Umbral Hierarch (DEPRECATED)

---

---

Overview & Creation

Reaching Ataraxia is no small feat, and this is reflected in the power of the Hierarch. Having grasped the true nature of their soul and attuned to their divine self, they convert previous experience and re-shape both body and mind to better serve their true purpose, refocused and emboldened.
 

Mental Acuity

As a Hierarch, your mental attributes and connection to the divine self are your main tools - in combat or outside of it.
Hierarchs split their ranks among two sects: Astral and Umbral.
Your specialization and combat style as a Hierarch is closely related to which spellcasting ability it draws from. Astral Hierarchs use their intellectual cunning and wise decision-making to cast spells, Umbral Hierarchs use their inspiring presences and fearsome looks to influence that same ability.
    Warning: This class is not multiclass-enabled.

---

Class Features

Natural Conduit

Your body and crystalline weapon are natural conduits for magical power. You can cast spells by focusing their power through your weapon, ignoring their somatic components.
  Hierarchs cannot wear shields, medium or heavy armour, as it impedes their movement and prevents efficient spellcasting. If you wear a shield, medium or heavy armour, you become encumbered and cannot cast spells regardless of your proficiencies or presence of feats such as Moderately or Heavily Armored. The only exception to this rule is the Shaper's crystalline shield, which is formed from their own body.
Some Hierarchs, however, have access to a unique feature called "Crystalline Armour". Please refer to the features page for more information.
 

Brilliance Under Pressure

Starting at 3rd level, Hierarchs can cast unprepared spells by means of creative application of magic.
You can cast an unprepared spell normally once per long rest. This feature upgrades to two spells at 11th level.
 

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.
Alternatively, if this rule is being used in your can campaign, you can forgo the ability score increase and choose a feat to acquire instead.
 

Purity of Form

Starting at 10th level, you become better able to control the inner workings of your body as your divine self exerts its dominance over matter.
  You're able to alter your form in subtle ways. Over the course of a minute, you can alter your appearance and that of your garments to better suit your purposes.
These alterations include subtle changes in height, facial features, hair colour and length, and overall stylings of your clothing.
Your clothing still has its notoriously crystalline properties, but can protect you from the effects of cold weather if changed appropriately.
The bodily alterations in form do not persist in combat or while the Hierarch is asleep.
  As you approach the pinnacle of humanoid form, you find less need for sleep. You still require a full long rest to change your list of spells and fully recover your features, but only need a total of 3 hours of sleep to avoid exhaustion.

---

Starting Equipment

You retain all equipment previously owned and summon or re-fashion a melee weapon with new crystalline properties.
If the weapon you previously owned cannot be used by the subclass you chose, you may reforge the weapon to fit an appropriate archetype you can use, while keeping the weapon's old features. Ask your DM for help in this transition.

---

Spellcasting

Unravelling one's true nature and coming in touch with their divine self offers additional insight into spellcasting. Your mastery and attunement with all aspects of magic are reflected in your ability to heal, harm and manipulate. Your glossary and imagination are vast, and you apply all of yourself in combat.
 

Cantrips

You know two cantrips of your choice from the hierarch spell list. You learn additional cantrips from the Hierarch spell list, as indicated by the Cantrips Known column of the Hierarch table.
 

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Hierarch 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.
You prepare the list of hierarch spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of hierarch spells from your mental arsenal equal to your Charisma modifier + your half your hierarch level (minimum of four spells). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you're a 3rd-level hierarch, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 16, your list of prepared spells can include five spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your arsenal. If you prepare the 1st-level spell magic missile, 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.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of spells requires time spent committing casting methods to memory, for a total of 1 hour spent configuring your list of prepared spells.
 

Spellcasting Ability

As an Umbral Hierarch, your Charisma is what determines your spellcasting ability. You use your Charisma modifier whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a hierarch spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
   

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher

You learn or invent ways to cast two hierarch spells whenever you gain a hierarch level.

---

Subclass Options

Zenith

Fearsome warriors with reflexes and martial prowess beyond reckoning, Zeniths focus their destructive energies in melee combat.
 

Conduit of Aggression

Zeniths gain access to enhanced martial techniques fueled by their magic.
You have a pool of 7 anima points, a reservoir you can expend to unleash powerful abilities. Your maximum number of anima points increases to 9 at 7th level and 11 at 15th level.
You may also expend relevant spell-slot levels to fuel those same abilities. The costs and requirements are outlined in each ability's description.
Your regular pool of anima points is recharged with a long rest.
 

Arcane Techniques

These techniques are presented in alphabetic order.  

Aetherial Cleave

Before attacking, you expend two anima points or a second-level spell slot to cleave the target's aetherial essence from their body and redistribute it to other creatures.
If you hit, the target receives your regular attack damage + 1d10 force damage. If the target is bloodied or becomes bloodied from this attack, you may allocate an amount of healing equal to the combined damage of the attack to up to three creatures within 30 feet of you.
 

Ancient Blade

When attacking, you expend three anima points or a third-level spell slot to raise your weapon high and create a massive blade of energy emanating from it.
You bring your blade down, and all foes in a 30-foot line in front of you must make a Dexterity Saving Throw or take 5d6 force damage on a failed save, or half as much in a successful one.
Enemies who fail the save are additionally afflicted with Curse of the Ancients, reducing their ability to dodge blows, reducing their AC by 2 until the beginning of your next turn.
 

Kaleidoscope

Starting at 6th level, when under attack, you may expend an anima point or a first-level spell slot as a reaction to create a kaleidoscopic set of crystalline surfaces around you, confusing your enemy and making it easier for you to dodge.
Your AC is increased by your proficiency bonus until the beginning of your next turn.
Starting at 15th level, when you perform Kaleidoscope, all enemies adjacent to you must succeed in a Constitution Saving Throw or be blinded until the beginning of your next turn.
 

Kingslayer

When attacking an enemy creature that is bloodied and while no other creatures are adjacent to it, you may expend two anima points or a second-level spell slot to perform a particularly dangerous, high-stakes attack.
If you hit with an 18, 19 or 20 on the d20, that attack counts as a critical hit. This enhanced critical deals quadruple damage.
 

Last Surprise

Starting at 5th level, you may spend your reaction and an anima point or a first-level spell slot to turn a parried blow into a debilitating counterattack.
When a melee attack misses you, you use your weapon double to deliver an opportunist blow to the target with +2 to hit.
If you hit, the target suffers your normal weapon damage and is afflicted with Weakened until hit by the first eligible source of damage or the beginning of your next turn.
  Weakened
When weakened, a creature takes additional damage upon being struck with an attack that deals piercing, bludgeoning or slashing damage. The additional damage is equal to half of the total damage dealt by that attack or spell.
 

Martial Saint

You expend two anima points or a second-level spell slot as well as a bonus action to inspire your allies and lead them into glorious battle.
You and up to three creatures you can see and hear are inspired by your wise words and gain 15 feet of additional movement speed, and any enemy creatures attacking them until the beginning of your next turn suffer a disadvantage.
 

Tempest

You plunge your weapon into the ground, releasing a large amount of energy in an area around you that erupts from the ground as spikes of solidified aether.
Expend an anima point or a first-level spell slot when performing an attack. Creatures adjacent to you must pass a Dexterity Saving Throw or take 2d6 force damage, halved if passing.
 

Tempest Unleashed

Starting at 5th level, if you performed Tempest as part of your first attack in that turn, you may re-utilize the spent energy to damage enemies further with your second attack by bringing that energy back to ground in the form of purely focused beams of power.
Expend two anima points or a second-level spell slot when performing your second attack. Creatures up to 10 yards away take 4d6 force damage and must pass a Dexterity Saving Throw or become unbalanced until the beginning of your next turn.
  Unbalanced
While Unbalanced, a creature must make a Constitution Saving Throw whenever they are struck by melee or ranged damage. On a failure, the creature is knocked prone.  

Crystalline Weapon Master

Starting at 2nd level, before you make a melee attack with a heavy weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack's damage.
 

Crystalline Double

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
This is reflected as a synthesized double of the weapon you are currently wielding, possessing the same effects and attributes. It orbits your body closely and follows your commands, requiring the same actions as a regular weapon to perform any activities.
This animated weapon always seeks to protect you, and permanently increases your AC by 1. This bonus counts as a magical effect that stacks with skills that override your AC.
 

Core, aspect of chaos

Starting at 7th level, once per round when you attack an enemy in melee with a regular, un-enhanced attack, you break reality and send ripples of your power surging through enemies adjacent to your main target.
Choose one enemy within 20 feet of the target of your attack. The enemy is struck by damage equal to 1d8 + your proficiency modifier. This effect may cascade to up to three targets (excluding the main target), but cannot hit the same target more than once.
Starting at 14th level, this effect may include spell-enhanced attacks and may cascade to up to an additional two targets (to a maximum of five).
 

Enhancement, essence of authority

Beginning at 11th level, you may enhance your reflexes and strength to more accurately hit your target, and damage them even if you do not.
You gain advantage on all attack rolls made on this turn. If you miss, deal half of your normal damage as Force as a shockwave that impacts the enemy's body.
This feature can be used up to three times before requiring a short rest to be recharged.
 

---

Shaper

Fearless frontliners who are equally unafraid to shape their bodies into living weapons and defences.
 

Bulwark

Shapers gain access to powerful transformative techniques fueled by the strength of their divine self.
You have a pool of 7 anima points, a reservoir you can expend to unleash powerful abilities. Your maximum number of anima points increases to 9 at 7th level and 11 at 15th level.
You may also expend relevant spell-slot levels to fuel those same abilities. The costs and requirements are outlined in each ability's description.
Your regular pool of anima points is recharged with a long rest.
 

Form Revisions

The following form-shift techniques are presented in alphabetic order.  

Crystalline Repurposing

You expend an anima point as a reaction when an enemy dies while grappled by you.
You absorb the enemy's remaining life force and some of their body mass to restore your vitality, healing yourself for 1d10 + your hierarch level.
 

Disruptive Aura

You expend an anima point as a bonus action to begin to continuously vibrate your crystalline skin, creating powerful sonic distortions around you which disrupt nearby enemy creatures.
Choose a number of creatures up to your spellcasting modifier within 20 feet that can hear you. Those creatures must make succeed in a Wisdom Saving Throw or suffer disadvantage in all their attacks, including spells that have an attack component and have their sense of hearing greatly impaired. The range of this ability increases to 40 feet at 14th level.
This effect lasts for one minute or until the creature passes a Constitution Saving Throw, which can be performed at the end of each of their turns.
If a creature passes the saving throw, they cannot be affected by this feature again.
 

Gliding Implements

You expend an anima point and a reaction to change your body into more aerodynamic shapes, allowing you to perform limited flight for up to a minute.
While falling, you may control your fall and even perform a diagonal descent. You are able to extend these benefits to two allies that can bind themselves to you with crystalline straps that sprout from your hips.
If unburdened by others and having sufficient runway, you may propel yourself upwards with a jump and achieve up to three times the distance of your regular moving speed in height.
 

Mass Growth

You expend three anima points as an action to grow crystalline spikes from every part of your body, damaging any creature unfortunate enough to be standing near you.
Creatures standing within 15 feet of you must make a Dexterity Saving Throw, suffering 8d6 piercing damage on a failed save, and half as much in a successful one.
Additionally, creatures who fail the saving throw are debilitated and have disadvantage on all attack rolls until the end of their next turn.
You can choose any one creature that fails the saving throw to bring them adjacent to you as you rewind your spikes, immediately creating a crystalline prison around the target as they are grappled by you without the usage of your arms. If they break out from your grasp, this additional appendage fades.
 

Restorative Cocoon

You expend three anima points as a bonus action to create a cocoon of your own crystalline flesh that protects you and nearby creatures while restoring them.
You and creatures adjacent to you are covered in a crystalline shell until the beginning of your next turn. The shell allows for vision from the inside but blocks all sight from outside. Creatures inside the shell can attack enemies adjacent to the shell normally, as the shell adjusts its shape to allow for such action.
Any creatures affected gain +2 to their AC, and have their health restored by 4d4 + your spellcasting modifier.
 

Spiked Waders

You expend an anima point to grow spikes from the bottom of your feet, allowing you to perform great feats of traversal.
The spikes allow you to ignore difficult terrain, as you become extremely surefooted. You can also climb vertical surfaces with ease utilizing your regular walking speed.
These benefits last for a minute.
 

Streamlined Form

You expend an anima point to harden your flesh to the level of plate armour, becoming unstoppable.
With the use of a bonus action, your AC becomes 20 and cannot be reduced by any negative effects, and you must forego the use of a weapon and shield until the effect ends after a minute or you choose to end the effect early as a free action. Bonus AC from magical items can still increase your armour class.
  While in this form, you may use the taunt function of the feature 'Entropy, mockery of life' as a bonus action without requiring you to switch weapon forms as is usually required.
To attack, you may ram yourself against a creature to deal 1d10 + your modifier in bludgeoning damage, which requires 5 feet of running start to occur. This attack counts as a natural weapon, which you have proficiency with.
Additionally, you can trample objects and crumble walls in your path with relative ease and your Strength modifier receives the same bonus from your Charisma modifier if you choose so.
To crumble a wall, for instance, you must pass in a Strength check against a DC determined by your DM.
 

Enhancement, changing of flesh

Starting at 2nd level, you gain the following benefits:
  You do not wield weapons. Instead, you shape your body and limbs into crystalline shapes that serve multiple purposes in combat. As a bonus action, you can change either or both of your arms into crystalline varieties of any melee weapons that do not have the 'two-handed' property, as well as a shield. The shield generated by this feature does not inhibit your spellcasting ability.
  You may turn one of your arms into a crystalline prison, granting you an advantage on any attempt to grapple a target, and give your target disadvantage against escaping your grapple.
  Starting at 6th level, your shapeshifted weapons count as magic weapons for the purpose of piercing immunities.
 

Enhanced Form

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
This is reflected as an extra set of crystalline arms you create to supplement your ability to strike targets. The appendages can perform menial tasks outside of combat, and your melee attack range is increased to 10ft from this point forth.
  Additionally, as a reaction, you may intercept a projectile with one of your crystalline appendages as they hit you. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Quintessence modifier + your hierarch level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you absorb the projectile's matter and convert it into a crystalline mote which can be expended upon your next attack to increase its damage by 1d4. The damage increases to 1d6 at 8th level.
 

Entropy, mockery of life

Beginning at 7th level, your ability to shape your body aggravates your enemies and otherwise convinces them to commit acts of aggression towards you.
Whenever you shift the shape of your weapons, any enemies within 20 feet that have a line of sight to you must make a Wisdom saving throw. Upon failure, the target feels compelled to attack you, being imposed a disadvantage if they choose to attack any target other than you. The range of this ability extends to 40 feet at 14th level.
This effect ends if you finish your turn 20 or 40 feet (based on the skill's upgrade status) away from a given target or the creature is attacked by anyone other than you.
Additionally, you can harden your body with crystal as a reaction to increase your AC by 2 for that attack. At 14th level, this bonus is increased to 4.
 

---

Sagittarius

Manipulating the natural laws of the world to steer deadly shots to their intended marks, the Sagittarius is an opponent none can hide from.  

The True Marksman

Beginning at 2nd level, you gain proficiency with ranged simple weapons, ranged martial weapons and firearms.
  Sagittarii gain the ability to enchant their projectiles with magical properties that affect their functionality, providing benefits that increase their deadliness in combat.
You have a pool of 7 anima points, a reservoir you can expend to enchant your projectiles. Your maximum number of anima points increases to 9 at 7th level and 11 at 15th level.
You may also expend relevant spell-slot levels to fuel those same enchantments. The costs and requirements are outlined in each ability's description.
Your regular pool of anima points is recharged with a long rest.
 

Anima Enchantments

These enchantments are presented in alphabetic order.  

Caroming Missile

You expend an anima point or a first-level spell slot to infuse a projectile with ricocheting properties.
When attempting to attack a target you cannot see but can hear or smell, you can attack them without disadvantage by bouncing your projectile off walls and surfaces, provided the target is still within range.
This augment can be combined with other combination-enabled enhancements.
If combined with Skullpiercer, this augment allows you to hit multiple targets even if they are not in a straight line. You may only hit each target once with this combo, and the next target cannot be more than 5 feet away from the previous. The range increases to 10 feet at 6th level, 15 feet at 8th level and 20 feet at 12th level.
 

Delayed-Explosion Missile

Starting at 5th level, you may expend an anima point or a first-level spell slot to infuse a projectile with volatile explosive properties.
When using this enchantment on a given attack, you gain advantage on it.
If you hit the same target again with a single-target attack in the same round, the first projectile explodes violently and deals 1d12 + your proficiency modifier in additional damage to the target and half of that amount to all adjacent creatures.
If the target is not attacked again by you on the same turn, nothing happens, as the explosive properties fade shortly after.
 

Fracturing Missile

When you hit with a ranged attack against an enemy creature, you can expend an anima point or a first-level spell slot to shatter your projectile before impact, causing the resulting crystalline shrapnel to harm all enemies in a 15ft cone that starts adjacent to the original target. This deals your normal attack damage to the main target and 1d6 damage to all other targets.
This augment can be combined with other combination-enabled enhancements.
If combined with other enhancements, you may choose when to trigger the missile's explosion, thus negating any other effects when you do so.
 

Heart-seeker

You expend an anima point or a first-level spell slot to infuse a projectile with deadly vital-seeking properties.
You perform an attack with advantage. If you hit with a 19 or 20 on the d20, it becomes a critical hit.
Regardless of achieving a critical hit, add 1d6 to your damage roll, and if the target is bloodied, add 2d6 instead.
 

No Escape

When you make a ranged attack against an enemy creature that would impose a disadvantage due to range, you can enhance the bullet's speed by the usage of an anima point or a first-level spell slot, hence negating any such disadvantages up to three times your weapon's normal range. When you do so, you also enhance the damage of that attack by 1d6.
 

Railgun

Starting at 6th level, by consuming both of your attacks in a given turn, you may expend two anima points or a second-level spell slot to fire a powerful projectile to dismantle your enemies.
You combine both of your arcane armaments into a single, cannon-like entity you hold with your hands.
You then fire a superheated, powerful projectile that requires enemies in a 60ft long straight line to pass a Dexterity Saving Throw or be afflicted with 2d10 piercing damage plus 1d10 fire damage, halved on a success.
 

Skullpiercer

You expend an anima point or a first-level spell slot to infuse a projectile with material-piercing potency.
When you fire this projectile, it will pierce the target and hit any additional creatures standing in its path up to its maximum range.
The first enemy hit is inflicted with additional force, increasing damage dealt by 1d6.
This augment can be combined with other combination-enabled enhancements.
 

Stimulant Package

You expend an anima point or a first-level spell slot to infuse a projectile with restorative properties.
You target a friendly target with this projectile, which shatters upon contact and engulfs the target with healing energies.
You heal the target for 1d4 + your spellcasting modifier.
 

Force, essence of ballistics

Starting at 2nd level, you gain the following benefit:
Before you make a ranged attack with a ranged weapon with which you are proficient, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If you do so and the attack hits, it deals +10 damage.
 

Arcane Armaments

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
  You re-fashion your ranged weapon into two, smaller arcane devices which possess the same capabilities as the weapon which originated them.
These arcane devices do not require ammunition and float around you as autonomous devices, still requiring regular actions to activate, but your hands do not need to touch them.
  You may change the properties of the weapon to fit a different archetype (i.e. from Longbow, to Heavy Crosbow, to Musket, etc) by 'feeding' a weapon of that archetype to the device, incorporating its characteristics into the design of your armaments.
Afterwards, you may change the weapon's archetype between your available designs as a bonus action.
 

Spirit, sight beyond seeing

Starting at 7th level, your foes find it difficult to evade your shots even when not in your sights.
When you first hit a target, you place a mark upon their soul with your projectile. Any subsequent attacks made against the target cannot suffer penalties related to cover or line of sight, as the projectile seeks its target even around corners. If the spirit-seeking projectile hits its target, it deals 1d6 additional damage. This bonus increases to 1d12 at 15th level.
  You may only spirit-brand once target at a time. As long as you hit no other targets with projectiles, you can maintain a spirit-brand for up to 8 hours, which causes you to have an inherent knowledge of the enemy's whereabouts when it comes to in which cardinal direction you must follow to reach them, but not the distance at which they're found.

---