Demon Slayer
Warriors trained in eradicating the undead and the fiendish. Demon Slayers are those who are guided by their own morals and determination. They work on mastery over the body through controlled breathing which they use to propel their physique forward. Their varying skills equip them well to slay their targets.
| Fighter Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Heightened Senses, Demon Hunter, Breath Style |
| 7th | Concentrated Breathing, Improved Breath Style |
| 10th | Mark of a Slayer |
| 15th | Perfected Breath Style |
| 18th | Breath of the Sun |
Heightened Senses
At 3rd level, you have extraordinary senses, which can come in the forms of sight, hearing, touch, or even smell. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice from the following list: Insight, Investigation, or Perception. You can add double your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make that uses your chosen skill.
Demon Hunter
At 3rd level, as an action, you can hone your senses to detect undead, fiends, and humanoids. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any undead, fiend, or humanoid within 60 feet of you that isn’t behind total cover. This sense doesn’t tell you anything about a creature’s capabilities or identity.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Breath Style
At 3rd level, you can choose a Breath Style from the following list of your choice and gain specific benefits based on your chosen Style.
- Breath of Water. You can take the Dodge and Help actions as a bonus action.
- Breath of Flame. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, your next attack roll against the same creature gains a +1 bonus. This bonus doesn't stack with cumulative attacks.
- Breath of Thunder. You can take the Dash and Disengage actions as a bonus action.
- Breath of Stone. You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class.
- Breath of Wind. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
- Breath of the Moon. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, its next attack roll it makes suffers a -1 penalty, to a maximum of -3. The effect ends when you miss the same creature or when it successfully hits another creature.
Concentrated Breathing
At 7th level, your body is toned with mastery of your breath, enhancing your physical capabilities and control. When you make a Strength (Athletics) check, you gain a bonus to the check equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of +1).
In addition, you gain proficiency with Dexterity or Wisdom saving throws (your choice).
Improved Breath Style
At 7th level, your training grants you the ability to perform advanced techniques based on your chosen Style. You gain a pool of d8’s equal to your proficiency bonus, these are your Breath Dice. You expend Breath Dice to perform additional actions based on your chosen Style, and you regain all expended Breath Die when you finish a short or long rest.
This die increases when you reach certain levels in this class, at 13th level (d10) and 19th level (d12).
Some of your Breath Style options require your target to make a saving throw to resist its effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Breath Style save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice.)
- Breath of Water. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend a Breath Die and force it to make a Constitution saving throw, or it takes additional damage equal to your Breath Die, and its Armor Class is reduced by 1 until its defenses are repaired, or it finishes a short or long rest.
- Breath of Flame. When you make a melee weapon attack and miss, you can expend a Breath Die to immediately repeat your attack against another target within the reach of your weapon.
- Breath of Thunder. As an action, you can expend a Breath Die to move up to 30 feet in a straight line, forcing any creature you pass through to make a Dexterity saving throw, or a creature takes slashing damage equal to your Breath Die + your Dexterity modifier, or half as much on a successful one. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
- Breath of Stone. As a bonus action, you can expend a Breath Die to enter a defensive stance which lasts until the start of your next turn. Each time a creature that you can see hits you with an attack while you are in your defensive stance, you roll your Breath Die and add it to your Armor Class against the attack.
- Breath of Wind. When you take the Attack action, you can replace one attack and expend a Breath Die to strike out at creatures around you, forcing creatures within range of a melee weapon you are wielding to make a Dexterity saving throw, or a creature takes slashing damage equal to your Breath Die + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice), or half as much damage on a successful one.
- Breath of the Moon. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend a Breath Die to temporarily weaken it. The first attack made against it before the start of your next turn has advantage and deals additional damage equal to your Breath Die.
Mark of a Slayer
At 10th level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, it can’t regain hit points, except for the use of a potion of healing, until the start of your next turn. If you hit an undead or fiend target, it has disadvantage on saving throws against you until the end of your next turn.
Perfected Breath Style
At 15th level, your training grants you the ability to perform mastered techniques based on your chosen Style.
- Breath of Water. As a reaction, when a creature attacks you, you can expend a Breath Die and reduce the creature’s attack roll, and any attack rolls that target you until the start of your next turn, by your Breath Die. The area of another spell or magical effect, such as fireball, has no effect on you until the start of your next turn.
- Breath of Flame. When you would be reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed outright, you can expend up to all remaining Breath Die to make one melee weapon attack before you fall unconscious. This attack scores a critical hit and deals additional damage equal to the Breath Die expended. After which you fall unconscious if you still have 0 hit points.
- Breath of Thunder. When you use the Dash action as a bonus action, you can expend a Breath Die and gain double the extra movement speed gained from the Dash action. You then move up to your speed in straight lines (you can change directions, except turning completely around), forcing any creature you pass through to make a Dexterity saving throw, or a creature takes slashing damage equal to your Breath Die + your Dexterity modifier, or half as much damage on a successful one. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
- Breath of Stone. As a bonus action, while you have a bonus to your Armor Class granted by a class feature or spell, you can expend a Breath Die, and add that bonus to your next attack and damage roll.
- Breath of Wind. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack and deal slashing damage, you can expend a Breath Die and deal the maximum amount of slashing damage.
- Breath of the Moon. At the start of your turn, you can expend a number of Breath Die and increase your melee attack range by 5 feet for every die expended until the start of your next turn.
You can use the your Breath Style option twice, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Breath of the Sun
At 18th level, your training has perfected your forms, in a single motion, your attacks become a flash of light and burn the air. Your skills grant you the following benefits:
- Kagura. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend a number of Breath Die to deal additional radiant damage for every Breath Die expended.
- Corona. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points after expending Breath Dice (minimum of 1 die used), you regain two Breath Dice. Once you use this option, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Additional Maneuvers
The following maneuvers are available if you select the Superior Technique fighting style at 2nd level.
Constant Strike
When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend a Superiority Die, and add it to the damage roll for the attack. On your next turn, if you hit the same creature again, you can add the Superiority Die again without expending another use. You lose this benefit if you miss your next attack roll, use a different action, or reduce the creature’s hit points to 0.
Eternal Spirit
When you make a death saving throw, you can expend a Superiority Die and add it to your roll. If the result of your roll is 20 or higher, you regain 1 hit point.
Art Credit
Demon Slayer Corps insignia
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Hashira Meeting Arc (2020) — Official Poster
Q&A
- Q: Will you be adding multiple forms to each breath style?
- A: No, due that there would be so many and the mechanics would feel kind of clunky given the Alternate Fighter which includes the "Fighting Styles" and "Maneuvers" already.
- Q: Will you be adding the other types of breath styles?
- A: No, I chose to use the initial six forms which branched off of the original breath style. The other ones branch from those six. So I didn't really plan on adding them at the moment. Mainly wanted to keep it condensed for the most part and not overflow it with sub-subclasses.
- Q: Why not have this as a Paladin subclass?
- A: Mainly because of thematics, the complex form of fighting felt right to be in a Fighter class. I also have randomized system, so rolling 2 dice, Demon Slayer and Fighter got paired.
Notes
This sublcass was initially inspired by the Martial Archetype: Demon Slayer by u/MaoStyle
- 5.29.22: Updated to Version 3
-- Honed Senses changed to Heightened Senses (buffed by allowing Expertise with the chosen skill instead of advantage)
-- Breath Style (majorily modified, a considerable nerf for the 3rd level Breath Style. Will watch for further feedback)
-- Improved Breath Style (utilized various effects from u/laserllama's Alternate Fighter Martial Exploits)
-- Demon Destroyer changed to Mark of a Slayer (Something detrimental towards undead/fiends, but not autodestroying)
-- Perfected Breath Style (removed spells and added more martial-focused attacks, attempting to base them off some techniques from the anime)