I’m following up the Oath of the Dutiful Giant paladin subclass with a ranger subclass. I love the concept of ranger conclaves, and it was important to me to have them in Liafa, the homebrew setting I am currently running. These rangers dedicate themselves to one of the deities in the setting, the Pale Moon. As such, they seek out corruption, becoming wardens of the land in the name of the Pale Moon.
Conclave of the Pale Moon
You are a member of a conclave dedicated to the service of the Pale Moon. You seek to serve worthy causes in the name of Liafa, and fight corruption wherever you find it – be it the desecration of the land, the falling of a leader to fell influences, or the twisted perversions of the Archdevils. You go where you are needed, and may eventually find yourself in service to a powerful ruler, should they need a warden-general.
Conclave of the Pale Moon Features
| Ranger Level | Feature |
| 3rd | Conclave of the Pale Moon Magic, Moonlight Hunter, Moonlit Secrets |
| 7th | Sanctuary of the Pale Moon |
| 11th | Grave of the Dark Moon |
| 15th | Moonlit Sentinel |
Conclave of the Pale Moon Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Horizon Walker Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.
Conclave of the Pale Moon Spells
| Ranger Level | Spell |
| 3rd | shield of faith |
| 5th | moonbeam |
| 9th | anguish of the Pale Moon* |
| 13th | plaintive wailing of the Pale Moon* |
| 17th | pools of moonlight* |
Moonlit Secrets
At 3rd level, you have gained secrets whispered from the Pale Moon. Choose two secrets to learn. You gain an additional secret at 7th, 11th, and 15th level. You may choose to swap a secret for another whenever you gain a level.
You can utter these secrets twice. Once you have done so, you can spend a hit die in order to gain an additional use. You regain the ability to utter secrets whenever you finish a long rest. You can utter an additional secret before needing to rest at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.
The Crumbling of the Lantern Tower
When you perform an ability skill check, you can utter a moonlit secret to choose a creature you can see and allow your ability skill check to apply to the next ability skill of that type the creature performs within the next minute.
Additionally, whenever you cast a spell that alters your movement speed, you can utter a moonlit secret to include an additional willing creature you can see with the spell.
The Possession of Alexandra Tieran
Whenever you or an ally you can see makes a saving throw against the charmed or frightened condition, or a saving throw against being possessed, you can utter a secret to immediately cast protection from evil and good on that creature, even if you are not next to them. This secret does not expend a spell slot to use it.
Additionally, you gain protection from evil and good as a known spell.
The Siege of Ulthos-Vulric
Whenever you make a Dexterity (Stealth) ability check or cast a spell that grants a bonus to Dexterity (Stealth), you can utter a moonlit secret to cause you and any creatures benefiting from your spell to gain temporary hit points equal to 1+ your Wisdom ability modifier, and deal additional damage equal to 1+ your Wisdom ability modifier the next time you deal damage to a creature when you attack while being hidden from view.
The Stratagem of Saint Grutt
Whenever you cast a spell or take an action granted by a spell, you can utter a moonlit secret and can choose to target friendly creatures with the action granted by a spell, a spell, or within the area of the spell. If you do, the spell instead restores hit points equal to the damage that would be dealt if the spell targets only one creature, or half the damage that would be dealt if the spell or action would deal damage to multiple creatures. Allies suffer no additional effects from these spells other than being healed.
Your spells do not require an attack roll or saving throw when used this way.
The Succor of Saint Nanafre
When you cast hunter’s mark on a creature, you can utter this secret to cause creatures of your choice that you can see to recover hit points equal to your Wisdom ability modifier (minimum of 1) whenever they hit that creature with an attack.
The Trial of Judge Yanalos
When you deal damage to a creature with resistance against the type of damage you are dealing, you can utter a secret and ignore the creature’s resistance against that damage. If the creature is immune to that damage type, you may utter a secret to treat the creature’s immunity as resistance against that damage.
Moonlight Hunter
At 3rd level, you gain a portion of the power from the mantle of a Pale Moon Sentinel.
While concentrating on a spell that is not hunter’s mark, whenever you deal damage, you can choose one creature who suffers damage to take an additional 1d12 radiant damage. If the creature is currently under moonlight, you can reroll any 1s or 2s when you deal this additional damage. This damage increases to 2d12 at 11th level.
If you are not concentrating on a spell, you can choose to deal an additional 1d8 radiant damage to one creature who suffers damage from you before the end of your turn. This damage increases to 2d8 at 11th level.
Sanctuary of the Pale Moon
At 7th level, you have learned how to conjure a brilliant sanctuary of moonlight. You can cast the private sanctum spell with this feature, without expending a spell slot.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Grave of the Dark Moon
At 11th level, you have learned the secrets imbued in the Grave of the Dark Moon. Whenever a creature you dealt damage to during your last turn falls to 0 hit points, you may use your reaction to create a Grave of the Dark Moon. A 5-foot square of necrotic energy is created where the creature who reached 0 hit points is located. Any creature that enters this area or starts their turn in this area suffers necrotic energy equal to your ranger level. The Grave of the Dark Moon lasts for 1 minute, until you dismiss it, or until you fall unconscious.
Additionally, as long as the Grave remains, whenever you take the Attack action, you may make an additional attack as if it originated from the Grave of the Dark Moon. The damage type of this attack is necrotic.
Once you have used this feature, you may not do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Pale Moon Sentinel
You gain resistance to necrotic and psychic damage, and when a creature you can see suffers psychic or necrotic damage, you can use your reaction to give them resistance to the damage. If damage is reduced this way, you and the creature deal additional damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) of the type resisted to one creature the next time you deal damage before the end of your next turn.
3rd-Level
Anguish of the Pale Moon
3rd-Level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 60 ft. (15ft sphere)
Components: V, S, M (an obsidian dagger worth at least 100gp)
Duration: Concentration, 1 minute
You bind yourself to a willing creature you can see within 60 feet, becoming partners. You and your partner deal an extra 1d6 necrotic or radiant damage when you hit with a weapon attack. You choose the damage type when you cast the spell.
Additionally, the energy of the Pale Moon radiates from you and the creature in a 15-foot radius. Any nonhostile creature within the aura when you or partner hit a creature with a weapon attack deals an additional 1d6 damage of the same type chosen when you cast the spell whenever the creature hits with a weapon attack before the end of your next turn. A creature can only benefit from one receiving this granted damage once for each of its turns.
If any creature affected by the spell reduces a creature to 0 hit points, they also gain 1d6 temporary hit points.
4th-Level
Plaintive Wailing of the Pale Moon
4th-level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 120 ft. (30ft radius cylinder)
Components: V, S, M (A vial of black pearl dust worth at least 200gp)
Duration: Concentration, 10 minutes
You evoke the unknowable depth of sorrow from within the Pale Moon. Rain of radiant energy begins to fall in a 30-foot radius cylinder centered on a point you choose within range. The rain lasts until the spell ends.
When a creature moves into the spell’s area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or take 4d12 radiant damage, suffer an additional 1d12 necrotic whenever they next suffer damage before the end of their next turn, attacks made against the creature are made with advantage for as long as they remain within the rain, and creatures cannot benefit from being invisible as long as they remain within the rain.
5th-Level
Pools of Moonlight
5th-level Conjuration
Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action
Range: 60 ft. (unoccupied 5ft square within range)
Components: V, S, M (a vial of falsesilver)
Duration: Concentration, 1 minute
You create two pool of moonlights as a bonus action, each one in a different unoccupied 5ft square within range. Whenever you step in a pool of moonlight, you can teleport to another pool of moonlight you have created. Moonlight travel is taxing, and you can only trigger this teleportation one time, resetting at the start of your next turn.
As a bonus action, you can create another pool of moonlight. You can have a number of pools of moonlight equal to your proficiency bonus active a time, and attempting to create additional pools removes one active pool of moonlight of your choice that you have created as part of this spell.
“Dark Blue and moonlight” by Caucas’ is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0