Hiraeth Experimental Rules - Divine Piety

Hiraeth Experimental Rules: Divine Piety

This playtest document presentscontains aexperimental possible new subsystemrules for ourthe customized versionworld of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.Hiraeth. These rulessystems are designed to offer a moredifferent dynamicplay andexperience, active representation oftying a character's connectionpower more closely to theirthe patron deity, intended primarily for classes that draw power from their faith, such as Clericsnarrative and Paladinsthe -specific anychallenges class could join it. This system can be used to replace or supplementof the standardsetting. ChannelThese Divinityrules featureare (feedbackconsidered isplaytest wanted on this).material.

The Nature of Piety

Your faith is a wellspringtangible connection to your patron deity, a reservoir of power,divine aenergy directyou conduitcan todraw the divine.upon. This connectionpower is represented by Piety Points,. Piety is not a static resource youthat cansimply callreplenishes uponafter toa alterrest; theit flowis a fluctuating measure of battle, protect your allies, and call down your deity's wrath.active These points are not granted freely; they arefavor, earned through fervent prayerdevotion and divinelyrisked inspiredthrough acts,desperate representing your god's active favor in moments of great consequence.pleas.

Gaining and Using Piety

You have a pool of Piety Points that ebbs and flows withbased the tide of battle.

Maximum Piety. You can hold a maximum number of Piety Points equal toon your Wisdomactions or Charisma modifier (whichever isand your spellcastingdaily ability for the class granting you these features) + your proficiency bonus. Any points gained beyond this maximum are lost but still count to your lifetime accumulation.devotion.

Starting Piety. When you startfirst again newaccess game,to this feature, you begin with a number of Piety Points equal to your proficiency bonus.

bonus

Replenishing+ Piety.your Outsidespellcasting ofability combatmodifier. (If you do not have a spellcasting ability for the class granting this feature, you may choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or other stressful situations, you can spend one minute in prayer and contemplationCharisma to gainserve restoreas yourthis Piety Points up to your proficiency bonus.modifier).

During an encounter,play, you gain Piety Points primarily through three methods: Ritual Prayer, Fervent Prayer, and Acts of Devotion.

Ritual Prayer

This is the followingcommon methods.

practice

Prayer

of

Asdaily andevotion, actiona onquiet yourand turn,focused yousupplication canperformed pauseoutside the stress of combat. This ritual takes 10 minutes to beseechcomplete. yourAt deitythe forend aid,of openingthe your spirit to their power. When you do so,ritual, you make a Wisdom (Religion) checkcheck.

• Result: to9 determineor thelower. outcome.Your Performing this prayermind is anclouded, act of intense focus that can leaveand you vulnerablefeel anddistant becomesfrom moreyour taxinggod. withYou eachgain attempt.no Piety.

  • Result: 10 orto lower.14. Your prayerprayers are heard. You regain 1d4 Piety Points.

  • Result: 15 or higher. Your devotion is rewarded. You regain 1d6 Piety Points.

  Fervent Prayer

  This is a desperate, in-the-moment plea for aid made amidst the chaos of battle or another perilous situation. As an action, you can open your soul to the divine. This is a risky act; the gods do not always answer as one would hope. When you use this action, you make a Wisdom (Religion) check, applying any relevant modifiers.

  • Result: 9 or lower. Your plea is met with a severe testdivine reaction. The DM determines a fitting consequence, which could include attracting the attention of faith.a hostile celestial or fiend, suffering a short-term madness, or having a sacred symbol crack and become non-functional for 24 hours.
  • Result: 10 to 12. Your faith wavers, and you feel a drain on your spirit. You lose a number of2 Piety Points.
  • Result: equal13 to one-quarter18. A flicker of yourdivine currentfavor totaltouches (rounded up). In addition, your vulnerability is exposed; the next attack roll made against you before the start of your next turn has advantage.

  • Result: 11–15. Your deity hears and answers your call.you. You gain 1d4 - 12 Piety Points (to a minimum of 0).

  • Result: 1619+. orYour higher.prayer is answered clearly. You gain 1d4 Piety Points.

  • Natural 20. You achieve a statemoment of perfectperfect, powerful communion. You gain 2d43 Piety PointsPoints.

  Auspicious Conditions

  The gods are more receptive when prayers align with their domains. Worshipping a sun god at high noon, a moon deity under the full moon, or a god of the forge before a roaring hearth can amplify your connection. When performing a Ritual or Fervent Prayer, andin a place or at a time considered sacred to your deity, you may immediatelyadd usea one+2 ofbonus to your Invocations of the Divine Domain without spending any Piety Points or requiring an action.

Escalating Risk

The spiritual toll of prayer is significant. The first time you use the Prayer action during an encounter, you make the Wisdom (Religion) checkcheck.

Spiritual withExhaustion

Calling disadvantage.upon Theyour seconddeity time,repeatedly in a short time is spiritually taxing. For each time you makehave theused checka normally.prayer Theaction thirdsince andcompleting anyyour subsequentlast timeslong rest, you usemust thissubtract actiona duringcumulative the-2 samefrom encounter,your Wisdom (Religion) check. This penalty resets after you makefinish thea checklong with disadvantage, and you also have disadvantage on all saving throws until the startrest.

Acts of your next turn.

Divine ResonanceDevotion

Your deity rewards actions that tangibly advance their cause.cause Whenin the world. These are not simple prayers, but significant deeds undertaken in your god's name. The DM can award Piety Points when you complete such an act. The amount should reflect the act's significance.

Examples of Acts of Devotion include:

• Consecrating a desecrated temple to your deity (3 Piety Points).
• Converting a character of significant influence to your faith (5 Piety Points).
• Destroying a powerful artifact sacred to an enemy fails a saving throw against one of your Clericfaith or Paladin spells, you gain (11d6+2 Piety PointPoints). You can gain
• Undertaking a pointgreat inpersonal thissacrifice waythat onlydirectly onceserves peryour turn.
  deity's tenets (DM's discretion).

Acts of Faith

You can spend your accumulated Piety Points to create a wide variety of miraculous effects, known as Acts of Faith. The following options are available to you.effects.

Invocations of the Divine Domain

Cost: 3 Piety Points, 1 Action

As an action, you can expend 3 Piety Points to manifest one of the Invocations granted by your Divine Domain. These are potent abilities that channel the core essence of your deity's portfolio.

Miracles of the Battlefield

Divine Empowerment.  Cost: 2 Piety Points, 1 Reaction When an ally you can see within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll or a saving throw, you can use your reaction to grant them a bonus to the roll equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.

Sacred Strike.  Cost: 1 Piety Point, No Action Immediately after you hit a creature with a weapon attack or a spell that requires an attack roll, you can spend 1 Piety Point to infuse the strike with divine energy. The attack deals an additional 1d10 radiant damage. This damage increases to 2d10 if the target is an undead or a fiend.

Overwhelming Spell.  Cost: 2 Piety Points, No Action When you cast a spell that forces one or more creatures to make a saving throw, you can spend 2 Piety Points to choose one target of the spell; that creature has disadvantage on its initial saving throw against the spell.

Boons of Protection and Healing

Restorative Grace.  Cost: 1 Piety Point per die, 1 Bonus Action As a bonus action, you can touch one willing creature and spend up to your proficiency bonus in Piety Points. For each point spent, the creature regains 1d81d4 hit points.

Aegis of Faith.  Cost: 1 Piety Point, 1 Reaction When you or a creature you can see within 30 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to manifest a shimmering shield of divine energy. The target gains temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your spellcasting ability modifier, which are expended immediately to absorb the triggering damage.

Purifying Spirit.  Cost: 2 Piety Points, 1 Action You touch one creature and channel cleansing energy. You can end one condition afflicting it. The condition can be blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, or poisoned.

Invocations of the Divine Domain

Each Divine Domain grants access to a specific, powerful Invocation.

• Creation. You cause a wall of solid stone to rise from a solid surface you can see within 60 feet. The wall can be up to 30 feet long, 10 feet high, and 1 foot thick. Each 10-foot section has AC 15 and hit points equal to 15 times your proficiency bonus.

• Death. You channel the chilling touch of the grave. Choose up to two enemies you can see within 60 feet. They must each make a Constitution saving throw. A target takes necrotic damage equal to 3d8 + your proficiency bonus on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

• Fate. You tug at the threads of destiny. Choose a creature you can see within 60 feet. The next time that creature makes an attack roll or saving throw before the end of your next turn, you can use your reaction to change the die roll to either a 1 or a 20.

• Knowledge. You open the minds of your allies to divine insight. Choose up to three allies you can see within 60 feet. For the next minute, when those allies make an attack roll, they can add your spellcasting ability modifier to the result. An ally loses this benefit after they hit with an attack.

• Life. A wave of pure vitality washes out from you. You and up to five allies of your choice within 30 feet either regain hit points equal to 2d6 + your proficiency bonus or can immediately end one effect on them that is causing them to be grappled or restrained.

• Love. You evoke a feeling of profound loyalty and affection. Each ally within 30 feet of you gains temporary hit points equal to 2d6 + your proficiency bonus, and they have advantage on their next saving throw made within the next minute.

• Nature. You call upon the primal power of the wild. The ground in a 20-foot radius centered on a point you can see within 60 feet becomes difficult terrain for your enemies for 1 minute. Additionally, you can cause grasping vines to lash out at one creature within the area, forcing it to make a Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet in any direction and be restrained until the start of your next turn.

• Protection. You create a sanctuary around an ally. Choose one ally you can see within 60 feet. Until the start of your next turn, that ally has resistance to all damage, and opportunity attacks against them are made with disadvantage.

• Storm. You summon a localized squall. Each enemy in a 20-foot cube originating from a point you can see within 60 feet must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes lightning damage equal to 2d10 + your proficiency bonus on a failed save, and they are pushed 10 feet away from the center of the cube.

• Sun. A mote of pure sunlight appears and strikes one enemy you can see within 60 feet. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 3d10 fire damage and is blinded until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, it takes half damage and is not blinded.

• Trickery. You bend reality around a creature you can see within 60 feet. You can teleport that creature to an unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet of its current location. If you choose a willing ally, this movement does not provoke opportunity attacks and they have advantage on the next attack roll they make before the end of their turn.

• War. Your deity's favor guides your strikes. For 1 minute, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20. Additionally, the first time you hit with a weapon attack each turn, you deal extra damage equal to your proficiency bonus.