The power of plagues can’t be denied. A single disease can single-handedly overwhelm a nation, or even an empire. Necromancers that realize the potential within sickness will often seek to wield that power themselves. These are known as plague lords, commanders of vermin and disease alike. A plague lord’s touch is toxic, and vermin protect them from harm, can transfer their spells through unconventional means, and spread their filth to their thralls.
Charnel Toxin
At 3rd level, even your touch can cause sickness. When you hit with a Charnel Touch attack and expend 5 or more points, the target is poisoned until the start of your next turn.
Vile Congregation
You gain proficiency with light armor and medium armor.
Starting at 3rd level, leagues of vermin cling to your skin and swarm over others nearby. Whenever a hostile creature within 5 feet of you makes an attack roll or saving throw, you can roll a d4 and subtract the result from its attack roll or saving throw. This ability has no effect on Constructs and Undead.
Projectile Spew
Beginning at 6th level, your own inner nexus of power has become a volatile cocktail of disease, allowing your spells to have a far greater reach. You can reach creatures up to 15 feet away from you with your Charnel Touch feature and spells with a range of touch, as you use magically imbued projectile vomit to deliver your payload.
Bloated Thralls
At 10th level, your thralls have become hives of vermin and disease, ready to burst at any moment. When a thrall drops to 0 hit points or you release it, you can choose to cause it to explode in a shower of poison, gore, and vermin. Each creature within 5 feet of the thrall, other than yourself and your other thralls, must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d6 poison damage and is poisoned until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and isn’t poisoned.
Lichdom: Corpulent Lich
At 20th level, you have reached the pinnacle of necromancy and transformed yourself into a lich. Your obsession with disease and rot has affected your transformation: your body engorges, much like a waterlogged corpse, and your skin turns a sickly green. You gain the following features in addition to the Lichdom feature:
Gore Burst. When you drop to 0 hit points, your body explodes in a shower of plague and necromantic energy. Each creature within 20 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes 5d10 necrotic damage and 5d10 poison damage and is poisoned until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and isn’t poisoned.
Master of Disease. When you use your Charnel Toxin feature and expend 25 or more points, the creature is poisoned and cursed for up to 1 minute on a failed save. Choose two of the following effects which afflict the target while it is cursed:
Choose one ability score. The target has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made with that ability score.
- The target can only see out to a radius of 10 feet.
- The target falls prone at the end of each of its turns.
- The target loses an additional 1d6 hit points whenever it takes damage.
- The target can speak only in a babbling nonsense language, and can’t perform the verbal components of spells.
At the end of each of its turns, the target can make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC, ending the curse and the poisoned condition on a success.