Path of the Vulture Totem

Evil wings in ether beating; Vultures at the spirit eating; things unseen forever fleeting black against the leering sky.

H.P. Lovecraft - Despair 

PATH OF THE VULTURE TOTEM

The Vulture Totem is your life. Respect for Death and the circular nature of all things - as the vulture circles its food, honoring it. Your Rage incites the spirit of that magnificent carrion bird within you, its symbolism as an avatar of the Reaper, a messenger from the world beyond ours. Whatever that may be, it begins with Death. 

All your young life you've been taught to honor every kill you make, its spirit as it makes the crossing, as the vulture honors the food it's about to eat. You've learned that Death and death magic are as integral to your life as are sunshine and air.

You feel necrotic energy flowing through you as you ready for battle, as you fill with that surge of adrenaline, preparing to fulfill your role as the Reaper's envoy, psychopomp, Angel of Death, vulture.

As your soul becomes more linked to, more intertwined with your totem, you'll gain benefits that honor that animal's spirit and what it symbolizes. And as you leave your tribe to join the world and to seek adventure, you know that spirit will always abide within you. 

You aren't afraid of what you'll find in the cities and underground - the inhabitants of those places - for there is one truth about all living things, they have a time to die.

Vulture Totem

You have grown embedded talons that spring out from your fingers when you are in a Rage. You can opt to use them instead of a weapon, and you may make one attack as a bonus action when fighting unarmed in this way. The talons do 1d8 + Strength modifier slashing damage.

The damage inflicted by your talons becomes 2d8 + Strength modifier at 11th level.

At 14th level you gain the ability to use your feet talons while in a rage which do piercing and necrotic damage. 

At 3rd level you also gain the ability to jump up to your full movement speed in a turn, your rage bringing out latent flight memories from your spiritual bond with your totem.

Your Wisdom (Perception) and Strength (Athletics) skills gain twice proficiency.

Vulture Senses

At 6th level your senses of sight and smell have developed to the point that you can see clearly up to one mile away in open terrain where you have a clear line of sight. You can also smell any sort of creatures over the same distance, being able to discern type and number. You have advantage on any Perception checks and gain a +2 bonus to your Passive Perception score. 

Death Energy

At 6th level, the necrotic energy building up inside of you begins to manifest itself in your attacks. Any attack you make deals an additional 1d6 + Constitution modifier necrotic damage on a successful hit. This damage increases to 2d6 + Constitution modifier at 11th level. 

Come the Dead

At 10rh level, you can cast the Raise Dead spell once per long rest as a ritual. You can also cast Speak with Dead three times per long rest.

Vulture Spirit

At 10th level, you gain a familiar of sorts: a giant black vulture in spirit form begins to make itself available to you. If you are outside, it can let you use its eyes and ears while flying up to five miles away from you and up to a mile high. The spirit's flight speed is 60 ft.

Your body is blind and deaf to its surroundings while you use the spirit's sight and hearing. The spirit bird has no physical form to interact with this plane at all.

The spirit bird may only be killed by a Dispel Magic spell cast by a spellcaster of your level or higher. If it is killed in this manner, you must wait until after a long rest to being it back.

Death from Above

At 14th level, while raging, if you have room to get a 10 foot running start, you spend up to the rest of your movement, and can jump and come down on an enemy with advantage on your first attack only.

For this attack you gain two extra attacks with your feet talons which do 1d8 + Strength modifier piercing damage + 2d6 + Constitution modifier necrotic damage. These extra attacks replace your normal extra attack. So, for your turn, you would have 2 foot talon attacks + either 1 weapon attack or + 1 hand talon attack and 1 hand talon bonus attack.

This attack cannot be made if you are wearing anything heavier than light armor.

Necrotic Storm

At 14th level, your necrotic energy has grown so intense, it can be discharged once per long rest In the form of the Blight cast at 7th level.