Gravekeeper Archetype

Determined to perpetuate the natural cycle of life and death, Gravekeepers protect the dead and hunt those who would dare to abuse and manipulate them: body or spirit. These rangers see the unwilling corruption of the dead as an abhorrent distortion of nature. Seeking the guidance of those who have come before them, they work to ease the suffering of creatures nearing their death – and expeditiously deliver it to their foes.

Gravekeeper Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Gravekeeper Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Gravekeeper Spells

Ranger Level/Spell

3rd – detect evil and good

5th – gentle repose

9th – speak with dead

13th – death ward

17th – reincarnate

 

Grim Undertaking

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Medicine skill if you don't already have it. You can also add double your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make to determine the cause of death for a corpse you can see or to determine what spell or effect caused a creature you can see to become undead, if any.

Reap and Sow

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, the spirits of fellow gravekeepers, long-passed hunters of the undead and others dedicated to easing the suffering of the dying guide you on your journey. You determine their appearance.

In combat, these spirits retaliate against your foes, assailing them with spectral energy. When you deal damage to a creature, or when a creature attacks you or deals damage to you, you can mark that creature for death (no action required). You can only have one creature marked in this way at a time, which lasts until the end of your next turn or until you mark another creature.

The next time you hit the marked target with an attack, it takes an extra 1d6 force damage and the mark ends; if the target is an undead, it instead takes 1d10 force damage. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn. When you reach 11th level in this class, the extra damage increases to 1d8, or 1d12 for undead.

Death's Door

Starting at 7th level, you are immune to disease as well as any effect that would cause your body or spirit to rise as an undead creature, and when you make a death saving throw, you can add your proficiency bonus to the roll.

In addition, when a friendly creature you can see within 60 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can use your reaction to cause your spirits to shroud the creature in a protective force. The creature gains temporary hit points equal to your ranger level + your Wisdom modifier, which lasts for up to 1 minute. While the creature has these hit points, it has advantage on death saving throws, and it doesn't suffer a death saving throw failure when it takes damage, even if the amount of damage it takes exceeds the number of temporary hit points it has remaining. When you use this ability, you can't deal the extra damage from your Reap and Sow feature until the end of your next turn.

Cradle to the Grave

When you reach 11th level, your spirits guide your strikes with deadly precision against enemies nearing their demise. Any attack roll you make against a creature that is below its hit point maximum scores a critical hit on a roll of 19-20, or 18-20 if the target is undead.

 

Unending Nightwatch

Starting at 15th level, the souls of the dead you have tended to ceaselessly abide with you, watching over you in return. You gain the following benefits:

• You can't be surprised unless you are incapacitated by something other than nonmagical sleep.
• Whenever a creature scores a critical hit against you, you can use your reaction to cause it to become a normal hit instead.
• At the end of a long rest, you gain the effect of a death ward spell, which lasts until the end of your next long rest (the spell can end early as normal). While under the effect of a death ward spell, you are immune to effects that would reduce your hit point maximum.