Barbarian - Path of Blight

Barbarian

No one is more passionate about the art of war than you, and indeed you are a warrior worth your salt and reputation. To you, logic and tactics are less important in battle than instinct and emotion. When your barbarian chooses a primal path at 3rd level, the Path of Blight is a new option for an Avaleen campaign.

Path of Blight

Barbarians who follow the Path of Blight embrace the world's decay and scars, using it to fuel their rage and strengthen their resolve. They channel the power of death, rot, decay, and corruption in their combat style - leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Whether cursed by an ancient entity, marked by a plague or simply drawn to the primal energies of inevitable, rotting change, these warriors are living avatars of the natural world’s decay and destruction. Barbarians who follow the Path of Blight are often seen as agents of death, carrying the power of entropy wherever they go. Whether they seek vengeance, embrace decay as part of the natural cycle, or struggle with the curse of their own power, their path is one filled with both corruption and strength. They may be feared by their allies and enemies alike, as their connection to death can be both a blessing and a curse. Some blight barbarians might be drawn to fight against forces that disrupt the natural cycle of death, such as necromancers or undead armies. Others may embrace their powers to enact vengeance or spread corruption wherever they see fit. These barbarians are not physically transformed but instead exude the aura of death and decay through their very being
Blight Barbarians can be found all over Avaleen, but are perhaps most prevalent in the borderlands to the great Wastelands in Khorun and Sangora. They are common among the goliath warriors who roam near the cursed lands of Moraveil and the Araxi Whites. These barbarians are the living embodiment of entropy, causing everything they touch to wither. Their rage does not simply enhance their strength; it twists their form, allowing them to unleash the horrors of disease and decay upon their enemies. They are a relentless, unstoppable force—plague-bearers, corrupted avengers, and harbingers of ruin.

Sliq
(Goblin Path of Blight Barbarian)
Sliq spent decades in an enchanted swamp, befriending fungi and talking to decaying tree stumps. When a polluted river turned his beloved home into a lifeless marsh, Sliq's goblin mind snapped a bit, but instead of despairing, he found inspiration in the ruin. The decay awakened a strange power within him—one that made him a conduit for destruction and renewal. Setting out from the swamp with a staff made of rotwood and an impressive belt of dried mushrooms, Guthrum now wanders the land, spreading his philosophy of "life through decay" while gleefully bashing skulls in the name of balance.

Corrupting Fury

When you choose this path at 3rd level, your rage becomes intertwined with the dark forces of decay and disease and the battlefield becomes your chosen domain. When you enter your rage, the following effects are triggered:

• Blightstrike: When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack while raging, the target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus) or take 1d6 necrotic damage. On a failed save, the target suffers disadvantage on its next attack roll. This damage increases to 2d6 at 6th level, 3d6 at 10th level, and 4d6 at 14th level. Example Flavor: As your weapon strikes, it leaves behind festering wounds that drain the life from your foes, causing their flesh to wither. Healing will not remove the scar with ease.
• Aura of Decay: While you are raging, creatures of your choice within 5 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw or take 1 necrotic damage at the start of their turn. On a successful save, they take no damage. This damage increases to 2 necrotic damage at 6th level, 3 necrotic damage at 10th level, and 4 necrotic damage at 14th level.
  Example Flavor: The air around you is thick with the stench of death, and the mere proximity of your rage is enough to begin the process of decay.

Blighted Resilience

At 3rd level, your body adapts to the corruption you channel as your continued exposure to necrotic energies strengthens your constitution. Your body has grown resilient, both from the corruption within you and the power you wield. You shrug off the effects of poison and disease with ease, your flesh and spirit hardened against such forces. When you rage you become resistant to necrotic and poison damage and gain advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and diseased. You also gain Corruption's Fortitude: You have advantage on saving throws to maintain concentration (such as from taking damage). In addition, if you fail a concentration saving throw, you can use your reaction to automatically succeed on that saving throw once per long rest.

Pestilent Touch

At 6th level, your rage grows in potency, infecting those around you and allowing you to spread your corruption further. You can focus the decay you cause into debilitating effects for your enemies making everyone around the fallen feel the weight of their final moments.

• Corrupting Strike: When you hit a creature with a melee attack while raging, you can choose to channel decay into the target. The target must make a Constitution saving throw or suffer one of the following effects (your choice):
Poisoned: The creature becomes poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned, the creature takes 1d6 necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns.Weakened: The creature’s Strength score is reduced by 2 (to a minimum of 1) for 1 minute.
• Plaguebearer: When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can release a burst of corruptive energy. Creatures within 10 feet of the dying creature must make a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 necrotic damage and be poisoned for 1 minute. On a successful save, they take half damage and are not poisoned.

Death's Embrace

At 6th level, you gain the ability to drain the life force from your enemies and bolster your own vitality. While some barbarians do not use it, the power it grants are too much for most to ignore. Life Drain (Reaction): When you take damage from a creature within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to drain some of their life energy. You gain temporary hit points equal to half the damage taken (rounded down). These temporary hit points last for 1 minute or until depleted.

Rotting Aura

At 10th level, your very presence becomes an aura of death and decay. You can channel the power of entropy to sap the vitality of those around you.

• Aura of Blight: While you are raging your skin takes on a sickly hue, and your flesh hardens like rotting wood. You gain +2 bonus to your AC as your body becomes more difficult to harm and any creature within 10 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw at the start of its turn or take 2d6 necrotic damage. On a successful save, they take half damage. This damage increases to 3d6 at 14th level.
• Blightshield: When you are raging, you can use your reaction to absorb the corruption around you. When a creature within 10 feet of you damages you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by half the necrotic damage you deal with your Aura of Blight (rounded down).

Plague of Ruin

When you reach 14th level, your rage becomes a devastating wave of corruption, consuming everything in your path.

• Plague of Ruin: When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can choose to release a wave of corruptive energy. All creatures within 20 feet of the dying creature must make a Constitution saving throw or take 4d6 necrotic damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. On a successful save, creatures take half damage and are not poisoned.
• Miasma of Death: As an action, you can unleash a cloud of pestilence and rot in a 20-foot radius centered on you. Creatures within the area must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, creatures take 3d6 necrotic damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. On a successful save, they take half damage and are not poisoned. The area becomes heavily obscured for 1 minute due to the noxious fumes, making it difficult to see through.

Additionally, you can use your action to expend one use of your rage to create an aura of death that spreads within a 30-foot radius around you for 1 minute. While in this aura, all creatures within range take 2d6 necrotic damage at the start of their turn, and the ground becomes difficult terrain. The aura lasts until you stop raging or use a bonus action to end it early.

The following should only be seen as guidelines and tips, not hard truths. Your campaign, your character, and your game are yours to approach as you please!

Path of Blight

A Blight Barbarian lives their life between societal acceptance and being shunned for their practices. They see themselves as the harbingers of natural death and decay, while others might describe them as pure destructive force. Fearing what they stand for.
They may view their abilities as a necessary tool to combat the corruption of the world or as a deep curse that they are forced to embrace. Many are outcasts, feared by others for their unnatural abilities, while yet others see themselves as defenders of the natural order—believing that decay is just as necessary as growth. Their connection to death is not always evil, but it often brings them into conflict with life-affirming forces. Whether they are spreading ruin across the land, waging war on unnatural undead, or simply ensuring that the balance between life and death is maintained, they are a force that cannot be ignored.

Roleplaying

There are many ways to roleplay a Path of Blight barbarian.

• Antagonist: A Path of Blight barbarian can serve as a fearsome antagonist. Perhaps they’ve taken it upon themselves to eradicate unnatural life forms or cleanse an area of what they see as "excess vitality." As a villain, they could leave a trail of destruction wherever they go, sowing fear and decay across the land.
• Unlikely Ally: If the party is dealing with a threat that is connected to death, decay, or necrotic forces, a Path of Blight barbarian might be an unexpected but effective ally. Their unique powers could help the party confront dangerous undead, blight-filled forests, or even dark necromancers. And while their methods may be disturbing, they have the power to fight back against necromancers and other undead foes.
• Mentor or Guide: A seasoned Path of Blight barbarian might serve as a mentor to a player character, offering insights into the balance of life and death, or teaching them to channel their own rage into the forces of decay.
• Cursed Protector: A Path of Blight barbarian may also be a protector of natural forces, such as guarding a sacred grove or defending against necrotic forces. They might use their blighted powers to maintain balance in the world, wielding their power for a greater purpose, even if their methods are brutal.

Barbarians on this path often walk a fine line between being a destroyer and a protector. Some see their powers as a natural force of cleansing, using their rage to eradicate corruption or unnatural life. Others might see themselves as cursed and seek redemption, unwillingly wielding the forces of death but driven by a desire to protect the living. It is up to you to decide how to tackle these themes as you progress in your game.