Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines!
Gods or powerful spirits bestowing extraordinary powers to heroes has been an effective formula in countless stories. This also provides opportunities in TTRPGs as well by providing unique and interesting ways to reward the players. This should not only add a shot of flavor to your overall game but increase the investment your players have in their characters.
However, this opens up a host of questions such as how and when these boons should be introduced into the game. Not to mention, the last thing you want to do is roll out something that becomes a permanent part of your campaign which is either overpowered or painfully underwhelming.
To help answer these questions and avoid pitfalls, we have put together a brief set of the guidelines surrounding boons showing how we have integrated them into our games along with some sample ones we are currently using in our shared universe.
1. Doing Some Ground Work Will Pay Off
If you are planning to introduce these gifts of power into your game, then the being(s) who are doling them out at the very least should have a solid backstory. Because how can something add flavor to an environment if, in actuality, it has no depth itself? Once the story surrounding them is nailed down, sprinkle it in throughout the game subtly when convenient and the opportunity permits.
2. Choose the Right Time
We used a similar formula with signature magical items by making the gift’s potency relative to the character’s level. This method has advantages, such as this new power will remain relevant all the way through the character’s career. And because the boons scale in power by level, they can be added at nearly any point in your campaign. Although it is not advisable to present these either too early or late. And while some of the epic boons found in the DMG can be neat, giving a 20th level character something extra is a little like a millionaire winning a free flat screen TV in a raffle.
Now given the choice between making this available to all of the characters at once or one at the time as they complete points in the campaign, the first seems to be the stronger answer. As we tested both methods and what happened is that one player ends up left out in the rain waiting to get abilities other players have. Then when the final player unlocks their new special ability, they can get to enjoy it for all of two games before the big finish.
Sample Boons We Are Currently Using
You will notice each gift has two names. One is the name of the boon being granted while the second is the name of the mystical benefactor. This is all flavor text, so feel free to tweak the names and the numbers within the gifts as needed to be the best fit for your table and group. In one group all of this might be vastly overpowering while in others not so much. We advise that you try to land somewhere safely in the middle.
The Empowerments of the Nine Spirits of Light
The powers function by level and increase as the character progresses in their career. Thus, in each progressing tier of play, a new level of abilities will be unlocked by the character.
Tier 1 (Levels 1-4): Local Heroes
Tier 2 (Levels 5-10): Heroes of the Realm Paragon
Tier 3 (Levels 11-16): Masters of the Realm
Tier 4 (Levels 17-20): Masters of the World
The Path of the Prophecy – Spirit of Clairvoyance
1. Gain your choice of either Bless or Protection from Good or Evil, usable once per long rest.
2. Gain your choice of either Remove Curse or Protection from Energy once per long rest and increase use of the previous blessing one additional time per long rest.
3. Gain your choice of Holy weapon or Greater Restoration once per long rest and increase the use of the previous blessing one additional time per long rest.
4. Gain your choice of either Blade Barrier or Divine Word once per long rest and increase the use of the previous blessing one additional time per long rest.
The Blessing of Enduring Lifeforce – Spirit of Life Force
1. Increase the hit points gained from a level already gained to their maximum +1.
2. Increase the hit points gained from advancing one level to their maximum +2.
3. Increase the hit points gained from advancing one level to their maximum +3.
4. Increase the hit points gained from advancing one level to their maximum +4.
The Renewal of Regeneration – Spirit of Regeneration
1. The power of regeneration allows you to gain back one hit point per ten minutes provided you have at least one hit point left.
2. You regain 1d6 Hit Points every 10 minutes, provided that you have at least 1 hit point. If you lose a body part, the ring causes the missing part to regrow and return to full functionality after 1d6 + 1 days if you have at least 1 hit point the whole time.
3. Regenerate 1d6 hit points every five minutes and regrow a lost limb within a day after losing it. You may now regenerate even from 0 hit points as long as you aren’t dead.
4. Regenerate 1d6 hit points per two minutes, and gain an aura of regeneration allowing all those you deem friendly to you with 15’ to gain the benefits of wearing a Ring of Regeneration themselves.
The Bond of the Earth and Sky – Spirit of the Earth and Sky
1. Gain your choice of either Thunder Wave or Earth Tremor once per long rest.
2. Gain your choice of either Earth Bind or Lightning Bolt once per long rest and increase the use of the previous blessing one additional time per long rest.
3. Gain your choice of either Steel Wind Strike or Wall of Stone once per long rest and increase the use of the previous blessing one additional time per long rest.
4. Gain your choice of either Chain Lightning or Flesh to Stone once per long rest and increase the use of the previous blessing one additional time per long rest.
The Mantle of the Hunt – Spirit of the Hunt
1.Choose one ability score which you make attacks or cast spells with. Add +2 to damage done when using this attribute once per round. Once per 24 hours you may re-roll any set or grouping set of your damage dice.
2. Increase this damage to +3 and now, once per long rest, you may re-roll any set or grouping set of your damage dice.
3. Increase this damage to +4 and the damage reroll ability now may be used twice per long rest.
4. Increase this damage to +5 and the character will score a critical hit using this stat on a 19-20.
The Blood of the Dragon – The Spirit of Dragons
1. Choose a type of dragon and gain both the resistance to their native type of damage as well as the breath weapon ability using the rules from dragonborn. Additionally, the character learns two sorcerer cantrips and two first level spells of their choice. They may change their learned spells after a full 24 hours have passed.
2. The character grows draconic wings which they can summon and dismiss with a bonus action granting flight speed equal to the character’s normal speed. Additionally, they learn any two 2nd or 3rd level spells from the sorcerer spell list. The character would have the ability to cast a total of four sorcerer spells which would recharge normally on a long rest.
3. The character gains blindsight with a range of 30’ and learns two sorcerer spells of their choosing between 1st and 4th level.
4. The character gains the knowledge of either any two 1st-4th level spells from the sorcerer list or one 5th level spell . Additionally, they gain the power and presence of the dragon adding a permanent +1 to both the Strength and their Charisma scores which exceed 20.
The Blessing of Heaven – The Spirit of Good Fortune
1. You gain all of the benefits of a Stone of Good Luck and gain the ability to reroll any one failed saving throw of your choice per 24 hours.
2. You gain all of the benefits of a stackable Ring of Protection allowing +1 to all Saving Throws as well as +1 to Armor Class.
3. You gain advantage on all saving throws vs spells.
4. You gain one use of Legendary Resistance once per 24 hour period. This is in addition to the ability to reroll one saving throw in each 24 hour period.
The Freedom of Unbound Travel – The Spirit of the Ways
1. You gain Spider Climb and Water Walking as a constant power. Additionally, you may cast Fey Step as a bonus action which is rechargeable after a short rest.
2. The character gains the ability to cast Fly once per short rest and Gaseous Form once per long rest. Additionally they may cast Dimension Door once per 24 hours.
3:.The character’s ability to Fey Step recharges at the end of every encounter or every minute if not in combat. Likewise, the characters ability to cast Dimension Door now upgrades in use to once per short rest.
4. The character may now Fly as a constant power. Additionally, they may both Teleport and Plane Shift once per long rest as per the respective spells.
The Blessing of the Moon and Sun – The Spirit of Darkness and Light
1. Choose a single weapon. During the day this weapon will be imbued with the ability to inflict an additional 1d4 necrotic damage on a successful attack. However, during the night this damage type changes to radiant.
2. The damage upgrades to 1d6. On a critical hit, add an additional 2d6 damage of the weapon’s current energy damage type.
3. The weapon can now use the energy type of the wielder choice and on a critical hit the critical damage now increases to 4d6.
4. The damage upgrades to 1d8. Also all damage from this weapon ignores all forms of resistance that the target may have but does not damage immunity.
Final Thoughts
Because 5e has been around for a while, having new things for your group to encounter and interact with is definitely a good thing. You never want your players to think going into a game that they know every magical item and spell when their characters are 1st level, no matter how well read they are or the world will lose some of both its charm and mystery.