Devil Hunter

Flippant and Fearless

Devil hunters are never without quips, especially in the face of danger. They enjoy showing off and taunting their foes as often as possible. Whether to entertain themselves, or provoke openings, devil hunters revel in the art of provocation.

Creating a Devil Hunter

As you make your devil hunter character, think about the origin of your power, and what that may entail. Are you a descendant of a legendary devil with a legacy to fulfill? Are you merely someone who had an unfortunate encounter with the Abyss? Or are you the product of your ancestor's dealings with a devil?

How do you feel about the fiendish power that resonates within you? Do you embrace it, or is it a mark of embarrassment? Is it a blessing or curse? Did you seek this power, or did it seek you? Did you have the option to refuse it, and do you wish you had? What do you intend to do with your power? Was it given to you to protect others? Or to subjugate them?

Equally important is why you fight. For a devil hunter, fights are sources of entertainment. Do you hold back to give your opponents a fair chance? Or do you unleash all that you have to see how long they may last? What kind of warrior are you motivated to be? Is there a certain person or creature that you are trying to defeat? Or do you seek a rival that can match your abilities? Consider how you might feel when faced with a foe beyond your abilities, and how you may feel after winning or losing against it.

Quick Build

You can make a devil hunter quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Charisma your highest ability score, following with Strength or Dexterity, depending on what kinds of weapons you would like to use. Second, take the Folk Hero background.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d10 per devil hunter level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per devil hunter level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, scimitars, shortswords
• Tools: One type of musical instrument

• Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
• Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Survival

Equipment

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

• (a) a longsword or (b) a shortsword
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) a shortsword
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• Two hand crossbows and 40 bolts

Alternatively, you can ignore the equipment here and in your background, and buy 4d4 × 10gp worth of equipment from Chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook.

Multiclassing

The prerequisites for multiclassing into a devil hunter are a Strength or Dexterity score of 13 and a Charisma score of 13. When you multiclass into devil hunter, you gain proficiency in simple weapons and shortswords.

Unarmored Defense

Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

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.

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.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second Attack.

Dark Knight

Blending stylish charisma with powerful versatility, Dark Knights harness the power of their fiendish blood to overwhelm foes of many shapes and sizes on the battlefield—and look great while doing it.

Daredevil

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Acrobatics and Intimidation, if you don't already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses those skills.

Devil Bringer

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, devilish energies morph your right or left arm (your choice), allowing you to harness a large spectral arm, called the Devil Bringer.

The Devil Bringer is a natural weapon with a reach of 10 feet and deals necrotic damage. While this arm is free, you can make an unarmed strike with your Devil Bringer, rolling your Distortion die in place of the normal damage, and you use your Charisma modifier in place of Strength. Additionally, when you hit with the Devil Bringer as part of the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple or shove the target, using your Charisma modifier in place of your Strength modifier.

Exceed

At 6th level, you can modify your weapons to explode with energy. You can work on a melee weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks the two handed property over the course of 1 hour, which can be done over the course of a short rest. That weapon is modified into an Exceed weapon and counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

The weapon ceases being an Exceed weapon if you die, if you modify another weapon, or if you spend 1 hour to disable it.

When you hit a creature with a melee attack from your Exceed weapon, you can spend up to 3 style points to deal fire damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for 1 style point, plus 1d8 for each style point higher than 1. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an aberration or fiend.

The number of style points you can spend increases to 4 at 11th level, and 5 at 17th level.

Devil Trigger

At 11th level, you learn how to tap into the demon inside yearning to break free. On your turn, you can pull your Devil Trigger as a bonus action and gain the following benefits:

• You gain a flying speed equal to your movement speed.
• Whenever you roll your Distortion die for damage, you may roll it again and add the result as extra damage.
• You can use the Showdown and Maximum Bet stylish arts.

Your Devil Trigger lasts for 5 minutes, and ends early if you are reduced to 0 hit points or die. You can use this feature three times, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

Showdown. Once per Devil Trigger, you may use your action to spend up to 5 style points to unleash a flurry of attacks with your Exceed weapon. Make a number of attacks with your Exceed weapon equal to twice the number of style points spent. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage, unless that modifier is negative.

Maximum Bet. While you are under the effects of your Devil Trigger, you can unleash a powerful slash of fiendish energy using your Exceed weapon. You can forgo one of your attacks to make a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Exceed weapon's modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is necrotic, and its damage die is your Distortion die.

Snatch/Hell Bound

Beginning at 14th level, you may use your action to spend 1 style point to snatch a creature that is Large or smaller within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pulled within 5 feet of you. If the target succeeds, you may instead pull yourself within 5 feet of the target. If the target is behind total cover, this feature fails.

You can also use this feature on objects to pull them towards you, or yourself towards them depending on the weight (DM's discretion).

MAX-Act

At 18th level, your Exceed weapon is so enveloped in fiery energy that all of its attacks ignite. Whenever you hit a creature with your Exceed weapon, the creature take an extra 1d8 fire damage. If you also use style points to deal extra fire damage, you add this damage to the extra damage.

Additionally, your Exceed weapon ignores resistance to fire damage.

Aficionado of the Arts

When you reach 3rd level, you gain proficiency with calligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies (your choice). Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses that tool or an instrument with which you are proficient.

Nightmare Familiar

At 3rd level, you learn to channel your fiendish powers to bring forth a contracted demon familiar. You learn the find familiar spell and can spend 2 style points to cast it without expending a spell slot or material components.

When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or an imp form. Regardless, the familiar is always a fiend.

Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to allow your familiar to make one attack of its own. If your familiar's attack reduces a creature's hit points below 1, the creature's hit points become 1 and it becomes stunned until the end of your familiar's next turn.

Shadow Prowler

At 6th level, you gain the ability to call forth a manifestation of nightmares to harass your foes. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 style points to magically summon Shadow, a quadruped beast that can morph into weapons, to target one creature you can see within 120 feet of you. Shadow uses the dire wolf's statistics (see the Monster Manual or appendix C in the Player's Handbook), with the following changes:

• Shadow is size Medium, not Large, and it counts as a fiend, not a beast.
• It appears with a number of temporary hit points equal to half your devil hunter level.
• It can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. Shadow takes 5 force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
• At the start of its turn, Shadow automatically knows its target's location. If the target was hidden, it is no longer hidden from Shadow.

Shadow appears in an unoccupied space of your choice within 30 feet of the target. Roll initiative for Shadow. On its turn, it can move only towards its target by the most direct route, and it can use its action only to attack its target. Shadow can make opportunity attacks, but only against its target. If Shadow's attack reduces a creature's hit points below 1, the creature's hit points become 1 and it becomes stunned until the end of Shadow's next turn. Additionally, while Shadow is within 5 feet of the target, it can use its reaction to grant you advantage when you make an attack roll against the target. Shadow disappears if it is reduced to 0 hit points, if its target is reduced to 0 hit points, or after 5 minutes.

Devil Trigger

At 11th level, you can use your action to magically summon an amorphous massive hulking demon from very nightmares themselves. Choose an unoccupied 10 foot cube that you can see within 60 feet. Nightmare appears at the point. Additionally, each creature within 5 feet of Nightmare must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature take 4d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

As part of that action, and on subsequent turns as an action while you are within 60 feet of Nightmare, you may activate Promotion, mounting Nightmare. While you are mounted on Nightmare, you are immune to all damage, but Nightmare is no longer immune to all damage.

Nightmare's attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Nightmare shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. The only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take one of the actions in its stat block or to take the Dash, Disengage, or Help action.

Nightmare takes a number of turns equal to half your devil hunter level, and disappears early if it is reduced to 0 hit points or you die. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Gambit

At 14th level, you gain the ability to slip through reality using your weapon as an anchor. When you take the Attack action, you can teleport up to 10 feet before each attack to an unoccupied space you can see.

If you attack at least two different creatures with the action, you can make one additional attack with it against a third creature.

Nightmare

Large fiend, chaotic neutral

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• Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
• Hit Points equal to three times your level in this class + your Charisma modifier + Nightmare's Constitution modifier
• Speed 20 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	12 (+1)	18 (+4)	4 (-3)	10 (+0)	6 (-2)

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• Saving Throws Str +7, Con +8
• Damage Immunities all damage
• Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, grappled, restrained
• Senses blindsense 60 ft., passive Perception 10
• Languages understands the languages you speak

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Amorphous. Nightmare can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

Might of the Master. The following numbers increase by 1 when you proficiency bonus increases by 1: Nightmare's saving throws and the bonuses to hit and damage of its desperado.

Actions (Require Your Bonus Action)

Desperado. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target you can see. Hit: 4d6 + 5 bludgeoning damage.

Domination (1/Devil Trigger). Nightmares fires a powerful laser in a 30-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw against your style save DC, taking 12d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Fiendish Vanguard

Starting at 3rd level, your keen ability to assess tactical situations allows you to act quickly in battle. You can give yourself a bonus to your initiative rolls equal to your Charisma modifier.

Summoned Swords

Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you can create projections of swords to fire at your foes.

You gain a new attack option that you can use with the Attack action. This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet, and benefits from Charged Shot. You are proficient with it, and you add your Dexterity modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is force, and its damage die is a d4. This die changes as you gain devil hunter levels as shown in the Distortion column of the Devil Hunter table.

Attacks made using Summoned Swords do not suffer disadvantage due to being within 5 feet of a hostile creature.

When you hit a creature or object using this feature, you can spend 1 style point to teleport to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target.

When you gain the Extra Attack feature, this special attack can be used for any of the attacks you make as part of the Attack action.

Devil Trigger

Beginning at 6th level, you learn how to tap into the demon raging inside of you. On your turn, you can pull your Devil Trigger as a bonus action and gain the following benefits:

• You gain temporary hit points equal to your devil hunter level. These temporary hit points last until the end of your Devil Trigger.
• When you take the Attack action and use Summoned Swords as part of it, you can make another attack with Summoned Swords as a bonus action.
• You can expend style points to perform Summoned Swords Techniques.

Your Devil Trigger lasts for 10 minutes, and ends early if you are reduced to 0 hit points or die. You can use this feature twice, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.

Summoned Sword Techniques

Also at 6th level, while in your Devil Trigger form, you may expend style points to perform special techniques with your Summoned Swords. You learn one of these techniques. You learn another technique at 11th level, 14th level, and 18th level.

Each time you learn a new Summoned Sword Technique, you can also replace one Summoned Sword Technique you know with a different one.

Blistering Swords. When you take the Attack action and use Summoned Swords as a part of it, you can spend 1 style point to make the Summoned Swords attack twice as a bonus action.

Heavy Rain Swords. You can use an action to expend 2 style points to rain down Summoned Swords. Choose a point within 60 feet. Each creature within 5 feet of the point must make a Dexterity saving throw or take force damage equal to two rolls of your Distortion die. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to three rolls at 11th level, and four rolls at 17th level.

Spiral Swords. You can use a bonus action to expend 1 style point to surround yourself with 10 spinning Summoned Swords. Any creature that begins its turn within 5 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw, or take damage equal to that of your Summoned Swords. Regardless of the success or failure of the saving throw, a sword is consumed. The swords last until all 10 swords are consumed, or if you dismiss them as a bonus action.

Storm Swords. You can use an action to expend 2 style points to surround a target within 30 feet with spinning Summoned Swords until the end of your next turn. If the target willingly moves before then, it immediately takes force damage equal to three rolls of your Distortion die, and the swords are consumed. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to four rolls at 11th level, and five rolls at 17th level.

Sin Devil Trigger

At 11th level, you gain the ability to unleash the full extent of fiendish power inside. You can expend a use of Devil Trigger as a bonus action to activate Sin Devil Trigger and gain the normal effects of your Devil Trigger, along with the following benefits:

• You gain a flying speed of 60 feet.
• Your melee weapon attacks gain a reach of 30 feet, ignoring half cover and three-quarters cover. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, the attack deals force damage, and the creature takes extra damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).
• When you deal damage with your Summoned Sword Techniques, add your Charisma modifier to that damage.

Your Sin Devil Trigger lasts for a number of rounds equal to half your devil hunter level, and ends early if you are reduced to 0 hit points or die. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Society Savant

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your infernal abilities give you a knack for stylish words. When you fail a Charisma (Deception) or Charisma (Persuasion) check, you can spend a style point to roll your distortion die and add the number rolled to the check, potentially turning failure into success. You expend the style point only if the roll succeeds.

Additionally, you gain proficiency with the disguise kit and forgery kit, if you don't already have it.

Spark It Up

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you can generate electricity using your fiendish powers. You gain a new attack option that you can use with the Attack action. This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it and you add your Charisma modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is lightning and its damage die is a d4. This die changes as you gain devil hunter levels, as shown in the Distortion Die column of the Devil Hunter table.

When you gain the Extra Attack feature, this special attack can be used for any of the attacks you make as part of the Attack action.

Dress to Impress

Beginning at 6th level, your fiendish abilities allow you to easily adopt a disguise. As an action, you can make yourself—including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person—look different until the end of a short or long rest or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the disguise is up to you.

Devil Heart

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the ability to augment your fiendish abilities through the creation and use of Devil Hearts, small pieces of power that are attached to a trinket, such as an amulet or medallion.

You learn three different Devil Hearts of your choice, which are detailed under "Devil Hearts" below. Devil Hearts grant minor abilities with additional features while under the effects of your Devil Trigger. You learn an additional Devil Heart at 6th, 11th, 14th, and 18th level.

Devil Trigger

At 3rd level, you learn how to tap into the demon raging inside you. On your turn, you can pull your Devil Trigger as a bonus action and gain temporary hit points equal to your devil hunter level, in addition to the benefits of your equipped Devil Hearts. These temporary hit points last until the end of your Devil Trigger.

Your Devil Trigger lasts for 1 minute, and ends early if you are reduced to 0 hit points or die. You can use this feature twice, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.

Demon's Paradise

At 6th level, you learn how to ward your resting place against the threats of the unknown. During a short or long rest, you can touch a point in space and cause an invisible, 30-foot-radius sphere of magic to appear, centered at that point.

While within the sphere, you and your allies have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) rolls against fiends and undead and cannot be targeted by any divination magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors.

The sphere vanishes at the end of the rest or when you leave the sphere.

Dark Knight

Dark Knight is based on Dante, relying more on Devil Trigger uptime than others. It focuses more on mixing and matching different weapons to adapt to the fight.

Dark Knight is more finely tuned to combat, which should take about 1/3 of the game. Compared to the tool and skill proficiencies in the other archetypes, Dark Knight falls behind in both the exploration and social pillars.

As of v1.3, Dark Knight is back and better than ever, with a large number of new ways to use style points, as well as Stinger and Charged Shot. Many of these changes incorporate a lot of the feedback I've received, and hopefully bring it up to spec with the other devil hunter archetypes. Also, note that Devil Arm Master only shares the attack roll bonus, and not the damage roll bonus, which was implemented to keep Dark Knight from being that much more powerful.

If you're worried about its power, many of the Dark Knight's strongest features come with Sin Devil Trigger, which is typically late into campaigns at 11th level. If you believe it is too powerful, consider reducing its duration to one-third of your devil hunter level. If you still think Style Change is too limiting, increase the number of free changes to twice your Charisma modifier.

Devil Breaker

Devil Breaker is based on Nero, relying on a singular weapon with many tools to supplement. The Devil Bringer brings a decent amount of utility to fights, while Exceed brings strong burst damage to the table. Unlike Dark Knight, its Devil Trigger restores on a long rest, making it more of an important power boost.

Showdown is the Devil Breaker's most power ability due to its high attack potential. However, it can only be used once per Devil Trigger and can't benefit from an added ability modifier to damage. Pair that with its high style point cost, and it becomes a rare desperate attempt at critfishing for Exceed. If you believe it is still too strong, consider removing critical hits when Showdown is used.

If you believe Exceed is too weak because of its damage type, change the Exceed dice from d8s to d10s.

Mysterious One

Mysterious One is based on V, relying on summons to deal damage to render the enemy stunned, then dealing the finishing blow. Its Devil Trigger is much shorter, but has the potential to both guard the Mysterious One and deal sizable damage. While the archetype may seem rather cluttered, the action economy works well with a little start up time, as the familiar (meant to be Griffon) and Shadow move on their own initiatives. While Nightmare uses a bonus action, it is far stronger and less common, comparatively.

Mysterious One best supports ranged weapons due to its features not specifying melee weapons.

Bringing plenty of utility with a familiar and plenty of area-of-effect damage, Mysterious One brings plenty of strength to all aspects of the game without having the single target damage of Dark Knight or Devil Breaker.

Challenging Devil Hunters

The Devil Hunter's greatest strength is the number of attacks they can perform in the earlygame, and how durable they can be in the lategame. Consider their saving throw proficiencies (Constitution and Charisma) and how susceptible they may be to effects with Intelligence or Wisdom saving throws.

If your player isn't playing a Mysterious One, their weakest point is reliable AoE damage. Consider using swarms of low damage or low HP monsters, as the action economy can easily overcome a Devil Hunter.

Dark Slayer

Dark Slayer is based on Vergil, similar in concept to Dante. It, however, focuses larger on the Summoned Swords that are so iconic to him. As of v1.3, it's received some minor buffs so that it isn't left behind by Dark Knight.

Dark Slayer, like Dark Knight is very tuned to combat. It will also fall behind in exploration and social pillars, as well, which should take up a good bit of the game.

Once again, Dark Slayer's strongest abilities come from Sin Devil Trigger, which is late into most campaigns at 11th level. If you believe it is too powerful, consider reducing its duration to one-third of your devil hunter level, like with Dark Knight.

Fiendish Fatale

Fiendish Fatale is based on Trish, focusing more on the social pillar of D&D, rather than on the combat like the other archetypes.

As its primary strength is in social checks and deception, the Fiendish Fatale is great for acting the face of the party, but isn't going to be nearly as powerful in combat. Like the other archetypes, however, it'll fall behind in the exploration pillar of the game.

If you feel that the archetype is too weak in combat, you can potentially increase its extra damage during Devil Trigger to the entire devil hunter level. If you feel like it is too strong in the social pillar, you can make Society Savant function similar to Bardic Inspiration, where you choose to use it before you know if it succeeds or fails and consume the style point even if you fail.

Mannequin

Mannequin is based on Lucia from Devil May Cry 2, focusing on the Devil Heart system from the game to mix and match features. To compensate, its main features are less powerful.

Mannequin has some features that can help in the exploration pillar, like Demon's Paradise (a callback to her familial tie to Matier) helping during rests, or the Aqua Heart allowing the party to breathe underwater. While her Devil Trigger is much more powerful in nature, it also doesn't last nearly as long, but is easily recharged so that the player doesn't always feel like they need to save it.

If you feel that the archetype is too strong, you can change its Devil Trigger to the 3/long rest system that the Devil Breaker has, while possibly increasing the duration to compensate.