Path of the Zombie Lord

You are a walking corpse-king, a barbarian whose rage has fused with the essence of undeath. Once the necrotic transformation takes hold, you become something that should not exist: a creature that is both alive enough to rage and dead enough to command legions of zombies. Your body rots, yet never fails. Your heart may stop, but your fury never does.

The living look upon you with terror. The dead look upon you with obedience. And the grave itself learns to fear the lord who refuses to stay in it.

Zombie Lord Transformation

3rd-level Path of the Zombie Lord feature

Your flesh twists into a zombie-like state as undeath claims you. You gain the following benefits:

• Your creature type becomes undead (unless you are already a construct, in which case it remains construct).
• Your alignment permanently changes to the evil alignment closest to your current one.
• You are immune to necrotic damage, poison damage, being poisoned, charmed, frightened, magical sleep, exhaustion, and disease.
• You have resistance to cold damage.
• If you would take poison or necrotic damage, you instead regain hit points equal to the amount of damage you would have taken.
• You do not need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe.
• You do not age, cannot be magically aged, and cannot die from old age.
• You have advantage on death saving throws.
• If you succeed on a death saving throw, you immediately regain hit points equal to twice your barbarian level.
• Relentless Undeath. When your hit points are reduced to 0, you do not fall unconscious. You must still make death saving throws as normal, but you remain aware of your surroundings and can take reactions while at 0 hit points. You cannot be unwillingly knocked unconscious by any means.
• You gain the Undead Fortitude trait: If damage reduces you to 0 hit points, you can make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
• Undead creatures with an Intelligence of 7 or lower will not willingly attack you.
• You gain proficiency with Wisdom saving throws.
• You have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 60 feet.
• You are immune to any effect that turns undead or controls undead.
• Your maximum hit points cannot be reduced by any effect.
• You require only half the normal time to complete a long rest and can remain fully awake and aware during this time.

Aura of Rot

6th-level Path of the Zombie Lord feature

While you are raging, you emanate a 10-foot-radius aura of toxic, necrotic rot. The aura has the following effects:

• At the start of its turn, each non-undead, non-construct creature in the aura takes poison damage. This damage is 2d6 at 6th level, increases to 3d6 at 10th level, and increases to 4d6 at 14th level. This damage bypasses resistance and immunity to poison damage for non-construct creatures.
• When a non-construct creature starts its turn in the aura or enters the aura for the first time on its turn, it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or become poisoned and diseased with zombie plague. While diseased with zombie plague, a creature cannot regain hit points in any way, cannot gain the benefits of a short or long rest, and gains one level of exhaustion every 8 hours. The disease lasts until it is ended by a spell or effect that removes disease (such as lesser restoration or heal). If a humanoid dies while diseased with zombie plague, it immediately rises as a zombie under your permanent command.
• If a humanoid creature dies while inside the aura (for any reason), it immediately rises as a zombie under your permanent command.
• At the start of your turn, you and any allied undead creatures within the aura regain hit points equal to your barbarian level.
• When an allied undead creature deals damage to a creature with a melee weapon attack while the target is inside the aura, the attack deals an extra 2d8 necrotic damage.
• The poison damage and the zombie plague effect of the aura do not affect undead or constructs that are immune to poison damage or being poisoned.
• You have a telepathic link with every zombie under your command. You always know their exact location (as long as they are on the same plane as you), can issue them commands telepathically, can see through their eyes (as an action, lasting until the start of your next turn), and can speak through them using your own voice or theirs.
• You are immune to any effect that would instantly kill you or instantly reduce your hit points to 0.

Zombies under your command use the statistics of a zombie from the Monster Manual (or equivalent source). They are friendly to you, follow your telepathic or verbal orders to the best of their ability, and act on their own initiative. They remain under your command until destroyed.

Necrotic Sovereignty

10th-level Path of the Zombie Lord feature

When a humanoid dies from an effect of your Aura of Rot or while inside your Aura of Rot, you can choose for it to rise as a husk zombie or a husk zombie burster instead of a standard zombie. Any additional zombies created by these special zombies are also permanently under your command.

You also gain Death Defiance: Once per long rest, if you would die or be reduced to 0 hit points, you can choose not to die. Instead, you drop to 1 hit point.

Plague Dominion. Any creature currently affected by zombie plague from your Aura of Rot, or any undead creature, must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) whenever it attempts to attack you or target you with a harmful effect (including spells or other abilities). On a failure, it wastes its action and does nothing instead.

Undead Supremacy. While within your Aura of Rot, allied undead creatures (including those you command) have advantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws they make. Non-undead, non-construct creatures within your Aura of Rot have disadvantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws they make.

Eternal Rotting Dominion

14th-level Path of the Zombie Lord feature

Your Aura of Rot and zombie-creation abilities grow even more powerful. When a humanoid dies from an effect of your Aura of Rot or while inside your Aura of Rot, you can choose for it to rise as a greater zombie or a zombie plague spreader instead of any other zombie type. Any additional zombies created by these special zombies are also permanently under your command.

Improved Death Defiance. You can now use Death Defiance twice per long rest. In addition, when an allied undead creature within your Aura of Rot would die or be reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to grant it the benefit of Death Defiance (it drops to 1 hit point instead).

You can cast the animate dead spell at will, without requiring spell components or a spell slot using constitution for spellcasting. When you cast it this way, you can choose to create one of the types of zombies you can create with your Aura of Rot (standard zombie, husk zombie, husk zombie burster, greater zombie, or zombie plague spreader) instead of a standard zombie.