The Flagellant

Flagellant

B
ent double under a group of kobolds unleashing Shunned and Zealous
their spears on him an old dwarf laughs through
the agony. Empowered by the punishment he All flagellants are defined by the adventuring life to seek
begins to focus his pain. Moments later a atonement for their former deeds. Their zealous, extreme way
thunderous roar sends the kobolds flying of life and dark history often leaves them isolated from the
through the air. temples and churches of deities they might follow. They are
Villagers look in disgust at the diseased half-orc, dressed in ready to make incredible sacrifices to atone for what they did
tattered robes and covered in sores, as she is being chased and when traveling with other adventurers they can become
from the village. But the boy she was attending to moments loathsome of those that lack the passion and drive they have
earlier is slowly opening his eyes, the crippling disease no to root out evil wherever it can be found. Flagellants are rarely
longer affecting him. evil and, due to their extreme methods, seldomly fall in the
A wide-eyed, insane human rushes towards a group of neutral part of the axis.
charging orcs with a flail in hand. Frothing at the mouth,
awash in his own blood and castigating himself, he shows no You might want to re-shape how your flagellant
sign of slowing down. The orcs pull to a halt with fear in their starts its lifetime of mortification. With your DM's
eyes to defend themselves against the zealous warrior. discretion you can be a follower of an evil deity with
Flagellants seek atonement for vile deeds committed in the torture or pain in their portfolio like Loviatar. Or
past by them or their kindred. Wandering the lands, preaching, maybe you are an insane convicted sadomasochist
healing the meek and fighting the darkness with a fervor that in love with inflicting pain and agony on everyone
borders on insanity they hope to make amends in the eyes of including himself. If you choose to do so you can
the people they once hurt and the deity that protects them. replace any radiant damage with necrotic damage to
better suit your evil ways.
The Burden of Sin
A flagellant knows the vile stink of evil and what it can do as
they themselves are born from it. Most, if not all, were Creating a Flagellant
evildoers most foul. In their lifetime they perhaps met their The first choice you make making a flagellant is choosing
fate at the hands of a righteous champion of good who spared what led you to the life of castigation. What sort of creature
their life if they made amends. Or they were raised as a were you and what happened that made you decide to turn
ruthless killer by a warring tribe, seeking to save their soul your face to the light and away from the darkness you dwelt
after an altruistic act of kindness from a stranger. Not all in? Did you do it voluntarily? Did you have no choice in the
creatures of the dark repent after such an encounter but the matter? Choosing to wander the land, disillusioned by the
ones that truly wish to atone for what they did are to be consequences their evil deeds wrought to gain wealth and
reckoned with. Scouring to cleanse the land of the evil they power and putting to death these old sins by extreme self-
once were in a lifetime of penance, their acts awaken in these mortification is not a path everyone can take. Try to check
wretched men and women an almost divine perseverance. with your DM what deity, if you choose to gain the favor of
They are generally regarded with a toxic mixture of fear, awe one, would encourage flaggelantism and how (or even if) self-
and disgust. The power they draw from martyrdom is as affliction is incorporated in the game.
effective as it is unsettling. In one moment they are silently Think about how your alignment affects your journey to
bearing the burden of others. The next they are a conduit of salvation. Is your character lawful? Upholding a message of
terrible wrath. A whirlwind of steel and madness, locked in piety without fail? Or a chaotic and delusional individual,
perpetual battle with the enemy and their own soul. trying to find his way in a new world.
The Flagellant
Level Proficiency Bonus Features Sanguinity Damage Die
1st +2 Scar-laden Flesh, Envoy of Suffering —
2nd +2 Sanguinity, Fighting Style 1d4
3rd +2 Vow, Bloodletting 1d4
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 1d4
5th +3 Extra Attack 1d6
6th +3 Envoy of Suffering Improvement 1d6
7th +3 Vow Feature 1d6
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 1d6
9th +4 Shared Burden 1d6
10th +4 Abstinence 1d6
11th +4 Vow Feature 1d8
12th +5 Ability Score Improvement 1d8
13th +5 Choir of Wounds 1d8
14th +5 Vow Feature 1d8
15th +5 Sacrament of the Lash 1d8
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 1d8
17th +6 Unwavering Fervor 1d10
18th +6 Presbytery of Pain 1d10
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 1d10
20th +6 Patron Saint 1d10

Quick Build
You can build a flagellant quickly by following these
suggestions. First, Constitution should be your highest ability
score, followed by Strength. Second, choose the Acolyte
background
Class Features
As a flagellant, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per flagellant level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution
modifier per flagellant level after 1st.
Proficiencies
Armor: none
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: none
Saving Throws: Constitution, Strength
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation,
Medicine, Persuasion and Religion
Equipment Sanguinity Benefit
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the 1
Advantage on saving throws against being
equipment granted by your background: charmed or frightened

(a) a flail or (b) another one-handed martial weapon 10 +1 AC, base speed increases by 10 feet
(a) a Light Crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any one-handed Make another melee attack against a different
simple weapon 20
creature once per turn
(a) a Priest's Pack or (b) an Explorer's Pack Double the amount of Sanguinity Dice on melee
30
weapon attacks
Scar-laden Flesh
Starting at 1st level your constant and ruthless self-flagellation Fighting Style
makes you less susceptible to pain. If you are not wearing At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty.
armor or using a shield your AC is 10 + your Dexterity Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting
modifier + your Constitution modifier. Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose
Envoy of Suffering again.
Beginning at 1st level, as a reaction when an ally within 5 feet Dueling
is Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Stunned, or When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no
affected by a disease or poison, you can take these conditions other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that
on yourself. As a part of your reaction you can make the saving weapon.
throw instead of the target, if a saving throw applies. If you Great Weapon Fighting
succeed on this throw the condition does not affect you. If you
fail, the condition affects you like normal. You cannot endure a When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you
condition that is permanent and you cannot stack conditions. make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if
Constitution modifier. After finishing a long rest you regain all the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-
uses. handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
At 6th level, you can also suffer any damage an ally takes. Two-Weapon Fighting
This damage cannot be reduced in any way. Half the damage When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your
from this attack converts to sanguinity points. ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Sanguinity Vow
You constantly repent for your sins by inflicting pain upon Each flagellant makes a vow at 3rd level shaping the nature
yourself. You revel in these extreme emotions and at 2nd level and effect of their penance. Your choice grants you features at
a spark of insane enjoyment lights inside of you. You can, as a 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 14th levels.
bonus action, lash at your own body. You lose hit points equal
to your character level and gain an amount of sanguinity Bloodletting
points equal to the damage taken. You deal an extra 1d4
radiant damage whenever you hit a creature with a melee Starting at 3rd level, as an action, You can end one disease or
weapon attack while you have a number of sanguinity points. condition afflicting you by bloodletting. The condition can be
This damage die changes as you gain flagellant levels, as blinded, deafened, or poisoned. You cannot use this feature
shown in the Sanguinity Damage Die column of the Flagellant again until you complete a long rest.
table below. Additionally, as you gain sanguinity points you
gain benefits as shown in the Sanguinity Table. These benefits Ability Score Increase
stack. You can have a maximum amount of sanguinity points When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and
equal to double your flagellant level. You lose all stored 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by
sanguinity points after 1 minute without taking any damage or 2, or you can increase two Ability Scores of your choice by 1.
when you regain any number of hit points. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using
You can spend a bonus action to spend all sanguinity points this feature.
and heal an amount of hit points equal to half of the sanguinity
points lost. Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once,
whenever you take the attack action on your turn.
Shared Burden Vows
Starting at 9th level, as an action, you can share your burdens Every flagellant takes up a vow. What vow a flagellant makes
with a creature. If you are blinded, deafened, or poisoned you defines him. It either turns him towards the light to serve as a
can choose to transfer these afflictions to a creature you hit radiant shield or spellcaster for his allies or towards the
with a melee attack. The creature must make a Constitution darkness as a vengeful holy warrior. Depending on your deity
saving throw with a DC of 8 + your Constitution modifier + or worldview you can either choose to take up a Vow of
your proficiency modifier. If it fails the condition affecting you Martyrdom, a Vow of Retribution or a Vow of Divinity.
now affects that creature as well. You cannot use this feature
again until you complete a short or long rest. Vow of Martyrdom
Abstinence Flagellants who take a Vow of Martyrdom choose to suffer the
Starting at 10th level, after years of abstaining, you no longer wounds of the oppressed, persecuted, diseased and martyred.
need to eat or drink to survive. Every flagellant bears a burden of a lifetime of evil and atone
for that life but a flagellant that takes up the Vow of
Choir of Wounds Martyrdom upholds forgiveness as the greatest of virtues.
When travelling with other adventurers they protect them by
At 13th level you find comfort in the sweet songs of pain your intervening with blind courage. Enduring the wounds and foul
merciless flogging brings you during moments of respite. enchantments that could otherwise befall their allies.
When you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points during a short
rest, the minimum number of the result equals twice your
Constitution modifier (minimum of 2).
Sacrament of the Lash
At 15th level your body is completely covered in ritual scars
and abrasions and your perseverance is steadfast from the
years of punishment you endured, granting you advantage on
Constitution and Wisdom saving throws. A convincing
testimony of your mettle, you now have advantage on
Charisma (Intimidate) checks when you are not wearing any
armor hiding your scars.
Unwavering Fervor
A flagellant does not stray from the path before him towards
the light. If the flagellant is indifferent for one moment it will
undo a lifetime of penance. This gives the flagellant a vitality
that most cannot hope to achieve. Starting at 17th level, when
you are reduced to 0 hit points you regain half of your
maximum hit points, half of your maximum sanguinity points
(rounded up), and gain a level of exhaustion. You cannot use
this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Presbytery of Pain
Starting at 18th level your body is a testament of the pain one
can take before breaking. You gain resistance to bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.
Patron Saint
When you reach 20th level you are considered one of the
chosen disciples and hallowed of your deity. Marked a
champion, you may ask your deity for a Wish, once. You
cannot use this boon to grant effects that oppose the deity or
alignment of your choice. Your Constitution ability score
increases by 2 to a maximum of 22. When taking long rests
you regain all of your expended Hit Dice.
Redeem Vow of Retribution
At 3rd level when you use a bonus action to spend all
sanguinity points to heal an amount of hit points equal to half Enduring the self inflicted penance as a flagellant is a task the
of the sanguinity points lost, you may add your Constitution meek best avoid. Penance by self-mortification alone is not
modifier to the hit points gained. enough however. A flagellant who takes up the vow of
retribution seeks out evil and burns the dark heart out of it.
Steel Resolve They know what evil, if left unchecked, can do and they will do
At 7th level you can count on your resolve to see you and your anything to stop that from happening. They are a maddening
allies through the attacks from your foes. You can use your storm able to cripple enemies with the same torture that they
envoy of suffering feature after a creature has been hit but themselves endure with brutal lashings and punish an enemy
before the damage has been determined. Roll your Sanguinity that dares to attack them immediately with an almost divine
Damage Die, and add the number rolled to the target requital.
creature's AC against that attack, possibly causing the attack Reckoning
to miss. If the attack hits, you take the damage instead. This
damage cannot be reduced in any way. Half the damage from Starting at 3rd level, as a bonus action, you can mark a
this attack convert to sanguinity points. creature within 30 feet for up to a minute, forcing them to
share in the pain they inflict upon you. The next time the
Clarity marked creature damages you with a weapon attack, it takes
Starting at 11th level, at the start of each of your turns, you radiant damage equal to half of the damage you suffered after
regain hit points equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier which this feature ends. You can use this feature a number of
(minimum of 2) if you have no more than half of your hit times equal to your Constitution modifier. After finishing a
points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points. long rest you regain all uses.
Endure Rapturous
At 14th level, when an enemy casts a spell and targets an At 7th level you revel in the insanity of battle and will abandon
allied creature within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction all notions of self preservation. When you are reduced to less
to try to absorb the spell. You make a Constitution ability than half of your maximum hit points, you can add your
check. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a success, the proficiency bonus to your weapon damage for 1 minute. You
spell doesn't affect you or the target. If you fail, the spell affects cannot use this feature again until you complete a short or
you instead of the target. Once you use this ability, you can’t long rest.
use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Righteous Malice
At 11th level you are eager to share your pain with those dark
of heart and your attacks become particularly vicious. When
you have at least 2 sanguinity points and you hit a creature
with a weapon attack, you can expend all your stored
sanguinity points and turn half of that into additional radiant
damage on that attack.
Consecrated Immolation
Awash in your own sanguinity, at 14th level your fury extends
to enemies that dare to strike your sacred flesh in an instant.
You are covered in an aura of consecrated flames whenever
you have an amount of sanguinity points. While the flames are
present, any creature within 5 feet of you that hits you with a
melee attack takes your Sanguinity Damage Die as radiant
damage.
Vow of Divinity
Only in pain can one find enlightement as it brings one closer
and closer to the divine as the burden grows. Flagellants
making a vow of divinity suffer to understand and ultimately
come closer to their chosen deity or patron saint. By lashing
and praying they let all foulness be purged from their sacred
flesh and as a result they can cast divine spells and heal allies,
not unlike a cleric or paladin, even though the aforementioned
rarely respect or understand the ways of a flagellant.
Spellcasting Spellcasting Ability
Flagellant Level Cantrips Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your cleric spells. You
3rd 2 3 2 — — use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your
spellcasting ability.
4th 2 4 3 — —
Spell save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma mod
7th 2 5 4 2 — Spell attack mod = proficiency bonus + Charisma mod
8th 2 6 4 2 —
Spellcasting Focus
10th 3 7 4 3 — You can use your own blood as a spellcasting focus for your
11th 3 8 4 3 — flagellant spells by lashing at your own body.
13th 3 9 4 3 2 Ordeal
14th 3 10 4 3 2 At 3rd level, you learn to use pain to call forth divine healing
from your deity. As an action you may sacrifice Hit Points up
16th 3 11 4 3 3 to you flagellant level + Constitution modifier. You then choose
19th 3 12 4 3 3 a creature other than you within 30 feet of you to heal for the
20th 3 13 4 3 3
same amount of hit points as you lost. You have a number of
uses of this feature equal to your Constitution modifier. You
regain all uses when you finish a long rest.
Cantrips
You start with 2 cantrips from the cleric spell list. At level 10 Bless Water
you gain a 3rd cantrip known. At 7th level may create holy water by performing a special
ritual. The ritual takes 1 hour to perform, uses 25 gp worth of
Spell slots powdered silver, and requires the caster to expend a 1st-level
The Flagellant Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots spell slot. Additionally, you learn the Thaumaturgy cantrip if
you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one you don't know it already
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 Sanguine Magic
long rest. At 11th level, you can temporarily infuse yourself with a spell.
As an action, when you have a number of sanguinity points,
Preparing and Casting Spells you can imbue your weapon with one cleric spell you can cast
The Flagellant Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots or is already active, then make a single attack with that
you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your flagellant weapon. If that attack hits, all spell attack rolls for the imbued
spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell hit the target automatically and are considered part of
spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when the single weapon attack. The target takes weapon damage,
you finish a long rest. and is subject to the effects of the spell. You expend a spell slot
You prepare the list of spells that are available for you to accordingly. If the attack has advantage, the target’s initial
cast, choosing from the cleric spell-list. When you do so, saving throw against the spell has disadvantage. If the attack
choose a number of spells equal to your Charisma modifier + misses, the spell has no effect. Area spells originate from the
1/3 your flagellant level, rounded down (minimum of one target’s space. The spell must be of 1st level or higher, have a
spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell casting time of 1 action, or require an action to activate an
slots. already active concentration spell.
Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of
prepared spells. You can change your list of prepared spells Divine Zeal
when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of flagellant At 14th level The moment a creature falls unconscious or dies
spells requires time spent in prayer and self-mortification: at within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to spend a
least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list. spell slot. You awaken in that creature a final act of zealous
rage. That creature immediately makes a single weapon
attack against a target of your choice within its attack range.
After the attack, the creature returns to being unconscious or
dead.
Design Log Subc
0
Th
Th
The Flagellant by u/Bob-the-Seagull-King inspired me to make hi
a flagellant class. I loved the flavor and we were about to start Th
a CoS campaign with some friends. So i felt it would fit. cle
1.0 Com
Unhappy with the final results (too OP) i started over again,
making a new class from scratch. Adding regular half spell
casting. I started messing with the character without much Fla
thought on consequence and balance but slowly i managed to
learn more and more on class design. During playtesting i Le
kept avoiding concentration spells as being rapturous and
flailing about was way more fun. The spells i DID cast were 2
damage dealing spells, especially Hellish Rebuke. 6

2.0 1
I started to re-think how the class should work and looked at
the Pugilist Class for inspiration as the character was built
around the idea of throwing oneself into the fray without
much thought, spending moxie points to fuel various abilities
instead of spell slots. So i re-worked that idea into a new
feature called Sanguinity which was kind of the same thing
but it could only be used if the flagellant would be at a specific Fig
amount of Hit Points. During playtesting i found that the Le
Sanguinity feature and all it implied meant my Flagellant
would be able to fuel his abilities without ever spending a sort 2
of resource. Sanguinity meant that taking damage equals 6
getting more points and because i was always taking damage i
never ran out. Because it was a copy of the pugilist and that 11
class works on a very different level (using the points to
"Brace Up") it had some wonky effects. Back to the drawing
board!
3.0
I stumbled upon a flagellant subclass for Mathew Mercer's
Blood Hunter class by u/FragSauce and he had a nifty idea. Pala
His "Pain is Power" feature which i use now stacks features Le
when the flagellant gains more pain. I nerfed or moved some
of the features around. As soon as a flagellant is healed the 2
sanguinity points (as i call them) disappear. To make sure a 6
flagellant can stay in battle the option to spend all points for
health is retained. Taking damage from an enemy to earn 11
sanguinity points (except when using the Envoy of Suffering
feature to encourage using this feature) is scrapped. I
combined this with the Crimson Rite from the blood hunter to
make sure the Flagellant has enough oomph to warrant him
being on the front lines. Cre
Features Co
Pa
Two features make up the meat that is a flagellant. Envoy of Pa
Suffering picks up on the suffering for other people flavor and Pa
is linked to, Bloodletting, Redeem, Steel Resolve (Vow of Pa
Martyrdom) and Shared Burden. Pa
Sanguinity ups when you gain levels and increases damage. Pa
Extra Attack, Righteous Malice, Consecrated Immolation Al
(Vow of Retribution) and Sanguine Magic (Vow of Divinity) are Dn
linked to this feature.
The rest of the features serve as Ribbon features or features
to increase staying power.
 
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