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Flagellant
Bent double under a group of kobolds unleashing their spears on him an old dwarf laughs through the agony. Empowered by the punishment he begins to focus his pain. Moments later a thunderous roar sends the kobolds flying through the air.
Villagers look in disgust at the diseased half-orc, dressed in tattered robes and covered in sores, as she is being chased from the village. But the boy she was attending to moments earlier is slowly opening his eyes, the crippling disease no longer affecting him.
A wide-eyed, insane human rushes towards a group of charging orcs with a flail in hand. Frothing at the mouth, awash in his own blood and castigating himself, he shows no sign of slowing down. The orcs pull to a halt with fear in their eyes to defend themselves against the zealous warrior.
Flagellants seek atonement for vile deeds committed in the past by them or their kindred. Wandering the lands, preaching, healing the meek and fighting the darkness with a fervor that borders on insanity they hope to make amends in the eyes of the people they once hurt and the deity that protects them.
The Burden of Sin
A flagellant knows the vile stink of evil and what it can do as they themselves are born from it. Most, if not all, were evildoers most foul. In their lifetime they perhaps met their fate at the hands of a righteous champion of good who spared their life if they made amends. Or they were raised as a ruthless killer by a warring tribe, seeking to save their soul after an altruistic act of kindness from a stranger. Not all creatures of the dark repent after such an encounter but the ones that truly wish to atone for what they did are to be reckoned with. Scouring to cleanse the land of the evil they once were in a lifetime of penance, their acts awaken in these wretched men and women an almost divine perseverance. They are generally regarded with a toxic mixture of fear, awe and disgust. The power they draw from martyrdom is as effective as it is unsettling. In one moment they are silently bearing the burden of others. The next they are a conduit of terrible wrath. A whirlwind of steel and madness, locked in perpetual battle with the enemy and their own soul.
Shunned and Zealous
All flagellants are defined by the adventuring life to seek atonement for their former deeds. Their zealous, extreme way of life and dark history often leaves them isolated from the temples and churches of deities they might follow. They are ready to make incredible sacrifices to atone for what they did and when traveling with other adventurers they can become loathsome of those that lack the passion and drive they have to root out evil wherever it can be found. Flagellants are rarely evil and, due to their extreme methods, seldomly fall in the neutral part of the axis.
You might want to re-shape how your flagellant starts its lifetime of mortification. With your DM's discretion you can be a follower of an evil deity with torture or pain in their portfolio like Loviatar. Or maybe you are an insane convicted sadomasochist in love with inflicting pain and agony on everyone including himself. If you choose to do so you can replace any radiant damage with necrotic damage to better suit your evil ways.
Creating a Flagellant
The first choice you make making a flagellant is choosing what led you to the life of castigation. What sort of creature were you and what happened that made you decide to turn your face to the light and away from the darkness you dwelt in? Did you do it voluntarily? Did you have no choice in the matter? Choosing to wander the land, disillusioned by the consequences their evil deeds wrought to gain wealth and power and putting to death these old sins by extreme self-mortification is not a path everyone can take. Try to check with your DM what deity, if you choose to gain the favor of one, would encourage flaggelantism and how (or even if) self-affliction is incorporated in the game.
Think about how your alignment affects your journey to salvation. Is your character lawful? Upholding a message of piety without fail? Or a chaotic and delusional individual, trying to find his way in a new world.
The Flagellant
Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Sanguinity Damage Die |
---|---|---|---|
1st | +2 | Scar-laden Flesh, Envoy of Suffering | — |
2nd | +2 | Sanguinity, Fighting Style | 1d4 |
3rd | +2 | Vow, Bloodletting | 1d4 |
4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 1d4 |
5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 1d6 |
6th | +3 | Envoy of Suffering Improvement | 1d6 |
7th | +3 | Vow Feature | 1d6 |
8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 1d6 |
9th | +4 | Shared Burden | 1d6 |
10th | +4 | Abstinence | 1d6 |
11th | +4 | Vow Feature | 1d8 |
12th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 1d8 |
13th | +5 | Choir of Wounds | 1d8 |
14th | +5 | Vow Feature | 1d8 |
15th | +5 | Sacrament of the Lash | 1d8 |
16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 1d8 |
17th | +6 | Unwavering Fervor | 1d10 |
18th | +6 | Presbytery of Pain | 1d10 |
19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 1d10 |
20th | +6 | Patron Saint | 1d10 |
Quick Build
You can build a flagellant quickly by following these suggestions. First, Constitution should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength. Second, choose the Acolyte background
Class Features
As a flagellant, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per flagellant level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per flagellant level after 1st.
Proficiencies
- Armor: none
- Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
- Tools: none
- Saving Throws: Constitution, Strength
- Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion and Religion
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a flail or (b) another one-handed martial weapon
- (a) a Light Crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any one-handed simple weapon
- (a) a Priest's Pack or (b) an Explorer's Pack
Scar-laden Flesh
Starting at 1st level your constant and ruthless self-flagellation makes you less susceptible to pain. If you are not wearing armor or using a shield your AC is 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier.
Envoy of Suffering
Beginning at 1st level, as a reaction when an ally within 5 feet is Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Stunned, or affected by a disease or poison, you can take these conditions on yourself. As a part of your reaction you can make the saving throw instead of the target, if a saving throw applies. If you succeed on this throw the condition does not affect you. If you fail, the condition affects you like normal. You cannot endure a condition that is permanent and you cannot stack conditions. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier. After finishing a long rest you regain all uses.
At 6th level, you can also suffer any damage an ally takes. This damage cannot be reduced in any way. Half the damage from this attack converts to sanguinity points.
Sanguinity
You constantly repent for your sins by inflicting pain upon yourself. You revel in these extreme emotions and at 2nd level a spark of insane enjoyment lights inside of you. You can, as a bonus action, lash at your own body. You lose hit points equal to your character level and gain an amount of sanguinity points equal to the damage taken. You deal an extra 1d4 radiant damage whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack while you have a number of sanguinity points. This damage die changes as you gain flagellant levels, as shown in the Sanguinity Damage Die column of the Flagellant table below. Additionally, as you gain sanguinity points you gain benefits as shown in the Sanguinity Table. These benefits stack. You can have a maximum amount of sanguinity points equal to double your flagellant level. You lose all stored sanguinity points after 1 minute without taking any damage or when you regain any number of hit points.
You can spend a bonus action to spend all sanguinity points and heal an amount of hit points equal to half of the sanguinity points lost.
Sanguinity | Benefit |
---|---|
1 | Advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened |
10 | +1 AC, base speed increases by 10 feet |
20 | Make another melee attack against a different creature once per turn |
30 | Double the amount of Sanguinity Dice on melee weapon attacks |
Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Vow
Each flagellant makes a vow at 3rd level shaping the nature and effect of their penance. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 14th levels.
Bloodletting
Starting at 3rd level, as an action, You can end one disease or condition afflicting you by bloodletting. The condition can be blinded, deafened, or poisoned. You cannot use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Ability Score Increase
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.
Abstinence
Starting at 10th level, after years of abstaining, you no longer need to eat or drink to survive.
Choir of Wounds
At 13th level you find comfort in the sweet songs of pain your merciless flogging brings you during moments of respite. When you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points during a short rest, the minimum number of the result equals twice your Constitution modifier (minimum of 2).
Sacrament of the Lash
At 15th level your body is completely covered in ritual scars and abrasions and your perseverance is steadfast from the years of punishment you endured, granting you advantage on Constitution and Wisdom saving throws. A convincing testimony of your mettle, you now have advantage on Charisma (Intimidate) checks when you are not wearing any armor hiding your scars.
Unwavering Fervor
A flagellant does not stray from the path before him towards the light. If the flagellant is indifferent for one moment it will undo a lifetime of penance. This gives the flagellant a vitality that most cannot hope to achieve. Starting at 17th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points you regain half of your maximum hit points, half of your maximum sanguinity points (rounded up), and gain a level of exhaustion. You cannot use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Presbytery of Pain
Starting at 18th level your body is a testament of the pain one can take before breaking. You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.
Patron Saint
When you reach 20th level you are considered one of the chosen disciples and hallowed of your deity. Marked a champion, you may ask your deity for a Wish, once. You cannot use this boon to grant effects that oppose the deity or alignment of your choice. Your Constitution ability score increases by 2 to a maximum of 22. When taking long rests you regain all of your expended Hit Dice.
Vows
Every flagellant takes up a vow. What vow a flagellant makes defines him. It either turns him towards the light to serve as a radiant shield or spellcaster for his allies or towards the darkness as a vengeful holy warrior. Depending on your deity or worldview you can either choose to take up a Vow of Martyrdom, a Vow of Retribution or a Vow of Divinity.
Vow of Martyrdom
Flagellants who take a Vow of Martyrdom choose to suffer the wounds of the oppressed, persecuted, diseased and martyred. Every flagellant bears a burden of a lifetime of evil and atone for that life but a flagellant that takes up the Vow of Martyrdom upholds forgiveness as the greatest of virtues. When travelling with other adventurers they protect them by intervening with blind courage. Enduring the wounds and foul enchantments that could otherwise befall their allies.
Redeem
At 3rd level when you use a bonus action to spend all sanguinity points to heal an amount of hit points equal to half of the sanguinity points lost, you may add your Constitution modifier to the hit points gained.
Steel Resolve
At 7th level you can count on your resolve to see you and your allies through the attacks from your foes. You can use your envoy of suffering feature after a creature has been hit but before the damage has been determined. Roll your Sanguinity Damage Die, and add the number rolled to the target creature's AC against that attack, possibly causing the attack to miss. If the attack hits, you take the damage instead. This damage cannot be reduced in any way. Half the damage from this attack convert to sanguinity points.
Clarity
Starting at 11th level, at the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 2) if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.
Endure
At 14th level, when an enemy casts a spell and targets an allied creature within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to try to absorb the spell. You make a Constitution ability check. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a success, the spell doesn't affect you or the target. If you fail, the spell affects you instead of the target. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Vow of Retribution
Enduring the self inflicted penance as a flagellant is a task the meek best avoid. Penance by self-mortification alone is not enough however. A flagellant who takes up the vow of retribution seeks out evil and burns the dark heart out of it. They know what evil, if left unchecked, can do and they will do anything to stop that from happening. They are a maddening storm able to cripple enemies with the same torture that they themselves endure with brutal lashings and punish an enemy that dares to attack them immediately with an almost divine requital.
Reckoning
Starting at 3rd level, as a bonus action, you can mark a creature within 30 feet for up to a minute, forcing them to share in the pain they inflict upon you. The next time the marked creature damages you with a weapon attack, it takes radiant damage equal to half of the damage you suffered after which this feature ends. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier. After finishing a long rest you regain all uses.
Rapturous
At 7th level you revel in the insanity of battle and will abandon all notions of self preservation. When you are reduced to less than half of your maximum hit points, you can add your proficiency bonus to your weapon damage for 1 minute. You cannot use this feature again until you complete a short or long rest.
Righteous Malice
At 11th level you are eager to share your pain with those dark of heart and your attacks become particularly vicious. When you have at least 2 sanguinity points and you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend all your stored sanguinity points and turn half of that into additional radiant damage on that attack.
Consecrated Immolation
Awash in your own sanguinity, at 14th level your fury extends to enemies that dare to strike your sacred flesh in an instant. You are covered in an aura of consecrated flames whenever you have an amount of sanguinity points. While the flames are present, any creature within 5 feet of you that hits you with a melee attack takes your Sanguinity Damage Die as radiant damage.
Vow of Divinity
Only in pain can one find enlightement as it brings one closer and closer to the divine as the burden grows. Flagellants making a vow of divinity suffer to understand and ultimately come closer to their chosen deity or patron saint. By lashing and praying they let all foulness be purged from their sacred flesh and as a result they can cast divine spells and heal allies, not unlike a cleric or paladin, even though the aforementioned rarely respect or understand the ways of a flagellant.
Spellcasting
Flagellant Level | Cantrips Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3rd | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
4th | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
7th | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — |
8th | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — |
10th | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — |
11th | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | — |
13th | 3 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
14th | 3 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
16th | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
19th | 3 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
20th | 3 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Cantrips
You start with 2 cantrips from the cleric spell list. At level 10 you gain a 3rd cantrip known.
Spell slots
The Flagellant Spellcasting 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.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Flagellant Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your flagellant spells of 1st level or higher, 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 spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the cleric spell-list. When you do so, choose a number of spells equal to your Charisma modifier + 1/3 your flagellant level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
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 flagellant spells requires time spent in prayer and self-mortification: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your cleric spells. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability.
- Spell save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma mod
- Spell attack mod = proficiency bonus + Charisma mod
Spellcasting Focus
You can use your own blood as a spellcasting focus for your flagellant spells by lashing at your own body.
Ordeal
At 3rd level, you learn to use pain to call forth divine healing from your deity. As an action you may sacrifice Hit Points up to you flagellant level + Constitution modifier. You then choose a creature other than you within 30 feet of you to heal for the same amount of hit points as you lost. You have a number of uses of this feature equal to your Constitution modifier. You regain all uses when you finish a long rest.
Bless Water
At 7th level may create holy water by performing a special ritual. The ritual takes 1 hour to perform, uses 25 gp worth of powdered silver, and requires the caster to expend a 1st-level spell slot. Additionally, you learn the Thaumaturgy cantrip if you don't know it already
Sanguine Magic
At 11th level, you can temporarily infuse yourself with a spell. As an action, when you have a number of sanguinity points, you can imbue your weapon with one cleric spell you can cast or is already active, then make a single attack with that weapon. If that attack hits, all spell attack rolls for the imbued spell hit the target automatically and are considered part of the single weapon attack. The target takes weapon damage, and is subject to the effects of the spell. You expend a spell slot accordingly. If the attack has advantage, the target’s initial saving throw against the spell has disadvantage. If the attack misses, the spell has no effect. Area spells originate from the target’s space. The spell must be of 1st level or higher, have a casting time of 1 action, or require an action to activate an already active concentration spell.
Divine Zeal
At 14th level The moment a creature falls unconscious or dies within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to spend a spell slot. You awaken in that creature a final act of zealous rage. That creature immediately makes a single weapon attack against a target of your choice within its attack range. After the attack, the creature returns to being unconscious or dead.
Design Log
0
The Flagellant by u/Bob-the-Seagull-King inspired me to make a flagellant class. I loved the flavor and we were about to start a CoS campaign with some friends. So i felt it would fit.
1.0
Unhappy with the final results (too OP) i started over again, making a new class from scratch. Adding regular half spell casting. I started messing with the character without much thought on consequence and balance but slowly i managed to learn more and more on class design. During playtesting i kept avoiding concentration spells as being rapturous and flailing about was way more fun. The spells i DID cast were damage dealing spells, especially Hellish Rebuke.
2.0
I started to re-think how the class should work and looked at the Pugilist Class for inspiration as the character was built around the idea of throwing oneself into the fray without much thought, spending moxie points to fuel various abilities instead of spell slots. So i re-worked that idea into a new feature called Sanguinity which was kind of the same thing but it could only be used if the flagellant would be at a specific amount of Hit Points. During playtesting i found that the Sanguinity feature and all it implied meant my Flagellant would be able to fuel his abilities without ever spending a sort of resource. Sanguinity meant that taking damage equals getting more points and because i was always taking damage i never ran out. Because it was a copy of the pugilist and that class works on a very different level (using the points to "Brace Up") it had some wonky effects. Back to the drawing board!
3.0
I stumbled upon a flagellant subclass for Mathew Mercer's Blood Hunter class by u/FragSauce and he had a nifty idea. His "Pain is Power" feature which i use now stacks features when the flagellant gains more pain. I nerfed or moved some of the features around. As soon as a flagellant is healed the sanguinity points (as i call them) disappear. To make sure a flagellant can stay in battle the option to spend all points for health is retained. Taking damage from an enemy to earn sanguinity points (except when using the Envoy of Suffering feature to encourage using this feature) is scrapped. I combined this with the Crimson Rite from the blood hunter to make sure the Flagellant has enough oomph to warrant him being on the front lines.
Features
Two features make up the meat that is a flagellant. Envoy of Suffering picks up on the suffering for other people flavor and is linked to, Bloodletting, Redeem, Steel Resolve (Vow of Martyrdom) and Shared Burden.
Sanguinity ups when you gain levels and increases damage. Extra Attack, Righteous Malice, Consecrated Immolation (Vow of Retribution) and Sanguine Magic (Vow of Divinity) are linked to this feature.
The rest of the features serve as Ribbon features or features to increase staying power.
Subclasses
- The Vow of Martyrdom aims to make a tanky class
- The Vow of Retribution aims to deal more damage at higher risk
- The Vow of Divinity is a 1/4th caster subclass not unlike a cleric'ish eldritch knight.
Comparison Tables AC 15
Flagellant (Retribution)
Level | AC | HP | Sanguinity DPR |
---|---|---|---|
2nd | 15 | 22 | 6 |
6th | 17 | 66 | 14 |
11th | 18 | 123 | 27 / 38 |
Fighter (Champion)
Level | AC | HP | DPR | Short Rest DPR |
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd | 18 | 22 | 6 | 11 AS 1/SR |
6th | 19 | 58 | 14 | 29 AS 1/SR |
11th | 21 | 109 | 27 | 54 AS 1/SR |
Paladin (Devotion)
Level | AC | HP | DPR | Short Rest DPR |
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd | 18 | 20 | 6 | 11 Smite 2/LR |
6th | 19 | 52 | 12 | 29 Smite 2/LR |
11th | 20 | 98 | 14 | 40 Smite 3/LR |
Credits
- Cover Art: Flagellant, Lubomir Hij
- Page 1: Procesión de disciplinantes, Francisco de Goya
- Page 2: Flagellant, PiemasterXL
- Page 3: Flagellant, Chris Bourassa
- Page 4: Undying Flagellant, Keith Thompson
- Page 5: Flagellant, @FukinGuts
- Page 6: De Flagellanten, Pieter van Laer
- All users providing feedback on Unearthed Arcana and DnD Homebrew, thank you!