The Omen Archive

Level 14 analysis

Welcome to our second level up analysis here at the Omen Archive! A lot has happened since we first posted one of these, and Bell's Hells have become stronger as they prepare to face what lies ahead. Here are our thoughts on what level 14 holds in store.

Ashton

Barbarian 14

HP
+5, total: 137
ASI
None

Kicking us off is Ashton’s 14th level in Barbarian, which grants him a brand new path feature. And when we say brand new, we mean it, since of course due to his subclass’s homebrew status, we don’t yet know the breadth of what Ashton’s Path of Fundamental Chaos has to offer at this level up.

We do know that it is likely a set of Fundamental Force Enhancements. Ashton received their first set of these enhancements at level 6, with each of their four rage types (Time, Space, Gravity, and Probability[1]) getting its own boost through the features Hyper Rage, Worm Hole Strike, Density Well, and Dreadful Misfortune respectively.

So far, we’ve seen new enhancements to two of Ashton’s Fundamental Forces: “Mark of the Messy End,” which was their contribution to the Delilah sealing ritual in Episode 103, and “Acceleration Wave,” which they used for a display of power in the council chamber in Episode 104. Mark of the Messy End appears to be the Force Enhancement for Ashton’s Probability rage. It expands the number of rolls that count as a crit against a particular target. Rather than only critting on a 20, anyone who rolls an 18 or higher scores a critical hit. We’re not yet certain which Fundamental Force Acceleration Wave is associated with, but given the thematic and mechanical consistency of Ashton’s rages, it is most likely the second Force Enhancement for their Time rage. Up to ten allies of Ashton’s are given the benefit. Taliesin refers to it as “that speed rush,” which may mean Ashton is applying the base level effect of a Time rage to other creatures. In that case, they have doubled speed that doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks, and those allies also can use their bonus action to make an attack.

While we don’t yet know what the other two new Enhancements are, we can make some broad-stroke guesses. We can likely expect that the Force Enhancement for Ashton’s Space Rage will be teleportation-based, and if we follow the idea that these enhancements are geared towards applying effects to foes or allies, perhaps now Ashton might be able to teleport creatures they attack. Gravity is more challenging to guess at, but we will speculate that it could have a similar effect as the dunamatic spell Gravity Fissure, and might pull an enemy into a damaging dealing area. These are of course pure speculation—we’re tremendously excited to see what other Fundamental Force Enhancements Ashton has now!

Braius

Bard 3/Paladin 11

HP
no change, 114
ASI
None

As Braius entered the scene already at level 14, he does not join the rest of the party in leveling up. Luckily, we do have some new information since our last analysis of Braius. During the Critical Role Cooldown for episode 105, Sam read the stats and abilities of Braius’ new platemail, Truthbearer. In addition to its protective properties, the armor adds 30 points to Braius’ Lay on Hands pool[2], which Sam states brings him to 85 points in the pool. As the Lay on Hands pool is calculated as 5 times a character’s paladin level, we can now confirm that Braius is a level 11 paladin, level 3 bard. What we still don’t know is Braius’ paladin oath. In our analysis, we narrowed it down to two: Oath of the Ancients and Oath of the Watchers. We’ve only seen Braius use two new spells since then, one being a Paladin cantrip (Sacred Flame) and the other being Zone of Truth. Since the latter is a level two Bard spell it does not do anything to clarify his build or his Paladin Oath. There haven’t yet been any other opportunities to glean details on his build, so we’ll simply have to continue to wait and see. You can check out our Braius Doomseed analysis if you would like to see our reasoning for the two possible oaths listed above!

Chetney

Blood Hunter 13/Rogue 1

HP
+12, total: 120
ASI
None

With his 13th level in Blood hunter, Chetney received a new toy: Brand of Tethering.

This is functionally an improvement to Brand of Castigation, and serves to keep enemies from escaping a battlefield. In order to teleport or otherwise leave its current plane, the branded creature takes 4d6 psychic damage and has to succeed on a Wisdom saving throw. The creature also can’t Dash, limiting its non-magical movement options. This should be eminently useful with enemies who prefer to Teleport away rather than continue a fight or conversation. Maybe next time Chet runs into Ludinus, he can force to stick around and listen to more questions about Molaesmyr.

Additionally, Brand of Tethering doubles the damage done by Chet’s Brand of Castigation (which deals psychic damage to a branded creature when it hurts Chet or any directly adjacent, non-invisible party). That damage number is now twice his Hemocraft casting modifier, bringing it to 6.

Chetney also gets a Blood Maledict improvement, increasing the number of times he can use his Blood curses to three times per rest.

Dorian

Bard 14

HP
+11, total:123
ASI
None

Oh blue bard, when did you get so hard? Dorian’s level up is a difficult one to analyze, since we barely know more about the state of his current build than we know about Braius’s, and because of the broad nature of what is available to him at level 14.

Let’s get the easy part out of the way: as a College of Swords bard, Dorian had gained Master’s Flourish. Previously, when Dorian used a Blade Flourish option (up to once per turn), he needed to expend a Bardic Inspiration die, which he would then roll to determine the buff or additional damage the Flourish provided. With Master’s Flourish, he can choose to not expend a Bardic Inspiration die, essentially getting the Flourish for free. The buff or additional damage would, in this case, be determined with a d6 roll. While a d6 provides less power to Flourishes than an inspiration die, since Dorian’s Bardic Inspiration die is currently a d10, it does allow Dorian to save that finite resource for buffing the party; he only has three to use per long rest. He can now flourish to his heart’s content without worrying about whether he should have given one of his friends Inspiration instead.

The second, very excellent but very difficult to analyze part of Dorian’s level up is Magical Secrets. Dorian can choose two spells from any class, up to 7th level, and they will be counted as Bard spells for him. This is the second time he’s gotten to plumb the depths of the arcane this way; Bards get their first Magical Secrets picks at level 10, with spells up to level 5. This is how he got his hands on Lightning Bolt, which is typically a Sorcerer or Wizard spell. As of C3E105, we also know that he has Find Greater Steed (typically a Paladin spell), although we don’t know if this was his other Level 10 pick or a new one for Level 14. Either way, there are quite literally hundreds of spells Dorian could choose, and there’s really no way to guess what he might take, or what would synergize with his build, given how much of it is still a mystery. We would love, at least, for him to take Counterspell if he hasn’t already, as the Hells gear up to face a formidable mage in Ludinus.

Fearne

Druid 10/Rogue 4

HP
+9, total: 92
ASI
None

Fearne’s lean into Rogue continues! This has been an unexpected turn but one that Ashley has been making very good use of, taking advantage of her access to Mage Hand, Shield, Identify, and Disguise Person with some frequency. In taking a fourth level in Rogue, Fearne has given herself either an ASI or a Feat. As none of her Ability Scores have changed, it seems she has taken a feat, an excellent choice since her spellcasting ability of Wisdom is already maxed at 20.

There are three feats in particular we think might suit Fearne: War Caster, Elemental Adept (Fire), and Spelldriver.

War Caster is an old standby for mages of all kinds, providing as it does a very key ability: advantage on Constitution saves for maintaining spell concentration. There are two concentration spells in Fearne’s go-to kit which would make particularly good use of this: Daylight and Aura of Life. Aura of Life in particular has proven to be clutch in keeping the party on its feet, plus since it’s one of Fearne’s Circle of Wildfire spells it is always prepared—and may also be top of mind after losing concentration on it to an attack from Craven Edge in Episode 102 (02:52:33). Protecting it and other concentration spells might entice Fearne to take on War Caster. The feat’s additional ability to use spells as opportunity attacks could also be pretty big for Fearne, who does not have a lot at her disposal for acting outside her turn—though that has been changing recently with the addition of Shield and Cauterizing Flame (which she got during her last level up).

However, as the Hells get into the higher levels, they are coming across more and more enemies with damage resistances. As so many of Fearne’s damage dealing spells are fire based, running into a foe with fire damage resistance (like Delilah possessing Laudna in Episode 102) severely hinders her effectiveness. Taking Elemental Adept (Fire) would allow her to ignore fire damage resistance and turn any ones in her damage dice rolls into twos, keeping her in the game as an offensive force.

The last possibility we like for Fearne is Spelldriver, a feat from Tal’Dorei Reborn that allows one to cast leveled spells as both an action and as a bonus action in the same turn, so long as only one of them is third level or higher. We saw this feat in action recently in Downfall, as Nick Marini’s Ayden made use of it. We could picture Ashley giving it a go after that, though we are more inclined to expect her to take War Caster or Elemental Adept, push come to shove.

Imogen

Sorcerer 14

HP
+4, total: 87
ASI
None
Sorcery Points
+1, total 14

Level 14 grants Imogen an Aberrant Mind class feature we’ve very much been looking forward to: something that is usually called Revelation in Flesh, which seems to have been reskinned in part or in whole as Form of Havoc. We do not know yet whether Form of Havoc refers to the feature in its entirety or just one of its four features (specifically flight), nor do we yet know what mechanical changes may have been made to it to align it more with Imogen’s Ruidian flavor of Aberrant Mind sorcery. As such, we’ll be looking at the feature as written in this analysis, and so will continue to refer to it as Revelation in Flesh for the time being.

Revelation in Flesh allows Imogen to spend sorcery points to alter her body for 10 minutes at a time. As written, there are four possible benefits she can activate, each costing a single sorcery point. We’ve seen the first already, which grants her a flying speed equal to her walking speed. Following the feature as written, her other three options would be to 1) choose to see invisibility, 2) be able to move through spaces as small as an inch and spend movement to escape non-magical restraints or being grappled, and finally, 3) to gain a swim speed equal to double her walking speed, as well as the ability to breathe underwater.

The last of these is the one that seems most likely to be altered or replaced entirely, as despite the shark-like appearance of the Reilora, there is no indication whatsoever that they or Exaltants have any special affinity for water. We can only speculate as to what a homebrew alteration might look like; perhaps instead of a swimming bump, Imogen’s long range psychic communication might be improved, with the doubled swim movement instead being assigned to flight. Or, perhaps, she might gain an ambient psychic static ability similar to that of the very first Reilora she summoned, causing psychic damage to anyone who gets to close. We will have to wait and see!

What’s particularly nice about Revelation in Flesh is that it is based on sorcery points expended, rather than only available a certain number of times per long rest. It only takes a bonus action to activate, and Imogen can activate up to all four aspects at once, with an action still to spare. She can, of course, also activate just one, two, or three at a time, which lets her customize the feature (and minimize her point spend) to match the details of a given situation. Given that the Bloodwell Vial allows Imogen to regain Sorcery Points on a short rest, and that on Ruidus Fearne can donate spells to give Imogen Sorcery Points, Imogen is well positioned to use Revelation in Flesh frequently in the upcoming battles on the red moon.

While Imogen does already have access to flight via the Fly spell, and with a greater speed (60 feet to Revelation in Flesh’s 30), it’s noteworthy—and handy—that the aspects of Revelation in Flesh are not tied to concentration. That means her Revelation flight does not leave Imogen vulnerable in the air if she gets walloped for damage, and she can still use one of her other concentration spells, like Seething Storm and Investiture of Lightning, while aloft.

This is a huge mechanical boost for Imogen, and we’re looking forward to seeing it in action on the battlefield and to hearing Laura’s description of how Imogen’s body changes, since the original spell, like the original Aberrant Mind subclass, is very eldritch horror.

Laudna

Sorcerer 11/Warlock 3

HP
+9, total: 126
ASI
None
Sorcery Points
+1, total 11

Marisha held off on deciding which class to take a level in until the ritual to bind Delilah was complete, but thanks to a tweet from Dani Carr—thanks Dani!—we know that success in that ritual has resulted in another Sorcerer level for Laudna![3] This means Laudna gets an additional sorcery point for her pool, as well as her first and only 6th level spell.

There are a few 6th level spells that would be very useful or on brand for Laudna. While Circle of Death sounds thematic, it’s essentially a necrotic Fireball with a bigger blast radius but the same amount of damage rolled and at a much higher spell slot cost. The larger radius does mean it could hit more enemies, but we are inclined to think Marisha is more likely to diversify her tactics. Eyebite likewise is thematic and feels like a slightly better bet—although Laudna already has her own means of making creatures frightened, being able to hit them with the sleep or especially the sickened condition could be very useful. The spell is, however, doubly vulnerable to being taken down before its duration can run out: not only is it a concentration spell, but the various conditions can be ended other ways. Sleep ends when the target takes damage or is shaken awake, the frightened condition ends when line of sight is interrupted or in this case, if the target moves out of the 60-foot range, and a sickened creature makes an additional Wisdom save against the condition at the end of their turn. That makes Eyebite less appealing to us for Laudna.

Arcane Gate is another spell that could afford Laudna some much needed mobility on the battlefield, much like Far Step for level 5 spells, as discussed in our Level 13 Analysis. Arcane Gate, which creates linked teleportation portals, has the added benefits over Far Step of being usable by allies and for a duration of up to 10 minutes. Plus, it could be used to dump an enemy into an environmental hazard if used in conjunction with shove attacks from the martial crew. We don’t know yet what new spell Laudna took last level, however, so if she took Far Step, Arcane Gate might hold less appeal. Laudna taking teleportation spells two levels in a row seems unlikely.

Disintegrate is a nasty damage dealer, and if Laudna is looking for pure power, it’s the most obvious choice. However, a lot of the terror Disintegrate invokes is that it takes Revivify, Resurrection, and the like off the table, which makes it feel much scarier when aimed at Player Characters than NPCs. Regardless, it’s still incredibly wicked, doing 10d6+40 force damage. If Laudna is looking to hit hard, this is a very, very nice choice, especially since she has Empowered Spell as one of her Metamagic options and could choose to reroll half of those damage dice for better results.

The spell we like best for Laudna’s first 6th level, however, is Globe of Invulnerability, for one reason: protecting Laudna from a Counterspell chain. This concentration spell lasts for a minute and creates a sphere with a 10-foot diameter around the caster. Any spell of level 5 or lower cast from outside of the Globe, even when upcast, can’t affect creatures or objects within it. That includes Area of Effect damage, so an enemy can’t be clever and cast a Fireball just outside it and still hit the caster—the damage won’t penetrate. Most importantly for our reasoning, even if an enemy upcasts their Counterspell to level 9, it can’t get through the Globe of Invulnerability, as the third-level Counterspell is under that level 5 threshold. That means that if Laudna successfully Counterspells from within the Globe, that Counterspell gets to stick. This markedly improves the battlefield for the Hells–especially given that as far as we know, none of the other Hells have that spell in their kit. It also means that anyone, not just Laudna, who wants to sling a big spell on their turn can do so from inside the Globe without fearing their spell slot will go to waste upon falling prey to an enemy Counterspell. And of course, protection from 5th level and under spells in general is very nice. Its biggest downside is that the Globe is immobile and does not move with the caster, so if the positioning becomes unfavorable, there’s not much that can be done. Still, the ability to definitively stop enemy spells from working is just too big to pass up just for that reason. This is the spell we hope Laudna chooses.

Orym

Fighter 14

HP
+9, total: 155
ASI
None

Unsurprisingly, as a Fighter, Orym’s level up is straightforward, with either an ASI or a Feat on offer. As Orym’s ability scores show no change, we know he took another feat, and one that does not have an ASI as one of its boons.

There are two feats that seem like the clear choices for Orym, and they will both be very familiar to fans who have watched previous campaigns and ExU Calamity: Sentinel and Mage Slayer. Both are reaction-based feats that operate on similar principles. Sentinel would give Orym the ability to reduce enemy speed to 0 if he hits that enemy with an opportunity attack. It also would allow Orym to take an opportunity attack even if a creature Disengages before moving. Finally, in keeping with Orym’s protective approach to fighting, if a creature within five feet of him attacked anyone other than him, he’d be allowed to make a melee attack on them.

Similarly, Mage Slayer would allow Orym to wallop any spellcaster who casts a spell within 5 feet of him with a melee attack. It would also improve Orym’s effectiveness in breaking casters’ concentration, as he would impose disadvantage on their concentration saving throws when damaging them. He would also have advantage on any saving throws associated with spells cast within 5 feet of him.

Both would mesh very well with Orym’s approach to fighting and with the circumstances, but we favor Mage Slayer by just an Orym-sized bit more, because with so many powerful casters to deal with in Ludinus and the Reilora, the ability to more effectively disrupt concentration spells is absolutely clutch.

Thanks for reading our analysis on the recent level up! We'll see in the coming episodes how our speculation panned out, but until then, is it Thursday yet?

Footnotes

  1. We refer to Ashton’s fourth rage type as Probability, as it is most frequently referred to as such in game. However, during 4-Sided Dive (Episode 2: Party of NPCS, at 00:15:23), Taliesin listed off the rage types and in that context referred to it as Luck. ↑
  2. CR Cooldown | C3 E105 at 9:55, subscribers only ↑
  3. https://x.com/ItsDaniCarr/status/1826839459842982325 ↑