Be An Infernal Knight – MCDM’s Illrigger Class Is On D&D Beyond
MCDM’s Infernal new class, the Illrigger, vibes to D&D Beyond, along with five new subclasses. Hellish power awaits!
MCDM’s custom 5E class that blends infernal power and dazzling swordplay, the Illrigger, landed on D&D Beyond today. Now, you, too, can explore this alternate idea of what an “anti-paladin” might feel like. Powered by diabolical seals and wielding martial weapons, the Illrigger is a mighty class.
But you don’t just get the new class. You get five new subclasses as well. All with full D&D Beyond support going for them. Curious about what they do exactly? Read on.
The Illrigger – D&D Beyond’s Newest Class
So what is an Illrigger, anyway? The class is all about using devilish powers to smite your enemies. Except you don’t actually “Smite” the way a Paladin does. Instead, you have a lot of intricate powers that work together with a signature combat style.
And the whole package makes for a versatile front liner.
“Illriggers are versatile armored warriors with a wide array of supernatural abilities that reflect the infernal source of their power. They can be highly mobile stealthy assassins, heavily armored battlefield commanders, or fighting illusionists.”
They’re a weird class to get used to at first. Because they’re sort of like spellcasters, but their powers are very limited. You can do a lot within the base class, though. A party full of Illriggers could be wildly different from one another.
How, you ask? It all comes down to the Seals you pick. And the combat style you choose. And the subclass. Let’s not forget the boons you get – well, you get the idea. It’s a complex class with a lot of flexibility. If you’re looking to just swing away with basic attacks, this isn’t for you. But, if you want to drill down into the meat of your character mechanically, the Illrigger can be very rewarding.
Illriggers – How Do They Work
You will spend the first three levels slowly learning what it means to be an Illrigger. It’s the onboarding. The tutorial that gently unlocks every ability so that you have a feel for how the class actually plays before it cuts you loose. And it all starts with Baleful Interdict.
Baleful Interdict is one of two level 1 Illrigger features. And it is the primary source of identity for the class. Once per turn, you can place a magical seal on a creature within 30 feet of you, either as a Bonus Action or by hitting the creature with an attack.
When a creature takes damage (from another source), you can detonate your seals, dealing an extra 1d6 Fire or Necrotic damage per seal. Of course, you’re limited in terms of seals by your level, but you get them all back on any rest.
Combat Mastery at level 2 provides you with a souped-up alternative to Fighting Styles. If you’ve ever thought that D&D’s fighting styles are kinda boring, this is actually a fantastic alternative. These options can offer you wildly different playstyles. Take, for instance, Bravado. Bravado grants you an unarmored AC of 10 + your Dex Mod + your Cha Mod.
Contrast that to Inexorable, which is more of a horde-fighting method. Inexorable Illriggers get a +1 bonus to saving throws for every hostile enemy within 5 feet. So they always want to be surrounded. Each Illrigger can vary wildly from character to character.
Level 2 is also when you’ll unlock the first of your Interdict Boons. These are rider effects that attach to your Illrigger Seals. Some are passive bonuses that you get as long as an enemy is marked by one of your seals. Others are effects that occur whenever you burn a seal. For instance, Soul Eater lets you gain temporary hit points whenever you burn a seal. And there’s a third category as well: options that function a bit like spells. One Boon can give you or a creature you touch a +2 bonus to AC for 1 minute.
Subclasses And Seals
By level 3, you’ll seal a Diabolic Contract, writing your name in blood and picking one of the five different subclasses available to you. You might be an Architect of Ruin, and focus on using your Seals as spell-like effects and extra damage.
Or you could be a Painkiller, focusing on melee damage and leading your foes. This subclass is all about taking charge of a fight, and can restrain enemies, give orders to Allies like a Warlord out of 4E, and can even punish an enemy that dares to attack them.
Hellspeakers play more of the party face role. They use powers that give them advantage on Charisma checks and can Charm or Banish enemies. If you like the idea of redirecting enemy attacks, this subclass has you covered. These are the master manipulators—the whispers in the dark.
Sanguine Knights, on the other hand, are more like healers. They burn seals to restore hit points and are all about sapping enemies to boost allies. If you like playing a support role, this is the subclass for you.
Shadowmaster is for players who want to play a more combat-focused Rogue, which is the best way I can think to put it. They are all about stealth and invisibility and making sure that your first attack lets you really pack a wallop. Why hit hard twice when once will do?
There’s Still More, Though – Illrigger on D&D Beyond
But all of that is just the basics. We’ve hardly touched on more advanced features. Because, starting at level 3, you can also Invoke Hell, which is basically like Channel Divinity but hellish. These effects play to the strengths of and are determined by your subclass.
At level 6, Infernal Conduit makes you a vampire. Sort of. This ability gives you a pool of Infernal Conduit dice. When you touch a creature, you can expend dice from that pool and roll them. Doing so lets you transfer hit points around. There are two flavors here: Invigorate, which enables you to give an ally your hit points. And Devour, which lets you damage a target and regain half the damage as hit points.
At level 10, you can pay a Blood Price. This lets you spend a Hit Die and roll it as a bonus to your saving throw. Meanwhile, Terrorizing Force, also at level 10, lets you deal an extra 1d8 damage of Cold, Fire, Necrotic, or Poison on every weapon attack.
At level 14, Superior Interdict turns all of your Seals into attacks that bypass Resistance to damage types. You can also use a Bonus Action to regain a seal if you have none remaining. While Infernal Majesty, at level 17, gives you a powerful transformation effect.
You can become a form approaching a devil – you gain resistance to Fire, Cold, and Necrotic Damage while also gaining a fly speed of 60 feet. Your Seals do more damage, and if you’re killed in this form, you disappear in a burst of flame and reform 1d6 days later as though nothing was wrong.
And if that sounds like a capstone feature, it’s NOT! Because there’s still a level 20 feature. Master Of Hell. This lets you summon a massive, 50-foot radius hellstorm that rains down 10d10 damage with effects that include blinding darkness or swarming pestilence.
All in all, this brooding class is perfect for a darker game. If you want to try something new with a paradigm that’s a little more focused on managing your resources, the Illrigger can be quite rewarding. And you get so much with it. Five subclasses. Full D&D Beyond integration. All waiting for you below.
