5e Classes: The Godling

Like a God

With a word, Ariadne focuses the rays of the sun into the eyes of the king’s guards, stealing a sword from the blinded men to accompany the ball of yarn she plans to deliver to her champion—Theseus. As her grandfather’s chariot rumbles across the heavens, lighting all the land, Ariadne readies herself to deliver these gifts to her champion. Despite her father’s decree, the horned guardian of the labyrinth will receive no more sacrifices—she shall see to it.

Unlike a cleric or paladin, a godling is not the conduit for a god’s will. Unlike a warlock, her powers do not come from some deal with a patron. She is a mortal who has inherited power by the direct ancestry from or intercession of a deity that she can wield in whatever manner she wishes. Most godlings have a divine parent or ancestor, but some are granted godly power as a reward for their actions or for other, more inscrutable reasons.

The Godling is a 5e class representing those who are empowered by a divine lineage, but aren’t (yet, at least) full demigods. This lineage manifests as a set of powers that make them extraordinarily adept, clever, eldritch, or mighty. As she grows in experience, she follows a Path to Glory, that drives her toward being a creature of legend.