Editing Mysterium (section)

===NIGHTMARE HUNTER===

The Forgotten Ones are generally subtle with their entry into the world. Working mostly through their cults and keeping to the more hidden, lesser known places in the world. 

But now and then something horrifyingly terrible and impossible rips through the fabric of time and space and comes full force into the world, leaving chaos, destruction, and madness in its wake. Few live through such encounters, and those who do rarely keep their sanity, reduced to drooling and mumbling victims of the Ancient Sleepers' catastrophes. 

But some few do survive and even keep their wits about them, forever changed and hardened by the experience but not a victim. These few rise and decide to take the fight to the horrors from Beyond, to seek out the shadowy corners of the world and make an afront against the forces of the World of Nightmares, the Forgotten Ones, and their cults. 

'''Comfortable In the Dark'''

As a Nightmare Hunter, you are used to your crusade taking you into the darker places of the world, of being a night owl who stalks the shadows investigating any clue no matter how obvious or dubious of the presence of the Forgotten Ones or their cults. You are part purist priest investigator and part warrior in the shadows. Your arcane knowledge is limited to that which can protect against those from Beyond but your fighting prowess and knowledge of the occult is unmatched. 

Though you might have spent your life so far as a loner, working solo in your fight against the unwelcome usurpers and trespassers into your world, you know the value in finding allies who have the same interest. Though you might not be easy to trust and wonder at the motives of the MNysterium, it is a welcome group for finding and eliminating the threats from the World of Nightmares. 

'''Deadly Avenger'''

You are calm, possibly even cold in your day to day dealings and while you are tracking the horrors you plan to make your prey. But once you are unleashed on them, you brandish your fury and pain from what they took from you and focus it into deadly precision, cutting and defeating those from Beyond with excellent skill and not noticing the things that cause other mortals madness. Perhaps you have come full circle through that madness and no longer have any reason to fear it, perhaps you locked it away somewhere far in the back of your mind and don't choose to acknowledge your horror until your war is done. However you build your mental defenses, you keep the madness and the vile taint of the Others from your mind and soul and push through, hoping only to one day find the heart of your enemy, to destroy it once and for all.


[[File:Nightmare_Hunter_Tabke.jpg]]


'''Creating a Nightmare Hunter'''
When creating your Nightmare Hunter character, think about how the character relates to others, how he or she reacts to the unsettling stares from those around them. Is the character unsettled himself or herself at how relaxed they have become around the horrors of the world? Or are they simply obsessed with their vengeance and have little room to focus on other things. Is part of his or her anger the fact that the Forgotten Ones have taken away even their normal feelings and emotions, their ability to feel afraid and horrified? Or does your character fight to keep the emotions that he or she has left and to protect them just as the character protects the rest of the world hoping there will be some mortality and feeling left after the war against the World of Nightmares has finally been won?

How does your Nightmare Hunter character react to the Mysterium? Is finding allies that also work against the Forgotten Ones just too good to be true? Does he or she wonder of a different agenda hidden behind everything else and will they, as a crusader against taint and corruption find themselves investigating the very organization they fight alongside?

'''Quick Build'''

You can make a nightmare hunter quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength your highest Attribute to better strike at your unnatural enemies, followed by Wisdom so you can strenthen your mind against the unnatural insanity of those from Beyond and strengthen your glyphs. 

'''CLASS FEATURES'''

As a Nightmare Hunter you gain the following class features.

'''Hit Points'''

• Hit Dice: 1d10 per Nightmare Hunter Level (1d12 beginning at level 13)

• Hit Points at First Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 1d12) + your Constitution modifier per Nightmare Hunter level after 1st.

'''Proficiencies'''

• Armor: Light armor or Medium armor

• Weapons: Simple weapons, Martial weapons

• Tools: Glyphic kit, holy symbol

• Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom

• Skills: Choose 2 from Athletics, Acrobatics, Arcana, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Stealth, and Survival

'''Equipment'''

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

• {a} a martial weapon or {b} two simple weapons

• {a} a light crossbow, {b} a hand crossbow, or {c} 5 throwing knives

• {a} studded leather armor or {b} scale mail armor

• holy symbol of favored god 

• explorer's pack

'''Steel Mind'''

Through pure face to face survival with the horrors of the World of Nightmares, you have steeled your mind against the madness and fear that the realm and its denizens cause. At 1st level you get a bonus to saves involving fear or madness of +2. At level 9, this bonus increases to +4.

'''Glyphic Mark'''

At 1st level you gain your first self created glyphic mark, also just called a glyph. These marks are scarred into the skin and infused with dyes. When active, they glow with an eerie red light. Though the glyphic marks cannot be removed, they can be improved on at higher levels. 

'''''1st Level Glyphs'''''

'''The Mark of Hatred'''

This glyph grants the following features:

• Attack Bonus: You gain an attack bonus of +1 with melee weapons

• Vengeful Edge: You take half damage from non-magical attacks

'''The Mark of the Crusader'''

• Strike the Vile: Your attacks do an extra bonus die of damage to those beings from the World of Nightmares

• Soldier's Recovery: You recover 2 Hit Points each turn

'''''2nd Level Glyphs'''''

'''The Mark of Irastelle'''

It is said that Irastelle was the first Nightmare Hunter, the first person to take the horror she had encountered in the presence of a horror from beyond and to harness the desire for vengeance she felt into a symbol that she carved into her skin repeatedly to remind herself of the war she was fighting. Whether this story is true or not, Irastelle did pass down her mark to others and now you etch it into your own skin to help prepare you in the fight against the Forgotten. 

This glyph grants the following features:

• Brave the Unknown: You can ignore one mind altering effect of a denizen from the World of Nightmares (per denizen). That same effect cannot be used against you until after you have taken a long rest. This includes charm, fear, and madness effects.

• Strike Back: When an attack misses you, you can immediately make an attack of your own against the attacker if they are within range of your wielded weapon. You only make one attack, despite any abilities that would allow for extra attacks. 

'''A mark of Shields'''

This glyph grants the following features:

• Circle of Shields: You are surrounded by four circling shields made of eerie green energy. They immediately move to block attacks on you, granting you a +4 to your AC. If you are hit, the shields absorb half the damage, destroying one shield per hit. Your AC bonus decreases by 1 for each shield destroyed. You can renew the Circle of shields after a short rest. 

• Deflection: You can sacrifice two of your shields from Circle of Shields to completely deflect a melee attack that would have hit you. 

'''''3rd Level Glyphs'''''

'''The Mark of the Fiery Storm'''

This glyph grants the following features:

• Lightning Strike: You cause lightning to rain down from above either from the sky or from the ceiling of an enclosure, the lightning is an eerie violet color and you make three attacks with the lightning, each using your Wisdom modifier for the attack. Targets hit take lightning damage equal to 2d4 + your Wisdom modifier. You can use this glyph's power a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier before needing to take a lonng rest to rejuvenate the ability. 

• Fire of Vengeance: Eerie blood red fire erupts from your glyph and pours along your melee weapon, not harming the weapon. When you strike with the melee weapon, the target also takes an additional d8 of fire damage. This effect last until you take a short rest and can be activated again any time.

'''The Mark of the Hunting Beast'''

It is said that even nature, itself, abhors the presence of the Forgotten Ones and the taint from the World of Nightmares. This glyph is a testament to that fact as you are given the traits of a wild hunting beast to help bring down the Ancient Sleepers. 

This glyph grants you the following features:

• Talons of the Beats: You grow long talons in place of your fingernails, razor sharp and ready to spill blood. You can make an attack with each taloned hand a a melee attack with a +1 bonus to your Attack roll. Each talon causes 2d4 slashing damage and if both attacks land on the same target, the target takes an additional 2d6 slashing damage. 

• Scent of the Prey: You can make an Investigation check to detect hidden creatures by smell. You can also track a scent once discovering it up to a mile. If the creature is invisible or hidden other than by means that would mask scent, you half your penalty for attacking them and you are not Surprised by attacks by them once you've detected them. 

'''''4th Level Glyphs'''''

'''Mark of the Shade'''

This glyph grants the following features:

• Shadow Cloak: You gain a +2 bonus to hiding Stealth rolls and you can hide even in areas with no shadows, becoming partially obscured though not truly invisible (others can still try to spot you though it is as if you are hiding in shadows). When interracting with others in any way, this effect is broken. If you make an attack while under the effect of Shadow Cloak, you gain Advantage on that attack. 

• Shadow Walk: You can step into a shadow within range of a move action and emerge from a shadow at a place that you know. You can only use this power once between long rests. 

'''Mark of the Saint'''

This glyph grants you the following features:

• Turning the Forgotten: You can channel energy from both your glyph and your holy symbol to turn a creature from the World of Nightmares just as a cleric can turn undead. Though the creatures is not frozen with fear, destroyed, nor does it retreat in fear, it feels an urge to leave your world and return back to the World of Nightmares. 

• The Final Sacrifice: When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points, you can target a Forgotten One or a creature of Evil alignment and cause a pillar of strange green and black flames to engulf them doing 3d10 fire damage. The target can make a Constitution Save to take half damage. This power also destroys this glyph, leaving the vaguest mark on your skin where the glyph was. You can only restore the glyph or replace it with another during a long rest where you are conscious. 

'''Vengeful Fury'''

You have bottled up your emotions, not daring to let loose or lose control for so long. But now you have discovered how to harness this sorrow, loss, and rage into a devastating attack. 

At 2nd Level, you can use Vengeful Fury to unleash a roar at your foe as you attack. If the attack lands, you immediately make another attack (this does not count towards extra attacks) and both of your attacks do full damage if both land. If only the first lands, then that attack does full damage. You can only use this ability once between short rests. At level 14, your vengeful furry attacks do full damage and an additional 2d8 damage of the attack type used. 

'''Unnatural Aura'''

By 3rd level, your dealings of death to those from another world have caused you to take on a stoic and unwelcome look, but it has also caused your very being to feel unnatural to those around you. 

When creatures first encounter you, you can choose to activate this feature or not. If you do then the targeted creature(s) must make a Wisdom Save (DC 10+ you Wisdom modifier) or avoid you (if you are in combat they attack others and try to move away from you) for 1 minute. This feature has no effect on denizens from the World of Nightmares or those under an effect of madness. 

'''Ability Score Improvement'''

At 4th Level and then again at Levels 9, 12, 16, and 19 you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two abilitiy scores of your choosing by 1 each. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

'''Ward Against the Unknowable'''

At 5th level you develop the knowledge to create a ward against the denizens from the World of Nightmares. It takes the time of a short rest to create such a ward and you can only create one ward at a time. If the ward is placed at the entrance of an area, doorway, cave entrance, etc. then Forgotten Ones and their ilk will avoid entering that area without even knowing they are doing so. If the ward is placed on a weapon then when successfully hitting a Forgotten One, it will cause great pain, adding an additional d8 of lightning damage and causing the target to move away from the warded weapon for 1 minute. The ward keeps its power for one full hour before dissipating. 

At level 11, the damage taken from this ward is increased to 2d8 lightning damage and the ward can lasts up to two hours. 

At level 18, the damage taken from this ward is increased to 2d10 lightning damage and the ward lasts up to three hours. 

'''Extra Attack'''

Beginning at level 6, you can attack twice instead of once, whenever you take an attack action on your turn. At level 13, this increases to three attacks whenever you take an Attack action on your turn.

'''Evasion'''

At level 7 and above, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as an ancient red dragon’s fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

'''Exorcise the Unwelcome'''

At level 11, you have learned of ways to send your enemy retreating from your world. When you bring a target creature down to half its Hit Points or lower, if the creature is from another world or plane you can command it to return and if your next attack hits the target, it is sent to the world or plane it has come from through a hole ripped in reality. This hole cannot be entered, it forces all except the target out even as it absorbs the target creature. 

'''Hit Die Advancement'''

Beginning at level 15, your Hit Dice are a d12 instead of a d10 and you roll 1d12 + your constitution modifier for your Hit Points each level. 

'''Embrace the Nightmare'''

Beginning at level 17, you are no longer effected by madness effects arising from denizens or influences of the World of Nightmares. And when you bring down a denizen from the World of Nightmares to 0 Hit Points, you regain the use of an expended glyph power, 

'''Sever the Nightmare'''

At level 20 you gain the ability to sacrifice a glyph which immediately leaves the area of your body it exists on as if it had never been there. You lose any features granted by the glyph and immediately cause 2d8 fire damage and 2d8 acid damage to a creature from the World of Nightmares. You can recraft the sacrificed glyph during a long rest.