Reaper (5e Class)

Reaper

In those darkest moments, as the light dims from your eyes, you realize it's not the world fading out, but the Reaper fading in.

Emissary of Death

For whatever reason, Death chose you to be one of their many loyal servants. You speak to them rarely, but you always know when they call for you. After all, dying once before has already made you a part of their domain.

Creating a Reaper

A reaper in a white cloak while holding their scythe.

Death doesn't choose just anyone to work for them. What did you do to garner their attention? Any alignment will do -- did you slaughter a village? Or did you die to save one?

Quick Build

You can make a Reaper quickly by following these suggestions. First, Constitution should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose a background that matches what you would have been before you died and became a Reaper. Third, put proficiency in Intimidation and Perception.

Class Features

As a Reaper you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d6 per Reaper level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution modifier per Reaper level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion, and Religion

Equipment

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

• (a) a light crossbow and 10 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• leather armor

Table: The Reaper

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Death's Scythe, Eternity
2nd	+2	Grim Harvest
3rd	+2	Reaper Path
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Visage of Death
6th	+3	Angel of Death
7th	+3	Ethereal Step, For Whom the Bell Tolls
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Mark of Death
10th	+4	Reaper Path
11th	+4	Death Cloud
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Angel of Death Improvement, Ghost Walk
14th	+5	Spectral Sight
15th	+5	Death's Cloak
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Form of Death
18th	+6	Reaper Path
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Soul Ripper

Death Scythe

As a Reaper, you can naturally bring creatures closer to their inevitable death. As an attack action on your turn, you can target a creature within 10 feet of you for your Death Scythe, harvesting a part of their life force. The Death Scythe hits automatically with no attack rolls and deals 1d4 necrotic damage per level in this class.

Eternity

At 1st level, you become an eternal servant of death. You no longer need to breathe, eat or drink, and you no longer age, nor can you die from old age.

In addition, you have a bonus to all your Saving Throws equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

Grim Harvest

Starting at 2nd level you can make the Death Scythe deal twice the damage as without taking an action. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum once) and regain uses on a short or long rest.

Reaper's Path

At your 3rd level you have been collecting souls for a long while, so you must choose a path. You can choose between the nemesis or the Harvester path, both granting you features at the 3rd, 10th, and 18th level.

Visage of Death

At 5th level, you can use a bonus action to alter your appearance, causing any creature who looks at you to see you as a personification of death. The aura extends 5 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. It lasts until you're incapacitated or you dismiss it as a bonus action.

The aura grants you advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks but disadvantage on all other Charisma checks. Any other creature that starts its turn in the aura takes psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

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

Angel of Death

At 6th level, you can use your bonus action to summon skeletal wings from your back. You gain a flying speed equal to your movement speed, lasting until the end of your turn. If you end your turn in the air, you slowly descend to the ground, as if you had been targeted by a feather fall spell.

At 13th level, the flying speed lasts until you choose to dismiss the wings as a bonus action.

Ethereal Step

At 7th level, you learn to step through the Ethereal Plane. As a bonus action on your turn, you can cast the etherealness spell with this feature, without expending a spell slot, but the spell ends at the end of the current turn.

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

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Not even the undead can escape death. Starting at 7th level your attacks ignore resistance and immunity to necrotic damage. This benefit applies to any necrotic effect from you, be it magic items you use or spells gained from other classes.

In addition, the souls you reap can not stop your glorious purpose. You become resistant to necrotic and poison damage.

Mark of Death

At 9th level, you can use your bonus action to mark a hostile creature you can see within 120 feet for death. The mark lasts for 1 hour, or until you reduce that creature to 0 hit points. While the marked creature is on the same plane as you, you can sense its exact location. In addition, if you are within 120 feet of the marked creature, you can teleport to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of that creature, using a bonus action. The mark ends earlier if you choose to dismiss it as a bonus action, or if you mark another creature.

Death Cloud

At 11th level, you can assume the form of a cloud of darkness. You learn the gaseous form spell, which you can cast on yourself at will, without spending spell slots. When you cast this spell using this feature, it doesn't require concentration and lasts for 1 minute.

In addition, if you end your turn on a space occupied by another creature, that creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier), taking your Death Scythe damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much on a success.

You can't use your Death Scythe, nor benefit from Visage of Death while Death Cloud is active. Once you use Death Cloud, you can't use it again until you complete a long rest, unless you spend 3 hit dice to do so again.

Ghost Walk

At 13th level, you can phase partially into the realm of the dead, becoming like a ghost. As a bonus action, you assume a spectral form. While in this form, you have a flying speed of 10 feet, you can hover, and attack rolls have disadvantage against you. You can also move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, but you take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside a creature or an object. You stay in this form for 10 minutes or until you end it as a bonus action.

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

Spectral Sight

None can hide from the Reaper. At 14th level, you gain darkvision and truesight up to a range of 60 feet.

Death's Cloak

At 15th level, you can assume a shadowy and ethereal form for a brief moment after taking damage. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage to half.

You can't use this feature against radiant or force damage.

Form of Death

At 17th level, you can assume the form of a true avatar of death, using your bonus action. The form lasts for 1 minute, and for the duration, you gain resistance to all damage types (except radiant) and can use your Ghost Walk feature without spending any uses of it.

In addition, any hostile creature within 120 feet is considered to be under the effects of Mark of Death for the duration. Finally, any hostile creature within 30 feet when you assume this form of death must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or be frightened for 1 minute. The creature can retry the saving throw at the end of each of its turns.

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

Soul Ripper

When you reach the 20th level, you become the death itself. If you cause damage to a creature you have previously injured with your scythe when using your Grim Harvest feature, the target dies instantly, if it has 100 hit points or lower, or take 10d10 necrotic damage, if it has more than 100 hit points.

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

Reaper Paths

Harvester

When one harvests a soul, the soul must go somewhere. Harvesters specialize in consuming the souls they harvest. Harvesters can use these souls to heal themselves, letting them continue their glorious work.

Life Siphon

At 3rd level, whenever you cause damage to a creature with your Death Scythe, you gain temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt. The temporary hit points last for 1 hour or until you use this feature again.

At 6th level, when you use life siphon while under half your maximum of hit points, you can regain hit points instead of gaining temporary hit points using this feature.

Soul Leeching

At 10th level, a creature is reduced to 0 hit points by your Death Scythe, you gain 1 soul point. You also gain 1 soul point by using your reaction when a creature within 60 feet is reduced to 0 hit points. You can't gain soul points from a creature that has a CR lower than your proficiency bonus.

Whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can spend 1 soul point to be reduced to 1 hit point instead. Any soul point unspent is lost when you finish a short or long rest.

Undying Reaper

At 18th level, you can spend a soul point to return to life after being killed. When you do so, you regain hit points equal to your Death Scythe damage dice.

Nemesis

Nemesis reapers are unstoppable killers, sent to deliver a swift and quick death. They can shoot their targets with pure necrotic energy and attack them with great speed, causing them to be the true deliverers of death.

Nemesis Bow

Starting at 3rd level, you can form a shadowy bow with your Death Scythe feature, causing damage to creatures within 60 feet of you.

Death Surge

At 10th level, you can use your Death Scythe twice as a standard action, instead of once. After using this feature twice, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Enemy of Life

At 18th level, when you use your Grim Harvest feature, you cause maximum damage, instead of rolling for damage.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Grim Reaper class, you must meet these prerequisites: Dexterity 13, Charisma 13

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Grim Reaper class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, medium armor, simple weapons.

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