Gothic Rituals

by SunnyPines2021

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Gothic Rituals

Gothic Rituals

Gothic culture has popularity in a large amount of the world even today for being such a relatively recent trope. Here, we make spells for those that are a part of, wish to appreciate, or wish to represent the culture. The spells below all are available to full caster classes (classes who get spells past 5th level spell slots) to show that being a part of this culture isn't dependent entirely on what someone is doing or what someone may be good at based on their job but more based on them as an individual. All spells included also may be cast as rituals (not including cantrips) to emphasize the idea that anything that is worth doing can be done with patience with the same result. This also allows for those previously unable to cast these spells, say a fighter or paladin, to gain these spells with the Ritual Caster feature should they wish. The items created for some spells will be listed first, the spells themselves will be listed after in and in Alphabetical -> Numerical Spell Slot order.


Romance and Death

The spells contained in this homebrew have many aspects, some are dark and foreboding, some are romantically inclined, others involve macabre actions or even taking on the traits of abberation, fiend, or undead monsters for a short time. This is all to best add inclusivity and openness to all forms of Gothic culture. Some items may even be famously known in gothic/ rock/ metal musical lore.


Why Gothic?

It all began with wanting a Voodoo doll or the usually kind of curses and spells you hear in fiction out of D&D but... D&D just didn't have it. No seances, no cursed dolls, no creepy to match the "cool". That is why I am here now. To create a small compendium of spells I feel Wizards of the Coast added in previous editions but did not add in 5e or full on squandered in the first place. As this will be worked on near-constantly, there will be a star next to each spell that hasn't been checked for balancing.


So thank you, witches and wizards, goblins and gremlins, goths and ravers, I hope you enjoy Gothic Rituals.

Black Ichor

Adventuring Gear --- Gear Cost: 25 gp --- Weight: 1 lb

A dark and sinister jar of black liquid


As an action, you can splash the contents of this flask onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw it up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. In either case, make a ranged attack against a target creature, treating the holy water as an improvised weapon. If the target is not a fiend or undead, it takes 2d6 necrotic damage.


You can pour the entirety of this into any water source and all water within 300 feet of where you poured the black ichor will require a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. If the creature would fail, they are poisoned.

The Pick of Destiny *

Legendary Magical Item

A chiseled and ornately carved pick apparently made of the bone of some being not of this plane.


This item take an hour of practice to attune to. Once attuned, the user succeeds all performance checks of a DC lower than 15. All Charisma based attacks, spells, checks, and saves are made with advantage and if the user is a bard, they regain their expended spell slots on a short rest. In addition, the creature gains 3 times the normal amount of money when performing for an audience or doing downtime involving using their performance check. This picks power can be shared between you and up to one other creature but no more than those creatures.


Once, every 2 months, a Goristro with proficiency (+8) in performance and the shapechange feature will appear within 100 feet of the one attuned to The Pick. They will challenge the owner(s) to a battle of musicians, a battle to the death, or they give up the pick to the Goristro, destroying the item forever. The battle of musicians is a best of 5 series of contested performance checks. Each time the Goristro wins a contested check, increase its following performance checks by +3. This does stack. If the Goristro wins the battle of musicians or the user gives up the pick. The Pick turns back into its original form, one of the Goristro's fangs.


The Pick of Destiny can be forged by chipping the tooth of a Goristro (Dealing 12 or more damage in one hit) and grabbing the chip.

Black Ichor

Adventuring Gear --- Gear Cost: 25 gp --- Weight: 1 lb

Credit: Credit for the image

A dark and sinister jar of black liquid


As an action, you can splash the contents of this flask onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw it up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. In either case, make a ranged attack against a target creature, treating the holy water as an improvised weapon. If the target is not a fiend or undead, it takes 2d6 necrotic damage.


You can pour the entirety of this into any water source and all water within 300 feet of where you poured the black ichor will require a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. If the creature would fail, they are poisoned.

Adhesion

Transmution Cantrip


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: touch
  • Components: V, S, M (1 cup of glue)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

This spell fuses two objects you touch to each other, such as two pieces of metal, a length of rope and an anchor, a door and its doorway, or a lock and a key. You can fuse together these objects up to 1 foot in any dimension leaving no trace of them being separate.


This spell cannot be cast on a magical item or a construct.

Mending Bone

Necromancy Cantrip


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: touch
  • Components: V, S, M (1 ounce of ground bone)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

This spell repairs a single break in any limb you touch, such as a broken bone, broken skin, or breakage in hair. As long as the break or tear is no larger than 1 foot in any dimension, you mend it, leaving no trace of the former damage. This does not repair any scrapes or tissue damage however.


In addition to mending the break, the target gains your choice of one of the following if they have less than their maximum hitpoints.

  • 1d6 Temporary Hit Points
  • Change the next disadvantage the target would roll within an hour of casting to a normal roll.
  • Set the target's movement speed to 30 feet for the next hour if it is less than 30 feet.

Mood Magic

Necromancy Cantrip


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

Channeling the dark realms of death, the shadowfell, and undeath, you create one of the following effects within range:

  • You create a tiny, harmless sensory effect that can tell the mood of an individual. The effect might manifest as a black inky ball for sadness, a bleeding red aura for anger, a pale blue for happiness, and so on. This effect persists for 1 round.
  • You instantly make a flower wilt, age non-magical fabric or wood by 20 years, or cause leaves to turn brown and begin to fall off of a tree.
  • You create an illusion that makes you appear grim, your skin becoming pale, hair dark, eyes faded, dark rings around your eyelids. and long nails. This effect can include nail polish, lipstick, and can even change the feeling of your skin from warm to freezing cold to the touch.
  • You instantly make dim light pitch dark or bright light to dim light within a 30 foot cube if you are indoors or in shade. This effect persists for 1 round.

Aura Read

1st-level Divination (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, M (Dried Nightshade Leaves which are consumed when this spell is cast)
  • Duration: 10 minutes, concentration.

You burn the nightshade leaves, inhaling the smoke of the plant and attuning to otherworldly insight on the target. This can appear as different effects on the person's body, from blood on their body if they have killed in the past 24 hours, black rings if they are cursed, weights if they are grieving, stitches over their mouth if they have something to hide, a growing nose if they are lying, etc. These appear over armor and clothes and is only visible to you. Your insight checks against this creature are made with advantage.

Consume Life

1st-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 bonus action
  • Range: 5 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A wisp of flame)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

Target one creature you can see within 5 feet of it that has 0 hit points and is still alive. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against this magic or die. If the target dies, you regain 10 (3d6) hit points.


When you would cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, increase the amount of hitpoints needed and the amount of d6 of healing by twice the level of the spell slot.

Find Dark Familiar

1st-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 hour
  • Range: 10 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A real or fake skull)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You gain the service of a dark familiar, an animal in the area that becomes attuned to you: bat, cat, centipede, frog (toad), lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, or spider. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics of the animal.


Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. You may command it as a bonus action or as a reaction. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. You can't have more than one familiar at a time. This familiar can cast cantrip spells using your spell casting saves and modifiers. This familiar can speak and understand common.

Horrid Wilting

1st-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: 90 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A pinch of salt, a piece of bleach stone, and a drop of any poison which are consumed when the spell is cast)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

This spell evaporates moisture from the body of each subject living creature, within 10 feet of a point you can see. The creatures must make a constitution saving throw, dealing 2d6 necrotic damage on a failed roll and half that amount on a successful roll. This spell is especially devastating to water elementals and plant creatures, which instead take 2d12 necrotic damage.


When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, increase the damage of the spell by 2d6 or 2d12 for plants or water elementals per spell slot level.

Fleeting Reminiscence *

1st-level Enchantment (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: 90 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A piece of canvas that is consumed when the spell is cast)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You hold up the canvas targeting one creature to focus intently on the better days of the past. They must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save. While distracted this way, they lose one of your choice on their next turn. If this spell is cast again on the same target, the same option cannot be chosen twice in a row.

  • The ability to attack.
  • The ability to move.
  • The ability to make a reaction.
  • The ability to do anything but attack, move, or make a reaction.

When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you may choose 1 additional option from the list.

Ghoul Claws

1st-level Transmutation (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You channel necromantic magic to cause your fingernails to sharpen and lengthen into sickly talons, ready to deliver a deadly poison. Make a melee spell attack against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, if the target is a creature other than an undead, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.


When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the spell also deals 2d6 slashing damage per spell slot level.

Ghoulsih Fortitude

1st-level Abjuration (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, M (Grave dirt)
  • Duration: 8 hours

You fill a target creature you touch with Necromantic energy that forstalls the release of death for the duration. If damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 10 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, they drop to 1 hit point instead. Once this saving throw has been made, this spells effects end.

Ghastly Malediction

1st-level Transmutation (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 1 hour

While in dim light or darkness, a target willing creature can take the Hide action as a bonus action and their attacks made while hidden are with advantage. While in sunlight, the target creature has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.

Grim Ceremony

1st-level Evocation (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 hour
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, M (25 gp worth of powdered silver, which the spell consumes)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You perform one of several gothic ceremonies. When you cast the spell, choose one of the following ceremonies, the target of which must be within 10 feet of you throughout the casting.


Anointing. You touch one willing creature who would like their alignment to be changed, and you make a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check. On a successful check, you convert the creature to the alignment of their choice.


Black Mass. You touch adult humanoids willing to be bonded together in unholy marriage. For the next 7 days, each target gains a +2 bonus to AC and attacks made with advantage while they are within 30 feet of each other. A creature can benefit from this rite again only if widowed or broken hearted.


Curse Water. You touch one vial of water and cause it to become black ichor. (see beginning of document)


Coming of Age. You touch one humanoid who is a young adult. For the next 24 hours, whenever the target makes an ability check, it can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check and they gain 30 feet of darkvision. A creature can benefit from this rite only once.


Dedication. You touch one humanoid who wishes to be dedicated to a life of dark reverence. For the next 24 hours, whenever the target makes a saving throw, it can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the save and they gain 30 feet of darkvision. A creature can benefit from this rite only once.


Raven's Rite. You touch one corpse, and for the next 7 days, the target can’t become revived, reincarnated, or risen by any means short of a Wish spell.


Infatuate Person

1st-level Enchantment (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A length of red string and two human effigies of any form)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You tie the red strings of fate that each person has in a knot between two creatures of your choice in range. These two creatures are infatuated with and bound to each other. For the next 48 hours, each target gains a +2 bonus to AC, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws while they are within 30 feet of each other and are charmed by each other. Aromantic creatures are immune to this spell.


Once the 48 hours pass the creatures must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save. If they fail, this spells timer resets, if they pass they instead receive a -2 bonus to AC, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws while they are within 30 feet of each other for another 48 hours, ending the spells effects on them when the time runs out.

Melancholy

1st-level Enchantment (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A selection of somber poetry)
  • Duration: 1 minute

You recite a depressive passage of poetry, targeting one creature you can see with it. The creature must make a charisma saving throw, if they would fail, they cannot make reactions and any movement they make is treated as moving on difficult terrain for the duration of this spell. They can make this save again at the end of each of their turns. This spell can only target creatures that share a language that you can speak.


When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target an additional two creatures per spell slot level.

Narcissism

1st-level Enchantment (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 10 minutes

The target creature is filled with great pride in the abilities of someone but they cannot pinpoint who this person is. For the next 10 minutes they will ponder and question as to who deserves this pride. At any time that person would look into their reflection, they would realize the person they are proud of so deeply is themselves. The next immediate attack roll, ability check, or saving throw made by the creature is made with advantage, ending this spell.

Prepare Materials

1st-level Transmutation (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: 15 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (Any materials the caster wishes in any quantity and 3 handfuls of glass shards or 3 glass balls which are all consumed when this spell is cast.)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You place down the materials and upon casting the spells, any select materials in this spell may do one or more of the following:

  • The materials age by 10 years.
  • The materials are cleansed of any filth, disease, or impurities.
  • The materials cork themselves off inside of a jar, vial, or vase made from the glass materials.
  • The materials, if alive, cork themselves off inside a jar, the jar filling with water, seawater, vinegar, or half filling with fresh soil.
  • The materials reduce into shavings, dust, or powder of the same material of the same weight.
  • The materials turn from solid to liquid, liquid to gas, gas to liquid, or liquid to solid.
  • Plant or meat matter are dried.
  • Plant or meat matter will rot as if it were left out in the elements for one week.
  • Plant matter will wilt.
  • Rotting plant or meat matter will revert to its fresh state, this does not make corpses fresher, reduce the amount of time since the corpse has died, or reduce the amount of time since blood has been drawn from a corpse.
  • Wilted plant matter will revert to a blossoming, vibrant state.

Chuul Tentacles *

2nd-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 10 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 1 minute, concentration

Your mouth opens revealing hundreds of horrible tendrils that entangle a creature. Make a grapple check using your spell casting modifier instead of athletics or acrobatics. If you succeed, the creature is grappled and then must make a constitution saving throw against your spell save. On a failure, the creature is poisoned and paralyzed for the duration of this spell unless concentration is broken or you are forcibly moved. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Dreadful Glare

2nd-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You stare at a creature, filling it with a chilling deadly feeling of morbid terror. If the target can see you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened until the end of your next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to this spell for the next 24 hours.


Gibber Jabber *

2nd-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 20 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You grow multiple babbling, chattering, gibbering mouths on your body, driving those around you into madness. One creature within range of you and can hear the gibbering must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature can't take reactions until the start of its next turn and rolls a d8 to determine what it does during its next turn. On a 1 to 4, the creature does nothing. On a 5 or 6, the creature takes no action or bonus action and uses all its movement to move in a randomly determined direction. On a 7 or 8, the creature makes a melee attack against a randomly determined creature within its reach or does nothing if it can't make such an attack.

Heart Break

2st-level Abjuration (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 Reaction
  • Range: 40 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A pair of silvered shears)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You shatter the hearts of those that were once deep in infatuation. Choose any number of creatures that are charmed, have pack tactics, were married due to the ceremony spell, or were otherwise made to be or became infatuated or trusting of each other. They are no longer charmed, able to use pack tactics, under the effects of the ceremony spell, or are infatuated or trusting of each other. Each creature takes 1d4 psychic damage and receive a -2 bonus to AC, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws while they are within 30 feet of each other for 48 hours.

Horrifying Visage

2nd-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

Your face contorts into a monstrous image, inciting terror. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of you that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. If the save fails by 5 or more, the target also ages 1d4 × 10 years. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the frightened condition on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to this spell for the next 24 hours. The aging effect can be reversed with a greater restoration spell, but only within 24 hours of it occurring.

Stench

2nd-level Transmutation (ritual)


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, M (Skunk Fur or Corpse Bile)
  • Duration: 4 rounds

For the duration, any creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the target creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to this spell's effects for 24 hours.

Voodoo Doll

2nd-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (10 inches of cloth, fabric, leather, or skin, and 20 inches of thread, string, hair, or fishing line which is consumed when the spell is cast.)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours

The target must succeed Wisdom saving throw against your spell save. If they fail, the materials you have manifests into a doll with an appearance like them. You may proceed to damage the doll in any way, subsequently injuring the actual creature. When the creature fails the save you can immediately deal damage to the doll with a weapon of your choice, and again each round as an action. Half of the damage that would be dealt to the doll is dealt to the target, and has an additional effect depending where you injure the target.


The creature needs to possess the appropriate body part.

  • Arm: The target makes attacks with that arm with disadvantage, in addition they cannot use that arm to perform gestures of any kind.
  • Body: Decrease the Armor Class of the target by the spell slot this is cast at.
  • Face: The target is blinded or deafened.
  • Leg: The target's non-flying speeds are halved.
  • Tail: The target makes dexterity saves with disadvantage.
  • Throat: The target is unable to speak, acting as spell failure for vocal component spells.
  • Wing: The target's flight speeds are halved.

Penalties last for 1 round. Each round you must choose a new body part to attack, though never the same body part consecutively (so you can jump between arms and face, but not arms and arms again) or no body part this round simply maintaining concentration. The creature can make a Constitution saving throw to negate the penalty (but not the damage). You can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage.


The spell ends if you stop concentrating, if the creature moves outside the range of the spell, or if the doll is destroyed. The doll starts with 4d6 hit points.


If you obtain a part of the target ( this can be anything from a bodily fluid to a lock of hair or nail clipping) or an item of value to them over 50 gp, you may use this as an additional spell material to grant them disadvantage on their saving throws for this spell.


When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the doll's hit points increase by 2d6 per spell slot level.

Vampire Bite

2nd-level Transmutation (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 5 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (Bat fur)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You grow cursed vampiric fangs and bite into one creature. Hit: 6 (1d6) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and you regain hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

Animate Magical Instrument

3rd-level Transmutation (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: 10 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A cauldron, Quarterstaff, Spellbook, Spell Focus, or Dagger)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

This spell creates an animated servant from a magical instrument. Your spell imbues the target material with false life, animating it as a construct. The target becomes an animated object as per the specifications of the Animate Object spell, a cauldron would be medium in size, a quarterstaff would be small, and all others are tiny. Those that are tiny levitate 5 feet off of the ground.


The creature cannot follow any commands to attack or harm another creature and can still be used as if you were holding the focus or spellbook.


The creature is under your control for 24 hours, after which it reverts back to its non-animated state. To maintain control of the creature for another 24 hours, you must cast this spell on the creature again before the current 24-hour period ends. This use of the spell reasserts your control over up to four creatures you have animated with this spell, rather than animating a new one.


When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you animate or reassert control over two additional constructs for each slot level above 3rd. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones.

Commune with Macabre

3rd-level Divination (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You briefly become one with all that is dark and grim, gaining knowledge of the surrounding territory. In the outdoors, the spell gives you knowledge of the land within 1 mile of you. Indoors, the radius is limited to 300 feet.


You instantly gain knowledge of up to three facts of your choice about any of the following subjects as they relate to the area:

  • Burial sites
  • Prevalent centipedes, rats, ravens, snakes, scorpions, undead, or vultures
  • Curses placed upon the area but not what curse it is.
  • Influence from the Far Realms or the Shadowfell
  • Places of mass deaths

Nightmare

3rd-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (a worm which is consumed when this spell is cast)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. While the target creature is asleep, they must this save at disadvantage. They are then plagued with horrible nightmares that appear to assault them. The anguish of it ravages their mind and body dealing 6d6 psychic damage and granting them disadvantage on their next attack action. If the target is asleep, this damage does not wake them up.

Seance

3rd-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 10 minutes
  • Range: 10 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (An individual that is known by the dead creature in question or an item belonging to the deceased creature which is consumed when this spell is cast)
  • Duration: 1 hour concentration

The caster must know the name of the dead creature in question if an item belonging to the deceased creature is not available. Others can aid in casting this spell by joining hands with each other and the spell caster, decreasing the casting time per person other than the caster by 1 minute to a minimum of 1 action. When this spell is cast you contact a deceased creature's spirit from the ethereal plane. This creature can respond only in languages it can speak but can understand any language spoken to it. You may ask 6 questions of this creature. The spirit knows only what it knew in life, including the languages it knew. Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive, and the spirit is under no compulsion to offer a truthful answer if you are hostile to it or it recognizes you as an enemy.


At the start of the seance. If the spirit would see an object or individual it was hostile to in life is within the range of the seance, all triggering participants (or all participants if it is an item) must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save. If they fail, the seance goes as planned but once it ends, a Ghost as in the monster's manual appears at the center of the seance and will remain for 1d4 rounds, attacking the nearest living creatures.

Possess

3rd-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: 10 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

One humanoid that you can see within range must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be possessed by you; you then disappear, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. You now control the body but don't deprive the target of awareness. You can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead, and it retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and immunity to being charmed and frightened. You otherwise use the possessed target's statistics, but don't gain access to the target's knowledge, class features, or proficiencies.


The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, you dispel this as a bonus action, or you are turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, the you reappear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to this spell for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends.

Bad Omen

4th-level Transmutation (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: 120 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A deck of divining cards, a crystal ball worth no less than 500 gp, or 20 thin stripped sticks)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

Using the forces of shadow and entropy, you can cause a temporary eclipse of the moon. The wretched light from the eclipse shines a sickening light onto the ground. Undead creatures gain +1 to their attack rolls and gain Undead Fortitude. Celestial creatures gain -1 to their attack rolls, saves, skill rolls, and AC.


In addition Necrotic and Poison damage deal +1 while Fire and Radiant damage deal -1. Outdoors bright light is instead dim light.


When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, increase the bonuses and decreases granted by this spell by 2 and the damage by 2d6.

Death for a Life

4th-level Necromancy (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 hour
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, M (A corpse that has been deceased for no longer than 3 days and a willing living humanoid creature, a length of red string, a dagger)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You tie the red string around the neck or arm of the corpse and the neck or arm of the living creature. You plunge the dagger into the heart of the living creature and use the magics of undeath and transference to give the life that was vibrant and filling the living creature into the corpse. The living creature dies, making no death saves. All hit points that they had are transferred to the corpse, all remainder that go past its maximum are temporary hit points. The corpse will revert to the state it was 1 day before it died, while all injuries, decay and other forms of damage to it transfer to the once living humanoid. If the previous corpse has 0 hit points by the end of this spell, it has 1 hit point instead. This humanoid cannot be revived by a revivify spell or risen by any spell requiring a corpse less than 3 days old.

Summon Coffin

4th-level Conjuration (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A rusty rail spike or a handful of metal nails)
  • Duration: Concentration up to 10 minutes

A massive black coffin emerges from the earth and attempts to lock a creature inside of it. A target creature that is size large or smaller must make a Dexterity saving throw, on a failure they are restrained by the coffin. The coffin locks itself shut and requires a Strength saving throw to escape.


The coffin has 10 AC and 60 Hit Points.

Banshee Wail

5th-level Evocation (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You release the mournful wail of the banshee, provided that you aren’t in sunlight. This wail has no effect on constructs and undead. All other creatures within 30 feet of her that can hear you must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save. On a failure, a creature drops to 0 hit points. On a success, a creature takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage.

Iron Maiden

5th-level Conjuration (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (A rusty rail spike or a handful of metal nails)
  • Duration: Concentration up to 10 minutes

An iron maiden emerges from the earth and attempts to lock a creature inside of it. A target creature that is size large or smaller must make a Dexterity saving throw, on a failure they are restrained by the coffin and take 6d6 piercing damage. The iron maiden locks itself shut and requires a Strength saving throw to escape.


The iron maiden has 10 AC and 80 Hit Points.

Offering

5th-level Transmutation (ritual)


Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard


  • Casting Time: Reaction
  • Range: 10 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 24 hours

When you would bring a creature that is medium or larger to 0 hitpoints, you may use that corpse as a material to replace any other one material in any Divination or Necromancy spell you would cast in the duration of this spell's casting. The corpse, at the end of being used as a component, crumbles into dirt, ash, and sand.

Avatar of the Raven Queen

 

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