Class: Nightbreaker

Using the Hunter's Spirit to bring Light into Darkness

Nightbreaker
D
arkness spans and stretches across
immeasurable distances, far beyond the sight of
man. It envelops all that lives and dies; it is
secret, subtle, and silent. It seeks to destroy and
bury that which pierces through it: Light.
Creatures and Monsters of every shape and size inhabit the
darkness; they hunt the weak, stalk the brave, and overpower
the foolhardy. The gnashing of bones, the tearing of flesh, and
the screams of people can be heard deep into the night; the
witnesses are helpless against the power of darkness.
Then there are the warriors who throw themselves into
this darkness. They hunt the hunter. They stalk the vicious.
They overpower the darkness itself and bend it to their will.
These are the Nightbreakers
Light Within Darkness
Nightbreakers track, hunt, and destroy creatures who dwell
in darkness. They take a piece of light and bring it to their
quarry, using it as a weapon. Using a mixture of magic and
combat prowess, they hunt the denizens of the night, seeking
to use the very darkness they live in against them. Some hone
their powers, strengthening themselves to bring swift
destruction to their foes. Others lead allies to fend off the
darkness, bolstering their abilities through magic.
Regardless of the approach that they have chosen,
nightbreakers excel at hunting and tracking their chosen
quarry. They possess supernatural powers to detect the
dangers around them, and eventually learn how to use their
quarry's own territory against them.
Ensorcelled Power
The Nightbreakers are a secret order of monster hunters
who pass on their mysterious powers to promising
individuals. While the nightbreakers' strange practices are
met with fear and superstition, all recognize a nightbreaker
by the enchanted lanterns they hold. After being inducted into
the Order of Nightbreakers, individuals participate in a ritual
that binds them to a magical lantern. Through this bond, the
lanterns grant their wielders powerful spells to employ
against their prey.
Creating a Nightbreaker
All nightbreakers are members of the Order of
Nightbreakers: a group of hunters dedicated to destroying
creatures of darkness. Therefore, there are two questions
that you should think about: How did you join the
Nightbeakers, and why does your character hunt creatures of
the dark? Perhaps you were found by a recruiter? Maybe you
feel called to rid the world of evil, but religion isn't appealing
to your character? Perhaps you've heard tales and legends of
the hunters as a child and wanted to grow up to be one?
Perhaps your want your revenge against a monster?
Lantern Spirits
While nightbreakers are given a lantern at the point of their
induction into the Nightbreaker Order, they must first
become accustomed to the use of the device before they are
properly bonded to the lantern. This typically requires a
completing a mission from the order to hunt a specific
creature, acquire a trophy from the creature, and using it as
part of a mysterious ritual to bond the lantern to the wielder.
Through this ritual, the lantern adopts powers and spells
based upon the nightbreaker's purpose as a hunter. In most
cases, they acquire the Spirit of the Hunt. Some lanterns will
take on the Spirit of Death or Spirit of Divinity, depending on
the strength of the wielder's hatred or altruism, respectively.
Ultimately, the nature and details of this final test are up to
the DM and the player.
The Rite of Bonding
This secret rite of the nightbreakers is integral to the growth
of a nightbreaker's power. When a new nightbreaker is ready,
they take the trophy they were sent to acquire, and burn it in
their lantern, followed by an ounce of the nightbreaker's
blood. The orange fire inside the lantern flares and changes
colour depending on the nightbreaker's spirit: Green for the
Hunter, Purple for Death, and White for Divinity
Questions of Morality
Although nightbreakers hunt creatures normally seen as evil,
this by no means dictates that all nightbeakers are paragons
of justice and light. While an idealistic warrior of light may
wish to join the nightbreakers to rid the world of evil
creatures, it is just as likely that a particularly vengeful or
angry individual may want power to destroy such creatures,
or even cause them to suffer before finally granting them
death.
The Nightbreakers and Vengeance
The Order has a pragmatic view when it comes to people
who come to them seeking revenge. They find these
individuals to generally be quick learners and headstrong,
fueled by their need for revenge. However, the order has, on
several occasions, hunted ex-nightbreakers who succumbed
to their anger and became akin to the very creatures they
vowed to destroy.
Quick Build
You can make a nightbreaker quickly by following these
suggestions: First make Strength your highest ability score
(some nightbreakers who focus on finesse or ranged
weapons might want to take Dexterity), followed by Wisdom.
Second, choose the outlander background.
Nightbreaker
Level Proficiency Bonus Features Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1st +2 Favored Quarry, Ensorcelled Lantern — — — — — —
2nd +2 Spellcasting, Lantern Spirit 2 2 — — — —
3rd +2 Fighting Style, Stalker's Ambush 3 3 — — — —
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 3 — — — —
5th +3 Extra Attack 4 4 2 — — —
6th +3 Favored Quarry 4 4 2 — — —
7th +3 Hunting Ground 5 4 3 — — —
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 5 4 3 — — —
9th +4 — 6 4 3 2 — —
10th +4 Ability Score Improvement 6 4 3 2 — —
11th +4 Lantern Adept, Favored Quarry 7 4 3 3 — —
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 7 4 3 3 - —
13th +5 — 8 4 3 3 1 —
14th +5 Improved Hunting Ground, Adopting Darkness 8 4 3 3 1 —
15th +5 Night's Bane 9 4 3 3 2 —
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 9 4 3 3 2 —
17th +6 — 10 4 3 3 3 1
18th +6 Shadow Cloak 10 4 3 3 3 1
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 11 4 3 3 3 2
20th +6 Burning Spirit 11 4 3 3 3 2

Alternatively, you can ignore the equipment from your class

Class Features
As a nightbreaker, you have the following Class Features
HIT POINTS
Hit Dice: 1d10 per nightbreaker level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your
Constitution modifier per nightbreaker level after your 1st.
PROFICIENCIES
Armor: Light Armor, Medium Armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, Martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom
Skills: Choose three from Arcana, Athletics, History,
Insight, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival.
EQUIPMENT
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the
equipment granted by your background.
(a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
(a) a one-handed martial melee weapon or (b) two simple
melee weapons
(a) a longbow and 20 arrows or (b) two javelins
(a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
and background, and start with 5d4 x 10 gp.
Ensorcelled Lantern
A nightbreaker’s lantern is the main source of their power.
Every nightbreaker receives a number of spells through their
lantern that assist them in this endeavour. In order to cast
these spells, a nightbreaker must be holding the lantern in
one hand. It acts as a spellcasting focus.
At first level, all Ensorcelled Lanterns cast bright light in a
30-foot radius, and dim light for an additional 30 ft. The
Ensorcelled Lantern does not need oxygen or fuel to
maintain its light. The magical flame lighting the lantern can
be easily snuffed out by the wielder. You can snuff out or light
your lantern as an action.
As part of carrying an Ensorcelled Lantern, the
nightbreaker receives Hunter’s Mark, Detect Poison, Detect
Magic, and Detect Evil and Good. You can cast each of these
spells once per day, and one additional time per day every 8
levels (9th, 17th). These do not count against your daily spell
slots.
Favored Quarry
Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience
studying, tracking, and hunting a certain type of enemy
commonly encountered in the wilds.
Choose a type of favored quarry: aberrations, beasts,
celestials, dragons, fey, fiends, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or
undead. Your proficiency bonus is doubled when you roll a
Wisdom (Survival) check to track your quarry. You have
advantage on Intelligence checks made to know information
about your Favoured Quarry. Additionally, the Nightbreaker
receives an extra 1d6 to damage rolls against their Favoured
Quarry.
You can pick another Favored Quarry at 6th level and 11th
level.
Fighting Style
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no
other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that
weapon. Your Ensorcelled Lantern does not count as a
weapon for the purposes of this Fighting Style.
Protection
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you
that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to
impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding
a shield. If you choose this fighting style, your Ensorcelled
Lantern counts as a shield for this fighting style, although it
does not give the shield’s AC bonus.
Distance
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls made with ranged weapon
attack rolls
Lantern Spirit
Starting at level 2, you pick a Lantern Spirit for your
Ensorcelled Lantern. You will receive a power based upon
the Spirit you choose.
In addition, the Lantern Spirit you choose will grant you
access to a list of spells based upon the spirit. There are
three Lantern Spirits: Spirit of the Hunt, Spirit of Death, and
Spirit of Divinity. See below for the list of spells and powers
each Lantern Spirit has access to.
Lastly, when you choose a Lantern Spirit, the bond with
your lantern deepens. It cannot be disarmed from you unless
you are incapacitated, and if you and the lantern are on the
same plane of existence, you can summon it to your hand as
a bonus action.
Spellcasting
By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to cast
spells.
Spell Slots
The Nightbreaker table shows how many spell slots you have
to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these
spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher.
You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long
rest.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the list
granted by your chosen Lantern Spirit.
The Spells Known column of the Nightbreaker table shows
when you learn more Nightbreaker spells of your choice.
Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have
spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this
class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can
choose one of the Nightbreaker spells you know and replace
it with another spell from your Lantern Spirit spell list, which
also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Nightbreaker
spells. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your
spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom
modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a ranger spell
you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +
your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus +
your Wisdom modifier
Stalker's Ambush
At 3rd level, you learn the art of ambushing your quarry.
At the start of your first turn in combat, if you use the
attack action, you can make one additional attack as part of
that action.
In addition, you roll an additional damage die for each of
your weapon attacks when you use the attack action on your
first turn in combat.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 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.
Hunting Ground
When you reach 7th level, your experience as a monster
hunter has evolved to not only account for the monster itself,
but also the environment in which it lives.
By spending one round studying a 60ft radius area, you
and your party gain the following benefits within the Hunting
Ground.
+2 to Initiative checks in the area.
Advantage on Survival, Perception, and Investigation
checks conducted within the area.
Advantage on Saving Throws against Lair Actions
These bonuses last as long as the Nightbreaker who
designated the Hunting Ground stays within the Hunting
Ground.
At 14th level, you only need to spend an action to study an
area in order to gain the above bonuses.
At 20th level, the Nightbreaker also receives a +2 bonus to
AC when inside the Hunting Ground.
Lantern Adept
At 11th level, you have grown accustomed to using your
Ensorcelled Lantern. You can use a bonus action to light your
lantern. It still takes an action to snuff out the lantern.
In addition, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, and Detect Good
and Evil can now be cast as a bonus action.
Adopting Darkness
Starting at 14th level, you learn to use the darkness against
your quarry. You can use the Hide action as a bonus action on
your turn. You can use this without anything to hide behind
and while being observed, as long as you are in a place of
darkness. Also, you can’t be tracked by non-magical means,
unless you choose to leave a trail.
Night's Bane
At 15th level, the light of your lantern shines as bright as the
sun. The light from the lantern expands to shed bright light
for 60 feet, and dim light for an additional 60 feet beyond
that. The light from your lantern is considered sunlight.
Shadow Cloak
At 18th level, your control over darkness deepens. If you are
hidden, you can use your move action to teleport up to 60ft to
an unoccupied space you can see that is in darkness. You are
still considered hidden after you use this ability.
Burning Spirit
At 20th level, your lantern gains access to two spells based on
your chosen Lantern Spirit. These spells can each be cast
once per day. These spells use your Spellcasting Ability
Modifier and Spell Save DC.
Hunter’s Lantern: Druid Grove, True Seeing
Death Lantern: Harm, Create Undead
Divine Lantern: Sunbeam, Primordial Ward
Replacing an Ensorcelled Lantern
Losing a lantern is a traumatic experience for a
nightbreaker and should be avoided at all costs.
Should a nightbreaker lose their lantern, they can
no longer cast spells, including their basic Detect
and Hunter’s Mark spells. However, there is a way
to replace the lantern and regain its powers.
Crafting
To replace a lantern, the nightbreaker must craft or
commission a new lantern from a blacksmith. The
lantern is simple in build, but requires a series of
complex and specific runes and symbols to be
carved into frame of the lantern. This will cost at
least 25gp in labor and materials. All nightbreakers
are taught these runes as part of their induction
into the Order of Nightbreakers.
Enchanting
After the physical lantern is created, a ritual must
be conducted to imbue the lantern with magic
again.
In a darkened area, the nightbreaker must light a
small fire within the lantern, and burn a scrap from
a predatory animal. This must be something that
the predator uses to hunt: for example, a tooth of a
wolf, a talon of an eagle, or a claw of a tiger. The
runes will activate and begin to glow. At this point,
an ounce of blood from common prey, such as a
deer, fish, or rodent, should be placed into the fire.
The flames will grow in size and heat. While the fire
is still burning, the lantern should promptly and
suddenly be exposed to daylight. The fire will briefly
go out before a permanent magical flame manifests
inside the lantern. This ritual will take roughly thirty
minutes to conduct.
Rite of Bonding
After the basic lantern has been restored, the
nightbreaker can conduct the Right of Bonding
again to regain their Spirit. They can use any trophy
from a monster they have hunted to conduct the
Rite of Bonding.

Lantern Spirits
Spirit of the Hunt
The most common spirit that Ensorcelled Lanterns take is
that of the hunter. Nightbreakers who wield these lanterns
are well-rounded individuals, who may have a sense of
vengeance or altruism to their work, but ultimately seek to
simply hunt the monsters of the night. They may do it for
thrills, wealth, fame, tradition, or simple adventure. The
Spirit of the Hunt welcomes individuals from all walks of life.
To this end, these lanterns bless the wielder with a number
of spells themed around survival, nature, mobility, and
tracking.
Lantern Power: At level 2, you can use your action to focus
on the region around you. You can sense the presence of
creatures that belong to your chosen Favoured Quarry. You
can sense them within 1 mile of you. You know how far away
they are from you, but not the direction. You can use this
ability for a number of minutes equal to your nightbreaker
level. These minutes do not need to be consecutive, but do
need to be spent in 1-minute intervals.
Spell List
1st Level Spells: Alarm, Ensnaring Strike, Entangle,
Faerie Fire, Fog Cloud, Goodberry, Longstrider, Protection
from Evil and Good
2nd Level Spells: Barkskin, Darkvision, Find Traps,
Locate Animals or Plants, Pass Without Trace, See
Invisibility, Spider Climb
3rd Level Spells: Create Food and Water, Dispel Magic,
Elemental Weapon, Magic Circle, Nondetection, Plant
Growth, Speak With Plants
4th Level Spells: Dominate Beast, Freedom of Movement,
Guardian of Nature, Hallucinatory Terrain, Locate Creature,
Stoneskin
5th Level Spells: Commune With Nature, Dispel Evil and
Good, Scrying, Tree Stride, Wrath of Nature
Spirit of Death
Nightbreakers whose lanterns harbor Spirits of Death are
generally individuals with single-minded vengeance, deep-
seeded hatred for monsters, or seek to make the creatures
suffer before their deaths. While by no means shunned by the
Order of Nightbreakers, wielders of death lanterns are often
treated with a cautionary approach, as their desire for
suffering and vengeance can be dangerous to both the
nightbreaker and those around them.
To this end, these lanterns bless the wielder with a number
of spells themed around controlling life essence, debilitation,
and causing suffering to the quarry before they are finally
eliminated.
Lantern Power: At level 2, you gain the ability to speak a
harrowing curse upon your enemies. When one of your allies
casts a spell upon a creature within 30 feet that you can see,
you can use your reaction to give the target disadvantage on
the saving throw. If the attacker cannot hear, then they are
immune to this ability. You can use this ability a number of
times equal to your Wisdom modifier. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
1st Level Spells: Bane, Cause Fear, Command, Dissonant
Whispers, False Life, Ray of Sickness, Sleep, Tasha’s
Hideous Laughter
2nd Level Spells: Blindness/Deafness, Crown of
Madness, Gentle Repose, Hold Person, Ray of Enfeeblement,
Shadow Blade, Silence
3rd Level Spells: Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Hunger of
Hadar, Life Transference, Speak With Dead, Spirit Guardians
Slow
4th Level Spells: Blight, Confusion, Evard’s Black
Tentacles, Phantasmal Killer, Shadow of Moil, Sickening
Radiance
5th Level Spells: Contagion, Danse Macabre, Enervation,
Hold Monster, Reincarnate
Spirit of Divinity
Similar to Death Lanterns, Divine Lanterns are created when
Nightbreakers with particularly strong qualities undergo the
bonding ritual with their lantern. Wielders of Divine Lanterns
are often justice-seekers, defenders of the weak, or simply
have a strong sense of altruism. Wielders of Divine Lanterns
are a force to be reckoned with.
To this end, these lanterns bless the wielder with a number
of spells themed around protection and enhancing the
combat abilities of both the Nightbreaker and their party.
Lantern Power: At level 2, when one of your allies within
30 feet that you can see makes an attack roll, you can use
your reaction to give them a bonus equal to your wisdom
modifier. You can use this after they roll, but must do so
before the result of the roll is determined. You can use this
ability a number of times per day equal to your wisdom
modifier.
1st Level Spells: Ceremony, Compelled Duel, Divine
Favour, Guiding Bolt, Heroism, Searing Smite, Thunderous
Smite, Wrathful Smite
2nd Level Spells: Branding Smite, Calm Emotions,
Enhance Ability, Lesser Restoration, Magic Weapon,
Moonbeam, Spiritual Weapon
3rd Level Spells: Aura of Vitality, Blinding Smite, Beacon
of Hope, Crusader’s Mantle, Mass Healing Word, Protection
from Energy, Revivify
4th Level Spells: Aura of Life, Aura of Purity, Banishment,
Death Ward, Guardian of Faith, Staggering Smite
5th Level Spells: Banishing Smite, Dawn, Hallow, Holy
Weapon, Greater Restoration
Credit to Homebrewery
This pdf was created using The Homebrewery
Questions?
If you have any questions, concerns, or would like any
clarifications, especially regarding balance, feel free to
contact me @StoriesByAmsen on twitter or email me at
storiesbyamsen@gmail.com.