Path of the Living Tomb
Some barbarians channel their own fury. You channel something else - an entity long buried, entombed within your soul, body, or bloodline. When you rage, it claws at the walls of its prison, leaking through your veins as power, madness, and metamorphosis. The longer you fight, the thinner the walls between you and it become.
Ancient Host (3rd Level)
You are the vessel of an imprisoned force. When you rage, you manifest fragments of its power: You gain temporary hit points equal to your Barbarian level when you enter your rage.
While raging, you exude an aura of unnatural presence. Creatures within 5 feet of you at the start of your turn take necrotic damage equal to your Rage Damage bonus.
Once per rage, when you are reduced to 0 HP but not killed outright, you may drop to 1 HP instead, as the entity resists release.
Forgotten Tongue (3rd Level)
You learn a cryptic language spoken only by the entity within. This is a unique language your GM may use for narrative secrets, lost magic, or decoding ancient texts.
Additionally, you gain proficiency in Arcana or Religion (your choice). If you're already proficient, you gain expertise.
Cracks in the Tomb (6th Level)
Your control slips, and more of the entity’s influence seeps through. At the start of each of your turns while raging, roll a d6. The result determines the manifestation that round:
| d6 | Manifestation |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Grasping Shadows: Creatures you choose within 10 feet must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Constitution modifier) or have their speed halved until the start of your next turn. |
| 3–4 | Elder Voice: You have advantage on your next attack roll this turn. If it hits, it deals extra psychic damage equal to your Rage Damage bonus. |
| 5–6 | Unstable Flesh: When a creature hits you with a melee attack, it takes necrotic damage equal to your Constitution modifier. This lasts until the start of your next turn. |
You can choose to reroll this result once per rage.
Echo of the Sealed (10th Level)
The entity begins to surface through you. When you enter a rage, choose one of the three manifestations from Cracks in the Tomb to apply for the full duration of your rage instead of rolling each turn.
Additionally, you can now use your Forgotten Tongue to communicate telepathically with any creature you can see within 30 feet that knows at least one language.
Break the Seal (14th Level)
You unleash a portion of the entity trapped within you. Once per long rest, as an action while raging, you may shatter the tomb’s bindings, invoking the following effects for 1 minute:
You gain resistance to all damage except force.
You grow spectral limbs, tendrils, or wings; once per turn when you make a melee attack, you may make an additional spectral strike for 1d10 necrotic or psychic damage.
When you drop a creature to 0 HP, you may force another creature within 10 feet of it to make a Wisdom saving throw (same DC as above) or be frightened of you until the end of its next turn.
At the end of the minute, you suffer one level of exhaustion, and the entity is forced back into slumber.