Nightmare Hunter (5e Subclass)

Nightmare Hunter

Ranger Subclass

A Nightmare Hunter, often called a Monster Hunter, is someone who's humanity is thrown away in order to hunt down evil creatures. A monster that hunts monsters.

Cursed Magic

Starting at 3rd level, the path you follow in taking down evil comes at a cost, you are unable to learn Ranger spells, instead you must pick from the Warlock spell list. Additionally, you can pick two cantrips from the Warlock spell list.

Nightmarish Transformation

Beginning at 3rd level you are able to tap within the beast within you, transforming you into a nightmarish version of yourself. As a bonus action, you can transform into your Nightmare form, gaining the Monstrosity creature type. This form lasts for 30 minutes. You can speak, use equipment, and wear armor in this form. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert to your normal form if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. While you are transformed, you gain the following features:

Monstrous Might

You gain a bonus to melee damage rolls equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down). You also have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

Resilient Hide

You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from weapons that aren’t silvered. While you are not wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC.

Bestial Strikes

You gain the ability to make unarmed strikes with either claws or fangs you can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes. When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike, you can make another unarmed strike as a bonus action. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 slashing damage. This die increases to 1d8 at 11th level, and 1d10 at 18th level. At 11th level your unarmed strikes are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances.

Monster's Senses

Your new form grants you enhanced senses than your normal form. You get darkvision from up to 60 feet away, if you already have darkvision it extends 30 feet. Additionally, you have an advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that require hearing or smelling and Wisdom (Survival) to follow blood trails.

Cursed Weakness

Your have vulnerability to damage from silvered weapons and radiant damage. Taking a critical hit form these damage types will stun you until the start of your next turn.

Bloodlust

At the start of your turn, if you’ve taken any damage since the beginning of your last turn, you must make a Wisdom saving throw to maintain control. The DC equals 10, or half of the total damage you’ve taken from attacks since your last turn, whichever number is higher. You have disadvantage on this saving throw if the damage is radiant or from a silvered weapon. On a failed save, you must move directly towards the nearest creature to you and use the Attack action against that creature. If there is more than one possible target, the DM chooses the target. You then regain control for the remainder of your turn.

If you are under an effect that prevents you from concentrating (like the Barbarian’s rage feature), you automatically fail this saving throw.

Undying

Also at 3rd level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Shadow Step

At 7th level you gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action you can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space that is also in dim light or darkness. Until the end of your next turn after using this feature you can be affected by your Cursed Weakness.

Desecrating Cry

At 11th level you are able to focus your monstrous power outward into a cry that shakes your enemies to their core. As an action, you howl at any number of creatures within 30 feet, chilling their blood and stunning them with fear. Any of the target creatures that can hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier) or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn and take 2d8 thunder damage. If they fail their saving throw by 5 or more, they are stunned until the end of your next turn instead. A creature that succeeds on this saving throw has advantage on saving throws against your Desecrating Cry for the next 24 hours. Using this feature reduces your movement speed to 0 for the rest of your turn. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. Beginning at 14th level, you can use your Desecrating Cry feature three times between rests, and at 17th level, you can use it four times between rests.

True Nightmare

Finally at 15th level, you learn to unleash and control more of the nightmare within. You can now transform into your Nightmare form as a bonus action, and your Nightmare transformation now lasts for up to 1 hour and can now use it three times between rests, at 17th level you can use it an unlimited number of times and the transformation can last indefinitely.

In addition, your Nightmare form gains the following features:

Regeneration

At the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points. If you are affected by your Cursed Weakness you lose the benefit of Regeneration until the end of your next turn.

Supernatural Precision

You gain a bonus to melee attack rolls made with your unarmed strikes equal to half of your proficiency bonus (rounded down).

Venomous Maw

You can make an unarmed melee attack against a creature, on hit you deal your unarmed strike in piercing damage and the target must make a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 poison damage and be Poisoned for a minute, the creature can repeat this save at the end of its turns for the duration.

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Character Options → Subclasses