Ambush Predator. Once per turn, when the carrion hunter uses the Attack action against a creature it is hidden from, the carrion hunter can attack twice, instead of once.
Archranger. The carrion hunter cannot become lost except by magical means; difficult terrain, magical or nonmagical, doesn’t slow its travel; and it has advantage on all Nature, Stealth, and Survival checks.
Beastly Bond. The carrion hunter is always aware of the direction to the location of its carrion companion. If the carrion companion is moving, the carrion hunter knows the direction of its movement. It is always aware of its carrion companion’s emotional state, whether it is in danger or safe, and whether it is alive or dead.
Companion Phylactery. If its carrion companion is still alive, a destroyed carrion hunter gains a new body in 1 day, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of its companion.
Confirmed Kill. When the carrion hunter brings a creature to 0 hit points, it can immediately make an additional bow attack at a creature it can see within range.
Magic Resistance. The carrion hunter has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Moment’s Notice. The carrion hunter rolls initiative with advantage, and cannot be surprised.
Tactical Retreat. If its carrion companion dies, the carrion hunter can immediately move up to twice its speed without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Turn Resistance. The carrion hunter has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.
Multiattack. The carrion hunter makes two Bow attacks or two Scimitar attacks.
Bow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, range 200/800 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8+5) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage.
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6+5) slashing damage.
Command. The carrion hunter commands its companion, allowing it to strike instead. The carrion companion uses its action and may move up to its speed.
Spellcasting. The carrion hunter casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18):
At will: hunter’s mark, longstrider, speak with animals
3/day each: blink, ensnaring strike, hold person, locate object, pass without trace, spider climb, vampiric touch
2/day each: animate dead (cast at 4th level), greater invisibility, locate creature, nondetection, see invisibility
1/day each: blight (cast at 6th level), cloudkill (cast at 6th level), hallucinatory terrain, tree stride
Hide. The carrion hunter makes a Stealth check in an attempt to hide.
Description
The Carrion Hunter is the result of a Ranger refusing to embrace death and undergoing a unique transformation into lichdom. This transformation involves a ritual in the wilderness where the Ranger, accompanied only by their beast companion, must hunt their favored foe while avoiding any contact with civilization. The essence of this transformation is the strong bond between the Ranger and their companion, which is so powerful that it survives the transition into undeath.
This process results in the creation of two phylacteries: the Ranger and their companion, making them both integral parts of a whole. The Carrion Hunter and its companion must continue their hunt to sustain their undead existence, with the beast feasting on the souls of their prey. This necessity drives the Carrion Hunter to seek increasingly formidable foes, thereby growing stronger with each kill.
However, this existence has a tragic and inevitable end. If the Carrion Hunter fails to find a mark stronger than their last, they face a grim fate. The companion, driven by an insatiable hunger, may turn on its master, leading to the creation of a Soul Hound, a monstrous entity that is a fusion of the Ranger and the beast. This new being, devoid of the Ranger's personality and wisdom, becomes a relentless predator.
The narrative of the Carrion Hunter reflects the themes of nature, survival, hunting, and the deep connection with their beast companion. It emphasizes the consequences of defying the natural order of life and death, portraying a grim yet compelling story of unlife.
Tactics:
- The carrion hunter will engage enemies from a very long range and, if possible, while hiding, ambushing them from a distance and dispatching them before its enemy can get to it. The hunter will make one attack, stealth away to a different position, and then make another attack, so that its position remains hidden to its mark.
- If it is forced to fight its enemies head-on and cannot hide, the carrion hunter will stay behind its carrion companion and let it tank.
- If the carrion hunter is losing the fight, it will use its Tactical Retreat ability to fall back while the carrion companion slows down their attackers. This gives the carrion hunter more of a chance to get away without risk, since if only one dies the other will resurrect.
- If the carrion hunter dies before its carrion companion, the companion will use its Beastly Rage ability to try either to kill the remaining enemies or weaken them enough to not give chase.
- You can decide how tanky (and how hard to kill) the carrion companion is by increasing its HP according to how many souls it has been able to feast upon.
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