Martyr

Base Class

Comments from the Finger: This class takes the cliché blood caster concept and divines it up a bit, so you too can live the dream of dying a glorious death!

Martyr

Squalid masses crowd draw close around a young dwarf in spotless clothing. He touches them each in turn, healing injuries, curing illnesses, and restoring hope.

A ragged tiefling speaks in a crowded square. As if in response, dark clouds gather over her head and the earth trembles at her words.

A mad king spits and swears from his throne at imperial guards who have fled or been slain. A lone dragonborn stands before him, solemnly preparing herself for divinely-demanded regicide.

Martyrs are implements of the gods, hand-picked to spill their blood in service of a divine cause. Such an end is inevitable, for once a martyr is chosen, their fate is fixed in the heavens.

Fated to Die

Martyrs are chosen by the gods, predestined to speed forth to a final destination: they are ordained to die for a great cause. Martyrs are prophets and oracles, great priests and liberators. No matter how much good they might accomplish in their lives, the end must always be the same: a glorious death, to be remembered in legend. 

No matter the circumstance, a martyr cannot avoid their destiny. While some martyrs gladly accept their holy approbation, others struggle against it. However, from the moment the gods choose their martyr, they shall intervene in the martyr’s fate, pulling them inexorably towards their cause. The gods will settle for a lesser martyr if they must, if the one chosen is unwilling to follow their path, but they always prefer to uplift their martyr to the heights of sainthood before the inevitable death.

Blood of the Martyr

As martyrs are ordained by the gods to die, their suffering is holy sacrament. Martyrs brought close to death grow more powerful, not less, and those that spill their own blood evoke waves of divine energy. In the view of the gods, such hardship only heightens martyrdom and hastens the martyr to their destiny.

Paradoxically, martyrs are protected from death’s precipice even as they are edged closer towards it. Every torment and persecution suffered by them is weighed with equal moments of respite offered by the gods. For the gods do not mean to kill their charge early; a martyr should meet their fate only at the preordained time and place.

Creating a Martyr

As you create a martyr, think about the moment you chosen by the gods and your burden was placed upon you. Were you visited by an angelic host or a god disguised as a mortal? Did you quietly hear a divine voice in your ear, as stigmata formed on your body? Was your soul violently dragged to the Upper (or Lower) Planes for an audience with the gods?

Consider the life you led before you were ordained for martyrdom. Were you a wicked soul, purified and redeemed to undergo this task? Were you already a warrior, adventurer, or cleric in service of the gods? Also, consider how you reacted. Did you accept the task and your inevitable destiny, or did you run from it? Are you still running?

Quick Build

To build a martyr quickly, follow these suggestions: Constitution should be your highest ability score. Your next highest ability score should be Strength if you choose a Burden, such as the Burden of Revolution, which focuses on melee combat, or Wisdom if you choose one focused on spellcasting. Pick any background.

The Martyr

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Max Spell Level	Spell Uses
1st	+2	Mortal Burden, Ordained Death	—	—
2nd	+2	Spellcasting, Sainted Reprisal	1st	2
3rd	+2	Divine Healing, Torment	1st	3
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	1st	3
5th	+3	Extra Attack	2nd	6
6th	+3	Mortal Burden feature	2nd	6
7th	+3	Respite	2nd	7
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	2nd	7
9th	+4	—	3rd	9
10th	+4	Undying Conviction	3rd	9
11th	+4	Torment improvement	3rd	10
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	3rd	10
13th	+5	—	4th	11
14th	+5	Mortal Burden feature	4th	11
15th	+5	March Unto Destiny	4th	12
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	4th	12
17th	+6	—	5th	14
18th	+6	Mortal Burden feature	5th	14
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	5th	15
20th	+6		Final Martyrdom	5th	15

Class Features

As a martyr, you have the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d12 per martyr level

Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per martyr level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields

Weapons: Simple and martial weapons

Tools: None

Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom

Skills: Choose two from Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) scale mail or (b) chain mail (if proficient)
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts, or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a priest’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• A holy symbol

Mortal Burden

Beginning at 1st level, you are fated to perish in the name of a great ideal, cementing your name alongside others who have done the same. Choose a Mortal Burden, detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level, and again at 6th, 14th, and 18th level.

Burden Spells

Each burden has a list of associated spells that you gain at the martyr levels specified in the burden description. Once you gain access to a burden spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

If you gain a burden spell that doesn’t appear on the martyr spell list, the spell is nonetheless a martyr spell for you.

Ordained Death

As a martyr, you have been predestined by the gods to perish for a great cause; there is no greater glory in death, and no greater joy in the afterlife. However, it is not yet your time. Starting at 1st level, when you fall to 0 hit points and begin to make death saving throws, you must fail 5 saving throws to die. Additionally, if a spell has the sole effect of restoring you to life (but not undeath), the caster doesn’t need material components to cast the spell on you.

Mark of the Herald

At 2nd level, your divine cause manifests itself upon you, forming a special mark or stigmata for all to see. You have advantage on checks you make to convince others that you are an ordained martyr in service of a holy cause. 

Spellcasting

Starting at 2nd level, you can leverage the power of your suffering to cast divine magic.

Casting Spells

To cast one of your martyr spells of 1st level or higher, you must lose hit points to create and expend a spell slot greater than or equal to that spell’s level. The number of hit points is listed on the Hit Points Spellcasting table and can’t be reduced or avoided. You don’t make Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on spells as a result of losing these hit points. 

The Martyr table shows the maximum level of spell slot you can create. 

The Spell Uses column of the Martyr table shows how many spells you can cast. When you expend hit points to cast a spell, you expend one of these uses. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. 

Hit Points Spellcasting

Spell Level	Damage
1st	5
2nd	10
3rd	20
4th	30
5th	45

Preparing Spells

You prepare the list of martyr spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the martyr spell list. When you do so, choose a number of martyr spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your martyr level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). Spells you choose must be of a level no higher than what’s shown on the Max Spell Level column for your level. You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest.

Healing Magic

Because your power is derived from mortal suffering, you can’t regain hit points from any spell you cast.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for martyr spells, since your power originates in the devotion used overcome your trials and tribulations. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a martyr spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

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

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus for your martyr spells.

Sainted Reprisal

Also at 2nd level, you can reprimand those who draw your blood. When a creature you can see within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to deal that creature 1d6 necrotic or radiant damage (your choice).

The damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).

Divine Healing

Starting at 3rd level, you can utter a prayer to the gods for mercy. As an action, you can spend Hit Dice and regain hit points as if you had just finished a short rest. When you use this ability, you can spend a number of Hit Dice up to your proficiency bonus.

Torment

By 3rd level, you have learned to curry the gods’ favor through anguish and mortal trials. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can lose 5 hit points, which can’t be reduced or avoided, to deal a +10 bonus necrotic or radiant damage (your choice) to the target. You don’t make Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on spells as a result of losing these hit points. 

Starting at 11th level, you can lose 10 hit points to deal an additional +20 damage to the target.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 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.

Extra Attack 

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

Respite

Beginning at 7th level, you regain all spent Hit Dice when you finish a long rest, instead of only half of them.

Undying Conviction

Beginning at 10th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points and are not killed outright, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

March Unto Destiny

At 15th level, your inevitable end draws nearer, and nothing can hold you from it. You do not need to eat or drink, and cannot be paralyzed, petrified, or stunned.

Final Martyrdom

At 20th level, you have at last reached your predestination: you will die in eternal glory. You can use your action to become immune to all damage for 10 minutes. During this duration, you can’t be blinded, charmed, deafened, exhausted, frightened, incapacitated, poisoned, restrained, or rendered unconscious. You have advantage on all ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. 

Additionally, during this duration, you can cast the wish spell once, without spending a spell slot or hit points. If you use the spell produce any effect other than duplicating another spell, the stress of casting it doesn’t reduce your Strength or cause you to take necrotic damage.

At the end of this duration, you die. No force, short of divine intervention can prevent your death, and you can’t be returned to life by any means.

Mortal Burdens

Martyrs are created and driven forth to right an inexorable wrong in the world. On this quest, they are a direct instrument of the gods, and no matter how hard they try, they cannot escape the burden of their duty.

Burden of the End

The gods have seen a great cataclysm on the horizon and have tasked their martyr with protecting the world from catastrophe. The exact nature of the coming End may vary: sometimes the awakening or arrival of an evil entity, sometimes the discovery and abuse of a powerful artifact, and sometimes it is a singularly destructive event that endangers the gods themselves, but the martyr must be dedicated to give their lives to stop it. To this end, the gods imbue their martyr with ancient and powerful spells, tools once gifted only to prophets.

When the coming cataclysm threatens the world, a martyr would be ill-served to ignore their call, for the cataclysm imperils them directly, as well as the lives of their family and their companions. The life of a martyr is always forfeit, but the rest of the world can yet be saved.

Burden Spells 

You gain burden spells at the martyr levels listed.

Martyr Level	Spells
3rd	guiding bolt, protection from evil and good
5th	blindness/deafness, darkness
9th	call lightning, counterspell
13th	blight, control water
17th	flame strike, insect plague

Cantrips

Starting at 1st level, your divine mission grants you a sliver of divine magic. You learn the sacred flame and thaumaturgy cantrips, and one other cantrip of your choice from the cleric spell list. You do not lose hit points for casting these spells. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for these spells. 

Herald of the End

Also at 1st level, your magic is empowered with foreknowledge of the end times, heightening its force. When you cast a martyr spell that deals damage, you can choose to reroll all of its damage dice, and must keep the new rolls. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Sacrosanct Spell

At 6th level, when you cast a spell with a casting time of 1 minute or longer or a spell that has the sole effect of restoring hit points, you lose no hit points from casting the spell, if you cast it at its lowest level. Casting the spell still counts against your total number of spell uses.

Embrace the Inevitable

Starting at 14th level, once on each of your turns, when you cast a martyr spell of 1st level or higher which calls for a saving throw to resist its effects, you can spend additional hit points equal to half the cost of the spell to cause the creature to roll its first save against the spell with disadvantage.

Halt Apocalypse

By 18th level, the gods have blessed you with precious time enough to forestall catastrophe. At the end of your turn, you can choose to take another turn immediately. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Burden of Mercy

When the suffering of the world grows too heavy, and the cries of the anguished grow too loud, the gods deliver a martyr to ease the strife and bring peace to the masses. This burden, however, has no end. A martyr may spend all their days healing the sick and driving demons out of the possessed, but they will scarcely impact the world at large. Indeed, the onus upon them is not to mend every wound or comfort every widow, but to provide hope in the darkest of times that the gods have not forsaken their people, that peace will soon reign, and that light will be victorious. 

Burden Spells

You gain burden spells at the martyr levels listed.

Martyr Level	Spells
3rd	healing word, sanctuary
5th	enhance ability, lesser restoration
9th	remove curse, revivify
13th	death ward, freedom of movement
17th	mass healing word, raise dead

Cantrips

Starting at 1st level, your divine mission grants you a sliver of divine magic. You learn the spare the dying and thaumaturgy cantrips, and one other cantrip of your choice from the cleric spell list. You do not lose hit points for casting these spells. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for these spells. 

Balm

Also at 1st level, you can use a bonus action to restore 1 hit point to a creature within 60 feet or remove the blinded, deafened, or poisoned condition from a willing creature you touch. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Sacrosanct Spell

At 6th level, when you cast a spell with a casting time of 1 minute or longer or a spell that has the sole effect of restoring hit points, you lose no hit points from casting the spell, if you cast it at its lowest level. Casting the spell still counts against your total number of spell uses.

Shared Respite 

Beginning at 14th level, when you use your Respite ability to expend Hit Dice and regain hit points, one willing creature you choose within 60 feet can also regain hit points equal to the highest number rolled on a hit die + your Constitution modifier. 

Anointed Healer

By 18th level, your status as a divine healer is enshrined in sainthood. Whenever you restore hit points to a creature, you can add your martyr level to the number of regained hit points. You can add this additional healing to a creature once, and regain the ability to do so for each creature when you finish a long rest.

Burden of Revolution

Kings and leaders are bound by an unspoken covenant to the gods to govern their people justly and peacefully. When a monarch turns their back on the gods, embraces tyranny, or uses cruel measures against their own people, a martyr is called to end their reign. Rarely, does a Martyr of Revolution come with peaceful measures, for when a king must fall, only the sword can provide the necessary leverage.

Such martyrs are not only called to battle kings; any person of influence that oppresses others and abuses their power might wrong the gods enough to earn the ire of a martyr. In dark times, a martyr might be tasked with clearing a continent of despots and oppressors, calling for a full-scale military campaign of liberation.

Burden Spells

You gain burden spells at the martyr levels listed. New spells are marked with an asterisk.

Martyr Level	Spells
3rd	command, heroism
5th	hold person, magic weapon
9th	haste, pillar of salt*
13th	stoneskin, wall of fire
17th	hold monster, telepathic bond

Bonus Proficiencies

Starting at 1st level, you gain proficiency in heavy armor. 

Bulwark of Rebellion

Also at 1st level, you can use a bonus action to gain temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your martyr level, which last for 1 hour. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Blooded Reprieve

Starting at 6th level, whenever you use your Torment feature against a hostile creature and you reduce the target to 0 hit points, you lose no hit points from using the ability.

Unyielding Banner

At 14th level, your banner is a symbol of resistance. You and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can add your Wisdom modifier to initiative rolls, and are immune to being charmed or frightened.

Kingslayer

By 18th level, you are the bane of despots, usurper of tyrants. When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, choose one of the following effects:

• All of the creature’s spells and effects immediately end, including all spells with permanent effects. Spells contingent on the target’s death do not trigger.
• Each creature within 120 feet of the target which is aligned with it and has a lower challenge rating than it must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you for 1 minute.
• You can use your bonus action to move up to 15 feet and make another melee weapon attack.

Burden of Truth

Tasked with unveiling the world’s deceptions and delivering to the people a profound truth, martyr’s tasked with the Burden of Truth face an endless battle with the disillusionment and lies. Such a martyr must earn the peoples’ hearts and minds, turning their favors away from evil influences and toward divine ones. It is an uphill battle, but one that rarely requires grievous violence, except in the most dire of circumstances.

Martyrs of Truth are often deemed prophets, for their gods entrust them with knowledge of the future, insights into the past, and sagacious perspective on the present. Such information is proof of their messages’ divine origin, and is a necessary balm, for the truths such martyrs are called to preach are often a bitter pill for listeners to swallow.

Burden Spells

You gain burden spells at the martyr levels listed.

Martyr Level	Spells
3rd	charm person, identify
5th	augury, detect thoughts
9th	sending, speak with dead
13th	divination, freedom of movement
17th	legend lore, scrying

Moral Erudition

Starting at 1st level, you can add your Wisdom modifier instead of your Charisma modifier to Charisma (Persuasion) checks. Additionally, others can naturally sense when you are telling the truth. 

Maxim of Truth

Also at 1st level, your force of personality compels others to truthfulness. You can use your bonus action to cast the spell zone of truth (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier), centered on yourself with a 5-foot radius area. This effect lasts for 1 minute. Once you cast this spell in this way, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. 

Sacrosanct Spell

At 6th level, when you cast a spell with a casting time of 1 minute or longer or a spell that has the sole effect of restoring hit points, you lose no hit points from casting the spell, if you cast it at its lowest level. Casting the spell still counts against your total number of spell uses.

Foretold Escape

Starting at 14th level, when an attacker that you can see makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack.

Eyes of Prophecy

By 18th level, you are entrusted with glimpses of the future, allowing you to replace the roll of one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw you make with a 20. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Martyr Spells 

Martyrs can choose from the following spells when they prepare spells after a long rest. Spells marked with an asterisk are new to this class.

1st Level

bless

burnt offering*

command

cure wounds

detect evil and good

detect magic

detect poison and disease

guiding bolt

heroism

indemnify*

inflict wounds

protection from evil and good

purify food and drink

shield of faith

2nd Level

aid

halo of flame*

lesser restoration

locate object

magic weapon

protection from poison

zone of truth

3rd Level

create food and water

daylight

dispel magic

magic circle

pillar of salt*

remove curse

revivify

snakestaff*

4th Level

banishment

death ward

locate creature

stoneskin

5th Level

dispel evil and good

flame strike

geas

hallow

insect plague

raise dead

Changelog

5/5/21: Sacrosanct Spell: Still costs spell uses