Holy Hunter (5e Subclass)
Holy Hunter[edit]
Ranger Conclave
Between temples dedicated to benevolent gods and chivalric orders of oathbound paladins, there are lots of known and trusted warriors dedicated to end evil wherever they can find it. Less known, however, are the almost forgot path of the holy hunter, sacred warriors gifted with powers by their gods not due to the devotion, nor receive powers from adhering to a strict code of honor, but who undergo a strict training in both religious secrets and martial combat to become living weapons at the service of the forces of good. Holy hunters serve their god not through mere belief in a divine being, but through actions, enacting a vigorous hunt against the forces of darkness.
The path to become a holy hunter is marked with discipline and pain. Commonly from very young age, the candidates to become holy hunters are diligently prepared, with long days of physical activity and combat training, and long nights of prayer and meditation. The accommodations on these temples tend to be rough and uncomfortable, and sometimes even purposefully harmful, in order to prepare their minds and bodies to a life of hardship. In other cases, a personal tragedy can lead to a sense of hate and retribution towards supernatural evil creatures, making a person abandon her previous life and commit to the hunt of those creatures. These holy hunters may have learned from a religious order, but there are those who learned by themselves the practice by researching religious texts, meditating and praying for a revelation.
Accustomed with an ascetic and disciplined life, holy hunters know how to use their prayers in combat, infusing their strikes with divine energy and protecting their bodies with sacred rituals. Using the violence of their swords and blind zealotry, they live their lives with only one thing in mind: the purification of the world through the complete annihilation of evil.
Regardless of the reasons a individual decides to become a holy hunter, they often share similarities on their path to become these fierce crusaders, living a life of devotion under the harsh rules of a temple or monastery. Holy hunters are usually members of a strict hierarchic organization, and as such, are prone to obey orders and adhere to norms. This doesn't mean, however, that, faced by corruption or evil inside their own sect, they will not turn against the culprits with the same violence and anger they usually direct towards monsters. Is not uncommon holy hunters willingly deciding to join cults and religions filled with wrongdoers, just to enact justice against them when the time arrives to do so.
Leaving the monastery or temple where they have been trained is never an easy task. The cloistered monastic life can make holy hunters with severely lacking social skills, and the torturous training can make the temptations of the outside world even harder to resist. For the common folk, a holy knight is indistinguishable from a regular paladin or priest, but a closer look will reveal the starkness of their faces and eyes. Sometimes, however, the gratitude of the people they save while enacting furious justice upon profane creatures can lead make grow feelings of empathy and even sympathy for the people they save, and the bonds formed out of the temple can make their dedication grow even stronger, forged by hate but maintained by love and care.
- Conclave Spells
You gain conclave spells at the ranger levels listed:
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | protection from evil and good |
| 5th | enhance ability |
| 9th | magic circle |
| 13th | death ward |
| 17th | holy weapon |
- Celestial Hunter
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use the information gathered during your arduous training to track and kill profane beings. You have advantage on all you Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track and find fiends, undead, fey and aberrations.
In addition, whenever you encounter a creature from one of these types, you can use your bonus action to recall information about it. Make a Intelligence (Religion) check against 10 + the creature's CR. On a success, you can learn one of the following characteristics:
- The creature's AC.
- The creature's hit point maximum.
- One of the creature's resistance or immunity to damage.
- One of the creature's immunities to conditions.
- One of the actions described in the creature's statblock.
After learning one of these information or after a failed check, you can try again. For each new use of this feature, the DC increases by 5. The DC resets to 10 + the creature's DC after a short or a long rest.
- Blessed Mind
Starting at 3rd level, you have finished your training and pledged alliance to the forces of good in the eternal battle against the evil, being protected by these forces in return. You have advantage on Wisdom saving throws against effects generated by fey, fiends, or undead.
Due to this constant mind shield, you become extremely aware of the presence of evil without it. As an action, you can choose to refuse the blessing, losing this advantage and becoming able to sense any of those creatures within 60 feet of you, while you are not unconscious.
Once you do this, the bless return after 1 hour of prayer, that can be done as part of a short rest.
- Divine Flames
At 3rd level, you can make divine flames appear on your sword. As a bonus action, a bright and warm light engulfs a melee weapon you are wielding, and all your attacks deal additional damage equal to you Wisdom modifier. You can choose to deal either fire or radiant damage before each strike. This additional damage can be dealt only once per turn.
In addition, the weapon emits bright light in a 10-foot radius, and dim light for the next 10 feet. You can decide to ignite flammable objects that aren't being worn or carried with a touch of the weapon, otherwise the flames are harmless.
The divine flames last for 1 hour, and you become unable to use them again until you finish a short or a long rest.
In addition, you can, at will, generate this flames with your touch. As an action, you can touch a creature by making a melee spell attack. On a hit, you deal damage equal to your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
- Flames of Submission
At 7th level, whenever you damage a creature with your Divine Flames feature, you can choose to engulf that creature in divine flames. The immolated creature have disadvantage on Wisdom and concentration checks it makes.
The creature also sheds the same light of your blade ignited in divine flames. While within 30 feet of the target, you can use your bonus action to brighten the fire with radiant energy. When you do this, the creature can't benefit from being invisbile and has disadvantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks that rely on sight until the start of your next turn.
When that creature makes an attack against you or against any creature within 30 feet, you can use your reaction to stoke the flames. When you do so, the creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, or will lose its action due to the severe pain of the burning and take your divine flames damage.
This flames of submission last for 1 hour or until you destroy the creature. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
- Prayer of Cleansing
When you reach 7th level, whenever you are charmed or frightened, you can use your action to end the effect.
- Crusader's Aura
When you reach the 11th level, in recognition to your great deeds in this divine crusade, you have been blessed with an sacred aura. Whenever you make melee attacks while your divine flames are active, the reach of your weapons is increased in 5 feet. When using the weapons at this distance, all damage caused by it is either fire or radiant (your choice).
In addition, whenever you fail a saving throw, you can use your reaction to re-roll the save, adding your Wisdom modifier to the result. You must use the new result.
- Holy Avenger
At 15th level, you become the absolute champion of your god. Whenever you roll initiative and have no uses of your Flames of Submission, you regain one use.
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