A Shadow-touched Air Genasi Twilight Cleric Build!
I have my ‘post-wedding-bachelor-party’ this weekend, and a friend is running a one-shot for me and the gang. I’m excited to introduce a character I’ve been wanting to play for quite some time, my shadow-touched Twilight Cleric! Just for fun, I’ve decided to post my backstory character creation. I’ll post the character sheet I’ve written out for them below as well.
Hayze Solarity
Air Genasi Twilight Cleric
Once upon a winter’s eve, a woodcutter got lost in the forest. As the night grew cold, he stumbled upon an ancient temple ruin. Desperate for shelter, he decided to make what meager camp he could. Praying to Selune for protection from the elements, the devout peasant was surprised when the soft glow of the moon brightened around him. A beautiful angel floated elegantly above him, smiling benevolently. She promised his rest would be protected, and in return, Selune had a task for him – to care for a child with unique gifts, born on an auspicious day to uncaring parents, and now his responsibility. Eyes brimming with tears at the arrival of this unlooked for boon, the woodcutter accepted the terms.
When he awoke the next morning, a bundle of blankets in a sturdy backpack sat next to him. At the fire, the angel gently rocked a cooing infant. “He will be kind and good hearted, strong and faithful. But he may not understand his gifts until he has learned to accept them.” The woodcutter nodded, looking down at the pale white skin of the newborn.
“Does he have a name?”
“Hayze. Named for the wind-blown snow that fogs the vision.” She passed the infant to him. The baby gurgled as he looked up at the woodcutter. He glanced down, then back up, only for the angel’s form shimmered and disappeared.
Hayze grew up in a small village at the edge of a great forest. The hills and old growth trees surrounding his home ensured that every dawn was slow to arrive, and every dusk came early, even in mid-summer. To others, the coming night was frightening, and the forest foreboding. But to Hayze, the shadows brought comfort and an ease, both of mind and body. As he grew, his abilities grew, and his mastery of his divine abilities developed. A local priest took him under his wing to help him further advance his studies, but was soon stymied by the methods used by this strange, pale child. His command over air and shadow seemed at odds to his obviously divine powers. Eventually, with the death of his father at the hands of an owlbear deep in the forest, Hayze was left with no choice. He was told to make his way to the great temple of Selune and build on his abilities. In his time here, he has honed his skills and gained mastery over air and shadow, dawn and dusk. Most recently, he was granted the title of Dusk Warden, a guardian of the twilight.
In gameplay terms, all our PCs for this one shot (Something, something Tales from the Yawning Portal) are at level 8, so I really like the interplay between the cleric abilities at this level and a few additional factors that I’ll detail below. Most of these details can be found in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. I wanted to go for more spells than I normally had access to, and I think I’ve achieved that here!
- Air Genasi – Unending Breath & Mingle with the Wind giving me access to the Levitate spell
- Background – Acolyte (two plus languages and more proficiencies!)
- Twilight Cleric Spells and Abilities
- Eyes of Night – I can see things really far in Darkvision, and give it to someone else as well (even if I run out of CD abilities, I can do the same using any spell slot!)
- Vigilant Blessing – I give one creature advantage on initiative checks!
- Step of Night – I can fly at my regular movement speed in shadow / darkness
- Twilight Sanctuary – We’re protected in darkness and I heal you if you’re in my bubble!
- Plus usual Channel Divinity for Turn Undead/Destroy Undead
- Shadow Touched Feat – Improvement to an ability score, and I can cast Invisibility for free (once) and one level 1 spell (illusion or necromancy, I chose color spray to give me a bit more offensive ability, and because I imagined him shooting moonlight at people).
Spell List
- Twilight Cleric Specific (Always Prepared)
- Faerie Fire
- Sleep
- Moonbeam
- See Invisibility
- Aura of Vitality
- Leomund’s Tiny Hut
- Aura of Life
- Greater Invisibility
- Standard Cleric Spells
- Cure Wounds
- Detect Good & Evil
- Healing Word
- Inflict Wounds
- Lesser Restoration
- Prayer of Healing
- Spiritual Weapon
- Dispel Magic
- Mass Healing Word
- Guardian of Faith
- Death Ward
- Shadow Touched Feat (Both once per long rest, or spend a regular spell slot to use it)
- Color Spray
- Invisibility
My Sample Character Sheet is below (Yes, there’s a few errors/missing things, like my AC is 16 (14 + Shield) but I forgot to put it on before I uploaded it, etc). All of this information is available in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and the PHB.
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