Vigilante

Subclass Features

3rd Level: Mask of Justice

You learn how to hide your true identity behind masks, personas, or anonymity.

• Dual Identity. You can craft a false identity to conceal your vigilante persona. When you spend 1 hour preparing a disguise, you can create an alternate identity that is indistinguishable from your true self. Wisdom (Insight) checks to pierce the disguise are made at disadvantage.
• Silent Among the Many. You gain proficiency in Disguise Kit and one Charisma-based skill of your choice (Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion).
• Unseen Presence. When in a populated area, you can attempt to hide even while being observed if you are within a crowd or among sufficient cover.

3rd Level: Justice Mark

You can designate a creature you have witnessed committing a crime, harming innocents, or otherwise breaking your personal code of conduct as your marked target.

• As a bonus action, mark a creature you can see within 60 feet. For 24 hours, you gain the following benefits against it:
• You have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect its lies or find it.
• Once per turn when you deal Sneak Attack damage to the target, add an additional 1d6 damage.
• You may mark a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

9th Level: Shadow of the People

You learn to vanish seamlessly into the population.

• Crowd Slip. When you take the Hide action in an urban or populated environment, you can vanish into the crowd, making it nearly impossible to track you. You gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in such environments.
• False Trail. When pursued, you can spend 1 minute misleading your enemies. Anyone attempting to track you must succeed on a Wisdom (Survival) check against your Stealth DC, or else they are led astray for 1 hour.

13th Level: Fear of the Mask

Your vigilante persona inspires dread in those who know they are guilty.

• When you reveal yourself in your vigilante persona, choose any number of hostile creatures within 30 feet who have committed crimes or evil deeds (DM’s discretion). They must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you for 1 minute.
• While frightened in this way, the creature must use its movement to move away from you if possible. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each of its turns.
• You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

17th Level: Judgment Unseen

You become an untouchable avenger, able to move between the world of the guilty and the world of the innocent without leaving a trace.

• Vanishing Act. When you use your Cunning Action to Hide, you may also become invisible until the start of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
• Relentless Justice. When you hit your Justice Mark target with a Sneak Attack, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Dexterity modifier) or be paralyzed until the start of your next turn, as the weight of your presence overwhelms them.
• You are immune to being magically compelled to reveal your true identity.

Subclass Summary

The Vigilante rogue is built to mark and punish the guilty, vanish into society unseen, and strike fear into those who deserve it most. They operate without sanction, by their own codes of justice, becoming both saviors and outlaws in equal measure.

In Aetheris, Vigilantes are whispered legends — hunters of corruption, stalkers of the guilty, and masks of shadow who move unseen among the very people they protect.

Vigilante Code Table

Each Vigilante lives by their own moral compass. Choose or roll on the table below to determine the code that defines your pursuit of justice.

d8	Vigilante’s Code
1	No Innocent Blood. I never kill unless there is no other choice — the guilty must answer, but the innocent must never fall by my hand.
2	Justice Over Law. If the law protects the corrupt, then the law is my enemy. Only true justice matters.
3	Fear is a Weapon. The guilty must tremble before me; terror is the only language they understand.
4	Dead Men Tell No Lies. Criminals who harm the helpless forfeit their right to life — I do not take prisoners.
5	Mercy for the Broken. I will not kill those who can still be redeemed. My blade is only for the irredeemable.
6	The Mask Never Slips. My true identity is sacred — no ally, authority, or friend may ever know who I am beneath the mask.
7	Retribution for All. I hunt those who think themselves untouchable — nobles, guildmasters, kings. No one is above my justice.
8	Balance of the Scales. Every life taken unjustly must be answered. I am the hand that restores balance.

Vigilantes in Aetheris

"I wear no badge, swear to no crown, bow to no law. But the guilty still run when they hear my name."

The Role of Vigilantes in Aetheris

Vigilantes on Aetheris are paradoxical figures: celebrated as folk heroes by commonfolk, reviled as outlaws by governments, and feared by criminals who thrive in the shadows. They operate without sanction, bound only by their personal codes of justice, which vary widely from merciful protection to ruthless retribution.

Most vigilantes are loners, but some cooperate in secret networks, exchanging information, disguises, or safe houses. Many adopt masks, codenames, or hidden personas, walking as common citizens by day and becoming something more — or less — by night.

How Nations and Polities View Vigilantes

The Concord of Veltrion

• Official Stance: Tolerated, but watched closely.
  The Concord respects unity and order, but its city-states are not blind to the corruption festering in their streets. Vigilantes are often seen as useful shadows, striking at criminals and smugglers where the law cannot reach. However, the Council of Electors worries about vigilantes undermining its legitimacy. Many Concord cities quietly turn a blind eye, so long as vigilantes keep their justice pointed outward — toward cultists of the Shadowfell, corrupt guildmasters, and agents of rival powers.

The March of Draeven

• Official Stance: Unacceptable lawbreakers.
  Draeven values military discipline and lawful authority above all. Vigilantes, with their disregard for hierarchy, are seen as destabilizing criminals. The Iron Praetorians actively hunt vigilantes, often branding them as traitors or anarchists. Yet, some Draeven citizens secretly revere vigilantes as folk legends, stories of masked hunters striking against corrupt officers or warlords spreading in whispers.

The Dominion of Kaltheros

• Official Stance: Exploited and weaponized.
  In Kaltheros, vigilantes are often co-opted by industry magnates and technocratic overlords, bribed or threatened into serving as enforcers. The Assembly of Titans values results, not methods, and vigilantes who accept contracts from powerful houses may find themselves turned into unofficial assassins. Those who resist are swiftly crushed — but even here, a few legendary vigilantes haunt the smog-choked alleys of Vorrithan, fighting the system itself.

The Shōrin Dominion

• Official Stance: Dishonorable renegades.
  In the Shōrin Dominion, where honor and hierarchy define society, vigilantes are seen as dishonorable actors who shame themselves by refusing to fight openly. Yet, stories persist of masked ronin-style vigilantes, striking against corrupt daimyo or wicked magistrates. These figures embody paradox: dishonorable in method, yet honorable in cause.

The Radiant Concord of Aurelion

• Official Stance: Enemies of the light.
  Aurelion tolerates no rivals to divine law. Vigilantes who act outside the temple hierarchy are branded heretics. Still, whispers tell of masked “Radiant Shadows” who stalk abusive priests or inquisitors, striking in the name of true justice rather than dogma.

The Freeholds of Rhonadral

• Official Stance: Celebrated folk heroes.
  In the fractious Freeholds, where guilds and militias squabble over authority, vigilantes are often the only consistent guardians of the people. They are celebrated in song and tale, their masks appearing in festivals and parades. However, guildmasters and mercenary captains see them as disruptive, dangerous wildcards — and some vigilantes end up on bounty boards themselves, hunted by the very guilds they oppose.

Organizations and Guilds of Vigilantes

• The Masked Oath: A loose brotherhood of vigilantes who exchange coded messages and safehouses. They claim no single philosophy — only that each vigilante must act according to their personal code.
• The Guild of Bounty Hunters (contrast): Bounty Hunters often clash with Vigilantes, as the Hunters serve sanctioned law while Vigilantes serve personal justice. However, uneasy alliances form when both are after the same target.
• The Lanterns of Silent Justice: A rumored Aetherian-wide network of vigilantes. Some say they share a single hidden patron or benefactor, guiding vigilantes to targets who threaten the balance of the world.

Adventurers as Vigilantes

Player characters who choose this subclass are stepping into dangerous territory — they are outlaws and folk heroes simultaneously. A Vigilante adventurer might:

• Operate secretly, hiding their alter ego from allies, guilds, or governments.
• Struggle with moral conflict: where does their code of conduct align or clash with their companions’ values?
• Become a symbol, leaving behind marks, glyphs, or masks to let enemies know justice has come.

Roleplay Hooks for Vigilantes in Aetheris

1. A Mask with Meaning — Your vigilante persona is a local legend, known by name, feared by criminals. Do you lean into the myth, or try to keep it quiet?
2. Pursued by Authority — You are hunted by city guards, inquisitors, or guild enforcers who see you as a criminal. Can you keep one step ahead of both your prey and your hunters?
3. Your Personal Code — Choose from the Vigilante Code table (or make your own). Your code dictates who you target and how you deal with them. What happens if your allies disagree?
4. The Mask and the Face — Do your companions know who you are under the mask? If they found out, would they protect your identity… or turn you in?
5. Shadow Wars — Rumors spread of vigilantes vanishing across Aetheris. Is a greater force hunting them — or uniting them for a higher cause?

"The city has its laws. The guilds have their rules. I have only my code — and a mask to keep it safe."

Mask of Justice

You learn how to hide your true identity behind masks, personas, or anonymity.

• Dual Identity. You can craft a false identity to conceal your vigilante persona. When you spend 1 hour preparing a disguise, you can create an alternate identity that is indistinguishable from your true self. Wisdom (Insight) checks to pierce the disguise are made at disadvantage.
• Silent Among the Many. You gain proficiency in Disguise Kit and one Charisma-based skill of your choice (Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion).
• Unseen Presence. When in a populated area, you can attempt to hide even while being observed if you are within a crowd or among sufficient cover.

Justice Mark

You can designate a creature you have witnessed committing a crime, harming innocents, or otherwise breaking your personal code of conduct as your marked target.

• As a bonus action, mark a creature you can see within 60 feet. For 24 hours, you gain the following benefits against it:
• You have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect its lies or find it.
• Once per turn when you deal Sneak Attack damage to the target, add an additional 1d6 damage.
• You may mark a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Shadow of the People

You learn to vanish seamlessly into the population.

• Crowd Slip. When you take the Hide action in an urban or populated environment, you can vanish into the crowd, making it nearly impossible to track you. You gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in such environments.
• False Trail. When pursued, you can spend 1 minute misleading your enemies. Anyone attempting to track you must succeed on a Wisdom (Survival) check against your Stealth DC, or else they are led astray for 1 hour.

Fear of the Mask

Your vigilante persona inspires dread in those who know they are guilty.

• When you reveal yourself in your vigilante persona, choose any number of hostile creatures within 30 feet who have committed crimes or evil deeds (DM’s discretion). They must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you for 1 minute.
• While frightened in this way, the creature must use its movement to move away from you if possible. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each of its turns.
• You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Judgment Unseen

You become an untouchable avenger, able to move between the world of the guilty and the world of the innocent without leaving a trace.

• Vanishing Act. When you use your Cunning Action to Hide, you may also become invisible until the start of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
• Relentless Justice. When you hit your Justice Mark target with a Sneak Attack, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Dexterity modifier) or be paralyzed until the start of your next turn, as the weight of your presence overwhelms them.
• You are immune to being magically compelled to reveal your true identity.