Eschatologist
The Heid Eschatol movement began among the dwarves of Drakr, after the scholar Vlendam Heid published a treatise on the myths of his nation and how they continued to influence modern perceptions. The book captured the culture’s consciousness, particularly a section that used the legend of the Lost Riders to explain the Drakran tradition of
defining civilizations and eras by how they end. In the three decades since its publication, Heid’s “On the Proper Endings of Things” has given birth to a whole field of academic study devoted to finding the perfect way to end friendships and romances, business relationships, wars, serialized literature, and even one’s own life.
Heid’s disciples refer to themselves as eschatologists, from the term for the study of the end of the world. Their popularity has only strengthened Drakr’s existing obsession with apocalyptic prophecies and doomsaying, and has raised awareness of their beliefs in other nations. The Clergy, however, denies that the dwarven end times are near, and its agents take a dim view of Heid’s followers.
Playing an Eschatologist.
Dwarves from any nation likely feel some sympathy toward Heid Eschatol, and soldiers who fought in the wars in the border kingdoms between Drakr and Danor often saw enough horrors that when they came home they were comforted by the thought of an orderly judgment day. A handful of apocalyptic cults have sprung up, and increasingly their members are seen less as fringe nuts and more as just another religious sect. Only a few outside of Drakr actually believe in a literal imminent end of the world, with most adherents simply appreciating the comfort they can find by confronting death with reason instead of fear. Regardless of how a character was drawn to Heid’s movement, he is likely to give regular thought to the future, especially to life’s thresholds and endings. Every eschatologist regularly updates his will, and pays heed to his companions’ desires in the event of their untimely yet unavoidable deaths. A few race toward death, but most are pragmatic and take exceptional precautions to forestall any accidental demise that might ruin their plans. You gain the Proper Ending feat.
New Feat: Proper Ending
With the dire knowledge that the world shall end in ice, you do what you can to prevent such fate from befalling your allies. As a bonus action, you can touch a dying creature or a creature that died in the past round. That creature is restored to life if dead, stabilizes, and is considered to have failed no death saving throws, but remains unconscious. The body must be relatively intact. This ability doesn’t function on decapitated or disintegrated creatures, for example.
As an action, you can concentrate on your own mortality in order to manifest a zone of cold in a 10-foot radius around you. Once manifested, the zone is stationary, and it lasts until you dismiss it as a bonus action, or you fall unconscious.
At the start of your turn, creatures in the zone take 1d6 cold damage. This increases to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 17th level. Creatures in the zone cannot heal or gain temporary hit points. Since you manifested this fragment of the world’s icy end, you are affected by the zone even if you are not inside it, and you cannot reduce the damage this power deals to you by any means. Other creatures’ resistances and immunities can still protect them.
Once you manifest this zone, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
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