A new Magic: The Gathering block means a new Plane Shift supplement.

Edit: The supplement is now available on the DMs Guild as well.

Like with the previous ones, this 40 page supplement provides enough information to run a campaign in the plane of Amonkhet.

 

The World of Amonkhet

Amonkhet’s flavor is heavily inspired from ancient Egypt. However, there’s always a twist. This world is under the rule of Nicol Bolas. If you’re not familiar, he’s an elder dragon planeswalker and, basically, the BBEG of the BBEGs. And what do BBEGs do? Evil things, of course. In this case, Nicol Bolas has turned Amonkhet into an undead army factory. Or at least, that’s what he wants.

In Amonkhet, the Curse of Wandering turns the dead into zombies. Nicol Bolas has promised to provide salvation to anyone who proves themselves in five trials that represent five aspects. Five gods oversee these trials. In reality, the elder dragon is just preparing his undead army.

Based on the social structure of the world, we get three new backgrounds.

Initiate

An initiate is on the path of completing the trials of the five gods. An initiate is usually a Barbarian, Bard, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, or Wizard. While they can specialize in hand-to-hand combat, long-range combat, or spellcasting, it’s expected that they are well-rounded in all three. That’s why it’s also advised to multiclass and take feats if you’re planning to be an Initiate.

Vizier

While the Initiates try to complete the five trials in order to gain entry to the afterlife, Viziers try to achieve that by serving under on of the gods. They are usually Clerics, Druids, or Paladins.

Dissenter

Dissenters are the ones who do not obey the rules and question the gods. They are hunted and usually thrown into the desert to die.

 

Races of Amonkhet

Humans

You get to use the variant. Humans in Amonkhet get to specialize from the beginning and this is a way to emphasize that.

Aven

These creatures have human bodies but they have bird heads and wings. There are two subraces, the ibis-headed and the hawk-headed. The ibis-headed Aven usually specialize in spellcasting, while the hawk-headed ones prefer long-range combat.

Khenra

Khenra are humanoid creatures that resemble jackals. They can be found specializing in any of the three types of combat. I think of all the races of Amonkhet, the lore of the Khenra is he one that fascinates me the most. Also, if two players decide to play Khenra twins they gain a really good feature. Being able to reroll 1s without any restriction to how many times they can do it is actually pretty good.

Minotaurs

These Minotaurs are not the product of demonic rituals. They are more civilized than those in the Monster Manual, but they still have a savage side. Above any specialization they prefer hand-to-hand combat. Surprisingly, spellcasting is second and last is long-range combat.

Naga

These are different Naga than the ones in the Monster Manual. These ones have arms. Also, they strongly believe in harmony in every aspect of life and struggle to achieve it. This makes the excel in pretty much anything they put their minds into. They can be really good in hand-to-hand combat, long-ranged combat, and spellcasting. Moreover, their Natural Weapons and Poison Immunity features make them, mechanically, quite a powerful race.

 

Trials of the Five Gods

Since there are five new gods, we also get five new Cleric Domains.

Oketra: Solidarity Domain

Oketra the True is a cat headed god and is responsible for the trial of solidarity.

• Solidarity Domain Spells. This is a really good list with some of the best support spells.
• Bonus Proficiency. Heavy armor proficiency is something many Cleric Domains get. It also fits the flavor.
• Solidarity’s Action. When you use the Help action to aid an ally’s attack, you can make one attack as well by spending your bonus action. This is a nice feature and the restriction about the kind of help makes sense to me. Check out the War Domain’s War Priest feature. To be honest, that’s an interesting change.
• Channel Divinity: Preserve Life. The Life Domain’s Channel Divinity. I’m not surprised, since this Domain, resembles the Life one, at least in my eyes.
• Channel Divinity: Oketra’s Blessing. It’s the War Domain’s War God’s Blessing Channel Divinity.
• Divine Strike. This one is a classic among the Domains.
• Supreme Healing. Life Domain’s final feature.

The Solidarity Domain is a mix between the Life and the War Domains. It takes the best parts and blends them together, making a very interesting Domain.

Kefnet: Knowledge Domain

Kefnet the Mindful is an ibis-headed god and is responsible for the trial of knowledge. His Domain is, unsurprisingly, the Knowledge Domain from the Player’s Handbook.

Rhonas: Strength Domain

Rhonas the Indomitable is a cobra-headed god and is responsible for the trial of strength.

• Strength Domain spells. This is a mix of the Nature and War Domains spell lists. It’s not bad, to be honest, combining offensive, defensive, and utility spells.
• Acolyte of Strength. A reskinned Acolyte of Nature feature from the Nature Domain. The difference is that Athletics is not available in the Acolyte of Nature, but it does make sense to add it here.
• Bonus Proficiency. It would be weird if this Domain didn’t have heavy armor proficiency.
• Channel Divinity: Feat of Strength. An upgraded version of the Guided Strike Channel Divinity of the War Domain. It’s not broken because the rolls must be Strength based, but it does increase its utility.
• Channel Divinity: Rhonas’s Blessing. That’s the upgraded version of War God’s Blessing. Again, it’s Strength based so I don’t consider it broken. In fact, you can say it decreases its value during combat, because not all your allies are going to use Strength based attacks.
• Divine Strike. Like I said, a classic.
• Avatar of Battle. That’s a War Domain feature. Even if it grants three resistances, I don’t consider it broken because you get it at level 17 and also because it doesn’t protect you from magical weapons.

It’s not a bad Domain. It’s a mix of the Nature and the War Domains. Also, I really like the idea behind the Feat of Strength and Rhona’s Blessing.

Bontu: Ambition Domain

Bontu the Glorified is a crocodile-headed god and responsible for the trial of Ambition

• Ambition Domain spells. One half of this list comes from the Trickery Domain spell list, while the other half is a nice collection of both flavorful and useful spells.
• Warding Flare. It’s the 2nd level feature of the Light Domain.
• Channel Divinity: Invoke Duplicity. Trickery Domain.
• Channel Divinity: Cloak of Shadows. Trickery Domain.
• Potent Spellcasting. Light Domain.
• Improved Duplicity. Trickery Domain.

All of the features of this Domain are features from other Domains. The only different is the spell list. Also, I don’t really know why the Light Domain was chosen for this one.

Hazoret: Zeal Domain

Hazoret the Fervent is a jackal-headed god and is responsible for the trial of zeal.

• Zeal Domain spells. This a combination of the Tempest and War spell lists, but with a fiery twist.
• Bonus proficiencies. From the Tempest Domain. It makes sure you not only have the most badass spells, but also the most badass weapons.
• Priest of Zeal. War Domain’s War Priest feature.
• Channel Divinity: Consuming Fervor. Tempest Domain’s Destructive Wrath feature. Maximum damage fireballs sound pretty nice.
• Resounding Strike. Tempest Domain’s Thunderbolt Strike.
• Divine Strike. To be honest, there’s a reason many Domains have this feature and that’s because it’s a good one. If it was missing from this one it would be very weird.
• Blaze of Glory. Now that’s a good one. If you’re reduced to 0 hit points or even killed, you spend your reaction to do two things. First, you get to move up to your speed toward the attacker. If you reach them, you get to make an attack with advantage. If the attack hits, you deal 5d10 fire damage and 5d10 of the weapon’s damage. When that’s done, you fall unconscious and/or die. I’m not sure if a feature that deals 10d10 damage is broken for the 17th level, but along with the rest of the benefits it definitely tries to be. Both the movement and the advantage are here to increase the chances of delivering this damage.

The Zeal Domain is a really good damage dealer. Also, I like its final feature a lot.

 

An Amonkhet Bestiary

Most of the monsters here are reskins of their Monster Manual versions. I have divided most of them in two categories: creepier and cooler.

Creepier

Angels and demons look really creepy in Amonkhet. Especially the angels, since we’re used to a very different image of them.

Cooler

That’s the main category. Sphinxes are really cool in Amonkhet due to their lore. Also, we get a new kind of Sphinx, the Criosphinx, which has the head of a ram.

Dragons with crocodile heads. Words aren’t enough to describe how badass they look. Go check out their art.

The undead also get amazing lore that makes them really cool in Amonkhet.

Hydras with cobra heads. Do I need to say more?

Manticores look so much better in Amonkhet. We also get a new stat block for the Manticore, Heart-Piercer.

Serpopards are cool and creepy. Felines with serpentine features. There’s also a new stat block for them.

Cerodons are siege monsters with an enormous horn.

Plane Shift: Amonkhet offers some very good content. Even if you don’t want to run an Amonkhet campaign, you can use many of its ideas to run an ancient Egypt inspired one. Besides, who wouldn’t want hydras with cobra heads in their campaign?

You can read the full article here and download the PDF here.