The Edge of Civilization
The following three subclasses are intended for a campaign taking place beyond the walls of the known world, where danger always lurks beyond the firelight. Whether the setting is a vast jungle, wastes at the edge of the world, or on another plane, these subclasses propose new organizations or lifestyles fit for long-lost territories and locales. These subclasses will also play well in other campaigns and settings.
Perception and stealth play a noticeable role in many of the features presented in the following content, so it is possible that they may be interpreted quite differently by different groups of players; with that said, it is encouraged that the rules be interpreted to fit the most realistic usage of these features.
Additionally, two bonus spells are listed at the end of this work. Whether the spells are included in your class's spell list is up to your DM.
Bard
College of Figments
Deep in the yawning wilds, survival often comes down to a factor of visibility: whether they can see you, or you can see them. When a bard of the College of Figments stops to rest with their party, they know that even a fire will give away their position to the ever-waiting evils beyond. The College of Figments is meant as a resource for players that want to embrace the delusions of the unknown head-on, using delusions of their own in kind.
The College of Figments teaches its students to survive by harnessing the mystery and madness of the wilderness. To go unseen through the world is one skill alone, but to alter what is seen and who sees it is another skill altogether. The bards of the College of Figments accept the nature of their world--that it cannot be tamed--and enter it with the intention of embodying its artifice.
Silent Magic
When you enter the College of Figments at 3rd level, you learn to muffle the spells you cast. When you cast a spell on your turn, you may expend a use of your Bardic Inspiration to remove the verbal component of that spell as a bonus action.
Flashy Magic
You have learned the intricacies of magical distraction to mask your location. Also starting at 3rd level, when you cast an enchantment or illusion spell of 1st level or higher on your turn, you may take a Hide action as a bonus action.
Figments of the Imagination
The crux of your learning in the College of Figments culminates in your power to influence others with illusory tinkering. Beginning at 3rd level, any bard feature you use that requires music or sounds may now instead behave as an illusion that you conjure, with the properties of an illusion created by the Silent Image spell. The illusion you create has the duration of the original bard feature using it.
The target or targets of the bard feature using an illusion must have a line of sight to that illusion to benefit from its effects.
This illusion may be perceptible to as many or few creatures that could perceive it as you wish, but the target or targets of the bard feature using it must be able to perceive it for that feature to take effect.
If a visual illusion you create is visible to more than just the target or targets of the bard feature using it, the effects of that bard feature are exclusive to the target or targets of that feature, in the same way that a feature with music or sounds would normally work.
The target or targets of a bard feature using an illusion are always aware that the creation is an illusion, but their awareness has no impact on the effects of the bard feature.
You may still create a solely auditory illusion with this feature, despite replicating the Silent Image spell, in which case the "moving" aspects of the illusion can include music, speech, or other more complicated sounds.
Starting at 6th level, the illusion you create may be images, sounds, smells, temperatures, or any combination of those effects, and the range within which you conjure the illusion increases to 120-feet, all as if created by the Major Image spell.
Debilitating Hallucinations
You have discovered how to use your musical talents to inflict damage to an enemy's senses. Beginning at 6th level, as an action, you may deafen a single creature that can hear you for 1 minute. In combination with the Figments of the Imagination feature, a creature's sense of sight, smell, or touch may be disabled instead, depending upon the kind of illusion provided by that feature. A successful Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC negates this effect. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make a Constitution saving throw. On a success, the condition ends. You can use this feature once per short rest.
Stealthy Magic
Starting at 14th level, as long as you are concentrating on an enchantment or illusion spell, you gain Advantage on all Stealth checks.
Using Figments
When dealing with illusions, much of their functionality is at the discretion of your DM. The rules listed here assume that an illusion provided for a bard feature is appropriate to the context of the feature. For example, the image of a banshee might not be appropriate for a Song of Rest, but a watchful guard or a peaceful dancer likely would be. Another example would be creating the image of an ally's ancestor to bolster their confidence with Bardic Inspiration, rather than a spider for an individual with arachnophobia.
Cleric
Vigil Domain
The followers of The Vigil stand ever watchful at the edge of the camp's firelight. They warily patrol the wilderness outside the city walls, waiting alert at the border of the wastes beyond. It is at this time of need that the patron Gods of Vigil will bless those brave enough to stand against the unknown. Clerics of Vigil serve as guides and protectors at the boundaries of safety throughout the realms.
Trained with mounts and powerful magic, clerics of Vigil are intended for campaigns and adventures taking place in wild worlds where the lurking powers of darkness and evil are an ever-present threat. A follower of The Vigil that chooses to venture forth, away from the borders of safety, is a fitting companion that finds dedication in protecting and rescuing those lost in the wilderness.
Vigil Domain Spells
| Class Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Faerie Fire, Guiding Bolt |
| 3rd | Branding Smite, Find Steed |
| 5th | Clairvoyance, Beacon of Hope |
| 7th | Find Greater Steed, Staggering Smite |
| 9th | Scrying, Holy Weapon |
Vigilant Training
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you become proficient in the Animal Handling and Perception skills. If you are already proficient in one of these skills, you may choose a skill from the cleric skill list in its stead.
Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Animal Handling or Perception.
Darkvision
Additionally at 1st level, your vision adapts to the darkness at the edge of civilization. You gain darkvision; you can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 60 feet.
Upon reaching 8th level, your darkvision is effective in both magical and nonmagical darkness.
Channel Divinity: Holy Partisan
Starting at 2nd level, you can bestow divine power upon your weapon. You can now use your Channel Divinity to cast the Shillelagh cantrip, with the exception that it only applies its effects on a spear.
In addition to its standard effects, this cantrip also gives your spear the weapon property of reach and allows it to be used as your spellcasting focus.
Channel Divinity: Vigilant Senses
Your training with your fellow soldiers, holding the line against the unknown, has blessed you with the power to guide the awareness of your allies. Beginning at 6th level, as an action, you may use your Channel Divinity to grant Advantage on all Perception checks to one allied creature that you can see. This effect lasts until the start of your next turn.
Born to the Saddle
Also starting at 6th level, mounting or dismounting a creature costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.
In addition, you have Advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your mount. If you fall off it, you can automatically land on your feet if you aren’t incapacitated and you fall less than 10 feet.
Mount of the Wilds
You have been granted the power to guide your mount with divine agility. Starting at 8th level, your mount is no longer hindered by difficult terrain.
Blindsense
Your senses have become your greatest weapon in the wilds of the world. At 17th level, if you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you.
Druid
Circle of the Summer Solstice
The soft pinks and oranges of twilight, the tapping of praying mantids swaying in the warm breeze, the lone lovers in a flowery clearing; a druid of the Summer Solstice channels the peace and tenderness of the hidden sanctuaries of the wild and the long days of midsummer. Trained in rituals of prosperity, compassion, and understanding, they often serve as caretakers of far-away pastoral communities and hamlets, presiding over marriages, brewing elixirs, and blessing the growth of crops. A follower of the Summer Solstice often also serves as the only protection for their patrons against the evils lurking outside their quiet eden. Occasionally, a druid of the Summer Solstice will venture out into the world to provide their knowledge and services to those in need.
The Circle of the Summer Solstice pays homage to the myths and folklore of the midsummer solstice. It draws inspiration from stories of blessing and love, like that of Adonis and Aphrodite or the distant love of Dawn and Dusk, as well as holidays of renewal like St. John’s Eve.
Midsummer Rites
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn the Create Bonfire cantrip, which does not count against your number of known cantrips. If you already know the Create Bonfire cantrip, you may choose another cantrip from the druid spell list.
In addition, you add the Ceremony spell to your list of known spells.
Midsummer Bounty
Also at 2nd level, you become proficient in the Survival skill. If you are already proficient in Survival, you may choose another skill from the druid skill list.
Additionally, during the hours of sunrise and sunset, you gain Advantage on all Survival checks made to forage for herbs and alchemical ingredients.
Circle Spells
Your experience with the rites and celebrations of the solstice has led you to learn new spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to circle spells utilized in your midsummer rituals. You will find the list of new spells in the table below.
Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it prepared, and it does not count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that does not appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.
Spells of the Summer Solstice
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Augury, Pass without Trace |
| 5th | Lesser Restoration, Nondetection |
| 7th | Divination, Hallucinatory Terrain |
| 9th | Dawn, Greater Restoration |
Midsummer Nectar
In your yearly midsummer rituals, you have discovered a process of blessing and purifying water that seems to be more sympathetic to alchemy. Beginning at 6th level, the time it takes you to craft any alchemical item (a range of items to be dictated by your DM) is halved, and you may substitute certain herbs or ingredients (at your DM’s discretion) for up to half of the crafting cost of an alchemical item.
Twilight Clarity
Also starting at 6th level, you no longer suffer Disadvantage on Perception checks made in lightly obscured areas.
Twilight Amour
In the spirit of the midsummer folklore and romance, you learn to steal away in the warm hues of summer twilight. At 10th level, you gain Advantage on all Stealth checks made during the hours of sunrise and sunset.
Radiant Gloaming
At 14th level, you acquire the ability to briefly transform the world around you into a dusky summer scene. Upon performing a 1 minute ritual, affecting an area with a 1 mile radius centered on the location of your ritual, the sun moves across the sky and begins to indefinitely rise or set, the entire area is basked in dim light, all natural shadows disappear, the temperature abates to an even 70 degrees Fahrenheit, any snow or ice instantly melts, and plant life grows into a lush eden appropriate for the environment.
Whether the sun begins to rise or set is not dependent upon the actual time, and is your decision.
The effects of this feature do not affect any part of the environment or landscape that has been created by magic.
Melted ice, plant life, or any changes to the landscape created by this feature do not impede movement.
Any special features that rely upon the time being dawn or dusk, such as replenishing the charges of a magic item, preparing spells, or the features of this class, are activated by this feature.
After 8 hours, the time, light, and shadows return to what they would be after a normal 8 hours had passed; all other effects are permanent. You may use this feature once per month.
Bonus Spells
Bonfire of the Saints
8th level conjuration
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S, M (a bundle of hand-picked rare herbs)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You conjure a towering magical bonfire on the ground within the spell’s range. Until the spell ends, the fire fills a 10-foot cube. The bonfire sheds bright light in a 40-foot radius and dim light for an additional 40 feet. When the fire appears, any creature inside it must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d8 radiant damage and 4d8 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature must also make this saving throw when it enters the area of the fire for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there.
The bonfire ignites flammable objects in its area that are not being worn or carried.
The radius of bright light created by the bonfire dispels magical darkness created by a spell of 8th level or lower and reveals invisible creatures and objects, visual illusions, the original form of shapechangers or creatures transformed by magic, and creatures or objects on the Ethereal Plane, all as if being perceived with truesight.
Twilight Ambience
1st level evocation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: V, M (a jar of fireflies)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Hazy orange and mauve magical twilight spreads from a point you choose within range to fill a 20-foot radius sphere with dim light. The dim light spreads around corners, and nonmagical light cannot illuminate it.
If the point you choose is on an object you are holding or one that is not being worn or carried, the dim light emanates from the object and moves with it. Completely covering the source of the light with something opaque blocks the light.
If you target an object held or worn by a hostile creature, that creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw to avoid the spell.
A creature with darkvision does not treat the dim light of this spell as bright light unless that creature's darkvision is able to see through magical darkness.
If any of this spell’s area overlaps with an area of light or darkness created by a spell of 1st level or lower, the spell that created the light or darkness is dispelled.
Bonus Magic Item
Staff of the First or Last Light
Staff, rare (requires attunement)
The features of this staff are determined according to the time that it is found. If the time of its finding is closer to sunrise then it is a Staff of the First Light, and if the time is closer to sunset then it is a Staff of the Last Light. If this staff ceases to be in any creature's possession for at least one month, it reverts to a neutral state, and its type is redetermined upon being found again.
This staff can be wielded as a magic spear that grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. While holding it, you have a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls and your spell save DC.
This staff has 10 charges for the following properties and regains 1d6+4 expended charges daily at dawn or dusk, corresponding to whether it is a Staff of the First Light or a Staff of the Last Light. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20; on a 1, the staff loses its properties and becomes a nonmagical spear.
Spells. While holding the staff, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of the staff's charges to cast one of the spells in the corresponding list below, using your spell save DC.
- Staff of the First Light: dawn (5 charges), faerie fire (1 charge), haste (3 charges), hypnotic pattern (3 charges), or twilight ambience (1 charge).
- Staff of the Last Light: catnap (3 charges), dream (5 charges), sleep (1 charge), slow (3 charges), or twilight ambience (1 charge).
Call of the Horizon. While holding the staff, you can use an action and expend 1 charge to boost the travel speed of you and your allies. For one hour, you and all friendly creatures in a 30-foot radius no longer suffer exhaustion from strenuous travel, as long as you are traveling in the direction of the sun.
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