Martyr (5e Class)

## **The Martyr**

*"Let me suffer for your sins."*

*-Abraham Greene, a martyr known for his deeds to help bless those who had previously been criminals*

A man with chains wrapped around himself, bandages adorning his body like clothing, and a dark hood, walks through a crowded street. He sees a man attack a woman, and in a split second, when the man slashes at the woman with a dagger, the cut opens on the chained man instead. He thrusts his hand forwards, and a bolt of holy energy blasts the assailant off of his feet, with guards grabbing the criminal and arresting him.

A woman with a scarred body and white wings comes to a group of travelers, the group heavily injured from a recent attack. The woman places her hands on the sides of her head, and gashes and wounds open up on herself, while the group is healed by her. As she falls to the ground, unconscious from the pain, the last cuts and bruises the people had suffered are removed. The grateful travelers give the woman gifts, when she awakens, for her noble deeds, but she rejects them, and leaves them to live in bliss.

Martyrs are those who choose to suffer to end the suffering of others, taking the pain that others have onto themselves so that others may live in happiness. Their lives are harder than most, but spiritually, they are rewarded for their good deeds; even though their bodies are in pain, their souls are in joy. Each scar that their body has is seen as a trophy to them, for it is a life that they have helped in all of their pain.

## **Self-Sacrificing Healers**

To a martyr, pain in all beings is seen as a horrid thing, something that nobody should face, except for those willing to take it on to end it for others. When a martyr bleeds, many others are healed, their wounds closing with the same gashes that give new scars to their healer. Even if they cannot end all pain in the world, they strive to end as much of it as they can, before the pain they give themselves catches up to themselves.

## **Blessed by Gods**

Many divine beings see the deeds of the martyrs, their unwavering willingness to put their fellow man above themselves, and the approval of these beings is what grant martyrs their powers. Without the gods, the martyrs would only be harming themselves, but with the radiant might bestowed upon them, their sacrifices manifest into powerful restorative magic.

## **Creating a Martyr**

When creating a martyr character, think about how it is that your character decided to suffer for others. Did your character choose to do this out of the good of their heart, or were they forced into this lifestyle? Have they always wanted to be a martyr, or did it more suddenly come to them as something they should do? Discuss with your GM how well known martyrs are in your campaign world.

### **Quick Build**

You can make a Martyr quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Wisdom, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the priest or hermit background. Finally, choose a quarterstaff, and a priest's pack.

## **Class Features**

As a Martyr you gain the following class features.

Hit Points
**Hit Dice:** 1d10 per Martyr level

**Hit Points at 1st Level:** 10 + Constitution modifier

**Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Martyr level after 1st

Proficiencies
**Armor:** None

**Weapons:** Simple weapons

**Tools:** Two of your choice

**Saving Throws:** Strength, Wisdom

**Skills:** Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion.

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

* (*a*) two toolkits of your choice or (*b*) a simple weapon
* (*a*) a diplomat's pack or (*b*) a priest's pack
* a holy symbol

### **Unarmored Defense**

While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

### **Sacrifice**

The blood you bleed for your allies allows you to heal them, cleansing them from their sins. As an action, you can expend one Sacrifice Charge to heal a creature within 30 feet of yourself an amount equal to your Martyr Die plus your Wisdom modifier, and take irreducible radiant damage equal to your martyr level. You regain all Sacrifice Charges after a short or long rest.

### **Blood of the Martyr**

Your body's toils through pain has enabled you to hang on to your life easier than most. You gain 1 more maximum hit point, and gain another +1 maximum hit point for each level you take in the martyr class.

### **Judgement**

Beginning at 2nd level, your radiant powers enable you to smite those who commit wrongdoings, to cleanse them. As an action, you can make a ranged spell attack that uses your Wisdom as your spellcasting ability on a creature within 60 feet of yourself, dealing radiant damage equal to your Martyr Die.

### **Crucified Chains**

By 3rd level, your self-sacrifice has enabled you to empower that of which you sacrifice, to aid your allies further. Choose from the Chains of Blood, Chains of Riches, and the Chains of Sanity, all of which are at the bottom of this page. Your choice grants you features at 3rd, 6th, and 14th levels.

### **Ability Score Increase**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 14th, 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.

### **Blood of Faith**

Beginning at 5th level, the pain of your allies can be channeled through them, to you, to lessen it. As a bonus action, you can select a creature within 30 feet of yourself. Until the start of your next turn, when that creature takes damage, it takes half the damage it normally would, and you take the other half.

### **Improved Judgement**

Starting at 7th level, your smiting abilities have improved themselves. When you deal damage with your Judgement feature, you deal additional damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (min +0).

### **Scapegoat**

At 9th level, you are able to reflect the failures of others onto yourself. As a reaction to a creature within 15 feet of yourself fails an ability check, you treat it as though you had failed the ability check, instead.

### **Devotion**

Beginning at 10th level, you are able to make yourself burn when your allies would be. As a reaction to a creature within 30 feet of yourself failing a saving throw, you can make them succeed on their saving throw, but you are treated as failing the saving throw. You face the consequences of failing the saving throw, even if you were not targeted and/or are out of range of the effect causing the saving throw.

### **Blessing from Beyond**

Starting at 11th level, even in death you are able to cure the ailments of your allies. When you are reduced to 0 hit points and are knocked unconscious, you may choose a number of creatures that does not include yourself within 60 feet of yourself equal to your Wisdom modifier (min 1). Those creatures heal a number of hit points equal to your martyr level. Additionally, when you die, this feature activates again, but they heal hit points equal to twice your martyr level.

### **Improved Blood of Faith**

At 13th level, when you select a creature from your Blood of Faith feature, you may choose for the creature to instead take no damage at all, but you receive all damage they would.

### **Rapture**

By 15th level, the sacrifices you have made can be unleashed, to purge the sins of mortals. As an action, you can choose to cause radiant blasts to rain from the sky. A number of creatures equal to your Wisdom modifier (min 1) within 120 feet of yourself must make a Dexterity saving throw, with a DC equal to **8 + your Wisdom modifier + your Proficiency bonus**, taking 8d8 radiant damage on a failed saving throw, or half on a success. If a creature is reduced to 0 hit points by this, its soul is sent to a peaceful afterlife, and it cannot be resurrected. After using this feature, you must take a long rest before doing so again.

### **Restore Life**

Starting at 17th level, your touch can bring back the dead, rarely. As an action, you can cast *resurrection*, without a spell slot. After using this feature, you must wait a week before doing so again.

### **Blessed Protector**

At 18th level, your presence alone protects your allies from death. As a reaction to a creature within 30 feet of yourself fails a death saving throw, you can choose to take irreducible radiant damage equal to twice your martyr level, and heal them for the same amount.

### **Eternal Rebirth**

By 20th level, your mortality has changed, making you more akin to a demigod than a mortal. You gain the following benefits.

* You are immune to necrotic damage.
* You no longer need to eat or drink.
* When you die, roll a d20. On a roll of 11 or higher, your body disappears, and three days later, you resurrect at the point your body was at.

## **Chains of Blood**

The chains that hold you from protecting those you care about is your mortal form, breaking it by allowing harm to come to yourself enables you to protect those that you care about.

### **Bearer of Sin**

When you choose this archetype, at 3rd level, you gain the ability to sacrifice your body to cast spells. You can expend one Sacrifice Charge and deal irreducible radiant damage to yourself to cast a cleric spell of a level you are able to cast, listed below.

 5th
 9th
 13th
 17th

### **Sacrificial Gift**

Beginning at 6th level, as a bonus action, you can select one creature within 30 feet of yourself. You take 1d8 irreducible radiant damage, and the next attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, that creature makes within the next minute, has a bonus equal to the damage dealt to you.

### **Ultimate Sacrifice**

Starting at 14th level, your abilities to harm yourself to heal others have reached their final stage of power. As an action, you can touch a creature to restore hit points to it equal to half of its maximum hit points. You then take irreducible radiant damage equal to half of your maximum hit points. After using this feature, you must take a long rest before doing so again.

## **Chains of Riches**

To take from those who need it most is considered a sin to you, and you have chosen to break the chains of society by not possessing anything that you do not need. While your path is a tough one, it is very rewarding spiritually.

### **Vow of Poverty**

When you choose this archetype, at 3rd level, you have taken a solemn vow to not own possessions that you do not need. You may not own anything that is not necessary, and you must spend all your goods for those in need. Should you ever start amassing wealth and possessions or show symptoms of greed, you lose all benefits of this archetype until you atone for your sins.

### **Charity's Crusader**

Additionally, at 3rd level, you gain the following benefits for your selflessness.

* You do not suffer any ill effects from not eating or drinking.
* You do not suffer any negative effects from temperature or weather.
* Your armor class increases by 1.
* You gain an additional Sacrifice Charge.

### **Holy Shroud**

Beginning at 6th level, the forces of good protect you for your deeds for others. After you take a short or long rest, you may select a damage type. You gain resistance to that damage type until you take another short or long rest.

### **Freedom From Society**

Starting at 14th level, you have rejected society's ways enough that it can no longer affect you. You permanently have the effects of the *freedom of movement* spell on you, at all times.

## **Chains of Sanity**

The human mind is a thing that leads to sin, and this is a philosophy that you have embraced. You have given up your human mind, to allow an angel to take control of your actions.

### **Mindless**

When you choose this archetype, at 3rd level, you choose to sacrifice your conscious mind for your purposes. You gain the following features from this.

* You are immune to psychic-type damage.
* Your thoughts cannot be read or detected.
* You cannot respond to telepathic messages, or perceive them.
* Features that would detect celestials can detect you.

### **Path of Righteousness**

Additionally, at 3rd level, the guidance of an angel constantly guides you. As a 1-minute ritual, you can contact the angel, to ask for a path of guidance. You may ask the god your angel worships 3 questions about a choice ahead that can be answered with "yes" or "no". After using this feature, you must take a short or long rest before doing so again.

### **Vengeance Smite**

Beginning at 6th level, your angelic reactions enable you to smite those who harm others. As a reaction to a creature within 30 feet being attacked, you can use your Judgement feature on the creature that attacked it.

### **Living Angel**

Starting at 14th level, the divine influence on your body has enabled you to gain more benefits.

* You gain angelic wings, giving you a flight speed of 30 feet.
* You can walk on water if you choose to.
* As a 1-minute ritual, you can turn up to a 5-foot cube of water into wine.

## **Multiclassing**

**Prerequisites.** To qualify for multiclassing into the Martyr class, you must meet these prerequisites: Wisdom 13

**Proficiencies.** When you multiclass into the Martyr class, you gain the following proficiencies: a tool of choice, simple weapons