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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Ravnican Archetypes



Giegue
2018-11-23, 09:36 PM
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Introduction

As some of you may know, Wizards recently dropped the first offical MTG and and D&D crossover product in the form of the Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, which admittedly has me pretty excited. Thus, I have taken it upon myself to start creating a pool of Ravnica-inspired archetypes that are themed around different story and world elements of Ravnica. While they can be re-flavored to fit other worlds,some of these archetypes will be particularly themed towards Ravnica and reference Ravnica concepts in their flavor and fluff. However, not all of them will be Guild-locked, and some may be able to slip into multiple guilds, though others (particularly the Warlock Patrons, several of which are with specific guild leaders) will be locked to specific guilds. However, while I have a lot of ideas swirling around, it will take me a while to write them all down, and even longer to balance them. Thus, this thread will be constantly updating with both new content, and balance-fixes to exsisting content. So with that out of the way, lets move onto some archetypes!


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You have made your pact with the feared, deathless leaders of the Ozhov guild: the Obzedat ghost council. As beings focused solely on their own power and wealth, the Obzedat are rare to share their power with those beneath them. However, when they do it is typically with one of their own family members, and always for a price. To enter into a pact with the Obzedat themselves is a great honor among the Orzhov, and a special rite reserved for only those of truly noble blood. In fact, a requirement for taking up a pact with the Obzedat is having a family member who themselves sits on the council. Often, a member of the Obzedat will make a pact with a family member whom they wish to be an eventual inductee to the council, and having this pact means having a direct line to to the Obzedat that few other Orzhov enjoy. Thus, the Warlocks who result from these pacts are the only spellcasters within the Orzhov who are able to raise souls as indentured spirits, a duty deemed too important to the livelihood of the guild to leave to anybody other than these honored few.

However, while a pact with the Obzedat is a great honor, it is also a great curse. The reason the Obzedat keeps their Warlocks in the family is not just elitism, but also self-interest. Those closest to the top of the guild are often the most ambitious, and this is doubly so for the children and descendants of those who sit on the ghost council. Thus, the Obzedat typically make their pacts with the most ambitious of their descendants, not only as a way to weaponize their ambition to their advantage, but also as a means of keeping them in check. While the power cannot be taken away once invested, the Obzedat use the fact that they are its source as leverage over their children and descendants, putting them into permanent debt to the Obzedat. Thus, while these Warlocks often receive the privileges that come with being among the elite of the Orzhov in life, if they move against the Obzedat they can "call in" this debpt to stripe them of titles, remove them from the guild, or if they wish have them killed and brought back as an indentured spirit.

Patron Spells

The Obzedat lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a Warlock spell. The spells below are added to the Warlock spell list for you:

1st: Bless, Healing Word
2nd: Healing Spirit, Silence
3rd: Aura of Vitality, Revivify
4th: Death Ward, Aura of Life
5th: Antilife Shell, Raise Dead

Extort

The Orzhov always collect their debts, and as a favored servant of the Obzedat you learn how to exact your tithes in the life essence of your enemies. Starting at 1st level, as an action you can target a creature that is within 30 feet that you can see. That creature must make a Strength saving throw against your Warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, that creature takes damage 2d8+ your Charisma modifier necrotic damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage. On a failed save, the creature’s hit point maximum is reduced by the damage taken until it finishes a long rest, and you heal an equal number of hit points. (if applicable) Any creature slain by this attack rises as an uncontrolled indentured spirit, which immediately turns hostile to all living creatures it encounters other than you, your allies, and any member of the orzhov guild. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can do so again. Starting at 5th level, you can use this feature twice per-short or long rest, and starting at 17th level, three times per-short or long rest.

Immortal Servitude

Starting at 6th level, your patron gives you the power to enslave the souls of the dead. You may force any indentured spirit you create from your Extort feature to serve you by expending a Warlock spell slot as a reaction when it rises. These indentured spirits remain under your control until you finish a long rest, at which point you may expend warlock spell slots to reassert control over them. You may reassert control over one indentured spirit for each expended slot, causing them to remain under your control until you finish your next long rest. (after which you may repeat this process to keep them controlled.) Starting at 11th level, you instead can reassert control over up to two indentured spirits for each expended slot.

Indentured spirits you control through this feature use your initiative and may be commanded to move freely; however, to have them take an action you must command them to do so with a bonus action. You may only control a number of indentured spirits raised by your Extort feature no higher than your Charisma modifier at one time. Any attempts to go over the limit releases an equal number of indentured spirits from your control. A specter or indentured spirit that is released in this way immediately becomes hostile towards you and attacks. Additionally, indentured spirits controlled through this feature gain the following additional benefits as long as they remain under your control:

They add your Warlock level to their hit point maximums.
They add your proficiency bonus to their weapon attack rolls.
They add your proficiency bonus to their weapon damage rolls.
Obzedat's Aid

Starting at 10th level, the Obzedat sponsor you for magical immortality and eventual transition into a spirit and member of the Obzedat, once qualified. You cease aging, and can no longer be magically aged. Once per-long rest, if you would die you can immediately rise with 1 hit point instead. When you do this, you are treated as being under the effects of a Sanctuary spell cast at your Pact Magic slot level until the end of your next turn. This Sanctuary effect uses your Warlock spell save DC as its effective spell save DC.

Debt to the Deathless

At 14th level, you have proven yourself to the Obzedat, and thus are given permission to broker deals on their behalf. Once per-year, you are able to cast the Wish spell without expending a spell slot. To use it, someone else must agree to make a deal with you in exchange for taking on an amount of debt to the Obzedat determined by your GM (based on the nature of the deal being made). As always, if the person making the deal is not careful in their wording, you may twist it to do something that will benefit yourself and/or the Obzedat.

For example, an Azorius Senator contacts you and says "I wish for the guildless in my district to stop revolting!" You could twist this wish any number of ways because of how general it is, like having that senator lose their election to an Orzhov-bought opponent who makes good on their campaign promise to end the revolts. The Obzedat will inform you if they want you to deal with a particular individual. You may use this Wish on someone that the Obzedat have not instructed you to deal with, in which case you can choose to put hem in debt to you instead of the Obzedat. However if you do this and the Obzedat do not approve of the wording of the Wish, it will fail. This Wish may not be used on yourself until you are at least 17th level.


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While many wizards may take up the path of law magic, their generally poor people skills and distinct lack of charisma tends to make them poor candidates to actually fight out cases in trial. Indeed, the vast bulk of Wizards who call themselves law mages prefer to work in a research capacity, studying the law and brainstorming legal stratgem rather than dealing with the social interactions that come with actually arguing a case in court or brokering a deal between clients. Thus, both the Azorious Senate and Orzhov Syndacate keep Guild-trained Bards in their employ to act as Lawmages and Advokists whoes main function is to actually argue cases in court, and in the case of the Orzhov broker deals for the guild. These charismatic, socially adept scholars of the law, while certainly not what one would normally think of as a "Bard," are none the less performers in their own right. Public speaking and debate, despite having a more formal and structured nature, are just as much arts as dancing, singing, or playing an instrument. These bards, sometimes called “Advokists”, “Elocators”, or “Lawmages”, give rousing speeches and rapier-sharp arguments with the same passion and and heart other bards pour into their music....making them a invaluable asset to have in negations and courtroom settings.

Face of Authority

As an Elocator, your passion for public speaking and argument make you a valuable asset to both government and business factions, which may push you towards a carriere in such an organization. If you wish, instead of gaining three instutment proficiencies at 1st level, you can gain proficiency with the Performance skill. If you choose to do this, you can use a badge of office (which could be a guild signet, the crest of a noble house you serve, a barrister’s license or any other such held item that denotes your position.) as a spellcasting focus for your Bard spells, and may start play with a badge of office instead of an instrument. However, if you gain proficiency with Performance this way, you must choose the College of Elocation when you select your Bardic College at 3rd level

Scholar of Law

When you select this college at 3rd level, you become educated in the letter of the law so you may better argue it with others. You gain proficiency with Calligrapher’s Supplies, and with the Investigstion and History skills. If you already have proficiency with these skills, you can gain proficiency with one skill of your choice for each of them that you are already proficient with instead. Additionally, when making a History or Investigation check to related to law, regulations, bureaucracies, politics, or business practices, you use double your proficiency bonus on that check.

Commanding Words

Also at 3rd level, you learn how to put magical weight behind your words, allowing you to compel others to do as you command. As an action, you can spend a Bardic Inspiration die and have an ally you can see within 30ft that can hear your voice make an attack against a target of your choice as a reaction. If the attack hits, you roll that spent Bardic Inspiration die and add the result to their weapon damage roll.

Arcane Addendums

Starting at 6th level, you learn how to use your mastery of language to add additional effects to your spells. You learn four Addendums from the list below. At levels 11 and 17, you learn one additional Addendum. At each Bard level, you may exchange a known Addendum for a new one. Addendums are used as a part of a Bard spell you cast (no action of any kind required), and add their listed effect to that spell when used. You may only use one Addendum per-round. You have four uses of your Addendums, which can be spent on any combination of Addendums you wish. Your regain all spent uses when you finish a short or long rest. Addendums add a verbal component to any Spell they enhance which would not have a verbal component normally

Focusing Words. When you cast this spell, a creature you can see within 30ft that can hear your voice may add your proficiency bonus to a single attack they make before the start of your next turn. They may do this before or after seeing the result of the attack roll, but before the effects of that attack are applied.

Restorative Words. When you cast this spell, a creature that you can see within 30ft that can hear your voice regains hit points equal to twice your proficiency bonus. If they are at maximum hit points or would be brought to maximum hit points from this Addendum, they gain the excess as temporary hit points. If they already have temporary hit points, these temporary hit points are added to them, but they cannot cause a creature to have more temporary hit points than three times your proficiency bonus.

Staggering Words. [wip]

Words of Judgement. [wip]

Words of Scorn. When you cast this spell, of you can have a hostile creature within 30ft of you that can hear your voice make a Wisdom saving throw against your Bard spell save DC. On a failed save, it suffers a penalty to the next attack roll it makes before the start of your next turn equal to your proficiency bonus.

[WIP/MORE TO COME]