For many, combat is merely a threat of greatest stakes to be survived, or an inevitable end to all other means lost. To a Grimm, combat is a reward, a baptism, a process of risk and refining ones own strengths and ironing out thy weaknesses. Therefore, out of all of the combatants a world has brought for, Grimms may be among the most fiercesome, often depicted as very, very thoroughly enjoying both the build-up and execution of the process that is a good skirmish.

Whenever your health is reduced below 50% of your maximum HP by means of an attack roll or in-combat saving throw, you may immediately enter the Thrilled state for 1 minute. While being Thrilled, you may attack one additional time when you take the Attack action on your turn, as well as receiving resistance to non-magical piercing, slashing and bludgeoning damage. This state can only be activated once, even if your health is reduced below 50% again after 1 minute elapsed, from which on you have to finish a long rest for it to be available again.

The life of a Grimm is perilous, even at good times. The line between lunacy by overintoxication, hatred from civiliians, ailments induced by their various prey... a Grimm never knows how much time remains on their journey.

Therefore, Grimms made it their habit to collect tokens, parts and the-likes from the foes they've slain and the challenges they've successfully overcome. These trophies though are more than mere keepsakes. Due to the nature of the threats they face, a well-imagined and -crafted trophy may enhance them with various powers, resistances and abilities that represent both their differentness and prowess alike. As a rule of thumb, the deadlier the threat, the greater the trophy.

When playing as a Grimm, the following general rules apply to trophies and their creation:

There would be no fight if a Grimms' target is an expert at stalking, evading and ambushing, only striking when it fits their set of skills best.
By means of deduction, tracking and deliberate baiting, Grimms learned how to draw out or pin their targets to an inevitable showdown.

You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to read and interpret all kinds of signs, victims, remains and tracks originating from beasts, plants and oozes, as well as - depending on your Grimm Archetype - from monstrosities, elementals, fey and dragons (Dreadhunter), giants, constructs and humanoids (Bloodhound) or aberrations, celestials, fiends and undead (Grimlock).

Additionally, you can use a Bonus Action to deduce and interpret these signs by means of a Wisdom (Survival) check, declaring you want to do so before the roll. If you succeed on this check with a total roll of 15 or higher, you can also distinguish the challenge rating class of the creature (as depicted in the trophy table), its creature type and its movement speed. Additional information may be provided up to your GM´s discrection.

You can perform this deduction process a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, before you need to finish a long rest to restore all charges.

Starting from 2nd level onwards, Grimms begin to employ an art so alien to the common mind, that it is most certainly responsible for the bulk of eerie stories surrounding them; the art of concocting - and surviving - battle-stimulants they trivializingly named "infusions".

These infusions - drunk, injected or applied - provide Grimm with abilities, resilience and prowess only bested by magic itself. Darkvision, cat-like reflexes, ironskin, berserking and even the refusal to die in battle till unable to stand and strike anymore: For a Grimm, these are all just a short dance with death away.

When playing as a Grimm, the following general rules apply to infusions and their creation:

Using an infusion as a character that isn't at least a 2nd level Grimm results in the following:

Beginning at 2nd Level, you can spend your Action or Bonus Action to focus your senses on a target's weak points for the next hour. This can be done repeatedly, but no effect can be active or chosen more than once at the same time.

Each time you choose - depending on the level of this feature - one (Level 2), two (Level 9) or three (level 14) of the following:

In some cases, the effects may apply to all targets of the same closer species (i.e. paper wasps, plated crocodiles, bulletes...), up to the GM's discretion.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, thenceforth requiring you to finish a long rest to restore all charges.

When you reach 4th level - as well as at 8th / 12th / 16th / and 19th level - you either increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or two ability scores of your choice by 1.

You can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Beginning at 5th Level, you can Attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack Action on Your Turn.

Furthermore, the number of Attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class.

At 5th Level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren't as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger.

You have advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws against Effects that you can see, such as traps and Spells.

To gain this benefit, you can't be Blinded, Deafened, or Incapacitated.

Starting at 6th Level, you become abled to withstand the initial effects of severe intoxication.

From now on, whenever your Toxicity rises up to a maximum of two times your regular Toxicity Limit, you are not immediatiely forced to make a saving throw. Instead, the saving throw and its further consequences are delayed by a number of turns equal to your CON modifier (minimum of 2). If you exceed your regular Toxicity Limit at any given moment by more than two times, this feature ceases to work until you finish a long rest and you are immediately forced to make the saving throw.

Beginning at 9th level, you can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
If you are below 25% of your maximum health when using this feature and succeed on the initial saving throw with the new roll, you gain an additional action on your current/next turn.

You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.

At the time you've reached 14th level, your innumerable encounters with creatures beyond most adventurers' comprehension, paired with the repeated intake of your body- and mind-altering infusions, gifted you with a supernatural premonition for danger. You gain the following benefits:

• You cannot be surprised by combat encounters.
• You gain a +5 bonus to all initiative rolls.
• You impede a -2 malus on any opportunity attack roll made against you.
• You gain a +2 bonus on any opportunity attack roll you make.
  

DREADHUNTER

Call of the Dreadhunt

At 3rd level, Grimm gain the ability to spread the fervor that hunting instills in them onto their allies, for they may participate in the glorious act - provided that the prey at hand is worth the spilling of blood in the first place. The greater the challenge, the worse the odds, the more likely certain doom: The more irrevocable that a dreadhunter will embrace the glory of carnage.

Whenever you are in combat with a creature of a CR equal to or higher than your own level, you may use your Bonus Action to rally up any number of allied creatures that can see or hear you, granting them temporary hit points equal to two times your proficiency bonus. This effect ends immediately once you enter the Dying state, if the creature is killed, or once 10 minutes have passed since last being in combat with it.

Furthermore, every creature affected by Call of the Bloodhunt (including yourself) that can hear or see you has advantage on WIS saving throws against being frightened by the creature, and may choose to spend their Bonus Action to regain the temporary hit points granted by this feature.

While you are Thrilled by means of Thrill of the Hunt, affected creatures gain temporary hit points equal to three times your proficiency bonus instead.

You may use this feature once, after which you have to finish a long rest to use it again.

Dreaded Trophies

At 3rd level, Dreadhunters specialize themselves on the abhorrent, the unnatural, on those who came to the continents after the Surge, who became twisted in its wake - and those who fell long before its impact. Even if those around them see no more in a Dreadhunter than a gore-covered butcher, clad in the remnants of their monstrous and inhuman prey... they know the worth of their work. May it be for the coin, the lust for carnage, or even the desire at core to protect against that which lurks just outside save heavens: A Dreadhunter will keep drawing blood till their very last breath. And beyond.

Whenever you vanquish a monstrosity, elemental, fey or dragon which is eligible for your Trophy-Seeker feature, you may claim two parts instead of one from it.

Furthermore, killing a monstrosity, elemental, fey or dragon of a CR higher than your own for the first time each day that has been the target of your Marks of Prey feature, you may choose to immediately gain 50% of your maximum hit points as temporary hit points (no action required), and unleash a primeval roar that forces every hostile creature of a CR lower than the killed creature within 120 feet of you that can hear you to make a WIS saving throw (DC 20). On a failure, affected creatures are frightened by you for 1 minute. The temporary hit points last for the same duration.

Embrace the Carnage

At the time they reach 7th level, Grimms that chose to become Dreadhunters - and live to see this day - have by now encountered numerous terrors most would have horrifiedly fled from, tails blazing. And yet, they are alive. Eager, even, to yet again set out into the world, to find yet bigger prey to fell, as long as they breathe.

At this point, Dreadhunters do not have to be severly injured anymore to unleash their adrenaline-filled hunting fever. They just give in to the rush. For there is no second to waste when the hunt to death´s bed arises.

Whilst you are Thrilled, you gain resistance against magical piercing, slashing and bludgeoning damage.

Additionally, you may enter the Thrilled state whenever you want, extended to a duration of up to 10 minutes, as long as you are actively fighting or chasing after a creature of a CR equal to or higher than your own, and gain an additional charge for Thrill of the Hunt.

BLOODHOUND

Call of the Bloodhunt

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to spread the satisfaction which claiming a bounty instills in yourself onto your allies, for they may relish in the satisfaction as well.

Whenever you are in combat with a creature that had been the target of your Marks of Prey feature within the last 24 hours, you may use your Bonus Action to incite any number of allied creatures that can see or hear you, granting them (yourself included) the benefits of one Exposure effect against the target. The chosen effect must be the same for all affected allied creatures and does not stack in case that any of them already benefit from the respective effect. This effect ends immediately once you enter the Dying state, or once 10 minutes have passed since last being in combat with the target.

While you are Thrilled by means of Thrill of the Hunt, you can use Marks of Prey and Call of the Bloodhunt in immediate succession as part of the same Bonus Action.

You may use this feature once, after which you have to finish a long rest to use it again.

Cunning Throphies

At 3rd level, Bloodhounds specialize themselves on the dark sides of consciousness, the tricksters and scums, the murderers and cold-blooded, and even those that blur the realms of human and other. Those monsters who have been here long before the Surge, and will most probably remain till the end of it all. Bloodhounds are infamous among other Grimm, and even among many another Bloodhound. Primarily due to the circumstance that their prey will most often beg for mercy in one way or another. Though where Grimlocks can shield their souls with the knowledge of the otherworldy they bring down in their conquests, Bloodhounds know no such respite. Some may find a balance between their cruel deeds and moral compass. All will, should they survive for long enough, become a horror to any that managed to draw their ire - or their contractor´s.

Whenever you slay a humanoid, construct or giant which is eligible for your Trophy-Seeker feature, you may claim two tokens parts instead of one from it.

Furthermore, killing a humanoid, construct or giant of a CR higher than your own for the first time each day that has been the target of your Marks of Prey feature, you may choose to unleash a blood-curling grim laughter (no action required), which grants you advantage and makes you ignore disadvantage imposed on your attack rolls, as well as allowing you to use the Dash Action as a Bonus Action for 1 minute.

Trickster's Noose

At 7th level, most Bloodhounds that survived long enough to reach this point in their career have entertained quite a diverse ensemble of elusive and spiteful bounties. Much to the delight of any thrill-seeking hunter, their prey began to make use of illusions, enchantments, beguile and confusion. Whatever tool available to escape a (deserved) end at their executioner's hand. The Bloodhounds, though, that reached this point, prevailed. For their minds are either uneeringly focused on their mark. Or simply too empty to be properly bewitched.

You gain advantage on WIS and CHA Saving Throws induced by any kind of enchantment, illusion, mind-control or other involuntary change of behaviour, and treat a roll of 9 or lower on the d20 when being forced to make one such as a 10. Fear effects are excluded from this advantage, unless they can be successfully verified as illusions.

Furthermore, whenever a creature that you are aware of attempts to induce an effect as described above on a friendly creature within 60 feet of you that benefits from your Call of the Bloodhunt feature, you may grant that creature the benefit of Trickster's Noose as well.

Always One Swing Ahead

Bloodhounds that managed to see the day they´ve reached 10th level have undoubtedly faced a broad variety of adversaries at this point, far more dangerous than what most law enforcers may have encountered in a whole career´s worth. Adorned with the trophies of their most prominent (somewhat) humanoid targets, they showcase that no martial prowess, no inhuman genetics, no weave-whacken spellslinger, no silver-tongued manipulator is save from their judgement, should price or necessity be high enough in their books. Such experience comes with a grim knowledge that Bloodhounds carry like a sixth sense. One that, at times, uneeringly enables them to react to their target´s intents even before they themselves knew what they are going to do.

Whenever you succeed on your Marks of Prey feature check on a beastial, humanoid or giant creature (20 or higher), choose Spellcasting, Attacks or Movement as a mode. Only one mode can be chosen for a creature (category) at the same time, and using Marks of Prey again on the same creature overrides the prior one if you get to choose again. Some actions may not be classifiable by one of the three modes, or can be classified by multiple or all of them. In such a case, only the elligible interactions may be affected by the following traits of Always One Swing Ahead. Actions taken by summoned or controlled entities on behalf of the marked creature are exempt from this feature.

Whilst you are within melee weapon range of a creature which has been the target of your Marks of Prey feature within the last day and has an active mode, you may use your Reaction to make an opportunity attack against that creature before the creature resolves a respective (Legendary) Action, Bonus Action, Reaction or Movement that entails an interaction of the chosen mode. This feature can only trigger once per combat round, even if you possess multiple opportunity attacks or Reactions by any means.

If your opportunity attack hits, you may enact its following respective effect (depending on the triggering mode) immediately after resolving its damage:

Spellcasting: The creature makes spell attack rolls with disadvantage and saving throws made against spell effects originating from the creature are made with advantage until the start of your next turn. If the opportunity attack was a critical hit, the creature looses concentration on all spells it currently holds concentration on.

Attacks: The creature makes attack rolls with disadvantage and can´t strike critical hits until the start of your next turn. If the opportunity attack was a critical hit, the creature looses any further attacks provided by Extra Attack or similar features and can´t take any opportunity attacks until the start of your next turn.

Movement: The creature makes a DEX saving throw (DC: 8 + proficiency bonus + STR). On a failure, it immediately drops prone at its current location and has its speed reduced to 0 until the start of your next turn, or looses half its maximum speed until the start of your next turn on a success. If the opportunity attack was a critical hit, the creature automatically fails the saving throw instead and is additonally stunned until the start of your next turn.

GRIMLOCK