Cursed Classes - Even Cursier

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CURSED CLASSES EVEN CURSIER

CURSED CLASSES EVEN CURSIER V1.1 Written by Steve Fidler, Bryan Holmes, E. R. F. Jordan, Ryan Langr, Jackson Lewis, Ashley May, Isaac A. L. May, Robyn Nix, and Matthew Whitby. Edited by Ryan Langr and Isaac A. L. May, art by Dana Braga, and layout by Ashley May. Additional content by Oliver Clegg and Matthew Whitby.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Steve Fidler, Bryan Holmes, E. R. F. Jordan, Ryan Langr, Jackson Lewis, Ashley May, Isaac A. L. May, Robyn Nix, and Matthew Whitby and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

Contents Introduction ....................................1 Ceremorph .........................................4

Manifestation of Aberrant Offspring.8 Manifestation of Madness..................... 10 Manifestation of Taming ........................ 11

Covenborn........................................12 Blood of the Dusk Coven ........................ 17 Blood of the Green Coven ...................... 18 Blood of the Night Coven ......................19

Bound Spirit .................................... 22 Iron Golem ....................................................23 Mimic Bound ................................................ 24

Floraspawn ..................................... 26 Alraune ..........................................................27 Corpse Flora.................................................29

Lich ....................................................30 Pathway of the Phylactery .................... 31 Pathway of the Shadow ...........................32

Lycanthrope ....................................33 Calling of the Werebat........................... 34 Calling of the Werebison........................ 35 Calling of the Wereshark....................... 35 Calling of the Werewyvern ...................36

Revenant.......................................... 37 Route of the Chosen .................................38 Route of the Unfulfilled........................39

Vampire ............................................ 40 Path of the Blood Ritual ........................41 Path of the Strigoi.................................... 43

Spells .................................................44 Spell Descriptions ........................46 1st Level Spells............................................ 46 2nd Level Spells .......................................... 46 3rd Level Spells........................................... 47 4th Level Spells .......................................... 48 5th Level Spells............................................ 51 7th Level Spells ...........................................52 9th Level Spells ...........................................52

Magic Items ......................................53 Backgrounds ...................................58 Illithid Exile ................................................58 Dabbler...........................................................59

Credits..............................................60

Introduction

Cursed Classes has some viable roleplay options that allow not only for reclassing, but also for shuffling ability scores. Every one of the cursed class options reflects a change that happens after a traumatic event, often your death. The magic that now permeates you could be responsible for a dramatic change in your mind and body. Many of the cursed classes reset the clock to 0 and represent new beginnings. If you plan to allow reclassing for your characters, as a Dungeon Master, I highly recommend you look into the power levels of each cursed class. Many of them follow standard progression of abilities found in the core classes, but there are still some shifts to the overall power level. A bound spirit could have an issue remembering their previous life when moving to their new body. This could be represented through reclassing them fully into a bound spirit. It’s also possible that many of their modifications, or even the original build of the body, represents a higher power level to start, so that it isn’t strange to suddenly be a 7th-level bound spirit the moment you enter your new physical shell. Ceremorphs are likely forced into their change through ceremorphosis. Something has happened during this process to change the very nature of your body. An increase in intelligence is entirely possible. Mental ability scores that are hard to explain in other cursed classes could easily shift with the expansion of your mind. Ceremorphs are naturally built for reclassing as their change is both mentally and physically consuming.

our fascination with unlife has consumed you for most of your days. You have finally reached the pinnacle of power, you are about to become a lich! What does that mean for a character who has taken this path? From the standard rules, the character wouldn’t be allowed to multiclass. Let's now say that multiclassing is allowed, will that make your character a level 14 sorcerer and level 1 lich? These rules work best when taken early in your adventuring career; a few levels of fighter certainly won’t hurt your Lycanthrope and just a small excursion into revenant can add a lot of flavor to a ranger character. Remember that leveling in a cursed class represents giving in or adopting the power of the curse to use for yourself. The higher level you become, the more likely you are to appear changed by the properties of your curse. There are some circumstances where your transformation should be more complete, where you give up on your old life and dive headlong into the new one. The example of our lich is just one which benefits from the concept of ‘reclassing’. Reclassing has been around in Dungeons & Dragons as a house rule for as long as many of us have been playing. The storied tale is of a fighter wanting to join the order of paladins or the humble ranger who falls into a life of crime and becomes a rogue. In many circumstances this decision involves a lot of careful management from a Dungeon Master and a player. It may even include a shifting of ability scores to make the new class viable in play. 1

Cursed Doesn’t Mean Evil

Covenborn are changed through rituals and magic, sometimes of their own volition, other times through forced corruption. Their physical form and even their mind can change during reclassing, which makes it somewhat simple to reclass them. At the same time, understand that the change from something else into a covenborn is not a particularly pleasant experience. Floraspawn come with the excuse of death in order to reclass. Waking up in a changed body after you have been infested with russet mold or any other manner of plant like transformation is the perfect explanation for new powers. Floraspawn characters remain one of the easiest to explain reclassing with. Liches are both simple and complex depending on the class they were previously. A wizard reclassing into a lich is nearly a perfect transition during the reclass. A sorcerer or bard can also work, though it requires a bit of reworking to explain the change in magic ability and the new prime ability scores you will need. A lich will very often be the result of self inflicted cursing, outside of something like the Pathway of the Phylactery. Lycanthropes who reclass often do so by giving in to their bestial nature and embracing it. They are one of the easier characters to multiclass with, especially for a somewhat more martial class. Reclassing can be seen as somewhat of a natural process, ignoring your old life in favor of the new one, it can also be seen as a tool to change your character unwillingly into something they are not. Changing ability scores through the violent transformation of your flesh is an easy explanation for revising your character. Revenants have the advantage of death on their side for reclassing. A change in ability scores could come from the body atrophying as much as the change to semi-undeath may enrich the body with new found power. Both mentally and physically, the revenant could have a change in ability scores during its reclassing. Vampires are driven by their hunger. Their emotions can have such a profound influence on the mind, their undeath will no doubt allow their physical attributes to change as well. Again, the rebirth of a vampire allows for an easy explanation for their reclassing. I still strongly recommend you consider multiclassing a vampire, as some of the most interesting vampires hold onto fragments of their past life to guide the new one.

Most adventurers are more wary than to approach a hag or an illithid with open arms and a friendly smile. Even if not all individuals mean them ill, they understand that with all of the kidnapping and braineating, these creatures built bad reputations. The same could be said for vampires, lycanthropes, the unliving, and so on; they generally mean bad news for those who cross their paths. However, adventurers are not ordinary people. Whether an adventurer becomes afflicted with a curse at the start of their story, or many years into their journeys, they are not required to bend themselves to follow the preconceived notions of their kind. Even if they feel new, strong urges to nibble on tasty grey matter, they have the power to resist those urges and continue living their lives on their own terms.

The Good Covenborn Covenborn are not hags. While they may share the same magical roots, a covernborn is not innately evil and is not driven to the same depths of darkness as a hag. Though a covenborn could surely choose to walk the path of evil, their choices are their own and they could just as easily turn their energies toward doing good. It is a common fallacy that ugliness equates to evilness. People want to believe that the worst parts of the world are detectable at a glance and that creatures or people who would do them harm are obvious and easy to avoid. This way of thinking gets a lot of people hurt or taken advantage of, but it particularly hurts those who were not blessed with beauty. A covernborn may tangle their hair with weeds and filth and take up a whimsically dark name like Wilburt Wormtongue or Grandma Bitterberry, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still have love and kindness in their hearts.

The Good Ceremorph One of the most terrifying factors of the illithid is their propensity for consuming the brains of their victims. Their feeding goes beyond murder, consuming one’s innermost thoughts and most precious memories, violating the sanctity of the self. Illithids are, beyond a shadow of a doubt, evil creatures. Due to their imperfect transformations, the ceremorph does not require brains in order to survive. Though the consumption of grey matter is still an important part of their arsenal of abilities, and brains may look undeniably scrumptious at a glance, a ceremorph with adequate self-control can always choose to abstain. By picking and choosing targets, such as only devouring the brains of those who used their gift of intelligence for evil, a ceremorph can still be a good person.

2

Multiclassing

Why Classes?

To qualify for a new class you must meet the ability score prerequisites for both your current class and your new one, as shown in the Multiclassing Prerequisites table. For example, a fighter who decides to multiclass into the lycanthrope class must have both Strength or Dexterity and Constitution scores of 13 or higher. Without the full training that a beginning character receives you must be a quick study in your new class, having a natural aptitude that is reflected by higherthan-average ability scores.

One of the most common questions asked of the original Cursed Classes book was, undoubtedly, “Why not races?” It’s a very reasonable question to ask; after all, becoming a vampire, bound spirit, or some other afflicted being is a powerful transformation to one’s body, or even the core of one’s being. However, the creators of Cursed Classes felt that there was a conflict between the spirit of the transformation and the actual mechanics of it. Our goal throughout the process of designing Cursed Classes has always been to build things that feel as though they fit smoothly into the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. When new mechanics and systems are designed, they must still feel familiar. While there are no mechanics in fifth edition for changing one’s race, the ability to add levels is at the core of the game, along with multiclassing. Furthermore, expanding the powers and abilities of a race are presented in a very limited format, such as a tiefling collecting new spells as they gain levels. Classes seemed to be the most functional way to introduce these curses, allowing the afflicted to learn control and eventual mastery over their new found power. Classes also allow an adventurer to retain the core of who they are, even after their changes; a halfling who unlocks their covenborn power does not cease to be a halfling and will retain all of their existing traits, from their diminutive size to their innate luck. That being said, we acknowledge that this is far from the only way to build an afflicted adventurer. Dungeons & Dragons is, and always has been, about the world that you want to create, and everything we do should function as a stepping stone for players and Dungeon Masters on the way to their own perfect game.

MULTICLASSING PREREQUISITES Class Bound Spirit Ceremorph Covenborn Floraspawn Lich Lycanthrope Revenant Vampire

Ability Score Minimum Strength 13 Intelligence 13 Constitution 13 and Charisma 13 Strength 13 or Constitution 13 Intelligence 13 Constitution 13 Wisdom 13 Charisma 13

Barbarian Bard Cleric Druid Fighter Monk Paladin Ranger Rogue Sorcerer Warlock Wizard

Strength 13 Charisma 13 Wisdom 13 Wisdom 13 Strength 13 or Dexterity 13 Dexterity 13 and Wisdom 13 Strength 13 and Charisma 13 Dexterity 13 and Wisdom 13 Dexterity 13 Charisma 13 Charisma 13 Intelligence 13

3

Ceremorph

A Twisted Birth

The thief scrambles down the darkened alley, desperately trying to escape the angry town guards. Unbeknown to him, an ally is helping him from the shadows. He leaps, intending to clear a dividing fence. Just as it looks as though he’ll slam into the barbed wire at the top, he suddenly gains altitude and he lands like a cat on all fours, his movements enhanced by the watcher in the shadows. A cloaked figure stands in front of the orcish family. Long have they been the target of hatred and bigotry by the rest of the town. Now one such harasser has finally grown bold enough to confront them directly. As he swings his fist at the silent sentinel, thick slimy tentacles erupt from the hood and constrict the attacker’s face. The attacker barely has time to scream before a ring of jagged teeth dig deep into his forehead. A horde of roving hobgoblins have cornered their next unfortunate victim, a young goliath. As the vanguard forces slowly surround her, the war-mages prepare a volley of arcane bombardment. Just before they unleash their magic, the goliath’s eyes flash a pale blue and an area of shimmering energy appears around them. They release the energy and the spells backfire, detonating in their faces. The goliath smiles as her form turns slimy and becomes tentacled. Terrifying and powerful, the ceremorph is a fearsome foe to face. While the process of ceremorphosis is grueling and possibly fatal, the ceremorph is rewarded with awe-inspiring psionic powers and the natural weapons of the illithid. Some welcome this change with open arms, finally gaining a chance to enact their will upon the world. Others reject this change, often choosing to hide their changed forms in fear of persecution.

Ceremorphs are made through a process called ceremorphosis, in which a small tadpole-like creature is implanted in the brain of a humanoid creature. The tadpole spends a certain amount of time burrowing into the brain of its host, devouring it and essentially becoming the creature’s brain. Once the creature’s brain is replaced, the second stage of the transformation begins. The creature’s internal organs melt away, forming entirely alien structures. The face of the creature melts into a barely recognizable mass of tentacles and teeth. The ceremorph is complete.

A Sickness on the Hive You’re not like other ceremorphs; their loyalty is immediately apparent to the collective. No, you’ve been cast out, like detritus, by the elder brain for your deviance. The elder brain, it seems, is fickle in who fits its cookie-cutter mold of perfection. Whatever affliction marks you as an outsider, it reviles the collective so much that they’ve stricken you from the records, not even the all knowing illithids will remember you.

Creating a Ceremorph When creating a Ceremorph, think about how your character came into contact with the hive. Were they a reclusive hermit that just happened to live too close to a new colony? Were they a deranged cultist, obsessed with ascending to a greater form in order to become closer to their chosen deity? Finally, consider what exactly drove the elder brain to expel them from the hive. This will help in choosing your manifestation.

4

Whisper Of The Hive

Creed

Though you are not a member of any mind flayer hive, you still feel certain urges to follow the norms of illithid society. It’s likely these aspects were communicated to you through the original process of ceremorphosis or were absorbed during a brief brush with a hive mind before your rejection.

Illithid society is grouped into ideological factions called creeds, which work in pursuit of specific goals. Though you are not a member of illithid society, and are free from any such factions’ control, your malfunctioned tadpole still possesses those leanings. Whatever creed your tadpole was destined for now influences your own behaviors.

WHISPERS d6 1

2 3 4

5

6

Whisper You keep a funerary jar, and etch major events of your life on its surface, like a diary of your accomplishments. Though you will likely receive the final arrangements befitting someone of your race or faith, or at least an adventurer’s burial, you hope that your brain will be placed in the jar upon your death. You over-explain things to people because you assume they can’t grasp your full meaning without a psychic bond between you. You long for connectivity with others, sometimes coming across as clingy in your search for family or a ‘hive’ of your own. Dissenting opinions cause you a great deal of stress. You can’t stand to see friends argue with one another, and go out of your way to try to smooth things over and get everyone on the same page. For a very brief time, you knew what it meant to be so connected to others as to feel what they felt. Now that the connection is broken, nothing ever feels quite the same. You have a great deal of difficulty discerning peoples’ emotions, even when they seem obvious to others. You consistently seek out minions to control. You feel most at ease when giving orders and seeing them obeyed, even if the orders are small and mundane tasks like “hand me that book” or “close the door”.

CREEDS d6 1

2

3

4

5

Tendrils

6

An autonomic behavior is something that one does without conscious behavior or control, like blinking, or breathing. Though people can control these things, they tend to function without awareness. Your face tentacles tend to have their own autonomic behaviors, which may distract or disturb others to varying degrees.

TENDRIL BEHAVIORS d6 1 2 3 4 5

6

Behavior Your tendrils tend to faintly sway as if resting on a gentle ocean. When examining an object closely, you have a tendency to ‘look with your tendrils’, rubbing them all over the object. You tend to casually groom yourself with your tendrils. They smooth your hair, they pick at your teeth, or straighten your shirt collar. Your tendrils tend to wring each other like hands when you’re nervous. When you become agitated, your tendrils tend to move sharply, smacking against your shoulders, chest, or jaw, like an annoyed cat flicking their tail around. You can’t help that your tendrils tend to pet other peoples’ heads when you stand too close. You’re not trying to eat anybody, it’s just a habit.

5

Creed Your tadpole was a Gatherer, and you feel a drive to bring people together, to encourage discussion and unification. To you, there’s nothing better than for people to work as a collective. Your Creative tadpole has left your mind sparking with ideas. Whether in the pursuit of magic, machinery, or art, you feel a constant flow of inspiration and a need to express your creativity in the world. You are driven by a Thorough Biter tadpole to analyze situations, figuring out the root of failures, predicting worse case scenarios, and strategizing how to improve. You aren’t comfortable with a plan unless you have three or four backup plans. Your Awaiter tadpole has instilled you with a deep patience. You like to plan ahead, sometimes months or even years in advance, visualizing your goals and constantly working toward them. You are always thinking about how you can build toward your ideal future. Your tadpole was a Nourisher, and you love to care for others. While cooking or providing food for others is a great joy to you, you also feel fulfilled by keeping others calm and at peace, or by teaching them, much the same as a true Nourisher would prepare thralls for ceremorphosis. You feel the influence of a Darkener tadpole. You despise the daylight, and though it doesn’t cause you any physical harm, you take shelter from it as though it could. Nothing in the world would make you happier than for the sun to just go away.

THE CEREMORPH Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th

Proficiency Features Bonus +2 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6 +6

Recondite Genesis, Aberrant Mind Psionics, Mastermind Manifestation Ability Score Improvement Channeler Manifestation Feature Devour Skill Ability Score Improvement Devour Essence — Manifestation Feature Ability Score Improvement Mind Shield — Manifestation Feature Ability Score Improvement Improved Mind Shield Manifestation Feature Ability Score Improvement Ulitharid

Cantrips Known — 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Master Mind Points — 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Spells Known — — 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11

—Spell Slots per Spell Level — 1st — — 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

2nd — — — — — 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

3rd — — — — — — — — — 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4th — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 2 2 3 3 3

5th — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 2

Recondite Genesis

Quick Build If you want to create a ceremorph quickly, follow these steps. First, make Intelligence your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Then choose the sage background. Finally, choose the mind blast spell as one of your starting spells.

Something went wrong. You should be a full illithid, but now you're just a sickness on the hive. Starting at 1st level, your ceremorphosis begins. Your form is changed to an illithid. While conscious, unless a creature is immune to psychic damage, you can choose if they see your illithid form, or your pre-ceremorph form. You gain the following benefits. Psionic Barrier. You project a barrier of pure psionic energy, providing slight protection. When calculating AC while wearing light or medium armor, you can choose to add your Intelligence or Dexterity Modifier. Natural Weapons. You gain a set of tentacles lining your mouth. As a bonus action, you can make a grapple attack with these tentacles, using Intelligence (Athletics) instead of Strength (Athletics). You also gain a bite attack, which you can only use if you have a creature successfully grappled by your tentacles. You can choose to use your Strength or Dexterity modifier for this attack roll. On a successful hit, you deal 2d6 piercing damage.

Class Features As a ceremorph, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d8 per ceremorph level Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per ceremorph level after the 1st

Proficiencies Armor: Light armor Weapons: Simple weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Deception, Insight, Perception, Persuasion, Stealth

Aberrant Mind

Equipment

Your mind is an endless expanse. Starting at 1st level, you can telepathically speak to any creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. In order for the creature to understand you, you and the creature must share at least one language.

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: • 1 simple weapon • Your choice of 5 javelins or 2 handaxes • Leather armor • Monster hunter’s pack

6

Psionics

Mastermind

Starting at 2nd level, you learn to cast spells in an entirely unique way, through the power of your mind.

Additionally at 2nd level, you learn to leverage your burgeoning psionic abilities to make yourself a better leader and strategist through the use of special abilities. You have a special resource, called mastermind points with which to fuel these abilities. You gain more mastermind points at the levels shown on the Mastermind Points column of the Ceremorph table. You can never have more mastermind points than shown on the table for your level. You use your spell save DC if one of these abilities calls for a saving throw. Your mastermind points are replenished after a short or long rest. Extract Brain. As an action, you can consume the brain of a creature who has been dead for no more than 12 hours. This process takes 1 minute, during which time you can ask the DM three yes or no questions, and the memories of the creature provide the answers (as determined by the DM). If the creature died no longer than 1 minute prior to you eating their brain, you also gain a mastermind point. If you reduce a creature to zero hit points with your bite attack, you can extract their brain as a bonus action instead of an action. Telepathic Link. At the end of a long rest, you can spend 1 mastermind point and designate a single willing friendly creature by touching them. Until the end of your next long rest, you share a telepathic bond with that creature, and are able to communicate with it freely using your telepathy even if it does not share a language with you, as long as it is within 1 mile of you. While under the effects of the bond, you can use an action to see through your bonded creature's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses (darkvision, blindsight, etc.) that the creature has. Starting at 11th level, you can spend an additional mastermind point to extend the range of your telepathic link to a planar length. Helpful Nudge. You learn how to subtly enhance your bonded creature’s abilities. As a reaction to your bonded creature making an ability check or attack roll, you can expend 1 mastermind point to grant them advantage on the roll. You must have a clear line of sight to your bonded creature in order to use this ability. Starting at 11th level, you can spend an additional mastermind point to make your bonded creature automatically succeed on their saving throw. You must finish a short rest before spending mastermind points in this way again. Telepathic Bolster. You can spend 1 mastermind point as a bonus action to telepathically bolster your bonded creature. For the next hour, your bonded creature has advantage on Dexterity checks and saving throws. Additionally, at 11th level, you can spend an extra mastermind point to allow your bonded creature to add your Intelligence modifier to their initiative bonus.

Cantrips You know two cantrips of your choice from the ceremorph spell list. You learn an additional cantrip of your choice at higher levels, shown on the Cantrips Known column of the Ceremorph table.

Spell Slots The Ceremorph table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these ceremorph spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you know the 1st-level spell lesser mind blast and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast lesser mind blast using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher At 3rd level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ceremorph spell list, one of which must be lesser mind blast. The Spells Known column of the Ceremorph table shows when you learn more ceremorph spells of your choice. The spell must be a level for which you have spell slots. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ceremorph spells you know and replace it with another spell from the ceremorph spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your ceremorph spells, since you create your spells by the power of your mind. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a ceremorph spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Psionic Focus When you cast your ceremorph spells, you do not need to meet the verbal, somatic, or material components for the spell. The only exception for this rule is if the spell specifies a material cost for the material component, as this item will be consumed to fuel the strength of the spell.

7

Manifestation

Ulitharid

At 3rd level, your malfeasance that caused you to be cast out from the elder brain fully manifests. Choose your manifestation from Madness, Taming, or Aberrant Offspring all detailed at the end of the class description. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, 15th, and 18th level.

At 20th level, your ceremorphosis has reached its own unique zenith. When you use your Telepathic Link feature, you can choose to expend an additional mastermind point to designate a second creature. Using a feature that benefits your bonded creature benefits both of these creatures as well. Furthermore, the range of your telepathy increases to 120 feet. Additionally, when you use your Extract Brain feature, you gain 20 temporary hit points.

Ability Score Improvement

Manifestations

When you reach 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Illithids organize themselves by ideology into groups known as creeds, each furthering their own philosophies in different ways. Even if the ceremorphosis is incomplete, no two failures come out the same.

Channeler

Manifestation of Aberrant Offspring

Starting at 5th level, you’ve learned to combine your telepathic acumen and your psionic spellcasting to achieve deadly tactical success. When you spend a spell slot to cast a ceremorph spell, you can also choose to expend a number of mastermind points equal to the level of the spell. When you do so, you can choose for the spell to originate from your bonded creature. Additionally, when you cast a psionic cantrip, you add your Intelligence modifier to the damage roll.

There exists a form of ceremorphs who never went through the ceremorphosis process, but instead one or both their parents were in the initial stages of the process during procreation. The end result is an aberrant offspring, a ceremorph that has altered genetic code that allows them to harness their ancestry to unleash devastating psionic abilities. Much like a sorcerer, their latent power may go undiscovered through most of their lives until suddenly their innate power is awoken.

Devour Skill Starting at 7th level, whenever you use your Extract Brain feature, you also gain proficiency with one skill or toolset that the creature possessed. This proficiency lasts until the end of your next long rest, or until you use Extract Brain on a different creature.

Thoughtful Empathy At 3rd level, your unique combination of heritage allows you to be a better leader by forming empathic links to characters. You can spend 1 additional mastermind point to use any of your mastermind abilities on creatures to whom you have a clear line of sight, regardless if you are bonded with that creature. In addition, you may now use Helpful Nudge a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, still expending 1 mastermind point and regaining all uses at the end of a short rest.

Devour Essence Starting at 9th level, you learn to extract the very essence out of the brains you devour. When you use your Extract Brain feature, you can choose to spend 2 mastermind points to temporarily gain a single resistance, immunity, or saving throw proficiency that the creature possessed. This lasts for 1 hour, or until you use this feature again.

Psionic Explosion

Mind Shield

Starting at 6th level, you dig deep into the latent psionic power inside to unleash it into a devastating outward blast. Each creature in a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on you must make an Intelligence saving throw or take 4d8 psychic damage and be stunned until the end of their next turn. A bonded creature automatically succeeds on its saving throw against the explosion. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. This damage increases to 6d8 at 10th level, 8d8 at 15th level, and 10d8 at 20th level.

Starting at 13th level, as a bonus action you can spend a mastermind point to gain advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects for 1 minute. Additionally you gain resistance to psychic damage.

Improved Mind Shield At 17th level, your resistance to psychic damage becomes immunity and you are immune to being charmed.

8

Soothe the Mind At 11th level, your connection with the minds of your allies can sense debilitating effects and work to remove them. You gain the following mastermind ability. Clear the Mind. You learn how to remove negative effects hindering the mind of your bonded creature. As an action, you may expend 1 mastermind point to allow a character to repeat a saving throw against the following effects: charmed, frightened, and stunned. In addition, they may add your Intelligence modifier to the result. You may now use this ability number a of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining all uses at the end of a short rest.

Mind Over Matter At 15th level, you now have the ability to shape your Psionic Explosion, allowing you to choose a number of creatures up to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one creature) that will automatically succeed on its saving throw against the explosion. In addition, you may choose to replace the damage and stunning effect with a wave of soothing empathetic emotion. Creatures that fail the saving throw instead are subjugated to the effects of the calm emotions spell for 1 hour. Lastly, the Psionic Explosion feature may now be used once per short rest.

Sense of Self Starting at 18th level, you learn to fully read the emotions and feelings of those around you to the extent of bolstering them where they may falter. Using a bonus action, you reach out with emotion infused psionics to gain the following benefits for 1 minute: • Every friendly creature within 30 feet of you counts as a bonded creature. • You can sense each bonded creature’s location even outside of line of sight. • There is no limit on how many times you may use the Helpful Nudge ability, however the mastermind cost remains. • For the duration, each bonded creature has advantage on saving throws to avoid the charmed or frightened condition. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

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Conjure Faerzress Starting at 6th level, your chaotic soul can tie itself to the twisted portions of the weave. Expend six mastermind points. A sphere of faerzress with a 20-foot radius springs into existence centered on you. It does not move with you and lasts a number of minutes equal to your ceremorph level. When the effect disappears, it leaves behind a carpet of luminous edible mushrooms. This area is always filled with dim light. Creatures within the area have advantage on saving throws against divination spells and effects. Teleportation spells cast to move creatures into or out of the area force the caster to succeed on a Constitution saving throw or the spell fails. Any time a spell is cast from a creature within the area, it must roll 1d20. On a 1, the spell is randomly swapped with another spell the creature could cast.

Mesmerize Starting at 11th level, you can project a 30-foot cone of magical energy by expending 3 mastermind points. Creatures in this cone must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by you for 1 minute. While charmed in this way, the creature must roll 1d6 at the start of each of its turns.

Manifestation of Madness

d6 1-2

The specialized talents of your tadpole manifest themselves, granting you additional powers and abilities. In particular, your tadpole enjoys the sensation of chaos. Whenever a mind flayer colony isn’t sure what to do next, they often send in agents to create chaos and observe the results before making a decision.

3-4 5-6

Mesmerization The creature is driven to attack the closest creature, excluding you. The creature tries to use all of its movement. Roll 1d8 to determine the direction it travels. The creature stands still and takes no actions.

At the end of each of its turns, a creature can attempt a new saving throw, ending the charmed condition on a success.

Spread Madness

Chaotic Casting

Starting at 3rd level, you erupt with psionic power and cause incoherent sounds and images to manifest themselves in the minds of creatures around you by expending 1 mastermind point. Each creature who can see and hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a creature cannot take reactions until the start of its next turn.

Starting at 17th level, you can expend 12 mastermind points to create a magical chaos. Any creature within 60 feet who can cast spells and who can see you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, start with their highest level spell they can cast and roll 1d6. On a 5 or 6, the spell is cast. Otherwise, move onto the next spell and so on until a spell has been cast. Once a spell has been cast, move onto the next creature who failed their saving throw and so on until all spells have been cast. If a spell has any requirements, such as determining a target, the DM can determine this randomly. Spells with a material component that have a gold cost have no effect when cast.

Mental Shielding Starting at 3rd level, your mind is more aware of attempts of intrusion. You have advantage on saving throws against effects that impose any of the following conditions: charmed, frightened, or stunned. At 9th level, choose one of those conditions. You are immune to that condition. At 17th level, choose another condition and become immune to that condition as well.

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Manifestation of Taming

Mass Control

The specialized talents of your tadpole manifest themselves, granting you additional powers and abilities. In particular, your tadpole enjoys the sensation of controlling every situation, manipulating encounters like a chessboard, and using creatures like mindless chattel.

Enhanced Link

Starting at the 11th level, if a creature gains the incapacated, stunned, or charmed condition from one of your class features, you can expend 4 mastermind points to make the effect permanent until you or one of your allies attacks the target or casts a spell on them. Starting at 17th level, in addition to your Telepathic Link target, any creature that is incapacitated, stunned, or charmed by you also counts as being linked to you. Additionally, as a reaction when any linked creature ends their turn without using their action and bonus action, or if they have movement remaining, you can do one of the following:

Short Term Thrall Starting at 3rd level, whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can expend 2 mastermind points. If you do, the creature does not become unconscious or die. Instead the creature gains temporary hit points equal to twice your ceremorph level and obeys your verbal or telepathic commands. If given no command, it defends itself. At the start of each of its turns, the creature loses 1 temporary hit point. If it is further than 60 feet away from you, it loses all temporary hit points instead. When the creature reaches 0 temporary hit points, it dies.

• Use any of their remaining movement. • Use their action, if it hasn’t been used this turn. • Use their bonus action, if it hadn’t been used this turn. If the creature is charmed or incapacitated and unwilling to do this, make a contested Intelligence check. If you lose, the feature fails.

Mind Blank Starting at 3rd level, whenever you deal psychic damage to a target, you can expend 1 mastermind point. If you do, the target must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, the target becomes iIncapacated until the end of your next turn. At 9th level, the target becomes stunned instead.

Mental Domination Starting at the 6th level, any creature affected by your Mind Blank can be given an order. Expend 2 mastermind points and give the creature a simple command. Instead of becoming incapacatated or stunned, the creature becomes charmed by you. Each turn it must try to accomplish the given order. At the end of each of its turns, it can attempt a Wisdom saving throw, ending the effect on a success.

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Covenborn

The Threads of Fate

The tiefling awoke with a start, damp with sweat and clinging to her bedsheets. Her dreams were filled with terrible visions: scenes of burning villages, clashing steel, and a shadow that rolled over the sky and suffocated the land from above. She considered dismissing the visions as just that—figments of halfremembered nothings—but she knew she didn’t have that luxury. Her dreams were rarely wrong, and she had best prepare. In the back of the room, the elven woman allowed her illusion to fade, much to the shock and awe of her companions. She had been wearing this face for months, bending her voice and the way she moved until she was nothing like the woman underneath. But she was tired, and they had earned her trust, so she allowed them to peek beneath the veil of her deception. The dwarf wasn’t sure exactly why they were standing over the sleeping form of their traveling partner, but they felt drawn to the sight like a selkie to the water. They listened to their instincts: cautiously, they reached out and pulled—not with their hands, but with their mind—and slowly but surely, they felt the fabric of their partner’s dreams begin to twist in their grip. They lurched back, surprised and a little guilty— but that night would stay with them for years to come. Not all hags fall naturally into their role as prophet and witch of the weird. Some awaken to the power in themselves, and feel their transformation over the stretch of months or years; others are cursed by deities, devils, and other hags, their beauty robbed and perverted. These creatures are referred to as “covenborn.” No matter their origin, a covenborn is a force even the fates must reckon with.

Many covenborn see the world as constructed of a thousand tiny strings, bonding each and every person and object and place to each other. These strings are the threads of fate, and by manipulating them, covenborn bring misery and misfortune to their adversaries. Some covenborn take to this calling with glee, and see themselves as weavers or loomers of fate itself. However, misery needn’t be the end result of manipulating the threads of fate. Other covenborn take great caution whose strings they pull upon, carefully setting up a chain of events that bring misfortune to one but justice and good luck to many. These covenborn realize that fate is much more vast than any one person can know, and see themselves only as a small part of a large and storied tapestry of fateful events.

Weird Magic The oldest and strangest tradition of hags is “weird magic”—the process of coaxing out the inherent magical properties in baubles, trinkets, and other oddities. Many cultures view this as a lesser or heretical form of magic than spellcasting, but those who practice it are keenly aware of its chaotic potential. Even covenborn that receive no training or guidance from hags or others of their kind feel drawn to the act of weird magic, performing it with the innate ease of a born natural.

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Creating a Covenborn

A Taste For The Disgusting

When creating your covenborn, consider the nature of their transformation. Was their descent into hagdom always part of their blood? Were they cursed by another for their vanity, or hubris? Or was it a simple matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Do they accept their transformation or resist it? Do they grieve for their lost beauty, or do they feel liberated from the lust and jealousy of others? Did they ever feel beautiful to begin with? Covenborn feel an innate connection to the weird magic hidden in baubles and misplaced things. Has your hag always felt drawn to strange items, or is this a new phenomenon? How does this connection express itself? Do the items speak to them, show them visions, burn with lights and colors, or is it subtle intuition?

Though you may not crave the taste of flesh like a hag, you still feel certain changes in your tastes. You are still fully capable of eating mundane foods, and travel rations are no less appetizing to you than they were before you discovered the secrets of your blood, but you now long for certain bizarre ‘treats’.

DISGUSTING TASTES d6 1 2

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Twisted Aesthetics

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Like hags, those of the covenblood tend to have an attraction toward the vile. They prize that which is ugly, the same way ordinary people prize what is beautiful. You’re willing to do very strange things in the pursuit of what you consider fashion.

5 6

TWISTED AESTHETICS d6 1 2

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Taste Mold and mildew scraped off the pages of a damp book is excellent when spread on toast. A sachet of moldy berries, dirt, and twigs, tied shut with a rat’s tail, makes for an excellent tea bag. Steep in brown water for five minutes, serve promptly with stale crumpets. Aged cheese? Boring. Aged wine? Yawn. The real delicacy is aged chicken. Hang a few thighs off the back of the wagon so the party won’t know where the smell is coming from. You keep a carefully-tended composting jar in your belongings, and add to it frequently, making sure it gets plenty of time in the sun too. It’s your favorite condiment. For some reason, anything thrown out of a tavern or eaterie is better than what they put on the table. Waste not, want not! Fresh water is disgusting to you. You have to maintain your own canteen when traveling. It’s like your party keeps trying to poison you, with all of this mosquito-larva-free stuff.

Trinkets

Aesthetic A mud pack is excellent for the skin. No, you don’t wash it off. Combing one’s hair backwards whilst inserting twigs and brambles to create a ‘rat’s nest’ is not only stylish, but prone to attracting beneficial pests like spiders or small mice. You wouldn’t be caught dead in plain clothes without a hint of mold or bloodstains on them. You’re very protective of your long nails, and prone to crying if you break one. After all, it takes a long time to grow them long enough to curl in spirals! You like to get creative with your tonguedyeing. Different berries or mixtures may turn it green, black, blue, or purple. For truly special occasions when you want to make a good impression, you like to dye your tongue in stripes. You tend to tug on your ears, nose, or other skin in order to encourage it to stretch and form wrinkles. Life’s too short to patiently wait to develop jowls.

Your weird magic allows you to draw the inherent magical properties out of all manner of strange items. However, you don’t collect these bizarre trinkets solely for their magical potential; in fact, you likely stumbled on their power in the process of collecting them for their aesthetic appeal. In addition to your own weird magic, you may carry some strange trinkets with you just because you enjoy them.

TRINKETS d6 1

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Trinket You like wearing necklaces and other jewelry made from beads and charms of questionable origin. Some are glass, some are clay, and some seem to be stranger materials, like the skulls of small creatures, owl pellets, etc. You favor a box that folds open into a tiny doll house, complete with furniture, accessories, and little posable dolls. You have a tendency to leave it set up with bizarre scenes unfolding, to the discomfort of your allies. You have a needlepoint kit. You have a penchant for churning out encouraging sentiments like ‘Bless This Burrow’ and ‘Live, Laugh, Lacerate.’ Your deck of playing cards, though technically a viable deck, features strange suits, and the exquisitely detailed artwork can be described as bizarre, crude, or even maddening. You maintain a spoon collection. They range from a tiny delicate stirring spoon taken from a noble girl’s toy tea set, to a gnarled wooden paddle used by a witch to stir her cauldron. Wherever you travel, you always seek out a new spoon to commemorate the event. You like keeping a book collection, but those are hard to travel with. Instead you just tear the covers off of the books and keep those. It’s honestly one of the more monstrous things you do.

THE COVENBORN Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th

Proficiency Features Bonus +2 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6 +6

Twisted Claws, Unarmored Defense Spellcasting, Weird Magic Coven Blood, Dark Jinx (d6) Ability Score Improvement Extra Attack Dark Jinx (8) Coven Blood feature Ability Score Improvement Weird Revitalization Dark Jinx (d10) Coven Blood feature Ability Score Improvement — Coven Blood feature Dark Jinx (d12) Ability Score Improvement — Weird Resilience Ability Score Improvement Invoke the Fates

Weird Items

Spells Known

— 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6

— 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11

—Spell Slots per Spell Level — 1st — 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

2nd — — — — 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

3rd — — — — — — — — 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4th — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3

5th — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 2 2

Quick Build You can make a covenborn quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest score, followed by Strength or Constitution. Second, choose the sage background.

Class Features As a covenborn, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d8 per covenborn level Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per covenborn level after the 1st

Proficiencies Armor: Light armor, shields Weapons: Simple weapons Tools: Weaver’s tools Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma Skills: Choose three from Arcana, Deception, Insight, Nature, Perception, and Stealth

Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: • Your choice of a quarterstaff and a dagger or any simple weapon • Your choice of an explorer’s pack or a scholar’s pack • Weaver’s tools

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Twisted Claws

Spellcasting Ability Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your covenborn spells, since their power derives from the force of your will. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a covenborn spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Beginning at 1st level, your nails twist into long, jagged claws, akin to those of a hag. Your claws are natural weapons that deal 2d4 slashing damage on a hit. You are proficient in the use of your claws, and add your Strength modifier to attack and damage rolls with them.

Unarmored Defense Also at 1st level, you are bestowed with the tough, magical skin of a hag. While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Spell save DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Charisma modifier Spell Attack modifier = your Proficiency Bonus + your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting

Spellcasting By 2nd Level, you have learned to draw foul magic from the strangest corners of the planes and channel it into spellcasting through sheer will. See chapter 10 of the Player’s Handbook for the general rules of Spellcasting and the end of this class description for the covenborn spell list.

You can cast a covenborn spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag, you know the spell, and at least two other willing creatures are present to conduct the ritual with you. The creatures must remain within 30 feet of you for the entire casting time of the spell, and do nothing but help you cast the spell. The creatures do not need to be able to cast spells to help you in this way.

Casting Spells

Spellcasting Focus You can use weaver’s tools as a spellcasting focus for your covenborn spells.

The Covenborn table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your covenborn spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you are a 5th-level covenborn, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell witch bolt, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

Weird Magic In your travels, you have begun to feel drawn to strange trinkets and objects—and further, you have learned to draw out their inherent magical properties. This process is called “weird magic”, and it is the ancient tradition of hags and their covens. At 2nd level, you gain two Weird Items of your choice. Your Weird Item choices are detailed at the end of the class description. Weird Items are considered magic items, though they require no attunement. To use a Weird Item, it must be in your possession. If a Weird Item is lost or destroyed, you can recreate it at the end of a long rest spent with working your weaver’s tools. Creatures other than you can’t use your Weird Items, as they lack the inherent connection to these trinkets that you possess. When you die, a Weird Item becomes mundane after a number of days equal to your Charisma modifier have passed. When you gain certain covenborn levels, the number of Weird Items you can have at once increases, as shown in the Covenborn table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Weird Items you possess and replace it with another Weird Item that you could gain at that level. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class, not character level.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the covenborn spell list. The Spells Known column of the Covenborn table shows when you learn more covenborn spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the covenborn spells you know and replace it with another spell from the covenborn spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

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Coven Blood

Weird Revitalization

At 3rd level, your transformation into a particular type of hag deepens, and you discover the nature of your weird blood: Blood of the Dusk Hag, Blood of the Green Hag, and Blood of the Night Hag, all detailed at the end of the class description. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th and 14th level.

At 9th level, you have become adept at channeling weird magic to reinforce the depths of your will. As an action, you can destroy a Weird Item to regain one expended Jinx die. You lose use of the destroyed Weird Item until you spend time recreating it, as normal.

Dark Jinx

At 18th level, you have advantage on saving throws made against spells and other magical effects.

Starting at 3rd level, you can place the bane of your will on other creatures with ease, bringing them misfortune and pain. As a bonus action while you are holding your weaver’s tools, you can jinx a creature you can see within 60 feet of you. You form a thread of fate that connects you to the creature, in the form of a Jinx die (a d6). At any point in the next 10 minutes, when the creature makes an attack roll, ability check, or damage roll, you can use your reaction to sever the thread, bringing misfortune to the creature. You roll the Jinx die and subtract the result from the creature’s roll. You can wait until after the roll is made to decide to sever the thread, but you must declare your intention to do so before the DM resolves the roll’s results. For instance, if the DM declares that the enemy attacks an object, you can sever the thread after you know the damage total, but must do so before you know if the item is broken. Once you sever the thread, the Jinx ends and the Jinx die is expended. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest. Your Jinx die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 6th level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.

Invoke the Fates

Weird Resilience

At 20th level, you can turn to the fabric of fate itself, attempting to bend it in your favor. When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can use your reaction to twist the threads of fate, making a DC 20 Charisma check. On a success, you can choose to replace the result of the roll with any number between 1 and 20. The creature still adds any relevant modifiers, bonuses, or penalties to the roll, and you may select which die to replace during advantage or disadvantage. If you succeed when using this feature, you can’t use it again for another seven days. Otherwise, you can use it again after you finish a long rest.

Coven Blood The blood—and by extension, the transformation—of a covenborn reflects the nature of its curse. A covenborn cursed in the depths of its despair might find itself infused with the tragic blood of a green hag; meanwhile, a covenborn that discovers its weird magic through dreams and prophetic visions might carry the blood of a dusk hag in its veins. As a covenborn’s transformation progresses and it learns to master its curse, the call of its blood will deepen, lending it unique and fearsome powers akin to those of a hag. When a covenborn gathers with other covenborn, they are typically drawn to others of the same blood, forming a group called a coven. These covens range from guilds of arcanists and researchers to explorers and defenders of nature. Rarely, a hag will lead a group of covenborn as their mentor, forming a more powerful and unified coven than any three hags could accomplish alone.

Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Extra Attack Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

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Blood of the Dusk Coven Those who bear covenblood are infused with profane magical power, but none more in divination and dreams than the dusk coven. The dusk coven prey on the dreams of individuals, choosing to take advantage of their defenseless state to siphon memories or simply subsist on the magic of dreams. Their skin becomes distinctly weathered and grey-ish in tone, only becoming flushed to its natural color for a brief period after feeding.

Memory Glimpse. You glimpse a memory from the creature’s mind. You can declare a specific memory you are looking for, or a type of memory, otherwise the DM determines the memory you find. This must be an event that occured within the last 24 hours. Steal Breath. You lean over the creature and draw its breath into you. This feature does not affect constructs or undead. The target takes 2d8 + your Charisma modifier psychic damage, and you regain half as many hit points. The creature immediately awakens if the damage does not reduce them to 0 hit points.

Dusk Blood Magic

Future Correction

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Dusk Blood Coven Spells table. The spell counts as a hag spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of hag spells you know.

At 11th level, your dreams allow you to see beyond the present and influence the future. During a long rest when you spend at least 4 hours sleeping, you weave this knowledge into your jinxes. You can choose to roll a number of d10s equal to your Charisma modifier and note the total as your Jinx Pool. When you use your bonus action to jinx a creature, choose a number of points from this pool no greater than the size of your Jinx die. When you use your reaction to sever the woven thread, instead of rolling your Jinx die, subtract the number of points you chose from the creature’s roll instead. As an action, you can forsake the future as you’ve seen it. You take psychic damage equal to the amount remaining in your jinx pool, and regain an expended use of your Dark Jinx feature for every 5 points of damage you take (maximum equal to your Charisma modifier).

DUSK BLOOD COVEN SPELLS Covenborn Level 3rd 5th 9th 13th 17th

Spells sleep silence gaseous form divination dream

Atropine Dream Starting at 3rd level, you lace your claws and weave your jinxes with a numbing agent. After dealing damage with your claws against a target that bears your jinx, roll your Jinx die. If the result is greater than the target’s remaining hit points, they fall unconscious for 1 minute and your jinx ends. A creature that is reduced to 0 hit points is unaffected by this unless they were dealt non-lethal damage. This unconscious state ends early if the sleeper takes damage or if someone uses an action to shake or slap the sleeper away. Constructs, undead, and creatures immune to being charmed aren’t affected by this feature. A creature that is immune to magical sleep is instead stunned until the end of their next turn. The number of Jinx die you roll when determining if the target falls unconscious increases as you gain levels in this class. Two Jinx die at 7th level, three at 11th level, and four at 14th level.

Sleepstep At 14th level, you can use the dreams of creatures as a network to travel unbidden. You touch an unconscious creature as an action, disappearing into their mind as a cloud of gas. After 1 minute, you appear adjacent to another sleeping creature within 1 mile. This can either be a specific creature you choose, or you can declare a location (such as a town by name) and the DM determines the exact location of the creature. The creature whose dreams you exit from need not be humanoid, a small critter or sentient object that dreams also works for the purpose of this feature. You can also pull 5 additional willing creatures into the dream with you, but must complete a long rest before you can do so again.

Peer Past the Veil At 7th level, you can project yourself into the dreams of sleeping creatures. As an action, you touch a creature that is unconscious and choose one of the following options. Dream Seed. You plant a memory of yourself within the target’s mind. This can be a pleasant memory, after which, when the creature is conscious, they are charmed by you for the next 24 hours or until you or your allies deal damage or take a harmful action against the creature; or a nightmarish one, after which, when the creature is conscious, they are frightened by you for the next 24 hours.

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Blood of the Green Coven Lurking in swamps and withered woods and preying upon the empathy of others, those who carry the blood of the green coven are known for their deceit, as well as their craving for the suffering of others. Their voices betray their green skin and gnarled appearance, sometimes sounding sweet, sometimes powerful, but always working to lure the unsuspecting into their traps. There is no sweeter sound to the green coven than the lamentations of one brought to the lowest point of hopelessness.

Green Blood Magic Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Green Blood Coven Spells table. The spell counts as a hag spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of hag spells you know.

GREEN BLOOD COVEN SPELLS Covenborn Level 3rd 5th 9th 13th 17th

Spells illusory script pass without trace meld into stone hallucinatory terrain mislead

Amphibious Additionally at 3rd level, you can breathe and speak normally underwater.

Shadow Stitch Starting at 7th level, as a bonus action while holding your weaver’s tools, you can make a melee attack against a creature within 5 feet of you. On a successful hit, that creature’s shadow is stitched to the ground, their movement is reduced to zero, and they cannot take reactions until the start of your next turn. Shadow Stitch does not work in total darkness.

Morbid Mockingbird Beginning at 3rd level, you master the ability to mimic sounds with your voice, from a fair maiden crying for help, to the growl of a hungry dragon. You gain advantage on Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Performance) checks when mimicking the vocalizations of other creatures. In order to accurately mimic the voice of a specific person, or the sounds made by a specific creature, you must have heard the person speaking, or heard the creature making the sound, for at least one minute. A successful Wisdom (Insight) check contested by your Charisma (Deception) check allows a listener to determine that the effect is faked.

Commiseration At 11th level, when using your Jinx feature, you make a play on the creature’s empathy. The jinxed target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you for the next hour. This charm effect ignores immunity. While charmed in this way, the creature takes pity on you and will not attack you or target you with harmful abilities or magical effects, and you have advantage on ability checks to interact socially with the creature. If harmed by you, or asked to do something contrary to its nature, the target ceases to be charmed in this way. When the spell ends, the creature knows it was charmed by you. Triggering the effect of the jinx or allowing it to lapse does not break the charmed effect.

Weird Embroidery Beginning at 14th level, as a bonus action while holding your weaver’s tools, you may expend a usage of Jinx to stitch the shadow of a creature that you can see within 30 feet. This creature is restrained for up to an hour, or until they succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. The creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success. 18

Blood of the Night Coven

Birthed in Flame Also at 3rd level, your blood has been touched by a fiend. You have nightly dreams of the glories of hell and the demon wastes, granting you valuable insight in manipulating your own body. You gain resistance to fire damage. When you cast a spell that deals damage, you can choose to have that spell deal fire damage instead of it’s normal damage type. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) per long rest.

Those who awaken the covenblood of the night have, in some way, been touched by fiends. Whether this curse comes from direct interaction, sharing ancestry with them, or a random mutation from interacting with the weave doesn’t matter, for better or for worse their blood is mixed with a fiend’s. While some within this coven choose to succumb to the effects of their co-mingled blood, many actively seek to fight against it, using their newfound powers to fight against that which cursed them. Few are so equipped to battle the fiendish influences in the world as the coven blood of the night.

Fiend-Friend By 7th level, your influence with fiends has grown. You can speak, write, and understand both Infernal and Abyssal. You have advantage on Charisma checks against fiends, and on saving throws against charm effects cast by fiends. When you successfully save against a charm effect cast by a fiend, you may move 10 feet in any direction without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Night Blood Magic Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Night Blood Coven Spells table. The spell counts as a covenborn spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of covenborn spells you know.

Pain of Fire At 11th level, you learn to empower your jinxes with the scorn of fire. You ignore the fire immunity and resistance of creatures who you are connected to through your Jinx feature.

NIGHT BLOOD COVEN SPELLS Covenborn Level 3rd 5th 9th 13th 17th

Spells hellish rebuke Aganazzar’s scorcherXGtE summon lesser demonsXGtE wall of fire infernal callingXGtE

Mistress of Fire At 14th level, your body personifies the glory and power of fire. You gain a number of abilities that show your control over flame. • You gain immunity to fire damage. • Once per short or long rest, you can cast investiture of flame without expending a spell slot or components. • When you cast a spell that deals fire damage, you can reroll any 1’s on the damage die once.

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Claw of Atropos When you hit a creature connected to you by a Jinx die with your Claw attack, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals.

Dormant Chrysalis As an action, you can crush this chrysalis and cast polymorph on a creature you can see without expending a spell slot or material components. Once you use the chrysalis in this way, you must recreate it before you can use it again.

Eye of the Familiar This petrified eye has an unusual sway over beasts of the Feywilds. Over the course of 1 hour, you can use this eye to cast the find familiar spell without expending a spell slot or material components. When you cast the spell in this way, the familiar that appears is always considered a fey. Additionally, while you are seeing through your familiar’s senses, you can use your Dark Jinx feature to place a Jinx on a creature within 60 feet of the familiar that it can see, even if that creature isn’t within 60 feet of you or within your sight. If this eye is destroyed, the familiar disappears instantly, and can’t be summoned again until you recreate the eye again.

Weird Items At 2nd level, covenborn gain the ability to draw out the magical properties of trinkets and baubles, turning them into Weird Items. If a Weird Item has prerequisites, you must meet them to create it. You can create the Weird Item at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.

Jar of Death Slugs

Animal Effigy

Prerequisite: 5th level This jar is full of ravenous slugs. You can make a ranged attack roll with the jar as a thrown weapon with a normal range of 20 feet and a far range of 60 feet. On a hit, the creature takes 3d6 piercing damage and is covered in slugs for 1 minute. Until a creature uses its action to remove the slugs, the target takes an additional 1d6 piercing damage at the beginning of each of its turns. The effect ends early if the creature takes fire damage. Once you use the jar in this way, you must recreate it before you can do so again.

When you create this effigy, choose one beast to model it after. As an action, you can crush this effigy and cast the conjure animals spell without expending a spell slot or material components, summoning one of the chosen beast. You do not have to concentrate on the spell when it is cast in this way. The maximum CR of this beast is equal to one-fourth your level in this class (rounded down). Once you use the effigy in this way, you must recreate it before you can use it again.

Beacon Beetles These two scuttling beetles are connected by a weak but persistent psychic link. As an action, you can touch a creature to embed the beetle in its skin. Two creatures with beetles embedded in their skin can communicate telepathically while they are within 120 feet of each other. The creatures must share a language to communicate in this way. The beetle can only be removed by you, a remove curse spell, or a dispel magic spell.

Peering Eye As an action, you can peer through this petrified eye, seeing the world as if you were standing in the eye’s space. If you are within 120 feet of the eye, you can cause it to rotate, giving you a full view of its surroundings. You are blinded to your own senses when you look through the eye in this way. If this eye is destroyed by anyone but you, you are blinded for 1d6 rounds. 20

Ribbon of the Steed

Shard of Living Glass

Prerequisite: 9th level Over the course of 1 minute, you can affix this ribbon to a Medium or Large nonmagical object to transform it into a magical mount. You determine the appearance of the mount: a statue might spring to life, a tree might twist itself into a wooden horse, or a broom might levitate off the ground but otherwise remain unchanged. The mount is a construct with 10 (3d6) hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage, resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks, a walking speed of 60 feet, and a flying speed of 40 feet. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required), but can only take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide actions. The mount is suitable to carry one Medium creature or two Small creatures, but only you are able to direct it, unless you explicitly give another creature permission to control the mount. If the ribbon is removed or destroyed, the object becomes mundane again.

As an action, you can smash this shard of glass on the ground and cast the cloud of daggers spell without expending a spell slot or material components. When cast in this way, the spell creates a cloud of glass shards that respond to your commands. You can move the cloud up to 30 feet in any direction as a bonus action on each of your turns until the spell ends. If this movement brings the cloud into a creature’s space, that creature doesn’t take damage until the start of its turn. Once you use the shard in this way, you must recreate it before you can use it again.

Seed of Snaring Thorns

• The swarm aids your movement, allowing you to ignore difficult terrain. • You have advantage on attack rolls against creatures in the swarm’s area. • Any creature that moves within the swarm on its turn or starts its turn there takes 1d10 necrotic damage as the swarm razes it.

Vermin Bone As an action, you can snap this bone to conjure a swarm of vermin that surround you for 1 minute or until you lose concentration, as if concentrating on a spell. The swarm surrounds you in a 10-foot radius, and can consist of rats, insects, worms, or some other Tiny creature of your choice. For the duration, you gain the following benefits:

Prerequisite: 12th level As an action, you can throw this seed to cast the grasping vine spell without expending a spell slot or material components. When cast in this way, the vine created by the spell is lined with razor-sharp thorns. When a creature fails its saving throw against the spell, you can choose to deal 3d8 piercing damage to the target if you wish. Once you use the seed in this way, you must recreate it before you can use it again.

Once you use the bone in this way, you must recreate it before you can use it again.

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Guardianship The bound spirit is an enduring defender, designed to protect a locale for ages. Entire generations of acolytes have been brought up, trained, served, and passed on in a temple, while the bound spirit still guards their halls. You were built for a purpose, regardless of how long or how briefly you were able to fulfill it.

GUARDIANSHIPS d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Guardianship You were installed as the guardian of a temple, protector of the faithful. Your dedication was to a druid circle. You were tasked with the protection of a treasury filled with coins and valuables. You were the guard of a prison designed to hold the worst offenders, including powerful mages. You were guardian of a castle, sworn to protect the royal line in perpetuity. Nothing. Your purpose remained unfulfilled after your creation.

Dissonance

Bound Spirit

I’ve seen many people swear loyalty and profess dedication to a cause. I cannot count how many people I have seen die for their beliefs. But, nothing compares to those who choose to live for their beliefs, to dedicate an eternity to them, sworn to a single-minded goal. —Roam, cleric of Selune

As a bound spirit, you no longer require many of the necessities of life, such as air, or sustenance. You can still attempt to emulate these acts, either for your own comfort, or to try to put others at ease, however, they no longer come easy to you, and may instead be more off-putting.

Eternal life is a subject of intense debate. There are those who consider it a curse rather than a boon, and those who would sacrifice anything for it. The fear of death is not solely the territory of the short-lived races, either, and nearly every mortal being finds themselves pondering that mortality at some point. The bound spirit is a person who has chosen to walk a unique path, exchanging the frailties of their mortal body for one made of iron, stone, or ensorceled flesh that can be stitched or replaced on demand. When this exchange is made willingly, it is often out of loyalty to a cause. However, not all bound spirits choose their path. Some bound spirits have become enslaved to their containers by accident, or were forcibly installed in their new bodies by someone who thought they could control their spirit. Your character may have come from any walk of life before becoming bound. Consider how they may view the changes in their body, their new outlook on life and death, and how willingly or unwillingly their transition was made.

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Dissonance Instead of sleeping, you lay still for six hours, perfectly unmoving, eyes open but unblinking. You make an occasional ‘snore’ that is more akin to the creak or groan of a settling foundation. You take meals with your allies, but you do not consume the food, instead pushing bits of it against your lips until the food is mashed, and then disposing of it later. On occasion, to seem as though you still breathe, you inhale deeply and let out an exaggerated sigh. It makes a faint, hollow whistling noise. You drink with your companions, but the water or ale dribbles down your chin, or leaks from a crack or seam in your side. Your nights are restless and you have a skewed sense of the passage of time. You are sometimes surprised when your companions wake ‘so soon’ after a full night’s rest, and at other times you worry if they’ll ever wake again after an hour or two. You have maintained your senses even if you’ve lost your appetite, and still crave the taste of food, even if you wind up spitting it out after you’ve chewed it to a fine mash.

Voice

Poison Breath At 1st level, you gain the ability to use an action to exhale a large cloud of poisonous gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that zone must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 10 + your proficiency bonus), taking 2d6 acid damage on a failed save or half as much on a success. If the saving throw is failed by 5 or more, the creature becomes poisoned. You can use this feature twice, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest. This damage increases to 4d6 at 5th level, 6d6 at 10th level, and 8d6 at 15th level.

As a bound spirit, you speak with a voice that does not necessarily come from air being blown across vocal cords, but instead from more arcane or strange sources. Your voice may be one of the few things that resembles your original form, or it may have transformed as drastically as the rest of you.

GUARDIANSHIPS d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Guardianship Your voice seems disembodied, as if it floats somewhere around you, but is not coming directly from your body. The voice that echoes out of your body sounds muffled, as if buried deep under metal, stone, or flesh. Your voice wavers and sounds as though it’s rattling. The feeling of your body gently vibrating as you speak is palpable. You have difficulty controlling your volume. Your voice booms even when you attempt to speak in a whisper. Your voice sometimes cracks and vanishes, and when it returns, it almost sounds like a different person is speaking. Your voice does not match your appearance at all, being as ill-fitting as a tiny voice coming from a giant, a booming voice coming from a mouse, or a crass and loud dwarf shouting from the frame of a tiny elven girl.

Enormous Reach At 7th level, your proficiency with fighting enemies beyond your reach increases greatly, as you learn to by reshape your body. If you move 5 feet or less this turn, you may use a bonus action to increase the reach of your bound weapon by 5-foot. Any attacks you hit with using this extended range deal an extra weapon die of damage, however until the start of your next turn your AC is reduced by 4.

Sentient Breath At 14th level, you have gained the ability to stay connected with your gaseous shape enough to control it. It now forms to fill a 5-foot-diameter sphere lasting for 1 minute, and as a bonus action you can move it up to 15 feet. Creatures that are completely within the cloud at the start of their turn must make the Constitution saving throw or take the damage outlined in the Poison Breath ability. A moderate wind (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses the cloud after 4 rounds. A strong wind (at least 20 miles per hour) disperses it after 1 round.

Bound Body At 1st level, the bound spirit gains the Bound Body feature. The following options are available to a bound spirit in addition to those offered in the original Cursed Classes: the Iron Golem and the Mimic Bound.

Iron Golem Iron golems are often deemed the mightiest of all the golems, forged for battle to sunder the ground beneath their feet, cleave enemies, and leave devastation within their wake. The iron golem comes armed with enormous blades, and an internal system to exhale poisonous fumes. They are the last, and often only, line of defense, unbreakable thanks to the strongest of metals that form their towering bodies.

Towering Invulnerability Beginning at 18th level, you emboldened the alloys across your body, becoming a near unstoppable force. Using your action, your spirit enhances the adamantite to gain the following benefits for 1 minute: • You become immune to the following damage types: fire, poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. • You are immune to the charmed, exhaustion, frightened and paralyzed conditions and from being knocked prone. • Your base AC is increased to 25. • You may use your Poison Breath ability as a bonus action.

Iron Form Because your body is entirely iron, you are ill-suited for wearing any additional armor. You have a base AC of 18 + your proficiency bonus (your Dexterity modifier doesn’t affect this number). You gain no benefit from wearing armor. However, whenever you take the Dash action, you only gain 15 feet of extra movement due to your lumbering form. You have a sword bound to one of your arms. This weapon cannot be removed and deals 1d10 slashing damage and has the reach and versatile properties (1d12).

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. “Blood and flesh all suffer with age. My form can be reforged or reinforced; I am tireless. The perfect defender. I am yet to find a detriment to my bound soul.” —The Bulwark, Bodyguard 23

Mimic Bound

Immutable Imitation Also at 1st level, choose the form of a container that is no larger than the natural size of your race. This could be an amphora, barrel, chest, or other mundane object. Features of this object are always present in your humanoid form, such as a tattoo of a latch or thick bands of metal strapping around your neck and waist. As a bonus action on your turn, you can shift between your humanoid form and a form indistinguishable from the object. When you shift into your object form, you also take the Hide action as part of the bonus action. Any creature that didn’t see you transform has disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks to detect you. In addition:

Usually, apex predators are thought of as large, indomitable forces who throw their might around to terrorize and dominate their ecosystem. Yet, there is strength in subtlety. Mimics are monstrous creatures that take the form of everyday mundane objects, awaiting the perfect opportunity to strike. This aptitude is born of a singular and innate sense of survival and subsistence. The physiology of a mimic is a mystery to most. Capture a mimic alive, and it wants to stay in its immutable form. Slay one, and it reverts immediately. This barrier of research has led powerful mages to attempt to create sentient, intelligent, or at least subservient mimics through rituals and alchemy. The mimic bound is the result of such experiments. Rather than start from scratch, transmuters and necromancers work to imbue a humanoid form with the subtle power of a mimic.

• Your AC is equal to 10 + your Constitution modifier + your Dexterity modifier. • You have resistance to psychic and poison damage (and are immune to the poisoned condition, suppressing its effects while in this form but not removing it completely.) • You can’t cast any spells. • Your speed becomes 10 feet.

Pseudopod Starting at 1st level, your form allows you to make your Constructed Nature attack with a pseudopod at a range of 10 feet.

The only actions you can take in this form are to use your bonus action to change back into your humanoid form or to make an attack with pseudopod. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d8 damage to one creature you hit with a pseudopod attack from this form. The attack must be against a creature that you are hidden from. You don’t need to be hidden from the creature if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll. The amount of extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, becoming 2d8 at 5th level, 3d8 at 9th level, 4d8 at 13th level, and 5d8 at 17th level.

Demistomach At 7th level, you act as an extraplanar container while in your object form. The container has an interior space considerably larger than its outside dimensions, roughly 3 feet in diameter at the mouth and 10 feet deep. Your extraplanar space can hold up to 1500 pounds, not exceeding a volume of 128 cubic feet. The weight of your contents does not affect your overall weight. If your container becomes overloaded, you suffer a level of exhaustion and regurgitate the last items ingested until you are no longer overloaded. If your body is destroyed, or you die, the contents spill forth and fill the area around you. To add objects to your extraplanar space, you must use your action and pseudopod to consume the object. To retrieve an item, you must use your action to regurgitate it. Another creature can’t add objects into your extraplanar space unless you allow them to.

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Pseudopod Grappling

Acid Spray

Also at 7th level, when you attack with your pseudopod on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple the target.

Prerequisite: Iron Golem Your Poison Breath ability is replaced with Acid Spray, which sprays a 5-foot wide line of acid 25 feet long. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 10 + your proficiency bonus), taking the damage specified in the Poison Breath ability on a failed save or half as much on a success. In addition, any nonmagical weapon made of metal or wood that is hit by the acid begins to corrode, gaining a -1 penalty to all damage rolls using that weapon.

Devour At 14th level, you can attempt to devour a creature you have grappled as an action. If you are in your humanoid form, you partially transform a toothy opening to draw the target into. The target must make a Strength saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failed save, the creature is restrained by your mouth. A creature that is restrained this way can use their action to repeat the saving throw, ending the restrain on a successful save. While a creature is restrained this way, you can use your bonus action to continue consuming them, dealing 2d10 piercing damage. When a restrained creature is reduced to 0 hit points and killed, its body falls lifeless in your mouth. You can use your action to devour their body, storing it in your internal demiplane. You regain a number of hit dice equal to the creature’s CR (rounded down). If this would bring you above your maximum amount of hit dice, you can roll the remaining hit dice and gain that many temporary hit points.

Additional Arms Prerequisite: Flesh Golem, Iron Golem, Suit of Armor You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action.

Ice Breath Prerequisite: Iron Golem Your Poison Breath ability is replaced with Ice Breath, which releases a 15-foot cone of cold. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 10 + your proficiency bonus), taking the damage specified in the Poison Breath ability on a failed save or half as much on a success. In addition, any creature that takes damage has their movement speed reduced by 10 foot until the end of their next turn.

Soul Capture At 18th level, you can draw the souls of others into your container’s demiplane. When you use your Soul Escape feature, the body left behind is your object form. If any creature moves to within 10 feet of your body, you can use your reaction to snap back to your form and make a pseudopod attack against the triggering creature. In addition, when you are possessing a creature, you can use your action to attempt to pull their soul into your body. Make a contested Charisma check. If you fail, the possession ends early. However, if you succeed, you drag the spirit of the creature you had possessed into your demiplane. Its body falls lifeless to the ground. While trapped this way, you can communicate with the creature’s spirit telepathically. It must answer your questions truthfully, as if under the effects of the zone of truth spell. The only action the spirit can take on its turns is to attempt to break free, repeating the contested Charisma check and returning to its body if it wins. A creature’s spirit is automatically released after 10 days have passed.

Magical Resistance Prerequisite: Flesh Golem, Iron Golem, Mimic Bound, Suit of Armor You may use a reaction to gain advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, until the start of your next turn. This feature can be used only once per short rest.

Reinforcement Prerequisite: Mimic Bound, Suit of Armor You gain a +2 bonus to your AC.

Shifting Armaments Prerequisite: Iron Golem The blade bound to your hand can be shaped according to your will. As a bonus action you may alter your blade to one of the following: • Blade. Your bound weapon now deals slashing damage. • Point. Your bound weapon now deals piercing damage. • Maul. Your bound weapon now deals bludgeoning damage.

Body Augmentations At 3rd level, the bound spirit gains the Body Augmentations feature. Here are new options for that feature, in addition to those offered in the original Cursed Classes. If a body augmentation has a prerequisite, you must meet it to learn the augmentation. You can learn the augmentation at the same time that you meet its prerequisite. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class. 25

Your floraspawn character may fall anywhere on the spectrum of a person who is becoming one with nature or a plant who only vaguely remembers how to be a person. The death one suffered before their transformation may have a deep impact on where they lie on that spectrum, and may inform their outlook on humanoid creatures and civilization as a whole.

Attracting Nature Nature is woven into every fiber of your being, and many peaceful creatures begin to perceive you as flora rather than a humanoid. Whereas an ordinary person may drive away wildlife by their scent or sounds, you may have to do some real work to keep animals from nipping at your foliage. Or, alternatively, you may walk comfortably among these creatures, providing them shelter and a modest amount of nourishment.

Floraspawn

“Under the right circumstances, everyone can flourish and blossom into the perfect version of themselves. With me, I guess it is just a little more literal!” —Nedla Summerboot, Floraspawn Florist

NATURAL ATTRACTIONS d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Floraspawn are connected to the natural world in a way that is unique only to themselves. While druids and rangers may speak with plants and animals, floraspawn understand the fertility of soil, the purity of the rain, and the changing of the seasons in a way that few other creatures could. Though the bodies of floraspawn are transformed and not replaced, keeping all of their racial traits, the metamorphosis can be profound. Nearly all floraspawn arrive at their power through death, losing their lives before being revived by nature’s power. In this way, some floraspawn may feel alien to others of their race, as they are less and less the people they were, and more and more a part of nature. Nature is, for the most part, a neutral entity. At their core, most plant’s only goal is to survive and propagate. Some floraspawn may take this literally, seeking to introduce others to the spores, seeds, or magic that transformed them. Other floraspawn may seek to propagate their existence in other ways, by spreading knowledge, accumulating fame, or making a palpable impact on the world.

Attraction Bees and other pollinators. Birds. Caterpillars and butterflies. Aphids and pests. Spiders. Woodland herbivores, like deer.

Scent Whether covered in fungus, made of wood and bark, or sprouting blossoms from your skin, you are very much engulfed in nature. This change in your body has been accompanied by changes to your scent, which may be as strong as any perfume one might wear.

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Scent You smell sweet, like fresh honey. You carry the delicate scent of roses. You have a pungent, musty smell, like mold. You smell strongly of sweetness and spice, like cloves. You have a foul, rotting smell, like a stinkhorn mushroom. You smell like fresh cut grass.

Voice of Nature

In the case that a creature survives the effects of the alraune’s nectar, there have been known cases of such creatures transforming into alraune themselves. The metamorphosis of such a creature happens rather quickly, taking full effect within a tenday. The creature that survives the alraune’s nectar grows petals, typically of a similar coloring and style to the alraune from which it drank the nectar. Limbs become more stalklike. Petals may sprout from the waist or stomach area and droop downward, or from the head like hair. In some cases, the entire face and head of the creature becomes more flower-like. The newly transformed creature is now able to create their own nectar to lure prey its way, though this creature’s nectar may not be as strong as the alraune who created them, at least not for a very long time.

Through synthesis, you collect nutrients and energy from soil, water, and sunlight, and thus you are always connected to the forces of nature around you. This connection provides you with certain unique traits or senses.

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Voice The cycle of life is evident in your every movement. Tiny weeds, wildflowers, or fungi spring up on the ground trailing your footsteps, flourishing for only a few seconds before withering and dying. You have a sense of what nature craves or what troubles it. With some accuracy, you can intuit the quality of the soil, the length of a drought, or the stress of an infestation by the cries of the flora. You enjoy collecting potted plants and you talk to them as if they were friends. Your plants do seem to be visibly perkier and healthier after you’ve had a good long chat. There is nothing you hate more than seeing a harvest taken before it is fully ripe. Though you respect the circle of life and the dependence of living creatures on their food source, you also feel as though even plants should be allowed to live to the fullest. You show the same fondness and respect for earthworms or ants that most people do for dogs or cats. You’d stop a marching army to make sure they didn’t crush a centipede crossing the road. Your greatest luxury in life is to take a mud bath. It’s so comforting and relaxing that you imagine that one day, even nobles will be doing it.

Nectar Reservoir Starting at 1st level, you have a small amount of nectar that collects somewhere on your body, covered lightly by grown petals. The nectar is not internal (like blood) but your petals can obscure its location. The nectar concentrates as a liquid that can be gathered into a container, about a pint (⅛ gallon) of liquid. If your nectar reservoir is emptied, it refills when you complete a long rest. Nectar removed from your reservoir loses any class features that affect it after 1 minute. Nectar cannot be returned to your reservoir to regain its features. If your nectar is removed from your reservoir in its entirety (1 pint or ⅛ gallon) and contained in a watertight container (such as a pitcher), any features that affect your nectar are extended to affect the container with the collection of your nectar, but only for up to 1 minute. An aura is a 10-foot radius from the nectar’s container, and a creature who fails a saving throw against the nectar’s effects is affected by the nectar and its container, instead of you as the source. Your nectar begins with one feature, Nectar Aura, and gains more features as you gain levels in this class. Some of your nectar features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effect. The saving throw for your Nectar features will also use your Synthesis Pool Save DC. Your new Pool Save DC is calculated as follows:

Way of the Wood At 1st level, the floraspawn gains the Way of the Wood feature. The following options are available to a floraspawn in addition to those offered in the original Cursed Classes: the Alraune and the Corpse Flora.

Alraune Alraune are humanoid creatures who resemble flowers or root plants, such as mandragoras, rafflesias, or hibiscus. The creation of alraune happens through ingestion of an alraune’s succulent nectar. Cautionary tales tell of unsuspecting explorers being lured into a garden by the alluring scent or whimsical, melodious humming of an alraune disguised as a wondrously beautiful flowering plant. When the explorer parts the petals to find the pool of glistening nectar, the desire to drink from it becomes almost overwhelming. Once a creature drinks from the alraune’s nectar, they might fall victim to the ill effects of its toxins, such as paralysis, or even death. The alraune might consume the creature for sustenance while it is paralyzed or dying, or on rare occasions, the alraune might simply wait to see if the creature can survive the effects of the nectar.

Pool Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier.

Nectar Aura. While in your reservoir, your nectar gives off a scented aura in a 10-foot radius from yourself. A creature who cannot smell is not affected by this aura. Any creature within your nectar aura must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or suffer disadvantage on weapon attacks against you while they remain within the nectar aura.

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Enticing Nature

Sweet-Scented Coating. You cause the nectar coating your weapon to be loaded with sweet pheromones. If you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack while your weapon is coated with Sweet-Scented nectar, the creature is compelled not to hurt you. For 1 minute, the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls that target you.

Beginning at 1st level, your transformation into a floral entity makes you enigmatically enticing. You gain proficiency in the Persuasion and Performance skills.

Alluring Nectar At 3rd level, you can cause your nectar to charm creatures within your nectar aura. As an action, you can expend 6 points from your synthesis pool to infuse your nectar aura with a sweet scent. The expended points from your synthesis pool are consumed. They do not become temporary hit points and are lost. Any creature currently within your nectar aura must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be charmed by you for 10 minutes or until they are moved out of your nectar aura.

Toxic Nectar At 14th level, if a creature spends 1 minute or longer within your nectar aura, they must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be compelled to drink from your nectar. The creature takes 4d10 poison damage and is poisoned from drinking your nectar. If you expend 20 points from your synthesis pool, the creature is also paralyzed after drinking your nectar. The expended points from your synthesis pool are consumed. They do not become temporary hit points and are lost.

Nectar-Infused Weapons At 7th level, as a bonus action, you can coat your weapon in your nectar. Choose an effect for the nectar to have on your weapon from the options listed below. The nectar gives the effect to your weapon for a duration of 1 minute. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1). You regain all expended uses of this feature when you complete a long rest. Toxic Nectar Coating. You cause the nectar coating your weapon to be filled with toxins. If you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack while your weapon is coated with Toxic Nectar, you deal an additional 2d8 poison damage.You can expend 10 synthesis pool points to increase the damage by 1d8 poison damage for every 10 points that you expend. The expended points from your synthesis pool are consumed. They do not become temporary hit points and are lost. Blinding Nectar Coating. The nectar coating your weapon will invade a target’s nervous system, causing temporary blindness. If you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack while your weapon is coated with Blinding Nectar, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute.

Powerful Nectar At 18th level, the aura of your nectar is increased to a 20-foot radius. Any creature who ingests your nectar must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or begin to die as the power of your nectar has reached toxic levels. The creature suffers one level of exhaustion for each hour that passes after consuming your nectar. Resting does not reduce levels of exhaustion gained from this feature. The process of dying from the nectar can only be stopped by magic such as the greater restoration spell. Creatures that are immune to exhaustion are still affected by this feature.

“Apparently asking someone if they’re a tree-shaped elf or an elfshaped tree is considered impolite in some circles.” —Volo

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Corpse Flora

Rotting Form At 7th level, you have become accustomed to rot and decay. You are resistant to necrotic damage. Additionally, when you absorb corpses into your form, you break down some of the body instantly, gaining a burst of vitality. When you absorb a corpse with your Harvest the Dead feature, your synthesis pool immediately gains 2d6 temporary hit points.

The corpse flower is an affront to life: a rotting, necrotic plant that hates the living and absorbs the flesh of the recently deceased to sustain itself. On occasion, a corpse flower attempts to infect a creature that isn’t dead. Most of the time, this fills the creature with poison and decay, killing it and raising it as a thrall under the plant’s control; however, a rare few creatures refuse to give in to the call of death, escaping the clutches of the corpse flower. These creatures undergo a slow and tremendously painful transformation, becoming a fusion of plant and animal, life and death—a corpse flora. As a corpse flora, you feel a hunger for the flesh of living creatures. When you succumb to this hunger, you feel your body strengthening with the power of rot, gaining access to powerful poisons and control over undead thralls.

Corpse Thrall At 14th level, you can infuse corpses with your essence, reanimating it. As an action, you can touch the corpse of a Small or larger creature that has been dead for no longer than 24 hours and choose any number of temporary hit points. Your synthesis pool loses the chosen amount, and the corpse returns to life as a zombie or skeleton (your choice) with temporary hit points equal to the chosen amount. Constructs and undead can’t be raised in this way. A corpse raised by you obeys your verbal commands, acting at the end of your turn on initiative. You can control a number of corpses up to your Constitution modifier (minimum of one). If you try to raise another corpse when you are controlling the maximum number, the oldest corpse dies when the new one is raised. The corpse lasts for 24 hours or until its temporary hit points are reduced to 0, at which point the corpse is reduced to ashes and can’t be raised in this way again.

Harvest the Dead Starting at 1st level, you learn to break down and absorb the flesh of living things. You gain a new way to activate your Synthesis feature. As an action, you can touch the corpse of a Small or larger creature that has died in the past 24 hours and absorb it into your form, activating your Synthesis regeneration. When you absorb a corpse, any items or equipment it is wearing or carrying are ejected onto the ground at your feet. You cannot absorb a construct or creature that was undead in this way.

Grave Form At 18th level, you have become one with rot and decay. You are immune to necrotic damage, and your hit point maximum can’t be reduced by any means. Additionally, the amount of temporary hit points you regain immediately when you absorb a corpse increases to 4d6.

Halt Necrosis Also at 1st level, you can delay death and rot’s claim on the living. You know the spare the dying cantrip. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. At 7th level, this feature improves. You know the gentle repose spell, and can cast it as a ritual without the need for material components.

Stench of Death At 3rd level, your body is suffused with the stench of the dead, allowing you to sicken living creatures. As an action, you can spend 5 temporary hit points from your synthesis pool to create a 10-foot radius halo of rot centered on you. When a creature enters the area for the first time on its turn or starts its turn there, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take poison damage equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of zero) and be poisoned until the beginning of its next turn. Once a creature succeeds on its saving throw against the halo, it can’t be poisoned by it again for 24 hours. Your pool cannot regenerate hit points while the halo is active. At the beginning of each of your turns, the halo consumes another 5 temporary hit points from your synthesis pool. The halo lasts for 1 minute, until dismissed as a bonus action, or until your pool can no longer supply the cost of the halo.

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While liches are almost universally evil people, your lich doesn’t have to be. Given the concept of a curse, your lich may not have fully understood what they were undertaking, or may have had their undeath thrust upon them. While it can be hard to justify stealing the souls of others to prolong one’s own life, a well-meaning lich may limit their soul-stealing only to those who would visit harm upon others.

Phylactery A lich’s phylactery can take on many forms. While the traditional forms are amulets or small boxes, these are only the most common examples. Even a Pathway of the Wastes lich, whose phylacteries are made of their own internal organs placed in jars, has some creative leeway with the design of their phylactery so long as they are sealable containers. The primary requirement of a phylactery is that it is an object that can carry silver-etched arcane sigils of naming, binding, immortality, and dark magic, on their interior.

Lich

"People get all kinds of ugly ideas about undeath, darling. All those musty tombs, and sinister deathtraps. What they don't tell you, sweetie, is that you're allowed to be dead and relevant. You could stand to lose that cloak, for one thing, they fell out of fashion quite some time before I died and even I'm not talented enough to reanimate THAT trend." —Desdemona, Couture Lich

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Good things come to those who wait, but better things are earned by those who plot and bide their time. Patience is an important virtue, but the lich understands that the waiting itself is not the important part, but instead, they value the preparation and planning that that comes with waiting for the proper time to act. Though impatient and over-eager liches assuredly exist, they are few and far between, as the process of becoming a lich and maintaining one’s undeath is not a quick one. Though one might imagine that liches have no room for vanity, having accepted a rotting corpse for a body in exchange for nigh-immortality, this is a shallow perception. Many liches choose to adorn themselves with the kind of finery that can only be collected over a span of decades or centuries, sometimes setting large gemstones into their hollow eye sockets, or cladding their gaunt and skeletal figures with luxurious robes. Even newly formed, “young” liches may seek out this kind of ornamentation to make up for their otherwise decrepit appearances.

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Phylactery Your personal phylactery takes the form of a mundane looking clay jar, sealed with a large cork and capped with a scrap of burlap. Inside, the jar is encrusted with silver sigils and jewels, and the interior shines with a sickening light. Your choice of phylactery is a mourning ring, like the kind used to carry a pinch of cremation ashes, or a locket of hair of the deceased. Inside your locket, however, are the arcane etchings that preserve your own life. Your phylactery is a small wooden chest with metal bracing. It has been ensorceled to appear as a small mimic, with nipping teeth to keep away any fingers that might investigate its contents. Beyond this illusion, the interior of the box is decorated with sigils carved into actual teeth. Your preference is a phylactery that you can hide in plain sight. You have chosen a crystal ball, which you may frequently use for performing tricks and focus illusions upon. From the outside, the ball appears filled with storm clouds, but when you will them to calm, the silver etchings within can be seen. Your phylactery resembles a small crate of scrolls, packed tightly enough together to resemble a honeycomb. Each rolled slip of paper within the crate is etched with arcane symbology, and their order of placement is quite specific. You prefer a very ornate phylactery. Yours is a box so heavily encrusted with jewels, etchings, seals, strips of paper, and gold and platinum ornamentation, one might have difficulty figuring out how to open it.

Eerie Keepsakes

Immortal Pathway

The preservation of life is vital to most liches. In addition to the phylacteries that preserve their own existence, many liches keep souvenirs like phylacteries of memory. Even as their bodies degrade, they work to preserve what was once considered an important part of their identity. Or, they seek to create the idealized body they did not have in life.

At 3rd level, the lich gains the Immortal Pathway feature. The following options are available to a lich in addition to those offered in the original Cursed Classes: the Pathway of the Phylactery and the Pathway of the Shadow.

EERIE KEEPSAKES

The pathway of the phylactery is not one that is often willingly chosen, it is for those who become a living phylactery for a powerful lich. They become a container for trapped souls, to be the lifeforce of some far away lich who knows of their every move and action. However, it does have some benefits. There are those who know how to tap into the souls that live inside them, using them for their own gain. It is entirely possible that they become even more powerful than the lich had intended. What a surprise that’ll be.

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Pathway of the Phylactery

Keepsake You were always proud of your hair. You maintain it and brush it every day, even if it’s no longer attached to your head. A tattoo reminds you of your wild youth, and beloved memories. Even as your skin wrinkles, sags, and rots away, you keep that tattoo as a stretched leathery patch on your sleeve. You always wanted green eyes. You’re just waiting for one more to complete your set. Once upon a time, you envied the bright and cheerful smiles of others, and were uncomfortable with your own. Now, you have the option of smiling with whatever teeth you choose. Though perhaps you should have a few less rows of them, or perhaps less jagged ones… You keep a collection of fingers on a string around your wrist to remind you of the people they once belonged to. However, you’ve forgotten them anyway, so now you just make up stories about each of them. You have a few extra phylacteries on hand. They aren’t yours.

Mirror of Their Soul When you choose this pathway at 3rd level, the true lich that uses you as a phylactery continually works to ensure souls are trapped within you. This occasionally grants you information from the lich. You can choose to gain advantage on any Intelligence check. You may only use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier per long rest. At the end of every long rest, your phylactery gains 1d4 additional souls. In addition, health gained using Soul Consumption is increased to 1d6. As a phylactery, there is a 10% chance that one soul may be consumed by the true owner of the phylactery, if the owner true owner of the phylactery is killed, they reappear within 1d8 days of being killed beside you.

Eccentricities It takes a special kind of special to desire lichdom. Whether you were an eccentric person in life, or these oddities came to the surface when faced with the realities of trying to preserve your life through magic, you have developed some unusual behaviors.

Exchange of Souls

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At 3rd level, if your phylactery is full, you may exchange the soul with a suitable creature that dies within 60 feet of you. Before the exchanged soul is freed you may choose one of the following options:

Eccentricity You can memorize vast fields of knowledge, but your ability to recall it is lacking. You often remember facts long after they would’ve been useful. You’ve always had a particular fondness for extra-small versions of things. Their diminutive cuteness fills you with joy! Miniature books, tiny familiars, shrunken heads… Your own body is like a lump of moldable clay to you. You see nothing wrong with inserting pieces of carved bone in your face to give yourself higher cheekbones or embedding precious gems in your eyes in the pursuit of fashion. You hate it when anyone interrupts you talking to yourself. After all, you’re your best sounding board. What’s the point in living forever if you outlive your own legend? You feel compelled to inscribe your name on things to perpetuate your own fame, even if no one else in the world would understand the context. Your own name is your favorite battlecry. You have a hollow space in your rib cage that you treat like a pocket, to carry around books, a coin purse, or something more mundane, like a needlepoint project to pass the time.

• Harvest the soul to grant 1d10 + your lich level temporary hit points. • Ask the soul three questions, to the effect of a speak with dead spell. • Your next spell deals an additional 1d6 necrotic damage. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier per short or long rest.

Soul Entrapment At 6th level, you may use an action to make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet. If this attack hits, the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or have their soul trapped within you for 1 hour. A creature with their soul trapped is considered unconscious. Any damage dealt to the trapped soul’s body allows them to repeat 31

Shadow Sight

the saving throw to try and escape. In addition, half of the damage inflicted to the body is also dealt to you as the trapped soul feels pain and thrashes about. At the start of their turn while their soul is trapped, you have the option to reduce their maximum hit points by 1d10. If you do, the creature has a chance to repeat the Wisdom saving throw to escape. If their maximum hit points are reduced to 0, they are killed and their soul is claimed by the phylactery. You may use this ability once per long rest.

Starting at 3rd level, shadows become like portals to your eyes. As an action you can see and hear through any area of dim light as though you were standing at any point within it. You must be able to see the area of dim light from where your body is physically located. Additionally, provided you’ve captured at least 1 soul charge in your phylactery since your last long rest, you can peer into the shadowfell by looking through areas of darkness. While doing so, you gain the blinded and deafened conditions, but you can see and hear the area around your mirror location in the Shadowfell. If you’re on the Shadowfell plane, you can use this trait to see the same location but on the material plane.

Open the Phylactery At 14th level, you may open the phylactery inside you in order to release the souls to drain power from others. As an action, you can consume any number of charges in order to temporarily release some souls trapped within you. For each soul released, choose a target creature. Any creature can have multiple souls targeting them. At the start of a target creature’s turn, they make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure their maximum hit points are reduced by 1d6 per soul, or half as much on a success. If a creature is reduced to 0 hit points by this feature, their soul and all the other souls are returned to the phylactery. You may use this ability only once, and regain use after you finish a long rest.

Shadow Sublimation Starting at 6th level, if you are in an area of dim light or darkness and you cast a spell, you can use a number of soul charges from your phylactery equal to the level of the spell. If you do, you can target any creature, object, or location that is also in an area of dim light or darkness that you can see within 120 feet, even if they would be out of range for that spell. Additionally, provided you’ve captured at least 1 soul charge in your phylactery since your last long rest, you can cast spells that require a verbal component without speaking, or cast spells that require a somatic component without moving. For spells that have both, you can only remove one component or the other, but not both. You must be in an area of darkness to use this class feature.

Pathway of the Shadow The shadowfell is a realm full of mysteries and secrets. To the novice, it seems like a lifeless desolate landscape and that wouldn’t be far from the truth. For a being who is willing to root themselves to this forlorn place, obscure knowledge awaits. Shadow liches are one example of these beings, corrupting their phylactery with shadowstuff.

Master of Shadows Starting at 14th level, your mastery over shadows is complete. You gain the following benefits: • You can access your phylactery as long as you are in an area of dim light or darkness. • You can expend 7 soul charges from your phylactery as an action, teleporting yourself to the mirror location on the Shadowfell or the material plane. • You can cast spells of 1st level or higher from the Shadowfell to the material plane (or vice versa) by expending a number of soul charges equal to the level of the spell from your phylactery. • You can collect souls from the material plane even while on the Shadowfell. • Souls collected from the Shadowfell give you two soul charges.

SHADOW LICH SPELLS

A number of new shadow-based spells, tailored to the theme of the Pathway of the Shadow lich, have been added to the class’s spell list and made available to all liches. You can find this updated list in the Spells chapter.

Tied to the Shadows Starting at 3rd level, having bound part of your phylactery with the Shadowfell, you can access your phylactery provided you are within an area of darkness. Additionally, provided you’ve captured at least 1 soul charge in your phylactery since your last long rest, you have a dark nimbus around you. This nimbus turns bright light into dim light, and dim light into darkness in a 5-foot radius centered upon you. While this nimbus exists, you gain a darkvision of 60 feet. You can suppress or resume this effect as a bonus action.

“You do not become a lich if you’re easily haunted by the wailing of souls, over time you can ignore it almost entirely. Almost. A small sacrifice for greater good, that’s what I have to tell myself.” —Torrig Baneaxe, Mayor of Afflicton

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Your lycanthrope could be wild and free, or struggle to baffle down their instincts and primal callings, creating a dissonance that makes it difficult for them to achieve full mastery of their power. This helps add a new layer of drama to their personal story arc, allowing them to come to terms with their lycanthropy as they gain levels and power.

Wild Tendencies Though you are not a wild animal, and you do not always show the obvious signs of your lycanthropy, certain aspects of your animalistic side still bleed into your humanoid life. Others may view them as simply eccentric traits, but to those who know of your lycanthropic curse, these tendencies become more obvious.

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Lycanthrope

Tendency Your taste in food has changed; you prefer things raw, if not still moving. Your sense of smell isn’t drastically better in your humanoid form, but you still feel the urge to sniff things. You have a strong instinct to chase anything that runs. You are territorial about anything that belongs to you. You have developed a strong denning or nesting instinct, and you like to build small and cozy shelters to curl up in. You are highly motivated by food and your friendship is easily won with a few treats.

Kinship

“See, I thought raising a child was tough. I don’t think anything can prepare you for a child that turns into a wolf at night. Teething issues had a new meaning.“ —Vono Greybark, Deputy Warden

Some lycanthropes feel a certain kinship with the animals they transform into, while others feel put off by them. The relationship between a lycanthrope and their cousins within nature can be a strange one at times.

KINSHIPS

Though no two people are the same, one can generally assume certain commonalities between adventurers who walk similar paths. For example, most druids have a lot in common with other druids, and bards may find themselves at home in the company of other bards. The same cannot necessarily be said of lycanthropes. While one might imagine that a wererat and a werebear have few common interests between them, the same could be said for a pair of werewolves; the way that one came into their lycanthropy, their treatment by society, and their willingness to hide or embrace their curse, can all have a profound impact on a lycan. Regardless of how a lycanthrope feels about their curse, the rise of the moon is an inescapable inevitability, and the way one deals with their impending transformation is often informed by other aspects of their life. When primal instincts take over, some lycanthropes become the truest versions of themselves, free of the decorum and behaviors thrust upon them by society. They can pursue their passions with reckless abandon or allow their emotional wounds to bleed openly rather than hiding them away.

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Kinship You are not a beast yourself, but you have a deep understanding and feeling of closeness toward the beasts you transform into. You cannot bring yourself to harm them or permit harm to be done to them. Your lycanthropic transformations have given you a better insight into a certain breed of beasts, and you are apt to use this information to your advantage when hunting them. You find yourself more at peace among animals than people, feeling as though their thoughts, instincts, and intentions are more pure. Given the choice, you’d rather your time with them than in humanoid society. You despise the creatures that you resemble and you take out your hatred of your own lycanthropy upon them. Given an opportunity to hunt or drive them away, you will take it. Your lycanthropy comes so naturally that you sometimes forget you are in your humanoid form. You are prone to approaching your kin beasts even when you are not transformed, and are shocked if their reaction is negative. Though you feel a strong kinship with the beasts, you do your best to ignore it. Even when they approach you peacefully, you feign anger or annoyance to try to drive them away.

Hearing The Call

Calling of the Werebat

Every lycanthrope experiences their primal calling differently. For some, it is a painful experience, and for others it is blissful. This can have a strong impact on the way they view their transformation.

Creatures of darkness, but not dark of heart, lycanthropes bitten by the bat find it easier than most to hide their nature. Having a natural affinity for the night means they can ply their trade when most of the world is sleeping. Adept in the arts of stealth and with a considerable extra sensory perception, they often find employment as spies, scouts, and even assassins.

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Calling You view the moon as your enemy. Your primal calling feels like a wild creature clawing at the back of your mind, scraping at its cage, trying to break free. You struggle to maintain control. You have accepted your transformations as a part of your life and you do what you can to prepare for them. You hide away from the moon when it is inconvenient, you lock yourself away in secrecy, and do your best to hide from those you might endanger. Your lycanthropy is something you hope to learn to control. You separate yourself from others when you change in order to experience the transformation unhindered and hopefully learn to master it. You try to ignore your curse. Your primary strategy is to pretend it doesn’t exist. You don’t take steps to prepare yourself for it, because then you’d have to wrestle with everything else that comes with the process. Letting yourself be taken over by the power of the moon is a joyous event and there is no better feeling for you than giving in. You long to run free through the woods, following your instincts and answering the call of the full moon. You are generally unaware of your transformations. When you become fully taken over by the lunar call, you black out. When you awaken later, you realize that something strange has happened, but you feel better trying to forget about it and going on about your day.

Primal Calling When you use your transformation feature at 1st level, your animal form is a giant bat. In your hybrid or giant bat forms, you gain a bite attack. You are considered proficient with this attack as well as with slings and rapiers. You are proficient in Intelligence saving throws.

Bat Flight When your primal form improves at 6th level, gain a flying speed of 30 feet. You have blindsight out to 60 feet.

Anti Coagulant At 12th level, you gain a claw attack which does 1d6 slashing damage. When a creature takes damage from your claw or bite attack, they must succeed on a Constitution saving throw. The DC for this saving throw is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. If a creature fails this save they take 1d4 necrotic damage at the start of each of their turns for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on themselves on a success.

Scout of the Night

Primal Calling

At 18th level, your blindsight increases to 120 feet and you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect hidden creatures. Also, you have advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to discern illusions and other magical effects.

At 1st level, the lycanthrope gains the Primal Calling feature. The following options are available to a lycanthrope in addition to those offered in the original Cursed Classes: the Calling of the Werebat, the Calling of the Werebison, the Calling of the Wereshark, and the Calling of the Werewyvern.

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Calling of the Werebison

Calling of the Wereshark

Of the more unique forms of lycanthrope, the werebison is content to be passive while not threatened. When provoked however, they attack with the rampage of a stampeding bull. Their speed and stamina are nearly unparalleled, and their sharp horns can pierce even the toughest armor. While this curse can cultivate deep loyalty in the lycanthrope, if you anger them, get out of the way and keep moving!

While it is hard for the wereshark to resist the lure of blood, many manage to live relatively normal or mundane lives. Adept in water and tending toward more dangerous careers, a Wereshark’s entire form is bred for killing. If a wereshark wants to completely forsake their capacity for killing, they’ll avoid any instance in which they encounter blood. For, while they can achieve a veneer of docility and normalcy in everyday life, once they smell blood, their primal urge to hunt is nearly overwhelming.

Primal Calling When you use your transformation feature at 1st level, your animal form is an auroch. In your hybrid or auroch forms, you gain a gore attack. You are considered proficient with this attack as well as with whips and crossbows. You are proficient in Strength saving throws.

Primal Calling When you use your transformation feature at 1st level, your animal form is a shark. In your hybrid or shark forms, you gain a bite attack. You are considered proficient with this attack as well as with tridents and javelins. You can breathe underwater while in your hybrid or shark forms. You are proficient in Charisma saving throws.

Rampage of the Form When your primal form improves at 6th level, you can empower your gore by charging. If you move at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hit it with your gore attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 2d8 piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier or be knocked prone.

Taste for Blood When your primal form improves at 6th level, your swim speed increases by 30 feet. You gain blindsight out to 30 feet. Your melee attack rolls against any creature that has less than it’s maximum hit points deal an additional 1d6 damage. This damage increases by 1d6 at 11th level (2d6 total) and again at 17th level (3d6 total).

Stampede of One At 12th level, your movement speed increases by 20 feet. As long as you move at least 30 feet during your turn, opportunity attacks have disadvantage against you.

Predator’s Fury At 12th level, when you take damage from a weapon attack, your swim speed is doubled, and your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of your next turn. You cannot gain the benefits of this feature more than once per turn. Your blindsight increases to 60 feet, and you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Hybrid Juggernaut At 18th level, creatures make their saving throws against your charge at disadvantage. When you move you can choose to double your movement speed until the end of your next turn. For every 10 feet beyond 20 feet you move in a straight line toward a target, your gore deals an additional 2d8 damage. You can use this ability again when you finish a short or long rest.

Hunter of the Deep At 18th level, your swim speed increases another 30 feet. When you make an attack against a creature that has less than it’s maximum hit points, you critical strike on an 19-20 and when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit. “Ripping off clothes? Panting noises? Throwing themselves at anything with a pulse? Ma'am, you are describing half the town, you'll need to be more specific." —Anastasia Bilge, Occult Detective

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Calling of the Werewyvern Rare within the realms are tales of lycanthropes capable of shifting not into beast, but into dragon. These are fearsome creatures who stalk the skies, silently gliding on moonlit nights and attacking unsuspecting travellers caught alone. Their form is generally a more slender, lithe build when compared to a full grown wyvern, but their temper is no less fierce.

Primal Calling Starting at 1st level, when you use your Transformation feature instead of an animal form you can become a wyvern wyrmling (see below). You gain a natural sting attack that deals 1d6 piercing damage. You are considered proficient with this attack, as well as with tridents. You are proficient in Wisdom saving throws. While in your hybrid form, if you’re not wearing armor, your AC becomes 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Aerial Acrobatics Starting at 6th level, while in your animal or hybrid forms, your fly speed becomes 30. Additionally, you are resistant to poison damage and have advantage on saving throws against poison. Your sting attack gains the reach weapon property.

Draconic Pedigree Starting at 12th level, while in your hybrid or animal form, you can take the Disengage action as a bonus action. You gain resistance to poison. Additionally, when you hit with your sting attack, you can choose to deliver a powerful poison. The target must make a Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. The DC for this saving throw is 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Wisdom modifier. At the end of each of its turns, a creature may attempt saving throw again, ending the condition on a success.

Full Potential At 18th level, when you shapeshift, your type is now dragon instead of beast. Additionally, when you take your animal form, you gain the following benefits: Your size is Large instead of Medium. The save DC for your poison increases by 2. You gain a claw attack and a bite attack in addition to your sting attack. If you use your Attack action to attack with one of your natural attacks, you can use your bonus action to make an additional attack with each of your other natural attacks.

Wyvern Wyrmling Medium beast, unaligned

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Skills Perception +4 Senses passive Perception 14 Challenge 0 (10 XP) Keen Sight. The wyvern wyrmling has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

ACTIONS Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

Give a great deal of thought to your revenant’s goal, which is at the heart of why they were not able to die. Your revenant’s purpose does not need to be an allconsuming obsession, but it should still inform their personality and decisions. Though they may be willing to take a detour, no revenant would ever be willing to fully abandon their dedication to whatever brought them back to unlife; to do so would be akin to losing a part of one’s soul.

Quirks of Unlife Though death no longer holds you, it has still stolen many things from you. As you walk the world unliving and unchained, you have lost some of the traits that once made you seem so alive to others.

QUIRKS OF UNLIFE d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Quirk Your skin always feels cold. Your gaze is glassy, and sometimes it appears to others as though you are looking through them. Though your body still needs sustenance to function, you don’t know thirst or hunger and must be reminded to take care of yourself. You pay little attention to your own gaping wounds, unless they are imminently endangering your existence. You only blink once every five minutes or so. When tired or distracted, you have a tendency to shuffle and groan, resembling the undead rather than the unliving.

Sworn Enemies Be it a foe responsible for your demise, or simply one that plagued you during your previous lifetime, there are certain enemies you cannot abide. Your sworn enemy could be a specific person, those who pursue a particular walk of life like thievery, or possibly an entire species.

Revenant

“Before death you have a bucket list of things you want to do, you know, see the world, slay a dragon, that sort of thing. After death… It gets so much easier. Mine only reads one thing now - revenge.” —Gwen Morello, Revenant, Lycanthrope Slayer

SWORN ENEMIES d6 1

Unlike the typical revenant recorded in the notes of monster hunters, the revenants of which we speak are not limited to a single year in which to achieve their goals. Furthermore, these goals need not be as simple as taking revenge on their murderer, but instead can involve sweeping changes in the world, like restoring the works of a library that was burned, or protecting an ousted royal bloodline until it can be restored to the throne. A revenant’s unlife can be every bit as fulfilling as their life was, if not more, now that they have freedom from the mortal coil. Unlife touches each person differently, and no two people react the same. Some are deeply changed, while others retain most of their original personalities. Some are as calm and serene as the grave itself, while others take their new found durability as an excuse to be reckless.

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Sworn Enemies You are obsessed with learning more about your foe, and what makes them tick. You collect books, stories, and knowledge about them, all the better to hunt them with. You have a visceral reaction to your foe. Even the mention of them can stiffen your back and curl your lip into a snarl. Signs of your foe make you feel sick. You cannot stand the smell or sight of them and feel queasy just talking about them for long. Even the suggestion of your foe’s presence makes you twitchy. Your fingers curl and you feel ready to jump at a moment’s notice. You talk excessively about your foe. Even if you have already shared all of your knowledge about them, you continue to go on about the depth of your hatred for them. You see a semblance of your foe in everything. Any tracks, sounds, or signs that could possibly be construed as resembling your foe will be interpreted as a clear sign of them.

Memories

Route of the Chosen

Your previous life may feel as though you left it ages ago, or it may burn as vividly in your mind as though each event happened only yesterday. Memories can be strange and fickle things for ordinary people, and even stranger still for revenants.

While other revenants are sustained by their own will, you have been rescued from death by the will of another, more powerful entity. Your contract has been forged, willingly or not, in exchange for the opportunity to walk the world again and seek your vengeance. You have become a part of a deity’s grand agenda.

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Memory The moment of your death does not leave your memory for long, and every time you sleep, your last glimpses of your dream are reliving the moment your life came to an end before you wake. You remember your childhood more vividly than anything that happened to you as an adult. You are drawn to anything that reminds you of your youth, your childhood home, or the children you were friends with. Your memories feel like out-of-body experiences. You often do not realize you’re seeing the events through the eyes of someone other than yourself, until you see yourself in them. You do not know why your memories always seem to be second-hand. You don’t remember the actual event of your death. Though you are certain it must have been traumatic to necessitate your undeath, you cannot recall exactly what happened to you at all. Your memories feel so vivid that you sometimes are surprised to realize that you are, in fact, unliving. It seems like only yesterday that you were so full of life! You are fully amnesiac and remember nothing of your life prior to your undeath. Events sometimes spark brief recollections, but you feel as though you’re never getting the whole picture.

Sworn Prey At 3rd level, the deity that raised you from death has a vendetta against a particular type of creature. When you gain this feature, choose one of the following creature types: aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, or undead. The chosen creature type is your sworn prey, and you gain the following benefits: • When using your Prey feature on your sworn prey, you learn an additional characteristic. • When making a Wisdom (Survival) check to track a creature, you automatically learn the creature’s type if it is your sworn prey.

Zealous Revitalization Starting at 6th level, your deity invigorates you when you act according to their will. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one). If the creature is your sworn prey, you gain twice as many temporary hit points.

Divine Wrath

Route of Retribution

At 11th level, your strikes are suffused with divine will. The first time you hit a creature with a weapon attack on each of your turns, the attack deals an additional 1d8 radiant or necrotic damage (your choice when you gain this feature). If the target is your sworn prey, every attack you make deals this additional damage, not just your first attack each turn.

At 3rd level, the revenant gains the Route of Retribution feature. The following options are available to a revenant in addition to those offered in the original Cursed Classes: the Route of the Chosen and the Route of the Unfulfilled.

Providence At 15th level, you can beckon to the deity that raised you for guidance. You can cast the commune spell once without expending a spell slot or material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Fear of the Divine At 18th level, you have become a beacon of divine awe. When a creature that is frightened of you can see you at the beginning of its turn, it takes radiant or necrotic damage (the same as your Divine Wrath feature) equal to half your revenant level.

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Route of the Unfulfilled

"I've tried ending it myself, you know. It doesn't work. One time I convinced a dragon to eat me, but I just ended up waking up half-way through the process - it was so much worse than you would think. The smell still haunts me." —The Headless Knight

The powerful magic that compels beings to obey the demands of cruel masters usually dies when the target of their enchantment does. Rarely, perhaps even stubbornly, that magic continues to perpetuate within, generating just enough power to keep the reborn going. With their death, they no longer need to obey the siren call of magic that once forced them to act, but they continue to feel its presence all the same.

Failed Geas Starting at 3rd level, lingering magical energies in your body show you the mark of enchantment. If any creature suffers from the charmed condition, they glow brightly to your sight and you learn the same information about them as though they were your prey, provided they are within 60 feet.

Faceless Stranger Starting at 6th level, you can hide your identity from others as long as their mind is currently befuddled. As long as you are conscious, you constantly benefit from the alter self spell, but only the change appearance effect and only in the eyes of your prey and creatures who have the charmed condition. You can use your action to force a creature within 5 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier). On a failure, they become charmed by you. The creature regards you as an interesting stranger who poses no threat. This lasts as long as you are concentrating on the effect (like concentrating on a spell) and you can see each other. Additionally, you deal 1d6 more damage to your prey or creatures charmed by you. This increases to 2d6 at the 11th level, and 3d6 at the 17th level.

Obey Starting at 11th level, you can give a creature who is charmed a command as a bonus action. They must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier) or follow the directive as long as they remain charmed. The creature can choose to make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a failure, they suffer 2d6 psychic damage. On a success, they are no longer charmed. If the target is your prey, it has disadvantage on this saving throw.

Distracting Aura Starting at 15th level, you can use the Help action to provide an ally advantage when attacking your prey, even if that prey isn’t within 5 feet. You can charm creatures with your Faceless Stranger trait at a range of 15 feet.

Friends are Foes Starting at 18th level, charmed creatures count as prey for all of your abilities. 39

Your Sire Most vampires don’t simply appear out of thin air; it is a curse that is passed on when a vampire chooses to take one into their eternal servitude. Some are prolific about the creation of vampire spawns, while others consider it a blessing only granted to those worthy. Regardless, your vampirism certainly came from somewhere.

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Vampire

Sire Your sire was a noble seeking to raise an army, but they were assassinated before their plans could come to fruition, leaving you and your vampiric kin free to your own devices. You were an undying servant. After a couple of centuries of boredom, your master decided to free you from their service. You were turned by a vampire who was nearing the end of their own life and cared naught for their immortality any longer. They turned you, and instructed you in all the ways of your being before they sought their own end and left you as their heir. Your sire was lonely, tired of spending an eternity watching everyone around them grow old and die. However, when they realized that controlled puppets didn’t make for good friends, they freed you from your bond to them. You were turned by a stranger, who set you free almost immediately with no instruction or guidance on how to navigate your new found blessings and curses. You never had a sire. Your vampirism came from another source like an arcane item, a deal with a devil, or the influence of a dark god.

Preferred Feeding Style

“I cannot put it to words how blood tastes. Imagine the finest vintage of wine and that delightfully warm feeling of a hearty meal, all merged into one. It’s intoxicating. It's a good thing I ate before you arrived.” —Blanchefleur Slate, Innkeeper

There are various ways to hold a knife and fork, and while some take great care to use the right spoon for each course of a meal, others use it to shovel food into their gullets. A vampire can enjoy their crimson feast in any number of ways, and some may consider the way in which they consume to be just as important as what is being consumed.

Few monsters have been so romanticized as the vampire. Most imagine them as beautiful creatures, as opposed to a gaunt and rotting lich or zombie. They’re often thought of as elegant, powerful, and seductive, but the attraction to these qualities often blinds people to the other side of the coin. Vampires have a propensity toward obsession, and their romantic nature is often a veil to hide their controlling nature. Though most stories of vampires are cautionary tales, it can be easy for people to latch onto the shallower ideals. But do not be fooled: at their core, they are still monsters. Your vampire needn’t be as monstrous as the vampires of legend. Your vampiric adventurer is most likely a new, ‘young’ vampire who has only recently come into their power, or only recently been freed from the control of a sire. Without decades or centuries of time to form obsessions or learn to manipulate others for their own pleasure, they may instead be more interested in the hunt for blood than the hunt for power or adoration.

PREFERRED FEEDING STYLES d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

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Style A dignified prick of the fangs at the neck or wrist is enough to draw a meal from. You’re not a beast, and you needn’t make things messy. There is nothing quite like ripping into flesh and drinking all of the life one has to offer; it’s positively invigorating. Blood that pumps through a racing heart is ideal. There is no more exquisite seasoning than terror. You see no reason to give up your civility simply because you’re a vampire. Blood drained into a cup or bowl is ideal. Blood is not only a meal, but a comfort and a luxury. You would bathe in it if you could, though it takes quite a lot to fill a tub. The most delicious sanguine is that which is freely given. Without lies, enchantments, or manipulation, the best blood is offered by a friend, a lover, or a dedicated follower.

Guilty Pleasures

Spellcasting When you reach 3rd level, you learn to express your curse in the form of spells. Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. You learn an additional warlock cantrip of your choice at 10th level. Spell Slots. The Blood Ritual Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you know the 1st-level spell shield and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast shield using either slot. Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level warlock spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the conjuration, enchantment, and necromancy spells on the warlock spell list. The Spells Known column of the Blood Ritual Spellcasting table shows when you learn more warlock spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be a conjuration, enchantment, or necromancy spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the warlock spells you know with another spell of your choice from the warlock spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be a conjuration, enchantment, or necromancy spell, unless you're replacing the spell you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level from any school of magic. Spellcasting Ability. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells, since your spells require you to shape your curse with your force of will. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a warlock spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

What good is living forever if you’re not enjoying your life? With an eternity to look forward to, one could easily become bored if they let themselves slip into monotony. Many vampires seek pleasures beyond the ordinary. Some of these pleasures may be seen as strange or taboo, while others are no different from mortal pleasures, though taken to the extreme.

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Guilty Pleasure While blood is your primary source of nutrition, that doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy food. On the contrary, you see no reason not to enjoy regular feasts upon every delicacy one can imagine. Your body remains unchanged though your soul ages with each passing decade and you have become obsessed with youth. You are fascinated by toys, nursery rhymes, and children’s games. One could easily accuse you of childish behavior. It’s all about the hunt. Whether pursuing a bounty, a meal, or simply for sport, there is no greater joy than to track down a mark that is doing everything in their power to evade you. You equate all things in life to hunting. Art is the next best thing to immortality. You consider yourself a true patron of the arts, collecting paintings and sculptures, studying great sonatas, collecting designer clothing, and so on. You enjoy paying artists in their lifetimes to create great works and you will keep their legend alive long after they are gone from this world. Your vampirism has not robbed you of your faith. Your dedication to your deity remains absolute even if the tenants become twisted in your mind to justify your own existence. You consider yourself among the most pure of believers, and draw others to worship through you as their sacred leader. As a vampire, you are a noble outcast. It is your greatest pleasure to provide shelter to the broken, the beaten, and the damned. You seek to create a collection, nay, a family of those that society considers freaks. You surround yourself with a royal court of the different and twisted.

Dark Path At 3rd level, the vampire gains the Dark Path feature. The following options are available to a vampire in addition to those offered in the original Cursed Classes: the Path of the Blood Ritual and the Path of the Strigoi.

Path of the Blood Ritual

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

While most vampires see their curse as an affliction of the body, a rare few see it as a magical ailment and turn to the arcane arts to master their powers. These vampires learn to channel their curse into magic, drawing on a profound well of dark energy to cast spells of a profaned and unusual nature, akin to those of a warlock.

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

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BLOOD RITUAL SPELL SELECTION

The warlock spell list is limited, especially when only considering spells from the conjuration, enchantment, and necromancy schools. By including the expanded spell list provided within Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, you can relax these restrictions. Additionally, the soul drain and syphon blood spells provided in the spells chapter are especially suited to the Path of the Blood Ritual vampire.

Esoteric Link

BLOOD RITUAL SPELLCASTING Vampire Cantrips Spells Level Known Known 3rd 2 3 4th 2 4 5th 2 4 6th 2 4 7th 2 5 8th 2 6 9th 2 6 10th 3 7 11th 3 8 12th 3 8 13th 3 9 14th 3 10 15th 3 10 16th 3 11 17th 3 11 18th 3 11 19th 3 12 20th 3 13

At 10th level, your mastery of necromancy allows you to peer into the minds of those you’ve created. As an action, you can perceive the world through the senses of a creature created by your Spawning feature, seeing through its eyes and hearing through its ears. While perceiving the world in this way, you are blinded and deafened to your own senses. Additionally, while your spawn is within 30 feet of you, you can spend 1 blood point to cast a spell through it, causing the spell to originate from the spawn instead of you. If the spell requires the target to be within your line of sight, seeing a creature through your spawn’s senses counts as having line of sight. Also, if the spell targets the caster, you can cause the spell to target the spawn instead of you by casting it in this way.

—Spell Slots per Spell Level — 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 2 — — — 3 — — — 3 — — — 3 — — — 4 2 — — 4 2 — — 4 2 — — 4 3 — — 4 3 — — 4 3 — — 4 3 2 — 4 3 2 — 4 3 2 — 4 3 3 — 4 3 3 — 4 3 3 — 4 3 3 1 4 3 3 1

Dark Protection At 13th level, you can use your curse to shield yourself from harm. When a creature or effect you can see deals damage to you, you can expend a spell slot to reduce the damage by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier + (4 × the slot’s level). You cannot use this feature while in direct sunlight, nor to reduce any damage caused by your curse.

Blood Magic Also at 3rd level, you learn to draw the arcane essence out of blood, casting spells using the vitality of other creatures. When you cast a warlock spell, you can expend blood points to cast the spell instead of expending a spell slot. The Blood Point cost is equal to the level of the spell.

Blood Ward At 17th level, your body is wrought with dark power, warding you against magic. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Dark Warrior At 7th level, you can effortlessly weave magic into your combat. When you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can make a bite or claw attack as a bonus action.

"Beauty. Immortality. A cast iron reason never to go out in daylight again. Can you really call it a curse?" —Escher

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Path of the Strigoi

Ambush At 10th level, you draw upon your ancient knowledge to ambush your prey. When you use your claws to take the Attack action on your first turn in combat, you can choose to leap up to your movement speed at a creature before making your attack. If this claw attack hits, you may make an additional attack with your claws as part of the same action.

The Strigoi are the grandfathers of vampires, and can be truly considered vampires in name only. They lack most of the charisma of the modern vampires, instead relying on brute strength and savagery to feed. Although they are technically vampires, some legends say that they are also the progenitors of werewolves, and even fairies. But that can’t possibly be true, can it?

Whelm

Monster Progenitor

At 13th level, you learn to harness your feral might to whelm your opponents. By spending 1 blood point as an action, you utter a commanding howl. Each creature within a 30 ft radius of you must make a Wisdom saving throw using your Bloodthirst save DC. On a success, nothing happens. On a failure, choose one of the following effects: Dominate. Each creature’s speed is reduced to 0 until the end of your next turn. Fear. Each affected creature is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

At 3rd level, your beastly nature fully manifests. As an action, you assume a savage form, growing thick wiry hair over your body and sharper, sickle-like claws. You gain the following features until you revert to your original form as a bonus action: Rending Claws. Your Claw attack now deals 1d6 damage. Powerful Bite. When you make a Bite attack, you can instead attempt to grapple the creature. You maintain this grapple with your mouth. You cannot speak while maintaining this grapple. Nightmare Composure. You lose your Sunlight Aversion feature while in this form, but you are vulnerable to silvered weapons. Additionally, you cannot regain blood points while in this form.

Alpha At 17th level, your true nature manifests. Your transformed Bite attack now deals 1d10 piercing damage and you no longer have to revert to your normal form to feed. Additionally, when you use your Spawning feature, you can expend 1 extra blood point to grant your Vampire Spawn the ability to ignore its Sunlight Hypersensitivity trait at the cost of inflicting vulnerability to damage from silvered weapons.

Elder Speed At 7th level, you learn how to use your superior speed to your advantage. By spending 1 blood point, you can take the Dash or Hide action as a bonus action.

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Spells

Scrying Seeming Synaptic StaticXGtE Telekinesis

This chapter lists the magic spells of all adventurers found in Cursed Classes: Even Cursier, as well as new spells that are unique to this book and its classes. Spells marked in superscript are referenced outside of the Player’s Handbook. The CC2 tag refers to spells presented later in this chapter, while XGtE references spells from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and UA refers to Unearthed Arcana.

Bard Spells 1ST LEVEL Claws of DarknessCC2 Scimitar of ShadowsCC2 2ND LEVEL Kreshenk’s Shadow MaskCC2 Net of ShadowsCC2 3RD LEVEL Blend With ShadowsCC2 Guardian ShadowCC2 4TH LEVEL Out of Body ExperienceCC2 Shadow SpidersCC2 Shadow TheftCC2 Shadow WallCC2 Wings of GloomCC2 5TH LEVEL Shadow SprayCC2 7TH LEVEL Mantle of ShadowsCC2 Shadow BlightCC2 9TH LEVEL Soul BindCC2

Ceremorph Spells CANTRIPS (0 LEVEL) Blade Ward Firebolt Friends Guidance Mage Hand Message Mind SliverUA Minor Illusion Shocking Grasp 1ST LEVEL Bane Burning Hands CatapultXGtE Cause FearXGtE Charm Person Command Dissonant Whispers Id InsinuationUA Lesser Mind BlastCC2

Cleric Spells 3RD LEVEL Displace CurseCC2 4TH LEVEL Out of Body ExperienceCC2 Root-SightCC2

Magic Missile Sleep Storm of FlumphsCC2

9TH LEVEL Soul BindCC2

2ND LEVEL Blur Calm Emotions Crown of Madness Darkness Hold Person Kreshenk’s Shadow MaskCC2 Mental BarrierUA Mind ThrustUA Net of Shadows Phantasmal Force Psychic ResonanceCC2 Shatter Telekinetic SlamCC2 Thought ShieldUA

Covenborn Spells 1ST LEVEL Armor of Agathys Bad OmensCC2 Burning Hands Cause Fear Chaos Bolt Charm Person Claws of DarknessCC2 Comprehend Languages Detect Magic Detect Poison and Disease Disguise Self Dissonant Whispers Entangle Fog Cloud Hellish Rebuke Hex Inflict Wounds Ray of Sickness Silent Image Speak with Animals Tasha’s Hideous Laughter Unseen Servant Witch Bolt

3RD LEVEL Blend With ShadowsCC2 Clairvoyance Fear Haste Hypnotic Pattern Major Image Mind BlastCC2 Nondetection Protection from Energy Psionic BlastUA Psychic LanceCC2

2ND LEVEL Alter Self Augury Blindness/Deafness Crown of Madness Darkness Hold Person Invisibility Maximilian’s Earthen Grasp Melf’s Acid Arrow Phantasmal Force Protection from Poison Scorching Ray See Invisibility Spike Growth Suggestion Web

4TH LEVEL Compulsion Confusion Dimension Door Ego WhipUA Greater Invisibility Hallucinatory Terrain Out of SyncCC2 Phantasmal Killer Stoneskin Summon MinionCC2 5TH LEVEL Bigby’s Hand Geas Greater Mind BlastCC2 Hold Monster Intellect FortressUA JauntCC2

3RD LEVEL Bestow Curse Call Lightning 44

Counterspell Dispel Magic Fear Fireball Gaseous Form Hypnotic Pattern Lightning Bolt Magic Circle Plant Growth Remove Curse Speak with Dead Speak with Plants Vampiric Touch Weird ElixirCC2 4TH LEVEL Arcane Eye Blight Charm Monster Communication SporesCC2 Confusion Greater Invisibility Phantasmal Killer Polymorph ProphecyCC2 Ring of ThornsCC2 Root-SightCC2 Shadow of Moil Shadow SpidersCC2 Shadow TheftCC2 Stone Shape 5TH LEVEL Animate Objects Cloudkill Cone of Cold Contagion Dominate Person Fated DoomCC2 Geas Hallucinogenic SporesCC2 Hold Monster Insect Plague Legend Lore Modify Memory Scrying

Druid Spells 4TH LEVEL Communication SporesCC2 Wings of GloomCC2 5TH LEVEL Hallucinogenic SporesCC2

Lich Spells CANTRIPS (0 LEVEL) Chill Touch Control Flames Dancing Lights Fire Bolt Frostbite Infestation Light

Mage Hand Mending Message Minor Illusion Poison Spray Prestidigitation Ray of Frost Shocking Grasp Spare the Dying Toll the Dead 1ST LEVEL Absorb Elements Alarm Armor of Agathys Arms of Hadar Bane Burning Hands Cause Fear Chromatic Orb Claws of DarknessCC2 Color Spray Command Comprehend Languages Detect Magic Disguise Self Dissonant Whispers Earth Tremor Expeditious Retreat False Life Feather Fall Find Familiar Fog Cloud Ice Knife Identify Jump Mage Armor Magic Missile Protection from Evil and Good Ray of Sickness Scimitar of ShadowsCC2 Shield Silent Image Tasha’s Hideous Laughter Witch Bolt 2ND LEVEL Arcane Lock Blindness/Deafness Blur Cloud of Daggers Crown of Madness Darkness Darkvision Detect Thoughts Earthbind Enlarge/Reduce Flaming Sphere Gentle Repose Hold Person Knock Kreshenk’s Shadow MaskCC2 Levitate

Melf’s Acid Arrow Mind Spike Mirror Image Misty Step Net of ShadowsCC2 Phantasmal Force Ray of Enfeeblement Scorching Ray See Invisibility Shadow Blade Soul DrainCC2 Spider Climb Syphon BloodCC2 Web

Scrying Seeming Shadow SprayCC2 Soul TrapCC2 Synaptic StaticXGtE Teleportation Circle Wall of Force 6TH LEVEL Arcane Gate Circle of Death Create Undead Disintegrate Eyebite Harm ScatterXGtE Soul CageXGtE

3RD LEVEL Animate Dead Bestow Curse Blend with ShadowsCC2 Clairvoyance Counterspell Dispel Magic Displace CurseCC2 Enemies AboundXGtE Erupting EarthXGtE Fear Feign Death Fireball Fly Gaseous Form Guardian ShadowCC2 Life TransferenceXGtE Magic Circle Melf’s Minute Meteors Speak with Dead Stinking Cloud Tongues Vampiric Touch

7TH LEVEL Crown of StarsXGtE Delayed Blast Fireball Etherealness Finger of Death Mantle of TwilightCC2 Mirage Arcane Plane Shift Power Word Pain Prismatic Spray Reverse Gravity Shadow BlightCC2 Teleport 8TH LEVEL Antimagic Field Earthquake Feeblemind Maddening DarknessXGtE Power Word Stun 9TH LEVEL Gate Power Word Kill Psychic ScreamXGtE Soul BindCC2 Time Stop Weird Wish

4TH LEVEL Arcane Eye Banishment Blight Compulsion Death Ward Dimension Door Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere Out of Body ExperienceCC2 Shadow of MoilXGtE Shadow SpidersCC2 Shadow TheftCC2 Shadow WallCC2 Stoneskin Wings of GloomCC2

Ranger Spells 1ST LEVEL Scimitar of ShadowsCC2

Sorcerer Spells 1ST LEVEL Scimitar of ShadowsCC2

5TH LEVEL Antilife Shell Cloudkill Danse MacabreXGtE Dominate Person EnervationXGtE Hold Monster Legend Lore Negative Energy FloodXGtE Planar Binding

Warlock Spells 1ST LEVEL Scimitar of ShadowsCC2 2ND LEVEL Kreshenk’s Shadow MaskCC2 Soul DrainCC2 Syphon BloodCC2 4TH LEVEL Displace CurseCC2 Out of Body ExperienceCC2 Shadow SpidersCC2 Shadow WallCC2 Wings of GloomCC2 5TH LEVEL Soul TrapCC2 7TH LEVEL Mantle of TwilightCC2 Shadow BlightCC2 9TH LEVEL Soul BindCC2

Wizard Spells 1ST LEVEL Claws of DarknessCC2 Scimitar of ShadowsCC2 2ND LEVEL Kreshenk’s Shadow MaskCC2 Net of ShadowsCC2 Syphon BloodCC2 3RD LEVEL Blend With ShadowsCC2 Shadow GuardianCC2 4TH LEVEL Displace CurseCC2 Out of Body ExperienceCC2 Shadow SpidersCC2 Shadow TheftCC2 Shadow WallCC2 Wings of GloomCC2 5TH LEVEL Shadow SprayCC2 Soul TrapCC2

2ND LEVEL Net of ShadowsCC2

7TH LEVEL Mantle of TwilightCC2 Shadow BlightCC2

3RD LEVEL Blend With ShadowsCC2

9TH LEVEL Soul BindCC2

4TH LEVEL Wings of GloomCC2

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5TH LEVEL Shadow SprayCC2

Spell Descriptions

Scimitar of Shadows 1st-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 5 feet Components: V, S Duration: 1 minute

These spells are organized by spell level and presented in alphabetical order.

1st Level Spells Bad Omens

You shape nearby shadows into the form of a simple or martial melee weapon. This weapon looks like the mundane version, but weighs nothing and deals cold damage instead of its usual damage type, plus additional necrotic damage equal to your spellcasting modifier.

1st-level divination Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (a crumpled tea leaf) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Storm of Flumphs

You twist the fate of a creature within range towards destruction. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be cursed for the duration. Whenever the cursed creature is hit with a weapon attack, it takes 1d6 psychic damage in addition to the attack’s normal damage. A remove curse spell can end this effect early. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the additional damage increases by 1d6 for every two slot levels above 1st.

1st-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V,S,M (an eyestalk from a flumph) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute Somehow, you’ve learned the secret to summoning a swarm of these small aberrations. When you cast this, a swarm of tiny flumphs spring into existence in a 10foot radius. Any creature that starts its turn within this radius must make a Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. Creatures that are poisoned in this way can make another Constitution saving throw at the end of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Claws of Darkness 1st-level illusion Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (a claw dipped in ink) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

2nd Level Spells Kreshenk’s Shadow Mask

Touching a willing creature, the claw melts and becomes a black pool that travels from your hand, along the length of the creature’s limbs. These shadow claws are long extensions of the creature’s own arms. Until the spell ends, that creature adds your spellcasting modifier to their unarmed damage and the reach of their unarmed attacks increases by 5 feet.

2nd-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: S Duration: 10 minutes Pulling the target’s shadow around their body, it covers them as a dark disguise. The target has their features blurred by the magic of the spell, making it impossible to recall their features. This does not interfere with the target or their ability to function in any way.

Lesser Mind Blast 1st-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (15-foot cone) Components: V,S Duration: Instantaneous

Net of Shadows 2nd-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (a small web made of thread) Duration: 1 minute

You magically emit a wave of psychic energy in a 15foot cone. Each creature inside the area of effect must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 2d6 psychic damage and is stunned until the end of your next turn. On a success, the creature takes half damage and is not stunned. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st

You reach out magically, causing the target’s shadow to reach out and restrain them like a mass of writhing shadowed ropes. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or become restrained and prone until the spell ends. As an action, the target or any other creature can attempt a Strength (Athletics) check against your spell save DC to end the effect. You can end the effect as a bonus action.

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Psychic Resonance

Telekinetic Slam

2nd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V,S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

2nd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: 30 feet Components: V,S Duration: Instantaneous

You reach out telekinetically and strike a resonance throughout the body of a single creature within range. The target creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 2d10 psychic damage and whenever they take damage on their turn from a weapon attack, they take an extra 1d4 psychic damage. On a success, the creature takes half damage and nothing further happens.

You slam down on a point within range with your psychic power. Every creature in a 15-foot radius of the point must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take 3d6 bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone. On a success, they take half damage and are not knocked prone. 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 3rd.

Soul Drain

3rd Level Spells

2nd-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Blend with Shadows 3rd-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: S Duration: 10 minutes

You target a creature that you can see within range, attempting to drain the very essence of their soul. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have their hit point maximum reduced by 2d10, and on each of your turns for the duration, you can use your action to reduce their hit point maximum by 1d10 automatically. At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the hit point maximum reduction increases by 1d10 for each slot above 2nd level.

Transforming your body and all of your equipment into a shadow, you become two-dimensional and blend into another shadow. While in this form you cannot be found without the assistance of magic. You cannot interact with any object or creature, but you can still talk. Spells and attacks cannot target you, but if a spell or effect includes the shadow you are blended with, it affects you as well. At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the duration increases by 10 minutes for each spell slot above 3rd.

Syphon Blood 2nd-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous

Displace Curse 3rd-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch / 30 feet Components: V, S Duration: 1 minute

You draw out the blood of one target within range. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 necrotic damage and must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target's health is reduced by half the necrotic damage dealt and you regain that many hit points. At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot above 2nd level.

At your touch, all the curses affecting one creature or object end. For the next minute, you may designate another creature or object within 30 feet to be cursed. If the target is a creature, it must make a Wisdom saving throw or suffer the effects of the curse for 1 minute. A remove curse spell ends this effect.

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Guardian Shadow

Psychic Lance

3rd-level conjuration (ritual) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (a pair of scissors) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

3rd level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V,S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Using your scissors, you carefully separate your shadow which animates on its own. The shadow obeys your commands, and acts independently of you until the spell ends. The shadow has your statistics, but does not have access to any of your feats, class features, or equipment. Instead, it has its own equipment that is a shadowy version of your own, functioning as the mundane versions of those items as well as the following benefits:

You lash out at a creature within range with a blistering lance of psychic energy, attempting to telekinetically nail them to the ground. The target creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 5d10 force damage and its speed is reduced to 0 for the duration of the spell. On a success, the creature takes half damage. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

• The shadow’s AC is equal to your spell save DC • The shadow has the same number of hit points as you. • The shadow has resistance to all damage types except force, poison, psychic and radiant damage. • The shadow is vulnerable to radiant damage. • The shadow is immune to poison and psychic damage. • The shadow is immune to all conditions except grappled, paralyzed, and restrained.

Weird Elixir 3rd-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 hour Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (a glass container, and powdered jade worth at least 100 gp, which the spell consumes) Duration: Instantaneous You touch a glass container and store a spell in it as a potent brew. Choose a spell of 3rd level or lower and cast it as part of creating the elixir. The spell must have a target of “Self”. The spell being stored has no immediate effect when cast in this way. Instead, it appears in the glass container as a magical liquid, the appearance of which reflects the nature of the spell. A creature can identify what spell is stored in the elixir with a successful Intelligence (Arcana) check against your spell save DC. When the elixir is consumed, the stored spell is cast on the drinker, using your spellcasting ability modifier if required. If the spell requires concentration, the drinker must concentrate as if it were casting the spell. An unused elixir lasts for up to 24 hours, after which it disappears. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you can store any spell of up to the same level as the slot you use in the elixir.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the duration of this spell becomes “Concentration, up to 1 hour”. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the duration of this spell becomes “Concentration, up to 8 hours”. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 9th level or higher, the duration of this spell becomes “Concentration, until dispelled”. If cast using a 9th-level slot every day for a year and a day, the duration becomes “Until dispelled”.

Mind Blast 3rd-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (30-foot cone) Components: V,S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

4th Level Spells

You magically emit a rippling wave of psychic energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature inside the area of effect must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 3d8 psychic damage and is stunned for 1 minute. On a success, the creature takes half damage and is not stunned. A stunned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Communication Spores 4th-level divination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (10-foot radius) Components: V, S, M (clump of tongue mushroom) Duration: 1 hour You release a puff of spores around you. The spores only affect creatures with an Intelligence of 2 or higher. Affected creatures can communicate telepathically with one another while they are within 30 feet of each other.

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Out of Body Experience

Prophecy

4th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minute

4th-level divination Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (a crystal worth at least 500 gp) Duration: 8 hours

You temporarily remove your soul from your body for up to the duration. While outside your body, it ceases to move. As a disembodied soul, you have incorporeal movement allowing you to move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You have a fly (hover) speed of 40 feet. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object. In addition, you become resistant to the following damage types: acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks. However, as a soul you may not cast spells or take the attack action. Once the duration is up, your soul instantly returns to your body. At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the duration increases by 10 minutes for each spell slot above 4th.

You reach into the fates for knowledge about the future. Choose three allies you can see within range. Each creature rolls a d20 and saves the result as a “prophecy”. At any point before the spell ends, the creature can replace a roll of the d20 with their prophecy. The spell then ends for that creature. A creature can only hold one prophecy at a time. If it is targeted with this spell again while holding a prophecy, it loses that prophecy and rolls again for the new casting of the spell.

Ring of Thorns 4th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Out of Sync

You create a ring of thorny vines that wrap themselves around you for the duration. When a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee weapon attack, the thorns lash out at it, dealing 1d8 piercing damage. Additionally, when you cast this spell, choose a creature you can see within range. Thorny vines shoot from your ring and lash at the creature. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 5d8 piercing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to lash a creature within range in this way again. 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.

4th-level abjuration Casting time: 1 action Range: 30 ft Components: V,S, M (a pocket watch that is either 1 second too fast or too slow) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You harness the power of your mind to shove a creature within range in between dimensions. The target creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or the creature is pushed out of sync, suffering disadvantage on Dexterity checks and saving throws and halving their speed for the duration. Roll a d20 at the beginning of each of the creature’s turns for the duration of the spell. On a roll of 11 or higher, the spell functions as normal. On a roll of 10 or lower, the spell ceases to function for this round, or until you roll an 11 or higher. If you roll a 1, the spell ends immediately. 49

Root-Sight

Shadow Theft

4th-level divination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (embedded root of a tree) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

4th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 15 feet Components: V, S, M (a pair of scissors) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You touch the branch of a tree. Once before the spell ends, you have blindsight out to 3 miles. While concentrating on this spell, you are aware of your surroundings and can perceive the effects of events happening within range.

Using your scissors, you separate the shadow of another creature within range, which animates on its own. The shadow obeys your commands, and acts after you on your initiative. The shadow has the statistics of the target, but does not have access to feats, class features, or equipment. Instead, it has its own equipment that is a shadowy version of the targets, functioning as the mundane versions of those items as well as the following benefits:

Shadow Spiders 4th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 40 feet Components: V, S, M (a spider’s egg sack) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

• The shadow’s AC is equal to your spell save DC • The shadow has the same number of hit points that the target does when you cast the spell. • The shadow loses all resistances, vulnerabilities, and immunities except as noted below. • The shadow has resistance to all damage types except force damage or damage it is vulnerable or immune to. • The shadow is vulnerable to radiant damage. • The shadow is immune to poison and psychic damage. • The shadow is immune to all conditions except grappled, paralyzed, and restrained.

You crush the egg sack in your hand, and target the shadows surrounding a creature of your choice within range. The shadows become a swarm of spiders that begin crawling all over the target. Whenever the target tries to cast a spell or make an attack roll, they must make a Constitution saving throw. The spell or attack is lost on a failure and this spell ends. At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, this spell ends after the creature fails an additional saving throw for each slot level above 4th.

Shadow Wall 4th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 120 feet Components: V, S, M (A square of black silk) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes A wall made of shadow springs into existence at a point you choose within range. The wall appears in a vertical barrier and can be angled as you choose. It can be free floating or rest on a solid surface. You can form it into a hemispherical dome or a sphere with a radius of up to 10 feet, or you can shape a flat surface made up of ten 10-foot-by-10-foot panels. Each panel must be contiguous with another panel. The wall is 1/4 inch thick, is immune to all damage, and lasts for the duration. The wall blocks visibility for all creatures except those you choose within 10 feet when casting the spell. Creatures who walk through the wall must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or they are filled with a great sadness, becoming Incapacitated until the start of their next turn.

50

Summon Minion

If this damage reduces a target to 0 hit points, the target is cursed, falling into a catatonic state. It is rendered unconscious until the curse is broken, requiring no food or water to sustain itself. The curse can’t be broken by a dispel magic spell, but it can be ended by a remove curse or greater restoration spell.

4th-level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V,S, M (a bone from the creature you summon) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

Greater Mind Blast 5th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: Self (60-foot cone) Components: V,S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You utter eldritch curses, summoning a humanoid or beast from your aberrant reserves. You choose the creature’s type, which must be one of challenge rating 5 or lower, such as an intellect devourer or a gith’yanki warrior. The creature appears in an unoccupied space you can see within range, and the creature disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends. Roll initiative for your minion. When you summon it, and on each of your turns, you can issue a verbal or telepathic command to it (no action required), telling it what it must do on its next turn. If you issue no command, it uses its turn to take the Dodge action.

You erupt with psychic rage in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in the area of effect must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, they take 6d8 psychic damage and are paralyzed for 1 minute. On a success they take half damage and are not paralyzed. A paralyzed creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Wings of Gloom

Hallucinogenic Spores

4th-level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (a raven’s feather) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

5th-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 120 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Thick black shadows billow up around you like clouds. These begin to thin out, fitting your body like a skintight suit of armor with large black wings. Until the spell ends, you gain a fly speed of 60 feet, you have advantage on stealth checks unless you’re in an area of bright light, and as a reaction when you take damage during this time, you can reduce the damage to 0 and the end the spell immediately. When the spell ends, you fall if you are still aloft unless you can stop the fall.

You create a cloud of hallucinogenic spores that form in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within range. The cloud spreads around corners and lasts for the duration or until a wind of moderate or greater speed disperses it. When the cloud appears, each creature in it must make a Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. Each poisoned creature is incapacitated while it hallucinates. The creature may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success and becoming immune to the spell’s effects for 24 hours. A creature must make this saving throw when it enters the spell’s area for the first time each turn or ends its turn there if it is not already immune to the effect. The cloud moves 10 feet directly away from you in a direction that you choose at the start of each of your turns.

5th Level Spells Fated Doom 5th-level divination Casting Time: 1 action Range: 90 feet Components: V, S, M (a focus worth at least 1,000 gp, such as a mirror, orb, or crystal) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You foretell tidings of doom for up to three creatures that can hear and understand you within range. Each creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be frightened for the duration. A creature frightened in this way takes 2d10 psychic damage at the beginning of each of its turns. A frightened creature can repeat its saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

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7th Level Spells

Jaunt 5th-level conjuration Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: 10 feet Components: V,S,M (a petrified central beholder eye, worth at least 1,000 gp) Duration: Instantaneous

Shadow Blight 7th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 100 feet Components: V, S, M (onyx dust worth 1,500 gp) Duration: Concentration, until dispelled

You learn how to focus your psychic potential to rend space to your liking. As part of casting this spell, you must spend 10 minutes in a meditative ritual to focus your psychic energy. At the end of this ritual, you name a place that you have physically seen within the past week within 10 miles of you. You and up to five willing creatures that you see within range are instantly transported there.

You cause all the shadows surrounding a target within range to become wrapped tightly by them, as though they were wrapped in silk cloth. At the start of each of its turns, the creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 cold plus 1d8 necrotic damage as the shadows leech their life force away. Creatures killed by this spell raise up as shadows that cannot attack you until 24 hours have passed. You do not otherwise have control over these creatures.

Shadow Spray 5th-level evocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (60-foot cone) Components: V, S, M (a handful of tears) Duration: Instantaneous

9th Level Spells Soul Bind 9th-level abjuration (ritual) Casting Time: 1 minute Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (a body in which to store the soul; made of flesh, stone, iron, and humanoid shaped) Duration: Until dispelled

A wave of negative energy erupts from your hand and rushes outwards. Each creature in a 60-foot cone must make a Wisdom saving throw. A creature takes 4d4 cold damage plus 4d4 necrotic damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much on a successful one. Additionally, creatures who fail this saving throw become incapacitated, weeping uncontrollably as they are overcome with sadness. At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the cold and necrotic damage increase by 1d4 each, for each spell slot above 5th.

You target a creature that has died within the last minute. The creature’s soul is removed from their body and placed into a target body that you can see within range. The target gets to make a Wisdom saving throw or be bound by the spell. While affected by the spell, the creature doesn’t need to breathe, eat, or drink, and it doesn’t age. It retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, proficiencies, and languages. However depending on the body the soul is placed in, it will have the remaining statistics of one of the following: mimic, iron golem, stone golem, gargoyle, flesh golem, or animated armor. The ritual can be cast again to return a trapped soul into its original body, assuming the body has been preserved by a gentle repose or similar effect.

Soul Trap 5th-level necromancy Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (a small humanoid shaped idol) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You target one creature that you can see within range to temporarily trap their soul away. The creature must succeed a Wisdom saving throw or have their soul trapped away. While a creature has their soul trapped, they are considered unconscious. Any damage dealt to the creature’s body instantly ends this spell's effects. At the start of your turn, while you are concentrating on this spell you may choose to reduce the creature’s maximum hit points by 1d12. If you do, the creature has a chance to repeat the Wisdom saving throw to escape. If their maximum hit points are reduced to 0, they are killed. At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d12 for each slot above 5th level.

52

Magic Items

Collar of Lunar Control

The light that shines in an adventurer’s eyes when they open a chest of treasure is like nothing else. Any pile of loot could be filled with coin, jewels, or something far more spectacular. Could it be a sword that burns like a torch? Perhaps a seemingly bottomless bag for carrying all of their goodies? Or, maybe a wand of some extraordinary power? Of course, every adventurer knows they might wind up with a cursed item, like a ring that sinks its teeth into their knuckle and won’t let go, or a pair of slippers that scream loudly when you take a step. Still, the potential rewards are usually worth the risk, and even a cursed item’s usefulness may outweigh its flaws.

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a lycanthrope) This oversized silver band has a number of spikes lining the inside. While attuned to this collar, you can choose to automatically succeed a Lunar Sensitivity check to unwillingly transform into your beast or hybrid form. If you do, you suffer 1d4 piercing damage from the collar. Curse. While you are transformed into your hybrid or beast form, any damage from silvered weapons you receive forces you to make a Wisdom saving throw. The DC for this save equals 10 or half the damage you take, whichever number is higher. Failing the save forces you to transform back into your humanoid form.

Barkbite Shield

Coven’s Seeing Eye

Armor (shield), rare This shield is made from a dark gnarled root that spirals around itself to form a shield and handle. While equipped, you have a +1 bonus to your AC in addition to the shield’s normal AC. In addition, you may cast the entangle spell on a creature within 15 feet of you with a spell save DC of 14. Once you use this feature, it can’t be used until the next dawn. Curse. Once wielded, the shield’s roots grip and bind to your arm. Not easily removed, attempting to remove the shield requires you to make a DC 15 Strength saving throw, taking 28 (5d10) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Crystalised Ceremoprh Necklace

Wondrous item, rare As a bonus action, you can hold the eye up to your face and gain truesight for one minute. Invisible creatures within 30 feet of you that you can see with this truesight must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you. After using the eye this way, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Curse. At the start of a frightened creature's turn, roll a d20. On a 1-4, you and the target creature must each succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or suffer 3d10 psychic damage. Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a ceremorph) Encased in solid gemstone, a illithid tadpole is entirely frozen and tied to a necklace. While you are attuned to this necklace, you can use the Helpful Nudge mastermind ability an additional time before needing a short rest. In addition, your bonded creature may add +1 to any Dexterity checks, saving throws, or initiative rolls. Curse. For as long as you are attuned to this necklace, an elder brain within 10 miles knows your intentions, movements, and actions.

Chalice of Dark Sustenance Wondrous item, uncommon This stone cup has three humanoid skulls engraved into its side, each one with elongated fangs. As a bonus action, you can raise the cup in a toasting gesture to have the chalice slowly fill with blood. The chalice can’t be used this way again until the next dawn. Curse. The blood is provided by a devil, and drinking the blood is to sign an unwritten contract. A fiend will keep track of how often the chalice appears. When the devil appears, the drinker of the blood is automatically under the effects of a geas spell, and must do as the fiend commands. 53

Cursed Eye of Rotting Insight

Emphatic Orb

Wondrous item, uncommon This simple necklace chain coils around an oversized green eye. While wearing this necklace, you can target a creature you can see within 30 feet and force it to make a DC 14 Charisma saving throw. If the creature fails, it takes 2d6 necrotic damage and you learn one fact or secret about the target as described by the DM. The target automatically succeeds if it is immune to being charmed. Once you use this feature, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Curse. Due to the curse on the eye, anytime you learn a fact or secret, it is always about something that would lead you to dislike or hate the creature.

Wondrous Item, very rare (requires attunement) This orb has 5 charges for the following properties. It regains 1d4 charges daily at dawn. If you expend the orb’s last charge, roll a d20. On a result of 1, the orb crumbles into ashes and is destroyed. Sense Negative Emotions. You can expend 1 charge and use an action to peer into the orb’s depths and speak its command word. For 10 minutes after speaking the orb’s command word, you have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks. The orb grants you superior emotional sensing power, as well as the power to cause other creatures to feel certain emotions, as described below. You can more strongly feel the negative emotions of creatures within 10 feet of you for the duration. Your negative emotions, such as fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, and disgust, as well as the negative emotions of creatures within 10 feet of you, are amplified for the duration. Cause Strife. You can expend 2 charges and awaken a sense of panic in one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Exert Emotion. You can expend 2 charges and cause a creature to feel a certain emotion. Choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be affected by one of the emotion options you choose:

Dagger of the Night Weapon (dagger), rare (requires attunement by a vampire) You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you hit a creature with this blade, as a bonus action you can absorb the blood from the dagger to regain 1 blood point and deal 1d6 necrotic damage to the creature. If the creature is unaware of your presence, you instead regain 2 blood points and deal 3d6 necrotic damage. Curse. The dagger heightens your sensitivity to sunlight, causing all damage dealt against you while in direct sunlight to deal an additional 2 radiant damage.

Dead Man’s Noose Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement of a revenant) This noose is frayed, blackened by dirt and long dried blood. While holding the noose, you may target a creature you’ve targeted as prey that can see you and force it to succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you. In addition, you may use a bonus action to make a grapple attack using the noose against a creature you’ve identified as prey. This attack has advantage. Curse. The noose still holds the cursed spirit of a revenant; for as long as it is in your position you are unwilling to part with the noose, keeping it on your person at all times. Every night you have a 20% chance of having a nightmare related to the noose. When you awake you suffer 1 point of exhaustion.

• Anxiety. The target becomes fretful and anxious. They suffer disadvantage on Dexterity checks for 1 minute. • Sorrow. The target bursts into sorrowful tears and blubbering. They can not coherently speak through their tearful outburst, which lasts for one minute. The target cannot complete spells that require a verbal component for the duration. • Anger. The target is overwhelmed with feelings of rage and anger. They must spend their next turn attacking the creature nearest to them, even if they must spend their entire movement to do so and even if the creature nearest to them is an ally of theirs. • Disgust. The target is consumed by feelings of disgust. They are knocked prone, and vomit violently until the end of their next turn. All attack rolls and skill checks the creature makes until the end of their next turn are made with disadvantage while they vomit. Arcane Focus. A sorcerer, warlock, or wizard can use the emphatic orb as a spellcasting focus, as described in chapter 10 of the Player’s Handbook. Destroying the Orb. The emphatic orb appears fragile, but it is impervious to most damage. A disintegrate spell or the damage from a +3 magic weapon is sufficient to destroy the emphatic orb.

54

Enchanter’s Golem Gemstone

Hag-Hexed Ring

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a bound spirit) This fist-sized gemstone slots into the chest of any bound spirit, locking into place as if perfectly crafted. While attuned to it, you may select an additional body augmentation (that you meet the prerequisites for). Curse. When using the body augmentation gained by the gem, there is a 20% chance that you become stunned until the start of your next turn. While stunned, you begin to see memories of another soul, a golem who worked in the service of an enchanter until they were destroyed unfulfilled.

Ring, very rare (requires attunement) While wearing this ring, your appearance is changed, as if by the Change Appearance effect of the alter self spell. Your appearance becomes more hag-like. You have a hunch to your posture, and your skin becomes sallow and covered in warts. Your face becomes elderly in appearance with severe wrinkling. Your fingernails become more claw-like. Curse. Once you don this ring, you can’t doff it unless you are targeted by the remove curse spell or similar magic.

Helm of the Forgotten Knight

Finder of Monsters

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) This masked helm is without markings, free of dents and signs of battle. While attuned to the helm, it whispers guidance to you in the heat of battle. This grants you a +2 bonus to any Strength or Dexterity saving throws made during combat. In addition, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks. Curse. There is a soul trapped within the helm, and each time you fall asleep or enter trance you must succeed a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or the soul takes over your body for four hours. You have disadvantage on this saving throw.

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) This device mimics a compass. However, it depicts images of monsters being slain behind the glass and uses a miniature blade to point. There is a small gemlined recess in the middle. If blood of a creature is placed inside this recess, you can track the creature. Afterward, the recess closes and the blood cannot be removed, until the creature is slain. While blood is inside you may locate that creature, or the nearest creature of a specific kind, similar to the effects of a locate creature spell. However, no amount of running water will stop your ability to track them and if you are outside of 1,000 feet, you can learn their direction once every hour. Curse. The moment a creature's blood is placed in the device, you feel the urge to hunt the creature to the ends of the earth. At the end of 24 hours, if you have not slain the creature, you suffer 1 point of exhaustion. This point remains regardless of how much you rest, however it vanishes the moment you are within 60 foot of the tracked creature.

Kobold Gem of Fortuitous Flight Wondrous item, uncommon This fist-sized gem has a crude depiction of wings carved into one flat side. While holding this gem, you can speak its command word to gain a flying speed of 30 feet until the start of your next turn. Once you use this feature, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Curse. When flying with this feature, there is a 50% chance of it automatically failing once you pass 20 feet above ground.

Font of Desires

Lumberjack’s Axe of Lycanthrope Slaying

Wondrous item, rare The engravings around the side of the font all depict images of natural beauty, nature, humanoids, and animals. When filled with water, the water turns a glistening golden hue. You may submerge your head underwater to cast the scrying spell, which will last for 1 minute. However, if you choose a creature as the target that you desire, the creature’s Wisdom saving throw DC is reduced by 5. Once the font has been used this way, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. Curse. While using the font, roll a d20. On a result of 3 or less you must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or feel charmed by the font, compelled to keep your head underwater. You will continue to keep your head submerged until you drown or are otherwise removed from the font.

Weapon (greataxe), rare This otherwise unassuming woodchopping axe bears a number of dents in the blade. When you deal damage to a lycanthrope while using this axe, you deal an additional 4d8 slashing damage that ignores all resistances. Curse. While you are within 60 feet of a lycanthrope in hybrid form, you must use your entire movement to chase the lycanthrope. In addition, if you become afflicted with lycanthropy, you suffer 1d6 psychic damage any time you attempt to hold the axe.

55

Mask of the Dead Wondrous Item, rare (requires attunement) While you are attuned to this mask, you can use it to collect the memories of the dead and replay them in your mind when you wear the mask on your face. Absorb Memory. When you place this mask on a corpse that has died within the last 2 years, it absorbs the memories of the moments leading up to the corpse’s death. It can only absorb 10 minutes of memory, leading up to the corpse’s exact moment of death. It takes 10 minutes for the mask to absorb the memories. If the mask does not remain on the corpse’s face or skull for the full 10 minutes, the memory transfer is incomplete, and cannot be attempted again for 7 days. The mask can only hold one memory at a time. View Memory. Once the mask has absorbed the memory of a corpse, you can wear the mask and view the memory. You perceive the memory as if you were the corpse that the memory was taken from. You see the corpse’s death as if it is happening to you while viewing the memory with the mask on. You are unable to remove the mask for the full duration of the memory viewing. Once the memory is viewed in its entirety, you fall unconscious for 1 minute, and the mask is empty and can receive a new memory from a new corpse.

MASK OF THE DEAD

Remnants of Failure

HELM OF THE FORGOTTEN KNIGHT

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a lich) A green paned lantern, most of its side now shattered, this was once a phylactery. You can choose to place souls into this phylactery, increasing the maximum number of soul charges you can store by 4. In addition, any souls consumed from this phylactery grant 1d6 + your Intelligence modifier instead. Curse. If four or more souls are kept within the phylactery for longer than 24 hours, its soul charge capacity will increase by one every dawn. Once the capacity reaches 7, on the next dawn it is full, a lich’s body begins to reform nearby. You lose your attunement to the remnants of failure as the lich regains control of it.

Sanguine Needle Wondrous item, uncommon This delicately designed needle has a built-in container for storing blood. You can make a melee weapon attack with the sanguine needle to deal 1 piercing damage to a creature. You may then use your bonus action to drain blood from the creature. The blood is magically stored, stopping it from drying out or congealing. Any creature can then empty the needle as a bonus action to drink the blood inside. A vampire will regain a day’s sustenance from drinking it, and regain 1 expended blood point.

COVEN’S SEEING EYE

56

Scythe of the Ever-Harvest

Vengeful Woodcutter’s Axe

Weapon (scythe), rare (requires attunement by a barbarian) While you wield this scythe, your rage does not end if you haven't attacked a hostile creature or taken damage since your last turn. You also maintain your composure, appearing as if you are not raging at all. Curse. At the start of each combat, you must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or each turn you go without dealing damage with the scythe causes you to suffer psychic damage equal to 1 + the number of turns without dealing damage.

Weapon (handaxe), rare (requires attunement) Magic Weapon. The vengeful woodcutter’s axe is a magic weapon that grants a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. Curse. Whenever you deal damage to a tree or plant creature with this axe, roll a d6. On a result of 6, an awakened tree magically appears in the nearest unoccupied space near you. It is hostile toward you and will attack you until either you or it are killed.

Wand of Spores

Soul Shawl

Wand, rare (requires attunement of a floraspawn) This wand is covered in spores and fungal growths that occasionally pulsate. The wand has 7 charges for the following properties. The wand regains 1d6 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn. Blindness/Deafness. While holding this wand, you can use an action to expend 2 charges, causing a 10-foot area to fill with spores and causing blindness or deafness as per the blindness/deafness spell (save DC 14). Confusion. While holding this wand, you can use an action to expend 4 charges to cast the confusion spell at 4th level. Blight. While holding this wand, you can use an action to expend 7 charges to cast the blight spell at 4th level. After using the wand to cast this spell, it instantly crumbles to ash. Curse. Any creature that dies after being hit by any spell from this wand eventually raises as a myconid. These myconids still recall memories of their past life and actively detest the owner of the wand.

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a hag) This stitched cloak was once a hag’s soul bag. Now repurposed, it still bears the essence of its past usage. When a creature dies within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to capture its soul within the soul shawl. Only one soul may be within the soul shawl at a time. For as long as the soul is trapped within, you can use a bonus action to bolster yourself using the soul’s life experience. Make your next ability check with advantage. If you don’t use this benefit before the start of your next turn, it is lost. Once per day, you may communicate with the soul, however it can only respond in a sentence or two and will likely be very cryptic. Curse. The shawl slowly corrupts the soul claimed inside, turning them bitter and evil. Each time the soul shawl is used with a soul inside, roll a d20. On a result of 5 or less the soul vanishes. It was deemed corrupted enough to be delivered to the Nine Hells.

VENGEFUL WOODCUTTER’S AXE

57

Backgrounds

d8 1

Everyone starts somewhere. Even if your story truly began when you became an adventurer, who you are as a person was still built over the years prior. Whether you have carried your affliction since birth, or were struck with it at the beginning of your adventurers, your background still colors your life and personality.

2 3 4

Illithid Exile

5 6

Suitable for ceremorphs. You were once part of an illithid colony, one cog in a grand psychic machine waging war on the rest of existence. You lived an eventful life there—one full of fear, paranoia, and self-serving ambition. But as the process of ceremorphosis progressed, you felt less and less suitable for the hive. Something was wrong, and to your horror, everyone knew it. Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Insight Languages: Deep Speech, Undercommon Equipment: An abacus, an illithid mantle and mucusproof robes, a pair of goggles, a bauble recognizable only to illithids, and a pouch containing 10 gp

7 8

d6 1 2 3 4

5

Reason for Exile

6

As soon as your difference was found out by your illithid peers, you were cast out of the colony to complete your transformation alone. Roll on the table below to determine why you were exiled, or work with your DM to find another reason. d6 1 2 3 4

5 6

d6 1

Reason for Exile You showed empathy for a non-illithid creature, hiding it from the wrath of the hive mind. You questioned a direct order from the elder brain. You held onto your attachments from your previous life, refusing to let them fade as you transformed. You accidentally exposed the colony to a gith raiding party, risking the destruction of the hive. You secretly continued to worship a nonillithid deity. You refused to take psionic slaves, believing the practice was wrong.

2 3 4

5 6

d6 1

Feature: Walk the Hiveroad

2

During your time in the illithid colony, you learned to use the Hiveroad, a network of secret caves and tunnels that traverse the underground. You know how to recognize the hidden entrances of the Hiveroad and can use them to travel through any region where illithids have built colonies in half the normal time.

3 4

5

Suggested Characteristics

6

Illithid exiles share many of the traits common to fullfledged mind flayers, with a key bond or belief that differentiates them. Some illithid exiles also retain traits from their past lives, leading to a strange hybrid of the mundane and alien.

58

Personality Trait I see strange patterns in things that seem random to other people. Manners and polite body language seem pointless to me. I gauge the standpoint of everyone else in the room before I speak. I find it extremely difficult to read the expressions of those without tendrils on their face. I’m continually surprised when people think of me as an individual. Even the simplest magic is bizarre and confusing to me. I have an idiom for every situation. Unfortunately, they only make sense in Deep Speech. Nothing is equal to me. I think of everything in terms of superior and inferior. Ideal Liberty. No creature should be subservient to another. (Good) Revenge. I will destroy my former masters— and anyone else who gets in my way. (Evil) Self. I am unique, and I refuse to be anything but myself. (Any) Life. All living things, not just illithids, deserve a chance to thrive. (Neutral) Rebellion. Tyrants, be they monarchs or hiveminds, must be toppled. (Chaotic) Order. Harmony is worth pursuing, even if mind flayers have perverted its execution. (Lawful) Bond I remember shreds of my former life, and will do anything to discover the rest. I was exiled with another ceremorph. We will never hurt each other the way the colony hurt us. I have seen beauty in the Underdark, and I want to protect it from the wrath of the hive. An illithid helped me escape the colony. Someday I will come back to help them escape too. I must find a way to reverse my ceremorphosis so I can return to the family I left behind. I am haunted by the acts that the elder brain forced me to commit, and will atone for them forever. Flaw I’m incapable of making decisions without consulting others. I know what lingers in the dark, and it terrifies me to no end. After being a part of the hivemind, I can’t trust my own thoughts. When I deem someone superior to me, I follow their orders without question. I am ruthless when it comes to achieving my goals—a trait that remains from my days in the colony. I am desperate to be accepted by my peers.

Dabbler

d8 1 2

Suitable any cursed class, as well as sorcerers and warlocks Be it magical, mechanical, or any other material, you've always been fond of taking things apart to figure out how they work. Your curiosity will always get the better of you and there's no use trying to avoid it. Be forewarned that tinkering with scrolls or potions may inflict you with a curse, deciphering an eldritch book might bind you to an otherworldly menace, tinkering with strange armor may find your soul locked inside one, or wild botanical experiments may see you infested with spores. But, every strange twist in life is just a new opportunity to experiment, even on yourself. Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, Sleight of Hand Tool Proficiencies: Tinker’s tools and one other type of artisan’s tools. Equipment: A set of tinker’s tools, traveler’s clothes, a disorganized pile of notes bound with twine, a box of tiny drawers for organizing objects like pretty pebbles or bits of string, and a pouch containing 5 gp

3 4

5

6

d6 1 2 3 4

5 6

Feature: Beginner’s Luck Once per long rest, if you are using a tool you are proficient in to try something you have never done before, you have advantage on the roll

d6 1

Suggested Characteristics

2

Dabblers of any age view the world with the same wide-eyed wonder as a child, and like a child, they interact with their world through constant experimentation. A dabbler is unlikely to accept that something is the way it is at face value, either mechanically or socially, and does not hesitate to push any limits they approach.

3 4

5 6

d6 1 2

3 4

5 6

59

Personality Traits I fall in and out of interest in projects with ease. I like magic or mechanics because I can expect consistent results. People not so much. I always expect things to go wrong. I’m seldom properly prepared for them, but I always expect it. Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly; it’s better than not doing it at all! I’m a perfectionist, and if I can’t do it perfectly, I probably won’t finish it at all. If my concentration is broken, there’s no point in trying to get it back. The best way to get me to do something is to tell me that I’m incapable. Ideal Revolution. New discoveries can change the world for the better. (Lawful) Chaos. I just want to see sparks fly. (Chaotic) Infamy. Being known for your discoveries is almost as good as being feared for them. (Evil) Optimism. Screwing up is the first step to becoming skilled at something. (Any) Self-Sacrifice. Studying whatever afflictions befall me can help others. (Good) Independence. Nobody can tell me not to. (Chaotic) Bond I mended my best friend's broken toy when we were children, and I've never stopped wanting to put smiles on faces. A fire was started when I was mixing potions haphazardly, and it will be difficult to atone for the damages I caused. One of my most valuable possessions is a book of extensive notes I keep on my findings. I spent my youth fixing broken equipment to keep my family's business running. I'll do anything to support my family. One of my ramshackle creations hurt someone once, and I'm apprehensive of anyone interacting with my work. I only remember waking up after an explosion, possibly of my own making. Now I'm trying to figure out who I was before it happened. Flaw Even if I know it's a trap, I can't help wanting to trigger it to see what it does. A tiny taste of a potion may be enough to tell what it is, but I can't truly know its characteristics without pouring it on things, rubbing it between my fingers, smelling it, dilluting it in water, etc. You call it kleptomania, I call it saving it to tinker with later. I sometimes stare at people uncomfortably while lost in thought. The age, rarity, and value of an item means nothing to me when I'm inspired to tinker. I'm overly confident in my ability to put things back together.

Credits Cursed Classes: Even Cursier was brought to life by the collective efforts of many writers. Steve Fidler designed the Blood of the Dusk Coven for covenborn, and Mimic Bound for bound spirit. Bryan Holmes designed the Manifestation of Madness and Manifestation of Taming subclasses for ceremorph, the Pathway of Shadow for lich, the Calling of the Werewyvern for lycanthrope, and the Route of the Unfulfilled for revenant, as well as writing magic spells. E. R. F. Jordan designed the core covenborn class, Corpse Flora for floraspawn, the Route of the Chosen for revenant, and the Path of the Blood Ritual for vampire, as well as writing magic spells and the Illithid Exile background. Ryan Langr designed the Blood of the Night Coven for covenborn, and the Calling of the Werebat, Calling of the Werebison, and Calling of the Wereshark for lycanthrope. Ryan also served as an editor. Jackson Lewis designed the core ceremorph class, and the Path of the Strigoi for vampire, as well as writing magic spells. Ashley May designed the Blood of the Green Coven for covenborn, as well as writing the Dabbler background. Ashley also served as layout designer, fluff writer, and artist of the ceremorph on page 11. Isaac A. L. May was project coordinator, as well as writing fluff and miscellenous mechanics throughout the book. Isaac also served as an editor. Robyn Nix designed the Alraune for floraspawn. Robyn also designed magic items. Matthew Whitby designed the Manifestation of Aberrant Offspring for ceremorph, the Iron Golem for bound spirit, and the Pathway of the Phylactery for lich. Matthew also designed magic spells and items. Dana Braga produced the cover art, as well as art for ceremorphs on pages 4 and 5, covenborn on pages 12 and 14, Mimic Bound on page 24, Alraune on page 28, Werewyvern on page 36, and Retribution revenant on page 38.

Special Thanks Thank you to Alex Clippinger and Jacob S. Kellogg for their work on the first Cursed Classes book. Though they were unable to rejoin us for the sequel, their influence is still seen and felt through the lich and vampire classes. Thank you to Oliver Clegg and Matthew Whitby for working with is to produce their cursed adventures, as well as providing quotes from their NPCs to be used throughout the book. Additional art sourced from Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash.

Looking for even more Cursed Classes? The Cursed Classes family has grown to include a number of cursed subclasses and adventures. Be sure to check out these Cursed Classes related products also available on the Dungeon Master’s Guild.

Cursed Classes: The Hamlet of Afflicton The Hamlet of Afflicton is a haven for those individuals cursed or otherwise afflicted. Inside this supplement there are sidekicks for every Cursed Class, descriptions of 9 buildings inside Afflicton, and 24 unique encounters to integrate into any campaign!

Curse of Hearts Curse of Hearts is a highstakes, low-brow adventure which takes open-minded (or open-casketed) characters for the night of their lives at Chateau Ravenloft, home of Vasili von Holt and his legion of boy toy vampire thralls. Will you slay your way to dawn, play matchmaker for the lovesick dead, or fall prey to a vampiric curse?

Alternative Titles for Cursed Classes: Even Cursier During the production of Cursed Classes: Even Cursier, many different names and subtitles were thrown around for the project. Here are just a few of the fine titles that were left on the cutting room floor. • • • • • • • •

Strahd’s Book Of Dummy Thicc Curses Chicken Classes For The Cursed Soul More Cursed, More Classes Cursed Classes 2: This Time With Feeling The Curse Strikes Back Cursed Classes II: Tokyo Drift Cursed Classes Part Deux: The Recursening 2Cursed 2Classy

Discover other products by Cursed Classes: Even Cursier authors...

WHOOPS! WE'VE GONE AND DONE IT AGAIN. From some of the greatest visionaries of the Dungeon Master’s Guild, comes a supplement so strange, you won’t believe how mechanically sound it is. Bolster your game with 20 new cursed subclasses, along with the terrifying new Ceremorph and Covenborn classes. This book has tentacles, brain devouring, face melting and more! This book also includes a copy of the Cursed Classes Reference Document, so you can enjoy all of the book’s content without any additional purchases. We also shoved a ton of spells and magic items in here too, because we really have no idea where to stop. Join us as we dance back and forth over the line between madness and mystery!

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