Homebrew:Grim Harbinger: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:10, 26 July 2025

(OOC: This is an implementation of the Grim Harbinger subclass from Tasha's Crucible of Everything Else volume 1)

Base Class: Ranger

Grim harbingers wander places touched by death, serving as both a watcher of the dead and the herald of doom for those whose lives are running out. At their side is a guardian spirit and omen of death known as a grim, a constant companion that aids in performing their shared, grave duty.

Grim Harbinger Magic

3rd-level Grim Harbinger feature

You learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Grim Harbinger Spells table. Each spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Grim Harbinger Spells
Ranger Level	Spell
3rd	bane
5th	hold person
9th	fear
13th	intrusive despair
17th	dream

Omen of Doom

3rd-level Grim Harbinger feature

As a bonus action, you target a creature you can see within 90 feet of you and magically seal its doom for 1 hour. Once per turn when you hit the doomed target with an attack, it takes an extra 1d6 necrotic damage.

In addition, a ghostly creature called the Grim appears in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of the target. Grims most often appear as black, spectral hounds, but you can choose an appearance appropriate to its stat block.

The grim is friendly to you and your allies, and it obeys your commands. It vanishes if you die, when the doomed creature dies, when it is reduced to 0 hit points, or when you use this feature again.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. You can also expend a spell slot to restore an expended use (no action required).

The Grim in Combat. In combat, the grim acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action unless you take a bonus action to command it to take an action in its stat block or some other action. You can also command it as part of the bonus action you take to use Omen of Doom, or you can sacrifice one of your attacks when you take the Attack action to command the grim to take the Ominous Rend action. If you are incapacitated, the grim acts on its own and is not limited to the Dodge action.

Grim

Medium undead, neutral

Armor Class 13 + your Wisdom modifier

Hit Points 5 + five times your ranger level (the grim has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your ranger level)

Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)

Damage Resistances necrotic

Condition Immunities frightened, grappled, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained

Senses Darkvision 60 ft.

Languages understands the languages you know

Incorporeal Movement. The grim can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. The grim takes 1d10 force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Shared Fate. Add your proficiency bonus to any ability check or saving throw the grim makes.

Actions

Ominous Rend. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 + your Wisdom modifier necrotic damage, and if the target is a creature, it is frightened until the start of your next turn.

Reactions

Baleful Howl. When a creature moves out of the grim’s reach, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or its speed is 0 until the end of the turn.

Harbinger of Doom

7th-level Grim Harbinger feature

Your control over doom grows stronger, granting the following benefits.

Graveyard Hunter.: The Grim’s Ominous Rend action deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage on a hit.
Mortal Reminder.: When you deal damage to a creature doomed by your Omen of Doom, you can change the damage type to necrotic.
Mounting Dread.: Necrotic damage dealt by you or the grim ignores resistance.

Grave Bond

11th-level Grim Harbinger feature

You draw deeper strength from the grave. You gain the following benefits.

Ghastly Hound.: The grim gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Grave Fortitude.: You gain resistance to necrotic damage.
Inescapable Fate.: When the target of your Omen of Doom succeeds on a saving throw, you can use your reaction to force it to reroll the save with disadvantage and use the new roll. Once you cause a save to fail with this benefit, you can’t use it again until the current Omen of Doom ends.

Sealed Fate

15th-level Grim Harbinger feature

The strength of your Omen of Doom reaches its peak, granting the following benefits while it is active.

Jaws of Doom.: The Grim’s Ominous Rend action deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage (for a total of 2d6 extra damage).
Marked for Death.: When you use Omen of Doom, you can force the target to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, until the current Omen of Doom ends, the target has vulnerability to damage dealt by the grim and to the extra damage you deal with Omen of Doom. Once you use this benefit, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. You can also restore your use of it by expending a spell slot of 4th level or higher (no action required).

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[file:dark trapper.jpg|right|thumb|500px]]
+[[file:grim harbinger.jpg|right|thumb|500px]]
 {{ooc note|This is an implementation of the {{PAGENAME}} subclass from [[Tasha's Crucible of Everything Else]] volume 1}}
 __NOTOC__
 {{base class|ranger|blockquotestyle=width:calc(100% - 510px - 1.4em)}}
-Blood magic is often banned for a reason. Dark Trappers tap into the primordial magic that binds creatures to the world they live in. You have learned the shape of reality, and can use it to force creatures to stay in a location, send pulsing waves of damage through their blood, and harness the energy your prey provides to keep yourself alive longer.
+Grim harbingers wander places touched by death, serving as both a watcher of the dead and the herald of doom for those whose lives are running out. At their side is a guardian spirit and omen of death known as a grim, a constant companion that aids in performing their shared, grave duty.
-== Dark Tether ==
+== Grim Harbinger Magic ==
 ''3rd-level {{PAGENAME}} feature''
-You can temporarily restrict the movement of your prey. As an action, you can choose one point you can see within 60 feet of you. Choose a number of creatures up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one) within 10 feet of that point. Each of these creatures must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or else be tethered to that point.
+You learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the {{PAGENAME}} Spells table. Each spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.
-While tethered in this way, the creature can’t move further from that point in any direction, although it can move closer. These tethers last for 1 minute or until you dismiss them as a bonus action. A tethered creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+ {{PAGENAME}} Spells
+! Ranger Level !! Spell
+|-
+| 3rd || ''[[spell:bane|bane]]''
+|-
+| 5th || ''[[spell:hold-person|hold person]]''
+|-
+| 9th || ''[[spell:fear|fear]]''
+|-
+| 13th || ''[[homebrew:intrusive despair|intrusive despair]]''
+|-
+| 17th || ''[[spell:dream|dream]]''
+|}
-While a creature is tethered, it takes 1d4 psychic damage at the beginning of each of its turns, and it can’t take reactions. If the creature dies, its tether vanishes.
+== Omen of Doom ==
+''3rd-level {{PAGENAME}} feature''
-You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
+As a bonus action, you target a creature you can see within 90 feet of you and magically seal its doom for 1 hour. Once per turn when you hit the doomed target with an attack, it takes an extra 1d6 necrotic damage.
-== Uncanny Strikes ==
+In addition, a ghostly creature called the '''Grim''' appears in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of the target. Grims most often appear as black, spectral hounds, but you can choose an appearance appropriate to its stat block.
+The grim is friendly to you and your allies, and it obeys your commands. It vanishes if you die, when the doomed creature dies, when it is reduced to 0 hit points, or when you use this feature again.
+You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. You can also expend a spell slot to restore an expended use (no action required).
+'''''The Grim in Combat.''''' In combat, the grim acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action unless you take a bonus action to command it to take an action in its stat block or some other action. You can also command it as part of the bonus action you take to use Omen of Doom, or you can sacrifice one of your attacks when you take the Attack action to command the grim to take the Ominous Rend action. If you are incapacitated, the grim acts on its own and is not limited to the Dodge action.
+<div style="width:70%">{{monster block
+|column1=<span style="font-size:170%">Grim</span>
+''<span style="color:black">Medium undead, neutral</span>''
+<hr>
+'''Armor Class''' 13 + your Wisdom modifier
+'''Hit Points''' 5 + five times your ranger level (the grim has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your ranger level)
+'''Speed''' 40 ft.
+<hr>
+{{monster stats|16|16|14|14|10|10}}
+<hr>
+'''Damage Resistances''' necrotic
+'''Condition Immunities''' frightened, grappled, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
+'''Senses''' Darkvision 60 ft.
+'''Languages''' understands the languages you know
+<hr>
+'''Incorporeal Movement.''' The grim can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. The grim takes 1d10 force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
+'''Shared Fate.'''  Add your proficiency bonus to any ability check or saving throw the grim makes.
+|column2=<span style="font-size:140%;display:block;border-bottom:1px solid #333">Actions</span>
+'''Ominous Rend.''' ''Melee Weapon Attack:'' your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. ''Hit:'' 1d6 + 3 + your Wisdom modifier necrotic damage, and if the target is a creature, it is frightened until the start of your next turn.
+<span style="font-size:140%;display:block;border-bottom:1px solid #333">Reactions</span>
+'''Baleful Howl.''' When a creature moves out of the grim’s reach, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or its speed is 0 until the end of the turn.
+}}</div>
+== Harbinger of Doom ==
 ''7th-level {{PAGENAME}} feature''
-You can use your tethers to inflict more injury on your quarry. You have advantage on attack rolls against creatures in your dark tethers. When you hit a tethered creature with a weapon attack, that creature takes an extra 1d8 psychic damage. You can deal this extra damage only once each turn.
+Your control over doom grows stronger, granting the following benefits.
+;''Graveyard Hunter.''
+:The Grim’s Ominous Rend action deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage on a hit.
+;''Mortal Reminder.''
+:When you deal damage to a creature doomed by your Omen of Doom, you can change the damage type to necrotic.
+;''Mounting Dread.''
+:Necrotic damage dealt by you or the grim ignores resistance.
-== Blood Bound ==
+== Grave Bond ==
 ''11th-level {{PAGENAME}} feature''
-You gain the ability to spread damage even outside of your tethers. Once per turn, when you hit a creature that is within 5 feet of another creature with a weapon attack, you can choose to force the second creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the second creature takes half the damage you dealt to the first creature.
+You draw deeper strength from the grave. You gain the following benefits.
+;''Ghastly Hound.''
+:The grim gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
+;''Grave Fortitude.''
+:You gain resistance to necrotic damage.
+;''Inescapable Fate.''
+:When the target of your Omen of Doom succeeds on a saving throw, you can use your reaction to force it to reroll the save with disadvantage and use the new roll. Once you cause a save to fail with this benefit, you can’t use it again until the current Omen of Doom ends.
-== Deadfall ==
+== Sealed Fate ==
 ''15th-level {{PAGENAME}} feature''
-You learn to drain the life force of your prey more effectively and repurpose it. When you deal damage with your Blood Bound ability, you can gain temporary hit points equal to half of the damage dealt with your weapon attack.
+The strength of your Omen of Doom reaches its peak, granting the following benefits while it is active.
+;''Jaws of Doom.''
+:The Grim’s Ominous Rend action deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage (for a total of 2d6 extra damage).
+;''Marked for Death.''
+:When you use Omen of Doom, you can force the target to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, until the current Omen of Doom ends, the target has vulnerability to damage dealt by the grim and to the extra damage you deal with Omen of Doom. Once you use this benefit, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. You can also restore your use of it by expending a spell slot of 4th level or higher (no action required).
 [[category:homebrew ranger subclasses]]