The Destined
A youthful half-orc faces down seemingly impossible odds, raising an ancient heirloom weapon said to foretell the defeat of his family's oldest enemy.
A halfling woman slips into the palace of an ancient dragon. Through a series of feints, she manages to get the dragon to knock itself out before sneaking away with the holy relic it had stolen from her people.
A scarred dragonborn flicks his wrist, unleashing a torrent of energy that is his apparent birthright to demolish a handful of skeletons. When the necromancer that had raised them engages, the dragonborn switches to fighting with a simple club.
Fate Always Allows
To some scholars, the world is made up of matter: atoms and molecules and pieces of physical reality. To others, the world is made up of magical forces leveraging against the material plane from more distant planes. And to some, the world is made up of stories, told over and over in an endless, repeating loop.
One story repeats itself more obviously than others, though its variations are so broad as to be almost unrecognizable. A villain or outside force arises to threaten an otherwise peaceful land. From within that land comes a youth whose destiny it is to face down that villain. Their journey always follows certain key steps. First they must refuse to rise to their destiny, insisting they are no hero as they are dragged ever deeper into the plot. Then, they accept their calling and take up the tools prophesied to be the downfall of their eventual foe. Their first sally against their enemy's forces ends badly, often killing the hero outright and forcing them to crawl from the underworld to face their foe again before finally defeating them.
Defeating their foretold foe does not need to be the end of the hero's experience, however. The skills and tools they have amassed allow them to retain a place both in the humble beginnings of their youth and the grand adventures of their travels.
Humble Beginnings
The most important part of the grand story that defines the Destined is that they always come from a beginning that is for most intents unassuming. Sometimes they were abandoned as a child, raised not knowing of royal or even divine lineage. Other times, they were simple children born into simple lives until the story needed a hero and they found themselves thrust into the plot.
Destined always rise to the call eventually, though. Perhaps they simply understand that it is impossible to avoid, or perhaps they do it for friends and family, but they always leave their humble home behind and set out on a grand journey into the unknown.
Creating a Destined
Choose the Destined class if you wish to play out the story of the monomythic hero. When creating your Destined, work with your GM to determine what your overarcing story is. Are you destined to overthrow a tyrant? Seal away an otherworldly force? Your plot does not need to be the main plot of the campaign or even feature directly in the campaign, but it should motivate your character's history and goals in adventuring.
In addition to knowing what your story is, you should also understand your role outside the story. Fate may inevitably drag you back to facing your destined foes, but that does not mean that your skills and experiences unrelated to those foes are meaningless. Consider what your character did before hearing the call to adventure. What skills do they have from that lifetime? What steps have already happened in their journey before meeting the party?
When playing the Destined it may be tempting to try to drive the plot yourself, but remember that Dungeons and Dragons is a game about multiple heroes. Those heroes might have a role in your character's fated journey, or they may only be part of a side chapter in that journey, but their players deserve the same amount of time at the table as you do.
Quick Build
You can make a Destined quickly by following these suggestions. First, your highest ability score should be Charisma, followed by Dexterity or Constitution. Second, choose the Folk Hero background.
The Destined
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Heroic Destiny, Heroics (d6) | |
| 2nd | +2 | Answer the Call | |
| 3rd | +2 | Symbolic Relic, Easy Integration | |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | |
| 5th | +3 | Heroics (d8), Extra Attack | |
| 6th | +3 | Hero's Boon, Destiny Feature | |
| 7th | +3 | Divine Quest | |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | |
| 9th | +4 | Destiny Feature, Just That Lucky | |
| 10th | +4 | Heroics (d10), Cross the Threshold Returned Hero, Heroics: Sacrifice |
|
| 11th | +4 | Fated Warrior, Divine Quest Improvement | |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | |
| 13th | +5 | Awakened Relic | |
| 14th | +5 | Destiny Feature | |
| 15th | +5 | Heroics (d12) | |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | |
| 17th | +6 | Apotheosis | |
| 18th | +6 | Fortune's Favored | |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | |
| 20th | +6 | Destiny Feature |
Class Features
As a Destined, you gain the following features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d6 per level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per Destined level after 1st.
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light armor
- Weapons: Simple weapons
- Tools: One set of artisan's tools
- Saving Throws: Charisma and one granted by your Heroic Destiny
- Skills: Pick any 3 skills
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) any simple weapon or (b) a crossbow with 20 bolts
- (a) leather armor or (b) scale mail (if proficient)
- (a) an explorer's pack or (b) a scholar's pack
Heroic Destiny
At 1st level, your destiny begins to unfold, hinting at the type of hero you will eventually become. Choose between the Mighty, Cunning, or Mystic Destinies. These options are described at the end of this class description.
Heroics
Upon recognizing the call, you gain the ability to draw on a reserve of heroic energy represented by Heroics dice, which are d6s. At 1st level, you have access to two uses for Heroics: Heroic Fortitude and one granted by your Heroic Destiny. You can call on your heroic energy a number of times equal to your Charisma bonus plus your levels in the Destined class. You regain all uses upon completing a short or a long rest. Your Heroics die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.
Heroics: Heroic Fortitude
All destined heroes are gifted with a preternatural ability to overcome the odds. As a bonus action on your turn, you may spend one of your uses of Heroics to roll your Heroics die and gain temporary hit points equal to the result of the die.
Hero's Boon: Once you have unlocked the Hero's Boon feature, your healthiness improves. If you end your turn and did not use your Heroic Fortitude feature, the first time you take damage before the start of your next turn that damage is reduced by an amount equal to half your Heroics die maximum. Additionally, each time you complete a short or a long rest, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Heroics die maximum.
Answer the Call
At 2nd level, you are no longer willing to deny your destiny and have embraced your nature as a hero. You may use Charisma instead of Strength or Dexterity when calculating attack and damage rolls with simple weapons.
Symbolic Relic
At 3rd level, you have recovered, crafted, or been gifted a relic which proves your destiny as a great hero. Choose one of the following options:
- Relic Weapon An ancient weapon was foretold as part of your quest. Your relic weapon takes the form of any simple or martial weapon. You are considered proficient in your relic weapon. As an action, you can call your Relic Weapon to your hand. While you wield it, the relic weapon counts as magical. If the weapon is a ranged weapon, you do not need to provide ammunition for it. Regardless of the form your relic weapon takes, it benefits from your Answer the Call class feature.
- Relic Garb A piece of armor such as a helmet, bracer, or breastplate, or a set of clothing such as a brilliant green tunic was foretold as part of your quest. Your relic garb, when worn, grants a +1 to your armor class.
- Relic Trinket An amulet, ring, broach, or other trinket was foretold as part of your quest. Your relic trinket allows you to use your Heroics feature one additional time while it is worn. This additional use is restored each time you complete a short or long rest.
- Relic Focus An orb, wand, rod, or staff was foretold as part of your quest. Your relic focus grants you three cantrips of your choice from any class's spell list, which you can only cast while wielding the focus. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for those cantrips. Additionally, you can use your relic focus as a spellcasting focus for any spell you can cast (even those from other classes).
Easy Integration
Beginning at 3rd level, your destiny begins to twist the people around you to being more friendly. You can make your general intentions clear even without a shared language with no check required, and Charisma checks you make do not suffer penalties for lack of a shared language. Additionally, if you spend at least a week in the company of people who speak a language which you do not know, you learn to speak that language until you leave those people for at least a week. You can only know one bonus language from Easy Integration at any one time.
Ability Score Improvement
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. Alternatively, you can choose a feat (see Chapter 6 for a list of feats).
Extra Attack
Starting at 5th level, you can make two attacks, instead of one, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Hero's Boon
Beginning at 6th level, you can use many of your Heroics options without spending a Heroics die. Refer to the descriptions of each Heroics option for more details.
Divine Quest
At 7th level, the gods whisper in your mind of the things you must do on your journey. You learn the divination spell and may cast it once without expending a spell slot. You regain the use of this ability whenever you complete a long rest.
At 11th level, your connection to the gods grows deeper. You also learn the commune spell and may cast it once without expending a spell slot. You regain the use of both spells whenever you complete a long rest.
Just That Lucky
At 9th level, you start to notice that the item you need is always close to hand. By spending 1 minute searching your personal effects and your immediate surroundings, you can find any non-magical item worth gold pieces equal to or less than twice your levels in Destined, so long as that item is immediately useful to you. The item you find is always a normal, generic item of its type, so you cannot use this feature to find a specific item such as "Duke Gorrington's signet ring", but you could use it to find "a signet ring". Once you have used this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Cross the Threshold
At 10th level, you learn to face down death itself. As an action, you can choose to die to restore a number of hit points to a creature you touch equal to your hit point maximum. If you do, you return to life after 48 hours as you journey through the afterlife gaining understanding. Once you have used this feature, you cannot ever use it again, and it is replaced with Returned Hero and Heroics: Sacrifice.
Returned Hero
At 10th level, once you have died and returned to life using your Cross the Threshold feature, you no longer fear death. If a spell, such as raise dead has the sole effect of restoring you to life (but not undeath), the caster doesn't need to provide material components to cast the spell on you. You also gain an additional effect based on your Heroic Destiny.
Heroics: Sacrifice
At 10th level, once you have died and returned to life using your Cross the Threshold feature, you gain an additional option for your Heroics feature. As an action, you can spend a Heroics die and touch a creature. You lose hit points equal to the result of the Heroics die, and the touched creature gains hit points equal to the result of the die plus your Charisma modifier. You cannot prevent or reduce the hit point loss to yourself by any means.
Fated Warrior
At 11th level, fate itself endeavors to defeat your foes. Your weapon attacks deal an additional 1d6 damage. This bonus damage ignores all resistances and immunities.
Awakened Relic
At 13th level, you have unlocked the true power of your relic. It receives an upgrade depending on the type of relic you selected at 3rd level.
- Relic Weapon Your weapon has awakened to its true power. It now counts as a +1 weapon. While you wield it, each time you spend a Heroics die, your next successful attack with it before the end of your next turn deals an additional 1d8 damage.
- Relic Garb Your relic garb has awakened to its true power. Its armor bonus increases to +2, and each time you spend a Heroics die while wearing it, you gain resistance to slashing, bludgeoning, and piercing damage until the start of your next turn.
- Relic Trinket Your trinket has awakened to its true power. It now grants two additional Heroics dice. While you wear it, each time you roll a Heroics die, you get a bonus to saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier until the start of your next turn.
- Relic Focus Your focus has awakened to its true power. Choose a 1st level spell from any class's spell list. You can cast it as a 3rd level spell by spending a Heroics die. Your spellcasting ability is Charisma for this spell. Whenever you spend a Heroics die, your next cantrip cast before the end of your next turn does additional damage equal to your Charisma modifier to a single affected target.
Apotheosis
At 17th level, your old life is behind you and you have become a living legend. Whenever you spend a Heroics die, you regain hit points equal to the result of the die. You may treat any result lower than a 3 on your Heroics die as if you had rolled a 3.
Fortune's Favored
Beginning at 18th level, your luck is almost indescribably good. Your attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20, and whenever you score a critical hit, you recover a single Heroics die.
Destined Destinies
Each hero has a specific destiny, but their stories tend to follow one of a few different paths: Mighty Heroes overcome great foes by meeting them toe-to-toe and proving their courage in order to meet their destiny. Cunning Heroes face puzzles and challenges, fulfilling their destiny through wiles and cleverness. Mystic Heroes face realms outside the physical, learning to tap reserves of extranormal energies and righting the balance of the supernatural.
Mighty Destiny
The Mighty Hero's destiny drives them to be a great warrior, facing down monsters and villains with boundless courage.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you begin this destiny at 1st level, you gain proficiency in medium armor, shields, and Constitution saving throws.
Heroics: Feats of Strength
When you begin this destiny at 1st level, you gain an additional option for your Heroics feature. Whenever you make a Strength check or Strength saving throw, you can spend a Heroics die to add the result of that die to your roll. If you are not proficient in that check or save, you are considered proficient when you use this feature.
At 6th level, you also add your Charisma to the roll when you use this feature.
Heroics: Heroic Strike
At 6th level, you gain an additional option for your Heroics feature. When you hit with a weapon attack on your turn, you can spend one Heroics die to increase the damage dealt by the die's result.
Hero's Boon: You may choose to replace one of the damage dice of your weapon with your Heroics die on any attack where you do not use your Heroic Strike. If your weapon would already use a larger die, you instead deal +1 damage with that weapon.
Beacon of Courage
At 9th level, you gain immunity to the frightened condition, and can use a bonus action on your turn to remove the frightened condition from up to two allies within 30 feet of you.
Returned Hero: Indomitable
At 10th level, after you gain access to your Returned Hero feature, this destiny grants you an indefatigable resolve. Whenever you make a death saving throw, you add your Charisma modifier to the d20 roll. If you make three successful death saving throws, you immediately awaken with 1 hit point.
Improved Heroics
At 14th level, your Feats of Strength and Heroic Strike features improve.
- Feats of Strength: Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any roll to which you apply Feats of Strength. You may also use Feats of Strength on Constitution checks and Constitution saving throws.
- Heroic Strike: When you spend a Heroics die to use your Heroic Strike feature, you also add your Charisma bonus to the damage dealt, and you may reroll any 1s or 2s on your weapon damage dice or your Heroics die, but must use the new result.
Divine Battle
At 20th level, you become a terror on the battlefield. When you deal damage with a weapon attack, you may roll a Heroics die and add the result to that damage without expending a use of your Heroics feature. This is in addition to any damage added with your Heroic Strike feature. Additionally, whenever you use your Heroic Fortitude feature, you may treat your Heroics die as if it rolled the maximum possible result.
Cunning Destiny
Through constant misdirection and trickery, the Cunning Hero fulfills their destiny, all the while letting their enemies do their work for them.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you begin this destiny at 1st level, you gain proficiency in thieves' tools and Dexterity saving throws.
Heroics: Backup Plan
When you begin this destiny at 1st level, you gain an additional option for your Heroics feature. When you make an ability check, you can spend one of your Heroics dice to add the result of the die to the d20 roll.
Beginning at 6th level, when you use Backup Plan for an ability check in which you are proficient, you can also reroll the original result of the d20, but must use the new result even if it is lower.
Heroics: Combat Ploy
At 6th level, you can use your environment to do your fighting for you. When you are targeted by an attack roll, you can use your reaction and spend a Heroics die to move 5 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity. If you do so, your armor class against the triggering attack is increased by +2 and you deal damage to the attacker equal to the result of your Heroics die.
Hero's Boon: You can use Combat Ploy without expending a Heroics die. If you do so, you only receive +1 to your armor class and do not deal any damage to the attacker.
Evasive Tactics
At 9th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon's lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. When an effect causes you or an ally within 30 feet to make a Dexterity saving throw, you can use your reaction to grant all allies a bonus to their saving throw equal to your Charisma bonus for that effect.
Returned Hero: Reaper's Prize
At 10th level, after you gain access to your Returned Hero feature, this destiny reveals to you the reaper's greatest trick. You gain a magical item called the Reaper's Key, which is described in the sidebar. The Reaper's Key only functions for you.
Reaper's Key
Wondrous item, legendary
The Reaper's Key has three charges. As an action, the bearer of the key can spend a single charge to cross any door, doorway, threshold, or other entrance. When they do so, they simply walk directly through any barriers preventing entrance without needing to unlock, unbar, or even open the door. If the door is magically protected, the bearer must spend an additional charge in order to bypass the magical protection.
The Reaper's Key regains one charge each day at dusk.
Improved Heroics
At 14th level, your Backup Plan and Combat Ploy features improve.
- Backup Plan: Ability checks to which you apply Backup Plan now treat any result lower than 10 on the d20 roll as if you had rolled a 10. If you reroll a check because of Backup Plan, you now use the better result.
- Combat Ploy The first time you use Combat Ploy each round, it does not require or expend a reaction. The armor class bonus increases to +3 when you spend a Heroics die, or +2 when you do not.
Divine Cunning
At 20th level, you can overcome any obstacle, trap, puzzle, or sticky situation through divine inspiration and sheer cleverness. You are now proficient in all saving throws, and add twice your proficiency bonus to Dexterity and Charisma saving throws. Additionally, you may spend a Heroics die when you roll initiative to act first in any combat, and if you do so you add the result of that die to your armor class, attack rolls, damage rolls, and ability checks until the start of your second turn in the combat. Finally, you are never surprised.
Mystic Destiny
The forces of primal powers are gifted to the Mystic Hero through their fate, and they wield those energies in the pursuit of their goals.
Bonus Proficiency
When you begin this destiny at 1st level, you gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.
Third Eye
When you begin this destiny at 1st level, you learn the detect magic spell and you may cast it at will without consuming a spell slot.
Heroics: Mystic Attunement
When you begin this destiny at 1st level, you gain an additional option for your Heroics feature. Whenever you or a creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes a saving throw against a spell, you can use your reaction to spend one Heroics die and add the result to the target's saving throw.
Beginning at 6th level, you can instead choose to decrease the result of the save by the result of the Heroics die.
Heroics: Soul Burst
At 6th level, you gain an additional option for your Heroics feature. Choose a damage type from acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder each time you complete a short or a long rest. As a bonus action on your turn, you can spend a Heroics die to unleash a blast of energy. Each creature within a 15 foot cone centered on you must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or take 2d6 damage of your selected type, plus the result of your Heroics die. The damage of this ability increases when you reach certain levels in this class. It increases to 4d6 at 10th level and 6d6 at 15th level.
When you acquire the Fated Warrior class feature at 11th level, the additional damage from that feature also applies to your Soul Burst ability.
Hero's Boon: You can use your Soul Burst feature as an action without expending a Heroics die. It always does 2d6 damage plus your Heroics die when used in this way.
Soul Attunement
At 9th level, the magical energies of fate protect you from damage. You gain resistance to the damage type you chose for your Soul Burst feature. As a bonus action on your turn, you can grant a creature you can see within 30 feet of you resistance to the same damage type. This creature retains the resistance until the next time you use this feature or complete a short or a long rest.
Whenever you change the damage type of your Soul Burst feature following a short or a long rest, the damage resistance of Soul Attunement changes to match.
Returned Hero: Touch of Beyond
At 10th level, after you gain access to your Returned Hero feature, this destiny imbues you with the touch of the afterlife. Once on each of your turns when you deal damage with a weapon attack or Soul Burst, you can choose to deal additional radiant or necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus.
Improved Heroics
At 14th level, your Mystic Attunement and Soul Burst features improve.
- Mystic Attunement: You can now apply the effects of Mystic Attunement to two creatures each time you activate it. You can choose whether to increase or decrease the save independently for each creature, but both creatures share the result of the Heroics die.
- Soul Burst: Creatures which make their save now take half of the damage of your Soul Burst.
Divine Mysticism
At 20th level, magic folds itself around you to fit your destiny. You have advantage on saving throws against spells. Additionally, when an ally you can see within 30 feet of you casts a spell that requires concentration, you can spend a Heroics die to take over that concentration yourself, freeing them to cast an additional spell which requires concentration. If you do, increase the result of your concentration saving throws by the result of the Heroics die expended until you stop concentrating on that spell. Once you have used this feature, you cannot use it again until you have completed a long rest.