Path of the Sporebearer

These barbarians see life and death as transitional phases rather than absolutes.  They know that death isn’t the end of life, but rather the beginning of new life. It is their calling to tip the scales and help that transition along, because when one life ends it provides the necessary fodder for a thousand others to spring up and take its place

 

Germinate

Your body hosts a fungal symbiote. When a creature damages you with a melee attack you can use your reaction to force them to make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Constitution Modifier) or become infected by your spores. Infected creatures are poisoned. A creature infected by this feature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, Ending the Effect on itself on a success.

When an infected creature is reduced to 0 hit points it will be reanimated as though by your Unwilling Host feature automatically.

Unwilling Host

While raging, when you or one of your minions from this feature reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to animate it, causing it to stand up immediately. 

The creature uses the zombie stat block in the Monster Manual when you first get this feature at 3rd level. Your animated minions will also become more powerful as you do. 

When you reach 6th level in this subclass your minions use the ghoul stat block. At 14th level, they will use the ghast stat block.

In combat, any minions you control take their turn on your initiative. They obey your mental commands. You can command them to move up to 20 feet, take the Dash Action, or take the Attack action, making one melee attack. 

You can only maintain 1 animated creature at a time with this feature. This number increases to 2 at level 6, 3 at level 10, and 4 at level 14.

Sporogenesis

You can use a bonus action to reduce a zombie under your control to 0 hit points, bypassing their Undead Fortitude. When reduced to 0 hit points, whether by you or an enemy, your zombies explode, dealing necrotic damage equal to your barbarian level to creatures you choose within 10 feet. Those creatures must make a Constitution saving throw or become infected as though by your Germinate feature. Any hostile creatures reduced to 0 hit points by this damage automatically fail their saving throw and are reanimated as though by your Unwilling Host feature.

Mycotrophy

Your symbiotic link to fungi and your ability to tap into the cycle of life and death has restorative benefits.

Starting at 10th level, whenever a creature infected by your spores, including one of your zombies, is reduced to 0 hit points, you may choose to gain temporary hit points equal to your barbarian level + your Constitution modifier.

You can only gain temporary hit points from this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Spore Cloud

Beginning at 14th level your spores radiate from your body and from your animated minions while you are raging.

While you are raging, when a hostile creature gets within 10 feet of you or any of your minions for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, they take necrotic damage equal to half your barbarian level rounded up. A creature can only take this damage once per turn. 

Creatures damaged by Spore Cloud have disadvantage on saving throws against your other Sporebearer features until the end of their next turn.