Hands Stained With Shadow

Hands Stained With Shadow is an article from Quoth the Raven Issue 28 that examines the 24 subclasses from the third-party Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition sourcebook "Grim Hollow Player's Guide" and offers opinions on using these subclasses with native-born player characters, breaking down the general theme of each subclass and which domains it is likely to arise from.

The subclasses covered in this article consist of:

• Barbarian: Path of the Fractured (a Jekyll/Hyde inspired barbarian), Path of the Primal Companion (a barbarian aided by a spirit animal companion)
• Bard: College of Adventurers (jack-of-all-trades who can imitate other classes), College of Dirge Singers (necromancer-bards)
• Cleric: Eldritch Domain (devoted to Mythosian-style deities), Inquisition Domain (vehement enemy of rival clerics, mages, and anyone who uses magic)
• Druid: Circle of Blood (draws power from ritual bloodshed), Circle of Evolution (mutation-focused "augmenter" of life)
• Fighter: Bulwark Warrior (master of defense), Living Crucible (uses combat drugs to enhance abilities)
• Monk: Way of the Leaden Crown (psionicist), Way of Pride (draws power from own ego)
• Paladin: Oath of Zeal (merciless crusader driven to destroy the enemy), Oath of Pestilence (wielder of plague and entropy)
• Ranger: Green Reaper (assassin armed with toxins harvested from the natural world), Vermin Lord (commander of legions of vermin)
• Rogue: Highway Rider (mounted bandit), Misfortune Bringer (mystic rogue able to literally steal luck)
• Sorcerer: Haunted (intuitive necromancer with a ghostly companion), Cursed Bloodline (able to draw power from an ancestral curse)
• Warlock: The First Vampire (sworn to a vampire's bidding), The Parasite (emissary of a cosmic parasite)
• Wizard: Plague Doctor (healer, alchemist and poisoner), Sangromancer (master of blood magic)