Some rangers are attracted to the death and decay within the natural world, as much as others are loathed to admit it even exists. They tap into the necromantic energies produced by decomposition and use it to animate a loyal, undead companion. Through further rituals, these rangers invest themselves with the often misunderstood and misused powers.
Barrow Born At 3rd level you gain an undead companion, a barrow born.
With 8 hours of work, the expenditure of 50gp worth of gems and incense, as well as a fresh humanoid corpse, you summon forth an undead creature as a faithful companion. At the end of 8 hours, your barrow born rises and gains all the benefits of your gravepact ability. You can only have one barrow born active at a time.
If your barrow born is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of gems and incense, you can reconstruct the undead companion's body and reanimate it. You can return the undead companion to life in this manner even if you do not possess any part of its body.
If you use this ability to return a former barrow born to life while you have a current barrow born, your current companion leaves you and is replaced by the restored companion.
The barrow born obeys your command as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. In you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own, but always in your best interest.
When using your Natural Explorer feature, you and your barrow born can both move stealthily at a normal pace.
Your barrow born has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, an undead companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls. The barrow born is proficient with all saving throws.
For each level you gain after 3rd, your barrow born gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.
Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improved class feature, your companion's abilities also improve. Your barrow born can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.
Your barrow born shares your alignment, and has a personality trait and a flaw that you can roll for or select from the tables below. Your companion shares your ideal, and its bond is always, "The ranger who travels with me is a beloved companion for whom I would gladly give my life."
Your barrow born gains the benefits of your Favored Enemy feature, and your Greater Favored Enemy feature when you gain that feature at 6th level. It uses the favored enemies you select for those features.
Barrow Born (for a 3rd level ranger)
medium undead, unaligned
Str 16 Dex 10 Con 15 Int 2 Wis 13 Cha 7
Damage Resistances necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities Poisoned
Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 11.
Gravepact.
The barrow born acquires gravepact or empowered features as its associated ranger gains levels. The save DC for these features is DC 10 + the barrow born's Constitution Modifier + its proficiency bonus.
Actions
Bite:
Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage. In addition, the creature must succeed on a DC 13 Strength save or fall Prone.
Claws:
Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) slashing damage.
Slam:
Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+3) bludgeoning damage. In additon, the creature must succeed on a DC 13 Strength save or be shoved 10ft away from the barrow born.Gravepact At 3rd level, your barrow born gains one of the following features of your choice.
Ghoul's Touch: When the barrow born hits a creature with a melee weapon attack that is not an elf or undead that creature must make a Constitution save using the barrow born's Gravepact DC or be paralyzed for the next minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of the each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on success.
Incorporeal Movement: The barrow born can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Undead Fortitude: If damage reduces the barrow born to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the barrow born drops to 1 hit point instead.
Dreadful Glare: The barrow born targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. If the target can see the barrow bound, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw using the barrow born's Gravepact DC against this magic or become frightened until the end of the barrow born's next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Dreadful Glare of all barrow bound for the next 24 hours.
One Foot in the Grave At 5th level, you gain resistance to necrotic damage. In addition, you gain advantage on saves against fear and life drain effects.
Your undead companion gains another feature from Gravepact ability above.
Ghost Walker At 7th level you gain the Incorporeal Movement feature for one minute. You can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. This feature recharges whenever you finish a short or long rest.
Your barrow born gains resistance to either bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
Empowered Gravepact At 11th level your barrow born gains one of the follow features. You may choose a Gravepact feature instead.
Horrifying Visage: Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of the barrow born that can see it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw using the barrow born's Gravepact DC or be frightened for 1 minute. If the save fails by 5 or more, the target faints and is incapacitated. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the frightened condition on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to this barrow born's Horrifying Visage for the next 24 hours. You are immune to this horrifying visage.
Regeneration: The barrow born regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn't in sunlight or running water. If the barrow bound takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn't function at the start of the barrow born's next turn.
Unlife to Life. Your barrow born touches you and sacrifices some of its essence to restore your own. It loses 4d8 hit points and you regain that many hit points.
Stench: Any creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the barrow born must succeed on a Constitution saving throw using the barrow born's Gravepact DC or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to that barrow born's Stench for 24 hours. You are immune to this stench.
Five Feet Under At 15th level, as long as you and your barrow born are within 5 ft of one another you both gain the following features:
- You and your barrow born gain advantage on melee attacks.
- As a reaction, your barrow born may make an melee attack against a creature that has hit you with an melee attack if the creature is within reach.
- If an attack would reduce you to 0 hit points and your barrow born still has any number of hit points its hit points are reduced to 0 and your hit points drop to 1 instead.
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