Dirgesinger (5e Class)

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Dirgesinger


Dirgesingers voice melodies not of celebration and joy, but of sorrow and grief. They seek to spread this melancholy outlook far and wide, believing that only those who give in to their sadness can truly understand the world. Dirgesingers hold high positions in death-obsessed cultures. Serving as members of a secret guild or as part of a hierarchy of death priests, they are entrusted with the serious responsibility of composing suitable laments for the dead. The more important the deceased, the more sorrowful and moving her lament is expected to be. No one will remember the dead queen in a few short generations, but a great lament might be sung a thousand years hence. However, most dirgesingers do not belong to any special hierarchy or guild. Instead, they are rootless wanderers who travel from place to place, wrapped in inconsolable grief from some personal tragedy. These sad wanderers seek to express their grief through songs that teach the hearts of their listeners the meaning of true sorrow. Some of these fallen souls want nothing more than for others to understand the depths of their loss. A few are sinister creatures who believe that, since joy has been extinguished for them, they must in turn extinguish the joy of others by using their powers to teach folk the folly of love, the futility of hope, and the finality of the grave. Dirgesingers of this last sort often associate themselves with powerful undead, serving in the courts of vampire lords or lich-kings


Creating a Dirgesinger

Dirgesingers draw power from the deepness of their loss, from the pain that wakes with them every morning. When creating a dirgesinger, is important that your character has a strong reason to choose this path. Did you lose members of the family? Were you betrayed by a close friend? Did you witness any kind of terrible experience that shocked your mind? After deciding the cause of your pain, the second most important thing is to understand how your character is going to deal with it. Remember that the dirgesinger is not restricted by an alignment, so you can choose to use your loss as a reason to bring despair, or to avoid the spread of more of it. After you have settled these two pivots, you are free to evolve and develop your character in many ways; you may want to become a powerful undead, or maybe a tinker that brings stories of tragedies aturn the world, or open an activity dedicated to the commemoration of the dead.

Quick Build

You can make a Dirgesinger quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose the entertainer backgturn.

Class Features

As a Dirgesinger you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Dirgesinger level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Dirgesinger level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords.
Tools: Three musical instruments of your choice.
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma.
Skills: Choose any three.

Equipment

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

  • (a) Rapier or (b) Longsword or (c) any simple weapon
  • (a) a diplomat’s pack or (b) an entertainer's pack
  • (a) a lyre or (b) any other musical instrument
  • Leather armor and a dagger

Table: The Dirgesinger

LevelProficiency
Bonus
FeaturesCantrips KnownSpells Known—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
1st+2Spellcasting, Requiem, Song of Sorrow (1 turn)222
2nd+2Song of Remorse233
3rd+2Mourn Cult, Sublime Performance2442
4th+2Ability Score Improvement3543
5th+3Harrowing Lament, Song of Harvest36432
6th+3Mourn Cult Feature, Melody of Grief37433
7th+3Song of Sorrow (2 turns)384331
8th+3Ability Score Improvement394332
9th+4Song of Hatred31043331
10th+4Resonance41143332
11th+4Song of Corruption412433321
12th+4Ability Score Improvement412433321
13th+5Ghastly Lament4134333211
14th+5Mourn Cult Feature, Melody of Horror4134333211
15th+5Song of Sorrow (3 turns)41443332111
16th+5Ability Score Improvement41443332111
17th+6415433321111
18th+6Echo, Melody of Doom415433331111
19th+6Ability Score Improvement415433332111
20th+6Damnation415433332211

Spellcasting

The dirgesinger is a caster that attune to magic in the same way a bard does. See the bard spellcasting feature at page 52 of the Player's Handbook.

Cantrips

You know two cantrips of your choice from the dirgesinger spell list. You learn additional dirgesinger cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the dirgesinger table.

Spell Slots

The dirgesinger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you know the 1st-level spell inflict wounds and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast inflict wounds using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the dirgesinger spell list. The Spells Known column of the dirgesinger table shows when you learn more dirgesinger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the table. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the dirgesinger spells you know and replace it with another spell from the dirgesinger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your dirgesinger spells. Your magic comes from the heart and soul you pour into the performance of your music or oration. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a dirgesinger spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Ritual Casting

You can cast any dirgesinger spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a musical instrument (found in chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook) as a spellcasting focus for your dirgesinger spells.

Requiem

A dirgesinger can use his song or melodies to inspire grief, malicony, and other negative emotions on those aturn him, causing them to suffer from magical effects.

Such acts can be performed by reciting poetry, chanting, singing lyrical songs, singing melodies, whistling, playing an instrument, or playing an instrument in combination with some spoken performance.

Dirgesongs

Starting a song is considered an action, and performing a song for more than one turn requires concentration. While performing, a dirgesinger can act freely, but he can only perform one song at the time, and is not able to cast spells that require concentration in order to remain active.

A song usually requires a saving throw in order to affect a target, with DC equal to 8 + the dirgesinger's Charisma modifier + his proficiency bonus.

Even when a song stops, its tune remains in the mind of the affected creatures, extending its effective duration. Unless specified otherwise, the effect lasts for as long as the target hears the dirgesinger perform and for a number of turns thereafter equal to its Charisma modifier.

A dirgesinger can perform a number of songs equal to half his level + his proficiency bonus, and regains all uses after a long rest.

Dirgemelodies

Playing a melody is considered a bonus action, since it takes just a couple of notes or chords in order to affect the mind of a creature. A melody can only be played if a dirgesinger is already performing or is about to start (for example, you can play a melody and then in the same turn start a song, but not cast a spell). As for the songs, melodies follow the same rules in order to affect a creature.

Song of Sorrow

A dirgesinger can evoke sorrow and lament in his enemies. To be affected, a creature must be within 120 feet of the dirgesinger and able to hear him. An affected creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target suffer effects based on the level of the dirgesinger and on the number of turns the song has been played without interruption (these effects are cumulative):

1: The creature has disadvantage on Wisdom checks, Wisdom saving throws and attack rolls;

2: The creature's speed is reduced by 10 feet.

3: The creature suffer a -2 penalty on Wisdom checks, Wisdom saving throws and attack rolls.

A successful save negates the effect and makes the character immune to that dirgesinger’s Song of Sorrow feature for 24 hours.

Song of Remorse

With this song, a dirgesinger can inspire a profound sense of remorse in a single creature who's hearing him. To be affected, a creature must be within 60 feet of the dirgesinger. An affected creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target will feel remorse every time he hits the dirgesinger or an ally of his, receiving a -1 penalty to his AC.

For every three levels a dirgesinger attends beyond 2nd, he can target an additional creature with a single use of this feature.

A successful save negates the effect and makes the character immune to that dirgesinger’s Song of Remorse feature for 24 hours.

Mourn Cult

At 3rd level, a dirgesinger has to choose between two different cults: the Cult of Horrors and the Cult of Death. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th and 14th level.

Sublime Performance

A dirgesinger is a master of drama and oratory, always ready to perform an act. You may reroll a Charisma ability check (such as Charisma (Deception)) with disadvantage and using Charisma (Performance) instead, but you must take the new roll. Also, your Charisma (Performance) proficiency bonus is doubled.

Ability Score Increase

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.

Harrowing Lament

Once reached 5th level, a dirgesinger is able to menace his enemies with just his presence. As long as an hostile creature stands in a 15-foot radius from the dirgesinger, the spirits of the dead will become hostile and they'll start chanting a lament, audible only by those who threaten the dirgesinger. A creature hearing this lament takes 1d4 psychic damage at the start of each turn, and can't concentrate properly. The DC to maintain the concentration equals to 10 + the damage taken.

Song of Harvest

A dirgesinger is constantly linked to the spirits aturn him, and with this song he can force them to manifest. To be affected, an undead creature must be within 120 feet of the dirgesinger. An affected undead must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, if the target possess the trait Etherealness, it is forced to shift to the material plane, and can't go back to the ethereal one for as long as the song lasts. This song also affects the souls of all the creatures that died within the previous 24 hours, making possible to interact with them. A successful save negates the effect and makes the character immune to that dirgesinger’s Song of Harvest feature for 24 hours.

Melody of Grief

At 6th level or higher, a dirgesinger can harmonize a melody of pain in his enemies. The dirgesinger choose a single creature within 30 feet that is able to hear him and a damage type. An affected creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target gains vulnerability to the damage type of choice for 1 turn. For every five levels a dirgesinger attends beyond 6th, he can target an additional creature with a single use of this feature. A successful save negates the effect of this melody. A dirgesinger can play this melody a number of times equal to his Charisma modifier (minimum once), regaining the expended uses after finishing a long rest.

Song of Hatred

Reached 9th level, a dirgesinger can spread havoc and sow discord in the heart of the creatures aturn him. To be affected, a creature must be within 30 feet of the dirgesinger. An affected creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target develops an unreasoning hatred of another creature that the dirgesinger indicates. The affected creature attacks the object of its hate as directed, to the exclusion of other opponents. If the affected creature is attacked, it can defend itself as normal, but as soon as possible, it resumes attacking the object of its hate. For every three levels a dirgesinger attains beyond 9th, he can target one additional creature with a single use of this feature. A successful save negates the effect and makes the character immune to that dirgesinger’s Song of Hatred feature for 24 hours. Creatures compelled to attack an ally can attempt a new Wisdom save at the end of each turn to break free from this effect.

Resonance

Starting at 10th level, the spirits linked to the dirgesinger start to understand the flow of his songs, and become able to reproduce them. At the beginning of his turn, a dirgesinger can ask the spirits of the dead to continue a song for him. Once the spirits start playing, they will reproduce the exact same song the dirgesinger played till that moment. While echo is active, a dirgesinger can concentrate on other spells or songs, but he won't be able to play the same instruments he was playing previously, since they're already being used by the spirits. The echo lasts a number of turns equal to the turns the dirgesinger performed the echoed song before interrupting it. A dirgesinger can use this feature once. When the dirgesinger roll initiative and have no uses of this feature, it regains one use.

Song of Corruption

The more a dirgesinger become competent with his music, the more he can affect the body of the creatures that listen to him. Once reached 11th level, a dirgesinger learns a song able to corrupt the very soul of those to have the disgrace to hear it, making their bodies decade and fall apart. To be affected, a creature must be within 60 feet of the dirgesinger and able to hear him. The effect lasts for as long as the creature hears the dirgesinger perform, and does not extend after the dirgesinger interrupts the song. An affected creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target's body starts decomposing, losing skin and tearing itself apart, inflicting 1d6 necrotic damage + 1d6 for each turn the song is played (2d6 first turn, 3d6 the second one, 4d6 the third, and so on) to that creature. A successful save negates the effect and makes the character immune to that dirgesinger’s Song of Corruption feature for 24 hours. A creature healed through magical effects resets the turn counter to 0, and can attempt a new Constitution save.

Ghastly Lament

The aura of menace of a dirgesinger of this level is much more powerful than before. Its radius now extends to 30 feet, the damage dice change to d6 and the DC to maintain concentration equals to 15 + the damage taken.

Melody of Horror

At 14th level and higher, a dirgesinger can strike a horrifying chord in the hearts of his enemies. Any hostile creature within 60 feet who can hear the dirgesinger must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d4 points of Strength damage and 1d4 points of Dexterity damage. A creature that is affected by a dirgesinger’s Melody of Horror or a creature that successfully saves against this effect cannot be affected by the same dirgesinger’s Melody of Horror for 24 hours.

A dirgesinger can play this melody a number of times equal to 1 + half his Charisma modifier, regaining the expended uses after finishing a long rest.

Echo

Once you hear a dirgesinger perform, you won't be able to take him out of your mind very easily. His songs will hunt your memories, and his melodies will be waiting for you in every dream.

A dirgesinger can bring back echoes of his performances in a single creature's mind. To be affected, a creature must be within 30 feet of the dirgesinger. At the beginning of its turn, the target will hear again every single song and melody performed by the dirgesinger that combat at once, and will have to roll a new save for each one of them. This feature ignore any immunity gained after a successful save on a song or melody performed previously. A dirgesinger can't take any other action in the same turn he uses this feature.

After using this feature, the dirgesinger must finish a long rest before being able to use it again.

Melody of Doom

Once reached 18th level, a dirgesinger is able to play a swift melody capable of fracture a creature's mind. The dirgesinger choose a single creature within 30 feet that is able to hear him. An affected creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target gains the following conditions: blinded, deafened, paralyzed. While in this state, the mind of the creature is imprisoned in a nightmare, where she sees herself surturned by an infinite expanse of blackness and void, and can only hear the diresinger's performance. A successful save negates the effect and makes the character immune to that dirgesinger’s Melody of Doom feature for 24 hours. Creatures compelled by this melody can attempt a new Wisdom save at the end of each turn to break free from it. A dirgesinger can play this melody once, regaining the ability to do so after finishing a long rest.

Damnation

A 20th level dirgesinger has obtained a terrifying amount of power and his only voice is able to struck madness and decay. Once per long rest, a dirgesinger can take an action to drown an enemy in desperation with horrible condemnations and grim portents of impending doom. To be affected, a creature must be within 120 feet of the dirgesinger and able to hear and comprehend his utters and damning remarks. An affected creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, one of the target's ability score, of the diresinger's choice, is reduced by 10 points. A successful save negates the effect and makes the target immune to that dirgesinger’s damnation feature for 24 hours.

DIRGESINGER'S MOURN CULTS

Dirgesingers are not usually well seen by the eyes of the society, and they live most of their lives roaming aturn the world or hidden in secret mansions. For this reason, they tend to gather in what they call Mourn Cults. These organisations are made by groups of dirgesingers that share the same griefs or ideologies, in order to share their knowledge and help each other fight the pain and sorrow caused by their loss.

Cult of Horrors

The dirgesingers that join the cult of horrors are usually individuals that went insane after their loss, and who seek vengeance against whoever made them suffer. Other members might just want to share their sufferance with the world, not for hate, but to console themselves. They might think that the only way to stop the pain is by surturning themselves with other people affected by the same grief, in order to make them understand him and help him. Regardless the reason of their sadness, these dirgesingers will most likely use their powers to hurt people, and to bring fear and discord aturn the world.

Horrific Knowledge

When a dirgesinger joins the cult of horrors, he gains acces to a daunting side of magic. He learns the following spells: cause fear*, dream, fear, feeblemind, modify memory, phantasmal killer, weird.

Fearsome Performance

Also, at 3rd level, a dirgesinger learns how to strike fearful chords and dire melodies. From now on, for as long as a creature is affected by a song, it also becomes frightened of the dirgesinger.

Melody of Terror

At 6th level, a dirgesinger can struck a chord that manifest the greatest fears of the creatures that hears him. To be affected, an creature must be within 30 feet of the dirgesinger and already frightened of him.

An affected creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target sees the dirgesinger assuming the shape of its worst nightmare. Due to this vision, its movement speed is reduced to 0 and it takes psychic damage equal to half the dirgesinger's level at the beginning of each turn.

A successful save negates the effect and makes the character immune to that dirgesinger’s Melody of Terror feature for 24 hours.

Creatures compelled by this melody can attempt a new Wisdom save at the end of each turn to break free from it.

A dirgesinger can play this melody twice, regaining all uses of this feature after a long rest.

Fear Siphon

At 14th level, a dirgesinger becomes addicted to fear, and is able to feed on it. For as long as at least one creature within 30 feet is frightened of the dirgesinger, he regains 5 hit points at the start of his turn. If doing so would grant him more hit points than he can have, he gains temporary hit points equal to the amount of excess hit points received.

Cult of Death

Dirgesinger's of the cult of death are broken, shattered souls that have most of the times lost someone dear to them in a tragic way, and can't stop mourning for them. They often work in churches or ossuaries and play at funerals, helping other people that share their same burden. Other times they join evil necromancers, vampires or liches and help them with their tasks, hoping to obtain some kind of power that could bring back whoever they lost. Usually more merciful and pitiful then the the horrors ones, the dirgesingers of death are more likely to try joining the society or a group of adventurers.

Death Knowledge

When a dirgesinger joins the cult of death, he gains access to many necromantic powers. He learns the spare the dying cantrip and the following spells: animate dead, create undead, danse macabre*, finger of death, negative energy flood*, raise dead, revivify, speak with dead.

True Requiem

The power of a dirgesinger that has joined the cult of death is no longer limited by the boundaries of life and death. From now on, his spells, songs and melodies ignore any immunity and resistance of undead creatures.

Commemoration

At 6th level, a dirgesinger can elevate a chant to mourn the fallen. At the hearing of this chant, a number of creatures equal to the dirgesinger's Charisma modifier + his proficiency bonus within 120 feet from him that have died in the previous minute will raise as affected from the spell animate dead.

These undead are fed by the music of the dirgesinger, and they won't die until he stops performing. Commemoration is to be considered a melody, with the difference that a dirgesinger can't take any other action in the same turn he uses this feature.

A dirgesinger can use this feature once. When the dirgesinger roll initiative and have no uses of this feature, it regains one use.

Song of Awakening

At 14th level, a dirgesinger can animate the recently slain corpse of a creature within 30 feet. The slain creature can have no more hit dice than the dirgesinger’s character level. The corpse to be awakened must have been dead for no more than 1 hour. An affected creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target awakes.

The awaken creature regains all hit points, and its type becomes undead. It gains damage resistance to necrotic, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non magical sources that aren't silvered. It becomes immune to poison and to exhaustion and poisoned conditions. It also gains darkvision 60 feet, and it retains any subtypes it had. The creature retains all class features, as well as any traits (but no legendary resistances or legendary actions) it possessed in life. Any spells cast or features and traits with limited uses expended before the creature’s death count against its normal limits.

The awakened creature is completely loyal to the dirgesinger and obeys any commands given it. If no commands are given, it simply attacks the creatures hostile to the dirgesinger’s. The creature remains animated as long as the dirgesinger continues to play the Song of Awakening.

A successful save prevents the creature from awaking, but does not make it immune to the song.

A dirgesinger can attempt to rise the slain creature once on each of his turns.

Dirgesinger Spell List

You know a number of spells and cantrips as described in your Spellcasting feature from the basic dirgesinger spell list plus any spell learnt thanks to your subclass.

Cantrips

blade ward, dancing lights, frostbite*, light, mage hand, mending, message, minor illusion, prestidigitation, thunderclap*, toll the dead*, true strike, vicious mockery.

1st Level

bane, chaos bolt*, charm person, comprehend languages, detect magic, disguise self, dissonant whispers, earth tremor*, faerie fire, feather fall, hex, identify, illusory script, inflict wounds, longstrider, silent image, sleep, thunderwave, unseen servant.

2nd Level

blindness/deafness, calm emotions, cloud of daggers, crown of madness, darkness, darkvision, detect thoughts, enhance ability, enthrall, heat metal, hold person, invisibility, knock, locate object, magic mouth, phantasmal force, Pyrotechnics*, ray of enfeeblement, see invisibility, shatter, silence, Skywrite*, suggestion, warding wind*, zone of truth.

3rd Level

bestow curse, catnap*, clairvoyance, counterspell, dispel magic, enemies abound*, feign death, glyph of warding, haste, hypnotic pattern, tiny hut, life transference*, major image, nondetection, sending, slow, stinking cloud, tongues, vampiric touch.

4th Level

charm monster*, compulsion, confusion, dimension door, freedom of movement, greater invisibility, hallucinatory terrain, locate creature, polymorph, shadow of moil*.

5th Level

animate objects, awaken, contagion, dominate person, geas, greater restoration, hold monster, legend lore, mislead, planar binding, scrying, seeming, skill empowerment*, synaptic static*, teleportation circle.

6th Level

circle of death, eyebite, find the path, guards and wards, harm, mass suggestion, mental prision*, programmed illusion, soul cage*, true seeing.

7th Level

etherealness, forcecage, mirage arcane, magnificent mansion, arcane sword, power word pain*, project image, symbol, teleport.

8th Level

dominate monster, glibness, maddening darkness*, mind blank, power word stun.

9th Level

foresight, mass polymorph*, power word kill, psychic scream*, true polymorph.

THIS SPELL COMES FROM THE XANATHAR'S GUIDE TO EVERYTHING.*

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the dirgesinger class, you must meet these prerequisites: Charisma 13.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the dirgesinger class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, one skill of your choice, one musical instrument of your choice.

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