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Fighter Archetype: Grim Gallant




It is not uncommon for a fighter to have more than a few brushes with death. Through the course of battle, they succumb to their wounds and lay on the doorstep of oblivion for breaths which feel like an eternity. Other times they hold a dying comrade as the light goes out in their eyes and the world comes to a standstill. In these critical moments, some warriors make contact with one of many psychopomps who ferry souls to the lands of the dead. While the fighter doesn't remember the meeting clearly they find themselves able to call upon the powers of these grim reapers and the pathways of death. With concentration, they animate weapons and armor with ghostly power and use them send more souls to their reward.

Fetters

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the ability to pull on the energies of death to animate some objects, called fetters, to aid you for a short time. The more lives you reap during this period the longer the objects will remain animated.

As a bonus action, you animate a personal one-handed weapon or shield you can see that is within 5ft. To be used as a fetter you must have owned the object for the period of a short rest or longer. If the item is a magic item it still requires attunement and lends its magical abilities to the fetter.

If the fetter is a one-handed melee weapon it animates and gains the statistics of a flying sword save the dice of damage and damage type it does becomes that of the weapon instead. For example, a flying mace would do 1d6 bludgeoning base damage instead.

If the fetter is a shield it gains the statistics of a Flying Shield.

The fetter acts on your initiative and takes its turn normally. The fetter cannot take reactions.

The fetter remains animated for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution Modifier +1 (minimum 1). Whenever one of your attacks drop a creature to 0 hit points the fetter remains animated for one additional round. If the fetter beings its turn more than 30ft away from you, this effect automatically ends.

Once you use this feature you may not use it again until you complete a long rest. As you gain levels, you gain more uses of this feature. You gain an additional use at 8th level and another at 13th level.

Stygian Wave

Beginning at 7th level, you can temporarily travel on a wave of dark magic and traverse distance in a blink of an eye as well as harm those around you when the profane energy washes away. As an action, you instantly teleport to a point you can see within 30ft. If you have an animated object within 30ft of you it instantly teleports to your new location as well.

All creatures within 5ft of your point of arrival take necrotic damage equal to your fighter level. Your animated objects are immune to this effect.

Once you use this feature you may not use it again until you complete a long rest.

Greater Fetters

Beginning at 10th level, your mastery of fetter grants you the ability to animate larger, heavier personal objects. This includes two-handed weapons, armor suits, and clutches of ammunition. To be used as a fetter you must have owned the object for the period of a short rest or longer. If the item is a magic item it still requires attunement and lends its magical abilities to the fetter.

If the fetter is a two-handed melee weapon it animates and gains the statistics of a Flying Greatsword save the dice of damage and damage type it does becomes that of the weapon instead. For example, a flying great axe would do 1d12 slashing instead.

If the fetter is a suit of armor it animates and gains the statistics of animated armor.

If the fetter is a full load of arrows or bolts, at least twenty, you may use an attack action to fire them as if you had cast the Conjure Barrage spell with a save DC equal to your 8 + your Constitution Modifier + proficiency level. The missiles are destroyed when used in this fashion. You may continue to use this attack action for as long as the fetter lasts providing you have another twenty arrows or bolts to animate. If you are unable to animate further missiles you may use your action to animate another personal object as per fetter rules instead.

Don't Fear the Reaper

Beginning at 15th level, if an attack would drop to 0 hit points and you have a fetter within 30ft you may use your reaction to drop to 1 hit point instead and the fetter is utterly destroyed, even if it is a magic weapon.

Grave of Swords

Beginning at 18th level, whenever you drop a creature's hit points to 0 you may use your reaction to animate a weapon it was holding, using the same rules as a fetter. This weapon remains animated until the end of your next turn.

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