table of contents

Races

Classes

Rogue

In Cerilia, rogues are as often merchants and diplomats as thieves, a distinction often lost on those who have come out on the losing end of a mercantile transaction. Rogues are everywhere in Cerilia, but no one necessarily expects them to be thieves. Depending on their skills and inclinations, rogues may represent themselves as courtiers, scouts, sailors, or even merchant princes.

• The path of the Arcane Trickster can only be followed by characters capable of using True magic.
• Alternatively, an Arcane Trickster without the true magic trait can swap out the use of Enchantment spells with Divination spells. They can only learn spells higher than 2nd level from the schools of Divination and Illusion.

Sorcerer

Sorcerers are not well known in Cerilia, and not well regarded by those that do recognize them as distinct disciplines apart from wizards. Their more studious counterparts at Cerilia’s few arcane universities may even look down on sorcerers for their unorthodox talents.

• Sorcerers are as described in the Player's Handbook.
• Only characters capable of using True magic can become Sorcerers.

Warlock

Warlocks can choose any pact, although the pacts represent deals made with powerful fey creatures, deities, tanarii lords, or even the Cold Rider himself.

• Warlocks are as described in the Player's Handbook
• Warlocks do not require the true magic trait to cast spells.

Wizard

Wizards are as described in the Player's Handbook and Basic Rules. Wizards in Cerilia cannot choose the arcane traditions of the school of divination and the school of illusion.

• Only characters capable of using True magic can become Wizards.

Suggested Backgrounds by Culture

Skills

Equipment

Deities of Cerilia

Bloodlines

Elemental Control

• Anduiras: You can cast the gust cantrip.
• Brenna: You can cast the control flames cantrip.
• Masela: You can cast the shape water cantrip.
• Reynir: You can cast the mold earth cantrip.

Iron Will

You gain advantage on saving throws against being charmed and can ignore 1 level of exhaustion.

Healing

You can cast either the cure wounds spell or the lesser restoration spell. You regain the use of this ability after a short rest.

Persuasion

You have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks.

Poison Sense

You are always under the effects of a detect poison and disease spell.

Unreadable Thoughts

Your thoughts cannot be read through magic.

Protection Aura

You are always under the effects of a protection from evil and good spell. Paladins having the same ability gain a 10 feet aura.

Major Abilities

Great Abilities

Shadow Form

As bonus action you can change into a shadow form as long as you maintain concentration. While in this form, you cannot attack, cast spells, or interact with objects. You have resistance against all damage, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, and you are not affected by difficult terrain.

Regeneration

• Finishing a short rest reduces your exhaustion level by 1 and recovers half your hit die.
• When you take a long rest, you regain all your hit dice.
• You have advantage on death saving throws.
• As a bonus action, you can spend one Hit Die to heal yourself. Roll the die, add your Constitution modifier, and regain hit points equal to the total (minimum of 1).

Travel

You can cast the teleport spell as a ten-minute ritual but only to familiar locations.

• Azrai: You can only cast this between dusk and dawn, you must be in dim light or darkness, and your destination must be in dim light or darkness.
• Basaia: You must step into a fire of your size or larger, and your destination point must also be a similarly sized fire. You are immune to harm from this fire, but if you bring anyone with you, they take 3d10 fire damage.
• Brenna: You must stand on a road, and your destination point must be on the same road or reachable by connected roads from your origin point.
• Masela: You must be touching a large body of water, and your destination point must be in or adjacent to the same body of water.
• Vorynn: You must finish this ritual within ten minutes of moonrise or moonset to complete the casting of the spell.

Realm Magic

Among the most powerful magic available to mortals is realm magic. These spells, exceedingly rare and difficult to cast, are rituals of the highest complexity and expense that can affect entire domains at a time. All blooded scions that are sufficiently trained can learn and cast one of these spells, but must have access to a suitably powerful Temple or Source holding and have levels of a class capable of utilizing them. No scion begins play knowing realm spells. They must be discovered using the Research domain action, and the Game Master determines what challenge await a regent attempting to discover one of these extremely powerful spells. All realm spells have a number of requirements for the casting, which typically include a minimum Temple or Source holding level in the province in which the spell is being cast, Regency Point expenditure, and/or Gold Bar expenditure. Casting a realm spell does not require that the spell be prepared, and known realm spells do not count against any class’s spells known. They always take a great deal of time to cast, through use of the Realm Magic domain action.

Dispel Realm Magic

• RP Cost: See description
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Source: 1
• Duration: See description

By weaving a powerful abjuration, a caster can use this realm spell to remove the effects of harmful realm spells or protect it from possible attack by realm magic. If used to remove an existing effect, the caster pays 1 RP per RP cost of the realm spell being dispelled.

If used in a protective manner, the regent may expend RP of a value equal to twice their level. For the remainder of the domain turn, the dispelling effect will automatically trigger against any realm spell cast against the target province. If the cost of the triggering realm spell is equal to or less than the value bid, the spell fails and the costs are still incurred.

At 5th level, the protective use of this spell lasts two domain turns. At 11th level, the protection lasts for three domain turns. At 17th level, the effect lasts for an entire year.

The protection is not broken upon blocking a given realm spell, but may itself be dispelled. There is no way to determine without Espionage or magical divination whether a given province is protected by use of this spell.

Disrupt Mebhaighl

• RP Cost: See description
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Source: 7
• Duration: 1 domain turn

By sending a exceptionally powerful surge of raw mebhaighl into the target province the caster disrupts the regular flow of mebhaighl in the province. While this spell is in effect, no one, not even the caster of this spell, can draw upon the magical energy of the province's sources or use any ley lines passing through the province. A disrupted source is treated as a healthy source for all purposes save casting realm spells. The caster must expend 5 RP per target source level.

Legion of the Dead

• RP Cost: 4 per unit
• GB Cost: 1 per unit
• Required Source: 5
• Duration: 1 domain turn

Through the use of this terrible necromantic realm spell, a regent may raise armies of undead for use in war. Undead units have no maintenance cost, can march day and night without rest, and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. The caster must remain within the same province as the undead legion or the summoned units immediately disband and are destroyed.

Upon reaching 5th level, they may summon two units, but must pay the cost for each. At 11th level, they may summon three units, and at 17th level they may summon four.

Ley Line Mask

• RP Cost: 1 per ley line
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Source: 2
• Duration: 1 Year

This powerful illusion misdirects any attempts to trace, sunder or otherwise interact with your ley lines. The affected ley lines do not need to be in the same province as the caster, but do need to be connected to the source province. This spell must end or be dispelled before your ley lines can be traced, sundered, or otherwise tampered with.

Upon reaching 5th level, they may effect two ley lines, but must pay the cost for each. At 11th level, they may effect three ley lines, and at 17th level they may effect four ley lines.

Ley Line Sunder

• RP Cost: 12
• GB Cost: 10
• Required Source: 7
• Duration: Instantaneous

This realm spells allows you to destroy a ley line that passes through your domain. The target ley line must initiate, terminate, or pass through a province in which you have a source or a ley line. The ley line then collapses in both directions until it reaches a junction or endpoint.

Ley Line Trace

• RP Cost: 1
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Source: 1
• Duration: Instantaneous

This spell enables a wizard to sense disturbances in the natural flow of mebhaighl such as those created by ley lines.

This spell informs the caster of the number of ley lines that initiate in the studied province, terminate in the province, or pass through the province. For lines that simply pass through the province, the caster is aware only of the lines existence and the direction of the flow. If a line both begins and ends in provinces in which the caster has source holdings or ley line connections, she is also aware of which regent controls the ley line.

If the line is in use during the casting of the spell, the caster is aware of that fact as well as the source level to which the ley line is attached.

Ley Line Ward

• RP Cost: 1
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Source: 3
• Duration: 1 Year

You can place arcane traps on your ley lines to discourage others from attempting to sunder or otherwise tamper with your ley network. This spell allows the caster to place a very specific form of contingency on one or more connected ley lines in their ley network. The caster may choose any one spell that they are capable of casting as the trap. The level of the trap spell cannot exceed the level of the maximum source in the ley network. Furthermore, although you can set triggers on up to one ley line per level, there is only one trap per casting. Multiple traps can be associated with a ley line through the multiple uses of this spell. The affected ley lines do not need to be in the same province as the caster, but do need to be connected to the source province.

Anyone attempting to deactivate, sunder, or otherwise tamper with your ley line is immediately subjected to the trap. The trap spell effect is resolved normally, as if you had cast the spell upon the victim. You must pay the normal costs associated with the casting of the trap spell.

Mass Destruction

• RP Cost: 10 per unit
• GB Cost: 5
• Required Source: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

Calling down rains of fire, explosive storms, or poisonous winds, the caster can obliterate enemy armies within the target province. By paying the listed cost, the regent may attempt to destroy any single unit in the target province.

Targeted units are destroyed unless they succeed a morale check, which allows the unit to only suffer 1 Hit instead. A dragon unit cannot be affected by this spell. Attached commanders on a unit that is destroyed suffer 5d10 points of damage, typed according to the caster’s wishes. The caster can select the type of damage at the time the spell is invoked from among acid, fire, cold, force, lightning, poison, or thunder. The aftermath of the destruction lays waste to the surrounding countryside. The populace suffers an immediate degradation of loyalty whether or not any units were destroyed.

Upon reaching 5th level, they may affect two units. At 11th, the regent can instead affect three units. At 17th, they may affect four units. The regent must pay the RP cost for each unit affected, and must be able to see the units being affected.

Raze

• RP Cost: 10 per structure level
• GB Cost: 2 per damage level inflicted
• Required Source: 6
• Duration: Instantaneous

Powerful spellcasters can use this realm spell to devastate castles and similar fortifications. The more expansive the castle, the more expensive this spell is to cast, even if the damage you intend to cause is not equal to the level of the castle. For example, a level 4 castle costs 40 RP to target with this realm spell, though you may only have enough gold bars to damage it up to three levels. Sometimes it is simply enough to send a message rather than obliterate a castle outright. The damage caused happens instantaneously, but the caster must be within sight range of the castle being affected throughout the period of time the spell is being cast. As such, this realm spell is typically invoked while a regent’s armies are laying siege to a province.

Regent Sight

• RP Cost: 1
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Source: 1
• Duration: 1 domain turn

This spell allows the caster to continuously pinpoint the location of any regent within his domain. The movement of regents, due to their connection to their realm, produces small ripples in the mebhaighl. This spell detects these ripples and allows the caster to sense the presence, strength, and general location (within a few miles) of all regents within the affected province. The identities of the regents are not known, but their power (measured by their monthly regency collection) can be roughly determined by the size of the ripple that they produce. Several regents traveling together are indistinguishable from a single powerful regent. As this spell detects changes in the mebhaighl itself the detected regents are completely unaware of the spell.

Scry

• RP Cost: 5 plus 3 per province of separation
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Source: 1
• Duration: Instant

By invoking this realm spell, a regent may perform the equivalent of an Espionage realm action on the targeted province, but only for the purposes of gathering information. The caster need not make a domain action roll; the spell is automatically successful and carries no risk of failure.

A spellcaster whose realm is protected by a dispel realm magic spell automatically knows the source of the scrying attempt.

Shadow Block

• RP Cost: 2 per province
• GB Cost: 1 per province
• Required Source: 6
• Duration: 1 domain turn

This spell strengthens the barrier between Cerilia and the Shadow World. All spells or effects that involve the Shadow World are blocked.

Stronghold

• RP Cost: 8 RP per castle level
• GB Cost: 5
• Required Source: 7
• Duration: See description

The caster of this realm spell bends the land to their will to conjure a fortress in the target province. The stronghold is constructed over the course of minutes rather than months. The fortress remains for one season, and crumbles to useless debris at the end of that period or if the caster dies. If the caster is willing to pay triple the RP cost and the GB cost the castle can be made permanent. It will not destroy itself if the caster is later killed or dies of natural causes.

At 5th level, the Stronghold lasts two seasons. At 11th level, the Stronghold lasts for three seasons. At 17th level, the Stronghold lasts for an entire year.

Subversion

• RP Cost: See below
• GB Cost: 2
• Required Source: 2
• Duration: One domain action

Using powerful enchantments, a spellcaster can take temporary and subtle control of a holding, province, army, or lieutenant under the command of another regent. The caster may then cause that unit to take an immediate domain action, even if the target is not normally capable of taking domain actions.

Taking command of a holding or province allows you to Agitate or Contest in your favor with an automatic success. An army may be used to attack their once-allies. A lieutenant can force an immediate Assassination event upon their controlling regent (provided they are in the same province as the regent at the time the spell is cast).

In any case, the cost is 3 RP per level of the target holding, province, or level of the lieutenant. If the target is an army, the cost is 5 RP per unit affected, and all affected units must be in the same province. Only one type of target can be affected per casting of this realm spell.

Summoning

• RP Cost: 5 per unit
• GB Cost: 2 per unit
• Required Source: 4
• Duration: See below

The spellcaster invokes this realm magic to conjure forth hordes of monsters to do their bidding. These monsters arrive from all around to join under the regent’s banner and fight for one season. At 5th level, the duration of the spell is two seasons. At 11th, the duration is three seasons, and at 17th the duration is one full year (four seasons).

At the end of this duration, the spell expires and all monstrous units become brigands in the province where they are currently present. The regent does not need to pay the mustering costs for these troops, but must pay their upkeep. Failure to pay upkeep for a unit breaks the spell’s effect upon it, and the unit immediately turns to brigandage in their current province.

The caster may summon one unit of monsters with this spell. Upon reaching 5th level, they may summon two units, but must pay the cost for each. At 11th level, they may summon three units, and at 17th level they may summon four.

The type of monsters summoned is also contingent on the level of the invoker. Initially, the caster may summon only Goblin Infantry with this spell. At 5th level, they may instead summon Gnoll Infantry or Goblin Cavalry. At 11th level, they may instead summon Orog Infantry or Gnoll Marauders. At 17th level, the caster may summon Ogres.

Transport

• RP Cost: 4 per unit
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Source: 4
• Duration: Instantaneous

This powerful spell allows a regent to move troops from one province to another without needing to pay exorbitant relocation costs. The regent must be able to trace a path of ley lines between the starting and ending provinces in order to transport them, but the process is instantaneous and the units may also move during the War Moves phase.

The caster may also use this spell on enemy units they can see, but the RP cost is doubled. The enemy unit and all lieutenants and commanders are harmlessly transported to the target province. The end point location cannot be in a lethal location (such as in the middle of a sea or in a volcanic caldera).

Warding

• RP Cost: 5 per province
• GB Cost: 2 per province
• Required Source: 5
• Duration: See below

It may occasionally behoove a spellcasting regent to prevent entry into or exit from a target domain. By invoking this realm spell, a regent may conjure a misty barrier to envelop the borders of a targeted province (or multiple provinces). No units may cross the border, and find themselves turned around and arriving back in the province should they attempt to pass the mists.

This also prevents any trade or diplomacy with the targeted provinces. Trade routes with a terminus in the affected province do not generate gold bars for their regent, and the provinces (and the holdings within it) are immune to the Agitate or Contest actions if their owners are not within the boundaries of the mists.

The caster of this spell is immune to the effects of the mists, as are any individuals or units they accompany. In this way, the spell can be used on an isolationist domain for protection.

The caster can affect one province with a casting of this spell. At 5th level, they may affect up to two provinces, which need not be adjacent. At 11th level, they may affect three provinces. At 17th, they may affect four provinces.

Temple Realm Spells

Dispel Realm Magic

• RP Cost: See description
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Temple: 1
• Duration: See description

By weaving a powerful abjuration, a caster can use this realm spell to remove the effects of harmful realm spells or protect it from possible attack by realm magic. If used to remove an existing effect, the caster pays 1 RP per RP cost of the realm spell being dispelled.

If used in a protective manner, the regent may expend RP of a value equal to twice their level. For the remainder of the domain turn, the dispelling effect will automatically trigger against any realm spell cast against the target province. If the cost of the triggering realm spell is equal to or less than the value bid, the spell fails and the costs are still incurred.

At 5th level, the protective use of this spell lasts two domain turns. At 11th level, the protection lasts for three domain turns. At 17th level, the effect lasts for an entire year.

The protection is not broken upon blocking a given realm spell, but may itself be dispelled. There is no way to determine without Espionage or magical divination whether a given province is protected by use of this spell.

Holy War

• RP Cost: 1 per province
• GB Cost: 1 per province
• Required Temple: 2
• Duration: 1 domain turn

The realm spell holy war allows a priest to muster troops without the permission of the local ruler. The caster may recruit troops in the province paying 1 Rp and 1 GB per province plus the muster cost for the units. At 5th level, they may affect two provinces. At 11th they may affect up to three provinces. At 17th, they may affect up to four provinces.

Honest Dealings

• RP Cost: 3 per province
• GB Cost: 3
• Required Temple: 4
• Duration: 1 domain turn

By invoking a sense of honesty and fair play upon the denizens of a targeted province, an adherent can cause all Agitate and Espionage actions upon the province to fail for a period of one season. Any individual within the province that attempts to use the Deception skill or steal from others using Sleight of Hand suffers disadvantage on the skill check.

At 5th level, they may affect two provinces. At 11th they may affect up to three provinces. At 17th, they may affect up to four provinces.

Investiture

• RP Cost: Special
• GB Cost: 1
• Required Temple: 1
• Duration: Permanent

Through this holy ritual, an adherent can transfer regency between any two characters. This may be used to sever the link between the land and one regent to give to another, or transfer holdings accordingly, as outlined under the domain action of the same name. The adherent casting this spell, as well as both individuals who are part of the ritual, must expend their domain actions to be present for the spell to do its work.

Legion of the Dead

• RP Cost: 4 per unit
• GB Cost: 1 per unit
• Required Temple: 4
• Duration: 1 domain turn

Through the use of this terrible necromantic realm spell, a regent may raise armies of undead for use in war. Undead units have no maintenance cost, can march day and night without rest, and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. The caster must remain within the same province as the undead legion or the summoned units immediately disband and are destroyed.

Upon reaching 5th level, they may summon two units, but must pay the cost for each. At 11th level, they may summon three units, and at 17th level they may summon four.

Maintain Armies

• RP Cost: 1 per 3 units
• GB Cost: 1 per 3 Units
• Required Temple: 2
• Duration: 1 domain turn

This spell enables the caster to adequately maintain his or his allies armies at a minimum cost. By multiplying food, water and sundries for army units in the same province as his holding, he may defer expenses necessary to keep armies in the field.

The caster can affect one province with a casting of this spell. At 5th level, they may affect up to two provinces. At 11th level, they may affect three provinces. At 17th, they may affect four provinces.

One true Faith

• RP Cost: 5 per province
• GB Cost: 3 per province
• Required Temple: 5
• Duration: 1 year

When this mighty spell is cast, no divine caster, except those of the same faith with the caster, can regain spells in the affected provinces.

The caster can affect one province with a casting of this spell. At 5th level, they may affect up to two provinces. At 11th level, they may affect three provinces. At 17th, they may affect four provinces.

Wake Forest

• RP Cost: 4 per unit
• GB Cost: 1 per unit
• Required Temple: 4
• Duration: 1 domain turn

Druid of Erik and very seldom elven ones call the very trees to fight for them. The Forest Legions roused cannot leave the province they are created in and take rout again when the duration elapses. The caster must remain within the same province as the Forest Legion or the summoned units immediately disband and are destroyed.

Upon reaching 5th level, they may summon two units, but must pay the cost for each. At 11th level, they may summon three units, and at 17th level they may summon four.

Ward Realm

• RP Cost: 5 per province
• GB Cost: 2 per province
• Required Temple: 3
• Duration: 1 domain turn

This spell creates a protective aura around everything in the target province. Depending on the casters deity, the spell has slightly different effects. Ward realm may target evil, neutrality or good.

The caster can affect one province with a casting of this spell. At 5th level, they may affect up to two provinces. At 11th level, they may affect three provinces. At 17th, they may affect four provinces.

Naval units