"I feared for civilization itself in that moment, as the man, masked eyes dark as ever, drew his wicked sword. Tendrils of darkness and hellfire intermingled horribly around him as he approached, mask tilted in what, by some foul mimicry, imitated amusement. He spoke thus; heavy, booming words which still fearfully echo in my own heart and soul: 'I am the pollution that will fill your skies. I am what awaits you in the dark of the night. Hell is at my fingertips; I am your apocalypse'."

-Ajax Karmyn, Personal Journal, page 2,987: The Hellraiser

 

There exists a darkness in everyone. You have chosen to become that darkness incarnate.

 

Hellraisers find no meaning or structure to the universe- they look around and see chaos. Pain. Death. Instead of directly helping it, Hellraisers choose to see the beauty in the ruin- embracing darkness, anguish, and mortality as their highest virtues. They drive intentionally contrary to any moral standard presented, and, for good or evil, wish only to see destruction and leave rubble in their wake.

Hellraisers come from a variety of origins and carry varying still motives. The source of their power may be a hellish pact, a blessing (or curse) of a god of death, or pure unexplained hatred. They may fight for anything from hastening the apocalypse to having sworn the destruction of a specific person or a tyrannical empire. These fighters are often fueled by pure hate, complete nihilism, or utter revelry in chaos.

Level 3: Crawling Chaos

Your presence brings gloom and dread to those around you. You gain proficiency in Intimidation. 

Once per turn, when you reduce an creature to 0 hit points, you may force any number of creatures within 30 feet of that creature to make a Wisdom saving throw (no action required). On a failure, a creature becomes frightened of you for up to one minute, and may repeat this save at the end of each of their turns. The DC for this save equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your Proficiency bonus.

At 5th level, you gain a new way to use this feature: At the start of each of your turns, you can choose a creature to make the save to avoid being frightened.

Level 3: Heart of Darkness

When a creature starts its turn frightened of you, it takes 1d6 necrotic damage. This damage increases to 2d6 at 11th level, 3d6 at 15th level, and 4d6 at 19th level.

Level 7: Black Cat

Woe upon those who cross your path. You're walking misfortune.

As a reaction, when a creature within 30 feet of you fails a saving throw, attack roll, or ability check, you can make it into a critical failure. If they succeed, you can make them reroll, taking the lower result. If they critically succeed, you can turn it into a regular success.

You can use this reaction once per short or long rest.

Level 10: Toll the Bell

Once per turn, when you make an attack, you can erupt waves of darkness and hellfire in the direction of the attack (no action required). Each creature in a 15 foot long, 5 foot wide line must succeed a Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d8 fire damage and 1d8 necrotic damage on a failure, or half as much on a success. The area afflicted by this line is consumed with hellfire and considered difficult terrain, and hostile creatures which enter this area or end their turn in this area must repeat the saving throw to avoid the same effect. The saving throw DC equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.

Level 15: Sun Down Horror

Your Crawling Chaos feature now ignores immunity to the frightened condition.

As an action, you can choose a frightened creature within 60 feet of you. You end the frightened condition on the creature, however it takes 6d8 fire damage and 4d8 necrotic damage, as you rip the fear from its soul. You regain health equal to the necrotic damage dealt. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain expended uses at the end of a short or long rest.

Level 18: Four Seals

You can now wield the forces of chaos and apocalypse, manifesting their power yourself. Once per long rest, you can use a Bonus Action, you can activate this feature to choose one of the following benefits to gain for one minute. When you reduce a creature with a challenge rating of at least half your level (round up) to zero hit points, you can choose an additional benefit and reset the duration. If you already have all benefits, you can instead extend the duration by a minute and immediately use your second wind feature (no action required) without expending a use. The benefit options are as follows:

• Conquest. Once on each of your turns, you can cast suggestion on a creature frightened of you (no action required) without expending a spell slot. The DC for this save is calculated the same as your Crawling Chaos feature. You are immune to the charmed and frightened conditions.
• War. The damage die of your Toll the Bell increases to 1d12, and you can now use it an unlimited number of times per turn. You gain resistance to fire damage.
• Famine. Creatures frightened by you are poisoned. When a creature ends its turn frightened by you, it gains a level of exhaustion (up to a maximum of three from this feature.) You gain resistance to necrotic damage.
• Death. Any space you move through now is engulfed with hellfire, as detailed in the Toll the Bell feature. When a creature within 30 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points, you gain an additional attack with your next attack action (maximum of three extra attacks). If that creature is friendly, you can use your reaction to expend any number of your hit dice- you take necrotic damage equal to the amount rolled, and the creature regains hit points equal to the number rolled.

When all of these benefits are active, you may activate the following:

• Apocalypse. At the start of each of your turns, waves of darkness and hellfire shoot out from you in a 20 foot emanation. Each hostile creature in that area takes 7 (2d6) fire damage and 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. Additionally, when your turn starts, you regain 3 hit points for each creature frightened by you.

Level 7: Of the Four

As an action, you can cast Phantom Steed, without any components and without expending a spell slot. You may cast it once per short or long rest in this way.

 

When cast this way, the duration becomes until dispelled, and the steed now has hit points equal to your level x your proficiency bonus, and does not dispel when it takes damage. It uses your armor class, and has resistance to psychic, necrotic, fire, and cold damage.