Lathspell

While this class lends itself easily to playing a dark brooding character with a tragic backstory, inside is a short guide on how to be an accursed character while having a good and happy disposition. It is all about narrative and disposition. If you want to play the dark brooding character, more power to you, this class is perfect for that.

On Lathspells and not Being an Edgelord or Bad Guy

The lathspell and its self-, or situation-, imposed curse and its darker-in-tone abilities lend themselves to easily being a villain or an edgelord. If your intention is to run an ‘evil’ or dark and brooding character with a dark past willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, then the class mechanics will easily back up your roleplay. If you don’t want to play the archetypal morally-ambiguous or psychologically tortured character, then it takes a little more thought and intention to run a lathspell.

First, think about how your character was cursed. Some ideas that don’t instantly lead to a dark backstory are:

  • The curse was in your family line and it expressed itself fully in you, you set out to find a way to end your family’s curse before another descendant expresses the curse.
  • You took the curse on to save another. Be it a loved one who would have been cursed or simply an innocent bystander that might have been killed if you did not express the curse’s power.
  • You lived a depraved life of violence and cruelty, but in your last moments you made a selfless choice. Some cosmic entity has sent you back with one last chance to make amends. Now you travel the world righting wrongs, protecting the innocent and giving aid to the needy.
  • For a more comedic or slap-stick character, maybe your character was cursed by accident.

They told a joke about the wrong otherworldly being or they knocked over and broke an ancient evil artifact.

This is not an exhaustive list of examples of how to have been cursed without it being a dark and depressing odyssey.

Second, think about which curse the character takes, what abilities they gain and how they feel about using them. Their curse affects themselves, allies and enemies. Are they aware of the implications? Do they apologize profusely when an ally is affected? Do they feel comfortable using the darker or more violent abilities? If they are cursed with bloodlust, how do they balance needing power without giving in to mindless violence? Be intentional with how your character views the things they do, it can really set the tone for the morals and personality of your character.

If you want to play an edgelord, more power to you, this class is great for you! I hope you have fun!

Regardless of the origin of their curse, the lathspell learns to harness its power and twist the double-edged aspects to their favor. The curse can take many forms, some make changing forms have unexpected results. Others are cursed with a constant bloodlust and infectious battle fervor. Some, simply affect the fortunes around them.

A Cursed Being

A lathspell is defined by the curse that infuses their being. The curse could be the one thing keeping their soul intact or it could be an outside force they accepted to empower themselves.

Regardless of how they gained their curse, it is something they are unable to shed. Though some may try to shed the curse by satiating its aspects, once accepted, there is no removing it.

There is only living with and harnessing the curse’s power.

The lathspell is able to pull power from their curse to create arcane effects. However, their main power is infusing their martial prowess with the ‘gifts’ granted to them by their curse.

A Life on the Move

An unfortunate byproduct of a lathspell’s curse is that they are rarely welcomed in one place for very long. An effective way to hide their curse from a populace or escape from those upset by their influence, is to continually move from place to place. This transience lends itself well to a life of adventure. Some may be lone wolves, but survival for a lathspell is greater when paired with others willing to aid them when the curse turns sour and welcome their aid when the curse aids them.

Lathspells that adventure do so for gain, empowerment or simple survival. That next found artifact could be the key to freeing them from their unwanted curse or the key to focusing its power.

Creating a Lathspell

As stated many times before, the defining feature of the lathspell is their curse. They begin to manifest its effects and gain some of its magic beginning at level 1. Were you unlucky from a young age to the point where it manifested into an aura of shifting luck around you? Is there some dark presence within you calling for more blood and violence only giving you relief and happiness when you are in the heat of combat? Does death hang about you like a sanguine cloak? Does the world shift in change in your presence causing those around you to question what they see and hear? Perhaps you are a harbinger of pain, your mere presence heightens pain both physical and mental.

What is your relationship with the curse? Are you a willing recipient of it or is it an affliction?

Do you give into the darker urges of power lurking within your curse or do you draw out its power only to defend yourself or others? How did you come to be cursed? Was the cursed passed down a family line? Was it the result of a pact with or as a punishment from a powerful being? Were you simply at the wrong place at the wrong time and broke that canopic jar on accident?

The curse does not make the person. While certain curses can be more associated with more dire or violent tendencies, the curse is not always a choice so lathspells of any alignment can be found. Consider how your lathspell’s alignment affects their view on the boons from their curse.

Quick Build

You can make a lathspell quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score because it affects the lathspell’s spellcasting and curse abilities. Charisma should be followed by Strength or Dexterity depending upon the nature of combat the lathspell uses followed by Constitution to aid in their longevity in battle. Second, choose the Criminal, Hermit, or Outlander background.

Class Features

As a lathspell, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per lathspell level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per lathspell level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose three skills from the following: Arcana, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Persuasion

Level Proficiency Bonus Features
1st +2 Curse, Spellcasting
2nd +2 Fighting Style, Stubborn Soul
3rd +2 Manifestation Path
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement
5th +3 Extra Attack
6th +3 Cloak of Menace, Medium Armor
7th +3 Manifestation Path Ability, Stalwart
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement
9th +4 Cursed Strike
10th +4 Leeching Curse, Magical Secrets
11th +4 All Armor
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement
13th +5 Penetrating Curse
14th +5 Magical Secrets
15th +5 Manifestation Path Ability
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement
17th +6 Aura Extensions
18th +6 Magical Secrets
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement
20th +6 Walking Curse

Equipment

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

  • (a) a chain shirt, or (b) leather armor and a shield
  • (a) a melee martial weapon, or (b) a melee simple weapon, shortbow and a quiver of 20 arrows
  • (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
  • a simple weapon and an arcane focus

Curse

At 1st level the curse entwined with your soul begins to outwardly manifest and grant you some change to your abilities. You gain your curse manifestation and 1st set of bonus spells known at 1st level. See the curses section for the burse option and their related paths.

Lathspell Spellcasting Spell Slots per Level
Level Cantrips Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1st 0 + 2 0
2nd 0 + 2 2 + 0 2
3rd 0 + 2 2 + 2 3
4th 1 + 2 3 + 2 3
5th 1 + 2 3 + 4 4 2
6th 1 + 2 3 + 4 4 2
7th 1 + 2 4 + 4 4 3
8th 1 + 2 4 + 4 4 3
9th 1 + 2 4 + 6 4 3 2
10th 2 + 2 4 + 6 4 3 2
11th 2 + 2 4 + 6 4 3 3
12th 2 + 2 4 + 6 4 3 3
13th 2 + 2 4 + 8 4 3 3
14th 2 + 2 4 + 8 4 3 3 1
15th 2 + 2 4 + 8 4 3 3 1
16th 2 + 2 4 + 8 4 3 3 2
17th 2 + 2 4 + 10 4 3 3 2 1
18th 2 + 2 4 + 10 4 3 3 3 1
19th 2 + 2 5 + 10 4 3 3 3 2
20th 2 + 2 5 + 10 4 3 3 3 2

Spellcasting

You have learned to harness the power within your curse to change the fabric of reality around you. Your spells are one of the ‘gifts’ you take from your curse.

Cantrips

You know two cantrips provided from your curse. You learn additional cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Lathspell Spellcasting table.

These additional cantrips may be chosen from the warlock spell list. The cantrip column is shown initially as 0+2, to show the 0 warlock cantrips and 2 curse cantrips. As you progress the first number will grow as shown on the table.

Spell Slots

The Lathspell Spellcasting 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 Cause Fear and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Cause Fear using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

Starting at 2nd level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the warlock spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Lathspell Spellcasting table shows when you learn more warlock spells of your choice. The entry in the column is split up between the spells you know from the warlock spell list and the spells you gain from your curse. The spells learned from the warlock spell list must be of the same level or lower than the highest spell slot you have available while the spells provided by your curse are a set list. For example, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level for a total of 3 warlock spells.

You also have 4 spells from your curse, 2 gained at 3rd level and 2 gained at 5th.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the warlock spells you know and replace it with another spell from the warlock spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots. You cannot swap out the curse spells known in this way.

All spells gained whether from the warlock spell list or from your curse are considered lathspell spells for the purposes of any abilities detailed later.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your lathspell spells. Your magic comes from the power of the curse infused within the very fiber of your being. 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 lathspell 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 lathspell spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your lathspell spells.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Stubborn Soul

Starting at 2nd level, due to the constant magic coursing through you, you are inured to the detrimental effects of magic. You add your proficiency bonus to saving throws against spells regardless of the saving throw required.

Manifestation Path

Starting at 3rd level, your abilities granted by your curse begin to diverge, you choose one of the two paths available under your curse and you gain your 1st path ability. You gain additional manifestation path abilities at 7th and 15th levels.

Ability Score Improvement

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.

Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Cloak of Menace

Starting at 6th level, whenever an enemy within 10 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure the creature takes a penalty on saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum penalty of -1) while they remain in the aura. You must be conscious and aware of the target to impose this penalty.

Medium Armor

Starting at 6th level, you gain proficiency with medium armor.

Stalwart

Beginning at 7th level, you are hardened against effects that would destroy your body or your mind such as Phantasmal Killer or a poison. When subject to an effect that allows you to make a Constitution or Wisdom saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Cursed Strike

Starting at 9th level, anytime you score a critical hit (natural 20) on an attack, you may cast one of your spells as a bonus action. The spell selected must be 1 round casting time or less.

Leeching Curse

Starting at 10th level, any creature reduced to 0 hit points within 10 feet automatically fails their next death saving throw and you heal your Charisma modifier in hit points.

Magical Secrets

By 10th level, you have been exposed to a vast spectrum of magical energy. Choose one spell from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Lathspell spellcasting table, or a cantrip.

The chosen spells count as lathspell spells for you and are included in the number in the Spells Known column of the Lathspell Spellcasting table. These spells replace the warlock spells known. At later levels, if you choose to swap out a known lathspell spell, you may choose one spell, or cantrip, from any list while the remainder must be from the warlock list.

You learn one additional spell, or potential later spell, from any class at 14th level and again at 18th level.

All Armor

Starting at 11th level, you are now proficient with all armor.

Penetrating Curse

Starting at 13th level, when casting spells provided by your curse, the target has disadvantage on their saving throw.

Aura Extensions

Starting at 17th level, your curse manifestation, cloak of menace and leeching curse extend out to 30 feet.

Walking Curse

At 20th level, your curse has reached an apex of power. You become immune to spells that bestow a curse and you gain the walking curse ability provided by your curse.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Breath of Life: The Lathspell (5e), © 2023, Orphaned Bookworm Productions, LLC, Authors: Connor Bates and Norman Mitchell Jr.

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