Ghost Rider, Variant (5e Class)

Ghost Rider

A Ghost Rider is a being who has suffered greatly in life and whose soul found it impossible to rest. Seeking a way to escape from the fiery pits of hell and destroy the evil that haunts your soul you managed to bind a demon to yourself. This unholy union grants you great power but also will eventually come at the cost of your own soul. Having returned from death ghost riders seek to protect the innocent at any cost from the horrors you suffered and most likely wrought as well, as no innocent soul would find themselves in hell after all. They ruthlessly pursue those who have harmed them to deliver vengeance and perhaps find their own redemption as well. The demon inside of you finds some delight in the carnage you bring as you diligently drag the souls of evil mortals into the same pits of hell you escaped. This carnage is never enough to fully satisfy it as it whispers quietly to you in attempts to find further amusements. Ghost riders are in a constant struggle to push back the evil inside them for fear of the destruction it would bring if ever let free.

Creating a Ghost Rider

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Quick Build

You can make a Ghost Rider quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution and Strength or Dexterity. Second, choose the Soldier background.

Class Features

As a Ghost Rider you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d12 per Ghost Rider level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Ghost Rider level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armors, Shields
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons, Chains, Hellfire Chain
Tools: none
Saving Throws: Constitution, Wisdom
Skills: Choose three from the following: Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception and Religion

Equipment

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

• (a) Chain Mail or (b) Leather, Longbow and 20 Arrows
• (a) A martial weapon and a shield or (b) Two Martial Weapons
• (a) A light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) Two handaxes

Table: The Ghost Rider

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Unleash the Demon
1st	+2	Resist Fear, No Rest for the Wicked, Shared Body, Hellfire Steed	0
2nd	+2	Unleash the Demon, Master of Weapons, Born Rider	2
3rd	+2	Mark of Vengeance, Detect Evil	2
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	3
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Hellish Visage	3
6th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Penance Stare, Hellfire Punishment	4
7th	+3	Undying Wrath	4
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	5
9th	+4	Project Flames	5
10th	+4	One with the Demon, Biblical in Scope	6
11th	+4	Extra Attack(2)	6
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	7
13th	+5	Indomitable Will	7
14th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	8
15th	+5	Ride Or Die	8
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement, Ride Like Hell	9
17th	+6	Weapon Barrage, Extra Attack(3)	9
18th	+6	Planes Traveller	11
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement, There Is no God Here	11
20th	+6	Hells Blessing	Unlimited

Resist Fear

At 1st level, having already witnesses the greatest horrors of hell itself your soul has been hardened against most horrors of this world. You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

No Rest for the Wicked

Additionally at 1st level, you find little need for rest in your undeath. By spending 4 hours doing light activity you gain the benefits of a full rest.

Shared Body

As the old saying goes, two is company and three is a crowd. Your body is already shared with the demon bound to you which protects you against others who might seek to inhabit your body. At 1st level, you gain advantage on wisdom saves vs possession.

Hellfire Steed

From first level, a Ghost Rider gains the services of a Hellfire Steed. This mount can have any appearance the Ghost Rider likes – it can be a bear, a horse, or even a construct – but its feet/other modes of movement will be shrouded in hellfire, its eyes will burn with hellfire and its body will often be covered in patches of hellfire. It’s called a Hellfire Steed for a reason. All Hellfire Steeds have the same statistics, however. They work similarly to a Phantom Steed (like the spell), the mount cannot be dispelled and does not disappear either (it has no time limit). And it has the attacks of a Warhorse. If the Steed loses all its hit points, it reappears adjacent to the Ghost Rider after two rounds. The Hellfire Steed acts as the Ghost Rider wishes at all times, and, unlike a Phantom Steed, may bear riders other than the Ghost Rider if the Rider orders it to. This ability may be used even when the Ghost Rider is not transformed, but appears as a normal creature of the kind chosen by the Ghost Rider in this case. A Ghost Rider may summon his Hellfire Steed to him as a standard action 1/day. If the Ghost Rider is in an area blocking extra-dimensional travel, such as a Forbiddance effect, the mount appears at the edge of the effect and then proceeds to move towards the Ghost Rider as fast as possible.

Unleash the Demon

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By second level you have learned to harness the demonic power inside you to some degree by using either a reaction or a bonus action. By carefully tapping into this power you can draw forth great demonic powers by transforming yourself into the Ghost Rider. The transformation is a frightening process that causes hellfire to erupt from your body melting your flesh from your bones until you are a being of bone and hellfire. Your armor also transforms to bind itself to this new form but takes on its own frightening appearance. This new form grants several abilities and powers at your disposal. This transformation lasts four hours unless you end it as a bonus action or fall unconscious. You may use this feature a number of times for your level as shown on the ghost rider table. You regain all uses of unleash the demon when you finish a short or long rest. You gain the following benefits while transformed:

• You gain resistance to fire and poison damage.

• You gain proficiency in Charisma (intimidate) and Wisdom (insight) checks. If you already have proficiency in these skills you double your proficiency bonus instead.

• Your weapon becomes covered in Hellfire that inflicts damage to the soul of your opponent, not its body. Inflicting 2d6 Psychic damage against Demons and Fiends, and 2d6 Fire damage against everyone else. This damage increases to 3d6 at level 10, 4d6 at level 15 and 5d6 at level 20.

• Save DC for Ghost Rider abilities is 8 + Proficiency Modifier + Wisdom Modifier.

Master of Weapons

At 2nd level your weapon becomes an extension of you and moves almost supernaturally in your hands, darting, changing direction and even seemingly becoming a rigid object as it moves through the air. You are the master of your space and as a bonus action while wielding a weapon you can enter a defensive stance that gives you +2 AC and lasts until the start of your next turn.

Born Rider

Ghost Riders have a special connection with their Hellfire Steeds. At 2nd level, and every 4 levels after that, select one ability from the list below.

Pounce: When the Ghost Rider charges while riding his Hellfire Steed, he may make a full attack at the end of the charge action.

Gravity Is A Weapon: Whenever the Ghost Rider charges an opponent from above while riding his Hellfire Steed, he deals 1.5x the damage he normally would. This only applies to damage from the Ghost Rider’s weapon, strength bonus and any bonus damage from Power Attack, not to any bonus damage from magical effects, Sneak Attack, the Weapon of Vengeance class feature or similar types of bonus damage. The Ghost Rider may charge an opponent from above either by flying above them (or a similar method), or by performing a Jump check as part of a charge action that allows him to rise at least 10ft above the ground.

Ride What You Will: The Ghost Rider may treat any mount he rides as his Hellfire Steed, and they gain all the benefits a Hellfire Steed would (including extra movement speed and types of movement as per the Phantom Steed spell). However, if such a mount is killed, it does not reappear after two rounds. Instead, a copy made of Hellfire appears, which functions as the standard Hellfire Steed class feature and has none of the properties of the original creature. This includes being unable to attack. The true mount reappears at dawn the following day.

Ride Like Hell: The Ghost Rider’s Hellfire Steed’s movement is now equal to 30 feet per caster level and has no maximum speed. When the Hellfire Steed acquires the Air Walk ability, it may use it for up to 3 rounds at a time, and when it acquires a fly speed, its manoeuvrability improves to Perfect.

Deathly Resilience: The Ghost Rider’s Hellfire Steed now has an AC equal to the Ghost Rider’s AC or its own AC, whichever is higher. In addition, the Hellfire Steed shares all of the Ghost Rider’s immunities and resistances, and may use his saving throw modifiers instead of its own.

Lightning Strike: When the Ghost Rider charges while riding his Hellfire Steed, he may attack at any point during his movement, and then continue moving in whatever direction he chooses, including straight through his target if he so desires. The Ghost Rider can use any remaining movement from his charge action. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the target of the charge, but it does from other enemies, and the Ghost Rider must end his movement in an unoccupied square.

Inspire Awe (minimum level 6): Once per day per 6 levels, the Ghost Rider may command its mount (a free action) to use Charm Monster as an SLA using the Ghost Rider’s abilities save DC (a standard action for the mount). Creatures of the same type as the creature the Hellfire Steed is currently imitating (e.g. animal for a Horse) take a -4 penalty of saves to resist this ability.

Intransient (minimum level 10): While riding his Hellfire Steed, a Ghost Rider may go ethereal for 1 minute per level per day. He may also gain the benefits of a Greater Blink spell for 1 round per day per level

Mark of Vengeance

At 3rd level, your penchant for protecting those around you takes form in the shape of a mark you place on your foes. When you hit a creature with a melee attack, the target is marked by you until the end of your next turn. A creature ignores this effect if it’s of good alignment or has made no attack against you or anyone within 120 ft that is an ally or an innocent. The marked target has disadvantage on any attack roll against a creature other than you or someone else who marked it by any means. If a target marked by you is within your threat range on its turn and it moves at least 1 foot in a direction other than directly to you or makes an attack that suffers disadvantage from this feature, you can make one melee weapon attack against it using your reaction. This can be done a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier per short or long rest.

Detect Evil

At 3rd level a ghost rider is able to sense evil as per the spell Detect Evil and Good, with the exception that it works on humanoids as well and you also know their alignment. This requires an action.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 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. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can Attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. The number of attacks increases to three at 11th level and four at 17th.

Hellish Visage

At 5th level while using “Unleash the Demon” you may use a bonus action to attempt to inflict fear upon an opponent. The creature makes a Wisdom saving throw vs your Ghost Rider ability save DC, on a failure the enemy can come no closer and must use any movement taken to try and move further away from you. Usable once per use of “Unleash the Demon”.

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Hellfire Punishment

Starting at 6th level the fire inside you has gain an overwhelming power. Your damage count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.

Penance Stare

At 6th level while using “Unleash the Demon” you gain a special attack option. By focusing your will upon all the evil the creature has ever committed you burn their soul with their sins. You can focus your gaze on an enemy within 30 feet and use your action. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Ghost Rider Save DC. If they fail, this attack does 2d8+Wisdom Psychic damage to those of neutral alignment and 4d8+Wisdom psychic damage to those of evil alignment, as well as stun them for one turn. On a successful save, they take half damage and are not stunned. This attack can be used once per use of "Unleash the Demon". At 11th level this attack can hit two targets within 5 feet of each other for 2d8 neutral, and 4d8 evil. At 15th level this attack does 6d8 and 12d8 At 20th level this attack can hit three targets within 10 feet of each other. Against neutral targets the damage is 10d8, but against an evil target the damage is 20d8. Usable a number of time equal to your proficiency bonus times per “Unleash the Demon”

Undying Wrath

At 7th level your relentless natures comes into full swing as your wrath against your foes seems to defy death itself. While using “Unleash the Demon” you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus and you regain those hit points at the beginning of each of your turns.

Project Flames

Upon reaching 9th level your command of Hellfire has come to a new level. When using “Unleash the Demon” the Ghost Rider is now able to meld the fire into balls to launch at your opponents at range. You can use your action to throw a ball of Hellfire up to 60 feet away doing 4d8 Psychic damage to a Fiend or Demonic creature and 4d8 Fire damage to anything else. Target must make a Dexterity Saving throw to take half damage. This ability can be used once per use of "unleash the demon", increasing to 2 at 15th level and 3 at 20th level.

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One with the Demon

At 10th level your “Unleash the Demon” ability takes on a new form as you have fully mastered the use of the demons powers inside you allowing you to become one with it while staying in control. You don't need to breath, eat or drink and while in this new form you gain Immunity to Fire and poison, resistance to necrotic, slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning, Devil's Sight, and your hellfire horse can now move along any surface as if it’s normal terrain and and gains an extra 60ft of movement speed.

Biblical in Scope

To delay a Ghost Rider’s mission is to invite divine punishment rarely seen in modern times, and to be the Rider’s target is a guarantee of it. At 10th level the Ghost Rider selects one of the afflictions from the list below.

Water to Blood

The Ghost Rider may convert 1 cubic foot of water to blood per level simply by touching it as a standard action. This ability may be used at will. The Ghost Rider may move, breathe and see freely within this blood without needing to make Swim checks as though it had a Swim speed equal to its land speed.

Vermin

The Ghost Rider may summon a swarm of either frogs, lice or flies once per day as a full-round action. He can call upon no more than 10 cubic feet of vermin per level. This area must be contiguous and must include the square the Ghost Rider is in at the time of summoning These creatures behave as they would naturally, but remain within an area designated by the Ghost Rider and do not touch the Ghost Rider, his possessions and provisions or the bodies, possessions and provisions of his allies. These vermin persist for 1 day per class level.

Boils

The Ghost Rider may afflict one target per level with boils as a standard action. Each target may resist this effect with a successful Fortitude save. These boils do no damage, but are extremely unsightly and painful. A creature afflicted with boils takes a penalty on Diplomacy, Gather Information and Bluff checks equal to the Ghost Rider’s class level, and may not get a restful night’s sleep. This prevents arcane spell casters from being able to refresh their spell slots. These boils are a disease with a saving throw equal to the original save DC to resist them, and may be cured by magical means as long as the caster level of the effect exceeds the character level of the Ghost Rider. This ability may be used once per day.

At 15th level, the Ghost Rider may choose either one plague from the list below, or two of the afflictions from the previous list.

Darkness

The Ghost Rider may affect up to one square mile per HD with magical darkness, as the Deeper Darkness spell, as a standard action. He must be able to see at least part of the area to be affected. Only the Ghost Rider and his allies may see in this darkness, and it blocks Darkvision. Any creatures with truesight, or abilities otherwise letting them see through magical darkness, are unaffected by this. This effect lasts for one hour per level of the Ghost Rider. The Rider may use this ability once per week.

Locusts

The Ghost Rider may instruct locusts to devour all the plants, fruit and other vegetation within an area equal to one square mile per 2 level as a free action. He must be able to see at least part of the area to be affected. The locusts cover the entire area over the course of three rounds, but only harm plants, not animals. However, this is still a very distressing experience for anything living in the area. This ability does 3d6 damage per class level to any creatures with the Plant type within the area. When all the plants have been eaten, which usually takes a matter of minutes, the locusts fly away and are not seen again. The Rider may use this ability once per week.

Plague

The Ghost Rider may unleash one of a wide variety of diseases in the form of a plague. The Rider may infect one cubic foot per level of a food or water supply he can see with either Blinding Sickness, Cackle Fever, Shakes or Slimy Doom (see SRD) as a standard action. This disease is undetectable by sight or Detect Poison, but may be removed with Purify Food and Drink. The Ghost Rider adds his Charisma modifier to the standard DC to resist these diseases. Any creature infected with a contact disease may pass it on by touching another creature, and after death both contact and ingested diseases can be spread when animals, including flies and mosquitoes, eat the corpse, according to DM adjudication. This ability may be used once per week.

At 20th level, the Ghost Rider gains access to either two of the dooms from the list below, or three plagues or afflictions from the previous two lists.

Flood

The Ghost Rider may cause torrential rain to pour upon an area up to 10 square miles. He must be able to see at least part of the area to be affected. Over the course of 5 days this area becomes totally flooded until it is all at least 10 feet underwater. Rivers may burst their banks and wash away bridges earlier, and lower areas will be flooded sooner and much deeper. The casualties from such a flood are usually severe, and between the loss of life and the damage to the land and buildings, can leave a city uninhabited as its few surviving occupants decide never to return. People may leave the area before the rain ends, but most are unlikely to realise the danger the rain poses until most escape routes have been blocked. After the 5 days have passed, the rain stops and the water drains away. This can have devastating effects on areas that are more low-lying than the target area, as the flood pours down onto them. This ability is usable once per month.

Storm of Destruction

The Ghost Rider may target a single city, or a town and its surrounding farmland that he can see with a Storm of Destruction as a full-round action. This functions as the Control Weather spell, with a duration of 48 hours and a different target area, with the following exceptions. The effects created are not affected by season or location. If a thunderstorm is created, lightning strikes one creature and one structure per round, dealing 10d8 damage and potentially lighting structures on fire. Thunderstorms may be accompanied by rain, tornado, high winds, snow or a sandstorm (though only in a desert environment). The Ghost Rider, his allies, and any structures they may be in are never affected by any negative effects of the Storm of Destruction. This ability may be used once per month.

Divine Fire

By taking two full-round actions, the Ghost Rider may cause Hellfire to rain down upon an area of up to 2 square miles. He must be able to see at least part of the area to be affected. The fire does 10d6 damage a round to everything within the area, and persists for one week or until every creature and building within the area is dead or destroyed, or leaves the area, whichever comes first. This ability is usable once per month. The Ghost Rider may end any effects created by its Biblical in Scope class feature as a free action. If the Ghost Rider dies, all effects created by Biblical in Scope end immediately.

Indomitable Will

At 13th level your will and resolve in your cause has made you almost immune to attacks against your mind. You gain proficiency in Charisma saving throws, Immunity to being charmed or frightened and immunity to psychic damage.

Ride Or Die

At 15th level your deal with the rider has reached a new level, whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hitpoints you gain the option to devour their souls, effectively making them unable to be revived except by the wish spell. When you do this you gain half of their maximum hp as temporary hitpoints

Hell Is on Your Trail

At 16th Level you can now use your Hellfire steed to teleport anywhere in the same plane of existence as long as you are not in combat, you also gain an extra 60ft of movement for your steed. In Addition you have uncanny sense for finding those whose souls are marked, as long as your beast is unleashed you may once a day chose to know the location of any creature that is a fiend, or has been marked by either your penance stare or via infernal contract

Chain Barrage

At 17th level you are able to create chains en mass. Using your action you can cause an explosion of chains to erupt from your body in a 10-foot radius around you. The chains will wrap and squeeze your targets like a metal python dealing 4d8 Bludgeoning damage and grappling your opponents. A Strength saving throw vs. your Ghost Rider ability Save DC is required to avoid grapple, on a failed save they are grappled until the end of their next turn and are able to make a STR save to break free at the beginning of their next turn.. You may use your bonus action to cause your chains to constrict further dealing an additional 4d8 damage to those bound in them. This ability can be used once per use of "Unleash the Demon", and only creates enough chains to affect three targets.

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Planes Traveller

Upon reaching the 18th level, while using “Unleash the Demon” you gain the ability to travel between the planes while mounted on your Hellfire Horse, as per the spell Plane Shift, excepting that the only beings transported are the Ghost Rider and their steed and anyone riding with them. This ability can be used once per use of "Unleash the Demon".

There is No God Here

At 19th level immortality and even godhood cannot save a person from you. Your hellfire and stare now ignore immunity and even absorption. Also all creatures are considered mortal against your attacks, while spirits and other beings without a physical form take double damage from all your abilities.

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Hells Blessing

At 20th level your control of demonic power gives you the ability to confer some of that power and protection to those around you. Allies within a 30 foot radius of you gain resistance to fire and fear and deal an additional 4d6 Fire damage as their weapons are covered in Hellfire. This is a passive ability.

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Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Ghost Rider class, you must meet these prerequisites: Constitution and Wisdom of 13

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Ghost Rider class, you gain the following proficiencies: Chains, Hellfire Chain, Insight and Athletics

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