Apollyon (5e Class)
The Apollyon
A scenario involving an Apollyon likely features the death of either side, for the Apollyons are relentless destroyers who utilize their immense power to carve their own path in life, typically one filled with blood and sacrifice. Not all Apollyons are evil, of course, but to uncover one with mercy remaining within their heart would be exceedingly fortunate. An Apollyon takes the role of judge, jury, and executioner; they would slaughter those that they personally deem deserving of slaughter. Apollyons do not kill for entertainment, but ofttimes, their motivation is hardly more justified.
Creating an Apollyon
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| Apollyon by Remko Troost |
When creating an Apollyon, consider what motivates you to pursue this path of destruction. Do you seek to rescue your kidnapped daughter, disallowing anything from obstructing your mission? Were you ordered by your deity to seek out and obliterate all evil within the world? Perhaps you merely desire revenge against a noble who ruined the lives of you and your family? An Apollyon is led by an intense desire or belief, so ensure to elucidate upon your motivations thoroughly.
- Quick Build
You can make an Apollyon quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the soldier background. Third, choose the martial melee weapon, the splint mail, and the explorer's pack.
Class Features
As a Apollyon you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d12 per Apollyon level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Apollyon level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, Medium armor, Heavy armor, Shields
Weapons: Simple and Martial Weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival.
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Any martial melee weapon or (b) Two handaxes
- (a) Splint mail or (b) Leather armor, a longbow, and 20 arrows
- (a) A dungeoneer's pack or (b) An explorer's pack
- If you are using starting wealth, you have 3d4 × 10 in funds.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Awakening, Death Surge |
| 2nd | +2 | Deadly Succession |
| 3rd | +2 | Eidolon of Might |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack |
| 6th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 7th | +3 | Eidolon of Might feature |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | Annihilate |
| 10th | +4 | Eidolon of Might feature |
| 11th | +4 | Extra Attack (×2) |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Knowledge of the Fallen |
| 14th | +5 | Relentless Belief |
| 15th | +5 | Eidolon of Might feature |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Deicide |
| 18th | +6 | Eidolon of Might feature |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Power Without Limits |
Awakening
You have started to unlock your true power, shattering any limiters once present on your might. Starting at 1st level, you add twice your proficiency bonus to all your Strength checks and saving throws.
Additionally, you count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Death Surge
Starting at 1st level, you gain a number of souls equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of 1). You regain 1 expended soul each time you deal a killing blow with a melee weapon using Strength to a creature of significant threat (DM’s discretion). You regain all expended souls after a short or long rest.
You can use your Death Surge to fuel some features. You start knowing two such features: Soul Haste, Soul Recovery.
- Soul Haste
You can draw upon the souls of those you have slain to act swiftly. You can spend 1 soul using a bonus action to move 20 feet. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks, and don't count against your normal movement.
- Soul Recovery
You can use the souls of your fallen enemies to regain your vigor. You can spend 1 soul using a bonus action to regain a number of hit points equal to your Constitution modifier.
Deadly Succession
At 2nd level, you can strike rapidly in mere moments. When you take the Attack action and make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you can spend 3 souls to make an additional attack as part of that action. The amount of additional attacks you can make with Deadly Succession increase to two at 5th level and three at 11th level.
Eidolon of Might
Your strength is growing rapidly, but to bolster your destructive capabilities, you must emulate an eidolon of might. Choose between the Death Knight and the Overlord, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. You cannot increase an ability score other than Strength above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, rather than once, whenever you take the Attack action. The number of attacks increases to three at 11th level.
Annihilate
You swing, and your unfortunate adversaries collapse before you. Starting at at 9th level, when you make an attack with a melee weapon using Strength, you can expend one or more soul points to increase the damage of the attack. On a hit, you can roll one additional weapon damage die (or dice in the case of weapons with two dice of damage) per soul spent when determining the damage.
The damage taken by this attack can't be regenerated or healed by the creature, until it takes a short or a long rest. Reducing a creature that would otherwise be banished to its original plane (such as fiends or celestials) will destroy that creature instead.
Knowledge of the Fallen
You have come to render the knowledge from the souls you slain. Starting at 13th level, you can spend 2 souls from your soul to gain proficiency in a skill you aren't proficient; or to double your proficiency bonus with a skill you are already proficient.
This benefit lasts until you complete a short or long rest, or until you use this feature again.
Relentless Belief
An Apollyon's belief in one's own Strength and self are important parts of what makes them a force to be dealt with. Beginning at 14th level, you now are immune to the frightened condition.
In addition, your Strength score can never be lowered by any kind of effect.
Deicide
Not even the gods are safe from your destructive force. Starting at 17th level, you gain the following benefits:
- You are immune to divine intervention and other divine effects provoked directly by a god, unless you choose to be affected.
- Your melee weapon attacks ignore resistances and immunity to non-magical damage of deities and outsiders (aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey and fiends), and if they are reduced to 0 hit points by your melee weapon attacks, they are instantly killed and cannot resurrect by any means, except for a wish or true resurrection spell.
- Creatures cannot prevent you from reducing them to 0 hit points by means of features, spells, or magical effects.
Power Without Limits
Your strength grows ceaselessly, enabling the exertion of force once believed to be impossible. Starting at 20th Level, your Strength score increases by 6, up to a maximum of 26.
Death Knight
Wielding the souls of those slain, the death knight delivers destruction to those who would oppose them. They are fearsome, supremely powerful, and difficult to destroy, truly a menace to their adversaries. The more a death knight slaughters, the more powerful they become.
- Execution
You can execute your adversaries on a whim. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your bonus action to make a single powerful attack with a melee weapon, using Strength. On a hit, you cause additional damage equal to your Apollyon level + your Strength modifier.
You can use this feature three times, regaining all uses upon finishing a long rest.
- Undying
You have delivered so much death that you can resist its effects. Starting at 7th level, you no longer require air, food, water, and your body stops aging.
Additionally, when you are reduced to 0 Hit Points but not killed outright, you can spend 5 souls from your counter drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
- Soul Armor
You have forged a protective shell of death. Starting at 10th level, you gain a bonus of +1 to your AC.
Additionally, when you are subjected to a saving throw, you can subtract 3 from your counter to gain advantage in a saving throw. You can only use this feature three times, regaining all uses after a long rest.
- A Party of Death
With your influence, your companions have become emissaries of death themselves. Starting at 15th level, whenever a friendly creature reduces a creature to 0 hit points within a 120 feet of you, you now gain 1 soul to your Soul Counter.
- Bloodthirst
You can locate the unslain. Starting at 18th level, you are aware of the presence and location of living creatures that have blood, within 30 feet, even when they are hidden by magic or other effects.
Within 60 feet, you may still feel their presence, but would not know their exact location.
Overlord
A master of widespread devastation, the overlord obliterates entire armies with eruptions of unbridled power, requiring but one strike to remove all obstacles before them. The overlord believes in strength above all, for the greater one's power, the greater one's influence.
- Explosion of Power
Your strikes release your raw power, crushing nearby foes. Starting at 3rd level, as an Action, you can make a single melee weapon attack against a target. If it hits, every creature except you within 5 feet of the target must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or take the same amount of damage the target took, or half damage on a success.
You may use this feature an amount of times equal to your Strength modifier (minimum once), regaining all uses after a long rest.
- Mighty Influence
Your strength speaks for itself. Starting at 7th level, you can add your Strength modifier to your Charisma (Intimidation) and (Persuasion) checks.
In addition, you gain proficiency in Persuasion and Intimidation. If you are already proficient, you can choose another Apollyon skill instead.
- Force Unleashed
Your exceeding power extends your strikes. Starting at 10th level, all weapons that you wield are considered to have the Reach property, as they burst with pure energy.
- Overwhelming Puissance
Your immense strength bolsters itself. Starting at 15th level, your melee weapon attacks deal a further additional damage equal to your Strength score on critical hits.
- Ruination
With your blade, the mightiest shall fall. Starting at 18th level, as an action, you can create a wave of unbridled destruction in a 60-foot radius centered on yourself. Any creature, object, or structure within the radius other than yourself and creatures of your choice must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or suffer 10d10 Force damage, halved on a successful save. Anything that is reduced to 0 hit points by this feature is removed from existence and cannot be resurrected by anything weaker than a wish or true resurrection spell.
You can use this feature once, regaining use upon finishing a long rest.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the apollyon class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength 15
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the apollyon class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, Medium armor, Heavy armor, Shields, Simple and Martial Weapons.
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