Night Stalker
Some rogues use their skill-sets not as criminals but stalkers employed by a church. Such rogues include witch hunters, demon or undead slayers, and inquisitors. They stand in the shadows at the periphery of the night, watching, waiting, looking, hunting, stalking, until they find the enemies of their faith and silently leave them in shallow, unmarked graves. Night stalkers are expected to follow the same tenets as a Paladin who has sworn an oath of vengeance.
Bonus Proficiency
When you gain this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Religion skill. If you are already trained in Religion, you instead receive training in Arcana.
Divine Smite
Starting at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one night-stalker spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target in addition to the weapon’s damage and any sneak attack damage. The extra damage is 1d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum o f 4d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.
Spellcasting
When you reach 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting. You cast spells from the night stalker’s spell list. You can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus.
Spell Slots
Night stalkers gain spell slots at the same rate as an arcane trickster; they do not, however, gain any cantrips. To cast a spell, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. After each long rest, you prepare the list of spells available to cast, choosing from the night stalker spell list (see below). When you do so, choose a number of spells equal to one third your level rounded down (minimum one spell) plus your Wisdom modifier. The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your night stalker spells since you gain your spells through devotion to a deity. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a night stalker spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Inquisitor’s Focus
Starting at 9th level, you learn to impose your will over others. As an action you can make a Charisma (Intimidation) check opposed by a creature’s Wisdom saving throw. The creature must be able to hear you, and the two of you must share a language. If you succeed on the check and the creature is hostile, you gain advantage against the creature for 1 minute or until it drops to 0 hit points or falls unconscious. If the creature is not hostile, the creature cannot lie to you for 1 minute. This is a supernatural effect. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until after a short rest.
Stalker’s Tricks
Starting at 13th level, you can use a bonus action to gain advantage on the next Intelligence (Investigation) or Charisma (Intimidation) check you make on your turn.
Deadly Smite
Starting at 17th level, you become a master of dealing divine retribution. Whenever you attack, hit, and deal damage with your Divine Smite class feature, the smited creature must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a failed save, deal double the damage of your attack against the creature.
Night Stalker Spell List
1st Level
Bane
Compel Duel
Cure Wounds
Detect Evil and Good
Detect Magic
Detect Poison and Disease
Divine Favor
Healing Word
Heroism
Hunter’s Mark
Protection from Good and Evil
Purify Food and Drink
Searing Smite
Shield of Faith
Thunderous Smite
Wrathful Smite
2nd Level
Aid
Branding Smite
Hold Person
Invisibility
Lesser Restoration
Locate Object
Magic Weapon
Misty Step
Protection from Poison
Zone of Truth
3rd Level
Aura of Vitality
Blinding Smite
Create Food and Water
Crusader’s Mantle
Daylight
Dispel Magic
Elemental Weapon
Haste
Magic Circle
Nondetection
Protection from Energy
Remove Curse
4th Level
Aura of Life
Aura of Purity
Banishment
Death Ward
Dimension Door
Improved Invisibility
Locate Creature
Phantasmal Killer
Staggering Smite
I like it. Is this a Rogue Archetype. Divine Smite combined with Sneak Attack can be quite powerful.
Yeah that could be a bit game breaking damage wise.
Another thign to keep in mind is that customizing the spell alist a little more would probably be a good plan. I hate it when people make classes/sub-classes by yoinking other classes spell lists, having each class have it's own hand picked and thematicallly appropriate list (possibly including unique spells) really helps avoid classes getting over inflated lists.
arnwolf666 wrote:
Cyber-Dave wrote:
I'm still a bit leery of combining two damage features. Especially as smiting gives you a lot more control than the asassin ability.
Anyway you might have a point about it not being quite as big a deal as I'm making it out to be, but the spell list issue is also pretty major.
rampant wrote:
I want to point out, that this Divine Smite is a lite version. It starts at 1D8 while the Paly version starts at 2D8.
I hope that is intentional, as I think that makes it reasonable. I would object to it being the same as the Paladin's.
Coredump00 wrote:
arnwolf666 wrote:
Cyber-Dave wrote:
rampant wrote:
arnwolf666 wrote:
danyc wrote:
Karnos wrote:
Karnos wrote:
Not every piece of 5e design convention is smart, and the whole lifting other classes spell lists for sub classes is one of the dumb moves. Especially in the case of Eldritch knights and wizard evocation spells, it's just not a good match up. It's probably not as big adeal for the night-stalker since the pally spells are already melee centric. Most of the smite spells are probably just fine, but I think some of the support spells might be better off traded out for some stealth magic.
rampant wrote:
Ok, so, I made a few minor changes to the subclass based on feedback (though the changes are very minor). I explicitly created a unique spell list for the night stalker (though I did use the paladin spell list as a base, and only made a few minor changes to that base). I also decided that, as the night stalker doesn't get any cantrips (like an arcane trickster), it should get a bonus proficiency. I, however, wanted that bonus proficiency to be weaker than the sort of proficiency/skill bonuses granted to the thief/assassin. So, I gave night stalkers proficiency in Religion. If they already have proficiency in Religion, they instead gain proficiency in Arcana. Everything else remains unchanged. Does the updated version in the original post look balanced right now?
I wouldn't go with the Bless spell, I would make them rely more on spells like Bane. I might even throw in somehting like Phantasmal Killer, put the fear of god in your enemies.
arnwolf666 wrote:
This class is really appealing to me. It reminds me of the Illrigger class from Plethora of Paladins in dragon magazine flavorwise. And I think it feels that role even better. Although in this case it would not be a class for the LE. I am going to put some more thought in the spell list tonight and tomorrow. Really liking the vibe I have going right now. Very PF Inquisitor feeling too. And there are many PF classes I did like.
I like the spell list, thank you, I would however remove hunter's mark. It's thematically appropriate yes, but You've already got smiting and sneak attack.
rampant wrote:
I'm more than a little leery of using multi-class builds as a baseline for the construction of a sub-class. Although upon consideration the pure rogue classes ar eprobably the ones who'd do the least damage with hunter's mark seeing as they rely on one huge hit.
rampant wrote:
I'm not sure I will use the Aura spells and Haste. I think I may fo Wall of Fire for the Fires of Hell coolness factor. I might go Bestow Curse as a way for them to sort of Rebuke their enemies. Speak with Dead, death can't stop you from interrogating the enemy, and Divination for guidance. That replaces that Aura spells and Haste. I would possibly throw in lightning arrow also, very god like to throw a lightning at your enemies.
I will say Cyberdave, I am very much enjoying this class. I will definitely integrate it into one of my homebrew settings of over 20 years. They will be the Inquisitor's of the Ormanian Church that seek out outsiders that hide within society. They play the cat and mouse game with those powerful outsiders that are so integrated in society that they are hard to touch because of their political and social power.
Thanks arnwolf666! I appreciate the kind words. I think I want to keep the aura spells and haste. Any specific night stalker doesn't have to use them. I do, however, like the way the aura spells emergent help the character produce a very "inquisitor/witch-hunter" effect. Namely, "the mob." By buffing his allies with an aura, he night stalker makes his allies gather around him like a mob. As a result, the night stalker literally creates mobs (via divine favor) that go after the foes of his church. That seems very thematic to me. I also like the way haste connects the night stalker to oath of vengeance paladins and pulls off that whole "speed and agility of the gods" thing. I don't really like wall of fire for the simple reason that it is used to keep creatures apart. i wouldn't, however, mind adding some fire based spells that provide torture or pyre like effects. Perhaps heat metal? I am up for suggestions!