Moving along, now that I know the basic mechanics of the game–the core engine and player classes–that I’m developing for my Patrons over on Patreon, it’s time to decide on the divine domains. If this the first you’ve stumbled onto the Gods of Wandrossa ruleset, be sure to read up on the first three parts:
- Gods of Wandrossa – Design Notes
- Gods of Wandrossa – Playing a God
- Gods of Wandrossa – Daily Actions System
- Gods of Wandrossa – Godly Domains
Playtest Content
The material here is presented for playtesting and to spark your imagination. These game mechanics are in draft form, usable in your campaign but not refined by final game design and editing. They aren’t officially part of the game.
Constructive feedback is welcome and appreciated in either comments or social media. If you can give me a valid reason with examples why something is off, 9/10 I’m likely to make changes to the content and credit you for doing so. Otherwise, feedback without anything to back it up gets ignored (or at most a smile emoji like this 🙂 ) Thanks!
Gods of Wandrossa Design Notes
Grave is a tricky one to come up with since it doesn’t lend itself easily to the way the game already functions. Arguably, it’s a weird one from a Fifth Editon perspective, too. Don’t get me wrong. The mechanics are cool. And the concept is cool. But as redditors are prone to say, “What purpose does this serve in the game?”
However, I promised myself that I would maintain all of the “official” domains of the Fifth Edition universe and here I am doing so.
The way I worked this particular domain was making it the ultimate thwarter. Basically, about as obnoxious as a god can be in the game! Its powers are based around stopping other gods from using their powers (particularly life and death gods). In addition, it gains way more followers from its divine location than the other gods do, giving it a distinct advantage at higher levels.
Godly Domains
At 1st rank, a god gains the Godly Domain feature. The following Grave domain option is available to a god in the Gods of Wandrossa game.
Grave
Gods of the grave watch over the line between life and death. To these deities, death and the afterlife are a foundational part of the multiverse. To desecrate the peace of the dead is an abomination.
Domain Powers
The Grave domain lets you choose from an expanded list of powers when you learn a divine power. The following powers are added to the divine power list for you.
|
Power Level
|
Power |
| 1st | discipline, magical ward |
| 2nd | build cemetery, remove plague |
| 3rd | create celestial/fiend, thwart |
| 4th | imprison, superior defenses |
| 5th | block power, nullify |
Gate to the Afterlife
Starting at 1st level, any time a settlement loses 100 or more of its population, you can use your reaction to gain 100 followers. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your might bonus. You regain all expended uses at the end of a cycle.
Divine Protection
At 1st level, any time a god whose might is equal to or less than your own uses a power or feature to reduce a settlement’s population, you can use your reaction to prevent the attempt; the power or feature fails and has no effect. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until a new cycle begins.
Improved Cemeteries
Starting at 3rd level, your cemeteries drive more mortals to put their faith in you. You gain an additional 20 followers at the end of each year for each settlement that contains both one of your temples and a cemetery.
Protector
At 6th level, you can use the Protect action each day as a bonus action.
Divine Location: Grand Temple
At 10th level, you can build a divine location, a grand temple. Select a region that does not already contain a grand temple. Place a grand temple on a non-water hex in that region not already occupied by another location. The grand temple has the following stats and benefits:
- Its Defense Value is 7. At 14th level, the DV for your fortress increases by 2 (DV 9) and again at 18th level (DV 11).
- It is managed by an archpriest. The archpriest is sworn to you and you alone. You cannot move the archpriest from the grand temple and if the grand temple is destroyed, the archpriest perishes with it.
- The grand temple has 4 levels and 22 areas with 16 encounters offering an average of 6,000 XP per encounter to adventurers.
- As long as your grand temple is standing, you gain an additional 500 followers at the end of each day.
You decide whether or not the grand temple is home to evil or good creatures, however, they cannot be undead. If your grand temple is destroyed, you can’t rebuild it for 20 days. Once the grand temple is available again, you must use your daily action to rebuild it.
You can choose to have one of your chosen ones manage your grand temple. At your option, the archpriest can become second in command while your chosen one leads. Your chosen one adds its normal location bonuses to the grand temple (if any).
If you are destroyed or demoted to 9th level or lower, your grand temple turns to ruins.
Planar Gate
At 14th level, your authority over the living and the dead is absolute. Place a planar gate in the region where your grand temple is located. The planar gate must be placed on any hex not already occupied by a location. While the planar gate remains open in that region, the region gains the following benefits:
- No god other than you can gain followers from the loss or gain of population in the region.
- Each day, whenever a settlement in the region becomes the target of another god’s conflict, you can use your reaction to oppose the conflict.
- When you place the planar gate, you gain a new chosen one. The chosen one does not count towards the total number of chosen ones that you can have and the chosen one must be either a celestial or a fiend (your choice). The chosen one cannot leave the region for any purposes. If another god’s powers or features force the chosen one to leave the region, it is destroyed. If this chosen one is destroyed, you can use your bonus action to revive the chosen one, returning it to its home region.
If you are destroyed or demoted to 13th level or lower, the Planar Gate closes.
New Divine Powers
The divine powers are presented in alphabetical order.
Block Power
5th-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 reaction, whenever a god uses a power
Duration: Instantaneous
If a god uses its action to use a power of 4th level or lower, the power fails and has no effect.
At Higher Levels. When you use this power using a power slot of 5th level or higher, the interrupted power has no effect if its level is less than or equal to the level of the power slot you used.
Build Cemetery
2nd-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: Instantaneous
Wealth Cost: 5
Choose a settlement that contains one of your temples. You build a cemetery in that settlement. While the cemetery is in that settlement, any time the settlement loses its population, the satisfaction score of the settlement increases by 1.
At Higher Levels. When you use this power using a power slot of 3rd level or higher, the wealth cost is reduced by 1 for each slot used above 4th (to a minimum of 1).
Create Celestial/Fiend
3rd-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: 5 years
You create a new celestial or fiend (your choice) of CR 4 or lower. In addition, choose one settlement. That settlement’s DV increases by 3 for the duration.
At Higher Levels. When you use this power using a power slot of 5th level or higher, you can create a celestial or fiend of CR 10 or lower and the target settlement’s DV increases by 4. And when you use you this power using a power slot of 7th level or higher, you can create a celestial or fiend of CR 17 or lower the target settlement’s DV increases by 5.
Discipline
1st-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: 5 days
For the duration, any time another god attempts to convert your followers, the number of followers converted is reduced by half.
Imprison
4th-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: 5 days
Select a chosen one whose god’s might is equal to or less than your own. For the duration, the chosen one cannot be moved, nor does it affect any location it is on.
Magical Ward
1st-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: 5 days
You bless a location with your divine might. Choose one location. The DV of that location increases by an amount equal to your might bonus for the duration.
Nullify
5th-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: 1 day
Choose a divine location whose god’s might is equal to or less than your own. For the duration, that location’s DV is reduced by 3 (to a minimum of 1). In addition, if a conflict is started there, the divine location’s god cannot oppose or assist in the conflict.
Superior Defenses
4th-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: 1 year
Choose a region. Every settlement in the region increases its DV by 4 until the start of the next day.
At Higher Levels. When you use this power using a power slot of 5th-level or higher, the settlements’ DVs increase by an additional 1 point for each power slot used beyond 4th.
Plague
2nd-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: 5 days
You curse a settlement of your choice with a deadly plague. For the duration, the settlement loses 100 of its population each day during the resolution phase.
At Higher Levels. When you use this power using a power slot of 3rd level or higher, the power’s duration increases by 1 additional day for each power slot used beyond 2nd.
Remove Plague
2nd-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: Instantaneous
You end the plague effect for one settlement.
Thwart
4th-level divine power
Implementation Time: 1 action
Duration: 1 day
Choose a god. During the resolution phase, that god’s actions for the day (if any) are considered to have been declared 1 hour later than they actually were. If this would make a god’s declaration occur after the declaration cut off time, its action has no effect and is lost.
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Art by Wizards of the Coast.