Sanctified - Homebrew
Header Art: Mythic Odysseys of Theros (2020) by Wizards of the Coast
I like to stock my dungeons with monsters, traps, social encounters, and more! One of the ways you can make your dungeon interesting is by including interesting narrative options, like supernatural traps called haunts! As a direct counter to that, I have created Sanctified, which are divine locations where clerics, paladins, and holy sites (or unholy if you want an evil sanctified) have quests, pilgrimages, and rewards for any who can brave the dangers of visiting them and figuring out what they need.
If you would like a printer-friendly PDF of this article, or any of our tools and other homebrew, consider supporting us on Patreon!
Sanctified
This rare phenomenon appears in places where ancient good and divine power were felt. Often these special places may be in the tomb of a great cleric or saint, in an ancient temple lost to the wilds, in a place of suffering, or specific sites important to a deity. Sanctifieds are formed from an outpouring of divine energy and blessings from a deity.
Most foul monsters, especially undead, shun these sites. In dungeons and sites taken over by evil monsters, these areas are often destroyed, ignored, or blocked off by the nearby inhabitants. Often whatever force that imbues the area with holy energy does so only so long as until the area is cleared of monsters and they have been remembered for their past deeds, any taints of evil are destroyed, or it is reconnected back to society.
Sanctified areas are typically a magical event that is triggered by living creatures and often inhabits a single room.
Sanctified in Play
When adventurers come across sanctifieds, it's important to know how the area might respond to the adventurers, based on their alignment, ideals, and beliefs, as well as how the adventurers can notice a sanctified location and activate it.
Triggering Sanctified Locations
Most sanctified do not automatically grant their boon to just any creature that enters their area, though some may do so for the right creature. Common requirements for triggering a sanctified, and gaining its benefits, include killing a specific creature, having a certain alignment, fulfilling a quest, returning a relic, or similar requirements. A cleric, paladin, or similar creature devoted to religion immediately know if they are near a sanctified, but not necessarily how to trigger it or complete any requirements.
If a creature who is hated by the sanctified spirit, like if they are of an opposite alignment or desecrate the location, then the area may choose to attack the with bursts of radiance, as per their description.
Detecting Sanctified
These areas don't typically announce what they need to grant their blessings, but there are often hints. A cleric, paladin, or similar creature devoted to religion immediately know if they are near a sanctified, but other creatures can attempt an Intelligence (Religion) check against the sanctified's DC to detect it. Once they know they are in, or near, a sanctified area, they can attempt a Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence (Investigation) to ascertain what the sanctified may want in order to gain its blessing.
Disabling Sanctified
Sanctified areas can be destroyed or briefly disabled. This is typically done when the area is destroyed, it becomes desecrated, or acts of great evil (or great good if the sanctified is evil-aligned) are performed within its area.
Completing Requests
Since many sanctified may require a quest or a set of actions or circumstances to be completed before they can offer their blessing, they often only last for a certain amount of time. Once their request is completed and grant their blessing, the spirit or divine power within the sanctified is put to rest and no longer grants additional blessings.
In some rare circumstances, a sanctified may grant its blessing to all who reside within the room, but it may take a long time, like 8 hours of rest, or be a minor boon, like granting creatures temporary hit points equal to half their level.
Sanctified Effects
Sanctified effects are typically beneficial to those who can gain them, like a blessing, charm, or epic boon presented in the Dungeon Master's Guide, though these gifts are typically temporarily and fade after a day, a few days, or a few weeks. A sanctified could also offer the benefits of a spell, like a bless spell for an hour, death ward on the entire party, or offering to turn one of their weapons into a divine weapon, like a flame tongue that deals radiant damage.
Some of these effects could be made permanent if the sanctified quest is especially arduous and requires greater investments from the party.
Fighting Back
Some sanctified can fight back against intruders, especially those trying to destroy it or desecrate the area. The sanctified might utilize spells like flame strike or guiding bolt, or some other effect of your choosing.
The attack bonus of a sanctified, the save DC to resist its effects, and the damage it deals can vary depending on the blessing or reward that a party could be granted. Use the Sanctified Save DCs, Attack Bonuses and Spell Level table for suggestions based on the power of the sanctified.
Sanctified Save DCs, Attack Bonuses and Spell Level
Sanctified | Save DC | Attack Bonus | Spell Level
Weak | 10–11 | +3 to +5 |1st-2nd
Moderate | 12–15 | +6 to +8 | 3rd-5th
Strong | 16–20 | +9 to +12 | 6th-9th
Running Sanctified
If a sanctified is involved in combat, all creatures taking part should roll initiative. The sanctified acts on initiative 20, losing any ties.
Sample Sanctified
The sanctified presented here vary in strength and are presented in alphabetical order.
Sanctified | Power
Cleric's Request | Weak
Forgotten Deity | Strong
Radiant's Birth | Moderate
Cleric's Request
Sanctified
Description This lone shrine is locked within the structure's chapel, a warning scrawled on the door that an angry spirit resides within.
This sanctified is formed when the structure, typically a large fort or some other large complex, was taken over by monsters and the inhabitants were killed. The cleric died defending its chapel, and those within it, and it failed to stop the hordes of monsters. Now the sanctified waits for adventurers to come and cleanse the structure of the invading monsters.
The DC to realize this is sanctified is 11. With a successful DC 11 Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence (Investigation) check, a character can deduce that the sanctified was formed when the chapel was attacked and people were killed inside. By cleaning the shrine of blood, they can activate the sanctified and speak to the long dead cleric.
The cleric requests that the party vows to kill the commander of the monsters. If they do so, the cleric grants the party a special power. As a bonus action, a creature can gain the benefits of the bless spell for 1 hour, no concentration required. Once they use this action, they can no longer gain its benefits again.
A creature of evil alignment automatically activates the sanctified, causing a spectral cleric to appear above the shrine and initiative is rolled. The cleric casts guiding bolt every turn until the triggering creature leaves the chapel or the shrine is destroyed.
Once the party brings back proof of the commander's death, the sanctified is laid to rest.
Forgotten Divinity
Sanctified
Description Forgotten by the world, this shrine holds the final testaments of a dying deity.
This sanctified is the last standing shrine to a forgotten deity, buried in a forgotten corner of the world. The deity awaits someone who holds their alignment to find them and bring knowledge of the deity back to the world.
The DC to realize this is sanctified is 19. With a successful DC 17 Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence (Investigation) check, a character can deduce that the sanctified is a shrine to a forgotten deity. By praying at the shrine, and being of a specific alignment, they can awaken the slumbering deity.
The deity requests that knowledge of them is taken to the world at large, often by taking the holy symbol on the shrine and carrying it across the world. The more the character does for the deity in spreading its name, the greater the gift it can offer. A character that simply brings the holy symbol and holy book to a library gains a blessing of the deity's choice (Dungeon Master's Guide) for 1 month. If the character attempts to spread the deity's name, domain, and religion to the world, and creating converts, the blessing lasts an additional week for every convert until it is made permanent after 20 converts.
A creature of the opposite alignment, like chaotic evil is the opposite of lawful good, who attempts to touch the shrine is the target and is at the center of a flame strike spell cast at 9th-level (spell save DC 19).
Radiant's Birth
Sanctified
Description This far flung location is a holy site where a cleric became a saint, a divine being was born, or the deity walked upon its surface.
This sanctified is a holy site where great divine power was unleashed, likely from a cleric achieving sainthood during a great act, a celestial was born into the world, or where the deity walked and performed great miracles. This is often a well-known site and many go on pilgrimages to visit it and reach a greater understanding of their deity.
The DC to realize this is a holy site is 13. With a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Insight) or Investigation (Intelligence) check, a character can deduce that they must perform a small ritual and prayer to awaken the sanctified.
The holy site is free for anyone to pray at, but for those willing to do more for the deity, it offers them a divine quest. This divine quest could include killing cultists that are attempting to destroy the holy site, bringing a relic out of a dungeon back to the site, finding a traitor within the church, or any other task that a deity needs doing.
Upon agreement to begin the quest, the sanctified bathes the creature in divine light and grants it a boon of the GM's choice that will help it in its mission. This could be blessing the creature's weapon if it must fight or granting it a divine awareness to hear lies while it hunts down a traitor or spy.
If you would like a printer-friendly PDF of this article, or any of our tools and other homebrew, consider supporting us on Patreon!
Like what we are doing here?
Support us on Patreon!
You’ll get early access to deep dives, our Homebrew Hoard, monster stat blocks and more!
Follow us on Twitter to keep up to date on everything we talk about!
