Base Class: Fighter
Dreadbound fighters are warriors who have survived an encounter with something that should have broken them. A supernatural curse, forbidden ritual, eldritch presence, divine punishment, ancient relic, or terrible battlefield experience has left a permanent mark upon them. Rather than seek freedom from that burden, a Dreadbound learns to master it and turn it against their enemies.
A Dreadbound can place a supernatural Brand upon a chosen foe, forging a violent connection between hunter and target. As the battle intensifies, the Dreadbound gathers power from the struggle itself. Every strike landed, every wound endured, and every desperate exchange feeds a reserve of Dread that can be unleashed through brutal combat techniques.
Unlike warriors who rely on sudden bursts of power, Dreadbound fighters become increasingly dangerous as a fight drags on. They excel at confronting powerful enemies directly, preventing foes from escaping, retaliating against attacks, and enduring punishment that would force other warriors to retreat.
To face a Dreadbound is to discover a terrible truth: hurting them does not always bring you closer to victory. Sometimes, it only gives them more power to use against you.
Some Dreadbound view their Brand as a curse they are determined to control. Others consider it a gift, a weapon, or proof that they survived what lesser warriors could not. Whatever its origin, the Brand has become inseparable from the warrior who bears it.
When a Dreadbound chooses an enemy, the battle becomes personal.
The longer the fight continues, the worse that decision becomes for their foe.
No Ground Given
Starting at 7th level, your supernatural fixation upon your Branded creature makes you extraordinarily difficult to dislodge and even harder to escape.
While your Branded creature is within 5 feet of you, you have advantage on ability checks and saving throws made to resist being grappled, shoved, knocked prone, or forcibly moved by that creature.
In addition, nonmagical difficult terrain does not cost you extra movement while you are moving toward your Branded creature.
When you hit your Branded creature with an opportunity attack, its speed becomes 0 for the remainder of the turn.
Brandbite
At 10th level, the supernatural connection between you and your Branded creature becomes powerful enough to wound it directly.
Once on each of your turns when you hit your Branded creature with a weapon attack, the attack deals an additional 1d8 necrotic damage.
This damage increases to 2d8 when you reach 18th level in this class.
Brandbite requires no Dread and does not count as a Dread Technique.
Pain is Proof
Starting at 15th level, pain only strengthens the supernatural connection between you and your chosen enemy.
When you roll initiative and have no Dread, you immediately gain 2 Dread.
Additionally, while you have half your hit point maximum or fewer and your Branded creature is conscious, you gain the following benefits:
Whenever you hit your Branded creature with a weapon attack, the attack deals 2 additional damage.
At the beginning of each of your turns, if your Branded creature is within 5 feet of you and you have fewer than your maximum number of Dread, you gain 1 Dread.
You can gain Dread from this feature only once per turn.
Death Denied
At 18th level, the supernatural force bound within you refuses to allow your Branded foe the satisfaction of killing you.
When you are reduced to 0 hit points but are not killed outright, you can expend 3 Dread to drop to 1 hit point instead.
Immediately after doing so, you can move up to half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks from your Branded creature. If your Branded creature is within your weapon's range after this movement, you can make one weapon attack against it.
If this attack hits, you can apply your Brandbite damage to the attack even if it is not your turn. This use of Brandbite does not prevent you from using Brandbite normally on your next turn.
When you activate Death Denied, you can expend additional Dread. If the weapon attack granted by this feature hits, it deals an additional 1d10 damage for each Dread spent beyond the initial 3.
Once you use Death Denied, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Dread Brand
Starting at 3rd level, you can bind a chosen enemy to the supernatural force that dwells within you.
As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. That creature becomes your Branded creature for 1 minute. Your Brand ends early if you become unconscious, if you Brand another creature, or if you dismiss it as a bonus action.
You can use Dread Brand a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
If your Branded creature is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn to transfer the remaining duration of the Brand to another creature you can see within 60 feet without expending another use of this feature.
Gathering Dread. You gain 1 Dread the first time on each of your turns that you hit your Branded creature with a weapon attack. You also gain 1 Dread the first time during each round that your Branded creature deals damage to you.
Your maximum Dread is 3 at 3rd level, 4 at 7th level, 5 at 10th level, 6 at 15th level, and 7 at 18th level.
You can't have more Dread than your maximum. If you go for 1 minute without having a Branded creature, all of your accumulated Dread is lost.
Dread Brand isn't a spell and requires no concentration.
Dread Techniques
Starting at 3rd level, you learn to channel the supernatural power generated by your Dread Brand into specialized martial techniques called Dread Techniques.
You learn two Dread Techniques of your choice when you gain this feature. You learn one additional Dread Technique at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level in this class. Whenever you learn a new Dread Technique from this feature, you can also replace one Dread Technique you know with another Dread Technique for which you meet the prerequisites.
You can use a Dread Technique only while you have enough Dread to pay its cost. When you use a technique, the required Dread is expended immediately.
Unless a technique states otherwise, you can use only one Dread Technique on a single attack.
If a Dread Technique requires a creature to make a saving throw, your Dread save DC is calculated as follows:
Dread save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier
Anchor
When your Branded creature willingly moves while within your melee reach, you can expend 1 Dread and use your reaction to make one melee weapon attack against it.
On a hit, the creature's speed becomes 0 for the remainder of the turn.
Blood Answers Blood
After your Branded creature deals damage to you, you can expend 2 Dread and use your reaction to cause it to take necrotic damage equal to your Fighter level.
Because the triggering damage has already been resolved, you can use Dread generated by that damage to activate Blood Answers Blood.
Bloodrush
As a bonus action, you can expend 2 Dread to move up to your walking speed toward your Branded creature.
During this movement, nonmagical difficult terrain does not cost you extra movement.
You must end this movement closer to your Branded creature than where you began.
Bonebreaker
When you hit your Branded creature with a weapon attack, you can expend 2 Dread and force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw against your Dread save DC.
On a failed save, the creature cannot take reactions until the beginning of your next turn and has disadvantage on the next weapon attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.
Brutal Reversal
When your Branded creature hits you with a melee attack, you can expend 1 Dread and use your reaction to make one melee weapon attack against that creature.
Crushing Drive
When you hit your Branded creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend 1 Dread to force it to make a Strength saving throw against your Dread save DC.
On a failed save, choose one of the following effects:
The creature is knocked prone.
The creature is pushed up to 15 feet away from you.
Dreadful Challenge
As a bonus action, you can expend 1 Dread and force your Branded creature to make a Wisdom saving throw against your Dread save DC.
On a failed save, the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you until the beginning of your next turn.
Executioner's Claim
When you score a critical hit with a weapon attack against your Branded creature, you can expend 3 Dread.
When you do so, roll three additional weapon damage dice and add them to the critical hit's damage.
For example, if you score a critical hit with a greataxe, Executioner's Claim adds an additional 3d12 damage.
Feed the Brand
When you hit your Branded creature with a weapon attack, you can expend 3 Dread and force it to make a Constitution saving throw against your Dread save DC.
On a failed save, until the beginning of your next turn, whenever that creature deals damage to you, you gain 1 Dread after the damage is resolved.
You can gain Dread from Feed the Brand no more than twice before the effect ends.
Dread gained from this Technique is in addition to any Dread you would normally gain from Dread Brand.
Final Sentence
When you hit your Branded creature with a weapon attack, you can expend 5 Dread to declare the strike a Final Sentence.
The attack deals an additional 4d10 necrotic damage.
If the Branded creature had half its hit point maximum or fewer immediately before the attack hit, the additional damage is 5d10 necrotic damage instead.
The additional damage dice from Final Sentence are not doubled if the attack is a critical hit.
Once you use Final Sentence, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Grave Step
When your Branded creature misses you with an attack, you can expend 2 Dread and use your reaction to move up to half your walking speed.
This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks from your Branded creature.
After this movement, if your Branded creature is within your weapon's range, you can make one weapon attack against it.
Iron Flesh
When you take damage, you can expend 1 Dread and use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d10 + your Constitution modifier.
You can use Iron Flesh after the damage is rolled but before the damage is applied.
Nothing Left to Fear
When you fail an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw, you can expend 3 Dread to reroll the saving throw. You must use the new result.
If the effect that caused the saving throw originated from your Branded creature, you can instead expend 3 Dread to succeed on the saving throw automatically.
Predator's Step
Immediately after you hit your Branded creature with a weapon attack, you can expend 1 Dread to move up to half your speed.
This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks from your Branded creature.
Ruinous Blow
When you hit your Branded creature with a weapon attack, you can expend 1 Dread to deal an additional 1d8 damage of the same type dealt by the weapon.
You can use Ruinous Blow only once per turn.
Sunder Will
When you hit your Branded creature with a weapon attack, you can expend 2 Dread and force it to make a Wisdom saving throw against your Dread save DC.
On a failed save, the creature becomes frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
On a successful save, the creature is immune to your Sunder Will until the beginning of your next turn.
Unyielding Advance
As a bonus action, you can expend 3 Dread to become an unstoppable force until the end of your turn.
Until the end of the turn:
Nonmagical difficult terrain does not cost you extra movement.
Your walking speed cannot be reduced.
Opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage.
You can move through the space of hostile creatures that are no more than one size larger than you, though you cannot end your movement in another creature's space.
The first weapon attack you make against your Branded creature before the end of the turn has advantage.