to channel that energy. Your speed is reduced by 15 ft. As a bonus action during your turn, you may quickly sidestep, moving in any direction for up to 15 ft. When you do so, Opportunity Attacks against you are made at a disadvantage. |
| 3 | Your mind’s protection starts to lull into haziness; however, your instincts are honed to protect you. You suffer a disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma Saving Throws, but gain an advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution Saving Throws. |
| 4 | You feel that adrenaline is the only thing keeping your heart beating so fast in its weakening state. Your Hit Point maximum is halved, but you gain a +2 bonus to your AC and Saving Throws. |
| 5 | The flesh cage that binds you has become unmovable. Your speed is reduced to 5 ft., yet you gain an advantage on attack rolls, as all your remaining energy is diverted into protecting yourself from any who comes near. |
| 6 | Flickers of your spirit and will to survive through hardship are all that keep you alive. At the start of your turn in Initiative, you must pass a Constitution Saving Throw without advantage or fall Unconscious with two failed Death Saving Throws. The DC for this Saving Throw is 13 and increases by 2 at the start of each of your subsequent turns. You cannot die in this state. |
Additionally, when you start your first turn in combat, you may choose to allow some of your past works to wash over your thoughts, bearing their weight for your success. When you do so, you can choose to either lose 25% of your maximum hit points, rounded down (From now on, this value will be referred to as a “Chunk” of your hit points), or suffer up to half your proficiency modifier in Exhaustion points.
Level 3: Everyday Exhaustion
Due to the constant pressure in your mind, you’ve grown used to pushing through it in specific moments of need. Starting at the 3rd level, while you are suffering the effects of Exhaustion, you don’t suffer a Disadvantage on Skill Checks you are proficient with. Additionally, you may choose to gain Expertise instead of Proficiency with those Skills before you roll, concentrating on them alone and taking advantage of the fact that your attention to the world at large is already diluted.
You may grant yourself Expertise as per this feat a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, regaining spent uses on a short or long rest.
Additionally, your experience has given you a better way to deal with this state of mind when given the opportunity. You remove one additional point of Exhaustion from yourself during a Long Rest. Once per short rest, you may choose to take a breath as an action. When you do so, you perform a Constitution Saving Throw whose DC is 10 + Half your Level, rounded up. On a success, you take deep, restorative breaths that alleviate you of 2 Exhaustion points. On a failure, you only manage to catch your breath briefly, removing only one point of Exhaustion as your body remains strained.
Level 9: Endless Battle
Throughout your career, you’ve developed several essential techniques to effectively perform an assassination, from the best breathing methods in various scenarios to enduring hours of combat without rest. Starting at 9th level, When you would take damage from an attack or a spell that targets only you and before its damage die are rolled, you may use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the AC of the attacker or spellcaster, unleashing your weapon in a vicious attempt to diminish the pain you’re about to receive. A hit, you reduce the damage you take from the triggering effect by an amount equal to your weapon’s damage roll. You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining all expended uses on a short rest.
Level 13: Walking the Line of Death
You’ve survived so many near-death experiences that you’ve learned to walk the edge between life and death with frightening ease. Starting at the 13th level, at the start of your turn, if you are below half your maximum hit points, you may choose to heal yourself for several d6 hit points equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down). You can use this healing equal to half your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses on a long rest. Additionally, each time you move and feel the pain flare from your fresh wounds, a surge of adrenaline shoots down your body, desperate to avoid your assassination. While you are not wearing medium or heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC for each missing Chunk of hit points.
Level 17: Boundary of Death
Upon reaching the 17th level, your mastery of straddling the line between life and death becomes a weapon you turn on others. When you deal Sneak Attack damage, roll a d4. On a result of 4, you deal additional damage die equal to half your total Sneak Attack amount (rounded down). These are added as extra Sneak Attack dice to this attack. Additionally, your violence intensifies as you near the end. On a Sneak Attack hit, you deal an extra 1d6 damage per missing Chunk of hit points. When you are down to your last Chunk of hit points, you gain one additional reaction each round. While in this state, your Endless Battle Feature becomes more refined: for each damage die rolled when you use the Endless Battle Feature that lands on its maximum value, you reduce an additional amount of damage equal to that maximum result.
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