Scoundrel [Bardic College of Villainy]
Bards of the College of Villainy are typically devious scoundrels and criminal masterminds who will stop at nothing to get what they want. They are commonly found leading thieves guilds and advising evil kings or queens, or deceiving good ones. Not all Scoundrels are evil though, and some may be misunderstood heroes or simply pragmatists who use underhand means to get the job done.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you join the College of Villainy at 3rd level, you gain proficiencies in any three of the following: Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Deception, disguise kit, poisoner’s kit, or thieves’ tools.
Cutting Words
At 3rd level you gain the College of Lore ability of the same name.
Sneak Attack
Starting at 6th level, you gain a version of the rogue’s Sneak Attack ability. Your sneak attack damage is 1d6 at 6th level, rising to 2d6 at 11th level, 3d6 at 16th level, and 4d6 at 20th level. This damage stacks with any sneak attack damage that you might get from other class features.
Subtle Spell
At 14th level you learn how to weave the incantations necessary for spellcasting into your words and actions. You may cast any spell that has only somatic and verbal components without drawing attention to yourself. You must roll a Charisma (Deception) check to do so, which anyone watching may oppose with a Wisdom (Arcana) check to detect what you are doing. If the effects of your spell are obvious (such as a fireball) they will remain so, but it will not be apparent that it was you who cast the spell.
Bards of the College of Villainy are typically devious scoundrels and criminal masterminds who will stop at nothing to get what they want. They are commonly found leading thieves guilds and advising evil kings or queens, or deceiving good ones. Not all Scoundrels are evil though, and some may be misunderstood heroes or simply pragmatists who use underhand means to get the job done.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you join the College of Villainy at 3rd level, you gain proficiencies in any three of the following: Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Deception, disguise kit, poisoner’s kit, or thieves’ tools.
Cutting Words
At 3rd level you gain the College of Lore ability of the same name.
Sneak Attack
Starting at 6th level, you gain a version of the rogue’s Sneak Attack ability. Your sneak attack damage is 1d6 at 6th level, rising to 2d6 at 11th level, 3d6 at 16th level, and 4d6 at 20th level. This damage stacks with any sneak attack damage that you might get from other class features.
Subtle Spell
At 14th level you learn how to weave the incantations necessary for spellcasting into your words and actions. You may cast any spell that has only somatic and verbal components without drawing attention to yourself. You must roll a Charisma (Deception) check to do so, which anyone watching may oppose with a Wisdom (Arcana) check to detect what you are doing. If the effects of your spell are obvious (such as a fireball) they will remain so, but it will not be apparent that it was you who cast the spell.
Slayer [Ranger Archetype]
Whilst all rangers favour hunting certain kinds of foe, a Slayer is focused to an even greater degree. You learn specialised techniques for fighting you favoured enemies, and become more resistant to their tricks and supernatural abilities. Eventually you will learn how to craft a fabled arrow of slaying, capable of killing all but the strongest of enemies in an instant.
Specialised Training
At 3rd level you gain advantage on weapon attacks against your favoured enemy. This advantage extends to the additional favoured enemies chosen at 6th and 14th level.
Bolstered Defences
At 7th level you gain advantage on any saving throws against spell-like abilities or special attacks (such as a medusa’s petrifying stare) performed by your favoured enemies. You don’t not gain advantage against regular spells.
Furious Assault
At 11th level you may use your bonus action to make an additional attack against your favoured enemy, but only if that enemy was the target of your primary attack this round.
Arrow of Slaying
At 15th level you may prepare an arrow of slaying keyed to one of your favoured enemy types. This process takes 8 hours, and requires the investment of one 4th level spell slot, which you may only regain once the arrow has been used.
Whilst all rangers favour hunting certain kinds of foe, a Slayer is focused to an even greater degree. You learn specialised techniques for fighting you favoured enemies, and become more resistant to their tricks and supernatural abilities. Eventually you will learn how to craft a fabled arrow of slaying, capable of killing all but the strongest of enemies in an instant.
Specialised Training
At 3rd level you gain advantage on weapon attacks against your favoured enemy. This advantage extends to the additional favoured enemies chosen at 6th and 14th level.
Bolstered Defences
At 7th level you gain advantage on any saving throws against spell-like abilities or special attacks (such as a medusa’s petrifying stare) performed by your favoured enemies. You don’t not gain advantage against regular spells.
Furious Assault
At 11th level you may use your bonus action to make an additional attack against your favoured enemy, but only if that enemy was the target of your primary attack this round.
Arrow of Slaying
At 15th level you may prepare an arrow of slaying keyed to one of your favoured enemy types. This process takes 8 hours, and requires the investment of one 4th level spell slot, which you may only regain once the arrow has been used.
Blood Mage [Sorcerous Origin]
Your magic is not truly innate, but rather comes from your knowledge of forbidden blood magic. This magic requires you to draw energy from the life-force of yourself or others, but grants strange and wonderous powers. The secrets of blood magic might have been taught to you by a family member, passed down for generations, or perhaps you discovered them yourself.
Unnatural Vigor
Your blood flows with an unnatural vigor that protects you from illness and negative energy. At 1st level you gain resistance to necrotic damage and have advantage on saving throws against poison and disease.
Powered By Blood
Starting at 6th level, you may choose to expend Hit Dice during a short rest to recover sorcery points instead of hit points. For every Hit Die spent this way, you recover one sorcery point. You can’t use your Hit Dice to recover both sorcery points and hit points during a short rest.
Alternatively, you can let blood from another living creature during a short rest, provided that the creature is willing or unable to resist. That creature loses an amount of hit points that you choose. For every 10 hit points lost this way, you recover one sorcery point. The creature cannot lose more hit points than it currently has. Should the creature drop to 0 hit points as a result, it dies immediately due to blood loss, and you recover one additional sorcery point. You can only let blood from a single creature during a short rest.
Using this feature on an unwilling creature is an extremely evil act, and should be avoided in a non-evil aligned game, or at least have severe consequences.
Life Drain
At 14th level you gain access to a special metamagic option, Life Drain. By spending sorcery points equal to the level of a spell that you cast, you may regain hit points equal to half the damage that the spell inflicts. This metamagic has no effect on constructs or undead, and can only be used on spells that target a single creature.
Blood Thrall
Beginning at 18th level you may create a blood thrall, a magical servant created from a drop of someone else’s blood. It takes 8 hours to create a blood thrall, and costs you 5 sorcery points that must be invested for the duration of the creature’s existence (i.e. your maximum sorcery points is reduced by 5). The blood thrall resembles precisely the person whose blood you used to create it, but has the stats of a flesh golem. It is of average intelligence and will carry out any instructions that you give it. Use your Deception skill for the purposes of determining whether or not it can pass undetected. You may only have once blood thrall active at a time, and if you create a new one then the old one will be destroyed.
Shaman [Druidic Circle]
By communing with nature and ancestor spirits you are ableto draw upon a range of unusual powers and abilities. Shamans often start outlife as priests for primitive or barbaric tribes, before turning to adventuring in order to placate an ancestor or carry out the whim of an ancient spirit. They are often Chaotic Neutral, outcasts even from their own community, who typically regard them with fear and reverence.
Mask of the Soul
When you join this circle at 2nd level you receive (or craft) a mask that represents a certain spirit or ancestor. By wearing this mask you can invoke the power of that spirit or ancestor. Some examples are given below, but the player and DM are encouraged to use their imagination to come up with alternatives. As a general guideline a mask should grant proficiency in one skill, and allow the wearer to cast one 2nd level spell that is not on the druid spell list. Given one week you may craft a new mask (representing a different spirit), but this renders the old one powerless.
Coyote
You invoke the sly cunning of the coyote spirit in order to outwit your opponents. You become proficient in Deception and may cast alter self as though you had it prepared. You may also cast it once per long rest without expending a slot, even if you are not normally able to cast 2nd level spells.
Grandfather
This mask channels the wisdom of your ancestors, granting you proficiency in History and allowing you to cast the spell augury as though you had it prepared. You may also cast it once per long rest without expending a slot, even if you are not normally able to cast 2nd level spells.
Raven
The raven lets you stare into the hearts of others, granting you proficiency in Insight and allowing you to cast detect thoughts as though you had it prepared. You may also cast it once per long rest without expending a slot, even if you are not normally able to cast 2nd level spells.
Become the Spirit
At 6th level your mask allows you to cast an additional spell as though you had it prepared. You may also cast this spell once per long rest without expending a slot, even if you are not normally able to cast 4th level spells. After casting the spell in this way you take on an unnerving likeness to your mask, causing you to have Disadvantage on checks made using an ability determined by the mask. This wears off after a short rest.
Coyote
You count as having polymorph prepared, and may cast it for free once per long rest even if you cannot normally cast 4th level spells. When you do this you being to lose your grip on reality (Disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks until you take a short rest).
Grandfather
You count as having divination prepared, and may cast it for free once per long rest even if you cannot normally cast 4th level spells. When you do this you appear to age rapidly, until you resemble someone very near the end of their life (Disadvantage on Constitution ability checks until you take a short rest).
Raven
You count as having arcane eye prepared, and may cast it for free once per long rest even if you cannot normally cast 4th level spells. When you do this one of your own eyes detaches and becomes the invisible, magical eye, leaving a gaping orifice that bleeds constantly (Disadvantage on Charisma ability checks until you take a short rest).
Journey to the Spirit World
At 10th level you may enter a trance that replicates the effect of the spell etherealness, with the following changes: it affects only yourself, and you leave behind your body, which remains vulnerable. You may only cancel this effect by returning to the precise location of your body, which you can automatically locate and orientate yourself towards. If your body is destroyed before you can reach it then you are lost forever in the spirit realm. You may only use this ability once per long rest.
Aspect of the Beast
By performing a ritual where you are consumed by spirits you may, at 14th level, take on the aspect of whatever mask you have prepared at that time. The ritual takes fifteen minutes, after which time you are reborn as a bizarre, humanoid version of whatever it is that your mask represents. This transformation is similar to that which happens when you use your 6th level feature, only more dramatic. You remain transformed until you next use this feature, meaning that you can wear a new mask without interrupting the transformation (and therefore make use of different version of the 2nd and 6th level features). Your old mask is consumed as part of this ritual.
Coyote
You may cast alter self at will, and gain Advantage on Charisma ability checks and saving throws but Disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks and saving throws. You become proficient in Deception until you next use this feature.
Grandfather
You may cast augury at will, and gain Advantage on Wisdom ability checks and saving throws but Disadvantage on Constitution ability checks and saving throws. You become proficient in History until you next use this feature.
Raven
You may cast detect thoughts at will, and gain Advantage on Intelligence ability checks and saving throws but Disadvantage on Charisma ability checks and saving throws. You become proficient in Insight until you next use this feature.
By communing with nature and ancestor spirits you are ableto draw upon a range of unusual powers and abilities. Shamans often start outlife as priests for primitive or barbaric tribes, before turning to adventuring in order to placate an ancestor or carry out the whim of an ancient spirit. They are often Chaotic Neutral, outcasts even from their own community, who typically regard them with fear and reverence.
Mask of the Soul
When you join this circle at 2nd level you receive (or craft) a mask that represents a certain spirit or ancestor. By wearing this mask you can invoke the power of that spirit or ancestor. Some examples are given below, but the player and DM are encouraged to use their imagination to come up with alternatives. As a general guideline a mask should grant proficiency in one skill, and allow the wearer to cast one 2nd level spell that is not on the druid spell list. Given one week you may craft a new mask (representing a different spirit), but this renders the old one powerless.
Coyote
You invoke the sly cunning of the coyote spirit in order to outwit your opponents. You become proficient in Deception and may cast alter self as though you had it prepared. You may also cast it once per long rest without expending a slot, even if you are not normally able to cast 2nd level spells.
Grandfather
This mask channels the wisdom of your ancestors, granting you proficiency in History and allowing you to cast the spell augury as though you had it prepared. You may also cast it once per long rest without expending a slot, even if you are not normally able to cast 2nd level spells.
Raven
The raven lets you stare into the hearts of others, granting you proficiency in Insight and allowing you to cast detect thoughts as though you had it prepared. You may also cast it once per long rest without expending a slot, even if you are not normally able to cast 2nd level spells.
Become the Spirit
At 6th level your mask allows you to cast an additional spell as though you had it prepared. You may also cast this spell once per long rest without expending a slot, even if you are not normally able to cast 4th level spells. After casting the spell in this way you take on an unnerving likeness to your mask, causing you to have Disadvantage on checks made using an ability determined by the mask. This wears off after a short rest.
Coyote
You count as having polymorph prepared, and may cast it for free once per long rest even if you cannot normally cast 4th level spells. When you do this you being to lose your grip on reality (Disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks until you take a short rest).
Grandfather
You count as having divination prepared, and may cast it for free once per long rest even if you cannot normally cast 4th level spells. When you do this you appear to age rapidly, until you resemble someone very near the end of their life (Disadvantage on Constitution ability checks until you take a short rest).
Raven
You count as having arcane eye prepared, and may cast it for free once per long rest even if you cannot normally cast 4th level spells. When you do this one of your own eyes detaches and becomes the invisible, magical eye, leaving a gaping orifice that bleeds constantly (Disadvantage on Charisma ability checks until you take a short rest).
Journey to the Spirit World
At 10th level you may enter a trance that replicates the effect of the spell etherealness, with the following changes: it affects only yourself, and you leave behind your body, which remains vulnerable. You may only cancel this effect by returning to the precise location of your body, which you can automatically locate and orientate yourself towards. If your body is destroyed before you can reach it then you are lost forever in the spirit realm. You may only use this ability once per long rest.
Aspect of the Beast
By performing a ritual where you are consumed by spirits you may, at 14th level, take on the aspect of whatever mask you have prepared at that time. The ritual takes fifteen minutes, after which time you are reborn as a bizarre, humanoid version of whatever it is that your mask represents. This transformation is similar to that which happens when you use your 6th level feature, only more dramatic. You remain transformed until you next use this feature, meaning that you can wear a new mask without interrupting the transformation (and therefore make use of different version of the 2nd and 6th level features). Your old mask is consumed as part of this ritual.
Coyote
You may cast alter self at will, and gain Advantage on Charisma ability checks and saving throws but Disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks and saving throws. You become proficient in Deception until you next use this feature.
Grandfather
You may cast augury at will, and gain Advantage on Wisdom ability checks and saving throws but Disadvantage on Constitution ability checks and saving throws. You become proficient in History until you next use this feature.
Raven
You may cast detect thoughts at will, and gain Advantage on Intelligence ability checks and saving throws but Disadvantage on Charisma ability checks and saving throws. You become proficient in Insight until you next use this feature.
Pact of the Soul [Warlock Pact]
Your patron rides along with you, inhabiting your body and sharing every aspect of your experience. This allows you more direct access to its powers, but comes with a cost: it might take over when you least expect it, overpowering your will for its own ends. You gain one additional invocation, but your DM may decide that your patron makes more demanding requests than usual, and may offer you Inspiration in order to take temporary control of your character. You may also manifest some obvious physical indication of your condition, such as discoloured eyes or a forked tongue.
Your patron rides along with you, inhabiting your body and sharing every aspect of your experience. This allows you more direct access to its powers, but comes with a cost: it might take over when you least expect it, overpowering your will for its own ends. You gain one additional invocation, but your DM may decide that your patron makes more demanding requests than usual, and may offer you Inspiration in order to take temporary control of your character. You may also manifest some obvious physical indication of your condition, such as discoloured eyes or a forked tongue.