Life

Life is preserved through the health of the body and the soul. The Life theme focuses on healing, protection, and utility related to keep the living from harm and death.

Spells from the Life theme allow you to stabilize the dying, heal the wounds of creatures, cure the masses, remove afflictions, protect creatures from necrotic damage and ability damage, protect the dead from decay and undeath, bolster creatures against fear, absorb the pain of others, prevent a creature from falling over the edge to death, and regenerate the body.

Power sources

Divine

Table of contents

Life feats

You can take each feat only once, unless the feat’s description says otherwise. You must meet any prerequisite specified in a feat to take that feat. If you ever lose a feat’s prerequisite, you can’t use that feat until you regain the prerequisite.

You become capable, or proficient if you are already capable and are 5th level or higher, with the Medicine skill.

Additionally, you can mend wounds quickly and get your allies back in the fight. As an action, you can spend one use of a healer’s kit to tend to a creature and restore 1d6 + 4 health to it, plus additional health equal to the creature’s maximum number of Health Dice. The creature can’t regain health from this feat again until it finishes a short or long rest.

Prerequisites: The ability to cast at least one spell

You gain the ability to manipulate the line between life and death. Whenever you expend mana to cast a spell and it restores health to any creature with less than half its health remaining, the creature regains additional health equal to your Aptitude Bonus.

Your soul is marked for endless battle. If a spell, such as resurrection, has the sole effect of restoring you to life (but not undeath), the caster doesn’t need material components to cast the spell on you.

Prerequisites: The ability to cast at least one spell

While you aren’t incapacitated, any ally within 5 meters of you has advantage on death saving throws.

Prerequisites: The ability to cast at least one spell

The healing spells you cast on others can heal you as well. When you expend mana to cast a spell and it restores health to any creature other than you this turn, you regain health equal to 2 + the mana expended.

Prerequisites: The ability to create a concoction or cast a spell that restores health

When a creature rolls a 1 on a die for a concoction you created that restores health or you roll a 1 on a die for a spell you cast that restores health, you or the creature can reroll the die.

Prerequisites: The ability to cast at least one spell

Your magical energy grants you extraordinary fortitude. If you have at least 1 health at the start of each of your turns, you gain temporary health equal to your spellcasting ability.

You gain the services of a spirit that watches over you and protects you from harm. Whenever you finish a long rest, you gain the benefits of a death ward spell. The spell’s duration is extended to 24 hours.

Your wounds mend in battle. You regain health equal to 1d6 + half your level if you end your turn in combat with less than half of your health remaining and you aren’t incapacitated.

Healing energy flows all throughout your body, gradually undoing scars and strain. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year, and you are immune to being magically aged.

Life concoctions

3 hours/catalyst

As an action, you can create this vial of orange liquid. A creature can drink the contents as an action to become bolstered with toughness and resolve. A creature’s maximum health and health increase by 2d6 + your alchemical ability for the duration.

Augment

The target’s health increase by an additional 3d6 for each additional catalyst expended.

As an action, you can create a vial of red liquid that glimmers when agitated. A creature can drink the contents as an action to regain 3d6 + your alchemical ability health. This potion has no effect on constructs or undead.

Augment
You can augment this concoction with the following options, expending catalysts for each option.
  • You can increase the healing for each potion by 4d6 for each additional catalyst expended.

  • Major Regeneration. You can expend 2 additional catalyst to increase the healing by 1d6 and stimulate major natural healing. The duration changes to 1 minute/catalyst and for the duration of the effect, the creature regains 1 health at the start of each of its turns (10 health each minute).

    The creature’s severed body members (fingers, legs, tails, and so on), if any, are restored after 2 minutes. If the creature has the severed part and hold it to the stump, the effect instantaneously causes the limb to knit to the stump.

unstable, 1 minute/catalyst

As an action, you can create an orange paste that causes a euphoric feeling that makes the consumer feel invulnerable. A creature can drink the contents as an action. Until the effect ends, the creature is immune to being frightened and gains 1d8 + your alchemical ability temporary health at the start of each of its turns. When the effect ends, the target loses any remaining temporary health from this effect.

Augment

You can increase the temporary health by 2d8 for each additional catalyst expended.

As an action, you can create a vial of foul-tasting, milky tonic. A creature can drink the contents as an action to have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and resistance to poison damage for the duration.

Augment
You can augment this concoction with the following options, expending catalysts for each option.
  • You can expend 1 additional catalyst so if the creature is poisoned, one poison is neutralized. If more than one poison afflicts the creature, one poison is neutralized at random.

  • Immunity. You can expend 2 additional catalysts so the creature is immune to the poisoned condition and poison damage.

1 hour/catalyst

As two actions, you can create a vial of foul-tasting, milky tonic. A creature can drink the contents as an action to have advantage on saving throws against diseases for the duration.

Augment

You can expend 1 additional catalyst so the tonic cures one disease afflicting the creature. If more than one disease afflicts the drinker, one disease is cured at random.

3 hours/catalyst

As two actions, you can create a vial of black and white liquid that continuously swirls. A creature can drink the contents as an action to be granted a measure of protection from death.

The first time the creature would drop to 0 health as a result of taking damage, the creature instead drops to 1 health, and the effect ends.

If the effect is still in effect when the target is subjected to an effect that would kill it instantaneously without dealing damage, that effect is instead negated against the target, and the effect ends.

Augment

You can expend 1 additional catalyst so the target gains 3d10 temporary health when it drops to 1 health.

As two actions, you can create a vial of yellow liquid that turns clear when agitated. A creature can drink the contents as an action to neutralize one poison afflicting it. If more than one poison afflicts the creature, one poison is neutralized at random.

unstable, 5 minutes/catalyst

As two actions, you can create a vial of silvery liquid that glows brilliantly. A creature can drink the contents as an action so it can’t become diseased, has resistance to poison damage, and has advantage on saving throws against affects that cause any of the following conditions: blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralysed, poisoned, or stunned.

10 days

As two actions, you can spread this oil on a corpse or other remains. For the duration, the target is protected from decay and can’t become undead.

The effect also effectively extends the time limit on raising the target from the dead, since days spent under the influence of this effect don’t count against the time limit of spells such as resurrection.

As two actions, you can create a vial of liquid that sparkles with hints of silver. A creature can drink the contents as an action to remove the blinded, deafened, or poisoned condition.

Augment

Greater Restoration Potion. You can expend 1 additional catalysts to instead remove any reductions to one of its abilities, remove one effect that reduces its maximum health, remove one effect that charmed, paralyzed, or petrified it, or reduce its exhausted level by one.

M (diamonds worth 300 sp, consumed)

As two actions, you can create a vial of liquid with a humanoid shape suspended in it that continuously has its head sewn onto its body. As an action, you can feed this potion to a creature that has died within the last minute. That creature returns to life with 1 health. This effect can’t return to life a creature that has died of old age, nor can it restore any missing body parts.

unstable, 5 minutes/catalyst

As two actions, you can create a vial of syrupy liquid that looks like liquified iron. A creature can drink the contents as an action to have resistance to all damage for the duration.

Augment

You can expend 2 additional catalysts so the creature is immune to all damage instead of having resistance.

Life spells

As an action, you touch a willing creature that has more than 0 health. That creature can use its Second Wind as a reaction.

5 minutes

As an action, you relieve the suffering of a willing creature that you can touch, soothing its pain for the duration. The creature no longer feels any physical pain or discomfort.

As an action, you touch a living creature that has 0 health. The creature becomes stable. This spell has no effect on constructs or undead.

At higher levels

This spell’s range changes to a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters when you reach 9th level. You may target all dying creatures of your choice within 2 meters of the original target when you reach 17th level. The affected creatures restore 1 health after 1 minute, unless they start dying again.

3 hours/mana

As an action, you bolster your allies with toughness and resolve. Choose two creatures within 5 meters. A creature’s maximum health and health increase by 1d6 + your spellcasting ability for the duration.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • The target’s health increases by an additional 7 for each additional mana expended.

  • You can target two additional creatures for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them. Augments to the health increase the health by 5 for each additional mana expended, instead of the normal increase.

As a reaction, which you use when you take damage, you can dampen the pain. Roll 2d6 + your spellcasting ability and reduce the damage by the result.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can reduce the damage by an additional 3d6 for each additional mana expended.

  • You can expend 1 additional mana to trigger the spell when a creature that you can see within 10 meters is damaged.

As a reaction, which you use when a friendly creature within 10 meters who can see or hear you makes a death saving throw, it can make the saving throw with advantage. If the saving throw succeeds the creature becomes stable.

(ritual); concentration, 5 minutes/mana

As an action, you can sense the presence and location of diseases and diseased creatures within 5 meters of you. You also identify the kind of disease in each case. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 30 centimeters of stone, 2 centimeters of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 1 meter of wood or dirt.

As an action, a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters regains 2d8 + your spellcasting ability health. This spell has no effect on constructs or undead.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can increase the healing by 3d8 for each additional mana expended.

  • Major Regeneration. You can expend 2 additional mana to increase the healing by 1d8 and stimulate major natural healing. The duration changes to 1 minute/mana and for the duration of the spell, the creature regains 1 health at the start of each of its turns (10 health each minute).

    The target’s severed body members (fingers, legs, tails, and so on), if any, are restored after 2 minutes. If you have the severed part and hold it to the stump, the spell instantaneously causes the limb to knit to the stump.

  • Power Word Heal. You can expend 3 additional mana and cast this spell as two actions so the target regains all its health. If the creature is charmed, frightened, paralyzed, or stunned, the condition ends. If the creature is prone, it can use its reaction to stand up.

As an action, you are full of life-preserving energy. You have resistance to necrotic damage and your maximum health can’t be reduced for the duration.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can target one additional willing creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

  • Immunity. You can expend 2 additional mana so you are immune to necrotic damage.


Dampen Death

1

As a reaction, which you use when you take necrotic damage, you gain resistance to necrotic damage until the start of your next turn.

Augment

You can expend 1 additional mana to trigger the spell when a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters takes necrotic damage. The creature gains the resistance instead.

As an action, all nonmagical food and drink in a sphere within 5 meters is purified and rendered free of poison and disease.

1 hour/mana

As two actions, you ward a willing creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters and create a connection between you two until the spell ends. While the creature is within 10 meters of you, it gains a +2 bonus to Defense and saving throws, and it has resistance to all damage. Each time it takes damage, you take the same amount of damage.

The spell ends if you drop to 0 health or if you and the creature become separated by more than 10 meters. It also ends if the spell is cast again on either of the connected creatures. You can dismiss the spell on your turn (no action required).

Augment

You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

concentration, 1 minute/mana

As two actions, you bestow hope and vitality in an aura shaped as a sphere that is twice as big as normal. Until the spell ends, the aura moves with you, centered on you. Each nonhostile creature in the aura (including you) has advantage on Will saving throws and death saving throws, and regains the maximum amount of health possible from any healing.

3 hours/mana

As two actions, you touch a creature and grant it a measure of protection from death.

The first time the target would drop to 0 health as a result of taking damage, the target instead drops to 1 health, and the spell ends.

If the spell is still in effect when the target is subjected to an effect that would kill it instantaneously without dealing damage, that effect is instead negated against the target, and the spell ends.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can expend 1 additional mana so the target gains 3d10 temporary health when it drops to 1 health.

  • You can expend 1 additional mana so you can cast this spell as a reaction, which you use when a creature within 2 meters of you takes damage.

(ritual); 10 days

As two actions, you touch a corpse or other remains. For the duration, the target is protected from decay and can’t become undead.

The spell also effectively extends the time limit on raising the target from the dead, since days spent under the influence of this spell don’t count against the time limit of spells such as resurrection.

As two actions, a wave of healing energy washes out from you into injured creatures around you. Roll 8d6 and add your spellcasting ability; the total is how much health you restore, divided as you choose among any number of creatures that you can touch or see within 10 meters. This spell has no effect on constructs or undead.

Augment

You can increase the healing by 4d6 for each additional mana expended.

As two actions, you touch a creature to neutralize one poison afflicting it. If more than one poison afflicts the creature, one poison is neutralized at random.

Augment

You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As two actions, you touch a creature and can remove the blinded or deafened condition.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

  • Greater Restoration. You can expend 1 additional mana to instead remove any reductions to one of its abilities, remove one effect that reduces its maximum health, remove one effect that charmed, paralyzed, or petrified it, or reduce its exhausted level by one.

M (diamonds worth 300 sp, consumed)

As two actions, you touch a creature that has died within the last minute. That creature returns to life with 1 health. This spell can’t return to life a creature that has died of old age, nor can it restore any missing body parts.

concentration, 5 minutes/mana

As two actions, purifying energy radiates from you in an aura shaped as a sphere twice as big as normal. Until the spell ends, the aura moves with you, centered on you. Each nonhostile creature in the aura (including you) can’t become diseased, has resistance to poison damage, and has advantage on saving throws against affects that cause any of the following conditions: blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralysed, poisoned, or stunned.

As you spend 1 minute to cast this spell, you touch a creature to cure one disease afflicting it. If more than one disease afflicts the drinker, one disease is cured at random.

Augment

You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

M (diamond worth 500 sp, consumed)

As you spend 1 hour to cast this spell, you touch a creature that has been dead for no longer than 10 days, that didn’t die of old age, and that isn’t undead. If its soul is free and willing, the creature is restored to life with 1 health.

This spell closes all wounds, but it doesn’t restore missing body parts, neutralizes any poison, and cures nonmagical diseases afflicting the creature when it died. It doesn’t, however, remove magical diseases, curses, and the like; if such effects aren’t removed prior to casting the spell, they afflict the target on its return to life. If the creature is lacking body parts or organs integral for its survival—its head, for instance—the spell automatically fails.

Coming back from the dead is an ordeal. The target takes a −4 penalty on skill checks and saving throws. Every time the target finishes a long rest, the penalty is reduced by 1 until it disappears.

Casting this spell to restore life to a creature that has been dead for one year or longer taxes you greatly. Until you finish a long rest, you can’t cast spells again, and you have disadvantage on skill checks and saving throws.

Augment
You can augment this spell with the following options, expending mana for each option.
  • You can expend 1 additional mana and the diamond must be worth 1,000 sp so the creature must have been dead for no longer than 100 years. It is restored to life with all its health and any missing body parts are restored.

  • True Resurrection. You can expend 2 additional mana and the diamond must be worth 25,000 sp so the creature must have been dead for no longer than 200 years. The spell can target an undead creature, which is restored to its non-undead form. The spell can cure magical diseases and curses. The spell can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists, in which case you must speak the creature’s name. The creature then appears in an unoccupied space you choose within 2 meters of you and does not suffer any penalty on skill checks or saving throws from coming back from the dead.

Augment sizes

1 catalyst/mana2 catalysts/mana3 catalysts/mana4 catalysts/mana5 catalysts/mana
Cone3 meters long5 meters long10 meters long10 meters long20 meters long
Cylinder1-meter-radius, 3 meters high2-meter-radius, 6 meters high3-meter-radius, 9 meters high4-meter-radius, 12 meters high5-meter-radius, 15 meters high
Line5 meters long, 1-meter wide5 meters long, 2-meter wide10 meters long, 2-meter wide10 meters long, 2-meter wide20 meters long, 2-meter wide
Sphere1-meter-radius2-meter-radius3-meter-radius4-meter-radius5-meter-radius
Wall5 meters long, 2 meters high, 1 meter thick5 meters long, 4 meters high, 1 meter thick10 meters long, 6 meters high, 1 meter thick10 meters long, 8 meters high, 1 meter thick20 meters long, 10 meters high, 1 meter thick