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Designed by: Darel Dominguez

If the Ranger is the martial version of a Druid, and the Paladin the martial version of a Cleric, then The Scion is the martial version of a Warlock. The martial-spellcasting hybrid includes full level 1-20 progression, four subclasses, and three new backgrounds.

Scions are unconventional holy warriors. They draw their power from the divine essence left by gods throughout the planes. They tend to do the dirty work that Paladins and Clerics would turn away from, though Scions are also scholars, constantly reading and researching new planes and gods.

At level one the Scion has a d8 for hit dice, martial weapon proficiency, and no armor proficiences except shields. This is alleviated by the level 1 feature, Sacred Knowledge, which essentially grants the Scion a free Mage Armor that can scale off either Dexterity or Intelligence. Level one also grants a Fighting Style, further cementing their role as front-line (though not tanky) fighter hybrids (and they’ll get Extra Attack at level five).

At second level the Scion gains their spellcasting feature, Planar Power. It operates exactly like the Warlock’s Pact Magic, with very few spells known and extremely limited spell slots that replenish on a short rest. Their spellcasting is more limited compared to a Warlock, with slot levels scaling every three levels, and capping at 3rd level, with later Planar Acanum granting higher-level spells beginning at level 13 (again, exactly like a Warlock’s Mystic Arcanum).

The Scion spell list is incredible, though: Cure Wounds, Command, Hex, Jump, Shield of Faith, Darkness, Hold Person, Misty, Step, Counterspell, Dispel Magic, Banishment, etc. Almost the perfect array of combat spells, with more added from the subclass choice.

scion quick build

The Scion also gains their signature feature, Sacred Sigil, at second level. As a bonus action they can mark a creature with a sigil, dealing an extra d4 of either radiant, necrotic, or force damage with every melee attack. At any time after hitting the creature, the Scion can choose to consume the sigil to deal a burst of damage that scales as they level up (beginning at 2d8!).

Sigils can be used a number of times per short rest (scaling with level), and can be empowered by selecting from several cool Empower Sigil abilities, such as gaining resistance while an enemy is sealed, or knocking them backwards on a failed Strength save.

The sigils are a more interesting version of the Warlock’s Hex, or the Ranger’s Slayer’s Prey from the Monster Slayer subclass. I especially like that both Sacred Sigils and Empower Sigil are front-loaded right at second level, and grow stronger and more varied as the Scion levels up.

At third level the Scion chooses from four subclasses. Each one is a soft multi-class: Acolyte (Cleric), Avenger (Ranger), Inquisitor (Paladin), and Magus (Wizard). Three of them offer fun abilities, great new spells, and fun ways to consume sigils (especially the Acolyte’s ability to heal allies who attack marked creatures). The Magus is the only lame one, with boring features that restore, or grant extra, spell slots.

Though I ran into some confusion with the Empower Sigil abilities, the Scion is a solid take on a melee Warlock. My primary concern is why this needed to be an entirely separate class, and not simply a Warlock subclass. Other than using Intelligence as the primary stat (which I appreciate), much of the class features are directly lifted from the Warlock. I think it’d be interesting, and maybe more user-friendly, to craft a subclass version that swaps CHA for INT, but definitely keeps the sigils as a much more dynamic alternative to the standard Hex spell.

Pros:

  • Sacred Sigils is an interesting feature that builds on Warlock Hex in fun ways.
  • Four subclasses offer useful specializations and soft multi-class opportunities
  • Includes six news spells and three thematically appropriate backgrounds.

Cons:

  • Confusion over the Empower Sigil feature.

The Verdict: The Scion is an interesting and powerful martial-warlock hybrid that perhaps could’ve worked better as a warlock subclass.

This review has been sponsored by the publisher Find more reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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