Path of the Vehemancer

There is an innate magic in emotions, from true love’s kiss to the power of friendship. Often those that learn how to weave this emotional magic into larger effects are bards and scholars, turning their passions into inspiration. Magic of this nature can become highly destructive to one’s self and others if it comes from a place of deep anger. Barbarians who follow Path of the Vehemancer find the ability to tap into this emotional magic; concentrating their rage to create magical effects at the cost of their stored life energy.

Pathos Magic

Vehemancer Spellcasting
Level	Maximum Spell Level
3rd	1st
5th	2nd
9th	3rd
13th	4th
17th	5th

 

When you choose this path at 3rd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells.

Spell Slots

The Vehemancer table shows the maximum spell level you can cast your spells at. To cast one of these spells, you must be raging and expend a number of hit dice equal to the spell level.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know three 1st-level bard spells of your choice, one of these must be a concentration spell. You learn one additional spell from the bard spell list when you level up. 

Instead of learning new spells, a Vehmancer can choose to be critically hit by a spell or critically fail a spell saving throw to learn the spell. The new spell does not have to be on the bard’s spell list but it must be of a level for which you have spell slots. Cantrips cannot be learned this way.

Spellcasting Ability

Constitution is your spellcasting ability for your bard spells, allowing you to concentrate your rage and life force into magical effects. 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 bard 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

Rage Mage

Also at 3rd level, when intense anger takes over you can give up some of your life force to concentrate your internal pathos into magical effects. While raging you gain these additional benefits:

• Can cast spells through Pathos Magic, not cantrips or spells that use spell slots.
• When you enter your rage, you may cast a concentration spell as part of the rage.
• If you cast a spell that requires concentration, the spell ends when the rage ends.
• If you fail a concentration check by 5 or more rage ends.
• Your rage does not end early if you deal damage with a spell to a hostile creature since your last turn.
• When you make a spell attack, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.

Martial Magic

Beginning at 6th level, you learn to integrate your magic into your fighting style. You gain the following benefits:

• You can replace an attack from multiattack with a spell.
• When you use your Reckless Attack ability, spell attacks can also be made with advantage.
• When making ranged spell attacks while within 5 ft of a hostile creature, the creature does not impose disadvantage to the spell attack.

Obsessive Outburst

At 10th level, when something attempts to break your concentrated anger, it pulls your attention towards it. Immediately after you pass a concentration check while raging, you can use your reaction to move the target of the concentration spell to the target that dealt you damage. You must be able to see the target and the target must be within the spells range as if it were being cast by you. If the spell is an area of effect spell, then the spell is centered on the new target.

Sustained Vigor

At 14th level, you have learned how to turn your pain into protective power. When you have less than half of your total hit points you gain the following effects:

• You have advantage on all saving throws.
• You can concentrate on an additional spell. If you return to being over half your hit points and you are concentrating on two spells, you must end concentrating on one of the spells. If you are making a concentration check, make one check that counts for both spells. You can only change the target of one of your concentration spells at a time with your Martial Magic ability. 

In addition to the abilities above, you gain the following effects if you are at 10 hit points or less:

• If you pass a Dexterity, Strength, or Constitution saving throw that would deal you half damage, you take no damage instead.
• Your minimum roll for concentration checks is 10.
• Spells cast through Pathos Magic are cast at one level higher, without costing an additional hit die. For example a 1st level spell will be cast at 2nd level; this is true even if the spell cannot be up casted for the purposes of determining spell levels for Counterspell.