Executioner (5e Class)
Executioner
Enemies that are rendered helpless become even more helpless when you're around. The Executioner focuses on making one big blow to an enemy, and using the brutality of their fighting style to instill fear in their enemies. With a big vertical slash, you chop up your enemies, and with the help of your teammates and your class features you essentially become a valuable support. The executioner doesn't deal a lot of damage on target not affect by a condition, but if an enemy falls prone or is grappled, your potential damage skyrockets.
Death's Middle Man
Executioners are the people who were hired to legally carry out executions, to exact judgement on criminals and enemies. But killing a criminal wasn't always hardly enough. Executioners also tortured criminals or enemies before beheading them, because they needed to pay for their actions. Because of this dark job, Executioners are often connected with death, or the grim reaper, and they are feared and respected. This is also the reason many people avoid executioners, since they are so scary.
Creating an Executioner
- Questions to help a player develop a character.
- "Who was your character an executioner for, before becoming an adventurer?"
- "Does you executioner kill to pass judgement, or just for fun?"
- "Maybe someone you were supposed to kill became someone important to you?"
- "Is there any important life lesson you've learned from being an executioner?"
- "Is your character proud of being an executioner?"
- Quick Build
You can make a Executioner quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution and Charisma. Second, choose the Faceless background. Third, choose a whip, a greataxe, chain mail, and a dungeoneer's pack.
Class Features
As a Executioner you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d12 per Executioner level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Executioner level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: All armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, flail, halberd, greataxe, whip
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose three from Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Persuasion
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a whip or (b) a handaxe
- (a) a halberd or (b) a greataxe
- (a) chain mail or (b) leather, a light crossbow, and 20 bolts
- (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Execution, Hold Still |
| 2nd | +2 | Inescable Death, Experienced Professional |
| 3rd | +2 | Torture Specialty, Executioners Intimidation |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Heavy Blow, Hold Still(2) |
| 6th | +3 | Executioners Calling, Torture Specialty |
| 7th | +3 | Improved Critical, Excellent Strike |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Passionate Executioner |
| 9th | +4 | Torture Specialty |
| 10th | +4 | Deal With Death |
| 11th | +4 | Heavy Blow (2), Heavy Weapon Training |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement, Torture Specialty |
| 13th | +5 | Marked For Death |
| 14th | +5 | Judgement |
| 15th | +5 | Torture Specialty, Superior Critical, Hold Still (3) |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Dismemberment |
| 18th | +6 | Well Executed Execution |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Heavy Blow (3) |
Execution
At 1st level you can perform an execution. When killing an enemy with a physical attack, you can behead or dismember them in brutal fashion. With a big arch or violent thrust, you behead or dismember an enemy, frightening enemy creatures that can see you until they succeed a wisdom saving throw equal to 8 + your charisma modifier + your proficiency score. They can repeat the saving throw at the start of their turns.
Hold Still
Starting at 1st level, you can guarantee a critical hit when an enemy is restrained, grappled, incapacitated, prone, paralyzed, stunned, unconscious, or frightened. You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Strength modifier, regaining your uses when you finish a long rest.
The amount of times you can use this feature increases by once per long rest at 5th level, and again at levels 10th, and 15th level.
Inescapable Death
Starting at 2nd level, when you have advantage on a melee attack, you may roll 3d20 instead of the normal 2d20.
Experienced Professional
You've clearly trained to make your executions as good and clean as possible, and you've found out that using a two-handed weapon makes the job a little easier. Starting at 2nd level, whenever you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Executioners Intimidation
Starting at 3rd level, enemies that are naturally immune to being frightened only have advantage against being frightened by you, and enemies that naturally have advantage against being frightened, loose their advantage.
Torture Specialty
At 3rd level, you chose a Torture Specialty. Choose between Physical Torture or Psychological Torture detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 9th, 12th, and 15th level.
Heavy Blow
Executioners are used to making one big blow with their weapons, and prefer one big clean hit, rather than swift cuts. Beginning at 5th level, when you make a weapon attack with a heavy weapon, you can add one more roll of damage to damage calculation. This bonus increases to two damage rolls at 11th level, and to three damage rolls at 20th level. Damage granted by heavy blow is also affected by critical, effectively doubling your damage.
Executioners Calling
At 6th level, your sense of duty deepens, and you become anxious to exert judgement on your enemies. When an enemy is restrained, grappled, incapacitated, prone, paralyzed, stunned, unconscious, or frightened, you gain 10ft of extra movement when moving towards an enemy affected by at least one of the listed conditions.,
Improved Critical
Starting at 7th level, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
Excellent Strike
At 7th level, when you land a critical hit with a weapon you are proficient with, you can add your proficiency score times two to the damage of the attack.
Passionate Executioner
You are good at your job, and you like it. Starting at 8th level, whenever you kill an enemy you can choose one of these effects listed below.
- Job Well Done; you get advantage on all ability saves until the end your next turn.
- Adrenaline Rush; you gain a 10 feet temporary movement increase until the end of combat. (maximum of 30 feet)
- Who's Next?; you gain temporary hit points equal to your overall level, until the end of combat. (stacks)
Deal With Death
Sometimes, even you have to deal with it. Starting at 10th level, once a day you can impose advantage on your death saving throw.
Heavy Weapon Training
Due to continuous use of heavy weapons, you have very strong muscles. Starting at 11th level, Heavy weapons get the thrown property. You count as one size larger when determining the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
- You can throw heavy weapons 20/60ft, and you use your strength modifier for the throw.
Marked For Death
Starting at 13th level, at the start of combat you can mark one enemy. You have advantage on attack rolls against this enemy. The enemy has disadvantage on all attacks against you. If you perform an execution on this enemy, you regain all your movement on the same turn and you can take another movement action on the same turn, if you have already.
Judgement
When passing judgement on an enemy, there is nothing standing in your way. Starting at 14th level, when you roll for damage against an enemy with advantage, you ignore physical resistances, but not immunities.
Superior Critical
Starting at 15th level, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18-20.
Dismemberment
Starting at 17th level, twice per long rest, when you score a critical hit, you can disarm a humanoid enemy by cutting off their weapon hand.
Warrant To Kill
Being an executioner comes with certain benefits. At 17th level, whenever you have to state a reason for killing someone resulting in a deception or persuasion check, you do so with advantage.
Well Executed Execution
At 18th level, whenever you perform an execution in a combat where you haven't taken any damage yet, or it is the first round of combat. Enemies are feared instead of frightened by your execution. All enemies feared by your execution must succeed a wisdom saving throw or be frightened by you until the end of their next turn. While frightened by this effect, the creature must take a dash action and move as far away as possible from you by the safest route available on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move. On each of their turns they can make a DC 8 + your Charisma + proficiency Wisdom saving throw, and on a successful save, the effect ends.
Torture Specialty
Executioners aren't just people who've legally been hired to kill someone, they also take on a wide palette of other jobs. Executioners have also been known too use their experience with death to get rid of carcasses on streets, both animal and human. They also often serve as wardens for prisons or dungeons. They've also surprisingly commonly been tasked with tax collection, and other jobs such as bodyguard or bouncer. Another important job executioners often get, is the job as torturer. Executioners have often been tasked with torturing for the sake of punishment. One might call it a sort of pre-execution, held in order to be sure that a criminal/prisoner would get the right amount of punishment, and not only the sweet remorse of death.
Physical Torture
Pain is a great tool for torturing enemies. The job of the executioner is to inflict physical pain to pass judgement, but some executioners do it just for fun.
- Sloppy Butcher
You know exactly how to hit enemies to inflict the highest amount of pain possible. Starting at 3rd level, once per turn, when you hit an enemy with a melee attack, they must succeed on a DC 8 + your proficiency + your charisma modifier constitution saving throw, or have disadvantage on dexterity saving throws and be unable to take reactions until the end of your next turn.
- Sadist
Inflicting pain ticks you off in all the right ways. Starting at 6th level, whenever you damage an enemy, you have advantage on attack rolls against that enemy until the end of your next turn.
- Tough as Nails
Life as a torturer has given you a certain mental fortitude. You have advantage against being frightened by spells and abilities, and you gain proficiency in wisdom saving throws.
- Grievous Wounds
The wounds you inflict your enemies make them writhe in pain. Starting at 12th level, when you attack an enemy, they are unable to take a dash or disengage action on their next turn. Their movement speed is also reduced by 5ft until the end of combat. It is possible to reduce an enemy's movement speed by more than 5ft if additional attacks are made. If you reduce an enemy's movement to 0ft they become restrained. It is not possible to reduce an enemy's movement more than 20 ft.
- Experienced Torturer
Your experience with torture has given you insight in the inner workings of the body. Starting at 15th level, When you attack an enemy with an unarmed melee attack, you make sure that you hit certain nerves or muscles, resulting in one of these effects.
- Sensory Disruption; you hit a nerve or muscle that results in the enemy being blinded and deafened until the end of their next turn.
- Muscle Spasm; you hit a nerve or muscle that results in the enemy falls prone or is disarmed
- Severe Headache; you hit a nerve or muscle that results in the enemy being stunned until the start of their next turn.
Psychological Torture
Torture comes in more than one form. Psychological torture is about damaging the mind of an opponent, breaking them down mentally, until they are completely broken.
- Vicious Mockery
Starting at 3rd level, you gain the Vicious Mockery cantrip, if you don't already know it.
- Charisma is your spellcasting modifier for this spell.
- Thanatophobia
Many see executioners as the harbingers of death, and it would be rightfully to fear death. At 6th level, you can use your action to instill fear in your enemies. You roll a intimidation throw, and all enemies that can see and hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your intimidation throw. If their roll is lower, they are frightened by you for 1 minute. At the start of their turns, they can repeat the saving throw.
- Hemophobia
Blood is a very symbolic substance, and a great tool for torture. At 9th level, after making a melee attack against an enemy capable of bleeding, they must succeed on a DC 8 + Your Charisma + Proficiency, Wisdom saving throw, or be restrained until the end of their next turn. If an enemy rolls 1 on the wisdom saving throw, the sight of their own blood makes them fall unconscious until the start of their next turn.
- Bleeding isn't an actual condition, but rather just a visual thing.
- Break their spirit
Starting at 12th level, when you either move to, or away, from an an enemy that is frightened, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack.
- Mental Breakdown
Starting at 15th level, you can frighten an already frightened enemy. If you succeed in frightening an already frightened enemy, one of three things happen. The enemy rolls a d6, and the outcome is based on the numbers shown on the die.
- 1-2, the enemy runs as far away as possible from you.
- 3-4, the enemy's legs give in, and they fall prone.
- 5-6, the enemy momentarily looses consciousness, falling unconscious until the end of your next turn.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Executioner class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 strength and 13 Charisma
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Executioner class, you gain the following proficiencies: Greataxe and Halbard
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