Necrografter

Necrografters are warrior-necromancers that experiment on their own body in ways both subtle and dramatic.  The most noble among them hunt undead and turn their own weapons against them, but the vast majority are at best amoral mercenaries ultimately seeking to cast aside their mortality.

Half-Dead

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you undergo a necromantic ritual that prepares you to receive necrografts, pieces of dead or undead flesh and bone that become your own.

You can hold your breath for twice as long as usual.  You only need half as much food and water as normal to survive.  You can gain the benefits of a long rest by sleeping only 4 hours, although the remaining 4 hours can be spent performing only light activity.

You register on effects that detect undead.

Necrografts

At 3rd level, you gain necrografts, attaching them to your body via profane rites.

Necrografts. You acquire two necrografts of your choice.  The options are listed below.  Necrografts each bestow a passive benefit and can be activated as well.  They have a wide variety of effects ranging from special attacks and casting spells to improving your defenses and skills.  You gain an additional necrograft at 7th level and one more at 15th level. You cannot select the same necrograft twice.

Activate Necrograft. You can activate your necrografts three times between rests.  You gain one additional use of Activate Necrograft at 7th level and at 15th level.

Unless otherwise specified, you can use Activate Necrograft only twice between rests for any single necrograft.  For example, at 7th level, you have three necrografts and four uses of Activate Necrograft. Between rests, you can activate two of your necrografts twice, or activate one twice and the other two once each.

Saving Throws. Many of your necrografts require the target to make a saving throw to resist the necrograft's effects.  Unless otherwise specified, the saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Necrograft save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Abomination Gut

In a dangerous surgery, you remove your stomach and replace it with a monstrous version from a creature such as a plague spewer, plague walker, or famine spirit. It generates a revolting bile that you can vomit at your foes.  As your power increases, your stomach becomes increasingly engorged and it bulges against your skin.

Passive:  You are immune to any consumed poisons.   You can eat raw and rotting flesh without issue.   

If you eat at least a pound of uncooked flesh during a short rest, you gain an engorged die.  An engorged die is a d4.  When you make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, you can roll your engorged die and add the number to the result.  You apply this bonus after making the check but before learning if it was successful.  You can have only one engorged die at a time.

Activate: As a bonus action, you can vomit acidic bile.  Choose one 5-foot square within 10 feet of you. Any creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. It takes 1d6 acid on a failure or half as much damage on a success. Any unaccompanied objects in the area also take this damage. The damages increases to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 17th level.

Allip Wisps

The ruined souls of those who went mad, allips are difficult to deal with.  You bond with the harvested shards of such a broken creature, driving you slightly insane, but also providing protection against those who would seize control of your mind.

Passive: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.  If you are targeted by a charm effect or spell and you succeed on the initial saving throw, the creature trying to charm you takes psychic damage equal to half your fighter level.

Activate: As an action, you can babble incoherently, letting some of the allip’s essence escape.  This acts like the spell Dissonant Whispers.  At 7th, 13th, and 19th level, it is effectively cast at one higher spell slot.

Special: Activating this necrograft consumes two uses of Activate Necrograft, and as such, can be used only once between rests.

Bone Mail

In a lengthy and painful operation, you graft protective bone plating over practically all of your body.  The bones may have originated from almost any sort of creature. 

Passive: You have a base AC of 16 (your Dexterity modifier doesn't affect this number). You gain no benefit from wearing armor (which does not fit you), but if you are using a shield, you can apply the shield's bonus as normal.  At 5th level, your base AC increases to 17.  At 10th level or higher, if you have a Strength of at least 15, you can graft additional bone armor, increasing your base AC to 18.  For the purposes of the Defense Fighting Style, you are wearing armor.

Activate: When you take bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d6 + your Constitution modifier.  At 10th level and 18th level, the die increases to 1d8 and 1d10.

Bone Spikes

In a laborious procedure, you graft onto your body numerous wicked bone spikes.

Passive:  You can deal piercing damage with your unarmed attacks.  You gain proficiency in Intimidation.

Activate: When a creature within your reach hits you with a melee attack or a creature out of your reach hits you with a natural attack, you can use your reaction to attempt to impale it on your spikes.  Make a unarmed attack against it.  If you hit, the creature takes 2d6 + your Strength modifier piercing damage.  At 10th and 18th levels, the damage increases to 2d8 and 2d10.

Special: Only custom-made clothing and armor fit you if you possess this necrograft.  For this reason, most necrografters with this necrograft also have the Bone Mail necrograft.

Elemental Cadaver (Cold)

You can manipulate one of the three elements: fire, frost, or lightning.  This necrograft is generally gained in one of two ways.  You ritualistically consumed the corpse of someone that was either burned to death, frozen to death, or slain by lightning. Or, you were killed by one of the elements and were resurrected.

Passive: You gain resistance to cold damage. If you already have resistance to cold damage, you instead gain resistance to necrotic damage.

Activate: As an action, you can emit a torrent of dark elemental energy.  This acts as the spell Burning Hands, except that half the damage is necrotic and the other half is cold.  At 7th, 13th, and 19th level, it is effectively cast at one higher spell slot. 

Special: Activating this necrograft consumes two uses of Activate Necrograft, and as such, can be used only once between rests.

Elemental Cadaver (Fire)

You can manipulate one of the three elements: fire, frost, or lightning.  This necrograft is generally gained in one of two ways.  You ritualistically consumed the corpse of someone that was either burned to death, frozen to death, or slain by lightning. Or, you were killed by one of the elements and were resurrected.

Passive: You gain resistance to fire damage. If you already have resistance to fire damage, you instead gain resistance to necrotic damage.

Activate: As an action, you can emit a torrent of dark elemental energy. This acts as the spell Burning Hands, except that half the damage is necrotic and the other half is fire. At 7th, 13th, and 19th level, it is effectively cast at one higher spell slot.  

Special: Activating this necrograft consumes two uses of Activate Necrograft, and as such, can be used only once between rests.

Elemental Cadaver (Lightning)

You can manipulate one of the three elements: fire, frost, or lightning.  This necrograft is generally gained in one of two ways.  You ritualistically consumed the corpse of someone that was either burned to death, frozen to death, or slain by lightning. Or, you were killed by one of the elements and were resurrected.

Passive: You gain resistance to lightning damage. If you already have resistance to lightning damage, you instead gain resistance to necrotic damage.

Activate: As an action, you can emit a torrent of dark elemental energy.  This acts as the spell Burning Hands, except that half the damage is necrotic and the other half is lightning.  At 7th, 13th, and 19th level, it is effectively cast at one higher spell slot. 

Special: Activating this necrograft consumes two uses of Activate Necrograft, and as such, can be used only once between rests.

Ghoul Claws

You remove your fingernails and replace them with the claws of a ghoul. Some necrografters go a step further and entirely replace their hands.

Passive: You can deal slashing damage with your unarmed attacks. 

Activate: When you hit a living creature with an unarmed attack that deals slashing damage, you can attempt to partially paralyze it.  The creature must make a Constitution saving throw.  If it fails, it suffers the penalties of the Slow spell until the beginning of your next turn.  This is otherwise treated as paralysis for the purposes of spells and abilities.

Grasping Arm

You attach a third arm to your torso. It may be skeletal or still have substantial flesh on it.  It may be humanoid or more monstrous in nature.

Passive: You gain a third arm.  You lack fine motor control over it, making it unsuitable for wielding weapons or a shield.  It cannot be used to make an unarmed attack.  However, it can hold objects such as a torch.  Additionally, it is useful for grabbing things.  When you make a Strength (Athletics) check to grapple a creature or to climb and the third arm is not holding something, roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the result.

Activate: As a bonus action, you can attempt to grapple a creature.  You can also activate this as a reaction to attempt to grapple a creature that provokes an opportunity attack from you.

Grimwood Mask

A handful of necrografters bond with dead plant matter as well as flesh in a mockery of druids. A grimwood mask is made of special wood such as the remains of a wicked treant or the heart of a dryad's tree that fell to corruption. It does not necessarily cover all the wearer's face, but once placed, it can never be removed.

Passive: Your touch rots plants, trees, and wood.  As an action, you can touch a nonmagical plant, tree, or wooden object or structure. If the target is a plant or tree, up to 1 cubic foot per fighter level of plant or tree matter instantly withers.  If the target is a wooden object or structure, up to 1 cubic foot per fighter level of the object or structure is weakened.  The DC of a Strength check to break or destroy a weakened object or part of a structure is reduced by 5. 

In addition, you can subsist by draining plants and trees of life, and your unarmed attacks score a critical hit on a 19 or a 20 against plant creatures.

Activate: As an action, you can summon guardians made of dead wood, fallen leaves, and barren branches.  They have the statistics of beasts, but their type is considered both plant and undead.  The guardians are immune to poison and cannot be blinded, deafened or exhausted, but they are vulnerable to fire.  They understand your commands, but otherwise cannot communicate or comprehend language.

This acts like the spell Conjure Animals, except that you can only summon one "beast" of challenge rating 1/4 or lower or two of challenge rating 1/8 or lower.  In addition, you cannot summon a "beast" with a fly speed.  At 10th level, you can summon one "beast" of challenge rating 1/2 or lower, two of challenge rating 1/4 or lower, or four of challenge rating 1/8 or lower, and the damage from a guardians' natural weapons is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to nonmagical attacks and damage.  At 15th level, you can summon one "beast" of challenge rating 1 or lower, two of challenge rating 1/2 or lower, or four of challenge rating 1/4 or lower. At 18th level, you can summon "beasts" with a total combined challenge rating of 1.5.  This is a concentration effect.

Special: Activating this necrograft consumes two uses of Activate Necrograft, and as such, can be used only once between rests.

Lich's Skull

You take the skull of a lich and break it into several pieces.  You then graft the pieces to your own skull, forming a sort of crude helmet.

Passive: You gain proficiency in Arcana and History.  

Activate: When you would otherwise fail an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the result.  

Mummified Eye

You tear out one of your eyes and replace it with one that pierces cloud, shadow, earth, and flesh. 

Passive: You can see perfectly in darkness up to 60 feet, even magical darkness.

Activate: When you roll initiative or make an Intelligence (Investigation), Wisdom (Insight), Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check involving sight, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the result.  You apply this bonus after making the check but before learning if it was successful.  

Paladin's Tomb

You have committed a shocking blasphemy: you have exhumed a slain paladin, devoured it whole, shattered its crypt, and grafted to your flesh the stony fragments.  Corpses that are not buried or have only a headstone are insufficient; the paladin must have been surrounded by worked stone.  Additionally, the paladin must have been of pure heart.

Passive:  You can understand the inscriptions, writings, and runes on all graves, tombs, and similar structures.  You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) checks to notice or track celestials, fiends, and undead. 

Activate: As a bonus action, you can unleash a battle cry infused with divine and profane power.  Each creature of your choice that can hear you within 30 feet of you receives either a bonus or penalty to the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn. Choose separately for each creature. The bonus or penalty is equal to half your proficiency bonus.

Poltergeist Quintessence

You imbibe the spectral remains of an unquiet spirit, giving you the power to manipulate objects.

Passive: You know the Mage Hand cantrip and can cast it without using any components (verbal, somatic, or material).  When you summon the spectral hand, it can be invisible.

Activate:  As an action, you can cast Catapult without using any components (verbal, somatic, or material).  At 7th, 13th, and 19th level, it is effectively cast at one higher spell slot. 

Special: Activating this necrograft consumes two uses of Activate Necrograft, and as such, can be used only once between rests.

Shadow Soul

You drink the darkness that is the remnants of an undead shadow, bestowing upon you its penumbral power.

Passive: You gain proficiency in Stealth. 

Activate: When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action you can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn.

Shattered Phylactery

You take the fragments of a lich's phylactery and insert them around your heart, helping anchor your soul to your flesh.

Passive: When you roll a 1 on a death saving throw, it counts as only one failure rather than two.  You succeed on death saving throws on a 9 or higher.

Activate: As a reaction when you take damage, you gain 1d4 + your fighter level temporary hit points.

Special: Activating this necrograft consumes two uses of Activate Necrograft, and as such, can be used only once between rests.

Two Corpses in One Grave

You are not alone.  Another soul inhabits your body along with your own.  This may be the result of deliberate action on your part. In this situation, you ritualistically consumed a humanoid corpse.  However, this necrograft could also be caused by a lost soul attaching itself to you without your knowledge.

Passive:  You gain proficiency in any one language that the soul was proficient in.  At will, you can spend an action to physically take on the form of the soul that shares your body.

This acts like the Change Appearance benefit of Alter Self, with three key differences.  First, this ability requires no concentration.  Second, there are no restrictions on adopting a different size; a halfling can physically transform into a goliath and vice versa.  Your clothes and equipment adjust to your new size.  While this transformation affects your height and weight, the only mechanical difference is your carrying capacity.  Your stats are not changed as though affected by Enlarge Reduce.  Third, while this transformation does not actually change the clothes and equipment you are wearing beyond their size, if you wish, they can appear to change as if you had cast Disguise Self.  This effect is an illusion and can be changed at will by spending an action.  Only your clothes’ and equipment’s appearance can change; your body cannot. 

When you are in this alternate form, you appear as a normal person without any necrografts.  However, you may still use all of the abilities granted by your necrografts.  Some, like the speed increase of Vampiric Grace, won’t appear to be unnatural, but others, like activating the Abomination Gut necrograft, will clearly reveal that you are not what you appear to be.

Returning to your original form takes a bonus action, while dropping an illusion of clothes and equipment takes no action.  If killed, you revert to your original form. 

Activate: When you are in your alternate form, you can spend an action to return to your original form in an extremely disturbing manner.  Your original form appears to erupt from the flesh of your altered form.  Any creatures of your choice that that witness this gruesome transformation must make a Wisdom saving throw.  On a failed save, a creature becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. The frightened creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Special: Activating this necrograft consumes two uses of Activate Necrograft, and as such, can be used only once between rests.

Vampiric Fangs

You implant fangs extracted from a presumably very unhappy vampire.  You can reveal and retract them at will.

Passive: You gain a bite attack that you can use once per round as an unarmed attack.  It deals piercing damage plus additional necrotic damage equal to half your proficiency bonus.  If the target has blood running through its veins, you gain temporary hit points equal to the additional necrotic damage it takes.  These temporary hit points can be gained by draining fresh corpses, and they stack up to half your fighter level.

Activate:  When you hit with a bite attack, the additional necrotic damage is equal to your proficiency bonus.  If the target has blood running through its veins, you don’t gain temporary hit points.  Instead, you regain hit points equal to the additional necrotic damage it takes.  This can also be used on fresh corpses.

Vampiric Grace

You consume the blood of a vampire, granting you its unholy agility.

Passive:  You gain proficiency in Acrobatics.

Activate: As a bonus action, you can Dash or Disengage.  You can also reroll a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check and take the higher result after seeing the result of the roll, but before the DM tells you whether it is a success or failure.

Vampiric Soul

You consume the ashy remains of a vampire, bestowing upon you its silver tongue and gift of mental domination.

Passive: You gain proficiency in Deception and Persuasion. 

Activate: As an action, you can cast Charm Person without using any components (verbal, somatic, or material) at a target that can see you. Should you also possess the Vampiric Fangs necrograft, you can use this feature to make a target let you drain its blood without breaking the charm.

Special: Activating this necrograft consumes two uses of Activate Necrograft, and as such, can be used only once between rests.

Vampiric Transformation

You spend a night in the coffin of a destroyed vampire.  Upon awakening, you absorb some of its latent power.

Passive: For up to 1 minute per fighter level per day, you can climb on walls and sheer surfaces as if you were under the effect of the Spider Climb spell.  This requires no action to activate and requires no concentration to maintain.  The minutes are spent in 1-minute intervals. 

Activate: As an action, you can turn into a bat.  This acts like the Wild Shape feature of druids.

Special: This necrograft can be gained only at 15th level.

Wight Heart

You do not remove your own heart, but implant next to it the heart of a slain wight.  You always feel its icy presence.

Passive: Your unarmed attacks deal an additional 1 necrotic damage.

Activate: When you hit a creature with an unarmed attack, you can attempt to cripple it.  It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw.  If it fails, the target deals only half damage with weapon attacks that use Strength until the beginning of your next turn.

Zombie Hulk

In a very lengthy and agonizing operation, you graft onto yourself a significant portion of a slain zombie’s muscles.

Passive: You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.  You gain proficiency in Athletics. 

Activate: When you hit a creature that is Large or smaller with an unarmed attack that deals bludgeoning damage, you can attempt to drive the target back while simultaneously knocking it down.  It must make a Strength saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. On a failed save, you knock the target prone and push it up to 15 feet away from you.

Unhallowed Arts

At 3rd level, the necromantic ritual you undergo grants your flesh unnatural power.

You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike.

In addition, if you did not select the Unarmed Fighting Fighting Style option, you can replace your current Fighting Style with it.

Death-Dealing Strikes

Starting at 7th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Three-Quarters Dead

At 10th level, your metabolism becomes increasingly unharmed by what ails normal mortals. You have advantage on saving throws against poison and disease, and you have resistance against poison damage.  If you already have resistance or immunity to poison, you instead gain resistance to necrotic damage.

Will of the Grave

By 15th level, you have become so familiar with death that little fazes you.  When you use your Indomitable feature to reroll a saving throw against being frightened, you have advantage.

Abandon Mortality

At 18th level, you perform a final necromantic ritual where you cast all but the scraps of your mortal flesh.

You die only when you have four failed death saving throws. You no longer need to breath, eat, drink, or sleep, although to gain the benefits of a long rest, you still need to perform at most light activity for the required amount of time.

For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.  You might be able to extend your life span even further using dark and dubious means.