Husk Staggering from lacerations and near death, an orc collapses backwards onto a knee. His foe, a dwarf, raises their battleaxe for the killing blow, but ropey tendrils of blood erupt from his chest, flowing into the orc, who stands as their wounds knit shut with the dwarf's blood. With runed swords shimmering in the torchlight, a woman clad in blue plate strides unyielding into the midst of the enemies of the army she fights for. The air grows misty, and frost roars around her as cold forms on the soldiers around her and saps them of warmth. Maggots and nightcrawlers clinging to it, a corpse claws its way out of a cemetery, standing at attention towards its new master. Green eyes flickering like fireflies, the man who raised it telepathically orders it to the fields - a winter is coming, and more farmhands are needed to plow them before the ground freezes. Husks are strange, rare, and often feared. They are former men and women of the faith, raised into undeath for nefarious purposes and later freed through escape or their master's death or departure. As the walking dead, their former ties divine forces has been perverted into control of powerful dark magic, which husks use for their own means, whether good, evil, or simply sating their hunger. The Three Fetters Necromancers raise former men and women of the faith for their ties to divinity and certain deities. Depending on the type of forces they served under in life, husks will command one of three "fetters" - similar to schools - of magic in undeath, and they remain in control of them even when the husk has been freed. The first of these fetters, the scarlet fetter, ties to blood, life, and shielding. Paladins, protectors, and defenders remain closely-tied with their bonds to shield others and themselves from harm, and these forces are manifested in the form of control over necromantic magic. Scarlet husks possess little protective capabilities, but are hugely durable and possess powerful self-healing capabilities to shrug off even mortal wounds with just a flinch. The second fetter, the pale fetter, ties to cold, winter, and ice. Holy warriors and oath-sworn clerics often fall here, as their fierce might and devotion coalesces itself into icy, freezing wind. Pale husks excel in area control and dealing sustained, unrelenting damage to powerful foes. The third fetter, the languid fetter, ties to reanimation, plague, and disease. In a cruel twist, merciful priests and healers fall most often here, their close ties to life itself being bent to another purpose. Languid husks command plague, pestilence, and disease, and can use their magic to reanimate and raise the bodies of their enemies as short-lived cannon fodder. The Hunger Husks are undead. Though once living, breathing, and mortal, they are no longer any of these things, owing to the fascimile of life that moves them. Though capable of tasting and processing food and drink, husks do not require them to function. Most do, however, require sleep, as the magic suffusing them is insufficient to prevent this need.

The Husk Level Proficiency Bonus Features Base Disharmony 1st +2 Dead Man Walking, Fetters ─ 2nd +2 Disharmony 2 3rd +2 Runeforging 2 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 2 5th +3 Will of the Necropolis 3 6th +3 March of the Damned 3 7th +3 Fetter Feature 3 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 9th +4 Indomitable 4 10th +4 Fetter Feature 4 11th +4 Purgatory 5 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 5 13th +5 Quickened Etching 6 14th +5 Necromantic Mastery 7 15th +5 Fetter Feature 7 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 8 17th +6 Feast of Souls 8 18th +6 Fetter Feature 9 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 9 20th +6 Deathlord 10 In place of hunger and thirst is a more insidious need, closer to a curse than any kind of biology. Referred to by most husks as "the endless hunger", "the eternal hunger", or most commonly, just "the hunger", the negative energy that infuses a husk to the core creates a void that always seeks to be filled. This hunger for positive energy is sated in two ways - either through surges of it, such as non-divine healing magic, or by causing death. Failure to fill this void will result in dessication and an eventual failure of the husk's body, snuffing out what remains of their life. In addition to the fear that surrounds their existence, the hunger causes many husks to take the adventurer's path. Many few husks feel intense remorse for the actions they performed while an unwilling undead servant and seek to atone for them however possible. Creating a Husk Husks are complex characters because of their nature; their current form is not one they chose, and is a direct result of how they were in life. With your fetter in mind, decide who you were as a normal person. For a scarlet fetter, you may have been a paladin of Helm, slain defending his kingdom and reanimated by a necrolord seeking to grow his army before ultimately meeting his end at the hands of a band of militia. Maybe you were a simple priest on a holy pilgrimage, dying of natural causes and reanimated to pervert your holy magic into something to better aid your new master before you managed to escape from his control with the help of a benefactor. How did you escape from servitude? Like all undead, husks are magically bound to the control of their reanimators as the conditions of their resurrection dictate. Was your master slain by an adventuring party before you could aid in the battle, and her hold over you broken? Did they forget to reassert control over you as they slept, allowing you to escape into the world under the dark of night? Maybe a druid in-tune with death simply took control of you, commanded you to slay your master, and then released you to seek a better life in a world that fears you. Or perhaps it was more simple, with you simply being an undead soldier among many in a legion lost and left to die when the necromantic cult that used you moved on.

With such mixed pasts, and their neverending hunger, many husks tend towards neutral, chaotic, or evil alignments. However, there is nothing in a husk that suppresses or removes their conscience, and good or lawful husks are also common, seeking to prove to the world that they can still do justice in spite of their undeath. Quick Build You can make a husk quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength. Second, choose the acolyte background, taking care to remember that this is who you once were, not who you are. Class Features As a husk, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per husk level

1d10 per husk level Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

10 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per husk level after 1st Proficiencies Armor: All armor

All armor Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons

Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence

Constitution, Intelligence Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Athletics, Intimidation, and Religion Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: Two martial weapons

(a) an explorer's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack

(a) a breastplate or (b) chain mail Dead Man Walking You are undead. As such, you do not require food or drink, and you do not age naturally. You have resistance to necrotic and poison damage, and vulnerability to radiant damage. Finally, you are immune to disease and have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and although you reflexively breathe (meaning you suffer from inhalation-based effects), you do not need air to function. Although you're undead, your creature type does not consider you as such, and you remain a humanoid. Effects such as turn undead do target you, and anything that affects undead creatures in a special way affects you in that way rather than as a humanoid. Individuals driven to destroy undeath may revile you, at your DM's discretion. Due to your nature, you cannot channel divine energies without tearing your form apart. As such, you can't multiclass into any subclass with ties to holy divinity (such as Oath of Devotion paladin or the Light domain), and cannot multiclass into husk as one of these classes. However, subclasses that do not rely on holy magic are acceptable. Ask your DM if it's acceptable to multiclass into a certain subclass if you aren't sure. Fetters Raised from holy service into undeath, the powers you serve have been warped, giving you unique abilities and strengths. Choose from the list of husk fetters, all detailed at the end of the class description. Fetter Alterations Each fetter alters you in some fundamental way, mutating your body to accomodate the powers you command. This can manifest in ways such as changing your speed or hit dice. When such a change is listed here, it replaces the existing husk information; for instance, if a fetter alteration replaces your hit die with 1d12, then you should change your character sheet to reflect it. Fetter Disharmonies Fetters grant new abilities to expend disharmony with, which are noted here. Disharmony When you reach 2nd level, you are able to wield and manipulate negative energy. You gain a resource, called disharmony, that can be used to channel necromantic powers in a way not unlike casting a spell. A full list of abilities usable with disharmony can be found below, and each fetter provides unique abilities for use with disharmony. The amount of disharmony you have is equal to the base disharmony for your husk level (shown on the class table) plus your Intelligence modifier (min 2 total.) Disharmony is refreshed when you finish a short or long rest. Unless stated otherwise, the saving throw DC for your disharmonies is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier. Anti-Magic Shell Starting at 5th level, you are capable of absorbing magic into yourself. Whenever you would take damage from a magic effect, you can choose to take your reaction to spend disharmony (minimum 2) to form a barrier with an amount of hit points equal to five times the amount of disharmony spent. The barrier lasts until the beginning of your next turn and absorbs all magical damage. Once you use this ability, you may not do so again until you complete a short or long rest. Black Harvest When making a successful melee attack, you may choose to expend 2 disharmony as part of the action to heal for 1d8. If you took damage last turn, you heal for an additional amount equal to your husk level. This amount increases to 2d8 at 5th level, 3d8 at 11th level, and 4d8 at 17th level. Dark Simulacrum Whenever you see a creature of your level or below cast a spell, you may use 1 disharmony to form copy that spell in your memory. For the next 24 hours, you may expend another 1 disharmony to replicate the spell as an action. All elemental damage dealt by spells cast in this way is necrotic. After use, the spell fades from memory, and you can't use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.





























































Death Grip You may harness the energy that surrounds and binds all matter. As a bonus action, you can expend 1 disharmony to form shadowy tendrils and yank a creature that you can see within 60 feet towards you. You make an Intelligence check contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) check. If you win the contest, you pull the creature directly in front of you. Creatures moved in this way move very quickly through the air, colliding with anything in their path, but are magically slowed to a halt when they reach you. Any creature greater than Large in size cannot be moved by death grip. Stalk You may expend 1 disharmony as an action to shroud yourself in illusion, disguising any outward signs of undeath and making you appear healthy and living until dismissed. This illusion cannot be revealed through observation, but magic and undead detection penetrate it. If you have a deathcharger, stalk also affects it. Wraith Walk Your attunement with undeath grants you the ability to sidestep into the Astral Plane. As a bonus action, or a reaction when your movement is slowed (but not reduced to zero) you may expend 1 disharmony to enter a semi-ethereal state, hovering above the ground and appearing blue and transparent. While wraith walking, your movement speed can't be reduced, and your movement speed is increased by 10 feet. This effect ends whenever you take any action that is not simple movement.



























































Runeforging At 3rd level, you gain an insight into an ancient necromantic practice - runeforging. You may spend 10 minutes imbuing a nonmagical weapon or magical weapon that you are attuned to with unholy runes that change its power. While runeforged, a weapon has visible glowing blue runes etched into its surface, counts as magical, and deals varying effects based on what rune is etched into it. Different runes are available in different fetters. Runes on weapons become inactive and do not function when you are not wielding the weapon. After one week without use, the runes crumble to dust. If you runeforge a different rune on a weapon that already has one, the old rune is overwritten. Rune of the Fallen Crusader Whenever you critically succeed on an attack roll using a weapon with this rune, you heal for half the damage dealt. Starting at 5th level, whenever you make a weapon attack using this weapon as an Attack action, you may attack twice instead of once. Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Will of the Necropolis When you reach 5th level, the negative energy binding body and soul surges in strength. Whenever an enemy dies within 5 feet of you, you may use your reaction to capture some of its escaping positive energy, regaining 1 disharmony point. March of the Damned At 6th level, your base movement speed increases by 10 feet, and your movement speed cannot be slowed below 20 feet. Your movement speed can still be reduced to 0 by means such as grappling. Additionally, the icy aura surrounding you freezes water as you walk across it, allowing you and any creature of your choice within 30 feet to walk on water if you choose. Additionally, you gain the ability to create a deathcharger, a steadfast, undead battle companion that serves as a tireless mount. You learn the find steed spell, but are unable to cast it. First, you mut seek out one of the creatures that find steed can create, such as a warhorse, elk, etc. Your DM may allow other creatures to be chosen. Then, you must kill the creature by your own hand, and spend the next 30 minutes suffusing the corpse with dark energy. Once this time has passed, the creature will raise from the dead under your control, becoming your deathcharger. It undergoes all effects that find steed imposes, its type becomes undead, and its alignment becomes your own. When you have a deathcharger, you can cast find steed to summon and dismiss it. Although its undead nature makes it immune to fatigue, its body still requires rest like a normal steed. Creating a new deathcharger destroys the old one as the magic reanimating it fades. Indomitable Upon reaching 9th level, your undeath makes keeping you dead remarkably hard. You make death saving throws with advantage, and no longer reflexively breathe, thus granting immunity to inhalation-based effects unless you choose. Purgatory When you reach 11th level, you gain the ability to sustain yourself through sheer force of will. If you are standing and not incapacitated upon reaching 0 hit points, you can choose instead form a barrier around yourself and become immune to damage and healing until the end of your next turn. The barrier's health is equal to the amount of damage dealt by the incapacitating attack. Whenever you deal damage or receive healing from yourself, the barrier's health depletes by that amount. If the barrier's health reaches zero before the end of your turn, you regain 1 hit point. Otherwise, you fall unconscious, and are dying. After being used, this feature cannot occur again until you finish a long rest. Quickened Etching Reaching 13th level, you develop a method for rapid runeforging for adapting to new situations. Runeforging a weapon now takes a bonus action, instead of 10 minutes. However, you must perform it before any other action in combat, or you cannot runeforge that turn. Additionally, your preternatural calm grants you advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and turn undead no longer affects you. Necromantic Mastery At 15th level, your control over dark power increases, granting you enhanced abilities. Death Grip can be used as an action, and the target gains disadvantage on its roll to resist it when you do so. Wraith Walk allows you to move through creatures while active. If you end your turn inside of a creature, you both take 3d8 force damage. In addition, while wraith walking, you do not provoke opportunity attacks while moving. Finally, You gain access to the Rune of the Stoneskin Gargoyle. While wielding a weapon etched with this rune, your Constitution score increases by +2, and you gain temporary hit points equal to your husk level when you finish a short rest.

Feast of Souls Starting at 17th level, the line between life and death is so thin for you that you forge a tether to the Astral Plane. This link is fragile and weak, and cannot transport your body or any physical matter between dimensions, but is strong enough to allow you to siphon souls through it. You can drink souls through this link like a straw, allowing you to fuel your body with the spirits of the dead in order to recover from mortal wounds that would cause a normal creature to simply die. In the event of your death, your body will not age, and the spark of undeath in you will slowly work to bring you back. After a full week passes, as long as your body is not interred, blessed by holy materials, held in a sacred place, or destroyed, you return to life with 1 hit point. Your attunement with death also allows you to cast the speak with dead spell at will, and your decayed body grants you immunity to the poisoned condition. Deathlord At 20th level, mastery over life and death comes to you all at once, and you gain complete control over your form. Your maximum disharmony is doubled after adding all bonuses. Additionally, your deathcharger gains a fly speed equal to its normal movement speed, if it had none already.

Husk Fetters Fetters bind and empower husks. Second to undeath, they are defining and controlling. Scarlet Fetters Calling upon blood, undeath, and life essence to sustain themselves, scarlet husks are thinly-armored, but very durable, and capable of powerful self-healing effects. They are the pinnacle of sustainability, standing in the face of insurmountable odds and thriving on slaughter. Fetter Alterations Instead of the default, your Hit Points are changed to the following: Hit Dice: 1d12 per husk level

1d12 per husk level Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution modifier

12 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per husk level after 1st Your AC cannot exceed 15, even with magic. Your eyes are a deep, churning crimson color. Finally, your hit point maximum increases by 5 every time you level up. Fetter Disharmonies The scarlet fetters grant the following abilities: Bloodsucker. You may expend 1 disharmony as an action to draw the blood (or equivalent) of any living creature in melee range through their face and into yourself. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d8 necrotic damage on a failed throw and half as much on a successful one. You heal for all damage dealt. Bloodsucker's damage increases to 4d8 at 5th level, 6d8 at 11th level, and 8d8 at 17th level. Bloodworms. Whenever a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see dies, you may expend 1 disharmony to cause worms to emerge from their skin. Moving over a worm bursts it, healing you for 1d8. The worms will also move to and attack any enemy that damages you (acting on your initiative count), dealing 1 piercing damage and healing you for the same amount. The amount of bloodworms created, and maximum amount you can have active at a time, is equal to your half your husk level, rounded down. Bloodworms have 1 hit point, AC 15, and a movement speed of 15 feet. They cannot perform any other actions other than moving or attacking, and die after 1 minute. Ebon Harvest. Black Harvest costs 1 disharmony instead of 2. While you are below half health, it costs 0 disharmony. Rune of the Red Thirst. When you unlock runeforging, you are able to etch the rune of the red thirst onto your weapon. Whenever any creature of at least CR 1/4 dies within 30 feet of you, you feast on their life essence, gaining temporary hit points equal to their challenge rating (min. 1.) Vampiric Embrace. Once per long rest, you may embrace your undeath as a bonus action. Until the end of your next turn, all healing you receive is doubled, and healing that goes over your maximum HP is converted into temporary hit points that last for 1 hour. Undying Starting at 7th level, whenever you reach 0 hit points, you may choose to regain 1 hit point. When you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest. This does not stack with the half-orc race's trait Relentless Endurance; using one will also use the other. Additionally, you gain resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage. Unending Once you reach 15th level, sanguine energy begins throbbing through your body. All healing you receive from sources other than yourself is halved. However, all healing you receive from yourself is doubled. Unstoppable As the embodiment of death, you cannot be stopped. At 18th level, you accept the dark energies within you, preventing your AC from exceeding 10 (even with magic) and losing all armor proficiencies. However, you gain proficiency in all saving throws, and the bonus hit point maximum granted by your fetter alterations increases to 10 for this level and any other future ones. Finally, if your hit point maximum is below 200 when you reach 18th level, it becomes 200. Pale Fetters Surrounded by icy chill, with frost on their bodies and the ground freezing beneath them, pale husks wield the cold of death and the grave as a weapon. They are unyielding combatants, and emphasize fast, repeated strikes. Fetter Alterations Your attunement with the chill of death pervades and infuses you. You are resistant to cold damage. Additionally, your hair is completely white (if it wasn't already), and your eyes are colored a pale, frosty blue. Your flesh is notably cold to the touch, and your body temperature cannot be raised above 80 degrees Fahrenheit by any means other than fire or magic. Additionally, external cold temperatures have no adverse affects on you. Fetter Disharmonies The pale fetters grant the following abilities: Chains of Ice. As an action, you can shackle an enemy with frozen chains by expending 1 disharmony. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be restrained until the start of your next turn. Remorseless Winter. As an action, you may surround yourself in swirling, biting ice and snow by expending 1 disharmony. During this time, you deal 1d4 cold damage to any hostile creature within 5 feet of you at the start and end of your turn. The storm lasts for 5 rounds. Enemies killed by remorseless winter freeze until thawed. This damage increases to 2d4 at 5th level, 3d4 at 11th level, and 4d4 at 17th level. Rune of Razorice. When you unlock runeforging, you are able to etch the rune of razorice onto your weapon. Once per turn, you make a successful melee weapon attack using a weapon engraved with this rune, it deals additional cold damage equal to 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier.

Rime Starting at 7th level, you gain limited control over ice and water. You learn the shape water and ray of frost cantrips. Additionally, you may cast the armor of agathys spell, at 2nd level, once per short or long rest. Pillar of Frost At 15th level, the stagnant blood in your veins hardens into ice. You become immune to effects that forcibly move you against your will, and ability checks and saving throws to avoid being knocked prone have advantage. Glacial Advance Once you reach 18th level, your mastery over ice magic begins manifesting around you. Frost accumulates on your body constantly, except in areas of extreme heat. Stalk disguises this frost. Anything you touch with exposed skin rapidly cools down, and metal weapons and armor you use are freezing cold to the touch. More notably, all cold damage you deal is increased by half your husk level, rounded down. Languid Fetters Truly masters of their undead nature, languid husks thrive in pestilence, disease, and agony. They raise the newly-fallen as short-lived allies, and can call forth unimaginable chaos from the corpses of the dead. Fetter Alterations The foul glow of undeath suffuses you, turning your eyes a sickly green. Any plant matter or unliving animal matter that you make skin contact with rapidly rots and decays over a 10-minute period. Fetter Disharmonies The languid fetters grant the following abilities: All Will Serve. As an action, you may raise up to 3 creatures that have died in the last minute whose CR doesn't exceed your level into mindless zombies. These zombies have a movement speed of 15 feet, have hit points equal to your husk level, and have no free will, but retain their knowledge and can attack using weapons in their possession and cast cantrips that they know. If no corpses are available, you may create a single spectral skeleton using necromantic energy, which is translucent and lasts for 1 minute. Your DM has the stats for this skeleton. Whenever you use all will serve, or as an action on subsequent turns, you can command any raised creatures to move up to their movement, as well as to take one action you decide. They cannot take bonus actions or reactions. Zombies raised in this way die after 1 minute, and cannot be raised again by all will serve. Being zombified does not affect the corpse's spirit or free will, and resurrection would return the original cadaver to its previous state as normal, not as a zombie under your control. This ability consumes 1 disharmony per target raised or created. Corpse Explosion. As a bonus action, you may spend 2 disharmony to pour dark energy into a corpse or a zombie raised by all will serve, causing it to violently explode in a shower of bone and gore. Any creatures within 5 feet of the epicenter must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d10 necrotic damage, or half as much on a successful throw. This effect can only target corpses of at least Small size, and they cannot have been dead for longer than 10 minutes. For every size above Medium, the damage is increased by 1d10, the radius by 5 feet, and the saving throw DC by 2. The base damage dealt increases to 3d10 at 5th level, 4d10 at 11th level, and 5d10 at 17th level. Virulence. You may expend 1 disharmony as a bonus action to attempt infect a creature that you can see within 15 feet with a contagious, horrific plague. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become infected with the virulence for 1 minute. While infected, the target takes poison damage equal to your husk level on the beginning of their turns. If a creature dies while under the effects of the plague, you regain 1 spent disharmony. Greater Reanimation When you reach 7th level, your control over the dead grows. Creatures raised or created by all will serve are now able to use a bonus action and a reaction, which you control. Additionally, you are now able to infect creatures with a contagious form of the virulence, called the creeping virulence, for 3 disharmony. It is the same as normal virulence, but on the beginning of your turns, you can choose to cause it to spread to any hostile creatures within 10 feet of an infected one. Additionally, the spectral skeleton created by all will serve becomes a spectral minotaur skeleton that cannot charge. Army of the Dead At 15th level, your control of the bodies your raise expands to greater heights. You are now able to raise up to 5 corpses at once with all will serve, and any target that takes damage from a minion must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become infected with virulence. You can also cast the revivify spell once per 48 hours. This cast has no material cost. Screams of the Damned At 18th level, as a bonus action, you can tear open a rift to the realms of the dead, causing a torrent of vengeful souls to roar out of it for 5 rounds. The rift cannot be entered from outside of the Astral Plane, and emits constant screaming and howling. Any creature of your choice standing within 30 feet of the rift must succeed on a Charisma saving throw at the start of their turns or take 4d10 psychic damage, or half as much on a successful throw. Additionally, the spirits possess any corpses within 30 feet of the rift each turn, reanimating them to full health under your control. When reanimated creatures would take their turns, you dictate their actions for them. Creatures killed by screams of the damned are automatically possessed, and you finish the remainder of their turn. When the rift expires, any creatures reanimated by it die immediately. You can only use this feature once per long rest.