#hombrew subclass

In the sprawling cities and toil-worn countrysides of the realm, a new fire is kindled. Not of divine light in distant heavens, but in the hearths of the common folk and the sparks of defiance in the eyes of the oppressed. Here, a new kind of paladin arises—a warrior of the people, bound by an oath not to a celestial being or an ancient tradition, but to the promise of a world remade. This is the Oath of Liberation, a sacred vow to stand with the working class, to dismantle the thrones of tyrants, and to forge a new dawn of freedom and solidarity.

Paladins of the Oath of Liberation are the vanguard of revolution, combining the martial prowess and unwavering conviction of their order with the strategic acumen and fervent spirit of a revolutionary leader. They are found on the front lines of picket lines, at the heart of peasant uprisings, and in the clandestine meetings where the seeds of change are sown. Their armor is often practical, adorned with the symbols of their movement—a broken chain, a hammer, or the simple colors of the common people. To the downtrodden, they are beacons of hope; to the oppressors, they are the specter of righteous retribution.

Tenets of Liberation

The tenets of the Oath of Liberation are a radical call to action, a commitment to overthrowing unjust hierarchies and empowering the masses.

* Break the Chains. You are sworn to fight against all forms of bondage, be it the physical chains of slavery, the economic chains of serfdom, or the ideological chains of tyranny.

* Power to the People. True authority comes from the will of the collective, not the decree of a monarch. You must work to dismantle systems of oppression and place power in the hands of the working people.

* Solidarity Forever. Your strength lies in unity. You must stand in solidarity with all who labor and all who are oppressed, for their struggle is your struggle. An injury to one is an injury to all.

* Vanguard's Duty. You are the tip of the spear, the first to charge into the fray and the last to retreat. You must inspire courage, lead with conviction, and be an unwavering example of revolutionary zeal.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

* 3rd Level: Command, Heroism

* 5th Level: Pass without Trace, Shatter

* 9th Level: Beacon of Hope, Haste

* 13th Level: Freedom of Movement, Stoneskin

* 17th Level: Animate Objects, Destructive Wave

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

Incite the Masses. As an action, you can use your Channel Divinity to unleash a powerful call to revolution. Each hostile creature within 30 feet of you that can see or hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is frightened of you and up to a number of your allies equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one) for 1 minute. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Unflinching Resolve. As a bonus action, you can use your Channel Divinity to bolster your allies. For 1 minute, you and any friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Aura of Solidarity

Starting at 7th level, you emanate an aura of unwavering unity. When you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you is subjected to an effect that would cause them to be charmed, frightened, or stunned, they can use their reaction to immediately make a saving throw against the effect.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Vanguard's Advance

At 15th level, you have become a master of leading the charge and breaking enemy lines. When you use your Divine Smite feature, you can choose to forgo two of the radiant damage dice to grant yourself and a number of allies equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one) within 30 feet of you the benefits of the Dash action as a bonus action on your next turn.

The People's Champion

At 20th level, you can assume the form of a living embodiment of revolution. As an action, you can undergo a transformation that lasts for 1 minute. You gain the following benefits:

* You have resistance to all damage.

* When you or an ally within 30 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can use your reaction to cause them to drop to 1 hit point instead. You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once).

* Your weapon attacks deal an additional 1d8 force damage. This damage is doubled against constructs and objects.

* As a bonus action on each of your turns, you can issue a rallying cry. Choose one friendly creature within 30 feet of you that can hear you. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to your Paladin level.

Hey D&D fam! Mad Lab Games is thrilled to pull back the veil on our newest 5th Edition sourcebook: The Book of Vile Darkness!

For DMs and players who crave deeper, more compelling narratives, this book is your key to exploring the rich, complex tapestry of villainy in your campaigns. Forget two-dimensional bad guys—we're diving into the why behind the wickedness.

What awaits you in these shadowed pages?

The Nature of Evil: A nuanced look at what drives villains, from twisted ambition to insidious fear, helping you craft antagonists with true depth.

Tools of Darkness: New mechanics for vile organizations, corrupting environments, dark rituals, and malevolent magic items to truly bring your evil schemes to life.

Paths to Perdition: Explore vile feats and corrupted magic for those players daring enough to walk the shadowed path, offering powerful abilities with significant consequences.

Vile Subclasses: Brand-new options like the Bard's College of Dirges, the Paladin's Oath of Desecration, and the Wizard's School of Fleshcrafting for characters who truly embrace their dark side.

Lords of Evil: Updated lore and insights into the cosmic forces of evil—the Archdevils and Demon Lords—and how to weave their terrifying influence into your highest-level campaigns.

New Monsters: Encounter horrific new creatures like the Soul Larva, Eye of Fear and Flame, Jerren, and Nightmare Weaver, designed to embody profound malevolence.

We believe that by understanding the shadows, the light shines brighter. This book is crafted to make your villains more impactful, your moral dilemmas more challenging, and your D&D stories more unforgettable.

A quick but important note: This book delves into mature themes. We've focused on narrative depth and mechanical impact over gratuitous detail, and we strongly encourage using safety tools and open communication at your table. D&D is a game for everyone, and ensuring a comfortable and fun experience is always our top priority.

Meet Hielaph, a celestial being of pure light, who embodies the essence of all things lost, misplaced, or wandering. This genderless, faceless, and eternally silent deity doesn't speak, but rather communicates through subtle actions and the delicate weaving of fate.

You might glimpse Hielaph as a swift hawk or a graceful deer, its form shimmering with stars and constellations, carrying a piece of the cosmos within. Its symbol? A featureless orb encircled by the silhouette of a bird and a deer, representing guidance and grace.

The Aetherlens: A Cosmic Catalog of Loss 🌌

At the very core of Hielaph's power is the Aetherlens, a luminous scrying orb. This isn't just any orb – it holds the essence and memory of everything lost. We're talking about more than just misplaced keys; it includes forgotten dreams, abandoned hopes, forsaken memories, and even wandering souls. Hielaph can use the Aetherlens to show visions, guiding worthy seekers to lost things or leading them to rediscover what they need in unexpected ways. It's Hielaph's silent eye watching over every traveler, on physical journeys or through the labyrinths of their own minds.

Subtle Whispers, Powerful Paths 🦌🦅

Hielaph's guidance is incredibly subtle, almost imperceptible – a distant glimmer of light, a faint rustle of leaves, or the fleeting silhouette of a cosmic animal. Those who follow Hielaph often find themselves on paths they never intended, only to realize these detours led them exactly where they needed to be.

It's said Hielaph intervenes most when people are in desperate need: pilgrims seeking sanctuary, refugees fleeing danger, or lost souls searching for purpose. In these moments, Hielaph might appear as a hawk soaring ahead or a deer standing watchfully at a crossroads, silently pointing towards safety or enlightenment.

Tales of Guidance & Rediscovery 📖

Hielaph's influence is woven into many tales:

The Unseen Guide: A radiant, cosmic hawk once led a caravan of lost exiles through a vast desert to an oasis, guiding them to safety and a new beginning.

Keeper of Forgotten Names: Hielaph is believed to guard the names of those lost to history, sometimes restoring a lost sense of identity to those who need it most.

The Wayward Candle: During a harsh winter, a flickering candle, guided by Hielaph, appeared and led villagers to a hidden cache of supplies, symbolizing hope in the darkest times.

Honoring the Silent Watcher 🙏

Followers of Hielaph aren't tied to strict rules. Instead, they honor the deity through acts of kindness, helping the lost, and caring for travelers and wanderers.

Shrines are simple, unassuming spots, often marked by an orb-like object with cosmic motifs, placed along roads or at crossroads.

Offerings include tokens of lost things (like a single glove or a lone key), believed to ensure safe travels or help others find what they seek.

The Festival of Wanderers is an annual event where followers share journey tales and give thanks for Hielaph's unseen hand.

The Eternal Paradox: To Seek is to Understand 🤔

Hielaph embodies a beautiful paradox: it knows where everything is, but it doesn't give easy answers. Instead, it teaches that the journey itself is often more important than the destination. Sometimes, what's lost isn't meant to be found, but simply understood.

In a world full of uncertainties, Hielaph stands as a quiet beacon of hope, reminding all who wander that they are truly never alone.

The Parable of Hielaph and the City of The Lost

Hielaph, the Silent Watcher, descended as celestial dust and light to a thriving city, unseen by its tens of thousands of inhabitants.

Silently, Hielaph began its work, recording every detail within the Aetherlens: the names of every person, the locations of wells, markets, temples, and even secret paths.

It witnessed and recorded the deeds of all, from acts of mercy to acts of wickedness. It even mapped the city's hidden underground veins and waterways.

For many days and nights, Hielaph observed, its cosmic dust glimmering faintly. When its work was complete, it lingered briefly, as if in sorrow for what was to come, then ascended back to the cosmos, carrying the city's complete memory within the Aetherlens.

Years later, the city was no more—its walls crumbled, its towers fallen, its streets silent and filled with rubble. The cause of its ruin was forgotten by time.

Hielaph returned to the ruins, drifting through empty streets and shattered homes. Yet, it remembered everything: the laughter, the songs, the prayers, the faces, the joys, and the sorrows of its people.

As Hielaph floated among the ruins, its cosmic dust gently swirling, it was filled with sorrow. For even though it had recorded all, it could not restore what was lost. It could only remember.

Silently, Hielaph ascended once more, leaving the ruins behind. The memory of the city, however, remained within the Aetherlens, preserved for eternity—a testament to what once was and what can be lost.

Welcome to Ironhold. The world you're about to enter isn't one of high fantasy, chosen heroes, or benevolent gods. This is a world of smog and iron, of roaring forges and grinding oppression. You aren't an adventurer seeking fame and fortune. You're a laborer, a cog in a vast, merciless machine, and your masters are monsters.

This guide will give you everything you need to build a character ready to survive—and perhaps even fight back against—the brutal regime of Ironhold. Your story isn't about what you'll find in a dragon's hoard, but what you're willing to sacrifice for a taste of freedom.

What You Need to Know: The World at a Glance

The Rulers Are Werewolves: The Bloodpact Faction, a militaristic society of werewolves, rules this domain. They're strong, brutal, and see humans as a resource to be exploited. Their enforcers and monstrous Mesa Wolves patrol the streets.

The Gods Are Silent: The Mists that cage this world also block the influence of any outside power. There are no gods who answer prayers, no patrons who make pacts. You're on your own.

Life Is Labor: Your existence is defined by your work. Whether in the searing heat of the forges, on the high-rise construction rigs, or in the dank hydroponic caverns, your purpose is to serve the state. A system of payment by company scrip keeps you in perpetual debt.

The World Is a Cage: The lands between the fortified cities are a toxic expanse called the Wastes. Travel is only possible via heavily armored trains. Venturing into the Wastes or the mysterious Mists that surround the domain is a death sentence.

Myths and Monsters: You've grown up with propaganda posters warning of vampiric saboteurs—the "Sanguine Covenant"—blamed for accidents and unrest. You've also heard hushed, terrified whispers from those who have survived Waste Duty about "Stitchers," things of metal and flesh that unmake the living. To you, both are just ghost stories meant to keep you in line.

Building Your Revolutionary

Your character is a product of this strife. When creating your character, follow these steps.

1. You Are Human

All player characters are human. Your strength comes not from exotic ancestry, but from the grit and determination to survive in a world that wants to crush you.

2. Choose Your Lineage

Your lineage reflects the culture of your ancestors who were trapped here long ago. Choose one of the three human lineages:

Stonewright: Descended from the original mountain-dwelling tribe, you're tough, resilient, and have an innate understanding of stonework and engineering.

Weaver: Descended from a communal people of artisans and traders, you're skilled in your craft and thrive on the bonds of your community.

Scrapper: Descended from nomads and outcasts, you're a resourceful and nimble survivor, at home in the forgotten fringes of the city.

3. Choose Your Profession (Background)

Your background is the job you were forced into by the regime. Choose one of the six available backgrounds:

Forge Worker: Toiled in the heat of the Great Forge.

Construction Rigger: Built the city's high-rises and walls.

Hydroponics Cultivator: Grew the grim food that sustains the workforce.

Enforcer Brigade Deserter: Fled your post as one of the regime's brutal police.

Functionary Scribe: Pushed papers in the city's bureaucracy.

Dregs Scavenger: Survived in the lawless underbelly of the city.

4. Choose Your Class

Your class represents the skills you honed to fight back. All subclasses are unique to this world and designed to fit its themes. The following classes are available:

Artificer

Barbarian

Bard

Fighter

Monk

Ranger

Rogue

Wizard

(Clerics, Druids, Paladins, Sorcerers, and Warlocks are not available in this setting.)

Themes to Expect

Labor and Strife: This campaign is about the struggle of the working class. Your challenges will revolve around sabotage, espionage, street fights, and organizing a rebellion, not clearing out ancient dungeons.

Shades of Gray Morality: You'll have to make difficult choices. Allies may not be what they seem, and the path to freedom may require you to get your hands dirty.

Hope Is Forged, Not Given: There's no prophecy to save you. Hope isn't a passive thing; it's a weapon you must build yourselves, one small victory at a time.

You have lived your life with your head down. You have followed the rules, worked your shifts, and endured. But a new sound is joining the rhythm of the forges—the whispers of revolution. And now, you have a choice to make. Your story begins at the moment you decide you've had enough.

The Herald is a warrior whose force of will is so profound it has become a tangible weapon. They stride onto the battlefield not merely as a combatant, but as a nexus of authority, their voice resonating with psionic power that can shatter resolve, command attention, and send foes reeling. To a Herald, combat is a contest of wills, and their every shout is a decree that reshapes the flow of battle. They are the ultimate battlefield commanders, using fear, taunts, and raw psychic force to orchestrate victory.

This subclass focuses on a commanding presence, using psionic shouts to debuff enemies while manipulating their position and morale. Your key secondary ability score for this subclass is Intelligence.

Herald Features

* 3rd Level: Psionic Power, Voice of Command, Telekinetic Thrust

* 7th Level: Projected Terror, Forced Dueling

* 10th Level: Psychic Redoubt, Psionic Enhancement

* 15th Level: Mind Lash

* 18th Level: Mindscape Apex

Psionic Power

3rd-level Herald feature

You harbor a wellspring of psionic energy within yourself. This energy is represented by a pool of Psionic Energy dice. You have a number of these dice equal to twice your proficiency bonus, and they are d6s.

You can spend these dice to fuel your various psionic features. You regain all of your expended Psionic Energy dice when you finish a long rest.

When you reach certain levels in this class, the size of your Psionic Energy dice increases: at 10th level (d8), at 15th level (d10), and at 18th level (d12).

Voice of Command

3rd-level Herald feature

You can channel psionic force into your voice, turning every attack into a commanding decree. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can unleash a disorienting shout. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) or suffer two effects:

* It takes 1d4 psychic damage.

* It has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the start of your next turn.

The psychic damage of this feature increases to 1d6 at 10th level.

Telekinetic Thrust

3rd-level Herald feature

As a bonus action, or when you hit a creature with an attack, you can expend one Psionic Energy die to manipulate your target with raw telekinetic force. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) or you can choose one of the following effects:

* You push the target up to 15 feet directly away from you.

* You pull the target up to 15 feet directly toward you.

Projected Terror

7th-level Herald feature

You can channel your psionic power to broadcast waves of primal fear. As an action, you can expend one Psionic Energy die and target a creature you can see within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) or become frightened of you for 1 minute. The frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Forced Dueling

7th-level Herald feature

You can implant a psychic command in a foe's mind, compelling them to face you. As a bonus action, you can expend one Psionic Energy die and force a creature you can see within 30 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier). On a failed save, the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against any target other than you for 1 minute. This effect ends early if you attack a different creature, if you and the target are more than 60 feet apart, or if the creature can no longer see or hear you.

Psychic Redoubt

10th-level Herald feature

Your mind can erect a barrier of force to deflect harm. When you or a creature you can see within 30 feet takes damage, you can use your reaction and expend one Psionic Energy die to reduce the damage taken. You reduce the damage by an amount equal to the number you roll on the die + your Intelligence modifier.

Psionic Enhancement

10th-level Herald feature

The size of your Psionic Energy dice increases to d8s. Additionally, the psychic damage from your Voice of Command feature increases to 1d6.

Mind Lash

15th-level Herald feature

You can unleash your psionic power not just as a targeted decree, but as a wide blast of psychic force. As an action, you can expend one Psionic Energy die to create a 30-foot cone of psychic energy originating from you.

Each creature in that area must make an Intelligence saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier). A creature takes psychic damage equal to four of your Psionic Energy dice on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Additionally, the size of your Psionic Energy dice increases to d10s.

Mindscape Apex

18th-level Herald feature

As an action, you can expend two Psionic Energy dice to make your presence the absolute center of the battlefield, projecting an aura of pure mental dominance. This 30-foot radius aura lasts for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated. For the duration, you gain the following benefits:

* You are immune to psychic damage and the charmed and frightened conditions.

* The area within the aura is difficult terrain for any enemy creature as their will to move is sapped by your presence.

* Whenever you hit an enemy creature inside the aura with an attack, you can use your Telekinetic Thrust feature on that creature without expending a Psionic Energy die.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.