Grave Warden

Most rangers protect the balance between civilization and nature. Grave Wardens protect the balance between life and death. They stalk battlefields, haunted forests, and forgotten tombs, ensuring the dead remain servants rather than masters. While many mistake them for necromancers hungry for power, Grave Wardens see undeath as another tool of the natural cycle a way to force the fallen to make one final sacrifice before returning to their eternal rest.

Unlike wizards, Grave Wardens don't command armies of skeletons. Their magic focuses on raising a small number of loyal servants, harvesting souls from slain enemies, and empowering themselves through death.

Level 3: Grave Warden Magic

These spells count as ranger spells for you and don't count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Soul Reaper

Starting at 3rd level,

Your attacks harvest fragments of departing souls.

Once on each of your turns when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you gain one Soul Fragment. You can hold a number of Soul Fragments equal to your Proficiency Bonus. All fragments vanish when you finish a long rest.

As a bonus action, you may expend Soul Fragments to fuel the following abilities:

Grave Strike

Spend 1 fragment. Your next weapon attack this turn deals an extra 1d8 necrotic damage, increasing to 2d8 at 11th level.

Borrowed Vitality

Spend 1 fragment. Gain temporary hit points equal to: 1d8 + twice your proficiency bonus

Grave Step

Spend 1 fragment. Teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you or your Restless Companion can see that is adjacent to a corpse.

Level 3: Restless Companion

Starting at 3rd level,

You learn to briefly return worthy corpses to service.

As an action, you may animate a Small or Medium beast or humanoid corpse within 10 feet. It rises as a Restless Servant.

You may only have one Restless Servant at a time. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required). If you create another servant, the previous one crumbles to dust. The servant remains for 1 hour, until destroyed, or until you finish a long rest.

If you know animate dead, this servant does not count against the number of undead you may control.

Restless Servant

Medium Undead

Armor Class: 13 + your proficiency bonus

Hit Points: 5 + five times your ranger level

Speed: 30 ft.

Damage Immunities: Poison

Condition Immunities: Poisoned, Exhaustion

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.

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Multiattack (11th level). Makes two attacks.

Grave Slam

Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit. Hit: 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus bludgeoning damage plus 1d6 necrotic damage.

The servant acts immediately after your turn.

Level 7: Death's Mark

Starting at 7th level,

Whenever you cast Hunter's Mark, the target becomes Death Marked.

While a creature is Death Marked:

• Your undead have advantage on attack rolls against it.
• The creature cannot regain hit points while within 30 feet of you.
• The first time each turn you deal Hunter's Mark damage, it becomes necrotic damage instead of its normal type and deals an additional 1d6 necrotic damage.

If the marked creature dies before the spell ends, you immediately gain 2 Soul Fragments.

Level 11: Legion of One

Starting at 11th level,

Your mastery of necromancy strengthens your solitary servant.

Your Restless Servant gains:

• Multiattack (already listed above)
• Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks.
• It's attacks count as magical.
• Whenever you spend a Soul Fragment, your servant may immediately move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
• Whenever your servant reduces a creature to 0 hit points, you gain a Soul Fragment.

Additionally, whenever you cast Summon Undead, the summoned spirit gains temporary hit points equal to twice your ranger level.

Level 15: Avatar of the Grave

Starting at 15th level,

Death itself fights beside you.

Whenever you expend a Soul Fragment, choose one:

• You deal 1d8 necrotic damage to every creature within 5 feet of you.
• Your Restless Servant immediately makes one attack.
• You gain resistance to all damage except force and radiant until the start of your next turn.

In addition, when a Large or smaller creature dies within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to tear free its departing soul.

The creature rises immediately as a Spectral Thrall until the end of your next turn.

The Spectral Thrall acts immediately after your turn, has a flying speed of 40 feet, can move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, and makes one melee spell attack against a creature of your choice. On a hit, it deals 3d8 necrotic damage, after which the spirit vanishes peacefully.

You may create a Spectral Thrall a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier per long rest.