TEXT: permadeath
  permadeath
  Dave Panfilo
  Dave Panfilo
  
  1
  Introduction
  If you've ever wanted to run a D&D campaign that took 
  a more grim approach towards mortality, then you've 
  pay-what-you-wanted the right supplement!
  The new rules, variant rules, and alternate spells 
  presented in Permadeath are all "modular". This 
  means that for the most part, they can be mixed and 
  matched without contradicting one another. You could 
  use half of this supplement in one campaign, and the 
  other half in another. An enterprising DM might even 
  change the rules mid-campaign based on an event in the 
  plot, removing conventional resurrection magic as the 
  consequence of a powerful villain's actions!
  Make sure to inform your players of these changes 
  in however much detail they desire. Death and 
  resurrection are often emotional, serious moments 
  for a gaming group. Even if the characters have flawed 
  understandings of their world, no one should be caught 
  off guard as a player by a change to the rules. Show 
  them which variants you're using, which rules you're 
  altering further, and remind them which spells and 
  norms remain unchanged.
  If you want to add some epicness insurance for a 
  game that's just as spectacular as it is deadly, take a look 
  at Last Stand: A Worthy Death, also on DM's Guild!
  Contents
  Making Death Last ................................................................ 1
  Making Death Easy ................................................................ 3
  Making Death Rare ............................................................... 5
  Alternate Spells ...................................................................... 6
  Making Death Last
  Permadeath is the name of the supplement, and these 
  rules are designed to shift the magic of Dungeons & 
  Dragons towards a grittier world without the promise 
  of resurrection. Any one of these variants will make a 
  statement about your world, and combining several can 
  create an environment in which returning the deceased 
  to life is totally impossible — or just possible enough to 
  be the focus of the adventure!
  Variant: Resurrection Magic 
        
  To start things off, here are a slew of variant rules 
  applicable to the core life-restoring spells; revivify, raise 
  dead, reincarnate, resurrection, and true resurrection.
  Just the Alternates. The slate of new Alternate 
  Spells featured on pages 6–7 are a package designed to 
  replace the core spells that provide resurrection. Gentle 
  repose, revivify, raise dead, reincarnate, resurrection, 
  and true resurrection each have alternate spell options. 
  Even if a group uses no other variant rules from this 
  supplement, these spells will still provide a major shift 
  in the tone of their campaign. Consider only using the 
  alternate spells of 5th level or lower if you merely want 
  to have resurrection be rarer and higher level, rather 
  than totally forbidden.
  The Mercer Method. A technique made famous 
  by Matthew Mercer; some Dungeon Masters keep 
  resurrection magic in play but require a skill challenge 
  in order to successfully cast such a spell. The complete 
  version from Critical Role is available here. For a less 
  involved version, conclude a resurrection spell by rolling 
  a spellcasting ability check against a DC of 10 + the 
  number of times the dead creature has risen before. If 
  you fail, the resurrection has no effect and the creature 
  is permanently dead. If you succeed, the spell succeeds 
  as normal. Roll with disadvantage if the creature's 
  body was not in tact and present. Roll with advantage 
  if someone bound to the departed by love is present for 
  the resurrection.
  Greater Expense. The simplest way to make 
  resurrection magic rarer is to make it require more gp of 
  material components. Multiply these costs by a factor of 
  10 in order to make such spells prohibitively expensive 
  for all but the wealthiest adventurers. Use a greater 
  factor, such as 50 or 100, if you want to run a campaign 
  where only the wealth of nations can be wielded to 
  restore the dead to life.
  A Unique Component. If monetary cost is still too 
  mundane of a solution, the concept can be taken a step 
  further. Choose an item that cannot be reproduced, 
  such as one of the twelve remaining crown jewels of an 
  ancient fallen empire. A spell of resurrection, revivify, or 
  similar magic can only be cast with one of these unique 
  items among its material components, and doing so 
  consumes the object forever.
  
  2
  Variant Wish. The unparalleled flexibility of the wish 
  spell requires its own consideration when rebalancing 
  resurrection magic for a setting with permanent death. 
  Since rules are made to be a broken, a high level 
  sorcerer or wizard might attempt to reverse death even 
  if it is not a commonly understood practice. If wish is 
  permitted to mimic a life-restoring spell, it triggers the 
  stressful consequences of the final paragraph of its spell 
  entry. For an even harsher trade-off, wish may cause a 
  mage to lose their ability to cast spells altogether when 
  used in this way. Or, it may even kill the caster.
  Lost to Myth. Clerics and Bards may make claims 
  about heroes and villains who can return from death, 
  but no one knows how to cast the spells that do it. 
  With this rule, a DC 25 History or Religion check is 
  necessary during a time of focused research in order to 
  pick up a lead on how resurrection magic is performed. 
  A creature can learn the spells if they commune with 
  certain holy relics, or complete a divine prophecy. This 
  rule is often combined with A Unique Component.
  Variant: Anti-Resurrection Effects    
  A campaign that keeps resurrection on the table 
  might want to balance out its impact with exceptional 
  circumstances in which it is prevented or countered. 
  Use these rules to create dramatic scenarios in which 
  the path back to the world of the living can be cut off.
  Seal Fate. Add the spell entry below to the class 
  spell lists of clerics, warlocks, and wizards. Notice that 
  it scales fully based on the level at which it is cast and 
  the level of its target creature. To make it rarer, simply 
  increase its material cost or require a unique spell 
  component, as advised under Variant: Resurrection 
  Magic.
  Seal Fate
  1st-level abjuration
  cleric, warlock, wizard
  Casting Time: 1 minute
  Range: 10 feet
  Components: V, S, M
  Duration: Instantaneous
  You throw a dash of ash at a corpse or other remains in 
  range, and it creates a network of glowing, undulating 
  dark violet webs between your fingers and the body for 
  the duration of the casting. If the target was level 4 or 
  lower (if a PC) — or challenge rating 4 or lower (if an 
  NPC) — when it died, it is now and forever forbidden 
  from being resurrected.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 
  spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the maximum level or 
  CR of the sealed creature increases by 2 for every slot 
  level above 1st.
  Material Component. The remaining ashes from a 
  piece of fine art, craft, or literature which when it was 
  destroyed was worth at least 1000 gp for each level or 
  CR of the sealed creature, consumed by the spell.
  Forsaken Locales. A trope of some dark fantasy 
  settings is that certain locations have a weak or entirely 
  severed connection to the stability of the mortal coil. 
  Any soul lost in the Shadowfell might be un-raisable, 
  and parts of the Mournland might annihilate the identity 
  of creatures who die there. The effect might even be 
  as local as the cursed inner chamber of an archlich's 
  lair, where only the undead can rise. Make sure there is 
  some opportunity for player characters to learn about 
  such massive danger in advance of venturing into it!
  Mortal Weapons. Whether it's a martial tool, a 
  spellcasting focus, or a legendary form of poison, tying 
  permadeath to a magic item can be incredibly flavorful. 
  Make sure that finding, purchasing, or crafting such an 
  item is on par with the tier of gameplay in which you 
  want permadeath to begin affecting your campaign. 
  This rule has the unusual side-effect of making obscure 
  creatures (without wealthy enemies) more likely to 
  avoid being killed for good. If this supplement reaches 
  Electrum best-seller on the DMs Guild, I'll add a few 
  examples of these magic items!
  Variant: Divine Intervention  
         
  Clerics have access to a uniquely powerful and 
  narratively versatile feature in Divine Intervention. 
  Even in a world where death is permanent, a miracle 
  is a miracle precisely because it does what no force 
  other than a god can do. Here are a few options for how 
  Divine Intervention can be mitigated for a setting with 
  permadeath.
  Only Death Can Pay For Life. A god of death, 
  nature, redemption, or commerce might pause time 
  and make an offer to their cleric in their moment of 
  need. The cleric, or one of their present allies, may 
  offer themselves up in exchange for the return of the 
  deceased creature. This is not a sacrifice spell, but 
  a binary exchange of one life for another. If the deal 
  is accepted, the volunteer permanently dies, and the 
  resurrected creature returns to a place of the god's 
  choosing with full hit points and a restored body.
  The Quest Begins. A god of bravery, suffering, duty, 
  or exploration might instill in the cleric a vision of the 
  task they must complete in order to return a soul to 
  the living. By gating this quest behind a successful 
  Divine Intervention, only powerful or lucky clerics will 
  even have a chance to perform a resurrection. A typical 
  task would be to deliver the body or skull of the slain 
  creature to a dangerous holy site, and then complete a 
  resurrection spell while under attack.
  One Last Time. A god of love, war, or luck might 
  decide that although a true return to life is impossible 
  for those who have passed, they might yet visit. Upon a 
  successful Divine Intervention, a dead creature might be 
  returned for the duration of an ongoing battle, or long 
  enough to have one more enlightening conversation 
  with a loved one, or even to appear at a council meeting 
  and vote. In any case, the creature visits with all the 
  capabilities they had in life, and is delivered back to their 
  afterlife when their miraculous duty is complete.
  
  3
  Variant: Undeath  
   
   
        
  Once you've reduced or eliminated the ability of 
  creatures to return from the dead in your campaign, 
  the phenomenon of undeath might be cast in a different 
  light. Consider some combination of the following rules 
  in order to adjust the place of dark necromancy in a 
  world where only monsters get to live forever.
  Exceeding Rarity. Under this rule, the creation of 
  undead is only present when introduced by the Dungeon 
  Master. Animate dead and create undead are replaced 
  with their Alternative Spells (see pages 6–7) for most 
  spell casters. Some magic items might be used to create 
  the undead, but they are legendary or artifacts. This 
  approach means that undead only exist insofar as they 
  are central to the story, and that their presence veers 
  towards a rumored high-level threat — or temptation.
  Incredible Cost. The rituals to create liches, 
  mummies, common zombies, and so on are 100 times 
  more costly than usual. A sacrifice of one soul would 
  instead require 100 souls. An undisturbed ritual burial 
  of 10 years would instead require 1000 years. The 
  expense of create undead is only multiplied by a factor 
  of 10, as with the previously explored Greater Expense 
  rule under Variant: Resurrection Magic. These rules 
  have the interesting side-effect of further tying undeath 
  to the world's upper class.
  Undiscovered Power. Although the normal methods 
  of creating undead may all exist in the setting, they are 
  not known even to most high-level spell casters. Under 
  this rule, a DC 25 Arcana or Religion check is required 
  during focused research to come across a hint about 
  the power to animate the dead. Such spells can only 
  be learned when tomes of their knowledge — or years 
  of well-stocked research — reveal their secrets. The 
  techniques for creating or destroying greater undead 
  are lost or undiscovered knowledge. That is to say, even 
  educated folk don't know what a "vampire" is!
  Unchanged. For a take on undeath that emphasizes 
  necromancy as a "sinister but easy" route to power, 
  simply keep those spells, features, and monsters as they 
  are originally written. When combined with permanent 
  death rules, this creates a setting in which worms that 
  walk, liches, and so on have a more classical motivation 
  for undergoing expensive or outright evil transformation: 
  it is the only way to cheat death. It also means that 
  speak with dead or an interaction with a ghost may be 
  the only methods for the living to "reunite" with the 
  fallen. 
  Making Death Easy
  Older editions of Dungeons & Dragons were a lot 
  deadlier for its player characters. The shift towards a 
  gentler learning curve and a fairer approach to traps, 
  poisons, and sudden death effects has been a great boon 
  to the hobby's popularity, accessibility, and culture. The 
  rules in this section reintroduce some of that old-school 
  brutality while minimizing its toxic aspects through 
  increased clarity.
  Variant: Harder Stabilization 
        
  If you're looking to expand and explore the space 
  between incapacitation and proper death, these brief 
  rules can fix the amount of "go down, pop up" in a typical 
  5E combat. Combining all three makes for an almost 
  unstoppable death spiral for creatures bleeding out.
  Hour of Need. Only another creature or an ongoing 
  healing effect can stabilize a creature who is bleeding 
  out. A creature does not keep track of its successful 
  death saving throws, and dies as usual when it reaches 3 
  failures. A natural 20 on a death saving throw stabilizes 
  a creature and removes one failed death save, but does 
  not restore 1 hit point.
  Double Down. The first time a creature is healed 
  by magic or medicine while bleeding out, it stabilizes 
  but remains incapacitated. Only by being healed while 
  already stabilized can its hit points be restored above 0, 
  causing it to regain consciousness. To soften this rule, 
  consider almost any restorative effect — even those that 
  only grant temporary hit points — to be sufficient for 
  initial stabilization.
  Shell Shock. Failed death saving throws carry over 
  after a creature is stabilized. If it begins to bleed out 
  again, it starts with however many failed death saves 
  it had during its last near-death experience. Each time 
  a creature finishes a short or long rest, its failed death 
  saving throws reset to 0.
  Integrating Variant Rules
  Piling multiple variant changes onto an existing campaign 
  can get confusing, especially if they don't come up very 
  frequently. After agreeing on permadeath rules with your 
  party, premier them immediately with a difficult encounter 
  to get everyone actively reckoning with their implications, 
  even if none of them die that session. Copy/paste the new 
  rules into your session notes, and ask the party's rules 
  lawyer to help politely remind folks as they come up in play.
  
  4
  Variant: More Sudden Death  
        
  Just what it says on the tin; these are miscellaneous 
  options for increasing the sense of old-fashioned "save 
  or die" danger in a fifth edition world.
  Lethal Poison and Disease. When a creature fails its 
  initial saving throw against a serious poison or disease 
  effect, it can become much worse with subsequent failed 
  saves. Instead of fading after the normal duration, an 
  affected creature must repeat the initial save it made 
  against the toxin. If it fails this second save, it dies. 
  Introduce additional "cycles" of poison if this would 
  make death come too fast. Consider that this rule 
  makes a one-round toxin incredibly lethal, whereas a 
  one-day toxin provides plenty of time to find a cure. If 
  features such as a paladin's Lay On Hands or the lesser 
  restoration spell are trivializing this effect, alter them to 
  merely grant advantage on the next save when used to 
  treat a deadly toxin. A high DC medicine check might 
  still cure a toxin outright, which greatly increases the 
  value of an otherwise underpowered skill check!
  Medusas, Bodaks, Etc. Monsters with gaze attacks, 
  or similar "save or lose" features, can be treated as a 
  special kind of deadly hazard. If such a feature calls for 
  multiple rounds of saving throws before it petrifies or 
  kills its target, remove one or more rounds of saving 
  throws before the final effect. If this reduces the feature 
  from multiple rounds to just one full round before death, 
  increase the creature's challenge rating by 1. If it turns 
  the feature into a sudden death effect with only one 
  save, increase the challenge rating of the creature by 3. 
  In either case, make intel available to the party about the 
  death effect and how to counteract it beforehand, lest its 
  lethality feel arbitrary and unfair.
  Critical Death. When a creature is reduced to 0 hit 
  points by a critical hit from a spell or weapon attack, 
  they immediately fail their first death saving throw. 
  Have it fail the first 2 death saves for a more brutal 
  "death's door" effect, or die instantly for a campaign of 
  assassination. Note that this rule empowers characters 
  with an elevated chance to critically strike, such as 
  most barbarians. A simple alternative or addition to this 
  rule is to have a coup de gras dealt to a creature at 0 
  hit points kill it outright, rather than give it failed death 
  saves.
  Variant: Lifespan Extensions 
        
  Various class, lineage, and other features allow a 
  creature to effectively live forever. The maximum age of 
  the warforged is unknown, and a high level elf druid will 
  outlive some entire campaign settings! If these features 
  interfere with your group's interest in a more lethal 
  game of D&D, consider subverting them in one of two 
  ways.
  Merely Doubled. Instead of multiplying typical 
  aging for a creature by a factor of 10, or extending 
  it indefinitely, you can simply double a creature's life 
  expectancy when it holds one of these features. This 
  preserves the sense of alienation from other members 
  of their heritage, while keeping the narrative at a "low 
  fantasy" level of life extension. For mysterious age 
  ranges, such as the warforged, first decide whether you 
  want to make a plot point out of it. If yes, then having 
  their maximum age turn out to be shockingly short — 20 
  years or so — can provide a major twist. If no, then treat 
  their age as comparable to that of an elf, and double it 
  for good measure.
  Fading Away. When a creature exceeds its normal 
  lifespan due to a special feature, it instead begins a long, 
  slow process of passage into the afterlife. During this 
  time, it retains its personality and goals. However, the 
  process cannot be reversed. Over the remainder of its 
  life, it gradually fades from the world as follows:
  • 1 year after the fading begins, it loses the ability to 
  cast spells and make attacks. From this point on, 
  the creature has resistance to all damage and is 
  surrounded by a faint halo of its impending afterlife.
  • Near the halfway point of the fading, it loses its 
  ability to interact directly with creatures on the prime 
  material plane. It remains visible and audible, and 
  moves about like a ghost who can still touch and 
  affect inanimate objects, or pass through them at will. 
  The creature gains a flying speed of 20 feet.
  • 1 year before the conclusion of the fading, it becomes 
  a disembodied voice. It can still give advice, recite 
  poetry, and so on. It gains immunity to all damage 
  and hostile affects.
  
  5
  Making Death Rare
  The variant rules in this section are a menu of changes 
  designed to delay and avoid player character death. The 
  main use of these alterations are in one of two cases. 
  The first would be to use them in combination with 
  the Making Death Last rules (pages 1–3), in order to 
  counterbalance the massive specter of permanent death 
  with a higher chance to avoid it. The second use case 
  would be to apply these rules with a young or otherwise 
  sensitive group of players in order to soften the danger 
  of Dungeons & Dragons, even if only for the first few 
  sessions or levels of a campaign.       
  Variant: Easier Stabilization  
        
  The specter of bleeding out can quickly monopolize 
  the spotlight for player characters, especially in a 
  smaller party where action economy is already strained. 
  Consider these simple options which make falling to 0 
  hit points a less terrifying experience.
  Guaranteed Stabilization. Each time a creature 
  would roll a death saving throw, they automatically 
  succeed. If they would have had advantage on the roll, 
  they gain two successes instead. By itself, this rule does 
  not prevent the failed death saves inflicted by a downed 
  creature taking damage.
  Stability is Recovery. When a creature stabilizes, 
  they regain 1 hit point. Normally, requiring a creature to 
  accrue more or less than 3 death save successes would 
  not be recommended. However, when combined with 
  this rule and the rule preceding it, they can effectively 
  create a "recovery clock" for safer play.
  Merciful Monsters. Every change of rules requires 
  a shift in Dungeon Mastering to accommodate it, 
  especially this variant. Creatures do not suffer automatic 
  failed death saving throws when they are dealt damage 
  while at 0 hit points. Foes treat downed players as 
  "defeated", and do not perform intentional coup de gras 
  techniques either. If you want to split the difference, a 
  dying creature can still be forced to roll a death save 
  when dealt damage, and ignore a success on that roll.
  Negative Bloodied. A throwback to 4th Edition, 
  creatures no longer use death saving throws at all. 
  Instead, they continue taking damage into negative hit 
  points. When they have taken such damage greater than 
  one half of their maximum hit points, they die instantly. 
  Any healing a dying creature receives brings them back 
  up to 0 hit points and then heals them from there.
  Temp Agency. Simply allow effects which grant 
  temporary hit points to stabilize a fallen creature. You 
  can also permit these spells and features to restore a 
  creature to 1 hit point, but be wary of how many sources 
  of temporary hit points are at-will or automatic! 
  Variant: Less Instant Death  
        
  Several edge-case rules, high-level spells, and powerful 
  monster features have the capacity to abruptly kill a 
  creature with little regard to their hit points. To diminish 
  their impact on a party's survivability, use one or more of 
  these variant rules.
  Remove Massive Damage. At low levels, something 
  as common as a critical guiding bolt hit can kill an 
  adventurer outright. Later on, high-scaling falling 
  damage can still skip past death saves entirely. By taking 
  out the death by massive damage rule, tables have one 
  fewer unfortunate corner case to worry about.
  "Less Lethal" Magic. Spells which include a death 
  effect already have a technical counter in death ward 
  and comparable class features. Removing the instant 
  kill from disintegrate, finger of death, or similar spells 
  significantly reduces their power. Balance this change 
  with the following boosts to the affected spells:
  • A creature who dies within 1 minute of being 
  damaged by such a spell still suffers the final outcome 
  of the most recent death spell that damaged it; 
  turning to dust, rising as a ghoul, etc.
  • Increase these spells' base casting range by 50%.
  • In the case of power word kill, maintain its death 
  effect but add a single Charisma saving throw rolled 
  with disadvantage against the caster's spell save DC.
  Just a Myth. Perhaps the absolute lethality of 
  certain infamous monsters is a matter of exaggerated 
  reputation.  Or perhaps the adventuring party in your 
  story is simply made of stronger stuff. Add one or more 
  full rounds, including repeated saving throws where 
  applicable, to effectively-deadly monster attacks such 
  as a mind flayer's Extract Brain before they take their 
  final effect. Consider allowing an additional legendary or 
  bonus action attack or cantrip by such monsters during 
  this time, to make up for the delay in their iconic ability. 
  In extreme cases where such threats need to be taken 
  off the table entirely, use the cockatrice's bite as a model. 
  Have a victim become stunned, paralyzed, or otherwise 
  defeated for 8 to 24 hours rather than having them die.
  
  6
  Alternate Spells
  These alternates are spells designed for defensive and 
  restorative death magic other than resurrection. They 
  can be used in place of removed core spells when those 
  spells are referenced in content such as archetype spell 
  tables or magic items. Each entry includes the classes 
  whose spell lists they belong to, as well as the name of 
  the spell they replace. These spells can also be added 
  as extra class spell list options if the normal slate of 
  resurrection spells are kept in place.
  Salvage Sentry (Alt. Gentle Repose)
  2nd-level necromancy
  cleric, ranger, wizard
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: Touch
  Components: S, M
  Duration: 10 days
  You touch a corpse or other remains. For the duration, 
  the target is protected from decay and can’t become 
  undead.
  While you are within 1 mile of the remains, you may 
  use your action to see through its eyes as if they were 
  open and unobstructed, and to hear through its ears 
  as if it were still alive. Your own body is blind and deaf 
  while actively using the remains as a sentry. This effect 
  continues until you end it as a free action, or until the 
  spell fades.
  You may maintain up to three salvage sentries at a 
  time. Creating a fourth dispels the first.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 
  spell slot of 3rd level or higher, increase the range from 
  which you can use the sentry effect by 1 mile for every 
  slot level above 2nd.
  Material Component. A pair of coins, placed on the 
  corpse — specifically its eyes, if it has them. If both of 
  the coins are removed, the spell ends.
  Delay Fate (alt. Revivify)
  3rd-level necromancy
  artificer, cleric, druid, paladin
  Casting Time: 1 reaction
  Range: 60 feet
  Components: V
  Duration: Instantaneous
  You may cast this spell as a reaction when a creature 
  you can see within range would die. That creature 
  instead stabilizes, unconscious at 0 hit points. Its death 
  saving throws are reset to 0.
  Once a creature has been targeted by this spell, it may 
  not be subject to it again for 7 days.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 
  spell slot of 6th level or higher, the creature regains 1 hit 
  point after it stabilizes.
  Salvage Essence (alt. Animate Dead)
  3rd-level necromancy
  cleric, wizard
  Casting Time: 1 minute
  Range: Touch
  Components: V, S, M
  Duration: Instantaneous
  You lay your hand upon a corpse or other remains that 
  have been dead for less than a day and recite a prayer 
  or incantation. Roll 10d8. You or another creature of 
  your choice also touching the corpse gain temporary 
  hit points equal to the number rolled. For as long as a 
  creature retains these temporary hit points, its breath is 
  tinted with a dark green glow.
  Once a corpse has been targeted by this spell, it may 
  not be subject to it ever again, nor may it ever become 
  undead.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 
  spell slot of 4th level or higher, increase the dice rolled 
  by 2d8 for every slot level above 3rd.
  Material Component. A silver glove worth at least 
  300 gp, worn during the casting.
  Beckon Life/Death (Alt. Raise Dead)
  5th-level necromancy
  bard, cleric
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: Self (40-foot cube)
  Components: V, S
  Duration: 1 hour
  You choose life or death, and beckon all creatures in a 
  40 foot cube originating from you.
  Life. Creatures in the area currently at 0 hit points 
  immediately regain 1 hit point. Creatures in the area 
  also feel the jubilant pull of life, and succeed on all death 
  saving throw rolls for the duration of the spell, even after 
  they leave the area.
  Death. Creatures in the area currently at 1 hit point 
  or lower immediately die. Creatures in the area also feel 
  the omnipresent approach of death, and fail all death 
  saving throw rolls for the duration of the spell, even after 
  they leave the area.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 
  spell slot of 7th level or higher, you may do so as a bonus 
  action rather than an action.
  Sacrifice (alt. Reincarnate)
  5th-level transmutation
  cleric, druid, paladin
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: Touch
  Components: V, S, M
  Duration: Instantaneous
  
  7
  You touch a creature that has died within the last 
  minute. That creature returns to life with hit points 
  equal to half the number of hit points you currently have, 
  rounded up. This spell can’t return to life a creature that 
  has died of old age, nor can it restore any missing body 
  parts.
  Then, you die. Your death by this spell cannot be 
  prevented, nor can you be returned to life by another 
  creature’s sacrifice.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 
  spell slot of 6th level or higher, the number of minutes 
  after death for which you may return a creature to life 
  increases by 1 minute for every slot level above 5th.
  Material Component. Diamonds with a gp value 
  equal to 100 X the total character level (if a PC) or 
  challenge rating (if an NPC) of the touched creature, 
  consumed by the spell.
  Harvest Soul (alt. Create Undead)
  6th-level necromancy
  cleric, warlock, wizard
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: 60 feet
  Components: V, S, M
  Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
  You target a corpse within range that has been dead for 
  less than 1 minute, and cut a miniature sickle across 
  your palm. You lose 1 hit point, and a dark green haze 
  shimmers over your eyes for the duration.
  For as long as you maintain concentration, the soul 
  of the recently departed may be interposed to protect 
  you or an ally. If a creature you can see or hear within 
  range would be reduced below 1 hit point or would die 
  for any reason, you may end this spell in order to instead 
  restore one half of that creature's maximum hit points, 
  rounded up.
  Once a corpse has been targeted by this spell, it may 
  not be subject to it ever again, nor may it ever become 
  undead.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 
  spell slot of 7th level, increase the maximum duration to 
  10 minutes. When you cast this spell using a spell slot 
  of 8th level, increase the maximum duration to 1 hour. 
  When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 9th level, 
  increase the maximum duration to 8 hours.
  Material Component. A miniature adamantine sickle 
  worth at least 666 gp.
  Mass Death Ward (Alt. Resurrection)
  7th-level abjuration
  bard, cleric
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: 20 feet
  Components: V, S, M
  Duration: 10 minutes
  Choose up to five creatures within range to receive a 
  measure of protection from death. The first time each 
  of those creatures would drop to 0 hit points as a result 
  of taking damage, it instead drops to 1 hit point, and the 
  spell ends for that creature.
  If the spell is still in effect for a creature when it is 
  subjected to an effect that would kill it instantaneously 
  without dealing damage, that effect is instead negated 
  against the creature, and the spell ends for it.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 
  spell slot of 8th level or higher, the number of creatures 
  you can protect from death increases by 3 for every slot 
  level above 7th.
  Material Component. A fulfilled last will document, 
  consumed by the spell.
  Immortalize (Alt. True Resurrection)
  9th-level necromancy
  bard, cleric, druid
  Casting Time: 1 reaction
  Range: 100 feet
  Components: V, S, M
  Duration: Instantaneous
  You may cast this spell as a reaction when a creature 
  you can see within range would be reduced to 0 hit 
  points or die. That creature is instead restored to its 
  maximum hit points. In addition, it succeeds on all 
  saving throws and gains immunity to all damage until 
  the end of its next turn.
  Material Component. A tiny, finely crafted effigy of 
  the targeted creature, worth at least 3000 gp, consumed 
  by the spell.
  Credits
  Written and Developed by Dave Panfilo
  Illustrations by Mark Sapia, Gisberto Caccia, &
   
   
  Daniele Ariuolo (CSC Stock Art)
   
   
  Daniel Comerci (Stock Art)
   
   
  Dean Spencer (Stock Art)
   
   
  Matthew Dobrich
   
   
  Photoshop Brushes by Brusheezy.com
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, the 
  dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product 
  names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the 
  Coast in the USA and other countries.
  © 2020 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 
  98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-
  Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 
  4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
  This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast 
  and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under 
  the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. 
  The artwork contained herein, may not be used for any other 
  works without the owner’s express written consent.
  All other original material in this work is copyright © 2020 by 
  David Panfile and published under the Community Content 
  Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. Any reproduction or 
  unauthorized use of the original material herein is strictly 
  prohibited without express written consent.
  
  8
  Wild Magic for Every Class!    
  Shouldn’t every single player character have a way to 
  introduce dynamic magical chaos into their playstyle? 
  Wild Magic for Every Class is just what it sounds like; 
  a collection of 700 new Wild Magic Surges covering 
  14 different classes! Plus, Dungeon Masters will find 
  simple rules for adapting wild magic into a fun, dynamic 
  environmental effect!
  Last Stand: A Worthy Death!                                               
  If your D&D campaign combines epic fantasy combat 
  with high-stakes lethality, shouldn’t you have a rule on 
  hand that makes sure your player characters’ heroic 
  sacrifices are, well, actually heroic? Last Stand: A 
  Worthy Death is a unique supplement that provides over 
  40 new once-in-a-lifetime class features spanning every 
  Fifth Edition class. Epicness insurance is not for the 
  faint of heart, so if you die... die well!
  Totally Chill Mailing List 
      
  If, hypothetically, I were to release more tabletop 
  content in the future, would you be interested in getting 
  a notification? If your answer was “sure man, this was 
  pretty cool actually”, then head on over to this humble 
  Google Form and sign up for my mailing list! I promise 
  to send only one email for each piece of new content I 
  launch, and not to spam you in between.
  Might vs. Magic! 
   
   
      
  From popular animé, to blockbuster computer RPGs, 
  to Artorian myth, wizards and fighters have always 
  been at each other’s throats. In Might vs. Magic, you’ll 
  find 14 new archetypes, over 20 new spells, and over 
  30 new magic items that celebrate the age-old conflict 
  between martial characters and spellcasters! Plus, a 
  “counterspell expansion pack” to replace and revamp 
  one of 5th Edition’s most controversial spells!
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Permadeath.pdf