Path of the Drowned

This subclass comes from ABYSS. ABYSS is an aquatic compendium lovingly put together by the good people of the Haven Discord server. We homebrew for our own joy and to provide enjoyment to the readers.

The Path of the Drowned is walked by those who fall into the dark depths of the sea and survive. Most of these barbarians did not choose this fate. Instead, their all-consuming rage is the legacy of a prolonged brush with death. Some belong to tribes who venerate the power of the sea and willingly give themselves to the waves for a chance at such strength.

Falling somewhere between the living and the dead, barbarians who walk this path remember the rattling of chains and crashing waves when they rage. Their spectral powers control the battle- field around them as they drag their enemies into the cold and crushing depths to suffer their own grim fate.

Spectral Chains/Oppressive Haul

At 3rd level, your memories of the crushing depths cause you to manifest spectral chains that wrap around you or hang off your person. The chains are visible to only you when you are not raging and can’t travel more than 10 feet away from you. The chains can be used to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. The chains can’t perform any task that requires careful handling, attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds. When your Spectral Chains require a saving throw, the DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier.

Oppressive Haul
You fully embrace your spectral powers and conjure a ghostly anchor that attaches to your spectral chains.
When you enter a rage, you can hurl the anchor at a creature within 30 feet of you. The targeted creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 15 feet in a straight line towards you by your Spectral Chains. While you’re raging, you can use a bonus action on your turn to toss the anchor again, targeting the same creature or a different one.

Drowned Lungs

Starting at 3rd level, you take on certain characteristics that walk the brink of life and death. You gain the following benefits:

• You gain a swimming speed of 30 feet.
• You are immune to the effects of being underwater at a depth greater than 100 feet.
• You no longer need to breathe.
• You appear dead to spells and magical effects used to determine your status, and are indistinguishable from a corpse while you remain motionless.

Heave-To

Beginning at 6th level, your Spectral Chains are empowered and begin to bind and harm your foes. When a creature fails its save against an effect originating from your Spectral Chains such as Oppressive Haul or Batten Down the Hatches, its speed is halved until the start of your next turn. In addition, the creature takes 1d6 cold damage. When you reach certain levels in this class, the damage dealt by your chains increases: 2d6 at 10th level and 3d6 at 14th level.

Dead Men Talking

At 10th level, your connection to the dead is strong enough to contact them directly. When you do so, you cast the speak with dead spell without using a spell slot or material components. Rather than speaking with the corpse’s mouth, you see a spectral image of the creature as it was in life hovering above the body.

After you cast the spell in this way, you can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.

Batten Down the Hatches

Starting at 14th level, you can call upon the drowned to restrain the living with your chains. When you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to wrap that creature in Spectral Chains. The creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be restrained until the end of your next turn.