Base Class: Barbarian
A shaman is generally seen as a healer and practitioner of ancient and supernatural arts. The Death Shaman uses those arts to connect with the spirit world and bring forth the rage of the damned to fuel their own fury.
Rites of the Death Shaman
Cantrips
You learn three cantrips of your choice from the Death Shaman spell list.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Death Shaman expends their hit die in order to cast their spells, similarly to expending them on a short rest and healing.
To cast one of your spells, you must roll a number of hit dice equal to half the level of the spell (rounded up) and take necrotic damage equal to the amount rolled. This damage cannot be negated or resisted by any means.
For example, if you were to cast Barkskin at 2nd-level, you would expend one of your hit dice, or if you were to cast Hex at 3rd-level, you would expend two of your hit dice. Roll those dice and deal the total amount of damage to yourself.
Additionally, you can cast spells and concentrate on them when you are raging, so long as you have a Shamanic Focus, (as described later).
You prepare the list of Death Shaman spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the Death Shaman spell list. When you do so, choose a number of spells equal to your Constitution modifier plus half your Barbarian level. The spells you choose must be no higher than what's shown in the Death Shaman spellcasting table in the Spell Level Maximum column.
Death Shaman spellcasting
Barbarian Level | Cantrips Known | Spell Level Maximum |
---|---|---|
3rd | 3 | 1st |
4th | 3 | 1st |
5th | 3 | 2nd |
6th | 3 | 2nd |
7th | 3 | 3rd |
8th | 3 | 3rd |
9th | 3 | 4th |
10th | 3 | 4th |
11th | 3 | 4th |
12th | 3 | 4th |
13th | 3 | 4th |
14th | 3 | 4th |
15th | 3 | 4th |
16th | 3 | 4th |
17th | 3 | 4th |
18th | 3 | 4th |
19th | 3 | 4th |
20th | 3 | 4th |
Spellcasting Ability
Constitution is your spellcasting ability for your spells. You use your Constitution whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Constitution modifier when setting The saving throw DC for a spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier
Shamanic Focus
You can cast spells and concentrate on them when you're raging so long as you have a Shamanic Focus. This focus can be any simple or martial melee weapon that you can wield. You can perform somatic components for spells even if both hands are wielding a weapon or a shield.
Death Rattle
Starting at 3rd level, you may use your action while raging to let out a shout that shakes your enemies to their core. You may target a number of creatures within 10 feet of you based on your proficiency bonus. Those targets must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the targets each take 3d8 necrotic damage and are frightened of you for 1 minute, the target may attempt to save again at the end of its turn. On a successful save the targets only take half damage.
You may only use this feature once per rage. The damage increases to 4d8 at 11th level and 5d8 at 17th level.
Rage of the Spirits
Starting at 6th level, while you're raging, your rage damage is doubled for any attacks you make that are reckless, and you heal for an amount equal to the rage damage you deal With your rage damage
Shamanic Blood Ritual
At 6th level, you gain the ability to cast certain spells as rituals. When casting these rituals you must roll, your hit die as normal; However, you may also take the health from another creature instead of from yourself as you use their life force to fuel your rituals.
If you kill a creature using this feature you regain half of your expended hit dice rounded up (minimum of 1). The rituals you're able to cast are listed below.
- 1st level: Ceremony, Detect Magic, Detect Poison and Disease, Find Familiar, Speak with Animals,
- 2nd level: Augury, Beast Sense, Gentle Repose
- 3rd level: Animate Dead, Feign Death, Water Breathing, Clairvoyance
Any undead created using this process gain health equal to the amount of health you or another creature sacrificed. The creature's attack and damage modifiers also increase by a number equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1).
Herald of the Damned
Beginning at 10th level, you may prepare a number of the following spells each day equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1).
- 5th Level: Awaken, Contagion, Danse Macabre, Enervation, Negative Energy Flood, Raise Dead, Synaptic Static
- 6th level: Circle of Death, Create Undead, Eyebite, Investiture of Ice, Soul Cage.
To cast these spells, you must expend a number of your hit dice equal to the spell's level minus 1 and take necrotic damage equal to the amount that you rolled. This damage cannot be negated or resisted by any means.
Any undead created using this process gain health equal to the amount of health you sacrificed. The creature's attack and damage modifiers also increase by a number equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1).
Master of the Deathless
Starting at 14th level, the DC for the Constitution save of your Relentless Rage feature increases by 3 instead of 5 with consecutive uses.
Additionally, whenever you drop to 0 hit points, instead of being incapacitated, your body is temporarily possessed by the spirits of the dead. For the next minute, You may move, attack, and cast spells as normal while in this state however you still make death saving throws. If your hp is less than 50 by the time the duration ends, make a Wisdom save against your spell save DC. If you fail, you die as your body is taken over by the spirits and you become an npc controlled by the DM. Protection From Evil and Good does not prevent this.
Death Shaman Spell List
Cantrips:
- Chill Touch
- Druidcraft
- Guidance
- Magic Stone
- Mold Earth
- Primal Savagery
- Shillelagh
- Toll the Dead
1st level:
- Armor of Agathys
- Arms of Hadar
- Bane
- Color Spray
- Dissonant Whispers
- Entangle
- False Life
- Fog Cloud
- Hex
- Jump
- Longstrider
- Protection From Evil and Good
- Ray of sickness
- Sleep
2nd Level:
- Alter Self
- Augury
- Barkskin
- Blindness/deafness
- Borrowed Knowledge
- Earthbind
- Enlarge/Reduce
- Enthrall
- Levitate
- Locate Animals and Plants
- Melf's Acid Arrow
- Mirror Image
- Ray of Enfeeblement
- Spider Climb
- Web
- Wither and Bloom
3rd Level:
- Bestow Curse
- Conjure Animals
- Create Food Or Water
- Enemies Abound
- Erupting Earth
- Feign Death
- Hunger of Hadar
- Life Transference
- Magic Circle
- Plant Growth
- Remove Curse
- Revivify
- Spirit Guardians
- Spirit Shroud
- Summon Lesser Demon
- Summon Undead
- Vampiric Touch
4th Level:
- Blight
- Conjure Woodland Beings
- Giant Insect
- Guardian of Nature
- Shadow of Moil
- Sickening Radiance
- Summon Greater Demon
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