Psycho (5e Class)

This is an altered version of another user's Psychopath. One of my players introduced to me the idea of a barbarian-adjacent class who is slightly more unhinged, and focuses on the improvised weapons. I've attempted to contact the creator but sadly have not had any success. Please check out his work to see the original content. He built the psychopath off of a borderlands character and explains as much on his page. Please email me if you find any issues or want to discuss something about this page.

Main changes I've made are removing the idea of self-harm for obvious reasons, making the class more creative and simple in it's improvised weapon, a complete overhaul of the maniac class (or mania, on his page) and the arsonist (hellborn on his page). Once again please check out his work because so much of this was his idea and his genius. Thank you.

When creating a Psychopath consider what drove you past the breaking point: Did you witness something traumatic? Did a powerful mage somehow alter your mind? Did an ancient magic that you couldn't fathom unlock something deep within you? Maybe you were always like this. You should also consider how this affects your character: Do you show your insanity? Is it a constant state or does the insanity take over occasionally. Do voices speak to you? If so, how many and how frequently?

You can make a Psychopath quickly by following these suggestions. First, make your highest ability score Constitution, followed by either Strength or Dexterity. Then, make your first Improvised Weapon improvement the Increased Damage improvement. This adds 1d4 piercing damage to your weapon. Finally, pick your background. If you've always been insane and lived a life of crime, choose the Criminal, Charlatan, or Urchin background; if your time doing other tasks drove you to psychopathy, choose the Soldier or Outlander background.

Class Features

As a Psychopath you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor.
Weapons: Simple weapons, improvised weapons, martial weapons.
Tools: Torture Tools
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two of Survival, Athletics, Persuasion, Performance, or Intimidation.

Equipment

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

• (a) Ragged Clothing or (b) Hide Armour
• (a) Burglars pack or (b) Dungeoneer's Pack
• (a) 2 Daggers and An improvised Weapon or (b) A Bonesaw and An improvised Weapon

At 1st Level, When not wearing armor, your Armor Class is equal to 8 + your Constitution modifier + your Dexterity modifier; you cannot gain this bonus while using a shield.

At 1st Level, you may add an improvement to an improvised weapon during a long rest. Only you can gain the benefits of these improvements; anyone else wielding your weapon will deal 1d6 damage as normal. The number of improvements you can add to your weapon increases with your class level (see: the Psychopath class table above). For each improvement, you need an appropriate item to affix to the weapon; potential items are listed in the table.

Each improvement provides a bonus, and a weapon cannot have two of the same improvements unless otherwise stated. Potential improvements include the following.

At 3rd level, you choose exactly what kind of path you take, all are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels. Pyscho-path features

When you reach 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th levels, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. You can't increase any ability score above 20.

You have learned that most people try to keep their distance from you. At level 5 you gain proficiency in Intimidation, if you already have proficiency in intimidation you gain double proficiency. As an action, you can attempt to frighten creatures of your choice within a 10ft radius. Anybody with an intelligence of 2 or more that can hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw opposing your intimidation check. This lasts until the end of your next turn. You may use this ability once. This increases to twice at level 9, and three times at level 17. You regain all uses of this feature after you finish a short or long rest. If a creature succeeds this saving throw, they become immune to this effect for 24 hours.

Beginning at the 5th level, you can attack twice whenever you take the Attack action on your turn and thrice at level 11.

At level 7 you reach a whole new level of insanity. You gain proficiency in two of Stealth, Sleight of Hand, Acrobatics, or Deception. Additionally, you gain proficiency in Dexterity Saving Throws.

At the 12th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee Attack. This increases to two additional dice at 17th level.

At the 14th Level, you have learned to love the voices in your head. You may have your shouts from the feature "The Edge of Madness" cause Tasha's hideous laughter to be cast on any affected creatures, as your madness proves to be infectious enough to bring a bout of insanity to others.

At 16th level, you start to act with reckless abandon when on your own. If there are no allies within 5ft of your target as you make an attack, you gain double proficiency to hit.

At the 20th level, you reach the grand finale of psychoticness. As an action, you may disregard everything in an attempt to kill your foes. For one minute you go through the following changes: Your ac becomes 12 regardless of what it was before. You gain one more attack added to your multiattack. You critically strike on a 19 or 20. Finally, any 1 you roll to hit an enemy may be rerolled until it is no longer a 1. You may also end this feature early, but you must make a DC 15 Wisdom check before you do so.

There are many forms of insanity out in the world. Your Psychopath may adapt their form of insanity at the 3rd level.

Choose the "Maniac" path to focus on getting in your opponents head, and destroying their minds first.

Empty the Rage

At level 3, your improvised weapon starts to unnerve your opponents. During your first turn in combat, you may choose an opponent to make a DC15 wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the start of your next turn. You may pick one more target at level 10, and another one at level 18. Additionally, on your first turn you may make a bonus action to try to frighten an opponent who is within 10ft of you and can see/hear you. You roll intimidation against a creature's wisdom saving throw. On a failed save the creature is frightened until the end of your next turn.

Reckless Abandon

At level 6, your fear can force others to face their fears and fight you. When you frighten an enemy you may choose to instead taunt it. The enemy still counts as frightened for other spells and effects, but must move towards you and must attack you if possible. If the creature has the multiattack feature, it will choose to use all these attacks against you, even if it has the option to attack multiple targets.

Insult to Injury

At level 10, fear becomes a weapon for you. You gain advantage on all attack rolls made against a creature who is frightened of you. If you already have advantage, you deal an extra 1d6 psychic damage.

Sadism

At level 14, you start to revel in the fear in your enemies’ eyes. When you strike an enemy who is frightened by you, you may roll 2d6 to regen hit points equal to the roll plus your constitution modifier.

Phobophobia

At level 18, enemies have no choice but to fear you. When an enemy who is frightened of you starts their turn, you may use your reaction to immediately deal 6d8 psychic damage to them. Enemies can no longer resist being feared by you.

Choose the "Bloodlust" path to focus on causing chaos on the battlefield.

Blood Bath

At level 3, whenever you land an attack on an enemy you enter Bloodlust for your next attack. While in Bloodlust you gain a bonus to damage rolls equal to double your proficiency and a minus to attack rolls equal to your proficiency. You also heal for 1/4 the damage you deal while in Bloodlust.

Fuel the Blood

At level 6, when you land a hit on an enemy you extend your Bloodlust by 2 attacks.

Taste of Blood

At level 10, when you would make an attack with a slashing or piercing weapon while in Bloodlust the target must make a Dc 17 Con save or they take bleed damage equal to your level on each turn. To stop the bleed someone must succeed on a DC15 Medicine check.

Blood Overdrive

At level 14, While in Bloodlust you gain resistance to Piercing, Slashing and Bludgeoning Damage.

Bloodsplosion

Starting at 18th level, While in Bloodlust if you kill a target they explode in a 15 foot radius dealing 4d12 force damage + the overkill damage of whatever element killed them (if it wasn't an element then the overkill damage is Force damage). Everyone in the radius must make a Dexterity Saving Throw DC= 10 + your DEX + your Proficiency bonus. On a failed save they take the full damage and only take half on a successful save. You are immune to this damage.

Choose the "Arsonist" path to become an arsonist, delighting in the fine arts of fire to deal with your foes.

Spellcasting

Beginning at the 3rd level, your love of fire unlocks a well of power hidden deep within your mind.

Cantrips

At 3rd level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the wizard or sorcerer spell list. You also innately know the Fire Bolt cantrip. You learn additional cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Arsonist table.

Spell Slots

The Arsonist 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.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell burning hands and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast burning hands using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the wizard or sorcerer spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Arsonist table shows when you learn more sorcerer spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the table. For instance, when you reach 4th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the spells you know and replace it with another spell from the wizard or sorcerer spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your wizard or sorcerer spells. The power of your spells comes from your insanity. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

Your power comes from your insanity, so you do not require a spellcasting focus. Ritual Casting You can cast any spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Fire Fiend

Beginning at the 6th level, when you cast a spell that does fire damage your weapon gets ignited. This adds 1d6 fire damage to the damage of the attack. The weapon stays ablaze for 30 seconds, after that you must reignite the weapon. Using another fire damage spell does not extend this duration.

Numbed Nerves

Beginning at the 10th level, you gain resistance to all fire damage.

Elemental Empathy

Beginning at the 14th level, spells that do acid, cold, lightning, or thunder damage instead do fire damage. Additionally, your flaming weapon does 2d6 extra fire damage instead.

Raving Retribution

At the 18th level, your fire becomes a part of you. Any time a hostile creature attempts to deal fire damage to you, you instead heal for half of the damage negated. This can be done 3 times. Charges are completely restored when you take a long rest. You also gain full immunity to fire damage, and completely ignore resistances to fire damage. Immunities are instead treated as resistance. If you have the elemental adept feat, the effects stack and allow you to ignore immunity to fire damage completely. This feature does not affect your immunity.

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Psychopath class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 Constitution, 13 Dexterity.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Psychopath class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light or medium armour, Improvised Weapons, Torture Tools.

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