Phoenix Rite

Some see the phoenix as the master of death, but it is as slave to the cycle as any creature. The Phoenix isn’t a creature that defies death, but one that uses it to learn and adapt as it matures each time. They are terrifying creatures in the wild, made of fire and harboring chaos and destruction whether it means to or not. You carry a similar call of the flame within yourself but in an unnatural form. That fire is easily twisted and manipulated and corrupted by being contained within a creature that cannot remember the previous life. You’re caught in a torrent of ash and rebirth without meaning. Only you can decide how you want to live each life, trying to find purpose on your path. You can embrace or suppress the destruction in your wake. You can decide whether each life is worth living. While at times it may feel like you’re a slave to the cycle, you can become the master of your own flame.

Decide how you’ve come to possess this ability. Were you born with them? Were you blessed by a phoenix? Have you been cursed by another? Decide what fuels your flame and consider the potential consequences should you or someone else seek to extinguish it entirely.

Phoenix Rite Origins

Rising Cinders

1st-level Phoenix Rite

The crux of the phoenix’s being is the manifestation of its self after death. You have a similar ability right from the start. When you’re brought to 0 hit points, you do not make death saving throws. For all intents and purposes, you die immediately. If you’re not revived in 1 minute, your body turns to ash. Over the course of a long rest, you’re reborn from those ashes with a level of exhaustion. 

Typically, you won’t remember your previous life, unless you’ve taken steps to circumvent this. When you die, alongside your new being, you’ll also have to roll to see if you keep your memories. You’ll have to roll a Wisdom saving throw and beat a DC of 20. This number is lowered by 1 with every level in sorcerer you take. Should you fail the check, you’re revived with minimal memories of your previous cycle. 

Each cycle is unique, as you manifest in new and interesting ways each time.. Consult the Phoenix Rebirth Chart to see what’s different this go around-

d20	Rebirth Effect
1	You’re reborn blind, but gain a tremorsense of 60 ft.
2	You’re reborn with fiery red hair.
3	A food you hated last time is your favourite food this time.
4	You’ve gained/lost the ability to roll your R’s. (pick the opposite of your previous life)
5	When you feel extreme emotions, fire starts to erupt from your eyes.
6	You’re 1d4 years younger or older than you were previously.
7	You have feathers protruding from your skin. The higher your level, the more feathers.
8	Your preference in music has changed.
9	The ends of your hair float and appear to drift off into flames.
10	Switch the numbers of two stats. They must be different numbers.
11	You have burns on random parts of your body.
12	Your body feels supernaturally hot at all times.
13	Your hands and feet have razor-sharp claws.
14	You’re reborn with a new background.
15	You have ashy grey marks on your skin, similar to vitiligo.
16	You can cast speak with animals at will to birds.
17	You chirp and squawk when you’re excited and angry.
18	You refuse to eat poultry.
19	You recall everything perfectly from every life you’ve lived so far.
20	You’re reborn as a different race. You may choose the race.

 

In addition to this change, it also takes time for the fires inside of you to come back to full power. Your level in sorcerer is the number of days it takes for you to regain your powers. For a first level sorcerer, you recover after one day. For a third level sorcerer, it takes three. Five for fifth and so on. You’re essentially gaining a level every 24 hours. 

A note for multiclassing; If you have levels in another class, all those levels you’d taken in that class are available to you immediately upon revival.

Ignite

1st-level Phoenix Rite

At 1st level, you can create a sheathe of harmless flame around yourself that sheds bright light for 10 ft. and dim light for an additional 20 ft. You can also use an action to set small fires to objects within 10 ft. of you. Objects such as a torch, a piece of tinder, or the hem of drapes. 

Phoenix Spells

1st-level Phoenix Rite

The fire’s influence on your mind grants you access to more spells. You have access to an expanded spell list. These spells count as sorcerer spells for you, but don’t count against the number of spells you know.

Sorcerer Level	Spells
1st	Produce Flame, Feather Fall
3rd	Scorching Ray, Continual Flame
5th	Fireball, Mass Healing Word
7th	Fire Shield, Polymorph
9th	Reincarnate, Wall of Fire

Stoke the Fire

6th-level Phoenix Rite

Starting at 6th level, you begin to resonate with your flames in a more harmonious way. When you take fire damage, instead of taking that damage, you can choose to either heal for that amount or apply it to your next attack roll.

Additionally, whenever you cast a spell that deals fire damage, you can grant yourself or your allies temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus. You can apply this to as many allies as you choose to spend sorcery points, one point per person. Those allies must be within 60 ft. of you and you must have line of sight on them. Those allies gain a protective ring of fire around them to grant them these temporary hit points. Once those hit points are expended, the fire vanishes.

Phoenix Flight

14th-level Phoenix Rite

At 14th level, you’re able to summon wings of fire to grant you a flying speed equal to your base walking speed. You can summon them with a bonus action and dismiss them with another bonus action. 

The End?

18th-level Phoenix Rite

The stress of an eternal and immortal flame on a mortal’s body has started to take its toll. As you’ve risen again and again you can practically feel the next life coming to claim you. The energy building inside of you as you’ve fed the fire during this life can barely be contained. But it’s your flame. For you to do with as you see fit. You are no longer beholden to the cycle anymore.

When you’re brought down to 0 hit points, you can choose to release the fire inside of you instead of being engulfed by it. You roll a number of d6s equal to your remaining sorcerer points multiplied by 2. Every creature within 10 ft. of you must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. 

After dealing that damage, you fall to the ground unconscious and on your next turn, you make one death saving throw. If you pass, you’re stabilized. If you fail, you die. Permanently.