Path of the Occult Slayer (2024)

Barbarians have long regarded magic with suspicion, fear, and superstition. To some, spellcasters are unnatural beings who meddle with forces beyond mortal understanding. To others, they are dangerous tyrants who wield power without consequence, bending the world and its inhabitants to their will. Whether born from old superstitions, personal tragedy, or witnessing the devastation magic can unleash, this distrust can grow into an all-consuming hatred.

For those who follow the Path of the Occult Slayer, this hatred becomes the foundation of their rage. They believe that mortals are too reckless, ambitious, or corruptible to be entrusted with the power of magic. Whether drawn from arcane study, divine devotion, or bargains with otherworldly beings, such power inevitably invites corruption and suffering. An Occult Slayer sees little distinction between the sources of this power; a spellcaster is a spellcaster, and all who wield such forces are potential threats.

An Occult Slayer does not answer magic with magic. Instead, they dedicate themselves to overcoming it through physical prowess, relentless determination, and an almost unnatural resistance to supernatural influence. Through exhaustive training, they learn to recognize the signs of spellcasting, endure magical assaults, and hunt those who would otherwise hide behind their supernatural abilities. Their rage becomes a weapon against the occult, allowing them to resist the very forces they despise and bring the fight to those who wield them.

Occult Slayers are often individuals who have suffered at the hands of spellcasters. Some have lost their homes, families, or entire communities to magical destruction, while others have witnessed the cruelty of those who believe their powers place them above ordinary mortals. Whatever their origins, they have come to believe that the only way to protect the world from magic is to confront those who wield it.

Occult Slayers seldom form lasting organizations. They understand that gathering too many of their kind in one place risks attracting the attention of powerful spellcasters, who may seek to eliminate them before they become a threat. Instead, they meet discreetly, exchanging rumors, knowledge, and information about dangerous spellcasters. These gatherings are opportunities to share hard-won experience, identify new threats, and mark those who must eventually be hunted down.

"The correct answer to a barbarian's riddle is to choke on your cleverness and die." - unknown

Magical Defense

You have developed a deep resentment toward those who wield magic, and every spell that strikes you only fuels your rage. Rather than succumb to their supernatural power, you endure it through sheer spite, turning the pain and frustration into an even greater fury.

While raging, when you take damage from a spell or are forced to make a saving throw against a spell, you can take a Reaction to gain Advantage on the saving throw against the triggering spell and Resistance to one damage type dealt by the spell until the start of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once). When you have no remaining uses of this feature, you can expend one use of your Rage to use this feature again and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Vicious strike

Your hatred of magic fuels your fury, turning the power used against you into a weapon. When subjected to a spell or magical effect, your rage intensifies, driving you to strike back with even greater ferocity.

Whenever you are affected by a spell, your Rage Damage bonus is doubled until the end of your next turn.

Auravision

Your hatred of magic has sharpened your senses, allowing you to perceive supernatural forces and see through the deceptions of spellcasters.

You sense the presence of magical effects within 60 feet of yourself. If you sense such effects, you see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears the magic, and if an effect was created by a spell, you learn the spell's school of magic. Additionally, you have Advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to determine whether something you can see is an illusion. This ability is blocked by 1 foot of stone, dirt, or wood; 1 inch of metal; or a thin sheet of lead.

Spell Breaker

Through your dealings with spell casters, you have learned to turn your rage against magic itself. You can interrupt a spellcaster's incantations with a well-placed strike or shatter the magical forces protecting their targets. While raging, you gain access to the following abilities:

Interrupt Spellcasting. When you see a creature within your reach casting a spell that has a Verbal, Somatic, or Material component, you can take a Reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature. If the attack hits, you can expend one use of your Rage to force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Strength modifier + your Proficiency Bonus). On a failed save, the spell dissipates with no effect, and the action, Bonus Action, or Reaction used to cast it is wasted. If the spell was cast using a spell slot, the slot isn't expended.

Sunder Magic. When you hit a creature, object, or magical effect with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Rage to disrupt the magic affecting it. Each ongoing spell of a level equal to or lower than your Rage Damage bonus on the target ends. For each ongoing spell of a level higher than your Rage Damage bonus on the target, make a Strength check (DC 10 + the spell's level). On a successful check, the spell ends

Antimagic Cloak

Your mind and body have become anathema to supernatural influence. Magic struggles to perceive you, manipulate your thoughts, or protect those who would oppose you. You gain the following benefits:

Blank Thoughts. You are immune to the Charmed and Frightened conditions. The target is also unaffected by anything that would sense its emotions or alignment, read its thoughts, or magically detect its location, and no spell, not even Wish, can gather information about the target, observe it remotely, or control its mind.

Unbreakable Grasp. While a creature is Grappled by you, it can't teleport or travel to another plane of existence. This restriction applies to any magical or other supernatural means of extradimensional movement.

Disruption Pulse. While raging, at the start of each of your turns, you emit a pulse of disruptive energy. Each creature of your choice within 10 feet of you that is concentrating on a spell must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw with Disadvantage. On a failed save, the creature loses Concentration.