Cossack's Path of the Steppe

Barbarians who went the Path of the Steppe call themselves Cossacks, bound to Freedom itself. Your duty lies in faithful steed and open field. Serve the people. They are mercenaries of fierce will and wild honour, riding with laughter on their lips and steel in both hands - Guided by the Freedom, living lives carved in blood and ballads, constantly dancing on the edge of Death. To fall is not the end for them, for even death dares not take a true child of the steppe without a fight.

Though each warrior of the steppe follows their own path, most share these guiding idials:

• Duty - Serve the people. Serve those who cherish FREEDOM. Stand with the oppressed, to help them rise. What you swear is law — and law must be honored, even in death.

• Fearless – Death is not the end. You do not believe in it. Blood is a blessing, hardship makes you stronger, and wounds are your teacher. Children of the steppe do not fall easily — as long as they laugh in death’s face.

• Liberty – Freedom is the most precious gift. You savor every moment of it. Even when working for kings or gold, you never forget that, in the end, the choice is yours alone. Do as you will, but NEVER let them enslave you. 

Mechanically: 

• This subclass powers drawn from ancestral connections and an unyielding refusal to kneel. Cossacks are at their strongest when defending others through pain, wielding momentum-driven combat and spiritual abilities that awaken only in the face of death. They do not fear dying - they ride alongside it.

DM Advice:

• The Cossack subclass rewards heroic self-sacrifice, dramatic last stands, and moments of brutal clarity.
• Let them lean into narrative defiance — this class wants to be surrounded, wounded, and shouting poetry through bloodied teeth.
  Sometimes, when the moment is right, this class even wants to die — for drama, for legend. Just make sure the player has access to their death-defying features (which unlock at 7th level) before letting them fall.
• Their powers often activate only when below half hit points, making healing a strategic dilemma, not a default. Let them stay bloodied if they choose — that’s where they shine.
• But don’t let them be too greedy. A Cossack’s freedom is not meant to be hoarded. It must be shared — with the broken, the exiled, the bound.
• You don’t play a Cossack to survive. You play one to be remembered.

Level 3: Ballad of Blood

Let string be heard, alive, And speak of heroes, proud and true. 

Let words strike deep - let meaning thrive: The Cossack fights - not begs - for you.

You gain proficiency with 1 instrument (musical instruments often used by cossacks are: kobza, bandura, flute (sopilka) or mouth harp (drimba)).

Also: You gain +1 AC while Bloodied.

Level 3: Choose Your Poison

You Developed an Addiction - Choose between Horilka (Strong Spirit) and Tiutiun (Infused Tobacco).

As any Cossack, you carry your honours in one hand, and your shames in the other.
Either Horilka or Tuituin become your resource for additional subclass skills. You are able to replenish this resource each time you finish a Long Rest, provided you have tools and materials to do so. Your Horilka/Tiutiun number of charges is equal to your Proficiency Bonus. 

Horilka

Who Drank Horilka in that World - In here shell drink Hot Tar

“Each batch is brewed beside a dying fire, using a pound of cracked wheat and silver for purification. The silver is melted down, the wheat is boiled to ash, and together they form the strongest of spirits - flammable even by one’s breath.”
From the journals of Yarosh Halushka, ethnographer, Vol. III: “Burning Songs - Rituals of the Steppe”.

You gain proficiency in brewer’s supplies.

Whenever you finish a long rest, you can make a DC 15 check with your brewer's supplies to create Horilka. You must have access to 1 pound of wheat and 5 Silver Pices. On a success, you create a number of bottles of Horilka equal to your proficiency bonus.

As an Action, you can drink the Horilka, immediately, and as a bonus action on each of your subsequent turns for 1 minute after drinking the Horilka, you can breathe out the Horilka in a 30-foot line. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving(DC = 10 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier), On a failure, they take (2d4 + your proficiency bonus) fire damage and start Burning 

Additionally, if you drink a bottle of Horilka, you gain the ability to ignite flammable nonmagical objects, such as wood, candles, or torches - by spitting at it. This effect lasts for 1 minute.

While the effect is active, thin smoke constantly rises from your ears, and your voice carries the faint crackle of fire.

Tiutiun

And for evil spirits, my son— I’ve got an old Cossack charm.
This here’s no ordinary tobacco. It’s blessed. Enchanted.
Take it with you. If you run into a witch or the devil himself, dressed like a man -
just toss him a pinch of this.
He’ll sneeze, oh he’ll sneeze hard -
and all his unclean power’ll scatter like dust.

You gain proficiency in Herbalism Kit. 

Whenever you finish a long rest, you make some Infused Tobacco using your Herbalism Kit. To do so, you must have access to 1 lb. of cinnamon or pepper. On a success, you create a number of portions of Infused Tobacco equal to your proficiency bonus.

 Infused Tobacco:

While holding a smoking pipe in your mouth mid-battle, you can use Bonus Action to take a deep, burning draw and exhale a sharp, acrid cloud of Filthy smoke that eats at your eyes in a 15-foot radius centred on yourself. The smoke does not obscure vision, but it reeks of burning pepper and tar. It is non-magical - simply, unbearably pungent.

Each creature in the area (except you) must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 10 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or begin coughing and sneezing uncontrollably until the end of its turn. While affected after failed save:

• The creature’s movement speed is halved.

• The creature loses its action on its turn.

You are immune to this effect — for you are, after all, a heavy smoker by now.
This smoke lingers in the air for the duration of the round, and disappears at the start of your next turn.

Level 3: Old Wounds, Torn Open

Endure, endure — for hardship shapes and hones you, It tempers spirit — so endure, endure.
No hand but yours will pull you from misfortune, No voice but yours can steer you from your course.

So stand — and hold your line until the ending, Till sun burns out, till world itself is still.
Be it to heaven, hell, or chains unbending — Endure the path, and bear it by your will.

With a sneer, the Cossack tears open the old bandages — for the wounds smile back at him.
You have learned to harness your pain as power, exposing old scars, letting them open, and tossing bandages away - to awaken the strength of your ancestors. As a Bonus Action, you can voluntarily reduce your current hit points to activate your Bloodied state. You may use this feature 3 times per long rest, but each time, the cost grows steeper:

• First use: Reduce your hit points to half your maximum HP (rounded down).

• Second use: Reduce your hit points to one-quarter your maximum HP (rounded down).

• Third use: Reduce your hit points to one hit point.

After a Long Rest,  Old Wounds, Torn Open counter restarts.

Level 6: Windmill of Steel

Walk on, Cossack. Carry death behind your back.

You’ve inherited the ancient fighting rhythm of savagery and protection - a relentless, spinning technique designed to strike multiple foes in a single motion while dual-wielding. 

Windmill of Steel

You’ve inherited the ancient fighting rhythm of savagery and protection - a relentless, spinning technique designed to strike multiple foes in a single motion while dual-wielding.
When you are bloodied and in Rage, you can make your attack to hit each creature within your reach. You can freely disengage from creatures who took damage. Windmill of Steel ends Rage.

Level 6: Pulled by Oseledets

The Cossack took out his tobacco horn and took a pinch of snuff. Sniffed from one side, sniffed from the other, and cracked his neck — for the tobacco was well seasoned: there was hellebore, and turgun, and pepper mixed in for strength, enough to make your very soul spin from the sting.

“Come now, let me try it,” said Death. “Why not , my lady?” the Cossack replied.

And oh! how Death sniffed! How her skull spun! How she sneezed — she dropped her scythe on the spot.

When damage would reduce you to 0 hit points but not kill you outright, you may call upon the will of your ancestors. As a reaction, make a Religion check (DC16).

On a success:

You are reduced to 1 hit point instead of 0, teleported up to 15 feet to a space you can see, and fall prone. You gain temporary hit points (1d4 + your constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus). 

On a failure:

• You fall prone and remain at 1 HP. For 1 minute, your Weapon Attacks deal additional necrotic damage equal to your Constitution modifier.

• You overcame a very traumatic experience. You are under the effect of Short-Term Madness. Roll d100 on Short-Term Madness Table: 

  Short-Term Madness

  d100 Effect (lasts 1d10 minutes)

  01–20 The character retreats into his or her mind and becomes paralyzed. The effect ends if the character takes any damage.

  21–30 The character becomes incapacitated and spends the duration screaming, laughing, or weeping.

  31–40 The character becomes frightened and must use his or her action and movement each round to flee from the source of the fear.

  41–50 The character begins babbling and is incapable of normal speech or spellcasting.

  51–60 The character must use his or her action each round to attack the nearest creature.

  61–70 The character experiences vivid hallucinations and has disadvantage on ability checks.

  71–75 The character does whatever anyone tells him or her to do that isn’t obviously self-­destructive.

  76–80 The character experiences an overpowering urge to eat something strange such as dirt, slime, or offal.

  81–90 The character is stunned.

  91–100 The character falls unconscious.

A calm emotions spell can suppress the effects of madness, while a lesser restoration spell can rid a character of short-term madness.

You can use Grasped by the Oseledets predetermined number of times, depending on your level:

• Level 6 - 1 Use. 
• Level 10 - 2 Uses. 
• Level 14 - 3 Uses. 

NOTE: If your group avoids the use of Madness rules, grant 1 level of exhaustion instead. 

Level 10: Horilka\Tiutiun Enhancment

You can make additional tricks using Horilka or Tiutiun, depending on what you choose at Level 3

Horilka’s Embrace

You drank so much Horilka - your flash now grown indifferent to its burning flames. 

As an action, you may pour a bottle of Horilka over yourself, spending 1 Horilka charge. It bursts into flame across your skin, wreathed in pale, flickering, bluish fire.

For 1 minute, you shed bright light in a 10-foot radius, and dim light for another 10 feet. Ranged attacks have disadvantage to hit you for the duration.

In addition, whenever a creature within hits you with a melee attack, Horilka erupts with flame, and the attacker takes (1d8 + your Constitution Modifier + your Proficiency Bonus) fire damage.
These flames do not harm you or your equipment. They burn silently, as if fueled by something far older than fire — a refusal to die sober.

Tuituin Veil

As an action, you can spend 1 Tuituin Charge to light a pipe, slowly puffing out black smoke that wreaths your body until the effect ends, causing you to become heavily obscured to creatures more than 15 feet away. 
While it lasts, whenever a creature hits you with a melee attack, it's forced to inhale some of your Tuituin smoke, taking (1d8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus) necrotic damage.
This effect ends early if you fall unconscious, are silenced, or willingly extinguish the pipe.
While this effect is active, your outline flickers like a smouldering wick, and your eyes glow faintly through the haze.

Smoke ligers around you for 1 minute. 

Level 10: You're... immortal?

You're... immortal?

Among the hills, a grave awaits — alone you shall arrive.
An empty coffin watches you with hollow, eyeless eyes.
And there you will not find my bones, nor lay my soul to rest —
For I still roam the open Steppe, unliving — yet not dead.

Once per Long Rest - When you are reduced to 0 hit points and Pulled by Oseledets charges remaining, you may choose to spend all charges left to enter the cursed state known as Mara’s Gaze.

• You remain at 1 hit point, but cannot regain HP by any means.
• You gain a d100 long-term madness.
• At the start of each of your turns, you must succeed on a Death Saving Throw - as if you were starting it with 0HP. On three failures, you die permanently. On three successes, nothing happens - you continue making saves each round until the effect ends or you die.
  (Choose who to blame) You choose a single creature that has already dealt damage to you in this combat. This creature becomes your Vow of Death.
• If your Vow of Death is slain before you die, the Mara’s Gaze ends instantly. You collapse at 0 HP, stable but unconscious. You are out of Mara’s Gaze, but madness/exhaustion remains.

While Mara’s Gaze lasts:

Your Weapon Attacks deal (Your Proficiency Bonus + Your Constitution Modifier) Necrotic Damage. You have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks, and your Intimidation skill ignores exhaustion. You cannot be charmed, frightened, or stunned. You appear ghastly, half-dead — animals fear you, food no longer nourishes you, and your reflection shows only in blood or grave-water.

Level 14: Can’t Hex a Drunk Man

He who neither smokes nor drinks — will die healthy, all the same.

You can spend 3 charges of Horilka or Tiutiun to be under the effect of Mind Blank for 1 hour.  Casting time is 1 minute.

• Until the effect ends, you are immune to psychic damage, any effect that would sense your emotions or read your thoughts, divination spells, and the charmed condition. The spell even foils wish spells and spells or effects of similar power used to affect the target’s mind or to gain information about you.

Level 14: Cossacks Sich

The weapons turned to dust. The shores have disappeared. No prince remains, No lord, No khan, No king.
Here, all things move in circles. Nothing, to no one, forever. It's No one’s land now!

 

As one of the last truly powerful Cossacks, you become a living conduit for ancestral power. Once per day, you may designate any ground as sacred — declaring it a Cossacks Sich:

Once per Day, you can cast Hallow, with a casting time of 1 hour instead of 24, you still need to provide material components. When the casting is complete, a banner of your Sich rises in the center of the area — its colors, symbols, and form are yours to choose. If you already have multiple Sich'es created, you and up to 3 willing creatures can freely teleport between them. 

The affected area has the following effects:

Hallowed Ward. Choose any of these creature types: Aberration, Celestial, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, or Undead. Creatures of the chosen types can’t willingly enter the area, and any creature that is possessed by or that has the Charmed or Frightened condition from such creatures isn’t possessed, Charmed, or Frightened by them while in the area.

Extra Effect. You bind an extra effect to the area from the list below:

• Courage. Creatures of any types you choose can’t gain the Frightened condition while in the area.
• Darkness. Darkness fills the area. Normal light, as well as magical light created by spells of a level lower than this spell, can’t illuminate the area.
• Daylight. Bright light fills the area. Magical Darkness created by spells of a level lower than this spell can’t extinguish the light.
• Peaceful Rest. Dead bodies interred in the area can’t be turned into Undead.
• Extradimensional Interference. Creatures of any types you choose can’t enter or exit the area using teleportation or interplanar travel.
• Fear. Creatures of any types you choose have the Frightened condition while in the area.
• Resistance. Creatures of any types you choose have Resistance to one damage type of your choice while in the area.
• Silence. No sound can emanate from within the area, and no sound can reach into it.
• Tongues. Creatures of any types you choose can communicate with any other creature in the area even if they don’t share a common language.
• Vulnerability. Creatures of any types you choose have Vulnerability to one damage type of your choice while in the area.