Path of the Blighted

Barbarians who follow the Path of the Blighted are host to the Black Rot, a virulent curse that transforms the living into ravenous monsters. Most who are infected lose their minds and become frenzied husks, but you are a singular exception. The plague that courses through your veins is a part of you, and you have learned to turn its destructive essence into a source of terrible power. You are a walking blight, a warrior whose rage is fueled by the very sickness that should have claimed you.

Level 3: Blighted Strike

You channel the corrupting energy of the Black Rot into your attacks. While your Rage is active, once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike, the target takes an extra 1d6 Necrotic damage.

You can intensify this corruption, adding an additional 1d6 Necrotic damage to the attack. When you do so, you also take 1d6 Necrotic damage, which cannot be reduced in any way.

The damage die for this feature changes when you reach certain Barbarian levels: 1d8 at level 7, 1d10 at level 11, and 1d12 at level 15.

Level 3: Plagued Vitality

The Black Rot that infests your body grants you unnatural resilience. As a Bonus Action, you can draw upon this foul vitality to regain Hit Points equal to 1d12 + half of your Barbarian level (round down).

You can use this feature three times. You gain one additional use when you reach 7th level (four uses), 11th level (five uses), and 15th level (six uses) in this class. You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Level 6: Harbinger of Rot

You can force the curse within you to manifest physically, warping your form into a monstrous vessel of decay. When you enter your Rage as a Bonus Action, you can transform into a Plagued Beast as part of the same Bonus Action.

While transformed, you cannot wield weapons, a shield, or benefit from armor. Your body becomes your weapon, granting you the following benefits:

Bestial Claws. Your Unarmed Strikes deal 1d6 plus your Strength modifier, Bludgeoning or Slashing damage (your choice), instead of their normal damage. The damage of these Unarmed Strikes is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances. Additionally, while transformed, your Blighted Strike feature applies to each of your Unarmed Strikes, rather than only once on each of your turns.

Aura of Decay. An aura of pestilence radiates from you. Whenever a creature enters the space within 5 feet of you for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must make a Constitution saving throw. The DC equals 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Constitution modifier. On a failure, it takes Necrotic damage equal to the damage die of your Blighted Strike feature. A creature can be affected by this aura only once per turn.

You can use this feature once, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest.

Level 10: Shriek of the Blight

You unleash a soul-rending shriek that carries the despair of the Black Rot. As a Bonus Action, choose any number of creatures within 60 feet of you that you can see. Each chosen creature has Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a Long Rest. You can, however, expend one use of your Rage (no action required) to regain a use of this feature.

Level 14: Harbinger of the End

When you assume your Plagued Beast form, you become a beast of destruction, and the Black Rot grants you the following additional benefits:

Scourge's Movement. Your Speed increases by 10 feet, and you gain a Climbing Speed and Swimming Speed equal to your Speed.

Pestilent Resilience. You have Resistance to all damage except Force damage.

Unholy Fortitude. If you would be reduced to 0 Hit Points while in this form, you can use your Reaction to instead have a number of Hit Points equal to 12 + your Barbarian level.Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a Long Rest.