Path Of The Death Shaman 5.5e

A shaman is generally seen as a healer and practitioner of ancient and supernatural arts. The Death Shaman uses those arts to connect with the spirit world and bring forth the rage of the damned to fuel their own fury.

Level 3: Rites Of The Death Shaman

Cantrips

You learn three cantrips of your choice from the Death Shaman spell list.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Death Shaman draws upon their own life force to fuel their magic. You prepare a number of Death Shaman spells equal to your Constitution modifier + half your Barbarian level (rounded down). The spells you prepare must be of a level you can cast according to the Death Shaman Spellcasting table.

When you cast a Death Shaman spell of 1st level or higher, you must roll a number of Hit Dice equal to half the spell's level, rounded up. You then take necrotic damage equal to the total rolled.

You do not expend or lose the Hit Dice rolled for this feature. The damage taken from this feature cannot be reduced, negated, or resisted in any way.

This damage can reduce you to 0 hit points. If this damage reduces you to 0 hit points, you fall unconscious as normal.

For example, casting a 1st-level spell requires you to roll one Hit Die and take necrotic damage equal to the number rolled. Casting a 3rd-level spell requires you to roll two Hit Dice and take necrotic damage equal to the total rolled.

 

For example, if you were to cast Barkskin at 2nd-level, you would expend one of your hit dice, or if you were to cast Hex at 3rd-level, you would expend two of your hit dice. Roll those dice and deal the total amount of damage to yourself.

Additionally, you can cast spells and concentrate on them when you are raging, so long as you have a Shamanic Focus, (as described later).

You prepare the list of Death Shaman spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the Death Shaman spell list. When you do so, choose a number of spells equal to your Constitution modifier plus half your Barbarian level. The spells you choose must be no higher than what's shown in the Death Shaman spellcasting table in the Spell Level Maximum column.

Death Shaman spellcasting

Barbarian Level	Cantrips Known	Spell Level Maximum
3rd	3	1st
4th	3	1st
5th	3	2nd
6th	3	2nd
7th	3	3rd
8th	3	3rd
9th	3	4th
10th	3	4th
11th	3	4th
12th	3	4th
13th	3	4th
14th	3	4th
15th	3	4th
16th	3	4th
17th	3	4th
18th	3	4th
19th	3	4th
20th	3	4th

Spellcasting Ability

Constitution is your spellcasting ability for your spells. You use your Constitution whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Constitution modifier when setting The saving throw DC for a spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

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Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier

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Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier

Shamanic Focus

You can cast spells and concentrate on them when you're raging so long as you have a Shamanic Focus. This focus can be any simple or martial melee weapon that you can wield. You can perform somatic components for spells even if both hands are wielding a weapon or a shield.

Level 3: Shield of the Dead

Shield of the Dead

Reaction

When an ally within 5 feet of you is targeted by an attack or makes a Dexterity saving throw, you can use your reaction to invoke your bond with the dead. If an Undead under your control is within 5 feet of that ally and you can see the Undead, you can have that Undead interpose itself. Otherwise, you can interpose yourself.

Attack. If the triggering attack hits the ally, you or the chosen Undead takes the attack's damage instead of the ally.

Dexterity Saving Throw. If the triggering effect would deal damage to the ally, you or the chosen Undead takes half of the damage, and the ally takes the other half.

If you or the chosen Undead takes damage from this feature and that damage reduces you or the Undead to 0 Hit Points, you or the Undead dies.

Once you use this reaction, you can't use Shield of the Dead again until the start of your next turn.

Death Shaman Spell List

Cantrips:

• Druidcraft
• Guidance
• Mold Earth
• Shillelagh
• Spare the Dying
• Thaumaturgy
• Resistance

1st Level:

• Armor of Agathys
• Bane
• Detect Evil and Good
• Detect Magic
• Entangle
• False Life
• Fog Cloud
• Jump
• Longstrider
• Protection From Evil and Good
• Sanctuary
• Sleep
• Speak with Animals

2nd Level:

• Aid
• Alter Self
• Augury
• Barkskin
• Blindness/Deafness
• Borrowed Knowledge
• Earthbind
• Enlarge/Reduce
• Enthrall
• Gentle Repose
• Levitate
• Locate Animals and Plants
• Mirror Image
• Ray of Enfeeblement
• Spider Climb
• Web
• Wither and Bloom

3rd Level:

• Bestow Curse
• Conjure Animals
• Create Food and Water
• Enemies Abound
• Feign Death
• Life Transference
• Magic Circle
• Plant Growth
• Remove Curse
• Revivify
• Summon Undead

4th Level:

• Death Ward
• Freedom of Movement
• Giant Insect
• Guardian of Nature
• Locate Creature
• Polymorph
• Shadow of Moil

Level 6: Rage Of The Spirits

Level 6: Rage of the Spirits

While you are raging, the bonus damage you deal from your Rage feature is doubled whenever you make an attack using Reckless Attack.

Whenever you deal this bonus Rage damage to a creature while using Reckless Attack, you regain a number of hit points equal to the bonus Rage damage dealt.

For example, if your Rage feature normally adds 3 damage to your attacks, a Reckless Attack adds 6 damage instead, and you regain 6 hit points when that attack deals its bonus Rage damage.

Shamanic Blood Ritual

Level 6: Shamanic Blood Ritual

You have learned to perform ancient rituals that draw upon the life force of living creatures to fuel your shamanic magic.

You can cast the following spells as rituals:

1st Level: Ceremony, Detect Magic, Detect Poison and Disease, Find Familiar, Speak with Animals

2nd Level: Augury, Beast Sense, Gentle Repose

3rd Level: Animate Dead, Clairvoyance, Feign Death, Water Breathing

When you cast one of these spells as a ritual, you must roll the number of Hit Dice normally required by your Death Shaman Spellcasting feature and take necrotic damage equal to the total rolled. You do not expend or lose the Hit Dice rolled.

Instead of taking this damage yourself, you may choose a creature you can see within 30 feet of you to sacrifice its life force to fuel the ritual. The creature takes necrotic damage equal to the total rolled. This damage cannot be reduced, negated, or resisted in any way.

The creature must have enough hit points to take the full amount of damage. If this damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points, you regain a number of Hit Dice equal to half the number of Hit Dice you rolled for the ritual, rounded up (minimum of 1).

Any undead creature created through this feature gains additional hit points equal to the amount of hit points sacrificed to fuel the ritual.

If you use this feature to cast Animate Dead, the undead creatures created by the spell are considered Undead of the Herald for the purposes of your other Death Shaman features.

Level 10: Herald Of The Damned

Level 10: Herald of the Damned

You have learned to call upon greater powers of death and undeath. You can prepare a number of the following spells each day equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1).

5th Level: Awaken, Contagion, Danse Macabre, Dispel Evil and Good, Geas, Hold Monster, Raise Dead

6th Level: Create Undead, Eyebite, Find the Path, Heroes' Feast, Soul Cage

You can cast these spells using your Death Shaman Spellcasting feature. When you cast one of these spells, you roll a number of Hit Dice equal to the spell's level minus 1 and take necrotic damage equal to the total rolled.

You do not expend or lose the Hit Dice rolled for this feature. The damage taken from this feature cannot be reduced, negated, or resisted in any way, and this damage can reduce you to 0 hit points.

Undead of the Herald

Any undead creature created by you, summoned by you, or otherwise placed under your control through a Death Shaman spell or feature is considered an Undead of the Herald for the purposes of your Death Shaman features.

Undead of the Herald gain the following benefits:

• Their hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your Constitution modifier.

• Their attack rolls and damage rolls gain a bonus equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of +1).

Undead of the Herald remain under your control according to the spell or feature that created or controlled them. This feature does not grant you control over undead created or controlled by another creature.

Level 14: Master Of The Deathless

Master of the Deathless

14th-Level Death Shaman Barbarian Feature

Your mastery over death strengthens the Undead of the Herald and makes you increasingly difficult to kill.

Empowered Undead. Each Undead of the Herald gains the following benefits:

• Deathless Vitality. Its Hit Point maximum increases by an amount equal to your Barbarian level.

• Deathless Resistance. It has Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage.

Deathless Burst. When an Undead of the Herald is reduced to 0 Hit Points, it releases a burst of spiritual energy. Each enemy creature within 5 feet of it must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Death Shaman save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes Bludgeoning damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus. Each friendly creature within 5 feet of the Undead regains Hit Points equal to twice your Proficiency Bonus.

Relentless Death. When you use Relentless Rage, the Constitution saving throw DC increases by 1 for each consecutive use, rather than by 5.