Soldier of Decay (5e Class)
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Soldier of Decay[edit]
The Soldier of Decay stands as a testament to the depths of depravity reached by the powerful war necromancers during the harrowing days of the last great conflict. Through their twisted minds and mastery of dark magic, they wove a tapestry of horror and despair, giving birth to an entity that embodies the very essence of malevolence and destructive force. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, these soldiers emerged from the crucible of necromantic experimentation, forged in pain and suffering, their bodies infused with the potent energies of the magical rot.
They are an abomination, both living and decaying, a perverse fusion of life and death that defies natural order. With their twisted forms and haunting presence, they strike fear into the hearts of even the most battle-hardened warriors, for they are the physical manifestation of the rot itself, spreading its corruption with every step they take. The Soldier of Decay stands as a grim reminder of the horrors that can be unleashed when the boundaries of morality and sanity are obliterated in the pursuit of power and conquest.
The Magical Rot[edit]
The rot is a magical disease, created by powerful war necromancers during the last war. The rot slowly consume the bodies of the infected with an arcane disease, a magical form of necrosis that devour their bodies from the inside out. At the same time, the same magicians that created this cruel disease prepared soldiers that could endure its insidious influence, warriors that could both resist the harmful effects of the rot, and become intelligent carrions for it, increasing the speed in which the disease was spread. Through the magical rot, the Plagued Ones were created, the survivors of a gruesome experiment that formed the basis for the soldiers of decay.
The Plagued One[edit]
In their quest for dominance, the necromancers sought to create soldiers capable of enduring the malevolent influence of the magical rot. These dark sorcerers carefully selected individuals and subjected them to the vile disease, transforming them into the Plagued Ones. These survivors of a gruesome experiment became the foundation for the soldiers of decay, endowed with resilience against the rot's harmful effects. While still carriers of the disease, they also became intelligent carrions, acting as vectors for the rapid spread of the rot among the living.
Rot Carrions[edit]
Soldiers of decay are living weapons of mass destruction, created from the plagued ones with the purpose of infecting living creatures with the rot in the battlefield. Since most of the necromantic army was made out of undead, the soldier's sickening aura were just a problem to their living enemies, who had to deal not only with the dangers of being wound in battle, but with the sickness affecting not only the infected soldier, but sooner or later those who entered in contact with him.
Creating a Soldier of Decay[edit]
When creating a character who embodies the dark and malevolent essence of a Soldier of Decay, it's important to delve into their background and understand the circumstances that led them to embrace this sinister path. Here are some questions to help you develop your character's backstory and provide a direction for their journey:
How did your character become infected with the magical rot? Were they a victim of the necromantic war, or did they willingly subject themselves to the disease in pursuit of power?
What were the initial effects of the rot on your character's body and mind? Did they resist its influence or succumb to its corruptive nature? How did this transformation affect their physical appearance and abilities?
Who were the war necromancers responsible for the creation of the magical rot? Did your character have a personal connection to them, such as being a former apprentice or victim of their experiments?
- Quick Build
You can make a soldier of decay quickly by following these suggestions. First, Constitution should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength. Second, choose the Soldier background. Third, choose
Class Features
As a Soldier of Decay you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d12 per Soldier of Decay level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Soldier of Decay level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
Tools: Poisoner's kit
Saving Throws: Constitution, Strength
Skills: Choose three skills from Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Nature, and Survival.
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) A warhammer and a shield or (b) One Martial weapon.
- (a) A heavy crossbow or (b) A longbow or (c) Two shortswords
- Splint
- A Dungeoneer's Pack and two vials of poison.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Plagued One, The Rot |
| 2nd | +2 | Weave of Weakening |
| 3rd | +2 | Plague Sequela |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement, Soul Clash |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack |
| 6th | +3 | Decaying Body |
| 7th | +3 | Sequela Feature |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | Shrouded Form |
| 10th | +4 | Dark Resilience |
| 11th | +4 | Rotten Affliction, Mutated Disease |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Sequela Feature |
| 14th | +5 | Contagion |
| 15th | +5 | Sequela Feature |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Corrupted Soul, Mutated Disease Improvement |
| 18th | +6 | Life Thief |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Deadly Constitution |
Plagued One[edit]
Starting at 1st level, you gain advantage on saving throws against disease and poison, and resistance to poison damage. In addition, you become extremely debilitated, and your live expectancy is half the average of other members from your race.
The Rot[edit]
Starting at 1st level, you can spread your contagion to others. You can release your rotten plague as a bonus action, and it lasts for 1 minute for each Soldier of Decay level you have. After that, you need to make a Constitution saving throw against a DC of 5 + 5 for each additional round, or suffer one level of exhaustion for each failure.
For the duration, you gain the following benefits:
Rotten Touch. You touch a creature within 5 feet, and forces it to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes poison damage equal to your Constitution modifier and it is poisoned until the end of your next turn.
Poisoned Blade. Whenever you hit a creature with a weapon that causes piercing or slashing damage, you can use your bonus action to apply the effects of rotten touch to the attack.
Aura of Decay. While active, all creatures within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take poison damage equal to your proficiency bonus and be poisoned until the end of your next turn or until they leave the area, whichever happens first.
The save DC for your Rot and other Soldier of Decay features equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain your uses of it after finishing a long rest.
Wave of Weakening[edit]
At 2nd level, creatures that approach you can feel pains in the body and have difficulty to move. When a creature moves within 30 feet of you or closer, you can use your reaction to cause the area around you be difficult terrain to that creature until the start of your next turn.
Plague Sequela[edit]
At 3rd level, the rotted curse you bear start to modify itself and manifest specific properties. You can choose one of the sequelas described in the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd, and again at 7th, 13th and 17th levels.
Ability Score Increase[edit]
When you reach 4th level, and again at 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. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack[edit]
At 5th level, you can make two attacks instead of one, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Decaying Body[edit]
At 6th level, your body starts to decay, presenting properties of a corpse, making you immune to poison, disease and the poisoned condition.
In addition, you ignore resistance to poison damage, and creatures with advantage to resist the effects of poison don't have advantage against your Soldier of Decay features that inflict the poisoned condition.
Shrouded Form[edit]
At 9th level, when you activate The Rot, you are always surrounded by insects and flies, and by a mystical profane mist. Physical attacks made against you (non-magical slashing, piercing or bludgeoning damage) are made at disadvantage against you.
Fire and radiant damage will dissipate the mist for 1 minute, or until you use The Rot again.
Dark Resilience[edit]
At 10th level, your body becomes even more resilient, as you become immune to additional damage from critical hits. You also no longer can be stunned or paralyzed.
Rotten Affliction[edit]
Starting at 11th level, when you cause damage to a creature with your rotten touch feature, the target must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier.
On a failed save, the creature takes 1d4 poison damage at the start of each of its turns and it is poisoned until it succeeds on a Constitution saving throw against this effect. You can't have more than one creature under the effect of Rotten Affliction at the same time.
Mutated Disease[edit]
At 11th level, the rotten affliction carried by you grows in its capacity to infect, and you can now cause poison damage to creatures immune to poison, and inflict the poisoned condition onto creatures immune to this condition.
Creatures immune to poison are considered resistant to poison in relation to your features, while creatures immune to the poisoned condition have advantage on saving throws against the condition.
At 17th level, you ignore immunity to poison and the poisoned condition.
Contagion[edit]
At 14th level, whenever a creature within 10 feet causes damage to you, you can infect it with rot. That creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or is poisoned until the end of your next turn.
You can have no more than a number of creatures poisoned by this feature at the same time than half your Constitution modifier (rounded up).
Corrupted Soul[edit]
At 17th level, you gain a pool of corruption equal to twice your proficiency bonus. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee attack or when you impose the poisoned condition on a creature, you can spend any amount of points from this pool and cause additional poison damage equal to 1d8 per point spent. This damage increases to 2d8 per point spent if The Rot is active.
Once you spend your points, you can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest. In addition, when you roll initiative and have no uses of The Rot, you gain 1 use.
Life Thief[edit]
Beginning at 18th level, you become one with the infection, regaining vitality as you take it away from your foes. Once on each of your turns when you damage a creature with your rotten touch, you regain a number of hit points equal to half of the poison damage dealt.
Deadly Constitution[edit]
When you reach the 20th level, whenever your Rot is active, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Constitution whenever you start a turn without temporary hit points.
Also, whenever a creature causes damage to you while your temporary hit points are active, it takes poison damage equal to the amount of temporary hit points you currently have.
In addition, your Constitution score increases in 4, up to a new maximum of 24.
Plague Sequela[edit]
Cursed Rebirth[edit]
Death is a common fate for soldiers of decay. But some can overcome death, becoming infected undead wanderers, a carrion body who spread the diseased unlife to other corpses, a living and conscious plague who seeks companionship of other corrupted corpses.
- Putrid Aura
Starting at 3rd level, whenever a creature moves within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 1d4 poison damage. If the Rot is active, the target is also poisoned until the end of your next turn.
In addition, whenever a creature that is poisoned starts its turn within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to cause this poison damage without requiring a saving throw from the target.
The damage die for your putrid aura increases as you gain levels in this class: becoming 1d6 at 7th level, 1d8 at 13th level, 1d10 at 17th level and 1d12 at 20th level.
- Undead Nature
Starting at 3rd level, the plague has consumed your flesh and the life as you once knew abandoned your body. Your type is now undead and you you don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe. You also no longer age, and can't be magically aged.
In addition, you gain advantage on all your Wisdom and Charisma checks made to interact with undead, and in Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
- Spread Corruption
At 7th level, you become able to raise infected corpses by transferring the rot to them. If a beast or a humanoid that is Small or Medium dies within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to animate it, causing it to stand up immediately with 1 hit point. The creature uses the Zombie stat block in the Monster Manual. It remains animate for 1 hour, after which time it collapses and dies.
In combat, the zombie's turn comes immediately after yours. It obeys your mental commands, and the only action it can take is the Attack action, making one melee attack.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.
If The Rot is active, you can use this feature without spending any uses, but any undead raise in that manner is destroyed when the Rot ends.
- Plagued Servants
Starting at 13th level, whenever your reduce a creature to 0 hit points while your rot is active, you can raise that creature as a zombie under your command, as if you had cast animate dead. Constitution is your ability modifier for this spell. At 17th level, you can choose to raise a ghoul instead of a zombie.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain your uses after finishing a long rest. Regardless of the number of uses you have of this feature, you can only have two undead raised by you at the same time.
In addition, any undead created by you is considered to be under the effect of The Rot while the rot is active.
- Rotten Demise
At 15th level, your body becomes fully taken by the plague. You can no longer be blinded, deafened or frightened. In addition, you and any undead raised by you gain resistance to slashing, piercing and bludgeoning damage from non-magical sources.
Carrion Body[edit]
The rot have changed your body. Although it haven't managed to kill you, it forever mutated your organism, developing a symbiotic relationship with you, allowing you to exert full control over this cursed plague.
- Disease Vector
Starting at 3rd level, you have survived the plague, learning how to endure its tool on you. You become immune to poison and disease.
In addition, whenever you take damage from a melee attack, you can use your reaction to try to poison the attacker. The creature within must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier or be poisoned for l minute. The poisoned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
- Plague Bearer
Starting at 3rd level, you now carry an even more potent version of the plague within you, and learned how to control it. You can use a bonus action to gain the following benefits for 1 minute:
- At the start of in each of your turns you can designate a creature within 10 feet of you. That creature have disadvantage on Strength checks and Constitution saving throws until the end of your turn.
- You deal additional 1d4 necrotic damage with your rotten touch.
- You can cast both poison spray and infestation while this effect is active. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
You can use this feature twice, and regain your uses of this after finishing a long rest. At 10th level you regain all your expended uses of this feature when you finish a short or long rest.
- Toxic Hands
At 7th level, you can use your Action to make a poisoned touch against a target within 5 feet. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or take 6d12 poison damage and it is poisoned until the end of your next turn, or half as much on a success and it is not poisoned.
once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
- Plagued Touch
At 13th level, when you inflict the poisoned condition on a creature, you can choose to infect that creature with a disease. Choose one of the diseases from the Contagion spell. The effects of the disease lasts for the same duration than the poisoned condition.
If The Rot is active, it lasts for the duration of the rot. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain your uses after completing a long rest.
- Plague Bringer
At 15th level, you can spend one use of your Rot feature to cast Cloudkill or Contagion. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Decrepit Wanderer[edit]
The plague has taken a tool on you. Your body starts to decay and your health languish, but you remain firm, battling this cursed disease. This rewards you with an incredible physical and mental fortitude, due to your efforts to ignore the effects of this terrible plague, aiming to rid yourself from this curse.
In order to do so, Decrepit Wanders train their bodies and minds in order to control the disease and extract power from it. They are extremely disciplined and eventually even learn how to turn the curse into a blessing and a source of cure.
- Enfeebled Body
At 3rd level, your body starts to wither, suffering with the power of the plague rotting your body. Your hit point maximum decreases by 1, plus 1 for each additional level you gain in this class. At 13th level, you lose 13 hit points, and lose 2 additional hit points for each level you gain in this class.
- Trained Prowess
At 3rd level, your training to overcome your plague has payed off in multiple ways. Whenever you roll damage for a melee weapon attack, you roll a d6, instead of the normal damage die for that attack, unless that damage die is higher. This die increases to 1d8 at 7th level, 1d10 at 13th and 1d12 at 15th level.
In addition, you can use your Prowess Die as a bonus action to add to the result of any Dexterity or Strength check you make, or as a reaction when you are hit by an attack, adding the number to your AC, potentially causing the attack to miss.
Multiclassing[edit]
Prerequisites. to qualify for multiclassing into the Soldier of Decay class, you must have 15 constitution and 13 strength.
Proficiency's. When you multiclass into the Soldier of Decay class, you gain the following proficiency's: Simple weapons and martial weapons, shields and poisoner's kit.
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