Dragonhunter (5e Class)

Dragonhunter

Where many paladins and protectors choose to stand in front of their allies, striking foe after foe with sword and shield, valiantly opposing those who stand against them, the dragonhunter has developed a more... specialized style. Bigger foes are harder to fell with sword and shield, and all too many wear armor too thick, or slide out of the way of a noble finishing blow. As a result, all too many guardians' heads roll for their foolhardy bravery. The dragonhunter manipulates their foes into taking damage by pulling and pushing them in and out of deadly tactics, and supports allies with potent magic.

Creating a Dragonhunter

Dragon hunter by YOUNG IL CHOI

You must first ask what drove your character to specialize in hunting dragons. Was your village wiped out by a red dragon fire, and you were the sole survivor? Are you attracted for the reward in the form of gold and glory? Are you allied to one of the draconic gods, slaying the spawn of the other, serving Tiamat and killing metallic dragons, or Bahamut while hunting chromatic ones? Whatever the reason, they are determined to protect others from the horrors of these scaled monsters.

Quick Build

You can make a dragonhunter quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma or Wisdom. Second, choose the Sbackground.

Class Features

As a Dragonhunter you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Dragonhunter level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Dragonhunter level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Persuasion, Perception, Survival, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• a greatsword and a longbow
• (a) a shortbow and 20 arrows or or (b) 2 daggers
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or or (b) an explorer's pack
• (a) studded leather or (b) chain shirt or (c) chain Mail

Table: The Dragonhunter

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Spirit	Traits	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
					1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	+2	Slayer Instinct, Hunter's Spirit	4	2	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	Fighting Style, Slaying Strikes, Dragonhunter Traits	6	2	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	Hunter Archetype, Resolve	8	2	2	—	—	—
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	10	2	3	—	—	—
5th	+3	Extra Attack	13	3	3	—	—	—
6th	+3	Bravery	16	3	3	—	—	—
7th	+3	Hunter Archetype	19	3	4	2	—	—
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Leviathan Climber	22	3	4	2	—	—
9th	+4	Hunter's Quarry	26	4	4	2	—	—
10th	+4	Hunter Archetype	30	4	4	3	—	—
11th	+4	Extra Attack	33	4	4	3	—	—
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	34	4	4	3	—	—
13th	+5	—	35	5	4	3	2	—
14th	+5	Hunter Archetype	36	5	4	3	2	—
15th	+5	Unbroken	37	5	4	3	2	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	38	5	4	3	3	—
17th	+6	Hunter's Surge	39	6	4	3	3	—
18th	+6	Unending Resolve	40	6	4	3	3	—
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	41	6	4	3	3	1
20th	+6	Death Blow	42	6	4	3	3	1

Slayer Instinct

Also at 1st level, you can hone your instincts to hunt and kill your draconic foes. You can use your bonus action to activate your slayer instinct for 1 minute, gaining the following benefits:

• The first time you deal damage with a weapon attack in each of your turns, you deal additional 1d4 damage. The damage increases to 1d6 at 7th level and 1d8 at 15th level.
• You can sense dragons within 1000 miles.
• You can't be surprised and attacks made against you can't have advantage.

Your slayer's instincts end earlier if you are reduced to 0 hit points, fall unconscious or kill a dragon. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain your spent uses after finishing a long rest.

Hunter's Spirit

Starting at 1st level, your brave spirit carry you trough multiple encounters with dragons. You have 4 spirit points, gaining more as you gain levels in the Dragonhunter class. You use your spirit to fuel some hunter abilities, such as your Hunting Tactics. Whenever you spend a spirit point, is unavailable to you until you finish a long rest.

Some of your features require your target to make a saving throw to avoid its effects. The save DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.

Hunting Tactics

You learn how to employ various cunning tactics to attract and deceive your opponents. You can spend spirit points to use any of the Hunting Tactics you have from the Tactics List.

Fighting Style

Starting at 2nd level, choose one of the following Fighting Styles. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier.

Slaying Strikes

Starting at 2nd level, you learn how to aim for specific body parts of your prey. Whenever you hit a creature with an attack, you can cause that hit to become a slaying strike.

A slaying strike causes additional 1d6 damage, and have one additional effect depending on the chosen strike. You know two slaying strikes at 2nd level, learning one additional one from your subclass and at 9th and 17th levels. The additional damage also increases to 2d6 at 9th level and 3d6 at 17th level. Dragons take additional 1d6 damage from these attacks.

You must spend an amount of Spirit points equal to your proficiency bonus each time your use a slaying strike.

Marking Strike

When you hit a creature with this attack, you focus your senses in detecting its position. You can sense the marked creature within 30 feet of you, without relying on sight. Doing so requires concentration (as if concentrating on a spell). This effect lasts until you lose concentration or the creature is slay.

Blinding Strike

When you hit a creature with this attack, you aim for the creature's eyes. The creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, or is blinded until the end of its next turn.

Grasping Strike

When you hit a creature that is flying with this strike, it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or the creature falls 10 feet and have its movement speed reduced by half until the end of its next turn.

Rending Strike

When you hit a creature with this attack, the target loses its damage resistances, and damage immunities become damage resistances, until the end of your next turn.

Dragonhunter Traits

Starting at 2nd level, you develop traits and tactics to help you to track and kill dragons. You gain two such traits at 2nd level, and gain more as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the traits column on the dragon hunter table.

Hunter Archetype

Starting at 3rd level, you choose to specialize in a specific way of hunting dragons. You can choose between the Dragon Slayer, the Knight Errant and the Platinum Hunter. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 10th and 14th levels.

Resolve

Starting at 3rd level, your grit and determination in face of the incarnate death is what causes you to succeed. You can use your resolve to endure harm or recover your will and strength. You can use this feature in the following manners.

• You can roll one hit die to recover hit points during a short rest without spending the hit die.
• You regain a 1st-level spell slot at the start of your turn.
• You reroll an ability check, attack roll or saving throw. You must use the new result.
• You reroll all damage dice of an attack you just hit, and choose the highest.
• You can end the frightened condition on you.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining your uses after finishing a long rest.

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you start to learn to use magic to better fight against dragons.

Spell Slots

The Dragonhunter Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. you regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of dragonhunter spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the dragonhunter spell list. When you do so, choose a number of cleric spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + a third of your dragonhunter level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of dragonhunter spells requires time spent in meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

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

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

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Extra Attack

Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action. This increases to three times at 11th level.

Bravery

At 6th level, you can use your resolve to boost your courage, allowing you to endure the frightening dragons. When you use your resolve, you can use your bonus action to become immune to the frightened condition for the next 10 minutes. If you are frightened when using this feature, you are cured from the condition.

You can use this feature as part of the same bonus action used to activate your slayer instinct.

Leviathan Climber

Starting at 8th level, you gain the ability to freely walk trough and above your prey. You can move trough the spaces of creatures one size larger than you or higher.

When attempting to climb a creature large sized or larger, you must make a grapple attempt, using your Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics), without taking an action. On a success, you can move on the creature as if you had a climbing speed equal to your movement speed and can occupy the space of the creature. In addition, you have advantage on attacks against a creature climbed by you.

The creature can try to remove you from it by making a contested grapple check, as if it was grappled.

Hunter's Quarry

At 9th level, you can mark a creature you can see for death, using the fullest of your instincts to kill that creature. As a bonus action, choose a creature you can see within 30 feet. For 1 minute, you gain a bonus equal to your Wisdom modifier to your attack rolls against that creature, and can detect that creature without relying on your senses on a range of 30 feet.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or a long rest.

Unbroken

At 15th level, whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points while your Slayer's Instinct is active, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this ability, you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.

Hunter's Surge

Starting at 17th level, you can use your bonus action to enhance your mobility to become able to keep up with your monstrous foes. Until the start of your next turn, all attacks you make are made at advantage, you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws and all attacks made against you are made at disadvantage.

You can use this ability once, regaining the ability to do so after a short or a long rest.

Unending Resolve

Starting at 18th level, whenever you roll initiative and have no spirit left, you regain 6 spirit. If you have no resolve left, you regain 1 resolve.

Death Blow

Starting at 20th level, you have mastered the art of slaying dragons with a single blow. Whenever you score a critical hit against a creature of large size or higher, that creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, that creature is reduced to 0 hit points. On a success, it takes additional 10d10 necrotic damage.

Creatures with the dragon type have disadvantage on the save, and take twice the damage on a success.

Archetypes

Dragon Slayer

Dragon slayers are dragonhunters who hunt dragons for no other purpose than that of slaying those beasts and ridding the world of them. They are generally driven by glory or hate towards those monsters, and have a plethora of tactics designed to vanquish dragons.

Luring Strike

Starting at 3rd level, you can spend one use of your slaying strike to perform a luring strike. You use this attack to attract the attention of the creature. When you hit a creature with this attack, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or have disadvantage on all attacks against creatures other than you for 1 minute. Keeping this effect active require you to constantly attracts the enemies attention, which requires concentration (as a spell).

The target can try to end the effect by using its action to make another Wisdom saving throw.

Slayer's Mark

Starting at 3rd level, once per turn when you hit a creature with an attack, you can mark that creature. If that creatures willingly move before the end of your next turn, you can make one attack with a weapon against it.

Defensive Roll

Starting at 7th level, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on a melee attack roll or give yourself advantage on a Dexterity or Constitution saving throw. When you do so, you can move 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks as part of the same reaction.

Spiteful Resolve

Starting at 10th level, when you activate your Resolve feature, you enter in a spiteful and angered state. For the next 10 minutes, you add a d8 to all your damage rolls with weapon attacks.

Slaying Strike

Starting at 14th level, you can try to execute your scaled foes with a single strike. When you make an attack with a weapon, you must declare it as a slaying strike. On a hit, the target takes additional 2d10 damage, plus additional 2d10 for each size category above medium it has. If this reduces the target to 50 hit points or less, the target is killed.

In addition, if the target is flying, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your Hunter save DC or have its flying speed reduced to 0 until the end of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain your uses after a long rest.

Knight Errant

Knight errant are wandering dragonhunters, who ride trough the realms helping the innocent to defend against the rage of dragons. They are vagrant heroes, wandering from town to town, seeking to fight on the behalf of those who can't do it by themselves.

Inspiring Strike (Slaying Strike)

Starting at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can spend one use of your slaying strike to perform an inspiring strike. When you do so, you can choose one creature of your choice within 30 feet (including yourself) to gain temporary hit points equal to the additional damage dealt.

Avenging Strike

Starting at 3rd level, when you succeed on a saving throw against an effect that targets an area, you can use your reaction to make an attack against the source of the effect.

Guardian's Shield

Starting at 7th level, while you are wielding a shield, all creatures of your choice within 10 feet gain advantage on Dexterity and Constitution saving throws.

Aura of Resolve

Starting at 10th level, when you activate your Resolve, all friendly creatures within 10 feet are immune to the frightened condition. If they are already frightened, the condition is suppressed while they are inside the aura radius. In addition, creatures in the area add your Wisdom modifier to all their saving throws.

Valiant Protector

Starting at 14th level, you can use your reaction to ward your allies from attacks and effects that require a Constitution or Dexterity saving throw to avoid its effects. All creatures of your choice within 5 feet are protected from damage, and any damage taken by attacks and effects that require Dexterity saving throws is reduced in 2d8 until the start of your next turn. The damage reduction increases in 2d8 for each size category above medium the source of the effect has.

Platinum Hunter

Platinum hunters are members of the churches of Bahamut, and are trained by monastic orders and temples of the platinum god to fight in the war against the spawn of Tiamat, the chromatic dragons.

Radiant Strike (Slaying Strike)

Starting at 3rd level, you can spend one use of your slaying strike to perform a radiant strike. When you hit a creature with this attack, the additional damage is radiant. In addition, the target takes additional 1d6 if it is an undead, fiend or dragon.

Radiant Punishment

Starting at 3rd level, once in each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you deal additional 1d6 radiant damage. This damage increases to 3d6 when you attack an evil dragon.

Shield of Courage

Starting at 7th level, all friendly creatures within 10 feet have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Protective Resolve

Starting at 10th level, when you take acid, cold, fire, lighting or poison damage, you can activate your resolve as a reaction. When you do so, you halve the triggering damage and have resistance to it for the next 10 minutes. In addition, for the duration you deal additional 1d4 radiant damage with your weapon attacks.

Bahamut's Breath

Starting at 14th level, you can channel the power of the platinum dragon and exhale a powerful breath. All creatures in a 30-foot cone must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, or take 2d8 radiant damage, or half as much on a success. In addition, creatures take additional 2d8 damage for each size category above medium they have: 4d8 for large creatures, 6d8 for huge creatures, 8d8 for gargantuan creatures.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, regaining your uses of this feature after finishing a long rest.

Hunter Traits

Winged Hunter

Pre-requisite: Platinum Hunter

When not wearing armor, you can sprout metallic dragon wings. This wings grant you flying speed equal to your movement speed, but you must end your movement on the ground, or else you fall.

Brave Spirit

Pre-requisite: Knight Errand

Once per day during a short rest, you can boost your courage and lift your own spirit. You regain a number of spirit points equal to your proficiency bonus.

Dragon Hatred

Prerequisite: Dragon Slayer

Once per turn, you cause additional 1d4 damage on damage rolls against dragons when Slayer Instinct is active. This increases to 1d6 at 9th level and 1d8 at 17th.

Tracker

You gain proficiency in Survival. In addition, you add twice your proficiency bonus in checks with this skill.

Dragon Sense

You can use your action to sense dragons up to 1000 miles, until the end of your next turn. In addition, you can spend 1 spirit point to cause it to last for 1 hour.

Restless Hunter

You only need to sleep 4 hours to gain the benefits of a long rest. You still must spend the rest of the long rest doing light activity to be able to benefit from it. In addition, once a day during a short rest, you can recover from one level of exhaustion.

Treasure Hunter

You can sense items, jewels or golden pieces that are on the same place, worth at least 100 gp, within 60 feet of you.

In addition, you can cast detect magic as a ritual.

Instinctive

You gain one additional use of your Slayer Instinct.

Perceptive

You can take the Search action as a bonus action.

Favored Strike

You can use the Slayer Strike from your subclass once, without spending spirit points. You can't use this again until you complete a long rest.

Night Hunter

You gain darkvision up to a range of 60 feet. Your darkvision increases in 30 feet if you have already.

Invisible Hunter

You can't be detected by blindsight, and all Wisdom (Perception) checks made by dragons against you are made at disadvantage.

Tactics List

Distraction

You can spend 1 spirit point to create a distraction, allowing an allied creature to run from danger. As a bonus action, you can force a creature within 60 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, one creature of your choice within 5 feet of the distracted creature can use its reaction to move up to 10 feet to any direction, without provoking opportunity attacks.

You can spend 1 additional point to choose one additional creature to escape the distracted target, or to increase the distance moved by the creature in 5 feet.

Alternatively, you can spend 1 additional point to allow the creature to make a weapon attack the distracted target as a reaction, instead of moving.

Awareness

You can spend 1 spirit point as a bonus action to gain blindsight of 10 feet, for 1 minute. Keeping the blindsight requires concentration (like a spell). You can spend additional points to increase the range in 10 feet per point spent, up to 30 feet.

In addition, you can spend 2 additional points to gain the benefits of truesight for the same duration, up to the same distnace.

Luring

You can lure a creature you can see that can hear you to approach you using your bonus action. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or moves 10 feet towards you, using its reaction. In addition, at the start of its turn, the creature moves up to its movement speed towards you, stopping in a unoccupied space within 5 feet of you if possible.

You can spend 1 additional point to increase the distance moved towards you in 10 feet. Moreover, you can spend 1 additional point to cause all attacks made by that creature until the end of your next turn to be made at disadvantage against targets other than you.

Finally, you can spend 1 additional point to offend and humiliate the target, causing 1d6 psychic damage on a failed save.

Dragon Hunter Spell List

1st-level

absorb elements, expeditious retreat, feather fall, hunter's mark, jump, zephyr strike

2nd-level

darkvision, earthbind, enhance ability, magic weapon, pass without trace, protection from poison, spider climb

3rd-level

fly, haste, meld into stone, protection from energy, slow, water breathing

4th-level

death ward, elemental bane, greater invisibility, locate creature, stoneskin

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Dragonhunter class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 Strength and 13 Wisdom.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Dragonhunter class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons

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