Seraveth's Contrition
Seraveth was a death cleric who, after a lifetime of wielding mortality as a weapon, surrendered her order's unholy relic at the Pyre of Ancorath and had it reforged into this focus, ivory-pale, veined with gold, shaped like a hand pressed flat in supplication. She never wielded it in battle; she carried it as proof of what she had been. The clerics who recovered it from her tomb debated for a generation whether to destroy it.
Mechanics
A holy symbol focus that burns undead with radiant overflow and lets the wielder redirect expended divine energy into a blinding burst of light once per day.
Penance Light
When you deal damage to an undead creature with a spell cast through this focus, that creature takes an additional 1d8 radiant damage. This light is visible as a pale golden flare that erupts from the point of impact, though it produces no illumination otherwise.
Absolution Pulse
As an action, you raise this focus aloft and release a concentrated burst of holy radiance. Each creature of your choice within 20 feet must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be blinded until the end of your next turn. Undead and fiends have disadvantage on this saving throw. The focus dims visibly after this use, its ivory surface going grey until dawn.
Vigil of the Penitent
While you hold or wear this focus, you are aware of the presence of undead within 30 feet of you, even through walls and other obstacles, though you do not know their exact location or number. You sense them as a low, persistent ache behind your sternum.
DM Notes
The triggered Penance Light damage (1d8 radiant against undead) is well within Rare bounds and rewards a Death Domain cleric's thematic reversal, hurting the undead they once empowered. The passive Vigil of the Penitent functions like a limited Detect Evil and Good for undead only, which is strong in dungeon environments but narrow enough not to overshadow exploration. Absolution Pulse replicates a blinding burst without dealing damage, making it a battlefield control option rather than a nova, the disadvantage clause for undead and fiends gives it relevance in this character's likely combat encounters without overshadowing higher-level spell slots. Consider placing this item in the hands of an NPC penitent or a tomb guardian if you want it to arrive with narrative weight. The blinded condition lasts only one turn, so Absolution Pulse rewards coordinated party tactics rather than solo dominance.
Generated with: Level 9 · Cleric · Death Domain · Arcane focus · Heroic · Radiant / Holy · Rare