This cleric domain is the other side of the same cynical and pessimistic coin as the Oath of Grief paladin subclass that’s also appearing alongside the Madness Domain in The Impermissicon. The class has two 1st-level features in addition to the bonus cantrip because one of them, Divine Hallucinations, isn’t always even a benefit, depending on the DM’s level of deviousness.
Today from Legends of Prestige and Prowess we have two new abjuration spells modeled after the basic 1st-level shield spell. Shield is one of the most powerful 1st-level spells available to sorcerers and wizards and perhaps one of the most powerful spells relative to its spell level in general. Even though these spells are already at a higher cost than the shield spell due to their higher slot level, they also only grant +4 to AC instead of +5 out of bounded accuracy concerns resulting from being able to grant the shield bonus much more easily to clerics, paladins, fighters, etc. who typically achieve higher ACs than a sorcerer or wizard does.
All four blood magic subclasses for the casters have some variant of their main blood magic ability, however, regardless of their focus. For wizards and sorcerers, that ability is called Hematurgy. Like the blood mages of Dragon Age, these blood mages can spill their own blood to fuel their magic even when their normal spell reserves have run dry, recklessly harming themselves in the process. This subclass for the sorcerer actually gets bonus hit dice to spend on that feature, and extra healing to make up for the damage, as a way of tying the sorcerer’s default “magic is in your bloodline” theme to the specific “blood magic” theme.
Today we have a bonus treat: an updated look at phantasmal plunge, which previously appeared in the preview of the Oath of Grief, along with another new spell that will show up with phantasmal plunge on the spell list of the Madness Domain subclass for clerics. And since that subclass will appear in The Impermissicon, so will these two spells! Both these spells also show off the increase in ratio of Intelligence and Charisma saving throw spells in D&D Unleashed.
Sometimes you don’t want to hurt someone — you just want to catch them. Of course if you’re not careful on your hunt, you may just fall into their trap. Today we have two closely related subclasses from Legends of Prestige and Prowess. Both of these subclasses feature new special weapons, and both are distinctly nonmagical.
Shield of Vanity is a nifty little spell that lets paladins, bards, clerics, and even artificers temporarily enchant their shield to be extra bright and shiny, and even a bit more magical! The reflective surface, when pointed at your foes, shows them a grand vision of themselves, encouraging feelings of jealousy and overconfidence that drives them to attack the bearer of the shield. Or maybe they just want it for its shininess!
We’ve got two new relatively general feats from Legends of Prestige and Prowess today, both dealing with opposite ends of the scale on how the narrative of the game treats the player character. Destined is a half-feat that grants story power while attempting not to influence combat power much if at all. Doomed, meanwhile, lies on the opposite end of the spectrum, representing characters who are powerful but fated to die.
Like most of the example characters we’ll see for the Leader prestige class, this PC is level 11. Since the Warlord isn’t dual-wielding, they won’t be using their bonus action as a fighter on most turns, making bonus action stratagems very appealing. Inspiring Word is a classic ability for 4e-style warlords, and with its short range our Warlord thinks they can make good use of it, since they’re often on the front-lines with their allies.
The Leader prestige class enables flexible and tailor-made builds for replicating the 4e Warlord, among other 4e leader-role classes. It is designed to work with a wide range of character concepts, spanning from the brave and inspiring sergeant wielding a sword and banner and heading the charge to the intellectual spellcaster laying careful traps for enemies and using allies as chess pieces.
