Wraith Host, Variant (5e Class)

Wraith Host, Variant

Wraith Host

The necrotic energies within the area in which you've died at revoke your entrance into the afterlife. You feel an unknown power surge through your body, giving way to harrowing whispers and horrific memories to enter your head. Is it of purpose or fate? Or has a patron or deity given notice to your valor or malefic deeds? Nonetheless, each reason gives way to one common event - you have been bound to a wraith.

The Wraith does not know why it is bonded to you, only that to get answers, it must help you in your journey.

Creating a Wraith Host

This Wraith is bound to you by an ethereal tethering, making it nigh impossible to kill without killing yourself in the process. During the time you play this class, the wraith will act as your "weapon", dealing most of the damage as you command it.

Within a role-play setting, it is considered as another entity, meaning it'll most likely have an alignment different from yours. You are able to communicate with it during your travels, as well as have other PCs within the campaign speak with it.

The wraith, however, will not have its own character sheet, as you and it will share ability scores, health, and resources.

Quick Build

You can make a Wraith Host quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Any background will fit for this class, but our suggestion is the Haunted One background.

Class Features

As a Wraith Host you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Wraith Host level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Wraith Host level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: light
Weapons: Simple and Martial Weapons
Tools: Jeweler's and Poisoner's kit
Saving Throws: Wisdom and Dexterity
Skills: Choose 2 from the following: Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion, Stealth, Survival,

Equipment

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

• (a) Longsword or (b) Greatsword
• Broken Sword (1d6+Dex mod slashing, properties of a dagger besides for damage)
• Ring forged by the wraith you are bonded to
• Jeweler's Kit and Poisoner's Kit
• Leather armor

Table: The Wraith Host

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Screeching Bolt Damage	Spiritual Strain Threshold Modifier
1st	+2	Screeching Bolt, Piercing Note	1d8	+0
2nd	+2	Transmogrify Minor, NA	1d8	+0
3rd	+2	Chains of Fate (Rotting Chain,Voided Chain)	2d8	+0
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Increase	2d8	+0
5th	+3	Extra Attack	2d8	+10
6th	+3	Wraith Flash, Shoulder Charge	3d8	+10
7th	+3	Chains of Fate Feature ([[]],[[]])	3d8	+10
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Wraith Glaive	3d8	+10
9th	+4	Shadow Mount, Fire Weapons	4d8	+10
10th	+4	Brand	4d8	+15
11th	+4	Explode, Poison Tendril	4d8	+15
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5d8	+15
13th	+5	Chains of Fate Feature ([[]],[[]])	5d8	+15
14th	+5	Weapon Runes	5d8	+15
15th	+5	Follower	6d8	+20
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	6d8	+20
17th	+6	Tame Large Beasts	6d8	+20
18th	+6	Ultimate Brutalize	7d8	+20
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	7d8	+20
20th	+6	Chains of Fate Feature ([[]],[[]])	7d8	+25

Spiritual Strain

Your connection towards your wraith lets you feel the exhaustion they experience when using Wraith Skills. You gain a resource called Spiritual Strain which records the exhaustion you feel when using attacks labeled with [Wraith Skill], and you gain debuffs when you continue to use them over threshold amounts.

When you first begin this class, you are able to gain up to 24 Spiritual Strain points before you'll be affected by Strain. Those effects are:

25 Spiritual Strain - You begin to feel your soul slowly giving out. All healing rolls will be halved when made towards you, and you can only see shades of grey.

50 Spiritual Strain - Time begins to slow, and your actions are delayed, having them occur 1 action after you've actually made them. You can also see random bodies of light that represent spirits roaming within the Ethereal Plane.

75 Spiritual Strain - You are easily distracted when you make rolls, giving you disadvantage on every roll you make while under this much strain. Every time you fail, you are distracted by a memory from your lifetime. It's almost as if life is flashing before your eyes.

100 Spiritual Strain - Your hitpoints are reduced to 0, and you are effectively knocked out. You must make Death Saving throws to reawaken, and when you do, your strain points will reset to 99. If you fail, you will enter a withering state that renders you dead if you are not resurrected or healed within 10 minutes.

Screeching Bolt [Wraith Skill]

At the 1st level, you are able to summon an ethereal bow or sword at will for your wraith to use. It deals 1d8 + Dex + Proficiency Bonus Piercing or Necrotic damage (respectively), and its range is 60 Ft./30 Ft. At level 3, this weapon will gain one extra damage die, turning it into a 2d8, and this will occur again at the 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level. you will regain charges after a short or long rest.

You gain 3 Strain Points for every time this ability is used

Piercing Note [Wraith Skill]

At the 1st level, your wraith is able to expel a loud screech. All creatures within a 20 Ft. cone in front of your wraith will need to make a Constitution Saving throw with a DC 10. All who fail their saving throw will be dealt 2d6 + Charisma Modifier Thunder damage, alongside being Deafened for the next 3 turns. Passing your saving throw will half the damage and negate you from being deafened.

You gain 6 Spiritual Strain points when this skill is used.

Haunting

At the 2nd level, attacking the same creature multiple times will begin to weaken them further for you. For every two rounds spent focusing on one creature, you will gain +2 damage on your attacks toward it. Once you reach +10 damage in total, you gain one extra hit dice for all your attacks toward the creature. If you stop focusing on this creature at all during combat, your multiplier will reset, and you'll have to start over.

At the 6th, 12th, and 18th level, the additional damage done will go up +1 point, maxing out at +5 during the 18th level.

Chains of Fate

At the 3rd level, the ethereal bindings that tether you to your wraith begin to warp with ghastly magic. You are able to sway which way they morph, whether they be Rotting Chains or Voided chains. Both will garner you and your wraith with newfound powers either relating to archery or melee, which will be detailed at the end of this page.

Ability Score Increase

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

At the 5th level, whenever you take the Attack action, you can make 2 attacks as a part of the same action. You are able to split this between you and your wraith, with one attack going to the wraith while the other attack is made by you.

Minor Possession [Wraith Skill]

At the 6th level, your wraith is capable of possessing creatures with the size of medium or lower. These creatures must make a Wisdom Saving throw with a DC equal to your Strength + Proficiency Bonus. When your wraith has successfully possessed a creature, you will be dealt 2d3 Psychic damage due to temporary detachment. If they fail their Wisdom Saving throw, they must continue making that roll until they succeed.

When under possession, you are able to take control over the actions of the creature - talking, attacking, and any other physical action possible within the body you are in. You will have disadvantages to Persuasion and Deception due to the eerie monotone voice you produce when talking as the creature, but you have a +2 to your Intimidation rolls because of it.

You gain 3 Spiritual Strain points when this skill is used, regardless of failing or succeeding in possession.

Extended Chain

At the 9th level, you are able to move your wraith an extra 15 Ft. away from you.

Wrathful Blink

At the 9th level, When you would attack with a Wraith Skills, you can instead take up 2 arrows trying to teleport to your target if it is within 60 ft from you. If you wish to attack the target off the teleport make a DC 8 + creature's Wis + Dexterity Saving throw. If you succeed, you can roll to attack, if you fail, the creature may roll to attack you instead, knock you prone, or grapple you without counting it as a reaction, but instead of it as more of a free action.

Drain

At the 10th level, you can attack by draining your enemy's psychic energy instead of damaging them with your normal attack. It deals 3d6 Psychic Damage + your Wisdom Modifier, and has a range of 15 ft. The psychic energies you drain from your enemies will decrease your Spiritual Strain by a 1/3 of the damage done(rounded up).

Wailing Charge [Wraith Skill]

At the 11th level, you are able to command your wraith to charge 15 Ft. forward in a straight line, dealing 5d8 damage and giving the fear status effect until their next turn. All enemies within within this line must make a Dexterity Saving throw with a DC of 10/15. Passing this throw with a 15 will consider them unaffected, while passing with a 10 will only give them the status effect of fear for two turns. You are able to do this once every Transmogrify.

Soul Sight

At the 14th Level, your wraith is able to detect the soul of your enemy, and as such, it is able to focus 3 wraith attacks on that monster's soul per long rest. Each one of those attack will add 3 extra hit die to the attack.

Gore Complex [Wraith Skill]

At the 15th level, killing a creature with drain lets you explode its head, striking terror into your enemies to bestow them with the fear condition. If any creature is standing within 5 ft. of the creature you killed, they will be covered in the creature's blood and gore, giving them disadvantage on their next attack, ability check, or save if they recover from the fear before getting cleaned off.

Warden of Your Own [Wraith Skill]

At the 17th level, your wraith can transform itself into a cage that is capable of holding a character or creature that is of medium size or smaller. The character that you wish to trap must roll a Dexterity Saving throw with a DC 10 to escape before it is created. If they become encased, they must roll a Strength Saving throw with a DC equaling your Strength + Proficiency Bonus. Your wraith can shrink to suffocate the character for 5d7 damage per turn, but as you shrink, the DC needed to escape will lower by 1 point every turn. This cage will last for 10 turns, or 1 minute.

Stealth Drain

At the 18th level, You are able to cast drain from stealth and stay hidden.

Major Possession

At the 18th level, your wraith is able to create a temporary connection between itself and the creature it possesses, letting them feel the effects of your Spiritual Strain. This in turn will help relieve a third of your Spiritual Strain at the beginning of casting Minor Possession.

Chains of Fate

Rotting Chains

Grim Traits

At the 3rd level, when choosing this Chain, you lose your proficiency with bows, and instead become proficient with all Simple and Martial Melee Weaponry. Your Screeching Bolt will always summon a sword, and you are able to stray 15 Ft. away from your wraith for combat purposes. Alongside this, your wraith's color will turn a swampy green, and they'll expel a disgusting stench 5 Ft. around themselves.

Blighted Greatsword

At the 3rd level, you are able to call upon your wraith's magic to rebuild your longsword, turning it's damage die to a 1d8.

Necrotic Carvings

At the 7th level, your wraith is able to embed glyphs into your broken sword to enhance its natural power. These glyphs come at the cost of gaining 9 spiritual strain, and you are only able to embed one at this level. The process of embedding a glyph takes one hour of concentration from both you and your wraith.

You gain more glyphs as you level up.

Glyph	Description
Virog	At the start of a fight, your first attack will infect whoever you're against upon a successful attack roll, giving them the condition Poisoned for two rounds. If they do not have this effect removed before they die, they will spread this infection to two other enemies within 15 Ft. of them. Those two creatures will not spread this infection at death.
Rwuan	Gaining a critical with your Attack roll on a creature will "mark" them. Only two creatures can be marked, and all attacks done towards either one of those creatures will damage the other marked creature. The marks last for 1 turn.
Parago	Finishing off a creature under the effects of Haunting will heal you 1/3 of the final damage you dealt.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites: Dexterity of 13 and an instance in which a spiritual, non corporeal entity is bound with you. Proficiencies: None

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes

This page may resemble content endorsed by, sponsored by, and/or affiliated with the Lord of the Rings franchise, and/or include content directly affiliated with and/or owned by J. R. R. Tolkien. D&D Wiki neither claims nor implies any rights to Lord of the Rings copyrights, trademarks, or logos, nor any owned by J. R. R. Tolkien. This site is for non profit use only. Furthermore, the following content is a derivative work that falls under, and the use of which is protected by, the Fair Use designation of US Copyright and Trademark Law. We ask you to please add the {{needsadmin}} template if there is a violation to this disclaimer within this page.