Hellish Rebuke 5e: An Eye for an Eye

Sometimes in real life, someone does something to us that unleashes a fury of anger and resentment that feels almost supernatural. It’s a bit over the top, but what can we do? It happens!


Of course, we don’t use fire and brimstone to get back at someone in reality. However, if you’re playing Dungeons and Dragons, you can use the Hellish Rebuke 5e spell to do just that.


Disclaimer: I’m not encouraging any sort of real-life violence. I’m just explaining the power you have with this formidable spell. Hellish Rebuke 5e is one of countless DnD spells, and honestly, I think it doesn’t get enough credit. Let’s get to know this intense spell that every adventurer should be thankful for (or scared of).

Hellish Rebuke 5e

What Is Hellish Rebuke 5e?

Hellish Rebuke is a spell that was actually introduced in the fourth edition of Dungeons and Dragons. It’s a first-level evocation and reaction spell, which means it summons or manipulates magic energy to create something or cause an effect. According to the Player’s Handbook (page 250), Hellish Rebuke 5e stats and rules are as follows:


  • Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take in response to being damaged by a creature within 60 feet of you that you can see
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Component: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous


“You point your finger, and the creature that damaged you is momentarily surrounded by hellish flames. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. It takes 2d10 damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 1st.”


Hellish Rebuke 5e Characteristics

Before your head starts spinning with energy, let’s break down the characteristics of Hellish Rebuke 5e.


First-Level Spell

First-level spells are prevalent assets at the beginning of a D&D RPG campaign. Therefore, Hellish Rebuke 5e is available right at character creation, and can be one of the cornerstone spells for your character’s magical journey.


Evocation and Reaction Spell

An evocation spell is one that calls upon magical energy to create an effect. They’re energy-based spells that you can use to create or cause something.


A reaction spell is one that someone casts in response to a particular trigger, such as being damaged by an enemy. These two types of spells combine to make the Hellish Rebuke 5e spell a powerful reaction that can cause substantial damage.



How Does Hellish Rebuke 5e Work?

Hellish Rebuke 5e is triggered when someone damages you. You can use your “reaction” action for that turn to unleash a fiery explosion of energy at the attacker. The spell deals 2d10 fire damage, plus an extra 1d10 for every slot level above the first. In other words, if you cast it at a higher level, Hellish Rebuke can deal some serious damage.


Also, being a "Reaction," casting Hellish Rebuke does not take up your Bonus Action for the round.


What I love about this spell is that it’s a great way to get revenge. When someone messes with you, Hellish Rebuke lets you take them down quickly and easily. It’s a great way to send the message of “don’t mess with me,” and give your attacker a taste back of what they’ve done.


Hellish Rebuke makes everyone think twice about their actions in combat: an eye for an eye, as they say.


Who Can Cast Hellish Rebuke?

Imagine if everyone could cast Hellish Rebuke. The adventure would become a lot more chaotic. Thankfully (or unfortunately), it’s only available to certain classes.


If you need some DnD character ideas, Hellish Rebuke 5e is accessible to all Warlocks, regardless of their Patron. Oathbreaker Paladins can also access it at third level. A Bard can cast the spell if they have the Magical Secrets feature.


Hellish Rebuke 5e is also available to tieflings who choose the Bloodline of Asmodeus. It becomes a second-level spell with the Infernal Legacy trait, dealing 3d10 fire damage. Tieflings can only cast their version of Hellish Rebuke 5e once per long rest though, even if it doesn’t burn a spell slot.

Hellish Rebuke 5e Classes

When and Where Should You Cast Hellish Rebuke 5e?

If you think the spell can’t get any better, think again. I personally believe that there’s no bad time to cast this chaotic spell. At least, I believe there’s no bad time. But, of course, there are optimal times and places to give your enemies a proper hellfire-infused rebuke.


First of all, you have to be damaged to cast the spell. It’s reaction-based, so there must be a trigger, or something must happen to you to react to it. For example, a creature damages you in your turn, casting a spell that requires a reaction point. You can use that reaction to cast Hellish Rebuke 5e in return. The spell ranges from 60 feet, so you have a great chance of hitting the creature who hit you! I love that, similar to Spiritual Weapon 5e, this spell allows me to attack enemies from a distance.


I cast Hellish Rebuke 5e whenever I find myself in the following situations:


Front-Liner

When you’re a front-liner, you inevitably receive damage near enemies. Generally, being a front-liner is bad for a spellcaster, but you can cause immense extra damage in a battle when using Hellish Rebuke 5e. Again, the range is 60 feet, so you have plenty of chances to make it a worthwhile spell.


Basically, think of yourself as a shield for your team, that has spikes. Whenever anyone attacks the shield (you), they take damage in return. With that thought in mind, you want everyone to attack you as often as possible – at least until you run out of spell slots.


Manipulate Saving Throws

I also cast Hellish Rebuke 5e with the help of another party member. For example, I can force an enemy to make a saving throw for the spell, and my party member can cast Silvery Barbs 5e if they succeed. Sure enough, the enemy will then often fail their save and take extra damage. The cantrip Mind Sliver 5e can also make the spell more effective by lowering the target’s next saving throw, so try to use it whenever possible.

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Hellish Rebuke 5e Tips

Hellish Rebuke is really a simple spell, but we all know that D&D can be complex, so here are some tips to get the most out of the spell:

  • Bypass fire resistance: if you’ve played D&D 5e for very long, you know there’s a lot of fire resistance in the game. Immunities can still prevent Hellish Rebuke 5e from happening, so use the Elemental Adept feat to gain an advantage.
  • Think twice when an enemy attacks from behind a wall: Hellish Rebuke 5e is less effective when attacking targets who have cover. Cast another spell if you can, or just wait for the next turn.
  • Pair it up with other spells: Hellish Rebuke 5e is powerful alone, but you can make it even scarier using other spells. For example, Armor of Agathys, a first-level Warlock spell, deals cold damage to anyone who strikes you while the effect is active. If you get attacked, your enemy takes cold damage then gets hit by your Hellish Rebuke, as well.
  • Choose Pact of the Blade: if you’re a Warlock, choosing the Pact of Blade allows you to unleash the flames of hell. Well, the spell is powerful regardless of your Patron, but it becomes a game-changer in melee range.
  • Be a Hexblade Warlock: besides Pact of the Blade, Hellish Rebuke 5e can also be a great pick for Hexblades. Hexblades are more likely to stay close to enemies, which results in more attacks against you, and more chances to use Hellish Rebuke.
  • Play with caution when silenced: if your main strategy is to draw in enemy attacks so that you can unleash Hellish Rebuke, be careful of Silence 5e effects. While Silenced, you won’t be able to cast spells, so you’ll either need countermeasures prepared, or you’ll need to make a quick retreat from the front lines of battle.
  • Trick the enemy: this tip is mostly flavor, but you can trick an enemy into thinking that the spell will be coming from another direction by pointing a finger away from them. The Player’s Handbook says, “You point a finger,” but not specifically “toward the creature,” so you can throw the enemy off balance. Give them a show because you can!
  • Communicate with your party and DM: always talk to your group and dungeon master about what spells are necessary during your adventures. If you want to just cast Hellish Rebuke without restraint, go for it. But if you want to really play as a team, communicate with other players to see how you can best plan spell slots to fill gaps in your party’s overall strategy.
  • Plan before casting: finally, I suggest taking a moment to consider the overall battle before casting Hellish Rebuke 5e. Try to time your spell for maximum effect, or think if there may be a better spell available for the situation. It can be entertaining to spam-cast Hellish Rebuke, but it pays to plan – especially during difficult battles.
Hellish Rebuke 5e Monsters

Own Your Revenge With Hellish Rebuke 5e

Let’s take a break from strict D&D rules, shall we? Remember that the game also has a roleplay aspect, and you can customize your revenge when it comes to the Hellish Rebuke 5e spell. You know that descriptions make role-playing even more fun, so come up with creative ways to describe the spell.


What the Spell Does for You

When someone hurts you in real life, how do you feel? Do you feel like combusting in rage? Ask the same questions when you’re in the D&D world, and use Hellish Rebuke to make your revenge fit with your character’s personality.


When thinking about the spell, imagine if your character is seeking vengeance or maybe just believes in an eye for an eye. It’s your story, so make the spell fit in with it.


What the Spell Does and Looks Like

When you hear the word “hell,” you might picture many things. There can be an eruption of flames, a blast of fire, or a ball of fire coming to your enemy. But even if “hell” is in the name of the spell, you don’t have to limit yourself. Use colors and ideas that fit with the character, the environment, and your story. Think about the scene you want and make sure that it looks cool.

Your party (and enemies) will be there to witness the spell, so make the spell’s aesthetics unique.


Change the Spell Damage Type

When running a D&D campaign, Hellish Rebuke 5e can be more than “fire damage.” It depends on your dungeon master’s ruling, but you could consider asking them if they’d consider allowing your Hellish Rebuke spell to deal a different type of damage, to better fit your character’s aesthetic, or personality.


If they’re game for it, perhaps you could even alter the spell to cause some kind of chaotic effect, rather than just straight up damage.

Level Up With an Awesome Dice Tower

Ok, this is a little off topic, but at the end of the day, tabletop RPGs are for having fun, right? If you're going to spend the time optimizing your character's strategies in combat, why not also maximize your game table aesthetics? Dice roll fine without a device to do it for you. But, having a dice tower can certainly add a lot to the feel of your game. Imagine rolling dice down this magical tower's steps. Between every dice roll, you have a prop that brings your D&D game to life that much more.


Check it out! Change up the color or find some of the other great dice tower options available. They make great DnD gifts for yourself or others.

Is Hellish Rebuke 5e Good?

Out of all the spells in the Player’s Handbook, Hellish Rebuke 5e is one spell that makes me say “Hell yes!” There’s no doubt that other spells can be even more powerful, but this one is definitely good. Especially for low-level Warlock spells, the Hellish Rebuke 5e is absolutely a must-have. I keep it ready for use at basically all times.


The spell’s range is an upside, along with scaling damage as you level up and use higher level spell slots. Also, even if your target makes a successful saving throw, the spell still deals some damage to them.


Warlocks and front-line characters are obviously easy targets for enemies, so Hellish Rebuke 5e can be an excellent way to avenge yourself. Generally, you can use it as an ace up your sleeve, as it’s a great spell that packs a punch. I’m sure you’ll use it more often than other spells once you get a taste for how fun it can be (like I did).


Rebuke Your Way to a Great Adventure

Again, I’m not encouraging violence, but in Dungeons and Dragons, Hellish Rebuke 5e is about giving your enemies a fitting punishment. With its long-range and scaling damage, you can finally feel like the badass spell caster that you are.


So, go out and find your adventure. And if the enemy gets too close for comfort, prepare to rebuke them with a show of fire and brimstone. And read on for how Hellish Rebuke effects work in the Eternity TTRPG Game System.


If you need DnD Quest Ideas, having an enemy that casts Hellish Rebuke is also honestly a great way to begin a series of adventures.

Hellish Rebuke in Eternity TTRPG

Hellish Rebuke in D&D 5e vs. Eternity TTRPG

In D&D 5e, Hellish Rebuke is a spell that effectively acts as a ranged, magical counterattack when you take damage. It’s useful whether you’re playing a caster or a front-line melee character (who has access to the spell, obviously).


In the Eternity TTRPG Game System, there is no exact equivalent of the Hellish Rebuke 5e spell, though there are many effects that fit into the same or similar categories. 


It’s also worth noting that in D&D, Hellish Rebuke 5e takes up a spell slot to cast. This means that any targets capable of casting Hellish Rebuke have a limited number of times they may cast the spell. Meanwhile, in Eternity TTRPG, counterattack effects do not have a limit to the number of times they may be used. So, characters capable of counterattacking may be very dangerous. 


What Classes in Eternity TTRPG Have a Hellish Rebuke Effect?

Cryomancer (Core Rulebook) and Witch Hunter (Classes Expansion) are the only classes that receive Silence as a core class spell. However, Alchemist, Dread Priest, and Druid all have specialization/ critical options that allow them to obtain Silence.

Eternity TTRPG Assassin

Assassin – Core Class Ability

First Strike: this Ability can only be used both 1) the first time you attack an enemy, and 2) the first time you are attacked by an enemy. Instant Action, roll d20. If you roll 18-20, deal 1damage. Battle Recharge after both uses.

  • (Life-Ender) You also gain +7Strike Bonus, +6Resilience, +6Dodge, and +6Will for 1turn.
  • (Infiltrator) You can move to the target of this Ability once during the rest of the Battle, as an Instant Action, up to your Speed value in Range away.
  • (Expert) You also gain +3Initiative.
Eternity TTRPG Berserker

Berserker – Core Class Ability

Vengeance: this Ability can only be used when you drop to 0HP. Instant Action. Take an attack Action against the target who dropped you to 0HP. After your Action, you still drop to 0HP. When you use or Critical this Ability, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn. 1Day Recharge.

  • (Decimation) Your attack is made against up to 3 enemies in Weapon Range. *Double-Hit with this Critical only allows one of the attacks to cause additional effect.
  • (Recklessness) Even if your attack misses, up to 3 enemies in 4Range, +4Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, knocks back all affected targets up to your Speed value -2, in any direction. This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.
  • (Dauntless Fury) If your attack hits, +3Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, Daze for 2turns. The Daze effect from this Critical continues even after you drop to 0HP. This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.
Eternity TTRPG Fallen Paladin

Fallen Paladin – Critical Option

Blood Spiller (Magic): after you cast this Spell on yourself, every time you attack an enemy, roll d20. If you roll 18-20, deal 1damage. You can only deal damage with this Spell once per turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Spell for 3Inspiration.

  • (Shield of Corruption) Also roll to deal damage with “Blood Spiller” every time an enemy attacks you. This Critical also allows you to deal damage with “Blood Spiller” twice per turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 6Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
Eternity TTRPG Royal Guard

Royal Guard – Core Class Ability

Counter-Slam: this Ability can only be used if you are wielding a shield. After you use this Ability on yourself, every time you are attacked by an adjacent enemy, roll d20. If you roll 18-20, +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, Daze for 1turn. You can only Daze with this Ability once per turn. “Counter-Slam” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Ability for 1Inspiration.

(Dazed): the effect from “Counter-Slam” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

  • (Executor) If you roll 18-20, it also deals 1damage to the target. You can only deal damage with this Critical once per turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 4Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
  • (Life-Sworn) Roll 15-20. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 2Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
  • (Ancient Blade) Instant Action. You also gain +9Resilience, +9Dodge, and +9Will for 1turn. When you use this Critical, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn.  
Eternity TTRPG Sage

Sage – Core Class Spell

Crimson Curse (Magic): up to 3 enemies in 4Range, +7Faith vs. Will. If this Spell hits, whenever an affected target deals damage, roll d20. If you roll 18-20, they also take 1damage. “Crimson Curse” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Spell for 3Intelligence.
(Dazed):
the effect from “Crimson Curse” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

  • (Darkness and Light) Roll 16-20. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom).
  • (Secrets of the Ancient Tomes) For one enemy who’s hit, instead roll 13-20 to hit. For all other enemies affected by this Spell, still roll 18-20 to hit. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom).
  • (Powers of the Eternals) Whenever an affected target is healed, roll d20. If you roll 18-20, they heal an additional +1HP. This Critical cannot trigger itself. This Critical allows the affected target to heal 2HP above their normal max HP. Healing from this effect also Fatigues the target, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 2Inspiration (plus the base 3Intelligence, and 0Wisdom).
Eternity TTRPG Vanguard

Vanguard – Core Class Ability

Retribution: after you use this Ability on yourself, every time an enemy in Weapon Range attacks you, roll d20. If you roll 16-20, you Instantly counterattack that same target with a non- Critical attack or Ability of your choice, after their attack is finished.

You may also use “Quick Switch” just before your attack with Retribution, if you so choose. You can only attack an enemy with this Ability once per turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Ability for 3Inspiration.

(Dazed): the effect from “Retribution” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

  • (Tip of the Spear) Roll 11-20. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom).
  • (Shock Troop) Whenever you attack with “Retribution,” you also gain +12Resilience, +12Dodge, and +12Will for 1turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 5Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
  • (Ranger) You also gain +3Initiative. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 5Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
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Strategies for using Counterattack Effects

As with D&D 5e, having counterattack spells and abilities in Eternity TTRPG can either be used to dissuade people from attacking you, or can be used after placing yourself in the battle’s most dangerous locations, to maximize your damage output.

In Eternity TTRPG, some attacks are rolled against the enemy’s defenses, while other attacks are considered to be “piercing,” and have a flat hit chance, no matter what.


Basically, characters with high Strike Bonus or Faith (physical or magical hit chance stats) should rely more on spells and abilities that utilize those stats, such as the Vanguard Retribution ability. Meanwhile, more defensive characters (tanks) should rely on counterattacks with piercing effects, such as the Fallen Paladin Blood Spiller spell.


Dissuade Attackers

If you build a character with very high hit chance and very low defenses, you do not want to be in the thick of battle where you may be attacked very often. Having a counterattack spell or ability for this kind of character can be very valuable, as the first enemy to attack you may just get obliterated in return.


If you can essentially make enemies fearful of attacking you, then you help to place more enemy attacks on (hopefully) your party’s tank.


With this strategy, you don’t really want to even use your counterattack spell or ability at all, as it requires you receiving an attack, first. However, having it there to dissuade attackers is extremely valuable.


Deal Damage Even as a Tank

The only way to really maximize your damage with counterattacks in Eternity TTRPG is either to have high hit chance and a dedicated healer who keeps you up during the battle, or to use pierce attacks.


If you build a tank character with a piercing counterattack spell or ability, then run directly into enemy lines, you’ll both draw a lot of attention to yourself (thereby protecting allies), and you’ll maximize your chances to deal damage with your counterattack.


Generally, tanks have terrible hit chances, so dealing damage isn’t really their thing. However, if you have a flat hit chance pierce attack, and you’re attacked a lot, then you maximize your chances to counter. Though this strategy will never deal substantial damage to single targets, its wonderful for crushing large groups of enemies.


Maximize Single Target Damage

Finally, if you have a dedicated healer in your party, it’s possible to use counterattacks as a way to really pour on big damage to a single target. Basically, you max out your character’s hit chances, knowing that you’ll be very vulnerable in battle. Then, you run directly at the single enemy, drawing their attention.


Because of your high hit chance, when you attack the enemy, you’ll deal damage. Similarly, when they attack you, you’ll also deal damage.


If you’re fighting very difficult enemies, you basically have to go in knowing that you’re walking a tightrope. High-difficulty enemies can deal multiple damage per attack, so purposefully putting yourself in the way of harm is risky. However, if you have someone to heal you, you’ll no doubt be able to deal substantial damage back to your adversary.

Fiery Effects for Your Tabletop

Countering Counterattacks

In any good tactical combat game, every counter has its counter. Here are a number of possible ways to deal with Hellish Rebuke-type effects if you’re on the receiving end of things. Or, if you simply want to think two steps ahead, here are some of the ways that characters you counterattack might respond:


Remove the Counterattack Effect

Many classes have a version of “Dispel,” which can be used to remove beneficial status effects from enemies. Characters that do not have their own class-based dispel effect may use dispel scrolls to achieve the same effect. Since most Hellish Rebuke, counterattack type effects in Eternity TTRPG are “maintained” effects, they can be dispelled.


It’s also worth noting that if a counterattack effect is dispelled, it can usually just be reactivated right away. However, if the effect is a critical and it keeps getting dispelled, it’s a good way to run out of wisdom, and be at a huge disadvantage for the battle.


Greater Dispel (Magic): 4Range, Faith vs. Resilience, removes all stacks of one ongoing Magic, maintained effect, or status effect from the target (excluding summons), at your choice. Or alternatively, 4Range, +5Faith vs. Resilience, deals 1damage to a summoned unit. This spell is cast on any target you’d like, but the roll is made against the character who cast the spell or used the ability you are attempting to remove, unless the target is a summon.

(Double-Hit): removes all stacks of 2 ongoing Magic or maintained effects (excluding summons). Or alternatively, if cast at a summon, deals an additional 1damage to the summoned unit.


Mass Dispel Scroll (10 Uses): up to 3 targets in 4Range, -7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or up to 3 targets in 4Range, -7Faith vs. Resilience, removes all stacks of one ongoing Magic, maintained effect, or Status effect from each affected target (excluding summons). Or alternatively, up to 3 summons in 4Range, -2Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or up to 3 summons in 4Range, -2Faith vs. Resilience, deals 1damage. This Item is cast on any target you’d like, but the roll is made against the Character who cast the Spell or used the Ability you are attempting to remove, unless the target is a summon. This Item cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

 

Don’t Attack Enemies Who Have Hellish Rebuke

Another obvious way to deal with enemies who use Hellish Rebuke-type effects is just to prioritize attacking other targets before finally dealing with them. Of course, enemies who counterattack may not want anyone to attack them, so ignoring them may actually play into their strategy.


However, the worst-case scenario when facing an enemy with Hellish-Rebuke-type effects is to get blasted with counterattack damage over and over again. If that target doesn’t have a personal healer, maybe you can kill them before they get in many high-damage counters. If the target does have a healer though, you may really want to deal with that healer before moving forward.


Try The Eternity TTRPG Game System

D&D has become synonymous with tabletop RPGs (TTRPG) for so long that sometimes people forget there are other options available. As with any genre of game, there’s the best-known games and lesser-known games.


The Eternity TTRPG Game System is a tabletop RPG similar to D&D, but with some big differences. The game allows for multiple game masters, provides more tools for immersive world-building, and features highly-tactical (yet easy-to-learn) combat.

Pick up an inexpensive PDF copy today at the Eternity TTRPG shop. Or check out more information at the Eternity TTRPG Game System page.

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Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Author - Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

November 9, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-zk16nPM6A Transcription Assassin Strategy === [00:00:00] Welcome back to Eternity TT RPG YouTube channel, where I go over different happenings in the tabletop role-playing universe from D&D to the game that my husband and I are creating. So this go around, we wanted to take a moment to, um, focus a little bit more on the game that my husband and I have created. If you followed, followed along, if not, here's a quick rundown. So he's been creating a tabletop role-playing game for thirty-plus years, like, his entire life, and we found a way for it to be accessible as, like, a fifteen-minute card game just focusing on combat. So we went ahead, had that produced. We have the physical version of it. It is called Emanation. And then from there, we worked with a friend of ours, and he was able to put this entire card game online. So now there's online Emanation. So it plays the exact same. It's just a matter of if you want the physical copy or the online version. Um, so what we thought [00:01:00] would be cool is that there are six classes in this game, right? And every class, I feel like, um, has a different strategy or multiple strategies to it that you can use to play it and see how you succeed. Um, so I thought it would be fun to go over those strategies. However, what we're gonna do is my husband is gonna go ahead and take one of the classes, go over his strategy, I'll go over mine. We won't see each other's videos until, you know, I edit it and throw it on here. But I just wanna see if we line up, if we do different things, um, and if you guys can resonate with either one or if you wanna try it out and find a new strategy. So with all of that being said, the first class we're gonna do and the only class we're gonna focus on this, um, this go around is gonna be the assassin, okay? So with all of that being said, I'll pass it off to [00:02:00] him Hey guys, this is Jacob. It's been a while since I've been on the channel. I just wanted to give my perspective on the Assassin class. So when you come to this website which is play.sparksofeternity.com, we'll put the link in the video You get this page and it's free to play All you have to do is put in your email address and you can play against friends, you can play against computers. It's, uh, really, really awesome. But I'll just go through for those of you who aren't too familiar yet, maybe you've played one or two games, maybe you, be you haven't played at all, and I'll give my perspective on the assassin class. I think the plan is we'll be doing this for all the classes, so hopefully you get an idea of maybe some strategies that you can use. And if nothing else, I hope it tempts you to try the game for yourself So when you hover over each of these abilities here, you can see what it does. So Sparks of Eternity: Emanation is [00:03:00] a TTRPG combat card game. It basically takes the classes of fantasy RPGs and puts them into a card game feel. I'll probably play a couple rounds of this even, but every turn, basically you get more options that you can choose from as your character levels up, and it gives you just more cool things to do. Once you reach level one is when your character starts getting unique powers for the class. So at level one, you'd have Assassinate, and this is just a small chance to do a ton of damage to somebody. I usually like to play this just for fun because if you happen to hit it, you might knock like the summoner out of the game because they have very low number of life sparks or hit points. By level two, you end up getting Rupture. So this is actually slightly different from the physical version currently. We changed some of the order for what will be our future prints and for online to make it a little more streamlined. We [00:04:00] put this ability next. So this ability gives you lethality, which is a spending resource that you can use towards Assassinate. So for every one lethality that you use, instead of hitting, you can see on a 16 to 20 with Assassinate, you would drop that number by one. So Rupture gives you five. So on turn two, I would usually Rupture to start building up lethality so that later in the game I can use those resources to more e- easily hit with Assassinate. Uh, by late in the game, you could have, you know, 30, 40, 50 lethality and just do multiple turns in a row of Assassinating and, um, especially if you end up generating second actions and so forth, which is, you know, some classes can give you, uh, you could very quickly win a game from out of nowhere, which is kind of the idea of the Assassin. Uh, by turn three, you pick up Assassin's [00:05:00] Blades, and you can see here this is a passive effect. So in Emanation, every class has these passives that are, that are totally unique to them, but it's what makes the class feel like that class. Once passive effects are played, they stay in play and every single turn they give you some effect that can happen. So many of those effects are rolled dice effects. You, you roll a 20-sided dice and if you roll within the indicated range, an effect will occur. So with Assassin's Blades, it's just a chance every turn to deal damage. Um, usually by turn three once this comes up I play this immediately. Uh, same goes for Assassin's Poisons on four. It's another passive effect. Basically, whenever I get passive ef- effects I just play them because then the value of that ability just compounds over time. So Assassin's Poisons can daze somebody, which means they can't play any other actions. They can't play any actions for the turn unless they defend Turn [00:06:00] five is usually a little different. You get Unassuming, which makes you untargetable for three turns. It also gives you a large number of life sparks. Sometimes I play this right away if I, if I'm taking a lot of damage from especially like a, a summoner or a berserker, and then you can use those terms, y- turns that you can't be targeted to stack up ruptures to get more lethality going. Sometimes though, I'll save this for the last three turns of the game, and I'll just make it so that I, I heal six life sparks and then the last three turns of the game I just can't be targeted. Sprint on turn six is kind of a similar thing. You defend for two turns. So when you defend in Eternity, it just means that you can't be targeted So Sprint gives you a two-turn defend, uh, during which time on their second turn you can actually still attack someone. So it's very powerful. Sometimes, you know, at the end of the game I was mentioning how I play Unassuming. If you chain that together with Sprint, you could have, like, five [00:07:00] turns where you're completely untargetable. Um, combined with the healing from Unassuming, that's a very powerful effect. Alternatively, like I was mentioning you play it earlier in the game, you build up ruptures, you sprint, you can even assassinate your second turn of- while sprinting. Uh, Cold Blood is another one, though, that I play immediately as, as soon as it becomes available because you start building up stacks of lethality every turn. It's your final passive effect as assassin, and it gives you a fifty percent chance to give basically the rupture effect every turn where you gain five lethality. So as soon as I get this, I usually play this just to start, um, building up my late game assassinates. Premeditate's one of my favorite abilities because it sort of lets you see what your opponents are going to do. So right off the bat, you gain one lethality, and then you roll a D20, and if you roll within the five to 20 range, you get to take a second action. So the reason this is very [00:08:00] valuable is because if someone's using a really powerful attack against you, um, say another assassin is trying to assassinate you or a summoner is using Oblivion, uh, their big, powerful attack, or Judge is using Hammer of Elysium, their big, powerful attack, a second action actually takes place before those incoming effects would. So it lets you see what your opponent will do, and then if it's really dangerous, you can use a defend or you can use Sprint or Unassuming and avoid that attack. Um, similarly, if your opponent's not defending and you have a lot of lethality, you can check to see what they're gonna do with Premeditate, basically see their action and then follow up with as- an assassinate or a big attack of your own. First Strike, it kind of extends the power of your assassinate, and we'll be updating this a little bit soon. Uh, but basically at, at the moment, the, in, the, the heart of the effect is that you play it, next time you cause someone to take damage they take more damage, so it makes your [00:09:00] assassinate even bigger. And then Feint is actually a card that I see players use very infrequently but I think is one of the best cards in the game, uh, unless you're playing against a druid or someone who can attack through defends or punish you for defending. So Feint, there's, there's so many instances in Emanation where you take a damage and then there's about to be ten different, 20 different rolls for passive effects happening. Like Berserker has multiple effects per turn like Assassin's Blades where they roll to see if they do more damage to you Same with Summoner, same with Druid, and so forth. So if you can Feint after taking damage and you have the Presence of Mind to play it, you'll defend for the rest of the turn while still allowing you to do all of your cool effects, all of your own passive effects, finish out your own ability. But then it'll protect you for the rest of the turn against all [00:10:00] those other passive effects, second actions, and so forth. And then cost of this basically is that you're dazed on your next turn, and so you probably end up defending on the following turn as well, which is sometimes good, sometimes, sometimes bad, mostly good. But I've had turns where you Feint and then you take, you know, one damage, but you actually end up preventing like three or four, and all of that damage gets redirected to somebody else, and it ends up being a really powerful play. So the Assassin has a lot of options to stay in the game. So, uh, usually, I guess with the passive effects, I play them as they come in. Sprint, Unassuming, First Strike, Feint, these are all like utility kind of cards, and you play them when you need to, when it's gonna give you the most advantage. I tend to premeditate a lot of turns unless I'm very confident about what I want to do or what I want, what I think my opponents will do, and I don't think there's gonna be a punish for not checking what they're going to do. There's always the chance you miss [00:11:00] that effect and you only get one lethality for the turn, which is pretty bad. But, um By the end of the game, I'm usually just premeditating most turns, keeping up my first strike, and then you're just building up enough lethality and kind of gauging how much life sparks people have left. And then you're timing your unassuming and sprint and just pouring out assassinates at the end of the game. You might get two, three, four assassinates at the end of the game. And, uh, I would say especially against the computers currently, but against a lot of players too, they have a hard time tracking your lethality even though it, it's listed, right? When, when you're playing your character, it'll list your lethality next to you, so they could check it at any time. But the assassin does just tend to be a very surprising class. You don't really know what's gonna come for you until it hits you. And when you get hit by an assassinate, your opponents get hit by assassinate, it's, it's an absolute game changer Eternity TTRPG has released a card game battler which emulates combat from the [00:12:00] tabletop role-playing genre. Sparks of Eternity: Emanation is fast-paced, easy to learn, and features six classes from your favorite TTRPGs. Each class deck comes with its own set of unique abilities, which everyone plays at the same time, so there's never any downtime at your table. Each turn, everyone's characters levels up, giving players access to even more options. If you're interested in taking a look, we have our sales page live now, packed with details. So like I said, I have no clue at all what he was just talking about when it came to his strategy for playing the assassin. So I'm just gonna jump right in with my thoughts around the assassin, how I would play it, my strategy going into it. Um, the assassin among the first six classes, I feel like is pretty evenly matched. I'd put it like right in the middle of everything, um, especially in like your one-on-ones and your free-for-alls. I feel like it's [00:13:00] great. Um, I think it could play well in teams as well. I just don't really know what would work as a good pairing for it. Um, I don't feel like we play tested enough for me to really comment on that, at least in this case. Um, as always, with any class, you start with three things you can do as your like turn zero level zero, right? So that's your attack, defend, and no action. Um, with assassin, I definitely go to attack first because you wanna, um, get as much damage on someone as quick as possible, so that way when you go to have a final blow, it definitely hits and you can end the game quickly. Like I have seen people end games in three turns with an assassin, and it was super impressive. It came down to dice rolls, but still, that's pretty amazing. So moving on, you typically get assassinate as your first, um, ability when you turn level one, and with that it comes down to a [00:14:00] dice roll 16 through 20. Your opponent loses, uh, four life sparks, four hit points. And you know, this is really fun to play on your following turn right away just to see like, "Hey, if I get lucky, I get lucky and this person's out," right? So I will attack first turn, assassinate second turn, and keep going, right? So next thing that you get as an assassin is gonna be something called, um, rupture, which allows you to gain lethality. And lethality is something specific to assassins, and you collect lethality to lower your hit chance on assassinate. Um, so thing to remember with this is that you use your lethality before the dice roll. So that is a commonly asked question. That is something I'm trying to clarify right here. Say how much lethality you're gonna use before the dice roll, okay? [00:15:00] Excuse me. So Um, with the rupture ability, you gain lethality, you gain five lethality. You basically take your turn and just, like, spam that, right? Because you want to get your hit chance as low as possible and potentially auto hit on your assassinate. Um, however, this is gonna be, like, your... You're on turn three now, you have access to this ability. Um, I would read the field that you're on, right? So if you're playing against, say, the druid who has a lot of healing abilities, um, it may not be worth it to, like- Um, to assassinate them because you know they have a lot of healing, they're gonna come into a lot of healing, and no matter how much damage you do right now, they're still gonna go up. Um, so, like, if you're playing against them, I would probably rupture this turn and gain some lethality so that way I can, um, you know, try to hit them harder later. If I was [00:16:00] playing against, like, the Summoner, who I already know has low life sparks, and they don't come into, like, gaining any extra health really easily, I would definitely try to assassinate again, right? So following turn, you gain access to something called Assassin's Blades. You do gain a hit point off of this for yourself. Um, so that does move your health up, and this is something that you get a roll every single turn, and it's just a chance to do damage. So this is where you can start popping off with different things potentially. So I would go ahead and take the turn to play that and, um, have a chance to hit people, and then it stays out the rest of the game, right? Following turn, you do have another passive effect that comes available to you, and this is Assassin's Poisons. You have a chance of gaining... Or excuse me, you do gain hit points from this, but then you have a chance to daze your opponents. Um, and dazing means that the only thing they can do is defend, and if you [00:17:00] have cards that can get through defend, that's really important. Um, as an assassin, off the top of my head, I don't remember if they have anything that can get through defend. So it feels like just a quick way to, uh, you know, have them stop attacking you so you can get your lethality up using rupture. Um, next ability you get is called Unassuming. Um, you do gain a lot of hit points for this card, and then it basically makes you invisible to everyone around you, and you can't be hit unless you initiate first, and this happens for three turns in total. So the thing about this card is you can absolutely play it right away and, like, just take that time, build up your lethality while you're unassuming and not target anyone. Um, or what I prefer is that I hold onto it until close to the end of the [00:18:00] game. Um, so if I am not hurting for health, needing more sparks or any of that kind of stuff, I will hold onto this as long as possible. Because if I can finish up to round sixteen, play this card on round seventeen, and gain six hit points and then nobody can target me, it seems like a no-brainer, right? Because more than likely, you will end the game with more hit points than everyone else, and you win. So that's one of the biggest things with strategy for the assassin that I think comes into it is how to play this unassuming card. So I do wonder if, um, Jacob played it any different than I did. Um, moving on, you start to get abilities like sprint and feint. So sprint is like, uh, it's a You know, you just run away from everything for two turns and can't be targeted, and you're defending. So basically, what I view the Assassin as is, [00:19:00] like, okay, I'm gonna hit you really hard, and then I'm gonna run away until I can do it again, which is really fun and whatnot. And then there's an ability called Feint, where you have to take damage initially, but then you can instantly, like, say, "Hey, I'm not taking more damage this turn. Y'all can't get me." So yeah, I start to think about, like, tag as kids a little bit. Um, other abilities that you get is, um, like, Cold Blood, and this is another way to gain more lethality, along with Rupture. Um, Cold Blood is also a passive, so once you get access to that, you're rolling it every turn, and you should be able to gain so much lethality that you can auto hit probably multiple times in your entire game. Um, another card that comes up is Premeditate, which allows you to immediately gain lethality and then have a chance to use a second action. So you can do that to potentially gain six lethality in a turn. You can [00:20:00] do that to gain a lethality and then assassinate. Um, you can do a lot of things in this case. Um, finally, the last card that I am going to mention is called First Strike, which is the next time you cause a target to lose life sparks, um, they lose an additional one. So this card, I don't personally use it very often. Um, reason being is that I tend to play the Assassin with the, like, hey, let me, uh, get you, and then I'll run away. And I'm not taking the time to really plan out my attacks, I guess, with the Assassin. Um, this card, it feels like you really need to think it through, like, hey, how much can I potentially hit my target for? How many hit points can I do damage for? Um, and just see what happens. So with the Assassin, the most damage I've seen in one [00:21:00] turn was six in total, but it's really hard to get that to pop off. So I rather attempt to assassinate and get a guaranteed four, depending on my lethality, than potentially try and go for six. Um, so anyway, I don't know how much of that lines up with what Jacob said. Maybe we're saying the same things, but that is a rundown of how I would play the Assassin. Um In upcoming videos, we are gonna hit the other five classes that are available in the base game of Emanation, which is the Berserker, Druid, Judge, Oracle, and Summoner. Um, and we'll see how all of that lines up. Like I've said, Assassin is a really fun class to play. You're gonna have to let me know if that's a class you enjoy or if one of the other ones that I mentioned will be more interesting to you. And also, check out the game in play. See if you, like, agree with our strategies, if you find a new one. Just, uh, let us [00:22:00] know. Drop comments, ask questions. As always, like, comment, subscribe. Let us know how we're doing and we'll catch y'all next time
November 2, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLpxQkh_SVI Transcription DM Pet Peeves === [00:00:00] Welcome back to the Eternity TT RPG YouTube channel, where I go over different things in the tabletop role playing universe from the game my husband and I created to D&D to different tabletops in between. So this go around, I'm gonna talk about something that I think happens in almost every tabletop role playing game. Um, of course, D&D is the biggest in the tabletop role playing genre, so they're gonna be mentioned a bit, right? Um, with any tabletop role playing game, you always have a game master, dungeon master, GM, DM, whichever, you know, you wanna call it and use it, right? And the dungeon master takes so much time creating this beautiful story. This beautiful story with all these encounters, all these puzzles, the strategy, the bosses, and all these backstories, all these NPCs. It's just... It's like you're writing a book without writing a book, right? [00:01:00] So what can get kind of frustrating when you're a DM is that your party starts making decisions that you never expect, y- and you have to think on the fly. So here's some things that your parties do that you just, you kind of look at them and you go like, "Please don't make that decision," or, "Can we get through this?" Right? So one of the things that comes up immediately in my mind is that you spend 20 minutes, 30 minutes, a hour going over, is this an ordinary door or is this a trap? And you're, you're just sitting there like, "Just turn the doorknob. Please turn the doorknob." But you can't say that because, you know, you're trying to create this cool environment for [00:02:00] your players, right? So if you are a player, keep in mind your dungeon masters are not always doing something devious. They're just, you know, they just needed to put a door there 'cause it's going into a building. Please just grab the doorknob. Go in. Okay? Um, other thing that we end up seeing is that every NPC can get treated like a final boss, right? So one thing that's really fun with being a dungeon master is that you do a lot of foreshadowing, right? So this random person that you met in session one could end up coming back in, like, session 10, session 20, and end up being your final boss of the whole campaign. You don't know. So if you don't know as a player, of course, you're gonna be like, "Well, we'll see you again, I bet." Um, so there's a lot of suspicion around every person you encounter when they could just be a normal shopkeep, [00:03:00] right? So the thing about having a high suspicion is that your players, of course, could be really smart, and that's a really good survival strategy. But it's also just another, like, "Hey, guys, come on, it's literally just a shopkeeper that wants to give you this. Like, don't l- don't look too far into it. Please just let me keep going." Eternity TTRPG has released a card game battler which emulates combat from the tabletop role-playing genre. Sparks of Eternity: Emanation is fast-paced, easy to learn, and features six classes from your favorite TTRPGs. Each class deck comes with its own set of unique abilities, which everyone plays at the same time, so there's never any downtime at your table. Each turn, everyone's characters levels up, giving players access to even more options. If you're interested in taking a look, we have our sales page live now, packed with details. Um Other thing I'm gonna wrap back around for a [00:04:00] minute to, you know, is the door cursed or is it a normal door? When you encounter things like that, or even when you encounter an actual fight, the your players can spend, like, an hour planning how to attack this thing, planning how to attack this, like, goblin foe or whatever, and then it lasts barely two minutes because they spend all that time planning, and then they get to actually, like, encountering and you're just like, "Oh yeah, he's here to lead you here. He's helpful." Like, ugh, it shouldn't take you, as a player, hours to come up with a way to get through something, right? When it is just going to end up being two minutes of the game. Right? So one thing that I tend to talk about a lot, um, in my personal life is how we as a [00:05:00] society, like, we have gone to shorter entertainment. Like, movies are shorter, books are shorter, music is shorter. Like, I remember four or five minute songs, and now we're down to, like, two and a half minutes, right? So that's where I think, like, role playing games are headed a little bit, okay? 'Cause you can spend an hour planning it, your DM can create this masterful campaign, but sometimes we just wanna skip the boring parts. Is that so hard to ask? So moving on, now that I'm off my little soapbox. Um, another thing that we tend to do as players, and I am definitely guilty of this one, is we adopt creatures that the dungeon master isn't expecting, right? You just see this random thing in the woods and decide, "Oh, it's mine," and now the DM has to, like, weave it into the story because you decided to have it, right? So now you just, you just gotta deal with it and roll with [00:06:00] it, and dungeon masters, I'm actually supportive of, of this one, so think on your feet for it. Um, last thing that I wanna cover is that when you're dungeon master, you are thinking of, like, everything from A, B, to Z, right? Going over all the possible outcomes and you think you have them all. You think you have every idea that your players can come up with. And then you don't. Um, perfect example of this, my husband and I were doing a session of, uh, the game that he created, right? And he was DM'ing for me, and this, like, NPC went and kidnapped another NPC using her Nether Night magic, and I was trying to think, "Well, how can I track them down? What can I do?" Because we're in a paved city, obviously no tracks, like, what's gonna work? And one of the abilities that I had, [00:07:00] I inquired if it could detect any magical essence, because I knew that this NPC Nether Night was using magic to disguise themselves and get away faster. And my husband looked at me, and he was like, "That might be the smartest thing you've ever done." And I'm just like, "Okay, cool. I'm glad I figured something out." Um, but that's just a perfect example of how, um, people and your players can figure out something that, like, just works differently, right? Um, so with all of that being said, you know, DMs don't take it to heart, players don't take it to heart, but, you know, somehow we gotta keep meeting in the middle, and that's what makes a good, uh, gaming group. So let me know, as a DM, what's your pet peeve? What's the thing that has just bugged you to no end? Players, what do you think a DM should change, right? And then just [00:08:00] drop any, you know, stories, questions, anything in the comments. Like, comment, subscribe. Let us know how we're doing, and we'll catch y'all next time.
October 30, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TicIZUlQV08 Transcription IMG_7957 === [00:00:00] Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG YouTube channel, where I go over different happenings in the tabletop role-playing universe, from D&D to the game my husband and I are creating. Um, as we all know, it is going on Halloween weekend, which is usually when we all get together with our tabletop role-playing groups and try to do a one-shot adventure. So for all of the last-minute DMs trying to throw something together for their friends, I've got a couple of ideas for you that I am just gonna rapid fire, okay? So first one, you have a haunted house that does not want you to leave. So your party is invited to investigate an abandoned mansion manor where a family mysteriously disappeared. Um, the twist in this is that the house itself changes its layout depending on the party's actions. So the rooms move, doors disappear, and the house seems to, [00:01:00] like, know the party's secrets somehow, right? Um, different encounter ideas in here is gonna be, like, animated f- um, furniture, possessed portraits, um, secret locations, and the, like, finale can be the house itself is a monster, so you have to, you know, figure out how the monster stays alive and how you can get out. Um, second one, we have the village that celebrates Halloween every night. So your, uh, tabletop role-playing party arrives at a village where everyone is celebrating a strange festival. However, nobody remembers the previous night, and the festival repeats it every single night. So you get Halloween every night. So you have different, like, strange villagers going on. You can start incorporating other, um, you know, Halloween things like scarecrows and werewolves and, [00:02:00] um, jack-o-lan-lanterns. Um, so then also finale with this one, your party discovers that the village is trapped in a curse, and you have to break the ritual before midnight of any given night that you're there. Cool. Um, third one, something is hunting in the woods. This is where we get our werewolves, our spiders, you know, all of our creepies. So travelers have gone missing near a forest, and the party's hired to investigate. So something can be following your party into there, but they never get a clear look at what is following them. So you start dealing with, like, false tracks and abandoned campsites, strange noises, and different things like that. You can even throw in environmental hazards in there, like a river, a bog, um, quicksand, that corn-- sort of stuff. Um, finale of this, a terrifying creature corners the party, and you have to choose how [00:03:00] to get past it. Um, moving on, the Last Night at the Graveyard. So local graveyard keeper hires the party to protect the cemetery during a night when the dead are supposed to rise. Um, twist with this, the undead aren't attacking randomly. They're all trying to, like, reach a certain spot, so you're trying to figure out how do you get to that spot, right? Um, you can have your skeletons, restless spirits, zombies, different kind of puzzles around the crypts and around the grave sites. Um, finale with this, the party uncovers the secret about the person buried there and why the dead are so desperate to get to them. Final one that I'm gonna try and finish this rapid fire off with is a Carnival of Curses. So a mysterious traveling carnival arrives outside of the town that you're at, and the visitors enter smiling, but nobody leaves quite the same. So the twist with this is, like, every [00:04:00] attraction is a magical challenge, and the carnival owner is collecting something from every visitor, so it could be, like, collecting their soul, their spirit, um, or you could go a bit more morbid with it and collecting, like, different parts maybe. Um, so encounter ideas with this is gonna be, like, cursed mirror maze, a rigged fortune teller, enchanted games, creepy performers like Cirque du Soleil style. Um, finale with this, the party has to defeat the carnival owner or escape the carnival itself. So that was super quick. There was five ideas for you to try and make a one-shot, hopefully before your, uh, one-shot this weekend. If not, you can always revisit this and do it anytime. I mean, why not have a fun one-shot to, like, break up what you're doing with your D&D group? So as always, like, comment, subscribe, drop different ideas down below, and we will catch y'all next time. See ya.
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