Path of the Rider
Throughout history, the Four Riders have appeared in some fashion in times of catastrophe. Their exact identities have changed, and the context of their presence varies by realm, but the premise is always the same.
Four entities, chosen on a whim by forces beyond comprehension, are selected to ride unto eternity. They are each gifted boons of the apocalypse, molded by their own will into weapons and power that defy mortal limitations.
In the modern era, they are known as Fury, Strife, War, and Death. They may have always been named thus, and may continue to be, but that’s not important. That’s what they are now.
To be offered a position of rider is no guarantee of obtaining the title. Rather, the individual offered must accept and take the title for themselves, and make it their own. Should they do so, it is a permanent bargain even through the afterlife.
Each rider is known to manifest abilities that seem to reflect who and what they are, but those who have studied the riders both past and present have found a number of traits they reliably share with one another.
Eternal Tack
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
The Eternal Tack represents the bond between a Rider and their Eternal Mount, the living manifestation of their role as harbingers. As with other Paths, attuning to the Echo is both a requirement and permanent - if the Rider is already attuned to three items, they must choose one and have it replaced with the tack. While mounted, the Rider may use the tack as a focus for their spells. The Eternal Tack has the following Stored Echo properties: Creator (Choose One). The Rider chooses a Creator at the time of becoming a Rider. The Rider's tack gains an appearance reminiscent of their choice. History (Prophecy). The item is a symbol of the Rider's position as one of the Four Horsemen, assigned to them by the inexplicable whims of the Voices. Minor Property (War Leader, Unbreakable). While mounted, the item permits its Rider to use an action and cause their voice to carry clearly for up to 300 feet until the end of the Rider's next turn. The tack is indestructible. Quirk (Choose One). The Rider chooses a Quirk at the time of becoming a Rider. The Eternal Tack has the following properties: Core Augment (Choose One). The Rider may choose Armor, Spell, or Weapon when they first attune to this Echo. The Rider gains a +4 bonus in the chosen category. Rider of the Apocalypse. The Echo functions as an infernal tack. The Eternal Tack has the following Major Artifact Property: Eternal Mount. The Echo ignores the alignment of its rider, and shares its Core Augment bonus with both Rider and mount. The nightmare normally conjured by the infernal tack is replaced instead by an Eternal Mount. If the mount dies, it regenerates after you complete a short rest. Alternatively, you may use your bonus action to spend one hit die, taking damage equal to the value rolled and immediately regenerating your mount in an adjacent space.
At level 20, your mount's confer resistance trait becomes confer immunity. While the mount is within 1 mile of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. While mounted on it, you can make any spell you cast that targets only you also target the mount. Lastly, while mounted by you, the mount gains any resistances o immunities you have that it does not already share. Death is not the End Those who walk the path of the Rider are bound eternally to their servitude at the whims of the Voices. Consequently, a Rider is granted immortality. Your age progresses (or regresses) to an age of your choice. You are immune to any effect that would age you, and you can't die from old age. If a spell, such as raise dead, has the sole effect of restoring you to life (but not undeath), the caster doesn't need material components to cast the spell on you. You are bound to the Silver Bell. When rung, you are teleported instantaneously to the Chamber of the Emissary, no matter where you are in existence. If you are dead when the bell is rung, you are resurrected as if by the effects of the true resurrection, even if you are unwilling or have been dead longer than 200 years. Mounted Combatant It would be quite silly if a Rider was incapable of riding their horse, now wouldn't it? You gain the mounted combatant feat. Unique Traits Tireless. The life of a Rider is one blessed (or cursed) with relentless purpose. Whenever a Rider completes a short rest, they may remove one level of exhaustion if they have one. When the Rider completes a long rest, they may instead remove two levels of exhaustion. Together We Ride. As a bonus action while mounted, you and your mount are considered Huge for 1 minute, until you have been dismounted, or you choose to end this effect. Once this ability has been used, it cannot be used again until you have completed a long rest. If all four Riders are within 120 feet of each other, this ability is activated automatically and has a duration that lasts until the Riders are no longer nearby. Wild Hunt. You know a special version of the hunter's mark spell called wild hunt. This spell can be cast at will, cannot be suppressed by antimagic effects, and does not count against your list of known spells. Rather than dealing a bonus d6 damage on weapon attacks, this version adds a bonus d6 damage to any damage dealt by the Rider to their marked target. Multiple instances of Wild Hunt may be applied to the same target (one per Rider), and all Riders share the benefits of this bonus damage (up to an additional 4d6 damage). The duration of the spell is changed to "until dispelled, or until the rider applies wild hunt to a new target". If the Rider has any other "mark" abilities or spells, like the hexblade's curse, the Rider may apply those effects as part of casting wild hunt. Apocalyptic Avatar Each Rider has the ability to briefly transform into a cosmic entity of terrible power, capable of exacting awe-inspiring devastation within moments of its arrival. It permits the Rider to momentarily taste a kind of power capable of rivaling even some gods, but doing so exacts a heavy toll on their body. Each rider has properties in their avatar state that are unique to them. However, there are some properties that are universal. Activation, Conditions, and Duration. Provided both the Rider and their mount have at least 1 hit point remaining, the rider may use their bonus action on their turn to combine with their eternal mount and transform into an Avatar of the Apocalypse. Alternatively, the transformation can be triggered as an action, which additionally gives the Rider immunity to all damage until the start of their next turn. The Avatar state lasts for 1 minute, you choose to end it as an action on your turn, or until you have been reduced to 0 hit points. When the Avatar state ends, roll a d8 and subtract your proficiency bonus from the result. Gain the resulting total as exhaustion. Aspect of Doom. When you transform, you take an appearance reflecting your assigned role, though the exact details are at your discretion. Your creature type changes to match your eternal mount’s. Any items you are wearing or carrying are permitted to have their appearance temporarily changed for the duration to match the ruby tear properties of your eternal tack. For the duration, you are considered mounted for the purposes of your mounted combatant trait and gain the full benefits of Together We Ride. Speed. You gain a movement speed of 60 feet, and a flying speed of 90 feet. Ethereal Stride. As a bonus action on your turn, you and a number of willing creatures equal to your proficiency bonus (provided they are within 5 feet of you) magically enter the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. Harbinger. Your size becomes Huge, though you are considered one size larger for the purposes of your mounted combatant trait and when determining the maximum weight you can carry, push, drag, or lift.. Non-legendary creatures that can see you are frightened of you. For the duration, you have advantage on Strength-based checks, saving throws, and attack rolls, and may deal an additional 1d4 damage to an enemy creature whenever you successfully land a melee weapon attack as if by the effects of the enlarge/reduce spell. Illumination. You shed bright light up to 10 feet away, and dim light an additional 10 feet beyond that. Power Overwhelming. Your weapon attacks deal a bonus 2d6 damage of a type matching your eternal mount’s confer resistance trait, and you gain immunity to this same damage type for the duration. If you are already immune, deal a further 5 damage. Vengeance. The first time a rider dies or is reduced to 0 hit points between long rests, provided the rider has at least one hit die remaining, the rider may choose to automatically enter their avatar state as if they had used their action to do so. When transforming this way, in addition to gaining immunity to all damage until the start of your next turn, you may immediately spend any number of hit die and recover hit points as if you had just finished a short rest. If you transformed using this effect, when the effect transpires you are assumed to have rolled the maximum value on your exhaustion die.
The Eternal Tack represents the bond between a Rider and their Eternal Mount, the living manifestation of their role as harbingers. As with other Paths, attuning to the Echo is both a requirement and permanent - if the Rider is already attuned to three items, they must choose one and have it replaced with the tack. While mounted, the Rider may use the tack as a focus for their spells. The Eternal Tack has the following Stored Echo properties: Creator (Choose One). The Rider chooses a Creator at the time of becoming a Rider. The Rider's tack gains an appearance reminiscent of their choice. History (Prophecy). The item is a symbol of the Rider's position as one of the Four Horsemen, assigned to them by the inexplicable whims of the Voices. Minor Property (War Leader, Unbreakable). While mounted, the item permits its Rider to use an action and cause their voice to carry clearly for up to 300 feet until the end of the Rider's next turn. The tack is indestructible. Quirk (Choose One). The Rider chooses a Quirk at the time of becoming a Rider. The Eternal Tack has the following properties: Core Augment (Choose One). The Rider may choose Armor, Spell, or Weapon when they first attune to this Echo. The Rider gains a +4 bonus in the chosen category. Rider of the Apocalypse. The Echo functions as an infernal tack. The Eternal Tack has the following Major Artifact Property: Eternal Mount. The Echo ignores the alignment of its rider, and shares its Core Augment bonus with both Rider and mount. The nightmare normally conjured by the infernal tack is replaced instead by an Eternal Mount. If the mount dies, it regenerates after you complete a short rest. Alternatively, you may use your bonus action to spend one hit die, taking damage equal to the value rolled and immediately regenerating your mount in an adjacent space.
At level 20, your mount's confer resistance trait becomes confer immunity. While the mount is within 1 mile of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. While mounted on it, you can make any spell you cast that targets only you also target the mount. Lastly, while mounted by you, the mount gains any resistances o immunities you have that it does not already share. Death is not the End Those who walk the path of the Rider are bound eternally to their servitude at the whims of the Voices. Consequently, a Rider is granted immortality. Your age progresses (or regresses) to an age of your choice. You are immune to any effect that would age you, and you can't die from old age. If a spell, such as raise dead, has the sole effect of restoring you to life (but not undeath), the caster doesn't need material components to cast the spell on you. You are bound to the Silver Bell. When rung, you are teleported instantaneously to the Chamber of the Emissary, no matter where you are in existence. If you are dead when the bell is rung, you are resurrected as if by the effects of the true resurrection, even if you are unwilling or have been dead longer than 200 years. Mounted Combatant It would be quite silly if a Rider was incapable of riding their horse, now wouldn't it? You gain the mounted combatant feat. Unique Traits Tireless. The life of a Rider is one blessed (or cursed) with relentless purpose. Whenever a Rider completes a short rest, they may remove one level of exhaustion if they have one. When the Rider completes a long rest, they may instead remove two levels of exhaustion. Together We Ride. As a bonus action while mounted, you and your mount are considered Huge for 1 minute, until you have been dismounted, or you choose to end this effect. Once this ability has been used, it cannot be used again until you have completed a long rest. If all four Riders are within 120 feet of each other, this ability is activated automatically and has a duration that lasts until the Riders are no longer nearby. Wild Hunt. You know a special version of the hunter's mark spell called wild hunt. This spell can be cast at will, cannot be suppressed by antimagic effects, and does not count against your list of known spells. Rather than dealing a bonus d6 damage on weapon attacks, this version adds a bonus d6 damage to any damage dealt by the Rider to their marked target. Multiple instances of Wild Hunt may be applied to the same target (one per Rider), and all Riders share the benefits of this bonus damage (up to an additional 4d6 damage). The duration of the spell is changed to "until dispelled, or until the rider applies wild hunt to a new target". If the Rider has any other "mark" abilities or spells, like the hexblade's curse, the Rider may apply those effects as part of casting wild hunt. Apocalyptic Avatar Each Rider has the ability to briefly transform into a cosmic entity of terrible power, capable of exacting awe-inspiring devastation within moments of its arrival. It permits the Rider to momentarily taste a kind of power capable of rivaling even some gods, but doing so exacts a heavy toll on their body. Each rider has properties in their avatar state that are unique to them. However, there are some properties that are universal. Activation, Conditions, and Duration. Provided both the Rider and their mount have at least 1 hit point remaining, the rider may use their bonus action on their turn to combine with their eternal mount and transform into an Avatar of the Apocalypse. Alternatively, the transformation can be triggered as an action, which additionally gives the Rider immunity to all damage until the start of their next turn. The Avatar state lasts for 1 minute, you choose to end it as an action on your turn, or until you have been reduced to 0 hit points. When the Avatar state ends, roll a d8 and subtract your proficiency bonus from the result. Gain the resulting total as exhaustion. Aspect of Doom. When you transform, you take an appearance reflecting your assigned role, though the exact details are at your discretion. Your creature type changes to match your eternal mount’s. Any items you are wearing or carrying are permitted to have their appearance temporarily changed for the duration to match the ruby tear properties of your eternal tack. For the duration, you are considered mounted for the purposes of your mounted combatant trait and gain the full benefits of Together We Ride. Speed. You gain a movement speed of 60 feet, and a flying speed of 90 feet. Ethereal Stride. As a bonus action on your turn, you and a number of willing creatures equal to your proficiency bonus (provided they are within 5 feet of you) magically enter the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. Harbinger. Your size becomes Huge, though you are considered one size larger for the purposes of your mounted combatant trait and when determining the maximum weight you can carry, push, drag, or lift.. Non-legendary creatures that can see you are frightened of you. For the duration, you have advantage on Strength-based checks, saving throws, and attack rolls, and may deal an additional 1d4 damage to an enemy creature whenever you successfully land a melee weapon attack as if by the effects of the enlarge/reduce spell. Illumination. You shed bright light up to 10 feet away, and dim light an additional 10 feet beyond that. Power Overwhelming. Your weapon attacks deal a bonus 2d6 damage of a type matching your eternal mount’s confer resistance trait, and you gain immunity to this same damage type for the duration. If you are already immune, deal a further 5 damage. Vengeance. The first time a rider dies or is reduced to 0 hit points between long rests, provided the rider has at least one hit die remaining, the rider may choose to automatically enter their avatar state as if they had used their action to do so. When transforming this way, in addition to gaining immunity to all damage until the start of your next turn, you may immediately spend any number of hit die and recover hit points as if you had just finished a short rest. If you transformed using this effect, when the effect transpires you are assumed to have rolled the maximum value on your exhaustion die.