Creating an Occultist

When creating an Occultist, the most important decision will be what Tradition you follow. Each Tradition of an Occultist is distinct with divergent flavor and calling upon a different aspect of folklore.

Quick Build

You can make an Occultist quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution or Dexterity. Second, choose the hermit background. Third, choose the chill touch, guidance, and poison spray cantrips, along with the 1st-level spells burning hands, cure wounds, and hideous laughter.

Class Features

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a quarterstaff, (b) a dagger, or (c) one simple weapon (if proficient).
• (a) a component pouch or (b) an occult fetish
• (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• (a) leather armor, or (b) scale mail, (if proficient)
• An herbalism kit.

Spellcasting

As a practitioner of occult magic, you have inherited and developed techniques to manipulate reality through mediums of rituals, spirits, elements, and more. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the Occultist spell list.

Occult Tradition

Choose an occult tradition, shaping your the techniques, features, and rites available to you from the following: Witch, Hedge Mage, Oracle, or Shaman.

Your choice grants you features at 1st level, 3rd level, 6th level, and 14th level.

Occult Rites

As you delve into your Tradition of occult magic, you find deviations and branches to explore that help you specialize and perfect your craft in the way that best suits you.

At 2nd Level, you gain two occult rites of your choice. Your occult rites options are detailed at the end of the occult tradition description for tradition specific Rites, and at the end of the class description for general rites. You can select from either your tradition or class list.. When you gain certain Occultist levels, you gain additional occult rites of your choice.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the occult rites you know and replace it with another occult rite that you could learn at that level. A level prerequisite in an occult rite refers to Occultist level, not character level.

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.

Traditional Expertise

Starting at 10th level, your passed down knowledge of tradition gives you expertise in a skill of your tradition; choose one of your skill proficiencies from among Animal Handling, Arcana, Medicine, Nature, Religion, or Survival. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency. If you do not have proficiency in any of the selected skills, you instead gain proficiency in one of your choice.

Additionally, when you make a Wisdom ability check, you can draw upon your tradition and expend a spell slot to gain advantage on the check.

The Old Ways

At 20th level, your mastery of ritual and tradition is extensive and unparalleled, you've unlocked ancient secrets and perfected techniques to master rituals completely. Any Occultist spell you know of 3rd level or lower becomes a ritual spell for you. When you cast a spell without the ritual tag as a ritual, it requires additional consumed material components worth 10 gold per level of the spell.

Additionally, your mastery of rituals allows you to work them more quickly. A spell cast as a ritual only takes additional turns equal to the spell's level to cast (for example, casting a 3rd level spell as a ritual would take four turns to cast, casting as your action or bonus action on the fourth turn). Spells with a casting time of a reaction cannot be cast as a ritual.

White Coven

Green Coven

Familiar Bond

At 3rd level, when you cast find familiar, your familiar gains an Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma of 10, (Unless that respective score is already greater) and the ability to speak any languages you speak. When your familiar takes damage, you can choose to take that damage yourself instead, transferring all damage to you.

Additionally, you can cast spells with a material component if you familiar can access the material component without holding it yourself (including curse spells that can acquire the material component by touching the target creature).

Witch's Touch

Starting at 6th level, whenever you cast a spell with a range of touch (including through your familiar), you can add one of the following modifiers to the spell:

• It grants one affected target temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier. Only one creature can have these temporary hit points at a time.
• It deals additional damage equal to your Wisdom modifier to one affected creature.
• It adds or subtracts 1d4 from the target's next attack roll or saving throw before the start of your next turn.

You can also confer these effects to another spell with a range longer than touch by making its range touch, or confer these effects as an action without casting a spell by touching a target (making a melee spell attack to do if the target is an unwilling creature). If you make the range of a curse spell touch, you no longer need the material component for the spell.

Master of Curses

Starting at 14th level, you no longer need the material component for curse spells (even when casting them at range).

Additionally, casting 1st level Hex or Curse spell no longer interrupts or is interrupted by concentration of other spells, though this cannot let you concentrate on more than two spells at a time, with at least one being a 1st level Hex or Curse. If you lose concentration while you are doing this, concentration is lost on both spells.

Witch Specific Rites

Animate Broom (Prerequisite: 12th level Witch)

You infuse an object - traditionally a broom, but any vaguely broom-shaped object (like a staff, spear, or similar) can be used - with flying magic, turning it into a Broom of Flying (basic rules, pg. 156). If your broom is lost or destroyed, you can create a new one during 8 hours of work. If a previous broom still exists when you make a new one, it loses its magic upon the completion of the new one.

Witch Curses

These are special spells gained through the Coven spell list.

Karmic Curse

3rd-level enchantment (curse)

• Classes: N/A
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: V, S, M (something from the target creature (such as blood, hair, or scales) which the spell consumes)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.

You hex a target creature, placing a karmic binding on it. Once per turn when it damages another creature, it takes 3d6 psychic damage. If it damages you, the psychic damage it takes is increased by 1d6 (to 4d6).

Killing Curse

5th-level enchantment (curse)

• Classes: N/A
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: V, S, M (something from the target creature (such as blood, hair, or scales) which the spell consumes)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You curse a target to die. The targets current and maximum hit points is reduced by 3d10 + 10. If this causes a creatures to have zero hit points, the creature dies.

For the duration of the spell, the target cannot regain hit points unless from a magical effect cast by a spell slot of higher level than this spell slot this curse was cast with, and any death saving throw they roll is automatically considered a 1.

At the start of a creatures turn while they are under the effect of this spell, they make a Charsima saving throw. On failure, their current and maximum hit points is reduced by 1d10 + 10. On a successful save, the spell ends. A creature's maximum hit points are restored when it takes a long rest.

Rotting Curse

1st-level necromancy (curse)

• Classes: N/A
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: V, S, M (something from the target creature (such as blood, hair, or scales) which the spell consumes)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You inflicting a rotting decay on a creature, causing it to to begin to rot. For the duration of the spell, every time the creature takes damage, it takes an additional 1d4 necrotic damage, and the effect of all healing on the creature is reduced by half.

The target creature has disadvantage on any Charisma checks for social interaction during the effect of the spell.

Swapping Curse

5th-level enchanment (curse)

• Classes: N/A
• Casting Time: 1 action.
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: V, S, M (something from each creature (such blood, hair, or scales) the spell is targeting, which the spell consumes.)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.

You cast a curse targeting two individuals. Both targets must make a Charisma saving throw (which they can choose to fail). If both targets fail their saving throws, for the duration of the spell their souls are swapped. A soul controls the body it inhabits. It gains any ability score or action the body had (besides legendary actions or legendary resistance), but retains it's own spell casting (if it has the spellcasting, innate or otherwise), and has disadvantage on all attack rolls and strength, dexterity, and constitution saving throws for 1d4 turns after swapping bodies.

At the end of a swapped creatures turn, it can choose to repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a successful save. It its CR (or character level if it has no CR) is higher than the body of the creature it is, it has advantage on the save.

If a creature dies while while it's soul is swapped, the souls return to their original bodies. If a soul was in a dying creature that returns to a living body, that creature takes 5d10 necrotic damage.

Tradition of the Hedge Mage

Stolen Techniques

At 6th level, you can learn one new 1st or 2nd level spell from the bard, cleric, druid, or wizard spell list. The spell becomes an Occultist spell for you, but does not count against your spells known.

Additionally, you can delve into the rites of another tradition. You learn one additional occult rite that does not count against your rites known. This rite can be selected from any Occultist subclass or from the general Occultist rites, but cannot be a rite with a prerequisite.

Empowered Cantrips

Starting at 6th level, once per turn when you roll damage for an Occultist cantrip, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the damage dealt.

Cantrip Mastery

Starting at 14th level, you can cast an Occultist cantrip with a casting time of one action as a bonus action. When you cast a cantrip in this way, it is cast as if you are 1st level.

Hedge Mage Rites

Hedge Magic (You can take this rite multiple times)

You learn an additional cantrip from the Occultist list or from the expanded list provided by the Practical Skills feature.

I Know That One!

When you make a saving throw against a spell you know, or make a spellcasting ability check to use counterspell or dispel magic against a spell you know, you have advantage on the saving throw or spellcasting ability check.

Manipulate Magic (Prerequisite: 5th level Hedge Mage)

You learn one Metamagic option of your choice from the sorcerer class. You can use this Metamagic option once, ignoring its sorcery point cost, up to a maximum of 3 points, and regaining the ability to use it again after completing a long rest. You can use it again by expending a spell slot of a level equal to the number of sorcery points the Metamagic would costs to use.

Mass Cantrip

When you cast an Occultist cantrip that targets one or more creatures, you can make the cantrip target a number additional creatures within range equal to your proficiency bonus. Once you use this rite in this way, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again. You can instead expend a spell slot to gain a similar effect, causing the cantrip to target a number of additional creatures equal to the level of spell slot spent.

Mastered Basics (Prerequisite: 15th level Hedge Mage)

When you cast an Occultist spell you know using a 1st level spell slot, it is cast as if you spent a 2nd level spell slot instead.

Practice Makes Perfect

You've cast a spell so many times it has become second nature. Select a 1st level Occultist spell you know. You can cast this spell without expending a spell slot a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up), regaining all uses when you complete a long rest.

Practiced Reach

When you use the Way I Learned It feature to add range, you can make the range of the spell up to 30 feet.

Potent Cantrip (Prerequisite: 7th level Hedge Mage)

Your damaging cantrips affect even creatures that avoid the brunt of the effect. When a creature succeeds on a saving throw against your cantrip, the creature takes half the cantrip's damage (if any) but suffers no additional effect from the cantrip.

Savant Focus (Prerequisite: 7th level Hedge Mage)

You can focus all of your experience into using your most basic magic potently. As a bonus action you can enter a state of focused concentration, as if concentrating on a spell. When you do so, you gain advantage on attack rolls made for cantrips for 1 minute, or until you end your concentration on this state of focus.

Studious Mage (Prerequisite: 3rd level Hedge Mage, You can take this Rite multiple times)

You can select spell from the Wizard or Druid spell list, but only of a spell level lower than the highest level spell level you can cast (for example, a 3rd level Occultist can select a 1st level Wizard or Druid spell).

Simple Magic (Prerequisite: 5th level Hedge Mage)

Even as you gain power, you are adept with using small bursts for simple magic. You can sacrifice a spell slot of 3rd level or higher to gain two 1st level spell slots. If the spell slot is 5th level or higher, you can gain two 2nd level spell slots. You cannot store more than twice your usual maximum number of any spell slot level this way.

Utility Master (Prerequisite: 5th level Hedge Mage)

When you cast utility cantrips that can lift weight, affect external elements, target an area on the ground, or cause minor instantaneous effects, you lift twice as much, target twice the area, or maintain an additional instantaneous effect.

Tradition of the Oracle

Mystery of Fire

Your understanding of the nature of fire unlocks its secrets for you. You learn the following spells at the following levels.

Mystery of Life

Your understanding of the nature of life unlocks its secrets for you. You learn the following spells at the following levels.

Mystery of War

Your understanding of the nature of war unlocks its secrets for you. You gain proficiency with simple weapons, medium armor, and shields, and when you make a weapon attack, you can use your Wisdom modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls.

Additionally, you learn the following spells at the following levels.

Mystery of Souls

Your understanding of the nature of souls unlocks their secrets for you. You learn the following spells at the following levels.

Mystery of Light

Your understanding of light illuminates the world in new ways. You learn the following spells at the following levels.

Mystery of Darkness

Your understanding of darkness unlocks the secrets shrouded from others. You learn the following spells at the following levels.

Fate Reading

Starting at 3rd level, your connection to the flow of fate gives you the ability to read from it, tracing outcomes and glimpsing the unknowable future. When you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to add your Wisdom modifier to your AC until the start of your next turn (including against the triggering attack). You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses on a long rest.

Additionally, you learn the spell augury and can cast it at will without expending spell slot.

Enlightened Understanding

Starting at 6th level, whenever you activate a Revelation, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier. Additionally, you can trigger a Revelation when you cast a 1st level or higher spell that otherwise doesn't fit its requirements (for example, triggering Revelation of Fire on a spell that doesn't deal fire damage)

Master of Prophecy

Starting at 14th level, you can cast augury a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier per day before it starts having a chance to return random answers.

Additionally, when you divine the future with augury, you can issue a cryptic prophecy, with three specific points for rolls that may occur within the next 30 minutes. For each specific point you prophesize, if you specify only the type of roll (for example, an attack, a Strength (Athletics) check, or an initiative roll, etc), a d4 is reserved (example "someone will be particularly quick when rolling initiative").

If you specify a specific action and a specific person, a d6 is reserved (for example, "when the wizard Caius rolls for initiative, he will be unusually quick"). If you give it a specific unlikely condition, a d8 can be reserved at the discretion of the GM.

A specific action or person can only have one prophesied event. If that prophesied event takes place (at the discretion of the GM it has occurred), the oracle can spend the reserved die and add it to the roll; if multiple events trigger the prophecy, the oracle can select which of them is affected by the reserved die.

Oracle Specific Rites

Death Watcher (Prerequisite: 12th level Occultist)

You can see the lines of fate, and detect when one of them is about to snap. When an ally that can see or hear you would drop to 0 hit points as a result of taking damage, as a reaction you can manipulate their fate with a cryptic warning, causing them to narrowly avoid their demise, instead dropping to 1 hit point.

Once you use this Rite, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Divine Miracle

You learn one cleric spell of your choice. The spell must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Occultist table, or a cantrip. The chosen spell becomes an Occultist spell for you and does not count against your spells known.

Divine Sight (Prerequisite: 15th level Occultist)

If you have blindsight, you gain truesight with a range equal to your blindsight.

Oracle's Sight

You gain blindsight with a range of 15 feet. When affected by the Blinded condition for more than a minute the range of this sight is doubled while under that effect.

Revelation of Darkness Prerequisite: Mystery of Darkness

You understand that darkness is all encompassing, interrupted only by tenuous motes of light. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher creates dim light, darkness, or that obscures you from the vision of one or more creatures, you can teleport to another point you can see that is in dim light or darkness within 30 feet as a bonus action.

Revelation of Death (Prerequisite: Mystery of Death)

You can manipulate negative energy. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that deals cold or necrotic damage, you can add your Wisdom modifier to one damage roll of that spell. Channeling the power of death in this way temporarily withers and weakens you, reducing your movement speed by 5 feet until the end of your next turn.

If you use this while already weakened in this way, the duration is extended and the effect is cumulative. A spell can only trigger one Revelation. If multiple Revelations apply, choose one.

Revelation of Fire (Prerequisite: Mystery of Fire)

Your powers draw flames all around you. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that deals fire damage, you can shroud yourself in flames until the start of your next turn. You gain half cover and any creature that strikes you with a melee attack or ends their turn within 5 feet of you takes 1d6 fire damage. At the start of your next turn, you take 1 fire damage. A spell can only trigger one Revelation. If multiple Revelations apply, choose one.

Revelation of Life (Prerequisite: Mystery of Life)

Your powers are tied to the nature of life and its ever shifting balance. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points or grants temporary hit points, you can heal a creature other than yourself within 30 feet for a number of hit points equal to your Occultist level. Your current hit points are reduced by half as many hit points as you restore with this feature.

You can only use this ability on creatures that have vibrant life pulsing within them. This revelation does not work on undead, constructs, or creatures at zero hit points. A spell can only trigger one Revelation. If multiple Revelations apply, choose one.

Revelation of Light (Prerequisite: Mystery of Light)

You grasp that looking into the light blinds as surely as looking away from it. When you cast prismatic flash or a 1st level spell or higher spell that shreds 5 feet or more or bright light, as a bonus action you can force one creature within 30 feet of the light to make a Dexterity saving throw, or become blinded until the start of your next turn.

A creature is unaffected by this effect if it can't see, if it relies on senses other than sight, such as blindsight, or if it can perceive illusions as false, as with truesight.

Revelation of Souls (Prerequisite: Mystery of Souls)

The souls of the departed are all around. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you can conjure a medium sized benevolent or tormented spirit to an empty space you can see within 30 feet.

The first creature to enter the spirit's space or end their turn within the spirit's space gains a number of hit points equal to 1d4 + the level of the spell if you summoned a benevolent spirit, or takes necrotic damage equal to 1d4 + the level of the spell if the spirit was a tormented one. A spell can only trigger one Revelation. If multiple Revelations apply, choose one.

Tradition of the Shaman

Voidwatcher [Playtest Content]

Voidwatchers are those that have gazed into an infinite void - glimpsed a creature of unlimited power, a plane beyond comprehension, or truth beyond the veil. They forever have a fragment of what they have seen embedded into their eyes, branded onto their mind. While some creatures are driven entirely insane (or, perhaps more troubling, entirely sane), those that remain functional are those that can grasp and contextualize what they have seen, compartmentalizing and containing their fragment of madness within them. How a Voidwatcher processes the insignificance of reality influences their powers, though they all tend to develop a certain fatalistic streak having seen something on a scale beyond mortal comprehension.

Bonus Spells

Void Gaze

Starting at 3rd level, as a bonus action you can unveil the void's reflection within your eyes for 1 minute. When you unleash this power and as a bonus action on each of your turns for 1 minute, you can direct this power at a creature within 60 feet, with an effect depending on your Eschatological Conclusion selection.

• Conclusion of Annihilation. Make a ranged spell attack. On hit, the target takes 1d8 force damage.
• Conclusion of Madness. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On failure, the target takes 1d4 psychic damage and the first attack against them before the start of your next turn has advantage.
• Conclusion of Tranquility. The target gains 1d8 temporary hit points.

While this effect is active, you gain the ability to see through both natural and magical darkness as if it were bright light for a range of 60 feet, and are immune to the blinded condition.

You can use this power a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, but each time you use it again before completing a short rest you must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On failure, you become blinded until you complete a short or long rest. While blinded in this way, you have a blindsight of 10 feet. You regain all uses of the feature on a long rest.

Empowered Gaze

Starting at 6th level, the effects of your Void Gaze are empowered, and you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage or temporary hit points of the effect.

They Watch

Starting at 14th level, when you use your Void Gaze ability, you can create up to three spectral eyes at points within 60 feet of you, each of which last for 1 minute or until you dismiss them as a bonus action. Each eye projects a 30 foot cone in a direction of your choice. You can see through these eyes into their cones of vision as if you were seeing from your own eyes. When a creature starts its turn or enters into the gaze of these spectral eyes for the first time on their turn, you can subject them to the effect of your Void Gaze.

Once you use this feature, you cannot create spectral eyes in this way again until you complete a long rest.

Voidwatcher Rites

Dance of the Mad Puppet. (Prerequisite: Conclusion of Madness)

When a target is compelled to move by an Occultist spell you cast, you can pick the direction the target moves, even if you would normally not be able to (for example, a spell that causes the target to run away from you can be used to make the target run in any direction). This does not change a target's willingness to enter hazardous spaces.

Doombringer (Prerequisite: 5th level Voidwatcher)

When you roll a Fate Die for a creature using the Eye of the End, you can subtract your Wisdom modifier from the roll determining the result of their next save.

Chaotic Thesis

When you use your Void Gaze or They Watch feature, you can choose which effect you want, selecting any of the Eschatological Conclusion effects. You can select different effects for each eye for the They Watch feature.

Piercing Gaze. (Prerequisite: 15th level Voidwatcher)

If a creature ends its turn within the cone of sight of one the eyes created by They Watch, it has disadvantage on saving throws against your spells until the start of its next turn.

Ending Spoilers (Prerequisite: 9th level Voidwatcher)

You can use your Eye of the End feature as a bonus action.

Serene Acceptance. (Prerequisite: Conclusion of Tranquility)

You remain calm and unperturbed by the chaos around you, as you wait calmly for the end of reality. You gain advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on spells, and advantage on any ability check to maintain a calm state of mind, expression, or demeanor.

True Voidsight. (Prerequisite: 15th level Voidwatcher)

You gain truesight for the duration of your Void Gaze.

Touch of Annihilation. Prerequisite: Conclusion of Annihilation

Your Occultist spells that force the target to make a saving throw gain the ability to critical strike when the creature making the save rolls a 1. When the spell critical strikes, additional dice equal to half the spell's damage dice (rounded up) are added to the damage roll.

Tranquil Touch. (Prerequisite: Conclusion of Tranquility)

When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher on a creature, you can choose to end the charmed or frightened condition on that creature.

Unflinching Gaze.

You no longer need to make a Wisdom save when you use Void Gaze to avoid becoming blind.

Unmaking Eye.

When you use your Eye of the End feature, your next melee weapon attack against the target creature becomes a critical hit.

Spiritualist [Playtest Content]

Occultists who delve into the mystical arts of spiritual health and ailments, Spiritualists are masters of indirect methods and mystic secrets, gleaned only from ancient methods and whispers from the beyond. Mysterious and often reclusive, they wield subtle powers to strengthen or debilitate.

Totemic Technique

Additionally at 3rd level, you can select a technique to specialize in for using your totems, granting you a bonus to them. Select one of the following when you gain this feature:

• Dancing Totems. Instead of placing your totems at a point, you can summon your totems as Tiny sized mobile objects that orbit you in your space and emit their effects from your space. The totems can still be targeted and destroyed individually.
• Sturdy Totems. Your totems add your proficiency bonus to their AC and have hit points equal to twice your Occultist level.
• Swift Totems. You can place a totem as a bonus action instead of an action.

Empowered Totems

Starting at 6th level, your totems that roll a die roll an additional die (for example 1d6 becomes 2d6). The number of dice increases against (to 3d6) to at 14th level.

Rotting Affliction

Additionally at 6th level, when you roll a spirit die for Malignant Possession to hinder the target, the target takes necrotic damage equal to the value rolled on the die.

Grand Spirit Totem

Starting at 14th level, as an action you can place a Medium sized grand totem on an empty space within 30 feet of you that attracts and binds a swarm of powerful malevolent spirits. It has the normal AC and hit points of your totems, but gains a number of temporary hit points equal to 5 times your Wisdom modifier. If you have the Dancing Totems specialization, you can choose to make it a tiny sized object that orbits you as other totems do instead.

Any creature other than you that starts its turn or enters within 20 feet of the totem for the first time on their turn must make a Charisma saving throw. On failure, it is plagued by the spirits and subtracts your Malignant Possession die from all attack rolls, saving throws, or ability checks it makes for the full duration of the totem while within 20 feet of the totem. It is treated as if under the effect of Malignant Possession for rites and features that modify your Malignant Possession, but can take damage from Rotting Affliction only once per turn.

If a creature exits the range of the totem, it is no longer under the effect, but it automatically under the effect once more if it enters range of the totem (without getting to make another save). This effect only ends once the totem's effect ends, or the totem is destroyed.

The totem lasts for 1 minute, and can be dismissed early as a bonus action, after which it crumbles to dust.

This totem does not consume a use of your Totem Binding feature, but once you invoke this totem, you cannot invoke it again until you complete a long rest.

Spiritualist Rites

Chilling Possession

Your Malignant Possession chills the target, reducing the movement speed of the target by 10 feet while under the effect.

Contagious Possession. (Prerequisite: 9th level Spiritualist)

If a creature dies while under the effect of Malignant Possession, you can force another creature within 30 feet of it to make a Charisma saving throw. On failure, it becomes under the effect of Malignant Possession. You cannot use this feature if the creature died from the effects of Destructive Possession.

Controlled Convulsion (Prerequisite: 5th level Spiritualist)

When your Malignant Possession causes the attacker to miss the target with a melee attack, you can redirect the attack to another creature within range of the attack. The new attack makes a new attack roll.

Destructive Possession

As an action you can end the Malignant Possession of a creature by denoting the spirit within them, forcing them to make a Charisma saving throw. On failure, they take 2d8 necrotic damage, or half as much on a successful save. The damage increases by 2d8 for each point of proficiency bonus above 2.

Expansive Totems (Prerequisite: 5th level)

The area of effect on your totems that affect a 10 foot radius expands to 15 feet.

Ghost Step (Prerequisite: 5th level Spiritualist)

You learn the ghost step spell, and can cast it once without expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to cast it again without a spell slot when you complete a long rest.

Lethargic Possession.

When you use Malignant Possession, the spirit saps the target's energy. They gain 1 level of exhaustion while the spirit haunts them. This level of exhaustion ends if the spirit stops haunting them.

Restraining Totem (Prerequisite: Grappling Totem)

Your Grappling Totem restrains creatures while they are grappled by it.

Spirit Wards

You gain the effect of protection from evil and good against all incorporeal spirits and undead.

Totem Master

You regain one use of your Totem Binding feature when you complete a short rest.

Totem Savant

You learn an additional totem from your Totem Binding feature.

Totem Teleport (Prerequisite: 5th level Spiritualist)

As a bonus action, you can switch places with any of your totems within 60 feet (teleport to an empty space within 5 feet of it, and the totem teleporting it to a point adjacent to the space you teleported from).

Twin Totems (Prerequisite: 18th level Spiritualist)

When you use your Totem Binding feature you call forth two different totems at the same time with a single use of the feature.

Occultist Rites

The following are Occult Rites that can be selected by any Occultist, regardless of subclass.

Alchemical Rites

You gain proficiency with alchemist's supplies. During a long rest, you can use them to concoct an improvised potion of healing by spending 1 hour of the long rest to tend to its simmering. Due to its improvised nature, it expires in 24 hours, and has no value in gold pieces.

During this process, you can expend a 5th level spell to brew a potion of greater healing instead. The expended spell slot is regained when the long rest is completed as normal.

Commune Beyond Death

You learn the speak with dead spell, which counts as an Occultist spell for you, but does not count against your spells known. You can cast it without expending a spell slot. Once you cast it this way, you must finish a short or long rest before you can cast it this way again.

Corrupt Item (Prerequisite: 5th level Occultist)

You use a dark and secret rite to corrupt a non-magical item, causing it to become a cursed magic item. While any creature other than you is in possession of this item, they are under the effect of bane. Select one of the following for the item's magical property (the item must be of a type of item that could be the magical item selected): bag of tricks, brooch of shielding, goggles of night, lantern of revealing, or staff of the python (you can ignore attunement restrictions of this item).

When you change rites, you can reselect this rite to destroy the item and create a new item.

Emblazoned Focus

You emblazon a mystical mark on yourself via a tattoo, scar, or similar permanent mark. You can use this mark as your spellcasting focus for your Occultist spells. You no longer need a free hand to cast spells with somatic or material components, as you can channel your magic through the mark, though it glows visibly when you do so. The mark must remain uncovered to function as a spellcasting focus (casting in this way does not remove the signs of casting a spell, it merely means you do not need a free hand).

Expert of Tradition (Prerequisite: 10th level Occultist)

Choose a skill you are proficient in from among Animal Handling, Arcana, Medicine, Nature, and Survival. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency. If you do not have proficiency in any of the selected skills, you instead gain proficiency in one of your choice.

Forbidden Rites (Prerequisite: 5th level Occultist)

You learn the spell animate dead. It is an Occultist spell for you and does not count against the number of Occultist spells you know. This spell cannot gain the ritual tag with Lost Ritual.

Lost Ritual

You learn of a ritual lost to time. Select an Occultist spell you know of 5th level or lower. This spell gains the ritual tag. You can cast this spell as a ritual once, and must complete a short or long rest before casting it as a ritual again.

Markings of Protections

You mark yourself with magical symbols and patterns, protecting you from harm. While you are not wearing any armor, your AC becomes 11 + your Wisdom modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Occult Magic (You can take this Rite multiple times)

Your Occultist spells known increases by one. You can select this rite multiple times.

Protective Ward

You make a ward against supernatural harm. While you wear this charm, you can use it to cast protection from evil and good without expending a spell slot, material components, or requiring concentration, but the spell lasts a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier. You can cast this as a reaction to being attacked or making a save it would affect, but when you do so it only lasts until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this charm, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Rite of Immortality (Prerequisite: 15th-level Occultist)

You continue to age, but you will no longer die of old age, and suffer none of the frailty of old age.

Rite of Youth (Prerequisite: 15-level Occultist)

You cease to visually age, and can even choose to become more youthful in appearance, though your lifespan remains the natural lifespan of your race.

Root of Magic (Prerequisite: 15th-level Occultist)

You learn 10 cantrips from any class lists of your choice. They are Occultist spells for you.

Spatial Storage

You can convert a pocket, ring, hat, or bag into a spatial storage device, capable of carrying up to 5 x your Occultist level pounds, with 0.5 x your Occultist level cubic feet of storage space. For example, a level 5 Occultist can store up to 25 pounds, not exceeding a volume of 2.5 cubic feet, within the storage space. As an action, you can send an item you are holding into the storage space or retrieve an item from the storage space to your hand.

If lost, you can recreate the spatial storage device during a short rest.

Losing Invested Objects

If a Rite creates an object, you can recreate that object if it is lost or destroyed. If the rules are not specified elsewhere, it is a process that requires any base object the Rite did and 4 hours of time. If the original still exists anywhere, it loses its magical properties when you complete this process.

Additional Content

Feats

Occultist Spell List

Casting Compendium (K^K)

Spells marked with the superscript K (^K) come from Kibbles' Casting Compendium, which is freely available and under the CC-BY license for reuse, available in an online PDF form here

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Fan Content Patch

For those looking to include spells from other sources, consider including the Occultist Fan Content patch.

Aldricor's Elemental Rebuke^TAG

1st-level transmutation

• Classes: Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
• Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you take acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder damage.
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: S
• Duration: Instantaneous

You manipulate some of the incoming elemental energy, harnessing its power in your hand. The damage you take from the triggering effect is cut in half, and if the creature that damaged you is within range you hurl the energy back at it. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d8 damage of the triggering type on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

At Higher Levels. When you cast the spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each level above first.

Multiclassing

Should you want to multiclass into Occultist, the prerequisites and proficiencies are as follows:

• Prerequisite: 13 Wisdom
• Proficiencies gained: Medicine, Herbalism Kit

For the purpose of multiclassing and spell slots, add your Occultist levels when calculating your Spell Slots on the multiclassing spells slots table.

Editing Credit

• Editing by Gabriel Russell (v1.3)

Art Credits

All art is copyright KibblesTasty.

• Class Image - Art by adrytia45
• Lifedrain - Art by a Alifka Hammam
• Cursesmith - Art by Trung Tin Shinji
• Oracle - Art by Trung Tin Shinji
• Shaman - Art by Trung Tin Shinji
• Witches - Art by Trung Tin Shinji

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