Homebrew:Path of the Dragonheart

(OOC: This is an implementation of the Path of the Dragonheart subclass from Tasha's Crucible of Everything Else volume 2)

Base Class: Barbarian

Tales whispered around campfires speak of fearsome warriors with the strength of dragons burning in their veins. There are few who walk the Path of the Dragonheart, for it is one of unparalleled presence on the battlefield. A unique bond forged with dragonkind fuels each dragonheart's rage, endowing these warriors with increased stamina and fortitude, as well as the ability to channel destructive energy through their weapons. The most stalwart dragonhearts even learn to share aspects of their bond with others.

The exact nature of these barbarians is shrouded in mystery. Some sources say that these men and women gain their abilities by slaying a dragon and eating its heart. Others claim that a dragon can share its strength with a worthy soul through a deep, spiritual bond. Still, more argue that the heart of a dragon literally beats in the chest of the warrior who follows this path.

At your option, you can pick from or roll on the Becoming a Dragonheart table to determine the nature of your character's bond.

Becoming a Dragonheart

d6	I became a dragonheart because...
1	I was fatally wounded, but for some reason, a dragon took mercy on me and saved my life.
2	The rite to become a dragonheart has been passed down in my tribe for centuries.
3	Knowing the power it would bring, I killed a helpless dragon and took its heart.
4	I saved a dragon's eggs and it blessed me for my deeds.
5	Seeking to have a greater influence in the world, a dragon chose me as its proxy.
6	I made a deal with a dragon, promising to fulfill a special task in exchange for its power.

Describing your Barbarian Features

Because your rage is fueled by your dragon heart, consider ways to describe the use of your barbarian features. Perhaps when you rage, your dragon heart pumps the blood and strength of dragons through your veins, granting you the supernatural might of your fury.

Moreover, your Unarmored Defense feature might manifest as draconic scales that spread across your body, and your Danger Sense and Feral Instinct features could represent gaining the heightened awareness of a dragon. At higher levels, your Brutal Critical could evoke the savagery of a dragon mauling its prey with tooth and claw.

Dragon Bond

3rd-level Path of the Dragonheart feature

Choose the type of dragon that granted you the power of a dragonheart, from the options in the Bonded Dragon Type table.

Whenever you take damage of the type associated with your bonded dragon, that damage is reduced by your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). Additionally, you gain the ability to speak, read, and write Draconic.

Bonded Dragon Type

Bonded Dragon	Damage Type
Black or Copper	Acid
Blue or Bronze	Lightning
Brass, Gold, or Red	Fire
Green	Poison
Shadow	Necrotic
Silver or White	Cold

Dragon Rage

3rd-level Path of the Dragonheart feature

Your bond grants you supernatural vitality. Whenever you enter a rage, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) that last until your rage ends.

Furthermore, whenever you make a melee weapon attack while raging, you can channel your bond's power through your weapon. All damage dealt by the attack becomes damage of the type associated with your Dragon Bond. If the attack hits, each enemy within 5 feet of the target, other than the target, takes 1d4 damage of that same type.

When you reach 10th level in this class, the number of temporary hit points increases to twice your Constitution modifier (minimum of 2), and the damage to nearby enemies increases to 2d4.

Soul Bond

6th-level Path of the Dragonheart feature

You learn a ritual that allows you to share part of your dragon bond with another creature. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. The creature must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the creature and forge the bond. This bond lasts until you end it with an action, or until you use this feature to create a bond with a different creature.

While bonded to a creature and on the same plane of existence as it, you and the creature can telepathically communicate simple ideas and emotions with each other, and you always know the creature's direction and distance from you.

Moreover, whenever you gain temporary hit points from your Dragon Rage, you can grant the bonded creature the same number of temporary hit points, which last until your rage ends.

Finally, while you're raging, your rage doesn't end early if the bonded creature has attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then.

Heart of Courage

10th-level Path of the Dragonheart feature

You assume some of the epic presence of dragonkind. You and any creature bound to you through your Soul Bond can't be frightened while you're raging. If you or the creature are frightened when you enter your rage, the fear is suspended for the duration of the rage.

Legendary Resistance

14th-level Path of the Dragonheart feature

You claim a piece of the legendary resilience for which dragons are known. If you fail a saving throw, you can choose to succeed instead.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.