Magekiller (Tales from Thedas)

*"Na via lerno victoria.*"

**Only the living know victory.**

— Tevinter proverb

They say necessity is the mother of invention. In the Tevinter Imperium, this certainly holds true, and the demands of combat between mages has led to the development of the cruelest and most effective magical weapons of war yet seen in Thedas. Magekillers, or *Perrepetae,* are slaves of broken minds, their memories and willpower stripped away and then rebuilt in their masters' image, seared into place by the tracery of lyrium in their flesh. In exchange, they have been granted greater resistance to magical effects and a unique wraithlike form that allows them to slip past the defenses of their opponents.

Similar in some respects to the Templars, but bound to no Order or Chantry, serving instead at the sole whim of their creators. Or so it was. You have chosen freedom, and have been granted the power to protect it. And to seek vengeance, should you so desire.

Adapted from the base D&D 5E Paladin, Oath of Vengeance subclass.

* **Hit Dice:** 1d10
* **Saving Throws**: Strength, Constitution
* **Proficiencies:** All armor, simple weapons, martial weapons
* **Skills:** Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Survival

### **Equipment**

* Slave's rags
* A martial weapon
* *Refugee's Pack*: Includes a backpack, a bedroll, flint and tinder, 5 days of rations, a waterskin, and a disguise kit.

## **Battle Tempo**

You are a living machine built for war, and the breaking of your bonds has not changed that. You are still most at home when locked in combat. Any time you successfully kill an opponent, you regain a single Attack Action or Bonus Action. Starting at 3rd level, you also gain the option to restore your Lyrium Focus instead.

## **Nullify**

The lyrium imbued into your skin has made you resistant to the effects of hostile magic. You have a permanent +1 to any saving throw made against a hostile spell effect.

## **Fighting Style**

Starting at 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

### **Defense**

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

### **Great Weapon Fighting**

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

### **Tunnel Fighter**

As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.

### **Interception**

When a creature you can see hits a target that is within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

### **Unarmed Fighting**

Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you strike with two free hands, the d6 becomes a d8. When you successfully start a grapple, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to the grappled creature. Until the grapple ends, you can also deal this damage to the creature whenever you hit it with a melee attack.

## **Inner Reserves**

Starting at 2nd level, when you kill an enemy, years of hard conditioning restore a portion of your stamina. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your Magekiller level.

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

## **Features**

### **Lyrium Focus**

At 3rd level, you gain the following three Lyrium Focus options. All three are available to you at any time, but you need to have a use of Lyrium Focus in order to access them. When you use your Lyrium Focus, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Lyrium Focus again, or else score a kill using Battle Tempo.

Some abilities, such as Heartpiercer, require Lyrium Ghost to be active. In order to access these, you must first activate Lyrium Ghost and then regenerate another Focus using Battle Tempo.

***Vow of Enmity.*** As a bonus action, you can utter a vow of enmity against a creature you can see within 10 feet of you, using your Lyrium Focus. You gain advantage on attack rolls against the creature for 1 minute or until it drops to 0 hit points or falls unconscious.

***Lyrium Ghost.*** As a bonus action, you can enter a wraithlike state. For the next three turns, you can Disengage as a free action, move freely through enemies, are unhampered by difficult terrain, and have advantage on any Dexterity saving throws.

***Heartpiercer.*** As an action, you can lash out with an unarmed melee attack against an opponent and *try* to tear its heart out. This deals 1d20 x 1/2 of your character level bludgeoning damage. Lyrium Ghost must already be active for you to use this ability.

### **Ability Score Improvement**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

### **Extra Attack**

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

The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.

### **Fade Anathema**

Starting at 6th level, you can now take a reaction against any opponent that casts a spell within melee range of you to disrupt their spell, as if you had cast Counterspell. If the creature is casting a spell of 3rd level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect. If it is casting a spell of 4th level or higher, make an ability check using your Strength score. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a success, the creature's spell fails and has no effect.

### **Lyrium Spectre**

By 7th level, the Lyrium Ghost ability of your Lyrium Focus now activates automatically whenever you land a critical hit on an attack. At 13th level, it also activates whenever you receive a critical hit from an opponent.

### **Improved Critical**

Starting at 9th level, you now land critical hits on a 19 or 20.

### **Magebane**

Starting at 10th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you gain advantage when making saving throws against being charmed, frightened, or possessed by a magical effect, while you are conscious. At 18th level, the range of this effect increases to 30 feet.

### **Spirit Pulse**

At 11th level, you may choose to reach out and strike at the Fade itself. When you land a melee attack, you and any creatures within 30 feet that are connected to the Fade (pretty much everybody except dwarves and Tranquil) must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature is stunned for the next turn. Lyrium Ghost must already be active for you to use this ability, and is expended once you do.

### **Soul of Vengeance**

Starting at 15th level, the authority with which you speak your Vow of Enmity gives you greater power over your foe. When a creature under the effect of your Vow of Enmity makes an attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature if it is within range.

### **Superior Critical**

Starting at 17th level, you now land critical hits on an 18, 19 or 20.

### **War Incarnate**

At 20th level, you gain the ability to harness extraordinary martial prowess. As an action, you can drive the lyrium in your body to its absolute limits, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

* You have resistance to all damage.
* When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as part of that action.
* Your melee weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. Lyrium Ghost must already be active for you to use this ability.