Sorcerous Origin: Curse Bearer
A malediction is placed upon you, cursing your entire life. You are hunted, forced to dwell on the outskirts of society, always hiding and misleading everyone you meet, doing everything you can to survive.
What is the nature of the curse, and why you, of all people, are doomed with such an undesirable fate? Ceaselessly you torment yourself with these questions. But the answer you know very well. Maybe you pissed off some powerful being: a demon, a fey, even a god. Maybe you are just paying for the mistakes of your ancestors, unfairly leading a life you do not deserve. Or even, simple as that, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now you have to face the consequences. Your persecutor will hunt you forever, drawn by the smell of the curse, with the only desire to make you suffer, to torture you, physically and psychologically; in one word: to make your life a true nightmare.
But there is something that your enemy might not have considered. The curse, deeply bound and interlaced with your soul, has made you develop some innate magic. A weapon, that you can use to change your miserable fate. So, even in the darkest hour there is a choice to be made. To hide of course, and live in fear, or to face your enemy and make it pay. Your destiny is not yet written.
Mark of Hatred
At 1st level you gain the Mark of Hatred, an ominous seal imprinted on your skin which identifies you as a bearer of the curse.
This Mark can be, for example, a birthmark, a tattoo, a scar, a burning brand, or anything else.
The Mark binds you to a single creature, who is the source of the hex. Whoever this may be is up to you, as well as the reason for its grudge, and probably has a lot to do with your background. One thing that is sure, though, is that your enemy must be a very powerful entity, capable of placing a lifelong curse on a mere mortal.
As a result of the curse, your soul now belongs to your enemy (henceforth referred as Nemesis), and will be claimed by it on your death instead of going to to the higher or lower planes. For this reason, your Nemesis and its servants are hunting you restlessly, up to the furthest corners of the world.
Bearing the Mark of Hatred produces the following effects:
- You are able to sense the presence of your Nemesis and its servants when they are within one mile of you. You cannot devise their number, nor their location. What you perceive is just a faint echo, warning you that the enemy is on your trail. In the same fashion, your Nemesis and its servants can sense your presence when you are within one mile of them.
- If your Nemesis or one of its servants bring you to 0 hit points, you have disadvantage on death saving throws until you become stable or get healed. If you die under this circumstance, your soul is automatically collected by your Nemesis, and you cannot be brought back to life. A wish spell or divine intervention may circumvent this limitation, at the DM's discretion.
A remove curse spell or a similar effect with the same or higher power level can suppress the Mark for one hour. During this time you lose all the features described above, and you cannot use the Release Mark feature (see below), but you can cast spells normally.
In addition, the magic of the Mark hastens your recovery. Whenever you spend Hit Dice at the end of a short rest, you regain 1 additional hit point for each Hit Die spent.
Release Mark
At 1st level, you learn to unleash the immortal energy imbued in the Mark, at the price of surrendering your life essence to its alluring call. This has the obvious effect of bringing you closer to an ill end, but also gives you the power to overwhelm your enemies with a variety of magical effects. You start with one such effects, Reveal the Unseen, and learn new ones as you advance in levels.
Each Release Mark option requires to roll a number of sacrifice dice, which are d8s. When you roll a sacrifice die, you lose hit points equal to the result, and your hit point maximum is reduced by the same amount until you finish a long rest. If your hit point maximum reaches 0, you die, victim to your own greed, fulfilling what it seems to be an ineluctable destiny. If you die in this fashion, you are considered to be killed by your Nemesis itself.
Resisting the power of the Mark is difficult. Whenever you are in what it may be considered a dire situation, such as facing a powerful foe, losing a fight, watching a loved one being captured or killed, and so on, the DM may force you to roll a Wisdom saving throw, with DC equal to 10 + your Charisma modifier.
On a failure, on your next turn, you must use one Release Mark option you know to try to overturn the situation, rolling a number of sacrifice dice at least equal to one fifth of your level, rounded up.
In addition, every time you use your Release Mark, the surge of power causes your Nemesis and any of its servants to become aware of your exact position if they are within 1 mile of you.
Dealing with the Nemesis
Settling the conflict between you and your sworn enemy is probably going to be a very important goal, if not the most important, for your character. At some point, you might even able to slay it, avenging many years of pain and sorrow. What then? Unfortunately, the curse does not end with its maker. Yes, now you are probably able to walk in the sun, with no one left to chase you. But still the Mark holds you in its grasp, and who knows, maybe one day the lust for power or a desperate need will make you willingly sacrifice your soul. There is no relief for the damned.
Release Mark: Reveal the Unseen
As a bonus action, you use the power of the Mark to extend your presence well beyond the limits of your mortal body, allowing you to transcend your senses. Roll a sacrifice die. For one minute, or until you lose concentration (as a concentration spell), the following rules apply.
- You see through darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet. All hostile creatures and creatures of evil alignment appear to you as outlined with a faint, blackish glow.
- You have a bonus on all Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma (Intimidation) checks equal to half the result of the roll, rounded down.
- You can spend 1 up to 5 sorcery points as an action to cast inflict wounds, targeting a creature you see within 120 feet of you. The slot level for this spell is equal to the sorcery points spent.
At 5th level, when you use this option, you may choose to roll two sacrifice dice instead of one. If you do, in addition to the benefits listed above, you become able to glimpse the intents of a creature one moment before the action. For the duration of this feature, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on an attack roll against you, or to gain advantage on a Dexterity saving throw.
At 9th level, when you use this option, you may choose to roll five sacrifice dice instead. If you do, your perception gets even sharper. In addition to the benefits listed above, you now see the outline of hostile and evil creatures even through invisibility and walls, and are able to see their true from regardless any shape-altering spell or effect (such as polymorph). Also, you have advantage on saving throws against illusions. Finally, for the duration, you can spend 3 sorcery points as an action to cast phantasmal killer. You can concentrate both on the spell and this effect.
Release Mark: Spiteful Spellcraft
At 6th level, you can use your very soul to fuel your spells, making them much more powerful. When you cast a spell, you may use your Release Mark to increase the level of the spell slot used by an amount equal to the sacrifice dice rolled. You cannot increase the spell slot level to a number greater than the maximum spell level you can cast.
For example, a 6th level Sorcerer casts burning hands expending a 1st level spell slot. Before casting it, she decides to increase the level of the spell slot to 3rd, rolling two sacrifice dice (3 - 1). As a result, she casts burning hands as a 3rd level spell, expending one 1st level spell slot.
Release Mark: Aspect of Vengeance
At 14th level, you can commit entirely to the power of the Mark, forgoing your humanity in exchange for absolute strength. Your body undergoes a dreadful transformation, making you look like a distorted, possibly diminished, yet horrifying version of your Nemesis. As a bonus action, you roll 6 sacrifice dice to transform. While you are in this form, the following rules apply:
- You have resistance to all damage.
- You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
- Your unarmed strike deals 1d10 bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage (choose when transforming). You can use Charisma instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes. You can make an unarmed strike as a bonus action on your turn. Also, when you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike, you can expend a spell slot to deal 1d8 bonus necrotic damage with the attack for each level of the spell slot spent.
- When you cast a spell, you can apply a metamagic option you know with sorcery point cost equal to 1 without expending sorcery points.
- You cannot use any Release Mark option other than this.
- You are completely dedicated to the annihilation of your enemy, and cannot do anything else. You are not able to speak or otherwise communicate. If all enemies are defeated, you turn against the closest living thing you can perceive.
At the beginning of your turn, you roll one sacrifice die to keep up the transformation. If you wish to revert to your original form, you must roll a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw as a bonus action. On a success, the transformation ends. On a failure, your will is stuck and you continue your turn as normal. The save DC to end the transformation increases by 1 for each failed attempt, until you finally succeed, or die.
Might of the Survivor
At 18th level, the hardship and suffering you endured in your accursed life allow you to finally accept your destiny, and now you carry the burden of the hex not with shame and fear, but with resolution and pride. For this reason, you develop a deeper connection with the Mark, embracing its true power within your soul. You can now suppress or reactivate the Mark as an action. Also, you cannot be charmed or feared, and are immune to necrotic damage.
Finally, the now totally unbreakable bond with the Mark makes you really hard to kill. Whenever you would be reduced to 0 hit points, you can spend 4 sorcery points to drop to 1 hit point instead. You still die if your hit point maximum reaches 0.
Credits
The artwork featured in the first page is from the Tyranny game. All rights are reserved. Artist: Brian Menze