DnD Secret Crafts Devourologist

Dungeons and Dragons – Mystara Secret Crafts

Secret Craft of the Flesh Eater

aka Devourologist, Flesh Eater, or Master of the Flesh

This secret craft was developed by those who have a deep connection with necromancy and the element of earth. These are abilities granted by the grace of the patrons of the necromancy. Their magic concentrates on dealing with the destruction or consumption of the flesh.

Source Material: This secret craft was built from material gained from various editions of the game. Principalities of Glantri (GAZ3), Deep Magic – Blood and Doom (DM12), Encyclopaedia Arcane – Necromancy (Beyond the Grave – MGP1005), Ultimate Prestige Classes (Darksoul, Ghost Eater).

List of Practitioners of the Devourologists

• Initiate –
• 1st Circle – Xhall – Multiclass Cleric/Wizard (Fri)

Craft Magical Items – Devourologist

• Very Rare
  • Candle of Invocation – (Energy, Entropy, Matter, Thought, Time)

Ranks of the Devourologist Secret Craft

• Initiate (from 1st level)
• 1st Circle (from 6th level)
• 2nd Circle (from 11th level)
• 3rd Circle (from 16th level)
• 4th Circle (from 21st level)
• 5th Circle (from 26th level)

Devourologist Initiate

To become an initiate, one must be part of either “The Great School of Magic” in Glantri City, members of the Black Earth or in good standing with earth aspect necromancers.

Secret Craft – Devourologist – Initiate

• Craft Bonus = Proficiency + Wis + circle +2 (darkness or earth aspected, atruaghin, ethengarian, traladaran)
• Craft DC: The Base DC of a secret craft abilities is: Base Craft DC = 8 + Prof + Wis mod + circle achieved +2 (darkness or earth aspected, Atruaghin, Ethengarian and Traladaran).
• Starting Language – Oltec
• Associated Sphere – Usually a Entropy or Earth Immortal, but any Immortal who is a Patron of cannibalism is also valid.
• Expanded Magic: Characters gain extra spells to their spell list from this secret craft. A prepared caster gains them as spells in their spellbook, a spontaneous caster can swap out the spells with their known spells during craft downtime.
• Artefacts of Flesh (Entropy and Matter) You can make a craft check to use a artefact of flesh without expending the items power by paying for it with your own life force instead. This avoids the chance of a penalty being activated. You can also steal power from an artefact to heal your soul burn. If you are attuned to the artefact, you can use its power to activate your secret craft features without a chance of a penalty being activated. Atruaghin, Ethengarian or Traladaran attuned racial magical items allow you to pinch their charges for the day using 1 charge to replace 1 soul burn, and for each level or rarity above common the magical item can replace an additional point.

Devourologist Additional Crit Effects

• Devourologist Additional Craft Mishap: In addition to the base critical failure, you take irreducible necrotic damage (from the standard mishap) as a punishment from your mentor, this also reduces your Wisdom by 1.
• Devourologist Additional Craft Boon: In addition to the base critical success, your muscles are wreathed in power and you gain a point of Wisdom.

Associated Classes:

• Barbarian – Path of the Ancestors (mhh33), Path of the Totem Warrior (ph50)
• Cleric – Hunder Domain (mhh60)
• Druid – Circle of the Moon (ph69)
• Paladin – Oath of the Giving Grave (mw403)
• Sorcerer: Lycanthrope Bloodline (sh12)
• Warlock: Pact of the Fiend (ph109)
• Wizard: Doom Croaker (mhh79), Necrophagy (mhh90), School of Necromancy (ph118)

Available Feats: tba.

Spell List – Secret Craft – Devourologist (Devour)
(Consuming, Flesh or Necrotic based spells)

Cantrip – Chill Touch (ph222), Shiver (mwb434), Toll the Dead (xge169), Word of Misfortune (mwb437)

1st Level Spells – Arms of the Void (ph216), Cause Fear (xge151), Cloying Darkness (mhh158), Death’s Shadow (ea02-22), Doom of the Cracked Shield (mwb425), Hobble Mount (mwb429), Inflict Wounds (ph254), Necrotic Feast (bls89), Ray of Sickness (ph272), Screaming Ray (mwb433)

2nd Level Spells – Ray of Enfeeblement (ph272), Timely Distraction (mwb435)

3rd Level Spells – Animate Dead (ph213), Bestow Curse (ph219), Doom of Blue Crystal (mwb425), Life Leech Weapon (bls81), Shadow Bolt (bls104), Shadow Horror (ea02-28), Shadow Mastery (ea02-29), Spirit Guardians (ph279), St. Whiteskull’s Borrowing (mwb434), Vampiric Touch (ph286),

4th Level Spells – Blight (ph220), Desiccating Breath (mhh162), Doom of Serpent Coils (mwb426), Nether Weapon (mwb432), Night Terrors (mhh184), Shroud of Death (mwb434), Umbral Touch (bls120)

5th Level Spells – Annihilation (ea02-21), Dark Dementing (mhh161), Destructive Wave (ph232), Dispel Evil and Good (ph234), Enervation (xge155), Grim Resilience (bls66), Necrotic Touch (bls89), Negative Energy Flood (xge163), Recall Spirit – R *, Shrieking Missile *, Transfer of Vigor (bls118)

• 6th Level – Advance the Years (bls11), Banshee Wail (mhh150), Call the Heart (bls27), Death Gaze (bls40), Extract Knowledge (mhh166) – R, Life Drain (mwb430)
• 7th Level – Chain Enervation (bls28), Cone of Decay (bls33), Curse of Dust (mhh161)
• 8th Level – Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting (xge150), Devour Essence (bls43), Life Leach (bls81), Shadow Skin *, Shadowstaff (bls105), Umbral Strike (bls120), Zephyr of Death (bls130)
• 9th Level – Wither Limb (bls129)

* details to be advised. R – Ritual Spells.
Source: ea02, ph

Devourologist 1st Circle (Apprentice)

Secret Crafts – Devourologist – 1st Circle

Secret Crafts – Manifestations (Replaces other active secret craft manifestation when activated) Each Manifestation uses a light colour based on the Sphere it is being drawn from Energy (red), Entropy (black), Matter (green), Thought (white), Time (Blue). Each manifestation lasts until the end of your next long rest, and you can spend 1 soul burn to keep it active until the next long rest without rolling or you dismiss it.

Devourologist Apprentice (Manifestation SB 1 DC 16): When you activate this manifestation, you dim light within a 5 ft radius. All plants and beast in the radius take 1 point of necrotic damage at the end of your turn, this also soils plant-based food.

Devourologist Apprentice Enhancements and Powers (Requires Devourologist Apprentice to be active)

• Necromantic Communication – Flesh (Power SB 1 DC 16) As an action, by smelling and tasting the flesh of body that died in the encounter, the crafter can speak with the dead as per the spell, but the body does not need to be whole or able to answer in return as it all appears in the crafters mind. Can only be done once per body.
• Necromantic Components – Flesh (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16) Takes an action to activate. Once activated, you can use your prepared flesh to power your spells in place of material components, as long as it is worth less or equal to the value of the preparation.
• Necromantic Consumption – Flesh (Power SB 1 DC 16) As an action, you can eat the flesh of a fallen foe and recover 1d8 hit points equal to its hit dice. You can do this once per fallen foe. Your prepared flesh can also be used to heal 1d8 hp per 10 gp of value you consume.
• Necromantic Enhancement – Flesh (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16) Once activated with an action, you can treat your unarmed attack as a slashing weapon while your manifestation is active. You also gain resistance to slashing damage. Your unable to subdue with this style, and a successful critical hit also causes the target to be blinded for a round.
• Necromantic Touch – Flesh (Power SB 1 DC 16) You can make a melee attack against another living creature and cause it to make a Charisma saving throw or loose half charisma points equal to your level and take 3d6 necrotic damage. On a successful save they don’t loose charisma. On a failed save an additional effect of one of sickened until they make a saving throw. If you exceed their current hit points, they are considered to have failed all three death saves.
• Necromancy Specialisation (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16) Activate as part of a short rest and stays active if your manifestation is active. You can prepare one spell from the craft list as a known spell. You can reactivate this power to replace the known spell. Non-spellcasters can use this to gain a cantrip if listed.
• Necromantic Undeath – Vision of Night (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16) As a action, you increase (or give yourself) darkvision equal to your manifestation radius. This lasts while your manifestation is active.
• Extended Necromancy Divination (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16) You can prepare divination spells as a necromancy spells relating to communication with the undead. The results give an appearance of undeath to the subjects they are cast upon.

Downtime Activities: can require 1 or more soul burn points to activate and maintain. You do not require you to have the manifestation active to use. Use of downtime abilities cannot be offset by magical items or artefacts.

• Laboratory: A necromancer must create a laboratory to use their abilities in at the cost of 5,000 gp per circle they have obtained.
  • Once they have a laboratory, they can build a field kit that costs 3,000 gp per circle and allows experiments but has twice the failure rate. This can be used ten times before it runs out of components. It costs 300 gp per use being refreshed, if it is exhausted, then it must be rebuilt from scratch. Using a field kit doubles the laboratory burn percentage.
  • Experiments cost 1,000 gp of components, take d6 hours per circle of ability used and gain a 5% additional failure chance for each interruption.
  • Finding components takes a week per 1,000 gp of items in Glantri City, or twice that in another capital, or three to four times depending on the country.
  • They require a formula book (use a blank spellbook) to write down all the details of what they can create with their lab or field kits.
• Prepare Material Flesh (SB 1+) You can spend a week to sacrifice a number of hit dice of flesh of a living creature, from yourself or a helpless target. For every hit dice sacrificed this way, you can gain enough material to replace 10 gp worth of material items for a spell. Each HD used in this fashion also causes 1 point of Soul Burn. You cannot regain the soul burn while this has not been expended, but may add to its capacity with downtime.
• Bind the Flesh (SB 1) By spending a week consuming a mixture made from a relative, you can bind their spirit to an object of your choice made from their body. You can use this object with your Necromantic communication power. Can be used by any family member. This loss is permanent while the object exists.
• Flesh Familiar (SB 1+): You spend a week to training a familiar to take on aspects of Flesh. This gives the familiar to gain resistance to non magical physical attacks. This will cost you 1 soul burn per character level (or 1 point if you have the familiar class feature or follow the Traladaran pantheons). You cannot recover the soul burn while you retain the familiar.
• Flesh Companion (SB 1+): You spend a week to training a companion to take on aspects of Flesh. This gives the companion to gain resistance to non-magical physical attacks. This will cost you 1 soul burn per character level (or 1 point if you have the companion class feature or follow the Traladaran pantheons). You cannot recover the soul burn while you retain the companion.
• Flesh Mount (SB 1+): You spend a week to training a mount to take on aspects of Flesh. This gives the companion to gain resistance to non-magical physical attacks. This will cost you 1 soul burn per character level (or 1 point if you have the mount class feature or follow the Traladaran pantheons). You cannot recover the soul burn while you retain the mount.
• Necromantic Craft Specialisation (SB 1+): You gain a known or prepared spell from the list of spells in this craft for each level you can cast. If you know more than one craft you can only have this available for one. Repeat activations changes the these slots to the activating craft. Costs 1 point per level of the spell. This loss is permanent while you have access to these spells. Unlike regular spells, Cantrips cost 1 point per character level.

Devourologist 2nd Circle (Journeyman)

• Attributes – Secret Craft – Devourologist – 2nd Circle
  • Devourologist Journeyman (Enhancement SB 2 DC 18): When you activate this enhancement, your light radius extends 5 ft radius. Plants and beast in the radius take and extra point of damage.
    • Lick the Bones (Power SB 2 DC 18) As an action you spend the round licking the bone, you then gain advantage and if they possessed it proficiency or expertise in the chosen skill for the duration of the ability.
    • Speak with Soul (Power SB 2 DC 18) You can cast “Divination” to speak with the soul of someone who has died. You need to have some knowledge, or item of the person you wish to communicate with.
  • Downtime Activities: require 2 or more points to activate and maintain. You do not require you to have the manifestation active to use.
    • Prepare the Bones (SB2) You can prepare up to three bones at least the size of a femur or a skull which belonged to a person of considerable skill in a field your interested in using. When you prepare the bones, you can access the proficiency or expertise of the subject in one skill chosen during preparation that the person possessed in life. Each bone is good for three lick actions only. This loss is permanent while you have the bones.

Devourologist 3rd Circle (Adept)

• Attributes – Secret Craft – Devourologist – 3rd Circle
  • Devourologist Adept (Enhancement SB 3 DC 20): When you activate this enhancement, your light radius extends 5 ft radius. Plants and beast in the radius take and extra point of damage.
    • Lessons from the Grave (Enhancement SB 3 DC 20) You can learn from those who have died, granting proficiency in a selected skill.
    • Unto Ashes (Enhancement SB 3 DC 20) By rubbing ashes of the dead on your skin, while not wearing armour, you grant yourself an armour of 12 plus dex modifier.
    • Speak with Soul, Improved (Power SB 3 DC 20) You can cast “Commune” to speak with the soul of someone who has died. You need to have some knowledge, or item of the person you wish to communicate with.
  • Downtime Activities: require 3 or more points to activate and maintain. You do not require you to have the manifestation active to use.
    • Prepare the Ashes (SB3) You can turn one body which belonged to a person of considerable skill in a field your interested in using into ashes. When you prepare the ashes, you can gain abilities from this craft. Each set of ashes is good for ten uses only. This loss is permanent while you have the ashes.

Devourologist 4th Circle (Master)

• Attributes – Secret Craft – Devourologist – 4th Circle
  • Devourologist Master (Enhancement SB 4 DC 22): When you activate this enhancement, your light radius extends 5 ft radius. Plants and beast in the radius take and extra point of damage.
    • Death Affinity (Enhancement SB 4 DC 22) While active you are immune to the powers of the undead
    • Speak with Legends (Power SB 4 DC 22) You can cast “Legend Lore” to speak with the ancient heroes of legend.
    • Unto Ashes, upgraded (Enhancement SB 4 DC 22) With Unto Ashes activated, you call upon the spirits to enhance your protection, increase your armour by 2.
  • Downtime Activities: require 4 or more points to activate and maintain. You do not require you to have the manifestation active to use.
    • Prepare the Warrior (SB4) You can turn one body which belonged to a warrior of considerable skill into meal. Each preparation is good for five uses only. This loss is permanent while you have the meal.

Devourologist 5th Circle (Grand Master)

• Attributes – Secret Craft – Devourologist – 5th Circle
  • Devourologist Grand Master (Enhancement SB 5 DC 24): When you activate this enhancement, your light radius extends 5 ft radius. Plants and beast in the radius take and extra point of damage.
    • Speak with Death (Power SB 5 DC 24) You can cast “Contact Outer Plane” to speak with the gods of Death.
    • Unto Ashes, Advanced (Enhancement SB 5 DC 24) With Unto Ashes, Upgraded activated, you call upon the guardians of the spirits to enhance your protection, increase your armour by 2.
    • Veil Parted (Enhancement SB 5 DC 24) You can see (as True Seeing) and the ability to detect alignments of those you see for 10 minutes/level. Your eyes turn a non-reflective black while this is in effect.
    • Warrior Feast (Enhancement SB 5 DC 24) You eat the remains of those who have fallen in war, a martial character of at least 3^rd level, gaining their proficiency bonus to attack and damage rolls and class features until you finish a long rest.
  • Downtime Activities: require 5 or more points to activate and maintain. You do not require you to have the manifestation active to use.

Secret Craft References

• Activation Costs: 1 SB point per circle for Manifestation, Enhancement, Power and Downtime Activity unless otherwise specified.
• Secret Craft Attempt = d20 + Prof + Abi mod + circle achieved.
• Craft Check: The craft check is a d20 plus your proficiency and the associated attribute modifier. This craft check must use the language associated with the craft as part of the check. You add your circle level to the roll with Initiates being +0. For every 5 points you exceed the target number you reduce the Soul Burn cost by 1. For every point you fail the roll by, you can choose to succeed by adding those point to the soul burn cost as long as it was not a critical failure.
  • Base Critical Failure: A roll of a 1 on the craft check is a curse from your patron, and you suffer a mishap. The standard thing that happens is that you increase your soul burn by the Crit Effect Modifier, then it reduces your hit point maximum by the Crit Effect Modifier, and lastly it causes hit point damage equal to the Crit Effect Modifier. Check each of the crafts for what additional effect happen during a mishap.
  • Base Critical Success: A roll of a 20 on this check is a blessing from your patron, and you are granted a boon. The standard thing is that you reduce your Soul Burn by the Crit Effect Modifier, then it can restore damage to your maximum hit points by the Crit Effect Modifier, and lastly it refreshes you repairing hit points equal to the Crit Effect Modifier . Check each of the crafts for what happens during a boon.
  • Crit Effect Modifier: This is 1 + circle ability level + character level.
    • So a 8th level character using a 2nd circle ability would have a crit effect modifier of 11.
    • A 4th level character with a 1st circle ability would have a modifier of 6.
    • A 12th level character with s 3rd circle ability would have a modifier of 16.
    • A 16th level character with a 4th circle ability would have a modifier of 21.
    • A 20th level character with a 5th circle ability would have a modifier of 25.
• Craft DC: The Base DC of a secret craft abilities is: Base Craft DC = 8 + Prof + Ability mod + circle achieved.
• Manifestation – Lasts until the end of a long rest, you expend it, or you dismiss it as a free action. You can extend a craft manifestation for 1 soul burn after a long rest to last until your next long rest without the need for a craft check. Manifestations gives you access to Manifestation Aspects, Enhancements and Powers.
• Manifestation Aspect – Selected as the version of the manifestation used when you activate the Manifestation.
• Enhancement – Lasts as long as the manifestation is active.
• Power – Has a limited duration, but needs the manifestation active to use.
• SB – Soul Burn. Each point of Soul Burn is a reduction to your maximum hit points. If your Soul Burn ever reduces your hit point total to zero your character is destroyed based in the craft and sponsor. Soul Burn can be recovered via downtime or other methods all with GM approval.

Content Updates

• 2022-03-14 – Linked to Followers of the Black Earth.
• 2022-03-12 – Updated the Initiate level abilities and wording. Update of the 1st Circle abilities and powers to bring them more in line with the changes made to the initiate level and through trial in play over the last year
• 2021-08-05 – Updated the downtime references.
• 2021-07-21 – Added in section on Magical Items.
• 2021-04-25 – Updated with more details at higher circles.
• 2020-06-22 – Cleaned up the 1st Circle.

Secret Crafts

Overview, Downtime: Secret Crafts, Spellcasters

Elemental Crafts: (6) Air, Darkness, Earth, Fire, Water – Combining Craft – Elements

Necromancy Crafts: (6) Blood, Devour, Grave, Reanimate, Shade – Combining Craft – Necro

Racial Crafts: (38) Alchem, Beast, Bureau, Celest, Chaos, Chrono, Craft, Crypt, Diplomat, Diviner, Dragon, Elven, Entertain, Fiend, Heal, Mech, Mental, Merch, Music, Nature, Portal, Preserve, Protect, Rad, Sail, Shape, Skald, Sky, Spirit, Spy, Star, Sumon, Tech, Void, Wagon, War, Weapon, Witch

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