Stat Anything – Spirit of Vengeance | New Player Option and Mechanics for Fifth Edition

The Spirits of Vengeance were a team of benevolent beings who protected mankind during ancient times. Their exact origins are a mystery, as some have claimed that they were the vestiges of God’s power bonded to human hosts calling themselves Ghost Riders, while others have claimed them to be demons in the service of Mephisto. There have been different sorts of Spirits of Vengeance around the world based on each country’s customs, belief, and religion. Keeping them in charge was the archangel Zadkiel, whose sole purpose was to manipulate the Spirits’ true place of origin. (Source: Marvel Fandom).

Transformation Level

The Spirit of Vengeance option presented here is a transformation level. A transformation level is a single-level class option that a character can take at the 1st level or multiclass into. Characters at 1st level who take the transformation level take the hit points, proficiencies, and equipment detailed in the description below. Otherwise, the class works the same as any other multilevel class. For more details on multiclassing, review Chapter 6 of the PHB.

Regardless of level, to qualify for the Spirit of Vengeance transformation class, a character must be of any non-evil alignment and must have a Charisma score of 13 or higher.  If the character’s alignment changes or its Charisma score is reduced to 12 or lower, it loses any of the benefits gained from the transformation class until it meets the prerequisites again.

At the GM’s discretion, your transformation level may also have certain in-game requirements such as the result of fulfilling a special request, or a curse put upon the character by a fiend of great power.

Improvements

In addition to the benefits gained when the character takes the level itself, it also gains features and benefits when it reaches certain character levels called improvements. The improvements are gained at 5th level and again at 11th level, and 17th level. If a character takes the Spirit of Vengeance transformation level at 5th level or higher, it automatically gains all of the improvements it qualifies for.

The Spirit of Vengeance

Character Level	Features
1st	Demonic Form, Penitent Stare, Detect Sin
5th	Spirit’s Mount, Mount’s Bond,
11th	Sin Absorption, Mount’s Firey Breath
17th	Hellish Resistance, Mount’s Teleportation

Class Features

As a spirit of vengeance, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Die: 1d10

Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier

---

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields

Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons

Tools: None

Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma

Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Religion, Perception, and Survival

---

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a chain whip* or (b) any martial weapon
• (a) an explorer’s pack or a (b) dungeoneer’s pack
• Leather armor and a light crossbow with 20 bolts

*The chain whip is detailed at the end of this article.

Demonic Form

On your turn, you can use your bonus action to transform into the Spirit of Vengeance. As you change, your skin melts away to only your skull and bones which burn unceasingly with hellfire. Any clothing or equipment you are carrying changes as well, taking on demonic embellishments such as extra spikes and chains.

While in your demonic form, you gain the following benefits:

• You are immune to fire, poison, and disease. You also have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
• Your AC becomes 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier. You can use this benefit to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC.
• When you make a melee weapon attack, you deal an additional 1d4 fire damage. This damage die increases to 1d6 when you reach the 11th character level, and to 1d8 when you reach the 17th character level.
• Your type becomes fiend. You can be affected by a game effect if it works against fiends (such as the extra radiant damage dealt by paladin’s smite).

If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while you are in your demonic form.

The demonic form lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you end your turn with fewer than half your hit points remaining. You can also revert to your true form on your turn as a bonus action.

The first time you change into your demonic form and change back, you suffer no adverse effect. If you use this feature again before you finish a long rest, you take 1d12 necrotic damage immediately after you change back and your maximum hit points are reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. Each time you use this feature again before finishing a long rest, the necrotic damage increases by 1d12. This damage ignores resistance and immunity.

Optional Rule: Fighting the Spirit

At you and your GM’s discretion, whenever you are within the presence of evil and aware of it, you must make a DC 13 Charisma saving throw. On a failed saving throw, you automatically change into your demonic form, and you can not willingly change back before the duration ends unless you destroy the source of evil that triggered your transformation.

Optional Rule: Drag Me to Hell

If the necrotic damage received from changing into your demonic form too many times reduces your maximum hit points below 0, you die and your soul is immediately transferred to the afterlife. Only a wish spell or divine intervention can bring you back to life.

Penitent Stare

While in your demonic form, you can force creatures to regret their past transgressions. As an action, you can target one creature within 15 feet of you. As long as the creature can see you, it must make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. Non-evil creatures make this saving throw with advantage. On a failed saving throw, the creature takes 1d8 psychic damage and it is filled with overwhelming regret, leaving it able to use its action on its next turn only to take the Dodge, Disengage, or Hide action.

The psychic damage your penitent stare does increases by 1d8 at 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses after you complete a long rest.

Detect Sin

The presence of strong evil registers on your senses. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such evil. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 30 feet of you regardless of imposing barriers. You know the type of being whose presence you sense, but not its identity.

Improvements

As you gain levels as a character, you continue to receive benefits from your Spirit of Vengeance transformation level at 5th level, 11th level, and 17th level.

Spirit’s Mount

At the 5th character level, you develop a bond with an animal that becomes your spirit’s mount.

With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth an animal to serve as your partner in vengeance. Choose a camel, donkey, mastiff, mule, or riding horse. You are free to choose another animal appropriate to the campaign setting at your GM’s discretion.

At the end of the 8 hours, your mount appears and gains all the benefits of your Mount’s Bond ability. You can have only one spirit’s mount at a time.

If your spirit’s mount 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 rare herbs and fine food, you call forth your mount’s spirit and use your infernal magic to create a new body for it. You can return a spirit’s mount 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 spirit’s mount to life while you have a current spirit’s mount, your current mount leaves you and is replaced by the restored mount.

Mount’s Bond

At 5th level, when you use your demonic transformation feature and you are within 30 feet of your spirit’s mount, the mount also transforms. While transformed, the mount gains the following benefits:

• The mount becomes a demonic, flaming skeletal version of itself. It gains all the same benefits as you do when it is in that form. It takes the same amount of necrotic damage that you do if you change into your form too often.
• The mount’s AC is 10 + its Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier. It can use this benefit to determine its AC if its natural armor or any armor it wears would leave it with a lower AC.
• Your mount gains temporary hit points equal to 5 hit points for each character level you have. Once it reverts to its normal form, it loses these temporary hit points.
• Your mount uses your proficiency bonus in place of its own.
• Your mount has proficiency in all saving throws.
• The mount’s walking speed doubles and it can move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on its turn without falling during the move.
• You can’t be dismounted from the mount against your will if you’re conscious, and attack rolls against the mount have disadvantage.

Sin Absorption

At 11th level, when you use your Penitent Stare trait, you regain hit points equal to half the psychic damage dealt.

Mount’s Firey Breath

Also at 11th level, your mount gains a special attack while both you and it are in your demonic forms. As an action, you can command your mount to use its reaction to breathe fire in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. A target takes 8d6 fire damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much damage on a successful one. Flammable objects in the area not being worn or carried ignite.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Hellish Resistance

Starting at 17th level, while you are in your demonic form, you have advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.

Mount’s Teleportation

At 17th level, while you and your mount are in your demonic forms, you can cast the teleport spell, targeting only yourself and your mount. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Once you use this feature to cast this spell, you can’t do so again until 7 days pass.

[su_note note_color=”#ffffff”]

Chain Whip

The chain whip is a favored weapon of many Spirits of Vengeance.

Chain Whip. Martial Melee Weapon: 6 gp, 1d6 bludgeoning damage, weight 10 lbs. The chain whip has the finesse, reach, and versatile (1d8) properties.

[/su_note]

Want FREE Monthly Adventures?

DMDave’s Adventure Club sends you FREE adventures every month, plus another one when you sign up.

All of these adventures are:

• 100% Fifth Edition compatible
• Professionally produced
• In easy-to-print PDF format
• Created by DMDave

Learn more about DMDave’s Monthly Adventure Club by clicking the link below.

Get FREE Monthly Adventures

Thumbnail art by Marvel Comics.