Shadows Of Ruin by

<div class='cover-header'>Shadows Of Ruin</div>

<div class='cover-footer'>Run By A_True_Khaleesi</div>

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# It Begins With The End

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Lone adventurers, scattered from the frozen tundra of Icewind Dale to the risen necrotic city of Warlock’s Crypt, share 
nothing but the bloody red skies above them. A solemn paladin kneels in supplication to the five-headed statue of Tiamat, 
the god-dragon that takes to the skies each day.

A deceitful 
rogue creeps through the cobwebbed corridors of the lich claimed Candlekeep, seeking treasure and knowledge in equal 
measure.

A haggard wizard, feeling the sea breeze against her 
braided locks, hazily recalls what life was like before Vecna 
the Whispered One emerged. They all do what they must to 
survive in a land that is well and truly doomed.

The world of the Doomed Sword Coast 
is one of disaster and destruction. In 
the ancient battle of good versus evil, 
evil won. But evil is often evil’s own 
undoing—doubly so when the world 
is filled with competing factions with clashing ambitions. If it’s not trapped gods, tyrannical dragons, 
or endlessly ambitious liches, then it’s the small 
everyday evils that further the corruption of this land.
Traversing the Sword Coast has never been 
entirely safe, but today, its dangers are unparalleled. Desperate bandits, intelligent undead, and 
itinerant mercenaries lurk in every shadow. For 
those who lived in the Sword Coast’s golden age, it 
now bears little resemblance to the life they once 
knew.

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<br>

Imagine the worst possible ending for each published 
dungeons & dragons fifth edition adventure path 
all happening one after another: *Tyranny of Dragons*, 
*Princes of the Apocalypse*, *Out of the Abyss*, *Tomb of Annihilation*, *Storm King’s Thunder*, *Descent into Avernus*, and *Rime of the Frostmaiden*.

In each  adventure, those supposed heroes were slain in 
their conquest or never answered the call for aid. 
Throughout the Doomed Forgotten Realms Gazetteer, 
you’ll find summaries of those terrible outcomes 
woven into the history of this world.

This apocalyptic retelling of the famous Forgotten 
Realms is for every D&D player, from those who’ve 
dutifully completed all the hardcover adventures, to 
those who haven’t touched a single one. In a universe 
of multiple planes of existence with endless possibilities, this is the alternate reality that adventurers fear, 
one that even the greatest heroes can’t easily undo.

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<div class='cover-header'>Bregan D'aerthe</div>

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## Bregan D'aerthe

Bregan D’aerthe is the faction without a home, a 
drow-led mercantile guild that roams the seas of the 
Forgotten Realms, occasionally making landfall when 
the Sword Coast is clear. Here, the drow who wished 
to escape the matriarchy of the Underdark maintain 
their culture of rebellion today.

Now that the demon lords took the Underdark, 
Bregan D’aerthe is arguably the only haven left for 
drow, though they’ve abandoned life underground 
for one on the seas instead. Ever pragmatists, the 
mercenary company relaxed their rules to strengthen 
their numbers, welcoming folks of every race and 
gender. The considerable size of their fleet and speed 
with which they move has kept them out of the direct 
eyeline of both Vecna and Tiamat (which ranges from 
one to eleven eyeballs).

The faction has numerous settlements scattered 
among lost islands of the Trackless Sea; however, 
none are considered home and simply provide shipments of food or a safe place to dock.

Members of Bregan D’aerthe who live on the mainland typically 
serve as spies, living unassuming lives in the few 
remaining cities while gathering intelligence for the 
fleet. To some, Bregan D’aerthe is simply the latest 
iteration of a piracy scourge on the sea, whereas for 
others, they’re the world’s last hope.

### Goals and Ambitions
* Ensure Vecna’s downfall, returning the Forgotten 
Realms back to its former glory—with Bregan 
D’aerthe now a major player.

* Establish spies throughout the Forgotten Realms.

* Claim the seas, letting allies use it—for the right 
price.

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<div class='cover-header'>The Cult Of The Dragon</div>

<div class='cover-footer'>She Has Risen</div>

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## The Cult Of The Dragon

The Cult of the Dragon, as its name might suggest, 
seeks to venerate and ultimately serve dragons. 
Dragon cultists brought about Tiamat’s return to the 
Forgotten Realms, ushering in what they thought 
would be a golden era under draconic rule—that is, 
until Vecna emerged. Even so, the dragons seized 
much territory, making them a formidable force in 
the land as they seek to satiate their Queen’s endless 
avarice.

The cult’s lowest ranks are full of groveling kobolds 
and fanatics who believe chromatic dragons exist to 
be served, their innate power making them worthy of 
worship. Still, if a single dragon gets too greedy, they 
risk attracting the ire of Tiamat and guaranteeing a 
painful demise.

Ultimately, the Cult of the Dragon exists only as 
long as its dragon overlords wish for it to. The cultists view themselves as irreplaceable, the eyes and hands of all dragons—but other factions see them 
as parasites that latched onto the dragons to avoid 
being crushed. Luckily for the cult, dragons have a 
grandiose sense of self and relish having hordes of 
humanoids that exist solely to serve them.

### Goals and Ambitions
* Ensure Tiamat’s ultimate reign over the Forgotten 
Realms.

* Serve all dragonkind, contribute to their hoards of 
treasure, and gain their alliance.

* Decimate the giants, from hill to storm.

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<div class='cover-header'>Cult Of The Elder Elemental Eye</div>

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## Cult Of The Elder Elemental Eye

The Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye is an insidious 
one, for those who join it don’t realize its evils until 
it’s too late. Prospective cultists come because they 
feel a connection to nature or the four elements, and 
the cults tap deeply into their emotions. But the cults 
of Eternal Flame, Black Earth, and Crushing Wave, 
and Howling Hatred united against all that opposed 
them and summoned four Princes of Elemental Evil 
into the Material Plane.

Imix the All-Consuming Fire, Ogremoch the 
Mountain of Doom, Yan-C-Bin the Storm Born, and 
Olhydra the Well of Endless Anguish were brought 
forth into the Dessarin Valley, but they didn’t succumb 
to their base instincts and fight one another as they 
usually do. Instead, these Princes of Elemental 
Evil revealed their plan to their followers: to free 
Tharizdun, the Elder Elemental Eye imprisoned in 
some forgotten abyssal plane.

Vecna immediately struck a deal, and the princes 
had no idea how one-sided it was: he’d summon 
forth their deity, Tharizdun the Chained, if they 
would terraform the Forgotten Realms as Vecna 
pleased. Vecna kept his word to the letter—he 
brought Tharizdun to the Forgotten Realms, but 
ironically left him in chains in Vecna’s own sanctum. 
The princes wait for Tharizdun’s rare moments 
of lucidity in which he can deliver guidance, but 
elementals aren’t known for their patience.

### Goals and Ambitions

* Shape the Forgotten Realms to their whims, or if 
they can’t, ultimately destroy it.

* Free Tharizdun from Vecna’s chains

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<div class='cover-header'>Zariel's Legion</div>

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## Zariel's Legion

Zariel’s Legion is a militaristic force with the singular 
goal of preventing the demons from winning the 
Blood War. Most of the faction consists of devils 
in their many shapes, from imps to pit fiends, led 
by Zariel, the angel who fell from Mount Celestia 
to become an archdevil in Avernus. When the 
Underdark was claimed by the demon hordes, the 
Blood War became a war on two fronts: Avernus and 
the Material Plane.

Zariel vacated her role as Archduke, taking her 
entire basalt citadel to hover over the crater where 
Baldur’s Gate once stood. The crater’s depths peeled 
back the first layers of the Underdark, making it yet 
another front line akin to the River Styx, a multiplanar river that connects the Abyss to the Nine 
Hells.

In turn, Zariel’s rival Bel reclaimed the title 
of Archduke, much to his delight, while maintaining 
the ongoing stalemate between devils and demons 
in Avernus. Now Zariel’s Legion receives reinforcements from the Nine Hells, perpetually clashing 
wherever the demons may emerge.

Vecna and Zariel have never spoken about their 
apparent truce, but as long as Zariel’s Legion 
remains singularly focused on the Blood War, Vecna 
doesn’t interfere. Gutting the dwarfholds and filling 
them with his loyal orcs as he did, he’s certain 
he could defend against demonkind on his own.

Conversely, Zariel’s Legion occasionally provides 
assistance to the Cult of the Dragon, though the 
factions have a complicated relationship. Originally, 
Zariel aided in freeing Tiamat from Avernus, mostly 
for her own selfish reasons, and now they happen to 
share the same plane of existence yet again. For as 
long as they keep clear of one another, the hatchet 
can remain buried.

### Goals and Ambitions

* Prevent the demonic horde from consuming the 
multiverse.

* Monitor both Vecna and Tiamat’s activities and 
report to Asmodeus.

* Gather more souls to further populate their legion 
of fiends.

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<div class='cover-header'>Zhentarim</div>

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## Zhentarim

The Zhentarim, also known as the Black Network, 
once skulked in the shadows, dealing in illicit 
wares and morally questionable mercenaries. 
Now that Vecna casts a shadow over the whole 
world, they begrudgingly step into stark daylight. 
The Zhentarim’s militia upholds Vecna’s laws in 
every major city, squashing any flickering hope of 
insurrection.

When Vecna and Tiamat arrived in the Forgotten 
Realms, the Black Network’s leader Manshoon made 
a shrewd choice: he appealed to the Archlich’s logical 
side and preserved the Zhentarim. Outwardly, this 
force is just another part of Vecna’s Alliance. But 
secretly, Manshoon wants more.

The Zhentarim still never turns down a chance 
to make coin. Their assassins target members of 
the other factions, and elite soldiers train in special 
tactics designed to counter dragons. They say dead 
kings are buried with all their wealth, and no one has 
seen the inside of the tomb Vecna rose from. Perhaps 
in there Manshoon might also find a convenient solution to this Vecna “problem.”

### Goals and Ambitions

* Amass wealth and influence throughout the 
Forgotten Realms.

* Seize power through any means.

* Wait for the perfect moment to betray Vecna and 
take control of Faerûn.

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<div class='cover-header'>Subclasses</div>

<div class='cover-footer'>It's A Brave New World</div>

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## Character Options

Despite everything the Sword Coast has gone through, pockets of people still attempt to lead ordinary lives. Life in and around the cities has fundamentally shifted, and nearly everyone struggles to find their place. Perhaps you were fortunate enough to be born into such a place, or perhaps you fought to make one for yourself.

When creating a character for the Doomed Sword Coast, consider how the end of the world affected your character. Did they have a life before everything fell 
to pieces? What sort of upbringing could they have had if raised in a land in evil’s clutches?

The answer to those questions can help shape your character: where they stand on the fate of the world, what drives them to adventuring, and what dark secrets they hold dear.

This chapter contains new character options, including five new subclasses, ten alternative background features, and a Heroic Chronicle to help flesh out the backstories of player characters and NPCs 
alike.

<br>

</div>

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## Bard

### College Of The Elements

The Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye would have 
everyone believe there is a perfect balance between 
air, earth, fire, and water. In truth, the four battle endlessly, their very natures at odds with one 
another. A flame can’t exist in a storm, much like the 
sea erodes all land. However, those who recognize 
this elemental nature and align themselves with it 
may find the very elements at the whims of their 
fingertips.

Bards who join the College of the Elements could 
be members of the Cult of the Elder Elemental 
Eye or servants of other elemental forces. Much 
of the world has been disrupted, twisted, and left 
desolate. Members of College of the Elements view 
the misshapen world with a yearning to restore a 
balance—or a selfish desire to exploit the imbalance 
for their own gain.

### Song Of The Elements
*3rd-level College of The Elements feature*
You know harmonies that resonate with the 
elements. You can spend 1 minute channeling one 
of the elements, after which you gain one of the 
following effects of your choice:

#### Air. 
You can take the Dash action as a bonus action 
and you can levitate up to 5 feet off the ground. 
While levitating in this way, you can move up or 
down as part of your move. While you are not 
touching the ground, you can move only by pushing 
or pulling against a fixed object or surface within 
reach (such as a wall), which allows you to move as 
if you were climbing.

#### Earth. 
You have a +2 bonus to your AC.

#### Fire. 
You radiate dim light out to 30 feet. Any creature that hits you with a melee attack while within 
5 feet of you takes fire damage equal to your bard 
level.

#### Water. 
You can breathe underwater and gain a swim 
speed equal to your walking speed. You can move 
through a space as narrow as 1 foot wide without 
squeezing.

The effect ends after 1 hour or if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of any level to use it again.

### Summon Elemental Ambassador

*3rd-level College of The Elements feature*

You’ve learned how to conduct yourself in front 
of countless fickle elementals. You learn the find 
familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual.

The spell 
counts as a bard spell for you, but it doesn’t count 
against your number of spells known.

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When you cast 
the spell, instead of choosing a normal form for your 
familiar, choose one of the following special forms: 
**mud mephit**, **smoke mephit**, or **steam mephit**.

In addition, you gain proficiency in the Nature skill, 
and you learn to speak, read, and write Primordial or 
one other language of your choice.

### Invoke Essence

*6th-level College of The Elements feature*

You can bend your connection with the elements to 
deliver an explosive burst of primordial power. As an 
action, you can expend any number of your Bardic 
Inspiration dice to create one of the following effects:

#### Air. 
One Large or smaller creature you can see within 
30 feet of you must succeed on a Dexterity saving 
throw against your spell save DC or be launched 
into the air. On a failed saving throw, it rises vertically a number of feet in the air equal to 3 × the 
total rolled on the Bardic Inspiration dice. While 
aloft, the target can move only by pushing or pulling 
against a fixed object or surface within reach (such 
as a wall or a ceiling), which allows it to move as if 
it were climbing. At the end of your next turn, the 
effect ends and the target falls back to the ground, 
taking fall damage as normal.

#### Earth. 
A creature you can see within 30 feet of you 
gains temporary hit points equal to the total rolled 
on the Bardic Inspiration dice. Until the target 
loses all these temporary hit points, it can ignore 
difficult terrain.

#### Fire. 
You create a 10-foot-high, 5-foot-wide, and 
1-foot-thick pillar of flame on a solid surface within 
5 feet of you. The pillar is opaque and lasts until 
the end of your next turn. When the pillar appears, 
any creature within its area must make a Dexterity 
saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed 
save, a creature takes fire damage equal to the 
total rolled on the Bardic Inspiration dice, or half 
as much damage on a successful save. A creature 
takes the same damage when it enters the pillar for 
the first time on a turn or ends its turn there.

#### Water. 
One creature you can see within 30 feet of 
you gains temporary hit points equal to the total 
rolled on the Bardic Inspiration dice. For as long as 
the creature has those temporary hit points, it has 
resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing 
from nonmagical attacks and can move through a 
space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

### Primordial Unity

*14th-level College of The Elements feature*

You can forge a connection between elements, 
combining their boons. Whenever you use your 
Song of the Elements feature, you can gain a second 
elemental effect of your choice for the duration.

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## Druid

### Circle Of The Nine

Druids of the Circle of the Nine accept that fiends are 
a natural part not of the cycle of life, but of the cycle 
of death. Such druids see the hellscape the world has 
become, and they’ll be damned (perhaps literally) if 
they don’t sculpt the land to make it someone else’s 
personal hell. In a world where nearly everyone is 
complicit in evil deeds, these druids terraform the 
world to punish everyone around them. Some may 
do this out of a belief it’s the natural order of things—
after all, even the Nine Hells are shaped to torment 
corrupt souls—while others simply mourn the world 
they lost and wish others to understand their pain.

### Infernal Mentor
*2nd-level Circle of the Nine feature*

You gain an infernal contact within the Nine Hells. 
When you first gain this feature they are indifferent 
to you, but you may be able to curry favor with them 
in time. Once per day, you can cast the sending spell 
with no components, targeting this devil only.
In addition, you learn to speak, read, and write 
Infernal or one other language of your choice.

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### Hellscape Architect

*2nd-level Circle of the Nine feature*

You’ve seen truly hellish landscapes and can ensure 
everyone shares your vision (whether they like it or 
not). As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your 
Wild Shape feature to take on a fiendish form and 
manipulate the surrounding area to torment your 
enemies. You retain your game statistics, but horns 
of flame protrude from your forehead (if you don’t 
have them already) and the area around you smells 
of brimstone. This form lasts for 10 minutes. You can 
revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus 
action on your turn. You automatically revert if you 
fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

Whenever you assume this fiendish form, choose 
a hellscape that manifests around you, which grants 
you its benefits for the duration:

#### Festering Hellscape. 
Winds of salt blow into open 
wounds and your surroundings develop a coating 
of tarnish and rust. Immediately after you deal 
damage to a creature within 60 feet of you, you can 
use a bonus action to force that creature to make 
a Constitution saving throw against your spell save 
DC. On a failed save, the creature’s wounds fester 
and it takes necrotic damage equal to 1d8 + your 
Wisdom modifier at the start of each of its turns.

Any creature can take an action to staunch the 
wound with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) 
check. The wound also closes if the target receives 
magical healing. A creature can only have one 
festering wound at a time.

#### Tempting Hellscape. 
You present dark temptations 
of vice and desire to sway your foes. When you 
activate this form, and as a bonus action on your 
subsequent turns while it lasts, you can target one 
creature you can see within 60 feet of you and 
cause it to make a Wisdom saving throw against 
your spell save DC. On a failed saving throw, the 
target makes attacks with disadvantage on until the 
end of its next turn, provided you remain within its 
line of sight.

#### Grasping Hellscape. 
You conjure claws, vines, 
tentacles, or an unspeakable horror that grasps 
at its victims. When you activate this form, and as 
a bonus action on your subsequent turns while 
it lasts, you can target one creature you can see 
within 60 feet of you. The target must succeed on 
a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC 
or have its speed reduced to 0 until the end of your 
next turn, as pieces of the environment grasp the 
target. If a target fails the save by 5 or more, it is 
restrained for the duration.

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### Freedom’s Cost
*6th-level Circle of the Nine feature*

Your time among the devils has taught you much 
about making sinister deals. You can use an action 
to target one creature you can see that is currently 
affected by your Hellscape Architect feature and offer 
it a deal: its freedom for momentary servitude. The 
creature is forced to use its reaction to respond to the 
deal, either accepting or declining it.

If the creature accepts the deal, it becomes 
charmed by you. While charmed in this way, it obeys 
your reasonable commands, granting you favors it 
would offer to someone it was indebted to. This effect 
ends on a target after 1 hour, if you attack it, or if it 
witnesses you attacking or damaging any of its allies.

If the creature declines the deal, it must succeed on 
a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or 
be stunned until the end of its next turn.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again 
until you finish a short or long rest.

<br>

### Emboldened Hellscape
*10th-level Circle of the Nine feature*

The tormenting nature of your Hellscape Architect 
form improves. At the start of each of your turns 
while in your Hellscape Architect form, you can 
change which hellscape manifests around you (no 
action required). Additionally, the benefits of each 
form increase as follows:

#### Festering Hellscape. 
The damage dealt by your 
Festering Hellscape wounds increases from 1d8 to 
2d8.

#### Tempting Hellscape. 
On a failed saving throw, the 
target has disadvantage on ability checks, in addition to attack rolls.

#### Grasping Hellscape. 
You can target two creatures 
instead of one.

<br>

### Fiendish Perfection
*14th-level Circle of the Nine feature*

Your fiendish form has evolved gloriously beyond 
that of real devils. While in your Hellscape Architect 
form, fiendish wings sprout from your back, giving 
you a flying speed of 30 feet. You also gain advantage 
on saving throws against spells and other magical 
effects.

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## Fighter

### Zhentilar's Finest

All the Zhentarim who operate in Darkhold Keep 
under the Pereghost learn his tenets and battle 
mantras. Leaders of the Zhentarim know that it’s not 
enough to simply best your enemy—you must strike 
fear into them and all those who stand beside them.

A fighter trained by Zhentarim’s Finest believes in 
one thing: might over matter. Battle is won by those 
of iron will and lost by those who crumble from the 
pressure. Even those warriors who’ve turned their 
back on the Zhentarim still fight with their techniques, because despite what you feel about the 
faction, you can’t argue with their results.

### Instill Fear
*3rd-level Zhentilar’s Finest feature*

You’ve internalized the teachings of the Zhentarim 
to strike fear into your enemies while never showing 
fear yourself. As a bonus action on your turn, you can 
force a creature you can see that you dealt damage 
to this turn to make a Wisdom saving throw. The DC 
equals 10 or half of the damage you dealt, whichever 
number is higher. If the creature fails the save, it falls 
prone and is frightened for 1 minute.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to 
your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended 
uses when you finish a long rest

### Intimidation Tactics

*7th-level Zhentilar’s Finest feature*

You’ve learned how to carry yourself in and out 
of battle to “encourage” others to see your way 
of thinking. Whenever you make a Charisma 
(Intimidation) check, you gain a bonus to the check 
equal to your Strength modifier. In addition, you 
can use your bonus action to force a creature you 
can see within 30 feet of you to make a Charisma 
(Intimidation) check contested by your Charisma 
(Intimidation) check. If you succeed, the creature’s 
next attack is reduced by the difference between your 
checks.

You can use this bonus action a number of times 
equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all 
expended uses when you finish a long rest.

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### Exhibit Might
*10th-level Zhentilar’s Finest feature*

You wield your weapon to not just harm your 
enemies, but to utterly destroy their psyche. When 
you attack a target that is frightened of you, your 
weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18–20. 
When you score a critical hit on a creature that is 
frightened of you, it suffers the following additional 
effects until the end of its next turn:

* The creature has disadvantage on Wisdom, 
Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws.

* The creature’s movement speed becomes 0, and it 
can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.

<br>

### Emboldened Strike
*15th-level Zhentilar’s Finest feature*

You take advantage of the moment of panic your 
enemies experience when they see you in battle. 
Immediately after you cause a creature within 5 
feet of you to become frightened, you can use your 
reaction to make a melee weapon attack against it, 
provided you can see it. On this attack, when you roll 
a 1 on a damage die, you can reroll the die and must 
use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 
your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended 
uses when you finish a long rest.

<br>

### Warcry of the Zhentarim
*18th-level Zhentilar’s Finest feature*

You have a voice to command legions of loyal 
Zhentarim into battle, crying for war in such a way 
that no enemy feels safe. Your Zhentilar’s Finest 
features that impose the frightened condition can do 
so even on creatures that are normally immune to 
the frightened condition, such as mindless Undead or 
Constructs.

Additionally, you can use your action to strike fear 
in the hearts of your foes. When you do so, each 
hostile creature within 60 feet of you that can see or 
hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw with 
a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your 
Strength or Charisma modifier (your choice). On a 
failed save, a creature becomes frightened for the 
next minute. While frightened, it has disadvantage on 
Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws, 
its movement speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit 
from any bonus to its speed. A creature can repeat 
the saving throw at the end of each of its turn, ending 
the effect early on a success. Once you use this 
action, you can’t use it again until you finish a long 
rest.

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## Rogue 
### Spell Slayer

Spell Slayers came to existence out of necessity. 
These bands of like-minded scoundrels, assassins, 
and thieves saw all the liches who rose to power, 
emboldened by Vecna’s return, and simply knew what 
must be done. To successfully defeat a spellcaster 
of any kind, you must first study much like a wizard 
does—if only to use those lessons against them.
Rogues who walk the path of the Spell Slayer have 
seen the utter devastation that powerful magic can 
cause, and they’ve made it their purpose to ensure 
none abuse such arcane power. Children might 
tell tales of ghosts and shadows in the night, but 
wizards spend their nights scared of the possibility 
that a Spell Slayer might be lurking around that next 
corner.

### Shatter Concentration
*3rd-level Spell Slayer feature*

You can strike with such precision as to disrupt the 
concentration of even the most mentally resolved 
spellcasters. Immediately after you deal your Sneak 
Attack damage to a creature that is currently concentrating on a spell or effect, you can increase the DC 
of its Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on the spell or effect (no action required). The DC increases by half your rogue level (rounded up).

You can use this feature a number of times equal to 
your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended 
uses when you finish a long rest.

### Know Thy Enemy
*3rd-level Spell Slayer feature*

You’ve spent countless hours studying spellcasters of 
all kinds to ensure you’re never surprised by a spell. 
You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill if you don’t 
already have it. In addition, you can use your reaction 
to make an Intelligence (Arcana) check to identify a 
spell as it’s being cast. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s 
level, and you make the check with advantage.

### Stolen Magic
*9th-level Spell Slayer feature*

You learn not only how to break a caster’s concentration, but to outright steal it temporarily. When you 
cause a creature to lose concentration on a spell or 
similar effect, you can use your reaction to cast that 
spell or create that effect. The new spell save DC 
equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence 
modifier. Regardless of the spell’s normal duration, it 
only lasts until the end of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again 
until you finish a long rest.

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### Arcane Contingency
*13th-level Spell Slayer feature*

You’ve seen and subjected yourself to countless spell 
effects to learn how to best defend against them. 
You gain advantage on any saving throw against a 
spell you’ve successfully identified. In addition, when 
you’re subjected to a spell or magical effect that 
allows you to make a saving throw to take only half 
damage, you can use your reaction to instead take no 
damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only 
half damage if you fail.
Once you use your reaction in this way, you can’t do 
so again until you finish a long rest.

### Sever the Weave
*17th-level Spell Slayer feature*

You’ve mastered separating the caster from their 
most prominent spells. When you deal Sneak Attack 
damage to a creature, you can force it to make a 
Wisdom saving throw (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier). On a 
failed save, the creature immediately loses concentration on any spell or effect it’s concentrating on, and it can’t use features or cast spells that require 
concentration for 1 minute. The creature can repeat 
the saving throw at the 
end of each of its turns, 
ending the effect early 
on a success.

Once you use this 
feature, you can’t use it 
again until you finish a 
long rest.

\pagebreakNum

## Wizard 
### School of Secrets

Every wizard knows of the eight traditional schools 
of magic: conjuration, necromancy, evocation, abjuration, transmutation, divination, enchantment, and 
illusion. But another school believes it holds mastery 
over all others: the School of Secrets. Why dedicate 
yourself to one discipline, each with its hidden faults, 
when you could simply undermine all of them by 
exposing their darkest secrets?

Wizards who follow the teachings of the School 
of Secrets traditionally fall into one of two camps: 
servants of Vecna or his bitter enemies. It’s true that 
the School of Secrets was originally Vecna’s creation, 
but not even Vecna can keep a secret this good 
hidden forever.

### Observe Weakness
*2nd-level School of Secrets feature*

After a lifetime of discovering or prying secrets from 
people, you’ve magically honed your judgment of 
others’ character (or lack thereof). As a bonus action, 
you can size up a creature you can see within 60 feet, 
learning its two lowest ability scores and any vulnerabilities it has.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to 
your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended 
uses when you finish a long rest.

### Deceit’s Demise
*2nd-level School of Secrets feature*

You can tell when someone is withholding information. You gain proficiency in the Insight skill if you 
don’t already have it. You have advantage on Wisdom 
(Insight) checks to determine whether someone is 
lying to you. In addition, you have advantage on any 
saving throws against effects that compel you to 
speak the truth.

### Bestow Vulnerability
*6th-level School of Secrets feature*

You’ve mastered exposing a foe’s secrets, leaving 
them devastated and vulnerable. As an action, 
choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of 
you that can see or hear you. It must succeed on an 
Intelligence saving throw against your spell save 
DC or gain a vulnerability to a damage type of your 
choice. The vulnerability lasts for 1 minute or until it 
takes damage of that type from you.

You can use this feature a number of times equal 
to your Intelligence modifier, and you regain all 
expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

\columnbreak

### Absolute Disclosure
*10th-level School of Secrets feature*

No matter how deeply others keep their darkest 
secrets locked away, you know how to find the key. 
You can use an action to compel a creature you can 
see within 30 feet of you that shares a language with 
you to reveal a dark secret it holds. The creature 
makes your choice of a Constitution, Intelligence, 
Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw against your 
spell save DC as you shape your argument against 
its weakness. The creature has advantage on its save 
if you or your companions are fighting it. If it fails 
the saving throw, it immediately discloses its darkest 
secret.

After it does so, the creature knows it was 
forced to disclose a secret to you.

### Expose Secrets
*14th-level School of Secrets feature*

Everyone has a secret that, if exposed, will utterly 
ruin their psyche. As an action, you can choose a 
creature you can see within 60 feet of you. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become stunned. While stunned in 
this way, a creature takes 4d6 psychic damage at the 
end of each turn, after which it can make a Wisdom 
saving throw to end the stunned effect. The DC of 
this saving throw equals 30 − the psychic damage dealt that turn by this feature. The effect ends automatically if the creature takes damage from a source 
other than this feature.

Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again 
until you finish a long rest.

\pagebreakNum

<div class='cover-header'>Backgrounds</div>

<div class='cover-footer'>Every Journey Begins Somewhere</div>

\pagebreakNum

## Backgrounds

This section presents alternate background features 
to reflect life in a world where evil runs amok.

### Acolyte

One of Vecna’s first decrees as the self-imposed Lord 
of Toril was to sever the connection between gods 
and their followers. This understandably decimated 
the population of acolytes. Now most who remain 
follow Vecna’s teachings or one of the two major cults 
in the Sword Coast.

**Alternative Feature: Draconic Cultist**. 
Whether or not you still hold to those beliefs, your experience as 
a devout follower of Tiamat grants you understanding 
of their organization and how best to avoid the ire 
of a dragon. You easily identify other followers of 
Tiamat and can invoke religious rites to exert influence over lower-ranked cultists.

**Alternative Feature: Elemental Cultist**. 
Whether or not you still hold to those beliefs, your experience 
in the Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye has granted 
you the skills to traverse the harshest conditions. 
You become a natural wilderness guide, skilled in 
identifying typical dangers (steep cliffs, underwater 
currents, blistering winds, or forest fires) and valuable resources.

### Charlatans
Charlatans of the Doomed Sword Coast haven’t 
changed much, except in how abundant they now are. 
In all walks of life, there are always going to be those 
who lie, cheat, and steal to make it through each day.

### Criminal
Criminals thrive throughout the land, stealing from 
the needy, the needless, and everyone in between. 
Many have graduated from skulking in the shadows 
to being an official blackmailer, hired killer, or fence.

**Alternative Feature: Freedom Fighter**. 
The 
outlaws of this land are the heroes of old who try to 
save the day or break up the status quo. Your heroics 
have branded you a criminal in the eyes of Vecna’s 
laws. If you find yourself in a dire situation, there is 
still a flicker of hope in the common folk who are 
willing to aid you or make sacrifices to ensure you 
succeed.

### Entertainer
Tyrants have no tolerance for satirists and jesters. 
Most entertainers make a living spreading only the 
messages the overlords approve of.

**Alternative Feature: Public Executioner**. 
You 
have experience doing macabre work that invokes 
fear, anger, and sometimes even celebration within 
the populace. In exchange for doing this dirty work, 
local authorities give you legal leeway and decent pay. 
Occasionally your profession can be used to intimidate citizens, lest they become a central piece of your 
next “performance.”

\columnbreak

### Folk Hero
The world hardly has enough citizens, let alone those 
willing to risk becoming a few heroes. The closest to 
heroes the world has now are a few grizzled survivors or broken has-beens.

**Alternative Feature: Folk Villain**. 
Unlike the rustic  hospitality that any folk hero would expect, your past 
actions strike fear (you would call it “respect”) into 
the heart of common folk. You can extract tribute and 
concessions, but go too far and you might have an 
angry mob on your hands.

### Guild Artisan
Many of the established guilds crumbled along with 
the civilizations that traded their goods. Everything 
that remains is a crude knockoff of what it used to be, 
but a few trades are even more coveted than before.

**Alternative Feature: Lost Art.** 
You know how to 
make something so rare and valuable that people will 
always offer the most coin, information, supplies, or 
support they can afford in exchange for your craft.

### Hermit
Civilizations became dangerous almost overnight 
as people were forced from their homes into the 
wilderness. Some without surviving families became 
hermits, disconnecting themselves entirely to avoid 
all the horror.

**Alternative Feature: Untouched Haven**. During 
a period of seclusion, you built or found a natural 
haven that appears to be entirely undiscovered and 
untouched by the world’s destruction. It could be a 
natural grove, cavern, or beachfront where a small 
settlement could live somewhat comfortably.

### Noble
When the forces of evil crept into the high places 
of the Sword Coast, the ruling class had to decide: 
make a stand, or align themselves with the new 
powers? Suffice to say the only nobles still around are 
those who chose the latter.

**Alternative Feature: Advantageous Blackmail**.
Thanks to countless schmoozing events and careful 
conversations, you’ve harvested a network of incriminating secrets. This leverage can be used to gain 
access to one or more minor nobles in most settlements. Use caution, however; you can only bend 
someone’s will so much before it snaps back at you.

\pagebreakNum

### Outlander
Many people believed they could weather an apocalypse, but very few actually had the survival skills and 
wherewithal to do it. If you find a body in the woods, 
you can be sure it wasn’t a true outlander.

### Sage
Knowledge is power, and Vecna enslaves countless 
sages to scour the libraries of the Sword Coast for it. 
Others use their scholarly training to bury snippets 
of information that the Whispered One doesn’t know, 
hoping to one day use that information against him 
somehow.

### Sailor
Some sailors were among the first to raise anchor 
and leave the Sword Coast for brighter shores. 
Others learned sailing because a crew won’t take on 
freeloaders.

### Soldier
The Sword Coast’s armies were fundamentally 
ill-equipped for Tiamat or Vecna’s return. How does 
your standard soldier stand toe-to-toe with a dragon 
or undead horde? They don’t. Most soldiers that 
remain are deserters or are still fighting a war they 
lost years ago.

**Alternative Feature: Forged in Darkhold**.

Years of deliberate training, honing your mind and body into a 
weapon to be used against the Zhentarim’s foes, have 
prepared you for the doomed world. When spotting 
enemy forces from afar, you can anticipate what their 
strategy might entail and plan suitable countermeasures. Outside of battle, while in Zhentarim-owned settlements, you have significant freedom to do as you please, provided it doesn’t clash with other Zhents.

### Urchin
Even cities teeming with undead still have people 
who escape daily notice, rummaging through the 
streets and alleyways.

**Alternative Feature: Shared Strife**.

Your experiences on the harsh streets taught you that urchins 
survive only by sharing warnings with one another.

You can communicate with fellow urchins to uncover 
the most significant cause of unhappiness in the area 
and key information about it

\pagebreakNum

</div>