Path of the Undying

Death is a glorious thing for a barbarian. Dying on the battlefield with weapon in hand is the true warrior's death and they may finally meet their ancestors in the afterlife, their bloodlust sated. Some however do not look to death with the same fondness. Sometimes out of fear of dying a shameful way off the warpath from sickness or old age, sometimes out of spite that something so trivial as death could quench their bloodlust, those who follow the Path of the Undying turn to Necromancy to make sure that not even death can stop them on the battlefield.

Undying Abomination

3rd-level Path of the Undying feature

When you enter your rage, you can transform into a monstrous Undying Abomination. Traces of undeath may become visible onto your body such as empty, black eyes, cracks of necrotic energy or leaking pustules as you take on aspects of undeath to empower you. The transformation remains as long as you stay enraged. Until the end of your rage, your creature type changes to Undead and you can roll 1d4 damage in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strikes. This damage increases at level 6, 10 and 14.

When you transform into an Abomination, choose one of the following aspects:

Ghost: Parts of your body shimmer with an eerie etherealness. While moving, you can pass through creatures and solid objects as if they were difficult terrain. If you end your turn in a solid object or in another creature's space, you are pushed back to the latest free space you occupied.

Zombie: Your skin turns waxy and necrosed in splotches across your body. When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. 

Skeleton: Your body grows thick, bony plates that protect you from attacks. While transformed, you gain +2 to your Unarmored Defense AC.

Fixate

3rd-level Path of the Undying feature

When you transform into an abomination, you can designate a creature as your fixated target. This effect is lost when your rage ends or if you attack another creature.

While you have a fixated target, you cannot be stopped by small attacks. When your hit points would drop to 0 from taking damage lower than half your Barbarian level (rounded up) + your Constitution modifier, you instead drop to 1 hit point.

When the fixated target dies or becomes unconscious, you can choose a new creature as your fixated target.

Aspect of Undeath

6th-level Path of the Undying feature

Your Undying Abomination gains additional abilities according to the form you chose:

Ghost: You can choose to change the damage type of your unarmed strikes to Necrotic damage. You gain the Frightful Visage ability. As an action, choose a creature within 30 ft that can see you. That creature must make a wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On subsequent turns, you can use your action to extend the duration of this effect on the frightened creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends if the creature ends its turn out of line of sight or more than 60 feet away from you.

Zombie: You can choose to change the damage type of your unarmed strikes to Poison damage. You gain the Stench ability. Any creature that starts their turn within 5 ft of you must succeed a Constitution saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your constitution bonus) or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to your Stench for 1 hour.

Skeleton: You can choose to change the damage type of your unarmed strikes to Cold damage. You gain the Life Drain ability. Once per turn, when you deal damage to a creature with an attack, you can have the target make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier). On a fail, its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

Determined Fixation

10th-level Path of the Undying feature

You attack your fixated target with monstrous determination. While your fixated target is within 60 ft of you and you have vision of them, you have advantage on all melee attacks against them and they have disadvantage on all attacks against you, and you ignore difficult terrain when moving towards your fixated target.

Last Breath

10th-level Path of the Undying feature

The monstrous transformation has started affecting your body outside of your abomination form. You gain resistance to poison, cold and necrotic damage, and advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, charmed and frightened. You can hold your breath indefinitely, and you don’t require food, water, or sleep, although you still require rest to reduce exhaustion and still benefit from finishing short and long rests.

Undying Fury

14th-level Path of the Undying feature

Your rage can no longer be stopped until your body falls apart. While in you have a fixated target, having 0 hit points doesn’t knock you unconscious. You still must make death saving throws, and you suffer the normal effects of taking damage while at 0 hit points. However, if you would die due to failing death saving throws, you don’t die as long as you have a fixated target.

If your fixated target dies or is knocked unconscious while you have 0 hit points, you recover hit points equal to your Constitution modifier.