151 Distress. The target becomes more open to give the torturer what they need. At this stage, the target has disadvantage on ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws against Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion that are made against the torturer’s demands. The target does not have disadvantage on their saving throw against the torture’s contested check. Submission. The target becomes submissive to the demands of the torturer. It counts as permanently affected by the suggestion spell. The effect does not end if the torturer deals damage to the target, but the target can make a relevant saving throw (Constitution or Wisdom) to overcome the effect momentarily if the demand is something that goes against everything the target stands for. Depersonalization. The target loses its sense of self-respect and personality. They start to see the torturer as a master they must obey. It counts as permanently affected by the dominate person or dominate monster spell. The target does anything and everything that the torturer demands, even if it is something that goes against everything they stand for. Unresponsive. If the torture is overdone, the target may fall unconscious due to pain or delirium. In that case, the target cannot be woken up unless they sleep for 8 hours. If the target is being subjected to mental torture, they suffer from a Shortterm Madness and do not respond to the torturer’s demands in a logical manner. Death or Madness. With physical torture, if torture is overdone to such an extent, the target dies. With mental torture, they start to suffer from Permanent Madness. In either case, the target is completely lost, and nothing further can be demanded of them. DEVELOPING RESILIENCE The body and mind are exceptional instruments that can be used to adapt to an enormous number of situations. A creature that endures continuing pain or anxiety can adapt to it and thus develop resilience against it. With physical torture, if the target succeeds on their saving throw against the contested check, they develop resilience against torture for a number of hours equal to their Constitution modifier. With mental torture, the target gains resilience for a number of days equal to their Wisdom modifier. If their ability modifier is 0 or a negative number, they cannot develop resilience. A subject that has developed resilience has advantage on their saving throws against the torture’s contested check for the duration. The torturer must wait for that time to pass and let the target lose its resilience so that the next torture is effective. With each consecutive success the target achieves in the torture check, their resilience gets stronger (the duration of resilience is doubled). For example, a target with a +2 ability modifier (Constitution or Wisdom) whose resilience became stronger can now remain resilient for 4 hours (or 4 days for mental torture) instead of 2. If the target succeeds at three consecutive torture checks while under physical torture, they remain resilient for a number of days equal to its ability modifier. With mental torture, this duration increases to weeks. Subject’s Condition. On a successful saving throw against torture, the subject does not take the temporary ability score damage but still takes the permanent score damage. Various tools are used in the practice of torture. They each have specific focuses on the body, and thus a special way in which they cause pain and distress. As torturers generally do not wish their targets to die (not before they become useful, anyways), tools are designed to inflict the highest amount of pain without making the target lose consciousness or die. Various tools and their implications are listed on the table below. Torture Tools Damage Branding -1d3 (-1 permanent) 2d8 fire Breaking -1 permanent As weapon Cat’s Pile -1 permanent 6d4 piercing Cutting -1d3 Half of weapon Dismembering, minor (e.g. finger) -1d3 (-1 permanent) special Dismembering, major (e.g. arm) -1d6 (-1 permanent) special Eye Bug -1d6 (-1 permanent, blindness) 1d4 piercing Iron Maiden -1d6 (-1 permanent) 10d4 piercing, special Nail Puller -1 (-1 permanent) 1 slashing Oiling -1d8 (-1 permanent) 2d10 fire + 1d10 acid Pain Pipe -1d6 (-1d6 permanent, may paralyze) 10d6 piercing Pear of Anguish -1d4 (-1 permanent) 2d12 bludgeoning tools of Torture CREATURES WITH LOW CONSTITUTION If a target already has a Constitution score of 8 or less, they must still be successfully tortured to lose integrity. However, such targets may bypass the stages where their normal Constitution score is set and immediately move down to direr stages. Constitution Damage
152 Rat Bucket -1d6 (-2 permanent, disease) 2d12 piercing (critical) Skinning -1d8 (-1d4 permanent) 1d10 slashing The Bull -1d10 (-2 permanent) 4d10 fire Traitor’s Mouth -1d4 (-1 permanent, deafness) 2d10 thunder Whipping -1d4 (-1 permanent) 20d4 slashing Wheeling -1d6 permanent Decreases hit point maximum by 10d4 + 40 Branding. The torturer heats a metal tool and presses it on the skin of the target, causing the skin to burn in the shape of the tip of the metal tool, or “the brand”. Breaking. The torturer uses a bludgeoning weapon to break the bones of the target. It causes the same amount of damage as the weapon used. Cat’s Pile. The subject is placed into a large sack full of splinters. Then the torturer rolls the sack, causing splinters to harm the target. Cutting. The torturer uses a sharp weapon to deliberately cut or pierce the target’s flesh. It causes half the amount of damage as the weapon used. Dismembering. With any tool or weapon, the torturer tears a part off the target’s body. The parts that are torn off are mostly fingers, ears, and eyes. The target can suffer from a relevant condition, such as blindness, or they can have disadvantage on attacks and checks related to the removed body part(s). If the die for Constitution damage results in a 3 or less, this method decreases the current hit points of the target by 10%. If the result is 4 or more, it decreases current hit points by 20%. Eye Bug. A species of insect likes to inhabit a creature’s eye and slowly devour it. This eye bug is planted on the edge of the target’s eye and is agitated. The bug tries to burrow deeper into the side of the eye, causing great pain and eventually blinding the target. Iron Maiden. This is a coffin-like container with needles and sharp spikes planted on the inside. The target is placed into the container while standing and the lids are closed. The needles and spikes can be manipulated from the outside, piercing deeper into the container and causing wounds on the target. For each hour a subject passes within the iron maiden, the damage caused by the tool is doubled due to bleeding as needles stay penetrated to the flesh as the bleeding drains the vitality, and thus hit points. Nail Puller. This tool is designed to firmly grab an object and pull it out from a surface, such as nails from a wood plank, or nails and teeth from a creature. Oiling. A bucket of oil is boiled and then slowly poured onto the target, causing immense pain. Pain Pipe. A pole with a special design is tied on the back of the subject. It is arranged in a way that its screws face the back of the creature’s head. The torturer makes the screw penetrate the back of the head by slowly turning the mechanism. The screw penetrates the brain and causes the juices inside to flow through the wound. If the temporary 1d6 Constitution damage results in a 6, the subject is paralyzed for 1 hour. If the permanent 1d6 Constitution damage results in a 6, the subject is permanently paralyzed, which can only be reversed with a greater restoration spell. The brain juice gathered in this way is a spell component that can be used for several examples of dark magic. Pear of Anguish. A tool that has metal plates closed tight like an egg but can be opened by a screw mechanism. It takes its name from its shape, as it looks like a pear. It is put into the mouth of the target and then the petals are slowly opened by turning the screw. It forces the mouth of the target open in a slow and painful manner, and can effectively break or tear off the jaw if overdone. Rat Bucket. Rats are known for their ability to dig, which is why this method of torture includes a metal bucket and a living rat. The rat is put onto the target’s stomach and the bucket is put on top of it, keeping it trapped. Then the bucket is heated, causing the rat to try to keep away from the heat by digging into the stomach of the target. Skinning. With a suitable slashing object, the target is slowly and deliberately skinned. This procedure causes immense pain. Although it does not penetrate into the body, nor cause too much physical harm, creatures can die because of the immensity of the sheer pain it causes. The Bull. The bull is a special metal container that has a storage area where a Medium-sized creature can fit. It also has an air pipe so the target can breathe. The container is then heated and the target is slowly cooked. The reason it is called the bull is that the screams of the target coming out of the air pipe sound like noises made by a bull. Traitor’s Mouth. Small hoses are put onto the target’s ears. Then the accusations, or demands, against the target are shouted loudly through the mechanism into the hoses. This causes a thundering blast of sound in the target’s ears as well as an intense headache, causing permanent deafness if the Constitution score decreases by 4 as a result of 1d4. Wheeling. The target is stretched on a mechanism and their limbs are tied to a wheel. With the turning of the wheel, the target’s body and limbs stretch further. After a while, this procedure results in broken limbs and ruptured insides if overdone. Whipping. The target is systematically whipped, often on the back. Whips slash the flesh of the target and cause a massive distortion on the skin. It causes pain intense enough to kill a target if overdone. Just as physical torture requires tools, mental torture requires setups. Various setups and their effects are listed on the table below. Mental Torture Setups
153 Torture Setup Wisdom Damage Dark Cell -1d4 Wisdom (-1 permanent), special Humiliation -1d6 Wisdom (-1d6 permanent), special Loved One -1d8 Wisdom (-1d6 permanent) Timelessness -1d10 Wisdom (-1d4 permanent) Water drops -1d6 Wisdom (half permanent) Dark Cell. The target is placed in a cell that is small and completely dark. They are left to suffer there without anything but occasional food (of bad quality) that is brought out of a small hatch. This setup becomes worse with each passing day. As a result, the Wisdom Damage die becomes one category higher (1d4 becomes 1d6 for example) at the end of each week the target spends here. Humiliation. The target is humiliated in a dire way. Although it may not be effective for many creatures, it is effective on subjects who care about their prestige and selfrespect on a deeper level. It is often used against nobles and paladins. Loved One. A creature the target cares deeply about is tortured in front of the target’s eyes. The target suffers immense sadness with no hope of helping the loved one. Timelessness. This setup can be used together with Dark Cell for maximum effect. The target is demanded to sleep or eat at different times of the day. After a while, it starts to lose its sense of time and place. Water Drops. Water drops continuously fall on the head of the target, after an entire day passes with these drops continuously falling upon the same spot, the target starts to become deranged.
155 Xolarg is the deity of acid, chaos, corruption, hunger, and rot. It is the embodiment of endless hunger and decay and it can consume everything. It is constantly hungry and cannot satiate its hunger in any way. Xolarg is The Unending Hunger, the emptiness within you. There are many arguments among theologists and philosophers about Xolarg’s origins. Although there are several different theories, the most commonly believed theory being that Xolarg was once a greedy mortal in search of ways to be able to obtain what it wanted, as what it sought was not something all mortals could possess. After a short research, Xolarg decided that the only way was to become a god. On the journey that led it to become a god, Xolarg learned that there is an artifact called the Shard of Divine, which is actually an evil artifact called the Shard of Malicious Divine (p.227), and carried divinity within, and that was lost somewhere in the universe. At the end of its journey, Xolarg found this artifact, deep in the realms of fire. Without knowing the shard was actually carrying evil essence within it, Xolarg used the shard and consumed the essence greedily. As legend has it, Xolarg ascended to godhood but this gift came at the price of an eternal flaw because of the malicious nature of the shard. Thus, Xolarg’s greed, which was never too little to begin with, transformed into an unending hunger. Xolarg started to command the forces of the universe but it couldn’t satiate its hunger. This dilemma dragged Xolarg deep into the oceans of madness, twisted its form, corrupted it, and in the end, Xolarg started to devour everything in its path just to satiate the relentless hunger for a small moment, even though its efforts proved useless each and every time. It now resembles a rotten, giant, humanoid-frog with acidic saliva and acidic skin. Xolarg believes that its hunger will not be quenched until it consumes the entire universe. To reach that goal, Xolarg corrupts the hearts and minds of mortals in order to bring the universe closer to its end step by step, so that it can consume anything and everything within. Alignment. Xolarg only wants to spread chaos, consume everything, corrupt everything, especially souls, and see them dissolve in the pools of acid it creates. Thus, it is chaotic evil. Domains. Clerics of Xolarg usually choose the Corrupted Domain and the Devour Domain. Worshippers. Worshippers of Xolarg could be anyone who wants the universe to be destroyed, to be consumed, and to rot in pools of acid. Xolarg takes the souls of its own worshippers after their death and it consumes them, promising its followers no afterlife. As a result, Xolarg’s dead worshippers cannot be resurrected. Realm. The realm where Xolarg resides is an empty place. The only habitant is Xolarg itself and the only geographical structures are massive acid pools and rotten soil. Rituals and Rules. Xolarg demands sacrifice. It can consume anything at any time, always wanting more and more; so being offered blood, items, and magical items always pleases Xolarg. However, Xolarg is pleased the most when offered a soul. These offerings are made by praying to Xolarg and placing the offerings inside a pool of acid. When the ritual is complete, the offering is sent to the massive acid pools of Xolarg. If one bothers Xolarg and fails to provide a sacrifice, Xolarg makes sure that it still gets a sacrifice, either by eating the one who dared to disturb it, or by consuming those that the creature in question is close to. ere, you can find alternative evil deities for your campaigns. Lorewise, these deities do not belong to any specific realm, Hand they can be used universally in any campaign setting, as long as the GM sees them fit. Dark Deities Xolarg the Unending hunger I will consume everything
156 Milena is the goddess of blood and sacrifice. She governs the powers that are unlocked by blood. She thinks that few creatures are aware of the power flowing in their veins and not all of them respect this gift enough. She was a wizard when she was a mortal, a member of the school of blood magic. Her studies led her to vampirism, and she discovered a way to turn herself into a vampire. Some theologists and philosophers argue that she is the first of all vampires. After Milena’s transformation, instead of using her new-found powers to simply dominate others, she delved deeper into research. When she realized the divine song the blood plays while flowing in the veins, she ascended to godhood. As she did her research, she never hesitated to kill others to use their blood, for she saw her goal to be divine above and beyond the values of others. After her ascension, Milena did not put an end to her research. She was after something more. She still wants to become a more powerful goddess to be able to rule the whole universe with the power of blood, and she wants enough power to do this alone. Since the research she has been conducting requires blood, she demands blood sacrifices from her followers. Her divine form is a gigantic bat dripping in blood. When her name is spoken properly, she sends a blood bat, a Medium bat made of blood, to show her approval. When she gives her blessing on an act of blood, luck favors it (granting advantage on related checks). Alignment. Milena does not see a difference between law and chaos. According to her, all who carry blood must pay the proper respect to blood. However, since she demands blood sacrifices, she is closer to evil. Thus, Milena is a neutral evil deity. Domains. Milena’s worshippers choose the Rampage domain. Worshippers. Assassins, hired killers, murderers, vampires, wizards of the school of blood magic, and some warlocks of the First Vampire, follow Milena. Many primitive tribes, especially cannibalistic ones such as Kartuki, also worship her and seek to please her with their sacrifices. Realm. The realm where Milena resides is crawling with the souls of her worshippers and their sacrifices. It is a jungle with rivers, pools, and falls of blood that dominate the entire area. The souls that end up here continue to shed blood in her name after death as they hunt each other in these jungles. Milena lives in an underground chamber into which all of this blood pours. Rituals and Rules. Milena can give her blessing to assassinations, murders, wars, and any other event that involves bloodshed. Her name can also be used to seal the deals made with blood. Spellcasters studying the power of blood in magic also seek her guidance. To help in a matter, Milena demands a proper blood sacrifice (made upon a blood-covered shrine). However, all of the blood involved in the sacrifice must be that of a humanoid or something the sacrificer really cares about. Followers of Milena, be it royal vampire families or primitive Kartuki tribes, know that Milena cares about the blood sacrifice (its value for the one who performs the sacrificial ritual) and there is no certain way to do it. So, each follower may hs its own way of ritualistic worship. When the Blood Bat accepts a sacrifice, she sends a blood bat as a sign of approval. This bat generally emerges out from the spilled blood of the sacrifice. Milena The Blood Bat Whereof one is afraid to bleed thereof one must die ,
157 Naariel is the goddess of tyrannical order. She was once an angelic knight carrying the banner of the good and the just. She would ride her celestial wolf into the battlefield and reduce evil to ashes with her angelic greataxe. She valued two things above all else in life. Her faith and her lover. However, a series of dire, grim circ*mstances cost her both of them. Her lover, a paladin of the same faith as Naariel, was found guilty of a crime that caused the deaths of hundreds of innocents. The paladin was just a friend of the real criminal and tried to unwittingly protect them, not knowing about their betrayal. The judges sentenced the paladin, as well as the criminal, to public execution. Naariel witnessed the execution and couldn’t get the image of her lover’s humiliating and heartbreaking death out of her head. She doubted justice, and decided there was none. As a result, she decided to take vengeance on the judges and opposed their decisions. Thinking the only thing that would satiate her thirst for justice was revenge, she walked a path soaked with the blood of every single creature that led her lover to the guillotine. Naariel thus became a fallen angel, and a dark templar. She fought against both her former masters and her lover’s executioners. After 600 years of battle against everything she used to protect, she realized that her hunger for vengeance was not satisfied. She not only wanted to kill her enemies but wished to dominate what was left of them. Her true will was to govern the universe according to the only true laws; her laws. After this realization, she just disappeared, and no one heard from her for a very long time. Then, one day, the name of a new goddess was heard. Thus, Naariel re-emerged as The Grim Queen, goddess of domination and tyranny. Alignment. Naariel wants to bring order to the universe and she wants to do it by force. Hence, she is lawful evil. Domains. Naariel supports all clerics regardless of their domains as long as they walk on Naariel’s path. Worshippers. Paladins of tyranny, dark templars, kings, queens, and all tyrannical leaders who want to rule by pure domination, revere Naariel. Realm. Naariel lives in a perfectly symmetrical city of marble and sits on her throne placed inside a temple dedicated to her. When they die, the souls of the worshippers of Naariel travel to this perfectly created city, and continue their lives in there. This is a city where all live according to the laws of the Grim Queen. Also, all of these souls are granted the chance to rise in rank in the city, and in Naariel’s clergy of afterlife. For instance, those who were kings & queens in their life can gather followers around them, even form a small nobility in this afterlife (of course, all of these must be loyal to Naariel). It is believed that rising in rank in this city brings one closer to Naariel. The city has its own noble houses, traders, and many other aspects resembling a mortal city. Also, Grim Knights, which are the celestial emissaries of Naariel, (p.264) guard the city against planar enemies. Rituals and Rules. Naariel demands to be revered properly. All who call her name should not forget that she is a queen and should act accordingly. When called, Naariel sends one of her knights. These knights are called Grim Knights and are trained by Naariel personally. A worshipper of Naariel can become a grim knight in the afterlife if she sees it worthy of training. Naariel does not demand sacrifices or gifts. All she asks for is a temple built in her name. Her temples and shrines can be found in lands that were conquered with her help. If this one demand is not satisfied, Naariel sends her grim knights for punishment. Naariel The Grim Queen Power is the highest form of good and order the cloest thing to justice that exists , ;
158 Crimson Supremity is a red dragon supremacist organization. The members of Crimson Supremity believe that red dragons are the most majestic creatures in all the universe, and it is therefore their right to rule it. They think that the ones who refuse this ideal are ignorant creatures who are not worthy of life and such creatures must be eradicated. The members of the organization serve red dragons and put their lives before their own. Some of them even take this service to worship them so that the red dragons can reach divinity and take their rightful powers. Red dragons are generally overconfident about their qualities and their powers. They also see themselves as the epitome of draconic creatures. So, whether they agree with the activities of Crimson Supremity or not, they like to be paid the proper respect and to have small servants around. However, they do not tolerate mistakes. When they find members to be most pleasing, they might offer these members the chance to become clerics, warlocks, or paladins. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES The organization searches for red dragons, finds their lairs and serves them. The members can hunt the enemies of red dragons down, protect their treasures while they are resting, and keep their eggs healthy. They also prepare trophies made of other dragons’ parts and scales, and present them to red dragons. The organization also studies the ways of transforming the eggs of other kinds of dragons into those of red dragons, as they believe that red dragons are the first of the dragon kind and others are simply their twisted offspring. Although they have a long way before them before they can reach that goal, mad mages of the organization have discovered a ritual accompanied by an alchemical process called “True Dragonization”, a way to transform creatures into a red dragon hybrid. Each member of Crimson Supremity dreams of two things: Dragonization, and breeding with a red dragon to create halfred dragon offspring. Also, the members spread across the realms and gather information and gossip about all kinds of dragons, their kind, and valuable items that are related to them. HEADQUARTERS Most of the members stay close to red dragon lairs. Some of them search for lairs of other kinds of dragons and try to gather information. The rest lives in Crimson Nest. Crimson Nest is a castle in the shape of a sleeping red dragon, built on the lair of a red dragon that has long been dead. Since it is atop a mountain, reaching its location without flying is very challenging. Crimson Nest collects all the reports of stolen eggs, research about the process of egg transformation, True Dragonization (p.205), lair locations, etc. INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP Most of the members are red dragonborns, half-red dragons, and sorcerers coming from a Draconic Bloodline. However, the organization does not have a race or class restriction. Being fascinated by red dragons is the only condition needed. If a member serves faithfully and competently for 5 years, it is bestowed dragonization. LEADERS The organization is ruled by Edientath (p.301), a young red dragon. He is the son of the red dragon that was living in the same mountain Crimson Nest was built upon and that died there. He thinks that red dragons are not given enough respect and that every creature must bow down before them. He has a council of five under his rule. The council consists of red dragonborns and half-red dragons, all of which are descendants of Edientath. PLOT HOOKS There is a group searching for a black dragon and a copper dragon, to kill them both. The ranger of the village found an injured dragonborn in the forest. Unfortunately, they died, but a green dragon egg and a map were found among its belongings. The map shows how to get to a place called Crimson Nest. here are surely evil places in the universe, however in some places, it must be nurtured to survive. The seeds of evil must be planted and protected for years, for it to truly take root. These seeds (cults and organizations) are the presence of evil powers in mortal realms, which are there so that they can sprout the tales of their existence and might. In this section, new cults will be explained in detail, along with the reasons behind their foundation, leaders, initiation rites and processes, as well as their goals and activities. T Crimson Supremity Evil Cults
159 Dead Strike is a group made up of intelligent undead who worship Milena The Blood Bat, and who act as her force of inquisition. After becoming an intelligent undead, some creatures lose their will to carry on as they are no longer able to enjoy most pleasures in life, as they normally could. This causes a great deal of depression and a sinking feeling of emptiness. A faithful vampire of Milena, Lord Mordhak, saw an opportunity in this phenomenon and thought that he could channel this emptiness into something useful for both himself and for the creatures who suffered from this affliction. He started to search for such individuals, found many of them, and trained them in the art of killing and in the ways of Milena. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES Lord Mordhak himself was lost when he was turned into a vampire. However, he found salvation in his faith and trust in Milena. His aim is to save others like him and to help Milena to grow in power at the same time. The cult helps the undead, teaching them how to live in their new form and help them in their discovery of their powers and potentials. All members are taught the religious teachings of Milena and many ways to battle those who stand in their way. Dead Strike uses all of its resources on this act of training, and whatever else is needed to find the infidels who reject Milena’s rulership and destroy them. HEADQUARTERS All members of the organization reside in the castle of Lord Mordhak, which goes by the name “Cascading Blood”. This castle is actually a temple dedicated to Milena, and its name comes from the rivers of blood that cover the steps leading to the castle. It is rumored that this is the blood of Mordhak’s own family who betrayed him years ago. INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP To be a member of Dead Strike, one must be an intelligent undead. Most members of the organization were transformed into the intelligent undead, yet, if Lord Mordhak finds a powerful undead creature who is not intelligent and he sees it to be worthy, he can choose to awaken it by performing a special and highly costly ritual called Drinking The Blood of A Clear Mind. Although there is no restriction of class, members are required to be well-read in the ways and deeds of Milena. Lord Mordhak educates all members in the ways of Milena, makes them worship her and gives them a purpose to keep them going: to kill in the name of The Blood Bat. After three months of education, a member gains proficiency in Intelligence (Religion) skill and Lord Mordhak gives the new member a signet ring adorned with a white jewel. The jewel on the ring turns crimson, slowly, becoming a darker hue of red with each life taken by the wearer of the ring. It reminds the member that the blood of their victims is sacrificed to Milena. All members must wear this ring and never take it off. In this way, Lord Mordhak is able to scry about and watch the members. LEADERS Lord Mordhak (p.335) leads Dead Strike. He has two advisors, Emily the Banshee (p.305) and Grim Gomir (p.313). Together they educate the members in the ways of their bloody religion, simple magic, and militaristic methods. PLOT HOOKS All the priests of a temple known for their opposition to Milena were found dead in their chambers. There is also another corpse on the ground, the remains of a vampire minion. The guards chased away someone suspicious last night. They say that her face was rotten. Although the suspect slipped off, she left a white-crimson ring behind. On the stone of the ring, hues of crimson are flickering in the white, and it looks like this ring is special. Dewan of Love is a cult of the fiend monarch of pleasuring corruption. They act as brothels, circuses, and taverns all rolled into one; a place for amusem*nt and entertainment. They host guests from all walks of the society, and their doors are open to commoners, nobles, or even clergies, serving all at an affordable price. Secretly, they get their customers accustomed to their services through making them addicted and providing them freedom from all norms. As time goes by, they offer more and more “exquisite” services to their customers, gradually corrupting them day-by-day. Dead Strike Dewan of Love
160 Goals and Activities In the eyes of the public, Dewan of Love states that their purpose of existence is to serve and entertain all parts of society, regardless of title and position. They say that they share love and understanding with the locals, and help them blow off some needed steam after the burdens of a regular day. To those who seek atonement for their souls, they provide comfort by telling them to let go of the fears and the norms that society burdens them with. In the Dewan, all are accepted. Secretly, Dewan of Love aims to corrupt creatures to serve the will of their monarch. The more corruption spreads in the region, the stronger their monarch’s influence can become. Headquarters The Dewan looks like a wide, beautiful inn or tavern. It gets its name from the large sofas that are used for lounging that are sometimes preferred instead of chairs. The whole headquarters has a very relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. The common room has a communal table in the middle where guests can meet to enjoy a night of passion together. At the sides, there are lounges that are separated by thin wooden separators and curtains for doors, for those who might prefer a little more privacy. On the upper floors, there are rooms where guests can stay. On the lower floor, there are special rooms that are set aside for those with exquisite and specific tastes. The establishment also has secret rooms reserved for the most special of guests or events. One of these secret rooms is the common room of the cult itself. The Dewan is protected by beautiful bodyguards who are quite deadly in skill. Initiation and Membership Most of those who have been corrupted are mere slaves of corruption who cause trouble in their personal lives and in society while finding peace only in the Dewan. Some of them, on the other hand, are recruited by the Dewan. In order to be initiated, one must devote themself to the pleasuring corruption offered by the fiend monarch. A member of this cult believes nothing but the existence of pleasure at the expense of all else. When a person is initiated, they leave all their morality behind, and their alignment becomes neutral evil or chaotic evil, determined by the GM. Leaders The cult is run by a temptation demon (p.282) whose shape has been altered by magic to resemble that of a beautiful man, and it reveals its true form only to loyal customers. It goes by a common name, Ganis but its true name is Xaelos (p.363). Plot Hooks If one of the characters decides to spend time in a brothel, they find themself in the Dewan of Love after wandering around for a bit. After spending a period of time filled with maddening pleasure, they wake up with no recollection of anything they have done. Still, the blurry memories of the Dewan haunt their dreams or slowly corrupt its soul. The characters decide to take a room in an inn but are somehow tricked into coming to the Dewan of Love. With charming words and alluring hospitality, Ganis tricks them into some foul entertainment. The characters may realize what is going on while they are in the throes of passion, or may lose themselves, only to realize what happened after it is too late. The clergy of the temples in the city appear to lose their divinity with each passing day, and after a while, the characters realize that all or most of the clerics in these temples have been corrupted. The characters are after a shady adventure that will challenge them. As they make inquiries, in this regard, they are informed of the Dewan of Love. False Priests is actually a demon-worshipping cult, yet it operates as the clergies of good-aligned deities, and is generally known as Touch of Mercy. They typically choose to settle in poor or ravaged areas. They can be found in regions that experienced massive wars, natural disasters, plagues, invasions, or similar grim realities. Before settling in a place, they pick a good-aligned deity, study its religious dogma and practices, obtain its holy symbols and go to the chosen place as its priests. They use their magical powers and supplies to heal the sick and better the land to gain the trust of the inhabitants over time. Once creatures trust them, nobody suspects that these priests are the cause of creatures going missing or turning up dead. Some folks even choose to become a follower and enter their ranks. As a result, they increase in number. False Priests A PERILOUS REST Time seems to pass slowly in the Dewan of Love. Those who spend time in it and entertain themselves for 3 hours or more are refreshed as if they have taken a long rest. However, they unwittingly become corrupted, gaining one Foul or Desecrating essence each time they visit the Dewan for 3 hours or more. If a person makes frequent visits for less than 3 hours each, corruption can still manifest, at the Game Master’s discretion.
161 GOALS AND ACTIVITIES False Priests have two main goals: to gather more followers, and to collect more sacrifices for their demonic patron. They convert the characters with clever minds into new cultists and send the unworthy souls to their deity. They make these sacrifices in hopes of summoning a herald of their demonic patron, in which they rarely succeed, before they are hunted down and destroyed by good-aligned groups and adventurers. Each cult cell leader dreams about summoning some part of their demonic master by leading massive sacrifices. They always wait for the right time to call otherworldly forces to take control of the place they live, or they are hunted down easily. Headquarters False Priests have no, one headquarters or one designated center of operations. They build cult centers in places they find suitable. However, if there is more than one cult center nearby, a little center is built between them to improve communication. INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP Some new followers, especially clever ones, are chosen by the cult leader. They are shown the truth about the cult’s true intentions slowly. Their minds are sought to be broken with the use of gifts, through close relationships, and with strange dreams caused by special drugs and spells. After some time, the new member starts to believe that it was chosen by the deity. This way, the cult establishes an almost impenetrable connection with the new cultist, making the cultist feel important and special after a period of destruction and hopelessness. Later, the cultist is introduced to the real power behind the cult, the process of which leaves a mark on both their body and their soul. Neither can be wiped away easily. Once the cult decides to accept someone as a member, a 1-hour ritual dedicated to their demonic master is performed. Prayers are slowly chanted to the dark entity, and each member somehow hurts themselves willingly, creating deformities on their own body. At the end of the ritual, the soul of the new member is marked by the Dark Master’s Touch, granting them certain benefits. Dark Master’s Touch. As an action, you can cast the cure wounds or inflict wounds spells without expending any spell slots or any of the spells’ original material components. Your spellcasting ability is Wisdom. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest to use it again. A cultist can keep benefiting from this feature even if it leaves the cult. However, its soul is claimed by the demon master if it dies while it has this feature. LEADERS The first leader of the first False Priests cult was, and still is, Ilveril (p.321), a human demonologist. She was also the one who had the idea to form a false cult in the disguise of a good temple. Although she is 273 years old, she still lives thanks to the corruption that lives in her heart. Ilveril wanders the lands, visiting different cult cells from time to time. Her visits are not wanted by the cult cell leaders, as she does not hesitate to punish even the smallest mistakes and discretions of her followers. Her master plan dictates that each cell must work in perfect harmony to summon their master, and no mistakes can be tolerated in this path. PLOT HOOKS A new shrine has been constructed in a village struck with famine. Although the new priests have been helping those in need quite a lot, the blacksmith of the village had a bad feeling about them, and was warning all residents to stay away. Last night, the blacksmith was found dead. Inquisition of the Flame is made up of clergies who worship the deity of light. They hold morality and order above all else. Their deity demands devotion to its laws so radically that they accuse anyone with the slightest “sin” of heresy and punish them severely. To them, they do the work of the only good deity. They are the pillar of morality in their society. Goals and Activities The Inquisition works relentlessly to keep order and morality in their society. This is the demand of their deity; the one and only force that can protect them from fiends. To keep the faith, they hunt and punish any sinners they can find. Also, the deity and its inquisition consider all the other faiths heresy and infidelity. Someone who is not wed, and who spends time in private with another creature who is unwed, is charged with adultery, an artist who makes art that is seen to be unfit for the moral fiber of society is accused of provocation, someone who steals a loaf of bread has their hand cut off. The Inquisition believes in severe punishment of any possible sin; because they believe if evil is let to take even the smallest root, society can easily fall. Still, atonement is, of course, possible, which they offer at a generous sum. Headquarters The inquisition has a large monastery in the city where its main temple is located. The monastery is protected by a stone wall, and it has room for anything, from a prayer hall to barracks. Inquisitors guard the monastery in shifts. Inquisition of the Flame
162 Initiation and Membership The Inquisition takes its recruits from the temple of their deity. They seek the most devoted among the young clergy and are also on the lookout for those that are not afraid to shed blood in the name of their deity. It is not a place for the soft-hearted. An initiate must pass a series of physical and mental tests in which they must endure torture and the charms of evil. Those who fail the tests are either made to leave the clergy or are slain, as they are deemed unworthy because of their susceptibility to evil and sins. Leaders The Inquisition appoints its leader, The Eminence, when the previous one dies. The current Eminence is Marilus Athaertes (p.339), a dwarf man, who is a paladin of the order of their faith. He has seen many fights against evil, and common folk say his soul is unbreakable. Plot Hooks The characters are accused of something that is normal to them, but a sin or heresy in the eyes of The Inquisition, after entering a city that seems normal from the outside. The Inquisition of the Flame enters another city in order to recover a particular sinner or to enforce their faith. The pressure to which they subject the inhabitants causes trouble in the city and the authorities ask the characters to find a way to end the influence of the malevolent cult before a war breaks out between the two cities. The characters are saved from evil monsters (possibly fiends) by The Inquisition and are asked to convert to their faith, and perhaps to become inquisitors themselves, if they are found to be worthy. The characters are inquisitors from The Inquisition of the Flame. They are tasked with uprooting and eliminating a source of sin, corruption, or heresy in the city or a nearby town. This errand requires the punishment of many commoners who are affected by the source in some way. Legend has it that there was once a king who did not think about anything but conquest. He had a court of 11 mages who, with their mysticism and magic, helped the king’s armies on their path to conquest. Then, one day, the king demanded the mages find a faster and easier way to move his armies. Thus, the mages of the court started to build a library, experimenting with spells. After they worked on teleportation, plane shifting, shadow walking, etc., they mistakenly surpassed their own limits, reached beyond the stars, and made contact with the beyond. This caused a portal to open and led the kingdom to instantly be transported into the beyond, with all the creatures within. Only The Library of The Mad Court remained, as well as the court of mad masters that ran it. This was a library in which one could find even the most secret and rare piece of information, but, unfortunately, none can bear the madness they are exposed to upon entry. Ever since then, they have been expanding their library and have been writing new books with their new-found maddening understanding of all things, which they acquired by touching the madness and nothingness that encompasses the universe. The Masters have full control over the library. They can shape it freely, according to their will. Because of this, the very existence of the Library challenges the rules of physics. A person who is not invited in cannot see the library. The Library does not have a particular, permanent location since it has been displacing through realms constantly. Even a person who has been invited in can only find the library when The Masters see fit. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES The Library is beyond time and space. So, time freezes inside. The Librarians have been collecting knowledge and preparing the minds of mortals with the books they have been writing for the day of the apocalypse, upon which time the true masters of the universe will come to the world. They also use apprentices on quests for things such as recovering a relic, or freeing a strange creature foreign to the realm from its prison. HEADQUARTERS The organization has only one place of gathering, The Library. It is nowhere and everywhere at once. It constantly travels. It can only be seen by the willing, and if the Masters allow it. The Library is a massive place that holds valuable books, long-forgotten scrolls, and universal secrets. The creatures inside do not need to sleep or require food to survive, thanks to the magical auras encircling the building. The Library does not have a particular shape as it manifests itself in a different form to each and every mind. INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP To become an apprentice of the Masters of the Library, being a spellcaster is a must. One should also be ready to leave their sanity behind to explore more about the universe, and about the powers that are even above and beyond gods. The masters never leave the library. They search for and find the right creatures to serve them through divination spells and make their offers through distorted dreams or by sending their apprentices in their name. Librarians of the Mad Court
163 LEADERS Their leader is Xaltoran The Head Librarian (p.365), The Master Conjurer. Other masters are made up of masters of other spell schools and clerics of The Mad Court. These masters try to distort widely known spells in their own ways, creating unique forms of magic with the bizarre touch of foreign realms. To experiment on a greater scale, they find apprentices seeking forbidden and unlimited knowledge. PLOT HOOKS A strange-looking wizard comes to the village and they ask to talk to an intelligent child. When the wizard is near, all characters feel a bizarre, sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach and start to have bizarre visions they barely remember. The characters find a book with a golden cover. It contains a great deal of knowledge that is thought to have been lost, and carries the signature of its author on the first page: Xaltoran The Head Librarian. Living Ashes is an organization that hunts all the arcane spellcasters that are not a member of Living Ashes. It was founded by Sugad Invraro and Esasha Ivory. All members of the organization are spellcasters. Falling victim to the political schemes of other schools, Sugad Invraro and Esasha Ivory were the head mages of a magic school until they were hunted and burned alive. After they died, they came back to life as intelligent undead. Realizing what led them to their fate, they swore to annihilate all arcane spellcasters and become the only authority of magic. To them, any and all spellcasters are faced with the same choice, join the ranks of the Living Ashes, or crumble to ashes themselves. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES They work relentlessly to develop new spells and forms of magic to strengthen their capabilities against their rivals. They know no morals in doing so, and conduct hideous experiments in the name of this cause. They also search for spellcasters that they can invite, or coerce, to join their ranks. Failing that, ones they can eliminate. In order to establish influence and domination over a region or kingdom, they also take jobs as court mages or diplomats that serve the powerful families of the region or kingdom. While in these assignments, they aim to make themselves the only authority in arcane matters. HEADQUARTERS It is not known where their actual center of operations is located, but they build strange, cubic towers everywhere they go to establish dominance. These towers are tall and are often in hues of gray and black. Although they are quite large, their interiors are even larger because of the extradimensional magic they cast within their walls. Members can also easily travel between the towers through portals. Generally, they build such towers in places where such spells can be used. They see the inability to cast such spells to be a weakness in security and logistics. Thanks to their portals, they can defend a tower with tremendous force, its members having the ability to come to aid as reinforcements at any given time. LEADERS Sugad Invraro (p.353) is a necromancer. Although her former school of favor was not necromancy, she spent years mastering necromancy after a dreadful event that she keeps secret. Her advisor, Esasha Ivory (p.309), on the other hand, is a master evoker. She especially loves and excels in pyromancy. They rule the guild as they would a regular mages guild. Except, they encourage spells that are normally forbidden in other guilds, but they discourage individuality and the empowerment of its members, expecting absolute loyalty. The guild eliminates anyone who dares to challenge the cause of the Living Ashes and its head mages. INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP Joining this cult is easy for an arcane spellcaster. Potential recruits go to the cult towers where magisters of each accept spellcasters into the guild after carrying out certain deeds and demonstrating competence. These magisters place newcomers into a class within the guild according to their abilities, and introduce them to the head of these classes who they will take orders from. Resisting orders and insolence are punished. Failure is expected to be corrected in some way. The responsibility for the task rests entirely on the member’s shoulders. However, members can exchange favors to help each other complete their tasks. These favors are a form of currency that is traded among the members. PLOT HOOKS The characters are summoned by the warden or spymaster of a kingdom’s court. The court authority tells them that it suspects the court mage has a dark agenda, but the monarch refuses to listen to sense. A character who is a spellcaster may be interested in what they heard about this cult and may be looking to get involved. Living Ashes
164 New Life started as a medical organization aiming to help creatures in need. Once the providers DC =24 of food, shelter, and medicine, they were chased, murdered, exiled by many after being falsely accused of being an evil cult. To protect themselves and the creatures they wished to help, they hired mercenaries. However, in the eyes of the folk around, this action was the proof that New Life was hiding something. So, they hunted them down and executed many of them. A handful of members managed to escape into a nearby cave during one of the massacres, but the folk that had them surrounded made the entrance collapse, locking them in. Luckily, or unluckily (depending on how one might look at it), this was not an ordinary cave. It was the hideout of a lich who escaped the execution of a holy group. Although they were uneasy by its presence at first, in time, the members of New Life started to understand that they would die in the cave, so they saw no sense in living in fear of the lich and confronted it. The lich was in the process of building an army and saw this encounter to be an opportunity. It started to teach fleshcraft and necromancy to the members in the cave saying “One day you will all leave this place and you will be forgotten by the ones that were hunting you. However, there will always be others in need of your help. With these new powers, you can help them. And make sure that your safety is never compromised, as it once was.” After many years, New Life was born anew from these caves, with a quest to reshape their patients’ bodies to “help” them, and raise an army for their new master. Goals & Activities New Life used to be a group who helped the sick and needy, but now, they actually use this as a cover to kidnap creatures and reshape their bodies to fit their needs. Naturally, those they operate on, usually do not have much chance of survival. Those who die begin their “new life” as an undead soldier in the army of the Lich. Those who survive become a member of New Life and start their very own fleshcraft and necromancy training in the Caves of Corruption. New Life members or the Lich don’t care about golds or riches, so some greedy creatures help them, all the while knowing their true agenda, because they know New Life would let them keep the gold and the other spoils of their endeavors. Headquarters The Caves of Corruption is the headquarters of New Life. There are research rooms and libraries inside, as well as the entire New Life Army. The army is made up of undead abominations that obey every command given by the members. The undead are basically considered the footmen. When the members have no need of aid in combat, the undead attend to simple chores. The Lich lives in the caves and oversees all the operations going on. Initiation and Membership Anyone can become a member of New Life. What matters is what you will be joining as. Once the cult decides on a new recruit, it is taken to the Caves of Corruption, and has a series of fleshcrafting operations. If it dies, it is a part of the undead army of the Lich master, and if it lives, it becomes a member, and is educated in fleshcraft. Some join the cult as students to learn necromancy and fleshcraft. Many of them never make it to their first finals and kill themselves during the process due to stress. However, if they succeed, they take an oath before the Lich (they are branded with an arcane mark which can be dispelled by the dispel magic spell [DC is 24]) to never reveal the Caves of Corruption and the truth behind the cult. When the deal is made, they are free to leave and if they ever fail to hold up their end of the bargain, their body explodes. New Life can also use creatures that will work for money like mercenaries, traders, thieves or assassins as a part of their army or to aid them in their more social endeavours. These creatures are called the Outsiders within the community of the organization. An Outsider is not allowed into the Caves of Corruption and members are not allowed to operate on them. They can accept missions from both the Lich itself as well as from any member. Leaders The Lich controls the New Life cult as well as its army. It resides in, and never leaves, the Caves of Corruption. The Lich teaches newcomers the subtleties of the art of necromancy and the beauty of fleshcraft. Once they learn all that they must, the Lich sends the new members away to bring others, both in the form of the undead creatures and as new members. Plot Hooks A new organization called New Life arrives in town and starts helping the sick. However, they say some of them can’t be saved where they are, so they take some to their “hospital”. The Mayor realizes something shady is going on and hires the adventuring party to uncover the mystery. The characters encounter a weird undead creature that looks like a hand, made of flesh. Just before the creature dies, someone comes and tries to stop the players from killing it, screaming “Stop! Do not hurt my favorite toy!”. In a possible conversation with a stranger, the party could be told “If you want to see necromancy, the place you should seek is the Caves of Corruption. They say undead creatures transform more into the undead down there.” New Life
165 Nightshade Inns is a chain of inns established in many settlements within a kingdom or even region. Its owners are one of the pioneers who realized not only goods can be exported, but services as well. Apart from it being a franchise, Nightshade Inns also have a much darker specialty: They are a safe, neutral haven for criminals to find and conduct their business. Goals and Activities Many criminals in the settlement stop by a Nightshade Inn to carry out various shady errands. An assassin can go there to pick a new contract for the coin, a thief can pay to have the latest tips on loot while having an ale, a spy can hire a room and use it as a safe house, and bosses of two rival gangs can meet with the ease of not expecting a bad surprise from each other within the safe ground of the inn. In these inns, there is room for both employers and employees. Those who wish to gather a crew for any kind of criminal activity can make their request known to the innkeeper, who in return makes it known to those looking for work. Tabs can even be opened for a safe exchange, noted under ridiculously expensive (but not existing) bottles of drinks. These exchanges are mediated by the innkeeper so that both parties can count on the interaction being free from a double-cross. Headquarters There is often one Nightshade Inn in every settlement as long as it has a thriving crime world, meaning any town or city. The inns are protected through various means. For instance, the influence the owners have over the settlement, a tough gang of guards which the local watch finds hard to penetrate, a special pact made with a noble, or the court’s spymaster, could all be reasons as to why a Nightshade Inn is untouchable. Initiation and Membership Any common innkeeper can become a member of the Nightshade Inns. On paper, all it takes is just a business deal made between two merchants. Of course, in private, the innkeeper must be resourceful in the ways of the crime world and be able to defend its turf through any means necessary. The owners only deliver the title to suitable inns where they are in need of a branch. A recruited innkeeper must pay money to the owners as if a gang is paying their share to the boss, the only difference being that this payment takes part in both worlds; it has a documented business side on paper and a criminal side in private. Leaders The owner of all the Nightshade Inns is Jenfine Thridis (p.325) , a half-elf woman with a bald head, sharp and distinctive facial features, and eyes looking as deadly as a frozen lake. She was a gangmaster in the busy trade port of a capital. She was used to doing her work with a blade until she discovered that partnerships and diplomacy can be much more profitable, and safer in a world like hers. She established the Nightshade Inns through her contacts in the crime world who resided in other cities, and the enterprise grew from there. Plot Hooks The characters arrive at a Nightshade Inn just to have somewhere safe to spend the night and a good meal, when they realize they are in a criminal haven. To their surprise, criminals here are not common cutthroats; they have style and manners, just as nobles do. The characters hear of a grand recruitment going on in one of the local inns. When they get there, expecting to see a threatening boss and tough-looking muscles, they are surprised by the delicacy of the manner in which the business is conducted. The characters find the Nightshade Inn where they hear that the bounty on one of their heads can be removed through negotiations. When they get there, they are stuck, because even though no one can touch them in the establishment, the inn is full of those who aim to hand them to the authorities and claim their bounty as soon as their target is on the street again. Nightshade inns HANDKERCHIEFS AND THIEVES’ CANT Jobs for hire are posted on cheap handkerchiefs and written in the code and symbols of Thieves’ Cant. To an outsider who is new to the criminal world, they seem like simple, everyday requests an innkeeper or a bard performing in the inn might receive. Only those who know Thieves’ Cant can understand the posts. If a group in search of criminal aid does not have a member who speaks the language, innkeepers provide the service of a translator in exchange for a fee, after they make sure that the group can be trusted.
166 Numis Bank is an organization that thrives on riches and funds, using both to support and manipulate political fractions in a region. Once one of the pioneers of banking in the region, they quickly realized the potential of holding and lending out coin to those who need it, in order to gain power. As one of the most affluent organizations there is, they use funds to manipulate rulers to act in accordance with their own benefit. There is no preference or moral consideration in the way they choose who they shall support. The only consideration is whether or not the target could serve them in their plans. They can commence assassinations, religious cults, guilds, and wars between kingdoms. Rumor has it that they even caused a plague or two with the help of alchemists, herbalists, and necromancers, seeking to profit from it, although the way in which they might have done so is unknown. Goals and Activities During the day, Numis Bank is just a bank famous for being among the first in the realm. They have a headquarters and many branches in cities for various banking operations. They lend money to nobles and merchants who need it. They take deposits in one branch and allow customers to withdraw funds in another, as per any other common bank. However, behind closed doors, they listen to various groups of power, such as nobles, armies, temples, or even cults, and offer them payment for certain campaigns. Although many banks are known for their support to kingdoms in raising soldiers, Numis Bank actively seeks potential troublemakers or significant characters of power, and schemes political maneuvers around them for their own benefit The bank is able to work at many things at once. With the abundance of gold in its safes, it has the ability to hire assassins and spies that could eclipse even those belonging to guilds. They also have a vast number of adepts on their payroll; wizards, sorcerers, and other masters of lore, work for them to manipulate those they give advice to. Headquarters The headquarters of Numis Bank is located in the capital of a great kingdom. It is a kingdom where they have probably already bought the majority of the nobles in the ruling council. It is a vast, square building with grand, ornamented, marble pillars and walls. Inside, in the center, there are many cubicles and desks for bankers to silently do their work during the day. On the sides, there are private rooms for masters to stay and for important meetings to be held, all protected by reinforced windows and doors. The vaults are in places out of sight and are protected by various complex locks and highlevel spells. Guards patrol the bank at all times. Apart from its headquarters, Numis Bank has many branches located in other cities and kingdoms. These branches act as regular bank branches, but they are also used as houses of operations for political maneuvers. With its system, it is easy for Numis Bank to fund and inform its agents anywhere in a region. It is hard to locate them as all this espionage is done as a part of common banking activities. Initiation and Membership The initiates are carefully and secretly chosen among common bankers in the bank and are manipulated to compete with each other. Their daily competition slowly starts to become more intense, and results in one of the initiates destroying the work and lives of the others. The procedure also causes the candidates to make decisions that get more and more immoral as the initiation proceeds. Finally, the one who has the ambition and wits to survive becomes the recruit. Such members are allowed into the pyramid of power, and they slowly rise as they become more successful. Other than these recruits, there are also agents that the bank hires from outside. These agents are called hirelings. The bank ensures they do their work, and limits its communication with them so that bank members’ identities remain a mystery to them. In any case, any member or agent that is accepted into the cult needs to inform the bank in regard to the whereabouts of their families, which the bank uses as leverage against them to ensure their loyalty. Leaders The bank is ruled by the founding families. They were all merchants who became nobles by obtaining their titles through bribery or politics after having acquired their vast Numis Bank NUMIS COINS Numis Bank also owns various establishments within a region. Most of them are those who pledged loyalty to run their errands in return for a generous amount of coins and interest, or those who were taken over by the bank because of their debt, and the owners of which were replaced with agents. The bank mints a special silver coin that can be used in these establishments. Its size makes it worth roughly 5 silver pieces, but it’s worth much, much more than that in reality. Members and agents are also paid a handful of these coins for their work constantly, and they can use these coins to purchase special goods, services, or gather some intelligence from the bank’s affiliates.
167 fortune. Now they are among the strongest in the region. One representative from each family is nominated for the council and they rule as equals. The one who all members of the council favor rules as the Prime Councilor until they are decided not to be successful enough. Although all votes are equal, the prime councilor has slightly more influence on the council than the others, as they are able to open the floor for discussion of new issues and to veto edicts. The current prime councilor is Debast Veirillen (p.299), a bard from the gnome family of Veirillen. She is quite skillful with many magical items at her disposal. As does any other councilor, she prefers to use pawns to get things done, but she is also quite capable of protecting herself or getting things done on her own. Plot Hooks While the characters are desperate to end a villain’s influence over a certain location, they come across a stranger in a tavern. The stranger tells them that the power or coins for their quest can be funded… for a favor that will be asked later. When the characters finally deal with the cultists that were causing trouble, they realize there is a financial force that was manipulating the cult. The ruler demands the characters to investigate the corruption that plagues the nobility of the kingdom nobles. They slowly realize that the nobles have become pawns in the games of a bank that seeks to take control of the court. The Path of Dream Walkers is an unusual alliance of spellcasters devoted to discovering the secrets of the “dream realm” and growing in power through the knowledge they uncover. According to them, this realm is where all living creatures are bound together by dreams. At first, the cult was consumed with exploring dreams, creating happy places, and finding one’s true self. However, it evolved unexpectedly. The dream walkers found a way to get into others’ dreams and started to steal their ideas. Cath, the leader of the cult, was uncomfortable with these changes and wanted to stop. However, he was murdered by Vezlin in a dream. Today, the cult is still ruled by Vezlin, and the members continue to use hallucinogens, drugs, and spells to enter the dreams of others. Goals & Activities Vezlin and other important figures of the cult want to develop the cult, both financially and socially. Vezlin has established three methods of development: The first is to create a big archive containing information on creatures and the dreams that they have. With the help of this archive, they hope to be able to sell information to the highest bidders. The second is to get involved in the power struggles of prominent persons living in big kingdoms. They believe that they can work as spies for important figures, in exchange for money, of course. The third is to establish a drug business that operates throughout the various realms. They hope that this business will make their users more susceptible, and their minds weaker, making it easier to invade their dreams. All members of the cult, including Vezlin herself, are actively working on achieving these goals. There are already some functional drug laboratories, and some members are working day and night to create an archive as soon as possible. Headquarters The Path of Dream Walkers is still relatively small; they do not have many members and they only have a medium, two-story building with a wide garden and a small pond in which the cult discusses operations. There are always a few guards around the house. However, at night, when most members fall into a deep sleep, the number of the guards increases. Initiation and Membership It is not possible to apply to join the group since dream walkers are the ones who contact their candidates. All the members must be spellcasters of some sort. If one accepts to be a member, the person must give up most of their normal life, such as social connections, status, and belongings. If one does not accept, their memory is wiped clean with special drugs so that they can offer membership to the same creature over and over again. Leaders Vezlin is a werewolf and has been the leader of the Path of Dream Walkers for more than 10 years. At first, she was the apprentice of the old leader, Cath. However, after she lost her girlfriend, Luna, she was so upset that she refused to wake up from the dreams in which she saw her girlfriend. In one of her dreams, Vezlin learned that she was the one who killed Luna during a full moon. After realizing the truth, Vezlin’s character changed completely. She lost her respect for the lives of others. This is why she refused Cath’s orders and actually ended up killing him. Today, she appears to be 40 years of age. She is nearly six feet tall and has a slender figure. Although her face is still relatively young, her passionate work aged her body pretty fast. Her pale, almost-white skin is so thin that it nearly reveals the veins and bones underneath. She has a small hunch in her back, and she walks and speaks rather slowly. Path of Dream Walkers
168 She is mean, domineering, and relentless. She openly hates all forms of lycanthropes, including herself. Plot Hooks When the characters come to a village, they see that it is extremely quiet and empty. If they investigate, they realize that all the inhabitants of the village are in a very deep sleep. If the characters wake up even a single villager, all the villagers awaken and none of them remember their condition. All villagers mention the same tall and pale woman, but they do not remember where they saw her. Silhouettes were born with the shadowkin. Many nobles and rulers wanted to use the shadowkins’ abilities to serve their own agenda, and seeing this to be an opportunity, some shadowkin formed a classified assassins guild. In time, creatures’ demands became overwhelming and the leader of the Silhouettes, The Unseen One, decided to recruit others to work in “common” contracts. Eventually, Silhouettes became a diverse organization. Goals & Activities Silhouettes work for coins, souls, valuable items and information. Their main goal is to establish new Shadows, the title given to the members of the guild, and these shadows serve as “headquarters” in every realm of existence. By doing so, they seek to become the most fearsome assassins who ever lived. To strike up a contract with a Silhouette, someone must perform a simple ritual. This contract is called the Shadow Contract and the ritual is the Shadow Contract Ritual. To perform the Shadow Contract Ritual, a simple dark room, a candle that will be snuffed out at the end, and what you will offer as your service in return, are needed. After saying the Shadow Contract Ritual prayer (given below), the target’s name must be whispered. If your contract is accepted, the candle will light itself again. “Hear me, those who lurk in the shadows, I need your darkness and I am ready to give, in return. Hear me, those who work in the shadows, I need your blades and I am ready to give, in return. Hear me, those who are the shadows, Hear me, and accept my offer.” - Shadow Contract Ritual prayer Headquarters Silhouettes operate in temple-like buildings called Shadows. They establish these Shadows in big, crowded cities and every single one of them is linked through The Shadow Portals. Their headquarters in which The Unseen One lives is located somewhere in the realm of shadows and is named Shadowhome. It is a huge gothic temple that has no doors. In both Shadowhome and Shadows, there are resting quarters, libraries, and most importantly, an armory. There are also people who look after these places such as innkeepers, blacksmiths, etc. Initiation and Membership To be a member of the Silhouettes, one must first happen upon them or find them. Every assassin has a right to bring one initiate to the Shadows. These initiates are called the Candles. Once a Candle steps foot into a Shadow, every Silhouette in the Shadow must cover their faces. However, being a member takes time. During this time, the Candle must live in the Shadow and help members in their daily chores. Once The Unseen One allows it, the assassin who brought the Candle, and the Candle itself, travel to the Shadowhome through the Shadow Portals, to request an audience from The Unseen One. When a Candle meets with The Unseen One, they simply stand before it for nearly 1 minute. Although the Candle is not aware of it, The Unseen One talks with its shadow. Since a shadow walks with its owner its whole life, it is reliable and can reveal every truth about the Candle. This event is not known by members of the organization and the mystery of talking with shadows is only granted to an Unseen One by the one before it. If The Unseen One sees fit, the Candle starts their training, and if not, they are killed on the spot. Once the Candle successfully passes all the tests in their training, an initiation ritual called “Snuffing out the Candle” begins. When the ritual is complete, the Candle becomes a Silhouette and can use every library and armory. They have free access to other Shadows and Shadowhome. Most importantly, they can establish contracts. “I am the Shadow, Who lives in shadows, Who serves in shadows, In the name of shadows.” -A passage from the “Snuffing out a Candle” ritual Leaders The leader of the Silhouettes is called The Unseen One. They rule over the organization for 20 years. After that time is up, The Unseen One chooses their successor from the assassins of the Silhouettes. The Unseen Ones are generally chosen among shadowkin as they are the founders of the organization. The Unseen One never leaves the Shadowhome and uses a messenger to communicate with their followers. This messenger is called the Dark Messenger. Since the messenger travels a lot in the world, they are forbidden for it to learn about any of the contracts or information about the Silhouettes
169 organization. Silhouettes can encounter The Unseen One in the Shadowhome and even receive a contract from them. Plot Hooks Someone is murdered in a mysterious way. Word among the common folk is that it was killed by moving shadows. The Dark Messenger arrives and tells the characters that the Silhouettes could use a party like them. The party encounters a shadowkin that tries to kill someone. It can request the party’s help, or the party may try to stop it. Silver Claws is a werewolf pack established by Kortar Cragbrace, an alpha werewolf. Because of his curse of lycanthropy, while he lived a normal life in a city, a good-aligned cleric refused to help him and his family in a time of dire need. As a result, his family died, making him declare war against all good-aligned temples, all by himself. He decided to start a new family. However, unlike most families, this family was not to have ties through blood; instead, they are united under lycanthropy. Kortar Cragbrace and his new family are seen as merchants in everyday life. They sell fabric and gemstones in various places. They do not have sedentary lifestyles, which is not much of a challenge, due to their active nature. The biggest challenge they have is hiding the unadulterated hatred coursing through their veins. The feelings they hide is the hatred within them because of the things they’ve endured; constantly being the target of hunts due to their nature, and losing members of their former families, are the main reasons for the anger the members of the Cragbrace family want to take out on everyone. They have a signature that they leave behind after their attacks: a wolf’s paw with talons soaked in silver, as though it has been dipped in paint. Because they were aware of their curse, they chose silver as the symbol for themselves, which gave them the most physical pain. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES Kortar Cragbrace aims to find other creatures with lycanthropy who lead lives that are similar to their own, and to recruit them to their family. In addition to this, he has taken a vow to destroy all the good-aligned temples and he instills his own need for revenge as well as his anger in the hearts of everyone in his family. The organization acts discreetly so that their actions are not traced before they burn a temple to the ground. After destroying a temple, they make sure the new target is located somewhere far away, and that the new target has no ties to the last one. HEADQUARTERS Silver Claws lead nomadic lives. They collect the materials that they sell as merchants to conceal their true identities, and they visit towns and small cities to find good-aligned temples. LEADERS Kortar Cragbrace (p.329) is the founder of the family, but he runs the order in collaboration with Lady Lilante Cragbrace (p.331), the first werewolf Kortar ever turned. Kortar Cragbrace is tough, as well as a creature of order and of habit, and Lilante Cragbrace helps him ensure the order that he craves. There is no place for conflict within the pack. Lilante Cragbrace is incredibly careful in noticing, and not afraid of punishing, those who cause trouble in the pack. Kortar Cragbrace is even more ruthless in this regard. Although everyone who joins the pack is welcomed like a family member, newcomers are carefully educated in the art of manners. Because of his ability to control his own animalistic impulses when he transforms, Kortar Cragbrace is a leader all family members respect. He inspires other pack members and makes them feel safe. INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP There are different ways of joining the family: You could have saved the life of one of the members of the Cragbrace family, you could have put your life at risk for the good of the family, you may have lost your own family in the past or suffered in similar ways to Kortar, or you may have been chosen by Kortar Cragbrace thanks to your lycanthropic nature. Of course, Silver Claws doesn’t trust anyone blindly, even if the one in question has committed an act proving their merit, so new members are subjected to the Test of Cycle. Here, a new member is expected to spend a night in the wild, alone and covered in the blood of different animals. The candidate to become a family member must survive this night. The only weapon involved is the rage within, as candidates are not given other weapons of any sort. The Test of Cycle symbolizes a Silver Claw’s way of life, as they must run away and survive the hardships of the wild covered in the blood of their prey after each attack. After passing this test, Kortar Cragbrace himself grants new members the gift of lycanthropy. This is personally performed. They help new werewolves keep control after their first transformation and discover their new-found bestial nature. Only then can they take the final test. The final test is one’s commitment to the family, demonstrated by murdering a good-aligned temple member silver claws
170 and taking their holy symbol back as a trophy. Only then can one be a true member of the family and be allowed to carry the name of Cragbrace. PLOT HOOKS There are those who die as they are passing through the forest. When their tracks are traced, a merchant caravan is seen a little way down the road, where the tracks seem to end. In an inn situated in a small city, there is a flyer nailed onto a column. It says that a paladin of a nearby temple is nowhere to be found. The flyer mentions a reward promised to anyone who brings him back. You help someone trying to escape the city guards, and they tell you to meet them in the woods later on, since they owe you a favor. Spears of Vengeance is an organization that mostly works for devils. Its members are professional killers educated in hunting creatures and keeping their souls. They hunt down the targets designated by their customers, and these targets include mortals, demons, angels, or even other devils. The organization only accepts job offers by the most powerful beings, be they devil or angel, though not for demons, with whom they do not associate. The organization is not so unprofessional as to be a pawn in the games or desires of lesser devils. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES The members of Spears of Vengeance murder and capture their targets’ souls by imprisoning the soul within their special spears. These souls are later delivered to the customer. When a job is done, the customer makes two payments, one to the member who carried out the task, and one to Vretiel, the leader of the organization, made in the form of a soul or piece of knowledge regarding the vengeance of the members who worked on the quest. Members receiving their payments in the form of souls of individuals they want to take their vengeance from is not unheard of. If this happens, Vretiel resurrects the soul concerned, or puts the soul in a temporary body, and delivers it to the relevant members so that they can take their vengeance. The price of the deed in the form of gold, knowledge, and soul received, is determined by either Vretiel or her lieutenants, The Hands, before the job, and their decision is sealed with a contract made in blood. The cult has strict rules. Vretiel’s orders are the law and must be followed to the letter. All contracts’ requirements must be fulfilled. If there are two members trying to take vengeance from each other, they are not offered a job until they resolve their own predicament, which mostly ends in the death of one of the parties involved. Some members mainly seek to take their vengeance and see the organization as a means to this end. However, the main goal of the organization is to gather information about their customers and to share these secrets with devils, especially with the master of Vretiel. HEADQUARTERS Spears of Vengeance is made up of many cells scattered across the planes and one main headquarters in hell. These little cells generally have food, water, adventuring gear, weapons, and armor. Vretiel and The Hands reside in the main headquarters, along with the treasury that houses enormous amounts of gold as well as special items that contain souls within. INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP The organization has little restriction over class or race but there is one thing that is particularly important to them; all members must have someone or something to take vengeance from, or at least something they wish to avenge. Demons, worshippers of demons, and followers of deities who strictly forbid consorting with fiends, cannot become members. Once a member is initiated into the organization, they are given a special spear that was forged in hell, called the Spear of Vengeance. When a life is taken by this spear, the soul of the creature is captured inside it. Vretiel is a natural leader and she chooses all the members herself after gathering enough personal information, such as grudges, backgrounds, family, friends, etc. Vretiel does so because she thinks that each creature’s thirst for vengeance must be satiated, and she acts in ways that are in keeping with this principle. In return, she is respected by the members of the cult. As time passes, all members see that they are cared for, even by the leader of the organization, and they start to follow her zealously. In the members’ eyes, Vretiel is the one, true angel of vengeance. LEADERS The group is led by Vretiel (p.361), a fallen angel. She rules the group with an iron fist, and there is no one to question her authority. This is not only because Vretiel is a fearsome foe, but also due to the fact that she leads the group with both wisdom and determination. Vretiel wants to take vengeance from all angels because of a reason unknown to the other members of the organization. She also thinks that devils should be the force governing the whole universe; however, which powerful devil she favors most is unknown. Vretiel carries two longswords and a spear with angelic engravings on it. To this day, no one has seen Spears of VEngeance
171 Vretiel use the spear in combat and rumor has it that she has used the spear only once: during the battle she fought to take her personal vengeance. Vretiel also goes by the name “The Vengeance”. Highest ranking members are known as The Hands and all others are The Spears. Vretiel commands The Spears through The Hands. She doesn’t like talking too much, and the orders are generally delivered by The Hands. If Vretiel speaks to someone other than The Hands directly, then it is certain there is an important matter at hand: most probably about the vengeance of the member, vengeance of another member, or about their life. Although Vretiel’s stance among devils is not known by others, she sides with the highest-ranking devil in the devil hierarchy, who is the source of her corruption and the true founder of the cult. She gives reports on all the information gathered through contacts, and taken as payments to this devil. PLOT HOOKS One of the characters of the adventuring party is being hunted by a Spear. There is a person who wants to hire Spears of Vengeance for a personal matter, yet the organization does not deem it worthy. The person asks the characters to do something prestigious in their name to give them a reputation. The characters can think about joining the organization to find a person and capturing its soul. Tears of Heaven is a cult formed by those who fell out of favor in the eyes of their god(s) or goddess(es). Zadkiel Tabris, its leader, founded this cult with one goal in mind, “All children who fall from grace in the eyes of gods and goddesses, are our allies.” Zadkiel Tabris is a fallen angel. After its fall, Zadkiel was furious about the way that it was punished. Then, it decided to form a cult and gain power to bring heaven down. Over time, Zadkiel tried to find others who were not so fortunate as to find a cause like the one Tears of Heavens offers. Zadkiel Tabris started to present the cult as nobility within mortals to gain power and network. They claim they collect antiques to display their wealth and power. By wealth and networking, wherever there is a fallen angel, cleric, or paladin, it is saved by the cult. They also try to gather items related to gods. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES Zadkiel Tabris trains the cult members to go after relics, fight against the followers of deities, and it provides them with resources and tactics. Its ultimate goal is to avenge all members of the fallen and bring about the demise of the entirety of the divine. Zadkiel knows only one way of making this dream a reality: become a deity himself. It is the primary goal of this cult to “raise” all the fallen angels, clerics, and paladins as proud warriors once more, so that they can take revenge on their former deities. They collect and use valuable items related to deities so that Zadkiel can gather enough divine essence. While pursuing their goals, they do not hesitate to eliminate anyone opposing them who crosses their path. HEADQUARTERS They live in luxurious mansions in any city. These mansions usually have dungeons and secret rooms on the lower floors. In these secret rooms, there are barriers that no spells can penetrate and through which spells cannot pass. The relics that the members of this cult gather are stored in safes, and the members discuss their plans in these rooms. LEADERS Zadkiel Tabris (p.369) is a powerful wizard and commander. It is the leader of the cult members who pursue the relics. Nobody knows the real name of Zadkiel Tabris. It is said that Zadkiel received this name after his fall. Spells such as legend lore cannot reveal information about Zadkiel’s former name or life. Although it works passionately for its goal, Zadkiel Tabris does not succumb to personal ambition; it prefers tactical prowess in its plans as opposed to immediate gain. Because it prefers to talk to them and to guide them to the cause, Zadkiel likes to gather the willing to serve its purposes. However, failure is unacceptable for Zadkiel, so its methods of punishment can be brutal. Since Zadkiel has been trying to put an end to the divine’s entire existence, it knows that it must put an end to its own existence as the final nail in the coffin. Tears of Heaven ZADKIEL’S DIVINITY It is rumored that Zadkiel found a little piece of divinity. Although it is not enough to make Zadkiel a deity powerful enough to destroy others, Zadkiel can grant the divine powers of 5th level clerics and paladins. The higher-level powers and spells exceed Zadkiel’s powers. Zadkiel grants to any domains or oaths, so long as they don’t contradict the cause. If Zadkiell rises in the ranks of divinity, the fallen angel may grant higher powers.
172 INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP The first and most important requirement of initiation is the status of being a fallen angel, fallen cleric, fallen paladin, or someone who is dedicated to putting an end to the existence of gods and goddesses. If someone meets these requirements, they pass the first rite of initiation with ease. Secondly, one needs to make a blood pact. Zadkiel can create special parchments in which a candidate must write “I forsake all my former devotions and I hereby dedicate myself to Tears of Heaven. I obey Zadkiel Tabris on our mission to bring down the heavens. I also acknowledge any punishments that will befall me, on the occasion of my betrayal.” with their own blood. In this way, a member is bound to the cult with the power of universal forces. Once a creature takes this oath, it falls from any divine favor it had with its former deity and becomes a fallen. Finally, a new member should have dinner with Zadkiel Tabris during which Zadkiel explains his perspective and cause in more detail, and listens to the story of the new candidate. Once a member goes through these three stages, they are initiated into the cult. PLOT HOOKS While looking for a specific item, the characters come across an antiques shop that belongs to House Tabris. If one of the characters becomes fallen, a stranger contacts the character, and after some conversation, asks if the character wishes to join their family. Inquisitor Maveram and his fellow warriors were a group of inquisitors who worshipped the god of light and good. They tried to investigate the activities of a dark presence in a fisherman village, situated by the sea. They interrogated the townsfolk, found evidence, and tracked them, only to be lured into the trap of the presence. Although they were capable warriors, they did not have the chance to swing their weapons. They couldn’t call upon the aid of their god, either. In the end, they all fell to madness. They accepted their fate as they couldn’t stand against the maddening whispers and opened their hearts, embracing this foreign and strange understanding completely. Now, only their physical forms resemble their former selves. After their transformation, they became the hands, eyes, and mouth of the cloud of whispers (p.246) in the lair. They travel the lands, mostly living a nomadic life, and they are known as The Alien Inquisition. In the places they visit, they poison other minds by speaking to them about the truths of the universe to annihilate the ignorance. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES The Alien Inquisition wants to spread the whispers and illuminate as many minds as they can. They travel quite a lot and use their unique abilities to show the creatures they encounter that madness is the ultimate truth. Then, the new members of the inquisition, along with the old, start to travel to different places to bind more minds to the true path. The Alien Inquisition by nightmares, and yet, I feel energetic. I am ready to face whatever is out there. The light will protect us.” - Day 8 “We are lost. Our weapons cannot harm the… The… thing inside these lairs. It does not have a material body. IT IS ONLY WORDS… ….I have killed all of my fellow warriors to end their suffering. Now, I must find the courage to kill myself... ...It is so dark and cold here that I cannot even feel The Light’s warmth. O, LIGHT! WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN US?... ...These words. Yes. The thing speaks the truth. Huh? What? Yes, you really do. My life was full of nothing but meaningless emptiness. Now I understand and yes, I will spread the word.” - Time has no meaning now… - Inquisitor Maveram “We heard of strange activities taking place in a fishing village nearby. They say that the inhabitants there cannot sleep well, and that some of them started to talk in a language that no one knows. Tomorrow morning, we will be there to investigate. May the God of Light guide us.” - Day 1 “The moment we arrived at the village, we noticed that something was definitely wrong. Creatures were speaking in strange languages, some murmuring unintelligibly to someone who was not there, even the lullabies were being sung with different melodies. Still, they were going about their lives as if nothing was wrong.” - Day 4 “We investigated the village. It seems that someone is not too fond of us since we were attacked last night, in the inn. We captured some of our attackers and have interrogated them. They all went on and on about the end of life, sunless days, the true meaning of life, and other things of a similar nature. They speak utter nonsense.” - Day 6 “Finally, we got something useful out of one of the villagers we have been interrogating. It seems there is something hiding in an underwater lair near the village. We will go there first thing tomorrow morning.” - Day 7 “I couldn’t sleep last night; all my dreams were haunted
173 HEADQUARTERS The Alien Inquisition has no headquarters. The members live a nomadic lifestyle and do not stay in one place for a long time. INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP When someone is initiated into the cult by a member of The Alien Inquisition, Inquisitor Maveram materializes there and exposes the new, willing member to the whispers of the cloud, which is spoken through him. The initiated member thus sees the truths of the universe, understands it all, and makes a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw. On a successful save, the initiated member gains the Whisperer trait. On a failed save, their mind cannot bear the burden of the truth it is met with, and it adds onto the whispers within the cloud, simply becoming another voice in the crowd. The initiated member can only be brought back to life by a wish spell, or a true resurrection spell if cast after killing it. Aberrations and constructs are immune to this effect. Whisperer. As an action, you choose a creature within 30 feet of you. The creature must make a successful DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or is paralyzed for 1 minute or until it takes damage. If the target fails its first saving throw, it can make another Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a success, the paralyzed condition ends on the target. If a creature is affected in this way for 5 consecutive rounds, it is permanently transformed into one of the whispers in the cloud. LEADERS Inquisitor Maveram (p.323) is the leader of the group and the only one with the ability to initiate new members. Although he resembles a dwarf, he thinks and acts like a foreign aberration. PLOT HOOKS The former clan of Inquisitor Maveram is searching for him and asks for help from the adventuring party. The Former temple of Inquisitor Maveram and of his fellow warriors is searching for them and asks for help from the adventuring party. A new group comes to town and its members constantly talk about the end of the world and a path to salvation. Local authorities want to interrogate them. The Golden Hand consists of five powerful families who suffered at the hands of the good. They were exiled, banished, punished, murdered for centuries because of their businesses. Then, these families found each other and formed an alliance. For decades, they have been raising the new generations, making sure that they are growing up with enough hatred and vengeance in their hearts. The Elders of these five families decided to take revenge on those who hurt them. They found that the best way was to cause economic crises since they believed that the so-called “good” kingdoms would succumb to their dark sides during hard times. Since then, they move from one kingdom to another, causing economic problems, coup d’états, massive unemployment, and fluctuations in currency values. Many officials and nobles either commit suicide or are punished severely as a result of these crises. The Golden Hand has no mercy when it comes to those who try to investigate or spy on the family. They generally torture such people, making them beg for death before they mercifully oblige. Goals & Activities The goal of The Golden Hand is to gain more and more power while taking revenge on political figures. At first, they settle in a big city, preferably the capital or center. Then, they observe the political, financial, and social environment by joining clubs, and attending and giving parties. Finally, they determine the best ways to disrupt the economy. These ways may include the following: releasing large amounts of money to create fluctuations in the local economy; attacking banks, financiers, bankers to create a financially unstable environment; lending money to members of the royal family and asking for the loan quickly to weaken their financial stature; and suppressing the biggest employers to increase the unemployment rates. Headquarters The Golden Hand doesn’t have one single headquarters or mansion since they change their mansion each time they move to other kingdoms. However, they do not carry all their money with them, rather, they use a small pocket dimension to hide it. When they move to a new city, they generally purchase the biggest mansion available, both to impress the rich, and to provide enough space for all family members, who are as many as 110 people. The mansion of The Golden Hand is always full of artwork such as paintings, statues, and instruments. Initiation and Membership Even if The Golden Hand is mostly a family-run business that is closed-off to strangers, they always hire some locals to work with them. In every city they settle in, they need a handful of guards, gardeners, servants, financiers, lawyers, cooks, drivers, housekeepers, and such, who assist them in their dayto-day endeavors. While hiring, they choose from the best and brightest a place has to offer. Other than that, they also accept some as members if Vlad Amberhov finds the person in question to be beneficial to the family. All members carry a symbol, a golden gauntlet inside a The Golden Hand
174 triangle, somewhere on their bodies. When they move to a city, they present the symbol as their family symbol. Leaders Vlad Amberhov is the leader of all five families, namely Amberhov, Burningshield, Dominic, Lemot, and Aden. He was chosen by the family members twenty years ago. Under his rule, The Golden Hand has disrupted the economies of more than 10 kingdoms. This strong-looking, charismatic man is 72 years of age, even though he looks no more than 50. His deep black eyes radiate power and influence. He always wears dark, noble clothes, uses perfumes that smell of spices, and wears expensive pieces of jewelry. He is always charming, a trait that grants him the trust of other individuals with ease. Plot Hooks All the bankers in the city are attacked and robbed on the same night. Those who had money entrusted to these bankers are in a state of panic and are demanding that their coin is returned. The characters of the adventuring party are hired by either the ruler or by a member of one of the noble families to investigate the attacks. A noble house in a city has lost all its stature and reputation. The house insists that they were financially sabotaged by someone in the nobility. The characters go into a city to buy and sell things after a quest that ended in success, and they realize that the economy is in crisis and merchants are giving customers ridiculous prices. Somehow, the value of currency has drastically changed. When a tribe of Kartuki decided to expand the parameters of their hunting grounds, they came across a group who killed for a living, just as they did. Still, there was one thing that set this group apart: they killed for sport; unlike the Kartuki, who killed for sustenance. The chieftain of the Kartuki gave orders to create a raid band made up of not the Kartuki, but of these ruthless savages. Thus, The Mad Horde was created. With this raid band, the Kartuki found a way to provide food to their tribes, to defend their borders, and to give these sad*stic murderers some entertainment so they did not mess with them. The Kartuki have no need for money, so all the treasure that The Mad Horde looted was their own. After observing that this method created a constant food supply, other Kartuki tribes started to form their own Mad Hordes. However, there are still some groups of Kartuki who reject the idea of letting outsiders into their hunts. Goals & Activities The Mad Horde’s only goal is to have fun and to earn money while doing so. The raid groups led by Kartuki chieftains raid and pillage villages, caravans, ships, and pretty much anything else that they are capable of raiding. Headquarters The Mad Horde doesn’t have a headquarters, but the chieftains live in their own Kartuki tribes. So, after a successful raid, the raid groups return to the tribe where their chieftain lives and share the meat. Initiation and Membership The Mad Horde can accept anyone in their ranks except the Kartuki. The problem is that many raid bands in The Mad Horde make their own initiations. These initiations generally involve killing a dozen of something, bringing the heart of a creature back to the group, or simply bathing in blood. Raid bands generally have 10 raiders but there are rumored to be one-person armies. Leaders The Mad Horde does not have a single ruler. Every raid band has its own chieftain, chosen from the Kartuki. A chieftain is mainly responsible for its raid band and its actions, but other than that, it can train them, direct them, or unite them under a cause. In other words, the chieftain can do anything with its raid band. Disobeying a chieftain usually ends in blood and violence. Plot Hooks While wandering in the wilds, the characters in an adventuring party encounter a Mad Horde raiding party pillaging a small village. One night, citizens of a small city start to disappear, and the guards find humanoid body parts scattered near the city. Though there is an arm or leg here and there, most of the parts are missing. Beside a rock, there is a Mad Horde raider’s body carrying a letter to their chieftain. The letter may contain useful information about the chieftain’s home, raid plans, or a treasure’s location. The group called The Reavers is a raiding mercenary group that has ties to dark religions. The Reavers generally worship dark deities, demons, or devils of death, disease, envy, The Reavers The Mad Horde
175 fear, hate, murder, pain, poison, slaughter, suffering, and anything else of the same sort. According to the setting and story, the members can worship the same deity, or several different ones, so long as their followers can work together. The group is known for their merciless methods and the atrocities they commit, but also for their incredible effectiveness. For instance, let’s say they were hired to capture a landlord residing in their castle, and bring the landlord back alive, to deliver it to the customer. They would raid and plunder the castle, cause unnecessary damage to the surrounding for their sheer amusem*nt, sacrifice the Lord’s servants to their dark deities, and take some prisoners to sell them in slave markets later on. But they would most certainly capture their target and deliver it to the customer while still alive, just as requested. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES The Reavers are generally hired for their high-quality service and their effective techniques that are mostly evil. To hire them, one must pay 10gp per day for every Reaver they hire. They raid, pillage, kill, steal, strike fear, and can even act with enough discipline just like a proper army unit, if they are paid nicely. Before important missions, they butcher a bunch of creatures as a tradition, mostly choosing their victims from their prisoners, and sacrificing them through profane rituals to gain the unholy blessings of their dark lords and ladies. The goals of different members can differ. While zealots kill for their religions, others can solely be interested in earning good money. They do not carry specific symbols. When they are hired as a mercenary group to fight a battle, or when their war camps need a flag for some other reason, they generally use simple symbols such as a black or red-colored weapon resembling the one wielded by their leader. Right now, their most commonly used symbol is a set of battleaxes, which represents the weapons of Herna The Red. HEADQUARTERS The Reavers generally build their camps in towns that are left in ruins, or as cities of tents. They generally roam the lands to raid and plunder in the name of their customers or for their own amusem*nt. INITIATION AND MEMBERSHIP Despite its chaotic and merciless nature, the group acts like a family. Like all families, they may have their problems, but these problems are only of concern to the members themselves. They protect their members against outsiders. If it is ever necessary, only a Reaver can impose punishment on another. However, there are prices one must pay in order to become a member of the family. There are two rites of initiation that must be performed. The first rite of initiation is the Rite of Strength. The new member is thrown into the middle of a circle made up of ten members and these ten members try to defeat the newcomer in combat, for 1 minute. If the one concerned does not fall unconscious or die, they pass the test. These fights are mostly carried out without weapons, but there can always be exceptions to the rule... The second rite of initiation is the Rite of Faith. The word “faith” here does not hold any religious meaning. It signifies the faith you have for the family. To become a member, one must forget about their past family and must be able to kill for The Reavers without hesitation. This rite is thus made up of two parts. In the first part, the new member must kill one of its former family members, or someone from their past, before the eyes of The Reavers. If there is no such creature anywhere within reach, destroying a precious family heirloom is also acceptable. In the second part, the creature seeking initiation has to kill a person they do not know in a bloody way. This means that the sacrificed creature must not experience death in a quick or easy way; its cries and screams of agony must be heard far and wide. By killing a stranger in such a painful way, the new members’ hearts are forged with the old, forming a bond laced with dark emotion. These rites are done under the supervision of a cleric of one, proper deity. The souls of those who are killed during the rites are sent as sacrifices to the deity even if the new member does not worship the deity of the cleric concerned. After passing these tests, the new recruit stops using its surname and becomes a Reaver. LEADERS The leader of The Reavers is Herna The Red, a half-red dragon, half-human barbarian. Challenges dictate who leads The Reavers. If someone challenges the leader to a fight, it must accept the challenge. The fights are carried without mercy and are fought to the death. The survivor is the leader of the cult and must be ready for another challenge at all times. Herna has been leading the group for 3 years now, which is quite a long time considering the terms of leadership mentioned above; which is one of the reasons why many fear her twin battle axes. Also, because of this tradition, former leaders and their ideals are forgotten easily. This tradition of solving matters through challenges also applies to the incidents that occur between members of the group. If there is a problem between two members, for example, they cannot agree on the amount of gold that each of them should get after pillaging and plundering a village, Herna makes a decision in regard to the issue at hand. If they are away, or if Herna is not there, they fight to resolve the issue, again, generally to the death. The group respects the powerful and you cannot rise in rank without demonstrating it. In such groups, being the leader turns out to be a gigantic
176 problem because of the chaotic nature of some members. However, even characters whose minds are dictated by chaos are aware of the pain and agony they must endure if and when they fail to follow Herna’s orders. PLOT HOOKS As a castle was being sieged, a strange mercenary band appeared and made the tides turn drastically. The characters are needed to investigate them and learn their methods. A relative of a character in the adventuring party is about to join The Reavers and they try to hunt the characters down to demand the rituals of initiation. The characters are members of The Reavers, and they need to act like nobles in a quest during which they are meant to spy on a noble character and their castle. A customer is refusing to pay the agreed upon amount of gold to The Reavers for a job that was completed successfully. Normally The Reavers would be able to take the payment from the customer easily, using force, but there is a slight problem in this instance; the customer is one of the children of a powerful king. The Scarlet Table is an elite order of vampires who tries to rule the land behind closed doors. Generally, when a capable vampire tries to gain control of a territory, this causes a conflict among the vampires who want to rule the same territory. Since they have to fight against mortals also, these conflicts weaken them more. However, a new generation of vampires realized what they could accomplish if they stood together. Many disagreed but even a few were enough to change the tides. These vampires formed The Scarlet Table and eventually put an end to the conflict between many of their kin. Goals & Activities The Scarlet Table aims to do one simple thing: dominate the world. To achieve their goal, they are in the midst of carrying out a plan called the Moonlight Plan. With it, they wish to have every creature live freely, and as equals, under their leadership. The word “equal” here refers to the status of these lesser citizens when compared with one another, and not with those who sit at The Scarlet Table. As they advance in their path, The Scarlet Table tries to be secretive. They use minions so as to be discreet about those at the top, and try to acquire a minion from every part of the society. From a simple dock worker to a ship owner, from a guard to a guard captain, from a noble merchant family leader to a royal advisor, The Scarlet Table can have minions from all walks of life. These minions constantly whisper ill rumors in the ears of the ruling class, in order to weaken the established order, and they take the societal secrets they uncover to their vampire leaders. These minions also do not hesitate to kill if necessary. Headquarters There are castles in each big city that serve The Scarlet Table. These venues are usually the manors of wealthy families. Every servant in these castles are known as Servants and are required to obey each and every command of the minions. In these locations, there are libraries that contain valuable information, research rooms used to carry out magical and scientific research, armories to be prepared in the face of a conflict, and dungeons where prisoners are held and tortured. Also, many of them have livestock in their dungeons to be able to feed vampire minions. Initiation and Membership You can join The Scarlet Table by proving your worth to a minion. There are strict ranks in the organization that are set in place to protect information, and a new member starts at the lowest of the ranks. Once you have proven your worth by doing something interesting that captures the attention of a vampire of The Scarlet Table (for instance, killing a monster that no one thinks can be killed or being the most brilliant student of a wizard academy), you are contacted by a minion and offered membership. The lowest rank within the organization is the Companion. Ones with this rank don’t have any access to the castles or their resources. Members of this rank receive missions from the minion that recruited them, and these missions are generally easy but risky at the same time. Once you complete this phase, you become an Initiate. The Initiates keep doing the same kind of missions they did as Companions, but they learn the way in which the organization actually works. Only basic information regarding it is given to Initiates, however, even information of this sort is of importance for The Scarlet Table. Because of this, the minion that recruited the Initiate must ask it if it wishes to continue as a part of the organization. If the Initiate decides to leave the organization after hearing the basic information they are given, they must be killed. When the Initiate completes enough missions and proves to be trustworthy, the recruiter asks them in what position in the organization they see themself. In other words, they are given a choice in the matter of under which elite vampire of The Scarlet Table they will serve. If the Initiate chooses to serve The Warlord, they become a Soldier. If their answer is The Merchant Lord, they become a Trader. The High Ambassador calls their Initiates “Envoys” and the initiate becomes a Seeker if they choose to be a minion of The High Professor. All of these vampires have ranks through which one could rise, except for one; if the initiate chooses The High Inquisitor, they simply become an Inquisitor. Once the Initiate becomes a minion, they have every castle and all the benefits provided by the organization at their disposal, including the chance to become The Scarlet Table
177 a vampire. A minion can have as many Companions as they want, so long as they do not mind that they themselves are responsible for every action and behavior of the new recruit. Their mistakes become the minions’ mistakes. Leaders There are five elite vampires who sit on The Scarlet Table. Each of them has a different title and are the leaders of different minions. The titles of the elite vampires are: The Warlord, The Merchant Lord, The High Ambassador, The High Professor, and The High Inquisitor. The Warlord is the founder of the Scarlet Table and this title originates from the old days. Even if The Warlord founded the organization, they are not above other elite vampires on the table in terms of rank. The Warlord controls the armories and mercenaries of the Scarlet Table. Not everything can be solved through magic or diplomacy. Hence, minions of the Warlord stand at the ready to make their enemies fall to their knees, if need be. The Merchant Lord deals with the money and trade routes of the organization. They control The Scarlet Table’s treasures and determine how to invest their money. The trade routes, through which livestock and weapons are generally transferred, mostly connect castles and deliver livestock and weapons. The High Ambassador is the “face” of the Scarlet Table. They make contracts with the nobility through diplomacy, and with other creatures, through money. The High Ambassador also controls the intel gathered by spies. These spies usually don’t double as assassins, they just gather enough information to blackmail noble families or exploit other organizations. The High Professor is the “brain” of the organization. They work on a scientific method that mortals presume to be magic. The High Professor not only deals with technology but also studies actual magic. Every spellcaster in The Scarlet Table must learn specific practices from The High Professor. The Inquisitor is the one who keeps minions in order and makes sure there are no traitors within their ranks. Each Inquisitor below The High Inquisitor has every right to enter castles and private residences of the minions of The Scarlet Table, even if they are nobility. The Inquisitor is the judge, jury, and executioner all by themself. The Scarlet Table doesn’t tolerate even a simple mistake. The Leaders are generally referred to as The Scarlet Table and minions rarely see them in the castles. They each have their own methods of doing what the others don’t pay much attention to. To illustrate, The Warlord may ask The High Ambassador to find specific information about a kingdom that The Warlord will attack, but it is not interested in the methods of The High Ambassador. Before making a major decision, however, all of The Scarlet Table must have signed off on it together. They may have full control over their respective domains, but they still act as one. Plot Hooks The characters encounter a vampire group that tries to establish a base in the city. A mysterious castle captures the attention of the creatures in the area. It is believed that no one lives there but at night some shady folk are seen wandering around its perimeters. They want this mystery resolved. At night, the characters of the adventuring party are attacked by a vampire and some of them get bitten. After a while, a minion of The Scarlet Table reaches out to the group and says that they want to meet the characters who were bitten, perhaps even offer them a job.
S 179 BARD SPELLS Cantrips Distant Punch Nazar 1st Level Sudden Decay 2nd Level Adder Gloom Crowd of Sin 3rd Level Adamantine Scream Alter Alignment 4TH LEVEL Curse of The Fiend Mark of Rampage Mask of Innocence 5th Level Curse of The Primordial Curse of The Putrid Unnerving Apathy 6th Level Consume Flesh 7th Level Curse of Despair 8th Level Lingering Melody Thunder Dome Toast To Death CLERIC SPELLS Cantrips (0 Level) Nazar 1st Level Villainous Rage 2nd Level Dark Knowledge Deadly Ward (Passage) Detect Alignment Ethereal Hang Sight of Beyond Spread Disease Unholy Rage Unholy Shieldbreaker 3rd Level Alter Alignment Call Blood Scarab Swarm Claw of Slaughter Detonate Corpse Ravaging Plague 4th Level Bathe In Blood Burst of Corruption Consuming Darkness Deadly Ward (Area) Mark of Rampage Murder Darkness Protection From Light Shroud of Undeath 5th Level Foul Feast Foul Frenzy Rotting Curse Unholy Resurrection Unnerving Apathy 6th Level Animate Fallen Boneblight Villains’ Feast 7th Level Curse of Despair Soul Binding 8th Level Malign Benevolence Soul Exorcism Soul Imprisoning Truths Hidden In Shadows Unholy Clamp 9th Level Curse of Withering Gaze Mark of Returning Mark of Soul Siphoning DRUID SPELLS 1st Level Cannibalism Dragon Cage Onyx Skin Venom Guard 2nd Level Earthing Incubating Swarm Spread Disease Stone Heart 3rd Level Acidic Swamp Burn Life Call Blood Scarab Swarm Claw of Slaughter Rotball Viper Saliva 4th Level Bathe In Blood Boneball Liquefy Self Memory of Fire Poisonous Aid 5th Level Curse of The Primordial Excruciating Polymorph Unholy Resurrection Vines of Fire 6th Level Consume Flesh 8th Level Rain of Death Soul Exorcism PALADIN SPELLS 1st Level Crown of Tyranny Deprivating Smite 2nd Level Corrosive Smite Crowd of Sin Detect Alignment Ethereal Hang Evil Mark Unholy Shieldbreaker 3rd Level Alter Alignment Smite of Proper Respect Terrorizing Gaze Zone of Siphoning 4th Level Bathe In Blood Poisonous Aid Protection From Light Ravaging Smite Shroud of Undeath 5th Level Aura of Death Might of The Tyrant Unnerving Apathy RANGER SPELLS 1th Level Acid Bolts Blood Spear Pinpoint Pool of Shadows Stand Still Venom Guard 2th Level Adder Gloom Earthing Hail of Axes Stone Heart 3th Level Impalement of Blood Poison Arrow Viper Saliva 4th Level Poisonous Aid Shadow Form Umbral Claws 5th Level Taste of Blood SORCERER SPELLS Cantrips (O Level) Distant Punch 1st Level Blood Spear Crumbling Fire Onyx Skin Sudden Decay pells listed here are those that are called “dark magic” in many lore and stories. Most of these spells contain a vicious side. Although they are very effective, be wary, as some of these spells may demand a price from their casters... Dark Magic
180 2th Level Arcing Surge Flesh of Shadows 3rd Level Adamantine Scream Blood Form Blood Jump Burn Life Detonate Corpse Entropic Fire Impalement of Blood 4th Level Boneball Glyph of Slaves Liquefy Self Mind Terror Shadow Form Wall of Shadow 5th Level Blood Scry Boiling Blood Conjure Corruptive Mass Devoured In Flames Taste of Blood Wall of Acid 6th Level Chaos Spear Consume Flesh Scarify 7th Level Suffocating Fume 8th Level Mystic Rays Thunder Dome Wind of Entropy WARLOCK SPELLS Cantrips (0 Level) Abating Bolt Blood Curse Blood Scythe Nazar Scythe Swing 1st Level Cannibalism 2nd Level Dark Knowledge Evil Mark Sight of Beyond 3rd Level Blood Form Blood Jump Heart Grasp Terrorizing Gaze 4th Level Curse of The Fiend Disrupt Glyph of Slaves 5th Level Conjure Corruptive Mass Curse of The Primordial 6th Level Chaos Spear 8th Level Mystic Rays Truths Hidden In Shadows 9th Level Reflection Within Shadows WITCH SPELLS The spells written in Italic are not from Corpus Malicious. Cantrips (0 Level) Abating Bolt Bone Rope Chill Touch Dancing Lights Nazar Prestidigitation Thaumaturgy 1st Level Animal Friendship Bolts of Waning Charm Person Command Detect Evil and Good Detect Magic Disguise Self Faerie Fire False Life Fog Cloud Goodberry Inflict Wounds Purify Food and Drink Protection from Evil and Good Sleep 2nd Level Alter Self Animal Messenger Arcanist’s Magic Aura Augury Blindness/Deafness Calm Emotions Deadly Ward (Passage) Earthing Enthrall Gentle Repose Hold Person Incubating Swarm Invisibility Levitate Locate Animals or Plants Locate Object Misty Step Protection from Poison Ray of Enfeeblement Rope Trick See Invisibility Shatter Sight of Beyond Silence Spider Climb Spike Growth Spread Disease Stone Heart Warding Bond Web 3rd Level Animate Dead Bestow Curse Clairvoyance Conjure Animals Dispel Magic Fear Fly Magic Circle Nondetection Remove Curse Rotball Slow Speak with Dead Spirit Guardians Stinking Cloud Viper Saliva 4th Level Arcane Eye Bathe In Blood Blight Compulsion Confusion Death Ward Divination Giant Insect Greater Invisibility Locate Creature Mask of Innocence Memory of Fire Phantasmal Killer Poisonous Aid Polymorph Secret Chest Stone Shape Stoneskin Umbral Claws 5th Level Animate Objects Antilife Shell Cloudkill Commune with Nature Contact other Plane Contagion Curse of The Primordial Curse of The Putrid Dispel Evil and Good Dominate Person Dream Foul Feast Geas Hallow Hold Monster Insect Plague Legend Lore Mislead Modify Memory Planar Binding Raining Blood Rotting Curse Scrying Taste of Blood Tree Stride 6th Level Boneblight Circle of Death Consume Flesh Contingency Find the Path Forbiddance Magic Jar Scarify Transport via Plants Villains’ Feast 7th Level Curse of Despair Finger of Death Mirage Arcane Plane Shift Soul Binding Suffocating Fume Symbol 8th Level Antipathy/Sympathy Feeblemind Glibness Soul Exorcism
181 Soul Imprisoning 9th Level Astral Projection Foresight Mark of Soul Siphoning True Polymorph Wish WIZARD SPELLS Cantrips (0 Level) Blood Curse Blood Scythe Black Spark 1st Level Bleeding River Blood Spear Bolts of Waning Bone Crusher Crumbling Fire Dragon Cage Pinpoint Pool of Shadows Stand Still 2nd Level Banefire Chromatic Scale Dark Knowledge Deadly Ward (Passage) Flesh of Shadows Glyph of Chaos Shadow Dance Shadow Guardian 3rd Level Blood Form Blood Jump Chromatic Skin Glyph of Slime Grasp of Shadows Heart Grasp Ravaging Plague 4th Level Boneball Consuming Darkness Curse of The Fiend Deadly Ward (Area) Disrupt Glyph of Slavers Glyph of Slaves Horrendous Touch Liquefy Self Murder Darkness Shadow Form Shroud of Undeath Umbral Claws 5th Level Avenging Armor Blood To Acid Conjure Mana Devourer Curse of The Putrid Excruciating Polymorph Glyph of Deep Water Raining Blood Taste of Blood Unholy Resurrection Wall of Acid 6th Level Eye In The Mirror 7th Level Curse of Despair Labyrinth of Shadows Shape of Brutality Soul Binding Suffocating Fume 8th Level Malign Benevolence Rain of Death Soul Exorcism Soul Imprisoning Truths Hidden In Shadows Unholy Clamp 9th Level Lock the Fate Mark of Returning Mark of Soul Siphoning Reflection Within Shadows The following pages include the descriptions of the spells listed in the spell lists, in alphabetical order. Abating Bolt Necromancy cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous A sickly bolt of reeking green shoots forward and strikes a creature you target within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, its hit point maximum is reduced by 1d4. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. If the hit point maximum of the target drops to 0, it falls unconscious. The hit point maximum reduction increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4). Acid Bolts 1st-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You imbue your bolts, arrows, or other projectile weapons with acid. Once per round for the duration of the spell, when you make a weapon attack, you can use this effect to reinforce your strike with acid. On a hit, a ranged weapon attack that has been reinforced in this way deals an extra 1d8 acid damage, as well as 1d4 acid damage at the end of the target’s next turn. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the extra acid damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st. Acidic Swamp 3rd-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (the rotten corpse of an animal, a mosquito, a cup of spoiled milk) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes Choose a point within range. The ground in a 15-foot radius centered on that point is transformed into a swamp. When a creature enters the area for the first time or ends its turn within the area, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 4d6 acid damage. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the area of the spell increases by 5-foot radius for each slot level above 3rd. SPELL DESCRIPTIONS
182 Adamantine Scream 3rd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (15-foot cone) Components: V Duration: Instantaneous You take a deep breath and let out a scream of devastating proportions. Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d10 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Your scream deals 60 thunder damage to any nonmagical object that is not worn or carried within the range. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 3rd. Adder’s Gloom 2nd-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, M (a rattle) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose a creature within range. It hears a rattling noise and feels dizzy. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or its speed is halved and it takes -1 penalty to all attack rolls and ability checks. The target creature can use its bonus action to make an extra effort to keep itself awake, neglecting the -1 penalty until the start of its next turn. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the spell on a successful save. Alter Alignment 3rd-level illusion Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (a mirror, a drop of water) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes You can alter your natural aura for the duration of the spell. Choose an aura color and any spell effect that can detect your aura will see that color instead. A black aura indicates evil, a grey aura indicates neutral, and a white aura indicates good. This spell does not change your alignment, it only creates an illusion of you being from a different alignment than your original one. Animate Fallen 6th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 minute Range: 5 feet Components: V, S, M (a drop of your old blood) Duration: Instantaneous You create powerful skeletal servants infused with necrotic energies. You stand within 5 feet of a pile of bones or the corpse of a Medium or Small creature and fill it with necrotic energies. While you are casting the spell, the bones slowly levitate and form a dead servant; a dead warrior, a dead mage, or a dead ripper (p.252). You choose which one is to be created. On each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command any creature you made with this spell, as long as the creature is within 60 feet of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them that are within 60 feet at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). You decide what action the creature will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command that it will follow for a number of rounds, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the creature only defends itself against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the creature continues to follow it until the task is complete. The creature is under your control for 24 hours, after which it stops obeying any command you’ve given it, or any command you are yet to give it. To maintain control of the creature for another 24 hours, you must cast this spell on the creature again, before the current 24 hours is up. This use of the spell reasserts your control over up to four creatures you have animated with this spell, rather than animating a new one. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, you can animate or reassert control over two additional undead creatures for each slot level above 6th. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones. Arcing Surge 2nd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous An arc of lightning surges from your fingers. You make a ranged spell attack against a target within range, bouncing off it, and hitting another target that is within 60 feet of the initial target. On a hit, the surge of lightning deals 3d8 lightning damage. The second target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, taking half damage on a successful save. It must be within 60 feet of the initial target and in the direct line of sight. Aura of Death 5th-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (30-foot radius) Components: V Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute The forsaken energy of death radiates from you in an aura with a 30-foot radius, preventing the entry of holy powers. Until the spell ends, the aura moves with you, centered on you. Each friendly creature in the aura has resistance to radiant damage. In addition, each hostile creature that enters the aura for the first time or ends its turn within the aura takes 1d3 necrotic damage.
183 Avenging Armor 5th-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (a drop of your own blood, a pinch of phosphorus) Duration: 1 minute You cast an armor made out of blood onto a target creature within range. When the spell ends or when the creature receives a total of 60 damage, the shield explodes. The creatures within 10 feet of the shield must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes piercing damage equal to the damage taken by the creature, or half as much damage on a successful one. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 5th. Banefire 2nd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (desecrated sulphur) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You imbue your spells that deal fire damage with the essence of fiends. At any time for the duration of the spell, when you cast a spell that deals fire damage, the flames that burst out have a fiendish green hue, making them much more intense. The fire damage you deal by such spells ignores a target’s resistance to fire damage. However, if the target is immune to fire damage, it does not take any damage from the spell. Bathe in Blood 4th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (a special talisman made of animal bones and skulls worth at least 150 gp) Duration: 1 minute You touch a creature and the talisman appears around its neck. For the duration of the spell, the talisman bleeds and the target’s body is covered with blood. The target regains 4d8 hit points if it makes an opponent fall unconscious unless that creature is a construct, ooze, plant, or undead. If the target makes an opponent to fall unconscious by a critical hit, it regains 32 hit points instead. Black Spark Necromancy cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (a piece of bone) Duration: Instantaneous You choose a creature within range and cause an energy spark filled with death to zap it. The creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage. The spark leaves a black trace after it harms the creature. Bleeding River 1st-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 reaction Range: 10 feet Components: V, S, M (a sharp dagger) Duration: 1 minute You target a creature whose current hit points are less than its hit points maximum and force its blood to pour out more swiftly. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, its scars get wider and start to bleed. Initially, it takes 1d10 slashing damage and then takes 1 extra slashing damage at the start of each of its turns for the duration of the spell even if it falls unconscious. On a successful save, the creature takes half the initial damage and does not suffer the effects of the additional bleeding. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the initial damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 1st. Blood Curse Necromancy cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: 25 feet Components: V Duration: 3 rounds You choose a target within range and place a curse on it. It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or blood pours out of its eyes, ears, mouth and nose, dealing it 1d6 necrotic damage. It has disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks if it is not a construct, ooze, plant, or undead. Blood Form 3rd-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You transform into a pool of blood hovering in the air, along with everything you are wearing and carrying. While in this form, you can only fly, and you have a flying speed of 10 feet. You can enter and occupy the space of another creature. You have resistance to nonmagical damage, and you have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws. You can pass through small holes, narrow openings, and even little cracks. You are immune to being petrified, prone, and restrained. You keep hovering in the air even when stunned or otherwise incapacitated. While in the form of a pool of blood, you can’t talk, manipulate objects, or drop, use, or otherwise interact with any of the objects you were carrying or holding. You also can’t attack or cast any spells. You can, however, enter a creature’s body. When you do so, the creature takes 2d6 necrotic damage at the start of each of your turns. However, if the creature regains hit points through magical means while you are in its body, you take necrotic damage equal to the hit points it regains. The spell ends when you drop to 0 hit points, fall unconscious or the duration of the spell expires. If the spell ends while you are in another creature’s body, you
184 automatically pour out before turning into your normal form, and you materialize in the nearest unoccupied space. Blood Jump 3rd-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 5 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You transform into a pool of blood and magically dive into the veins of a creature that is within 5 feet of you, and later burst out of the veins of another creature that is within 30 feet of the first creature. You can choose to harm one or both of the creatures as you enter or leave their veins. If you choose to do so, a creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by 2d10. Blood Scythe Conjuration cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: S Duration: Instantaneous You conjure a scythe of blood and slash the creatures around you with it. You choose two creatures within 10 feet of you and make single melee spell attack against them. On a hit, a target takes 1d4 necrotic damage. The damage dealt by the blood scythe increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4). Blood Scry 5th-level divination Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Self Components: V, S, M (some of your own blood) Duration: 1 minute This spell shows glimpses of the future at a cost to the caster’s vitality. You cut your flesh and have your blood drip onto fire or water. If dripped onto fire, it catches fire with a puff, creating a red smoke; if dripped on water, it creates shapes in the water. When you ask a question, focusing on the smoke or shapes, you see glimpses of the future. The glimpses are not crystal-clear and require a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check to be interpreted correctly. However, at the GM’s discretion, the DC of the check may increase or decrease related to the secrecy or insignificance of the events being witnessed. To elaborate, an insignificant event, such as someone having a mundane lunch with their party, might have a lower DC, whereas clear signs of a nation preparing for war may have a higher DC. Even if the check is successful, no information about the future is given in the form of complete, clear ideas: The visions and sounds that one witnesses through this spell are usually understood better as time passes and you witness the omens. Seeing the future comes at a price. To cast the spell, you sacrifice your own vitality and your hit point maximum is reduced by 3d8. Blood Spear 1st-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You choose a creature within range and draw some of its blood out of its body, which forms a spear of blood in your free hand. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 necrotic damage. Whether the target fails or succeeds on its saving throw has no effect on the spear being formed; you draw blood and form the spear either way. You can make a ranged spell attack with the spear against the same target or another within 60 feet as part of the spell. On a hit, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the necrotic damage increases by 1d6 for each spell slot above 1st. Blood to Acid 5th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute Your blood is transformed into an acidic liquid. Each time a GLIMPSES OF THE FUTURE As a Game Master, showing the future to the players may be difficult: What happens in the game depends on the outcomes of the dice and thus the future may bring about many different outcomes, perhaps ones that even the GM did not expect. Additionally, you may not have written your story to a point where you are able to show a glimpse of what is to come. In such a case, to show the future, you can try to show what you have at hand without giving a clear indication of the outcome. For example, if you are planning a major battle in 3 sessions, you can show a glimpse of a devastating battle with the clashes of weapons and the screams of soldiers, with one or two sightings of the villain that will be in it. Also, seeing the future may mean being able to change it. You can use glimpses of the future as plot hooks; for example, to show the characters what would happen unless they act now and succeed on their quest. The future and prophecies are powerful narrative elements rather than being mechanic features. As a Game Master, you may wish to make sure that you have the last word on these matters, and not let such a power be exploited by a character.
185 creature within 5 feet of you damages you with a melee attack, it must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 8d6 acid damage. On a successful save, it takes half damage. Boiling Blood 5th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You choose a creature within range and make its blood boil. It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or its blood turns into a fiery acid, dealing it 4d6 acid damage and an extra 4d6 fire damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, its body cannot contain the acidic blood and the blood explodes out from the pores of its skin. The creatures within 10 feet of it must make a Dexterity saving throw to avoid the blood. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d6 acid and an extra 4d6 fire damage. On a successful save, the damage is halved. Bolts of Waning 1st-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You create 2 sickly-green bolts that even look as though they reek of rot. Each bolt hits a creature of your choice that you can see within range. Make a separate ranged spell attack against the target of each bolt. On a hit, a bolt decreases hit point maximum of its target by 1d4. The bolts all strike simultaneously, and you can direct them to hit one creature or several. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target falls unconscious if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the spell creates one more bolt for each slot level above 1st. Boneball 4th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (a handful of bone segments) Duration: Instantaneous You conjure a ball of bones and hurl it to a point within range. The creatures within a 20-foot radius of the designated point must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 8d6 bludgeoning damage. Additionally, the same area becomes difficult terrain and any fragile nonmagical items within are crushed under the bones. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 4th. Boneblight 6th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 90 feet Components: V, S, M (a piece of bone that is crushed while casting the spell) Duration: 1 hour You manifest a disease called boneblight that causes an illness on the bones of a creature, making them vulnerable and shatter with weakness. You create the blight on a creature that you can see within range, and who has bones in its body. The target creature must make a Constitution saving throw or come in contact with the boneblight. An affected creature’s bones are weakened, sometimes to the point of shattering: For the duration of the spell, it has disadvantage on its Strength checks and Strength saving throws. Additionally, it has vulnerability to bludgeoning and force damage. As its bones are weak, they shatter from time to time: For 1 minute, the creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage at the start of each of its turns. An affected creature can repeat its saving throws at the end of each of its turns, ending the effects on a successful save. If the disease remains intact after one minute, the disease seeps deeper into the bones: At the end of each 10 minutes, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or its Strength score temporarily decreases by 1d4 until the spell ends. This decrease cannot be reduced for the duration of the spell. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 6th. Bone Crusher 1st-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (metal object worth at least 50 gp, a piece of bone) Duration: 1 minute This spell changes the damage type of a weapon you touch into bludgeoning damage. A light weapon cannot be affected in this way. A weapon affected by this spell deals one additional die of bludgeoning damage. For example, a sword that normally deals 1d4 slashing damage deals 2d4 bludgeoning damage for the duration of the spell. When the spell ends, the weapon returns to its previous form. Bone Rope Conjuration cantrip Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: 10 feet Components: V, S, M (spinal cord) Duration: 1 hour You conjure a 10-foot long climbing rope out of a spinal cord. While you use this rope, you have advantage on your Strength (Athletics) checks to climb.
186 Burn Life 3rd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You create a circle of fire with a 5-foot radius by burning the life essence of a living creature within range. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 3d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half damage on a successful one. When the target takes damage from the spell, the necrotic energy sets its life ablaze and radiates outward as a cylindrical flame centered on the target, with a radius of 5 feet and a height that is equal to the target for the duration of the spell. Any creature who enters the fiery cylinder or ends its turn there must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take fire damage in an amount equal to the necrotic damage dealt to the target by this spell. For the duration of the spell, you can use your action on each of your turns to keep burning the life force within the target. If you do so, both the target creature and all other creatures in the area of the cylindrical flame repeat their saving throws. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher level, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd. Burst of Corruption 4th-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 round Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You let the corruption in the universe flow through you. As you do so, the corrupted energies of the universe radiate from you with a burst, filling an area of 30-foot radius centered on you. Each creature within the area must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become corrupted (p.39) until the end of its next turn. Casting this spell is an inherently evil act as you willingly spread corruption by doing so. Call Blood Scarab Swarm 3rd-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 150 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You conjure a blood scarab swarm (p.242). The swarm disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends. The summoned swarm is friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned swarm, which has its own turn. The swarm obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to the swarm, it defends itself against hostile creatures, but otherwise takes no actions. Cannibalism 1st-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You grow rotten teeth. On each of your turns for the duration, you can use your action to consume a Medium or Small corpse and regain 1d8 hit points. It takes a total of 5 rounds to completely consume a Small corpse, while a Medium corpse takes 1 minute. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st. Chaotic Spear 6th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V Duration: Instantaneous A spear appears out of nowhere and strikes a creature you choose within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 12d10 damage of a random damage type. Roll a d8 on the table below to determine the damage type; d8 Damage Type d8 Damage Type 1 Radiant 5 Poison 2 Cold 6 Fire 3 Acid 7 Necrotic 4 Lightning 8 Thunder At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 6th. Chromatic Shield 2nd-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour A shield-like large-scale of a chromatic dragon starts to hover around a creature you touch. When the creature is attacked, the scale tries to intervene, as a result, the target gains a +1 bonus to AC. Chromatic Skin 3rd-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: 1 minute You grow chromatic scales that cover your skin. You gain
187 resistance to one of the acid, cold, fire, and lightning damage types and one of the bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage types from nonmagical attacks. Claw of Slaughter 3rd-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V Duration: 1 minute One of your hands transforms into a monstrous claw. It deals 1d8 slashing damage, and it counts as a finesse weapon as well as a magical weapon. Although you can use this claw to cast spells that require somatic components, you cannot use it to wield a weapon. Additionally, when you take an attack action, you can use your bonus action to make another attack with the claw. Conjure Corruptive Mass 5th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 minute Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (a vial of aberration blood worth at least 250 gp) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You conjure a corruptive mass (p.249) in an unoccupied space of your choice within range. It disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends. The corruptive mass is friendly to you and your companions for the duration. Roll initiative for the mass, which has its own turns. It obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to it, it attacks the nearest hostile creature. If your concentration is broken, the corruptive mass doesn’t disappear. Instead, you lose control of it and it becomes hostile toward the nearest creature. An uncontrolled corruptive mass can’t be dismissed by you, and it disappears 1 hour after you summoned it. The GM has the corruptive mass’s statistics. Conjure Mana Devourer 5th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 minute Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (the spell slot you expend is the component required to call a mana devourer) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You choose a 5-foot cube of unoccupied space within range and call a mana devourer (p.272) from the realms of the undead. The undead disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends. It is friendly to you and your companions for the duration. Roll initiative for the mana devourer, which has its own turns. It obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to the undead, it defends itself against hostile creatures but otherwise takes no actions. If your concentration is broken, it doesn’t disappear. Instead, you lose control of the mana devourer, it becomes hostile toward you and your companions, and it might attack. An uncontrolled mana devourer can’t be dismissed by you, and it disappears 1 hour after you summoned it. The GM has the mana devourer’s statistics. Special. You can conjure the mana devourer as an action, but it stays for 1 minute in this case, unless your concentration is not broken. Consume Flesh 6th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 hour Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: 24 hours You consume the flesh of another creature in a ceremonious way. After you cast the spell, you devour most of the creature’s body and end up gaining one of the following benefits of the GM’s choice (as explained below): a class feature, an archetype feature, a spell (it must be prepared by the creature whose flesh is eaten). The benefit can only be used once. As you eat, you must make five DC 13 Constitution saving throws to keep from vomiting. If you fail 3 times, the spell is lost, and you need to start eating again. The GM decides on which feature you will receive and you can only have one feature gained in this way at a time. Consuming Darkness 4th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes You call forth a darkness from the deepest and darkest of shadows. This magical darkness spreads from a point you choose within range to fill a 15-foot-radius sphere for the duration. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. When a creature enters the affected area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 4d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw is immune to this spell’s effects for 24 hours. If the point you choose is on an object you are holding or one that isn’t being worn or carried, the darkness emanates from the object and moves with it. Completely covering the source of the darkness with an opaque object, such as a bowl or a helm, blocks the darkness. If any of this spell’s area overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell that created the light is dispelled. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 4th. Corrosive Smite 2nd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V
188 Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute The first time you hit a creature with a weapon attack before this spell ends, the weapon rapidly excretes acid. The attack deals an extra 2d6 acid damage to the target. Additionally, the target creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 acid damage for a number of turns equal to your spellcasting ability modifier. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the extra acid damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 2nd. Crowd of Sin 2nd-level enchantment Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: Self (60-foot radius) Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You cast this spell by putting on a performance that stirs the sinful thoughts and emotions of the people in the audience. Creatures within range that can see or hear you (depend on your performance) can be affected by this spell. Beasts, constructs, elementals, monstrosities, oozes, plants, and undead creatures with an Intelligence of 8 or lower are unaffected by this spell. When you finish casting the spell, creatures in the crowd must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or their sins and sinful wishes are vaguely revealed to you. You do not learn the exact nature of a sin or sinful desire, but rather get a feeling of it in a generalized manner: For instance, you cannot detect the murderer of a specific victim, but rather feel that a creature in the area has a tendency to kill. You have advantage on the Charisma (Deception and Persuasion) checks you make against the affected creatures to indulge their thoughts, and the Wisdom (Insight) checks you make against them to find out more about their sinful sides. Crown of Tyranny 1st-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V Duration: 1 minute An obsidian crown appears on your head. Up to 4 creatures you choose within 30 feet of you that can hear you or see the crown must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or they take a -1 penalty to their saving throws against being charmed or frightened. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the penalty increases by 1 for each slot level above 1st. Crumbling Fire 1st-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (a firefly) Duration: Instantaneous A coin-sized ball of flame goes towards a point within range. When the ball reaches the designated point, it blasts in a small explosion that affects an area of a 5-foot radius. The affected creatures must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 1d8 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st. Curse of Despair 7th-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (60-foot cone) Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You release a cone of despair. Each creature within the cone must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take a -1d6 penalty to its attack rolls, ability checks and saving throws for the duration. Curse of the Fiend 4th-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You target a creature within range and place a curse on its tongue. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or start to only speak either Abyssal or Infernal (your choice), even if it does not know these languages. If the target does not know these languages, it still cannot understand, read or write it for the duration of the spell. Also, spellcasters cannot cast their spells that have verbal components since they cannot get the words out in the language required. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 9th level, the spell does not require concentration and the spell becomes permanent. Curse of the Primordial 5th-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose a creature within range and place a curse on it by using primordial magic. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or gain vulnerability to two of the following damage types of your choice; acid, cold, fire, lightning. Curse of the Putrid 5th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You target a creature within range and place a curse on it by
189 using necromantic energies. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have vulnerability to necrotic damage for the duration of the spell. Curse of Withering Gaze 9th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 120 feet Components: V, S, M (jewels worth at least 15,000 gp that withers during casting) Duration: Permanent You curse a creature within range and within line of sight. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or is permanently cursed. On its first turn, the creature’s speed is halved. On its second turn, its speed is reduced to 0 and its legs are petrified. On the third turn, its entire body is petrified, except for its head, so it can only speak, cast spells that only have verbal components, or use features such as Breath Weapon. On the fourth turn, the creature completely turns to stone and is petrified. A dispel magic or a remove curse spell reverses the effects of the spell and stops the curse’s progression if it is cast on the target within 4 rounds of the turn that the curse was cast. After that it becomes permanent, the effects can only be reversed by means of a wish spell. Dark Knowledge 2nd-level divination Casting Time: 1 reaction (while making an Intelligence (Arcana), Intelligence (Nature) or Intelligence (Religion) check) Range: Self Components: V Duration: Instantaneous As you cast this spell while making an Intelligence (Arcana), Intelligence (Nature) or Intelligence (Religion) check, you call on the forbidden knowledge of the forgotten creatures left in the shadows. You hear their unintelligible whispers and gain a +10 bonus to your check. However, you must also succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or are stunned until the end of your next turn. If you use this spell 2 or more times, the creatures that answer you start to watch you magically for 24 hours. What the creatures are cannot be known by you and is at the GM’s discretion. Deadly Ward (Area) 4th-level abjuration Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: 120 feet Components: V, S, M (the dust of a ruby worth at least 500 gp, soaked in blood) Duration: Until dispelled or triggered This spell wards a spherical area of 120-foot-diameter against intruders, causing them to become paralyzed and causing their flesh to rot. You mark the area in the shape of a circle, using the bloody mixture you prepared and speaking the necessary incantations of the spell. While the ward is active, when a creature (except you) tries to pass through the warded sphere, the ward explodes with a burst of energy in a 20-foot-diameter sphere. Any creature in the area must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute, taking 4d6 necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns, ending the effects of the spell on a success. A paralyzed creature can repeat its saving throws at the start of each of its turns, ending the effects of the spell on a success. While a wizard’s deadly ward includes the drawing arcane runes, a cleric marks the passage with religious prayers and symbols. Witches, on the other hand, can use both of them depending on their association. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 4th. Deadly Ward (Passage) 2nd-level abjuration Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (blood soaked in ruby dust that is worth at least 250 gp) Duration: Until dispelled or triggered This spell wards a passage such as door, an archway, or another kind of entrance against intruders, causing them to become paralyzed and causing their flesh to rot. You mark the entrance by using the bloody mixture you prepared and speaking the necessary incantations of the spell. While the ward is active, when a creature (except you) tries to pass through the entrance, the ward explodes in a 20-footdiameter sphere. Any creature in the area must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute, taking 1d6 necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns, ending the effects of the spell on a success. A paralyzed creature can repeat its saving throws at the start of each of its turns. While a wizard’s deadly ward includes the drawing arcane runes, a cleric marks the passage with religious prayers and symbols. Witches, on the other hand, can use both of them depending on their association. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 2nd. Deprivating Smite 1st-level evocation Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute The next time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during the spell’s duration, your weapon radiates with the cold of death and your attack deals an extra 1d6 cold damage to the target. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by the amount of cold damage dealt. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the extra damage dealt by the attack increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.
190 Detect Alignment 2nd-level divination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes For the duration of the spell, you can see the true nature of creatures and objects within 30 feet of you, as auras. A black aura indicates evil, a grey aura indicates neutral, and a white aura indicates good. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. Detonate Corpse 3rd-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: S Duration: Instantaneous You choose the corpse of a Small or larger creature within range and fill it with necrotic energies, causing the body to explode. The creatures within 20 feet of the body must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 3d8 piercing and 3d8 necrotic damage. If a creature dies by this damage, it also explodes automatically, dealing the same amount of damage. Devoured in Flames 5th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 150 feet Components: V, S, M (a handful of ashes of a dead creature) Duration: Instantaneous You choose a point within range and hurl a grey rotting ball mixed with fire. Each creature in a 20-foot radius must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 fire damage plus an extra 4d6 necrotic damage. If this damage reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the body is scorched in the flames and the necrotic damage ravages its soul, transforming it into a cinder soul (p.245). The cinder soul disappears after 1 minute, and while it is with you, acts on your turn and is under your control. Even if its body is scorched, the target creature can be healed normally. Disrupt 4th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 reaction Range: 60 feet Components: V Duration: Instantaneous You choose a creature within range and disrupt its weapon attack. The creature’s image becomes distorted and looks as if reflected in a broken mirror for a brief moment, and its attack hits nothing as though it were ethereal. The creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or its attack fails automatically. Distant Punch Evocation cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You choose a creature within range that is also within line of sight. You squeeze your hand and throw a punch, creating a force that slams the target creature. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 + your Strength modifier (minimum of 1) bludgeoning damage. Dragon Cage 1st-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 10 feet Components: V, S, M (the leg of an eagle, a jar of soil) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You touch a Small, Medium or Large creature and try to imprison it within a dragon claw made out of soil. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or is grappled and restrained for the duration. Also for the duration, it takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage at the start of each of its turns, as the claw squeezes the target. The creature can make a Strength saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effects on a successful one. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the number of targets you can affect in this way increases by 1 for each slot level above 1st. Earthing 2nd-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (a handful of moist earth that you strew on your body) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes This spell protects you with the primal powers of nature; the part of nature that has existed before the creation of sentient races, and before the existence of the dominions of their deities. For the duration of the spell, you have advantage on saving throws against spells cast by clerics and paladins; and clerics and paladins have disadvantage on their spell attacks against you. Entropic Fire 3rd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 90 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You hurl an unnaturally vicious looking flame from your hands toward a target creature. The flame is created by the essence of entropy, the force of ultimate disorder and destruction. Its intensity is enough to melt stone in an instant, dealing 12d10 fire or force damage (of your choice) to the target on a successful spell attack. A creature that is reduced to 0 hit points by this spell is instantaneously disintegrated.
191 However, such an essence is quite hard to control and cause your flesh to dissipate with its overwhelming power. Whenever you cast this spell, whether your spell attack is successful or not, your current hit points and hit point maximum are reduced by 4d6. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest and it cannot be reduced by any means. If you drop to 0 hit points because of this effect, you are disintegrated immediately. If you use Twinned Spell on this spell, the entropy strikes you twice, decreasing your hit point maximum for a second time. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, its effect on your hit point maximum decreases by 1d6 for each slot level above 3rd; if you cast it using a slot of 6th level higher, it causes no decrease in your hit point maximum. Ethereal Hang 2nd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (a piece of rope) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose a creature within range, who has a head and who needs to breathe to survive, that is also within line of sight. An ethereal rope appears around its neck and starts to choke it as if the creature were hanged. The creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or take 1d8 bludgeoning damage and is grappled until the end of its next turn. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a successful save. If this spell reduces a creature’s hit points to 0, it stays hanging in mid-air. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 2nd. Evil Mark 2nd-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Touch Components: V Duration: 1 minute You touch a creature and place an evil mark on it. Choose one of the following types of creatures: fiends (demon), fiends (devil), and the undead. The creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be marked by the spell. For the duration, the creatures of the chosen type have advantage on their attack rolls against the target creature and the target has disadvantage on saving throws against spells cast by the chosen creature type. Excruciating Polymorph 5th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You make a creature you touch polymorph into a monstrosity. The statistics of the creature changes as if it were affected by the polymorph spell. If the target is unwilling, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw to resist the transformation. However, the transformation occurs much more painful than it does with the polymorph spell. To transform the creature into a monstrosity, you rupture its flesh and break its bones, changing its body completely. The transformation occurs fast but not in an instant: The change is complete at the end of the creature’s next turn, and until then, the creature is stunned because of the pain and its changing flesh. While the transformation is taking place, its hit point maximum is also reduced by 2d6 at the start of its next turn. When the spell ends because of any reason, the creature turns back to its true form in a similar, painful manner. Eye in the Mirror 6th-level illusion Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (a silver mirror, and the eye of a humanoid) Duration: Instantaneous You show the mirror to a target that can see it. An eye opens on the mirror, and rushes toward the target. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 6d10 psychic damage and be paralyzed until the end of its next turn. Fatelink 8th-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: 1 minute This spell binds the fates of two creatures to one another. Choose two creatures within the range. The target creatures must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or their fates are bound for the duration. No saving throw is required if the creatures are willing. For the duration of the spell, any effect that happens to one of the creatures happens to the other as well if they are within 60 feet of one another. This spell applies to any kind of effect that causes damage or requires a saving throw. For example, if a spell that requires a saving throw targets one of the affected creatures, the other affected creature makes a saving throw as well. Both creatures are affected according to the results of their saving throws, meaning that one could be affected, while the other is not. The same applies to the damage taken by the affected creatures; if one of them has resistance to a type of damage, the other also has resistance to that type of damage until the spell ends. The bond does not cause the effects that apply to both creatures at once to stack, however it does cause disadvantage if a saving throw is required. For example, if both creatures are in the affected area of a 3rd level fireball spell, they still take 8d6 fire damage (not 16d6), but they have disadvantage on their Dexterity saving throws against the spell.
192 At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 9th level, the duration of the spell increases to 1 hour. Flesh of Shadow 2nd-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous Make a melee spell attack against a creature within reach. The target creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, its Constitution score decreases by 2 and its life force that is drained by the spell feeds the target’s own shadow, creating a Shadow. On a successful save, the target’s Constitution score decreases by 1, but in this case, the life force drained from it is not enough to create a Shadow. The shadow attacks the creature whose shadow it is and is not under your control. It disappears when it or the creature is slain. If a creature is targeted by the spell and fails its saving throw, it cannot be targeted again until it finishes a long rest. Foul Feast 5th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 hour Range: Touch Components: V, S Duration: 24 hours You cast the spell by consuming the flesh of the corpse in a ceremonious way. After you cast the spell, you gain temporary hit points in an amount equal to half of the hit point maximum that the creature had before it died. The temporary hit points are lost when the spell ends or until you take an equal amount of damage. Foul Frenzy 5th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose a creature within range and infuse it with a frenzy; most foul. The target gains the following benefits for the duration; • It can attack one more time than it already does when it takes the Attack action. • It takes a +1 bonus to AC. • Its speed increases by 10 feet. • It regains 1d6 hit points when it hits another creature with a weapon attack. Although the spell buffs the target enormously, it also makes the target lose control of itself a little bit. The creature must make an attack against the nearest target on each of its turns. If the target is unwilling, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw to avoid the effects of the spell. Glyph of Chaos 2nd-level divination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute A chaotic glyph of ever-changing colors appears above your head and shines there. For the duration, each nonchaotic aligned creature within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of their turns or have disadvantage on a number of saving throws equal to your spellcasting ability modifier that they will make until the end of their next turn. Glyph of Deep Water 5th-level illusion Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose up to 4 targets within range and a watery glyph of dark blue colors appears above their heads. A target creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or it thinks that wild waves are consuming it and it takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage plus an extra 1d8 cold damage. It is also frightened until the end of its next turn. At the end of each of its turns, a target can make another Wisdom saving throw, ending the effects of the spell on a successful one. Glyph of Slaves 4th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: 1 minute A glyph of transmutation that emanates a chaotic aura forms over the creatures charmed by you and enhances them randomly. You can target up to 4 creatures who are already charmed by you and the spell grants them a group of benefits separated randomly between them. Each creature gains at least one benefit. Roll 1d4 to decide the benefit(s) gained by each affected creature; (1) The target gains 15 temporary hit points for the duration of the spell. (2) For the duration, the target deals an extra 1d12 force damage on one of its attacks each turn. (3) The target has advantage on its attack rolls for the duration. (4) The target gains a +1 bonus to AC for the duration. Glyph of Slavers 4th-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V Duration: 1 minute A glyph made up of phantasmal chains appears over your head and coils around to the necks of creatures that are already
193 charmed by you. You can target up to 4 charmed creatures within 30 feet of you. A target creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or each time you take damage, it must also take 1d8 damage of the same damage type. When a creature takes damage because of the effects of this spell, it sees the creature who hit you to be the source of the damage. Glyph of Slime 3rd-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute A slimy glyph with green hues appears above your head and radiates a foul light. Each round, the area and the creatures within 30 feet of you are slowly covered in slime. A creature within range must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 acid damage and have the nonmagical items it is wearing or carrying be corroded. If a nonmagical unattended item is exposed to the slime for 3 rounds, it is broken. If a creature fails its saving throws for 3 consecutive turns, its nonmagical items are corroded and broken completely. Also, if a creature dies because of the acid damage dealt by the spell, its body melts and transforms into a gray ooze. Grasp of Shadows 3rd-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You choose a creature within range and overpower it with the power of shadows. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or is overwhelmed by the shadows, loses its ability of judgement and attacks the creature closest to it until the end of its next turn. Hail of Axes 2nd-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (an axe, which the spell consumes) Duration: Instantaneous You throw an axe into the air and designate a point within range. The axe multiplies in the air and the axes rain down in an area of 10-foot radius centered on the point. Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 2d8 slashing damage, or half as much damage on a successful one. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 2nd. Heart Grasp 3rd-level illusion Casting Time: 1 Action Range: 30 feet Components: S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose a creature that has a heart and make it see an illusion that depicts a scene in which you rip off its heart. The spell makes the target feel as though you are squeezing its heart. As it thinks that its heart is going to explode, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 2d6 necrotic damage. You can use your action on each of your turns to force the creature to make another saving throw, dealing the same amount of necrotic damage on a failed save. If the target fails the saving throw for 3 consecutive turns or if it fails the save 5 times in total, its heart explodes, the target falls unconscious. In such a case, it immediately starts to make death saving throws and it starts with a fail. Also, a heart appears in your hand as if you ripped off its heart. The spell has no effect on constructs, oozes, plants, the undead and other creatures without a heart. Horrendous Touch 4th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous Make a melee spell attack against a creature within range. When you touch it, a portion of its bodily fluids are vaporized. This causes an immense pain and deals 4d8 necrotic damage. Also, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or is paralyzed until the end of its next turn because of the shock experienced by its body. While plants take full damage and automatically fail the saving throw, the undead and constructs are not affected by this spell. Impalement of Blood 3rd-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (a piece of dried blood and metal) Duration: Instantaneous You choose a creature within range and conjure a spear made out of blood below it. Make a melee spell attack against the target. On a hit, it takes 3d10 piercing damage. Also, the target you hit must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d4 necrotic damage. You regain hit points in the amount of the necrotic damage dealt. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the necrotic damage increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 3rd. Incubating Swarm 2nd-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: 1 minute You conjure the larvae of a swarm of insects within a creature’s
194 body. At the start of each of its turns, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or these larvae feed on the insides of the creature and start to grow and mature rapidly, dealing 1d4 necrotic damage that cannot be reduced by any means. If the creature takes damage for 2 consecutive round(s) or dropped to 0 hit points while affected by this spell, a swarm of insects emerges from its body, pouring out from the mouth and the nose, or blasting out from the stomach. The swarm of insects can be of any kind of insect of your choice. The number of swarms emerging out of the target creature in this way depends on the size of the creature. If the creature is Medium or smaller, 1 swarm emerges. If the creature’s size is Large, 2 swarms emerge. If the creature is Huge, 4 swarms emerge. And if the creature is Gargantuan, 8 swarms emerge. Only certain creatures can be affected by this spell. Constructs, elementals, and oozes are not affected. Undead creatures can be targeted, but they do not take damage from the incubation. However, they can be carriers of the swarm and pour it out 3 rounds after you cast this spell, unless they are incorporeal. Labyrinth of Shadows 7th-level illusion Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: Sight Components: V, S, M (your own shadow) Duration: 10 days You create a cubic labyrinth of shadows of 1-mile diameter, centered on a point within line of sight. The labyrinth can look like a castle, cave complex or another structure that is large enough. Whatever the structure looks like, the inside of the cube contains a labyrinth that fits the outside. For example, if the labyrinth is a castle on the outside, on the inside it is filled with corridors adorned with artefacts and paintings. However, the shadows move as if free from the light, and the walls are all pitch-black, as if they are made out of shadows. While casting the spell, you choose up to 5 creatures within line of sight. You and these chosen creatures intuitively know the paths within the labyrinth. Also, inside the labyrinth, all creatures have disadvantage on their attack rolls against you and these creatures, and these attacks can only deal half damage to you since the shadows of the labyrinth tries to protect you. Also, you and these creatures can move through the walls, and climb on these walls inside the labyrinth as if walking normally. Lingering Melody 8th-level enchantment Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: Self (90-foot radius) Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You cast this spell as a performance that leaves a lingering melody in the minds of the audience. Creatures within range of that can see or hear you (depending on your performance) can be affected by this spell. Beasts, constructs, elementals, monstrosities, oozes, plants, and undead creatures with an Intelligence of 8 or lower, are not affected by this spell. When you finish casting the spell, creatures in the crowd must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the melody lingers in their minds for the duration of the spell. Within the duration, you can use your action to trigger the melody and cause the affected creatures to be confused for 1 minute as if they were affected by a confusion spell. Liquefy Self 4th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You change your body into liquid acid, blood or water. The transformation lasts until the spell ends. While in liquid-form you are able to move and perceive your surroundings. You occupy the same space as you did before transforming into a liquid. Your speed is 20 feet and you see or hear out to 60 feet of you. You can end your turn in a space occupied by other creatures and objects. You can’t take actions or cast spells, but you can give mental commands. Additionally, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. You can fit through any hole or crack through which water can leak. You gain the following benefits depending on the liquid you transformed into; Acid. The creatures who enter your space for the first time or end their turns in the same space as you take 1d8 acid damage. Blood. The creatures who enter your space for the first time or end their turns in the same space as you take 1d6 necrotic damage. You regain hit points equal to half of the necrotic damage dealt (round down). Water. Your speed is equal to your normal speed. Everything you are wearing or carrying is also liquefied with you. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, you can target another creature within 60 feet of you. If the creature is unwilling, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw to avoid the effects of the spell. Lock the Fate 9th-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, M (a rope made of golden threads and a ruby key worth at least 20000 gp, which the spell consumes) Duration: Instantaneous You touch a creature and seal its fate. The target creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or the conditions it is suffering (such as paralyzed, stunned) become permanent. It also cannot regain hit points. You can reverse this effect only with a wish spell.
195 Malign Benevolence 8th-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours This spell charms a humanoid creature into obeying all your demands in a state of worshipping admiration. You choose a creature within range and it must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target creature is charmed by you. It believes and feels you to be the most majestic thing it has ever seen and worshipping you to be the most sacred thing it could ever do. The target creature gladly obeys all your verbal commands and tries to accomplish them to the best of its ability. Additionally, it doesn’t matter if your demand is harmful to itself or a creature it loves; the target creature tries to do the deed without hesitation. Even if the creature is attacked or harmed by you or your friends, it considers you to be its blessing. Still, it can repeat its saving throws at the start of each hour. When the spell ends, the creature may realize that it was charmed by you with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check against your spell save DC. Mark of Rampage 4th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (a shrunken skull shattered during casting) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute A crimson, bloody mark appears on your forehead. Your size increases by one category, and so do your items, and you have advantage on Strength and Constitution-based checks. Also, you gain temporary hit points equal to 1d12 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) and your melee weapon attacks deal an extra 1d8 damage of the weapon’s damage type. Mark of Returning 9th-level necromancy Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (gems worth at least 10000 gp, an item that has religious significance) Duration: Permanent or Until Triggered You bind a target’s life to a specific place. This place must be at least 15 cubic feet in size and the spell must be cast in this place. If the target dies after you cast the spell, it is automatically resurrected with full hit points in the place it is bound to. However, the items it was wearing or carrying at the time of its death are not transported to the place. The place you choose must not change drastically between the time of casting the spell and the moment of the target’s death. For example, if your life is bound to a house and it is destroyed before you die, you cannot return there and be resurrected in it. The GM decides whether a chosen place is suitable for the spell to work properly. Once you cast the spell, you can only cast it again after 1 year has passed, and a life can only be bound to one place at one time by this spell. If the target of the spell is unwilling, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw to avoid its effects. Mark of Soul Siphoning 9th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (a special unholy reliquary decorated with special runes worth at least 25000 gp) Duration: Until dispelled You mark a creature of your choice within range with what could be the foulest magic of necromancy; a dark grey mark appears above the creature. If the marked creature dies within 1 minute, its soul is trapped into the unholy reliquary you are carrying. If you are not carrying one, then the soul is set free. A soul imprisoned in an unholy reliquary in this way can only be freed by a true resurrection or wish spell or if the reliquary is broken. Mask of Innocence 4th-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: 1 hour This spell masks your true nature and makes you seem as someone “innocent” to the outside world. For the duration of the spell, your alignment counts as a good alignment of your choice and you have advantage on Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks that involve hiding your true identity. Additionally, any effect that targets an evil-aligned creature cannot target you, and you cannot be banished to your home plane if you are an extraplanar creature. Any spell that benefits a good creature benefits you as well. Furthermore, you have advantage on saving throws against spells that would risk uncovering your true nature, such as the zone of truth spell. Memory of Fire 4th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (special flammable oils worth at least 100 gp) Duration: 10 minutes You cover the dead body of a creature with special oils and burn it. As the body is burning, you dance in a state of ecstasy and call the spirits of flames to consume the body and its mind. At the end of 1 minute, a small fire engulfs the body completely and gains intelligence for the duration of the spell. During that time, you can ask the fire 6 questions, to which it answers truthfully. It only knows what the creature knew in life, and only speaks Ignan. The fire also remembers the last month of the dead creature. At the end of the duration, or when you have asked your
196 6 questions, the fire is extinguished on its own and the body completely turns to ash. Might of the Tyrant 5th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute Your eyes and skin turn into a metallic-grey color and your size increases by one size category. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks, and advantage on saving throws against being charmed and frightened. Additionally, your melee weapon attacks deal an extra 2d6 force damage. Also, when you cast a spell or use a feature that requires the affected creature to be able to see you, the creature has disadvantage on its saving throw against the effect. Mind Terror 4th-level illusion Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (30-foot radius) Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You create the illusion of a thousand souls rushing out of your body. The creatures in the area must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is overwhelmed by the screams and cries of the souls, taking 4d8 psychic damage. It is also deafened until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the damage is halved and the target does not suffer deafness. You can use your action on each of your turns to create another wave of souls for the duration of the spell. Murder Darkness 4th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose a point within range and create a magical darkness in a 15-foot radius for the duration. The darkness spreads around corners, fills both the area and the creatures within it, and chokes them. A creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or suffers 1 level of exhaustion. On each of your turns, you can use your action to force the creatures in the area to make another saving throw, which results in another level of exhaustion on a failed save. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. If any part of this spell’s area overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 4th level or lower, the spell that created the light is dispelled. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can choose up to 4 creatures, and they are not affected by the effects of the spell. Mystic Rays 8th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 120 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You create three rays and hurl each of them at targets within range. One of the rays deals cold damage, the other one deals fire damage and the last one deals lightning damage. You can hurl them at one target or at several of them. Also, the rays do not strike at the same time. The cold ray strikes first, then the fire ray hits and lastly the lightning ray reaches its target. Make a ranged spell attack with each ray. On a hit, the cold ray deals 3d6 cold damage. If this damage reduces a living target to 0 hit points, the target dies instantly and withers into an icy gem worth 1000 gp. On a hit, the fire ray deals 4d6 fire damage. If this damage reduces a living target to 0 hit points, the target dies instantly and withers into a ruby worth 1000 gp. On a hit, the lightning ray deals 4d6 lightning damage. If this damage reduces a living target to 0 hit points, it dies instantly and withers into a handful of diamond dust worth 1000 gp. Nazar Enchantment cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You wish evil to befall a creature and you mark it with the evil eye. You do so by spitting on the ground while looking at the target, or making another kind of rude gesture that sincerely wishes the target harm and malice. Because of the evil eye, the creature has disadvantage on the next action it takes or the next saving throw it makes. Onyx Skin 1st-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you take necrotic damage Range: Self Components: S Duration: Instantaneous Your body shines like an onyx for a brief moment. Any necrotic damage dealt to you is reduced by 1d6. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the necrotic damage you are dealt is reduced by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st. Pinpoint 1st-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (two needles) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose two creatures that are within 30 feet of each other and create a force link between them. Whenever the link extends more than 30 feet, the moving target(s) must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the smaller sized
197 target is yanked to the other target and hits it. If they are of same size, they are yanked towards each other and hit each other in the middle. In every condition, the target getting hit takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage and the link stays intact. On a successful save, the link is broken and the spell ends. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 10 minutes. When you use a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 1 hour. Poison Arrow 3rd-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute The next time you make a ranged weapon attack during the spell’s duration, the weapon’s ammunition or the weapon itself (if thrown) is imbued with poison. On a successful attack, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or takes 6d6 poison damage and becomes poisoned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat its saving throws at the start of each of its turns, ending the poisoned condition on itself on a successful save. Poisonous Aid 4th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (a weapon coated with a poison) Duration: 1 minute You spread the effect of the poison that coats your weapon to the other melee weapons within range. You can target creatures equal to your spellcasting ability modifier and coat their weapon with that poison. Pool of Shadows 1st-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You conjure a shadowy area of 15-foot radius on a surface centered on a point within range. The thick shadows dance constantly, moving within the pool and the area becomes difficult terrain for the duration. Protection from Light 4th-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (a piece of black cloth worth at least 50 gp) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour For the duration, a willing creature you touch has resistance to radiant damage. Rain of Death 8th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 100 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You designate a point within range and call down an acidic rain upon it that dissolves everything. Creatures within 40- foot radius of the designated point must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 12d6 acid damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage. The buildings, constructs and plantations take full damage. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to call down another rain of acid in this way, targeting either the same point or a different one. Raining Blood 5th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (60-foot radius) Components: V, S, M (the bloody heart of a large creature, which the spell consumes) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute When you cast the spell, the clouds turn red and blood starts to rain down in a 60-foot area centered on you. A creature that enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 4d4 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. If a creature fails its saving throw 2 times, it suffers 1 level of exhaustion. It suffers one more level of exhaustion for each 2 saving throws it fails. The area moves with you, centered on you. Also, the creatures who are protected from the rain (those are with total cover) and you are not affected by the spell. Ravaging Plague 3rd-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (a piece of rotten rat flesh) Duration: 1 minute This spell conjures an infectious disease that spreads through touch and closeness. The creature you touch must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be infected by the plague. An infected creature is poisoned and takes 3d6 necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns for the duration. It can make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the poisoned condition on itself on a successful save, but the damage persists. An infected creature may spread the plague to other creatures: If the infected creature is within 5 feet of another creature, there is a 50% chance that the plague will infect it as well. If an infected creature touches another creature, the disease spreads automatically, and the other creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or becomes infected. As this disease is summoned by you, you have control over it, meaning that you can choose creatures that are not to
198 be affected. As it is a summoned disease, its symptoms fade from all creatures it infected after the duration ends, and the disease dissipates. Only certain creatures can be affected by this spell. Constructs, elementals, oozes, and plants are not affected. Undead creatures cannot be affected, but they can be carriers of the disease and spread it to other creatures, unless they are incorporeal. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 3rd. Ravaging Smite 4th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (desecrated blood) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute Your blade is covered with a foul crimson aura and the next time you hit with a melee weapon attack during this spell’s duration, your attack deals an extra 4d10 necrotic damage. Additionally, if you target a creature with this weapon, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or it cannot regain hit points until the end of its next turn. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your bonus action to keep the target deprived of any healing. If you do so, the target repeats its saving throw to negate this effect. Reflection Within Shadows 9th-level divination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour The past, the present, and the future; the reflections of all lurk in the shadows. As you cast this spell, these reflections are revealed to you, you learn your near-future and gain the following benefits for the duration; • You gain a +5 bonus to AC • You gain a +10 bonus to your initiative. • You have advantage on your attack rolls. • You may receive cryptic messages about the events that will happen within 1 hour, at the GM’s discretion. Rotball 3rd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 100 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You hurl a grey ball of necrotic energy that rots its surroundings at a point within range. The vegetation within 20-foot radius of the designated point withers and the creatures within the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d10 necrotic damage and the damage is halved on a successful one. If the damage dealt to all the creatures within a 20-foot radius is at least 50, the rotball drains the soul of the targets and a rotface (p.280) appears in a point within the area of the spell. One additional rot face appears for each additional 50 damage above the first. Rotting Curse 5th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You target a creature within range and curse its soul, rotting it. When the target is affected by a spell or another magical effect that will cause it to regain hit points, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take necrotic damage equal to the amount that would have been healed. Scarify 6th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You target a creature within range and its flesh ruptures. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, it takes 10d4 slashing or piercing damage (one of your choice). However, the flesh keeps being ruptured. On each of your turns for the duration of the spell, you can use your action to deal an additional 10d4 slashing or piercing damage (of the chosen type) to the target on a hit. The spell ends if you use your action to do anything else. The spell also ends if the target is ever outside of the spell’s range or if it has total cover from you. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the damage increases by 3d4 for each slot level above 6th. Scythe Swing Conjuration cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (5-foot cone) Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You conjure a scythe in your hands and swing it in front of you. Creatures within range must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or they take 1d6 slashing damage. The scythe disappears after you swing it. This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6). Shadow Dance 2nd-level illusion Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose a creature within range and disrupt the shadows around it. Any creature that makes an attack against the target must succeed on a Wisdom (Perception) check or the attack fails automatically.
199 Shadow Form 4th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You and everything you are wearing or carrying transforms into a shadow, gaining all the advantages and limitations of its existence. For the duration of the spell if you maintain your concentration, you gain the following benefits: • Your speed increases to 40 feet if not equal to or higher than that already. • You gain resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. • You have vulnerability to radiant damage • Creatures count as they have resistance (or immunity if they already have resistance) against damage from nonmagical weapons. • You are immune to being grappled, prone, or restrained. • You can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. • While in dim light or darkness, you can use your bonus action to take the Hide. • While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the duration of the spell increases by 1 hour for each slot level above 4th. Shadow Guardian 2nd-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Touch Components: V, S Duration: 1 minute You conjure a shadow and bind it to a creature you touch. The shadow looks as if connected to the creature and floats above it. As a bonus action on your turn, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 10 feet of the shadow. The attack deals cold or necrotic damage (your choice) equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage dealt by the attack increases by 1d8 for every two slots above 2nd. Shape of Brutality 7th-level transmutation Casting Time 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: 10 minutes You use the art of fleshcrafting to reform your body and become a meat grinder for the duration. When you cast this spell, you gain the following benefits; • Your muscles grow, your skin stretches out and your size increases by 1 size category. Your weight and height changes accordingly. • Your muscles are thickened and bones pierce your skin, covering it. You gain a +2 bonus to AC. • Your teeth grow, your jaw drops and you grow claws. Whenever you take the attack action, you can attack twice; once with one of your claws and once with your bite. The bite deals 1d8 piercing damage and the claw deals 1d8 slashing damage. You can use your spellcasting modifier for the attack and damage rolls you make with these. • Your new form is so horrid that you gain advantage on your Charisma (Intimidation) checks. • You grow wings of flesh that grant you a flying speed of 30 feet. • You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered. • You gain proficiency with simple and martial weapons. • You can transform one of your hands into a melee weapon of flesh as a bonus action. Whatever the weapon is, it deals 2d6 damage of that weapon’s damage type (bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing). You can use your spellcasting modifier for the attack and damage rolls you make with this weapon. You can also re-transform your hand as another bonus action. • Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 2 for the duration. • You can only talk slowly, so you cannot cast spells that require verbal components. You can end this spell as an action. Shroud of Undeath 4th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 minute Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (a piece of flesh or bone taken from an undead) Duration: 1 hour This spell grants up to 10 willing creatures you can see within range the essence of undeath. Undead creatures that are not controlled by an intelligent undead, or another sentient creature, sense the creatures shrouded in this spell as undead. Thus, they do not become hostile toward them. If any creature shrouded by this spell makes an attack against or takes any other kind of action that is harmful to an undead creature, the undead immediately becomes hostile. However, the undead creatures within 60 feet of the targeted undead creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, they do not become hostile. The undead creatures that are further than 60 feet of the attacked undead creature do not become hostile. On the other hand, the essence of this spell makes the affected creatures start to feel like the undead. Any creature affected by this spell can be targeted by abilities and spells that especially affect undead, such as the turn undead spell. Sight of Beyond 2nd-level divination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (a piece of moonstone and some chalk) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
200 You draw marks around your eyes and speak the incantation of the spell. While your eyes are open, you see the place that your body physically exists in. However, when you close your eyes, you see 10 feet into the Ethereal Plane for the duration of the spell. Smite of Proper Respect 3rd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self Components: V Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute The next time you hit a creature with a melee attack during this spell’s duration, your weapon becomes heavier, and the attack deals an extra 3d8 force damage to the target. Additionally, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or kneel down and is knocked prone. Soul Binding 7th-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 10 feet Components: V, S, M (a special unholy reliquary decorated with special runes worth at least 1000 gp) Duration: 7 days You choose a creature within range which has the Incorporeal Movement feature. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw or is bound within the unholy reliquary. The reliquary can keep the bound creature inside it for 7 days and it breaks at the end of this duration, releasing the creature within. The spell can also be dispelled by means of a wish spell. The bound creature can be used as a soul in soul trade (see A New Currency: Soul at p. 141) while it is within the unholy reliquary. Soul Exorcism 8th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You choose a creature within range and force its soul to leave its body. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or its soul is exorcised, ripped out of its body, leaving an empty shell behind. The body falls to ground as if it were dead but it retains the hit points it had before the fall. While the soul is out of its body, it is forced to a desolate place in which the soul can only perceive a crimson soil, spirits crying in pain, and violent, howling winds; all in a blur. The soul immediately tries to find a way to return to its body. At the end of each of its turns, it can make another Wisdom saving throw. The soul returns to its body on a successful save. If the body drops to 0 hit points before the soul returns to the body, the soul feels immense pain and the target makes another Wisdom saving throw, this time with disadvantage. On a successful save, the target can reach to the afterlife it deserves as if it normally died. On a failed save, the immense pain drives the soul mad and it becomes a dreaded spirit. In this case, the soul is deprived of the afterlife it deserves and it appears in an unoccupied space next to its dead body to exact revenge. If the spell is cast in a temple of an evil deity, on desecrated ground or another unholy place that the GM sees fit, all of the saving throws against the spell are made with disadvantage. Soul Imprisoning 8th-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 100 feet Components: V, S, M (a special unholy reliquary adorned with the name(s) of a target and special runes worth at least 10000 gp) Duration: Permanent You prepare an unholy reliquary with the full name of one creature written on it. All of the names of the creature, known by at least 5 other creatures, must be engraved on the unholy reliquary. If the creature has more than 5 names that are known to 5 or more creatures, writing 5 of them in the reliquary is enough to cast the spell. If the creature dies within 100 feet of the reliquary, its soul is imprisoned by the magic of the reliquary. The soul can only be released by a wish spell or if the reliquary is physically broken. Spread Disease 2nd-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Self Components: V, S, M (a little part of your own flesh) Duration: 24 hours You spread a disease to an area of 60-foot radius centered on you. The creatures who enter the area for the first time or start their turn there within the duration of the spell must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become infected with the disease and poisoned. Once a creature becomes infected, it keeps being poisoned even after the duration of the spell expires. This effect can be dispelled by means of the dispel magic. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the duration of the spell increases by 24 hours for each slot level above 2nd. Stand Still 1st-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 reaction Range: 30 feet Components: S Duration: Instantaneous Choose a creature within range and within line of sight. It can’t be moved by any means, and thus cannot be subjected to conditions such as grappled or prone. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of level 2 or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 1st.
