Bes — Egyptian God of Households, Childbirth & Music

Bes — D&D 5.5e / 2024

Player-Facing Divine Package

• Divine Status: Lesser Deity
• Divine Rank: 7
• Campaign Alignment: Neutral Good
• Suggested Cleric Domains: Life, Trickery, War. Protection remains a major portfolio theme even where the ruleset does not provide a separate Protection subclass.
• Strong Character Fits: Cleric, Bard, protective Fighter, community-minded Rogue or any character sworn to guard a household.
• Favoured Weapon: Dagger or ritual knife
• Holy Symbol: Frontal plumed Bes-face, often paired with a knife or rattle

Bes’s Full Divine Spell Access

Bes is a god, not a player-character cleric. The list below is a fast table-use repertoire, not the limit of his magic. In D&D 5.5e / 2024, Bes can use the full Cleric spell list appropriate to his divine rank, together with the granted magic of his domains and portfolio. His spellcasting remains Charisma-based in the deity stat block below.

Signature Divine Repertoire

Life Domain Spells — SRD 5.2.1

Bes’s Granted Domain Magic

Deep-Dive Spell and Domain Links

Divine Boons

Blessing of the Threshold. Once per Long Rest, when you or a creature you can see within 30 feet fails a saving throw against the Charmed or Frightened condition, you can use your Reaction to let that creature reroll the save, using the new result.

Bes’s Defiant Laugh. When you succeed on a saving throw against the Charmed or Frightened condition, choose one ally within 30 feet who can hear you. That ally gains Temporary Hit Points equal to your Proficiency Bonus + your Charisma or Wisdom modifier (your choice, minimum 1). Once you use this boon, you cannot use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.

AC 28 (divine warding)   Initiative +13 (23)   HP 792 (48d8 + 576)   Speed 50 ft.

Saving Throws Str +22, Dex +24, Con +23, Int +20, Wis +22, Cha +24
Skills Acrobatics +24, Insight +22, Perception +22, Performance +35, Religion +20
Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing; Cold, Fire, Lightning, Psychic, Thunder
Damage Immunities Necrotic, Poison, Radiant
Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Stunned
Senses Truesight 240 ft., Passive Perception 32
Languages all languages; telepathy 1 mile

Divine Traits

Divine Nature. Bes requires no air, food, drink or sleep. He does not age, and ordinary mortal magic cannot permanently alter his form.

Divine Rank 7. Bes is a Lesser Deity. Divine Rank measures divine status and authority; it is not a substitute for Challenge Rating.

Legendary Resistance (5/Day). If Bes fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. Bes has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Guardian at the Threshold. Allies of Bes within 60 feet have Advantage on saving throws against Charmed and Frightened. A protected creature beginning its turn in the aura while suffering either condition can immediately repeat the saving throw, ending that condition on a success.

Joy Against Terror. Bes ignores Resistance to Radiant, Psychic and Thunder damage. Immunity to one of those damage types becomes Resistance against damage dealt by Bes unless the immunity comes from an Artifact, a deity of equal or greater rank or a similarly absolute source.

Portfolio Awareness. Within 7 miles, Bes automatically senses a supernatural attack upon a childbirth, sleeping child, consecrated household threshold or shrine specifically dedicated to his protection.

Divine Immortality. Reducing Bes to 0 Hit Points defeats his present divine body but does not automatically erase the god from existence. Unless an adventure establishes a valid divine-death condition, Bes reforms within Duat. Within his own divine estate, permanent destruction requires a campaign-scale severing of his divine nature, portfolio or rank.

Divine Spellcasting

Bes casts spells using Charisma (spell save DC 32, +24 to hit with spell attacks). He requires no Material components and does not prepare spells in the mortal cleric sense. His spell access includes the complete 5.5e / 2024 Cleric spell list plus the Life, Trickery, War and Bes-specific granted magic listed above.

At Will: any Cleric or Bes-granted spell of 5th level or lower.
3/Day Each: any Cleric or Bes-granted spell of 6th–8th level.
1/Day Each: any Cleric or Bes-granted spell of 9th level.

Signature choices: bless, aid, calm emotions, spiritual weapon, major image, confusion, freedom of movement, greater restoration, heroes’ feast, true seeing, holy aura, mass heal, power word heal and true resurrection.

Actions

Multiattack. Bes makes four Protective Knife attacks, or three Protective Knife attacks and one Sistrum Peal.

Protective Knife. Melee Attack Roll: +24 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d6 + 13) Piercing damage plus 36 (8d8) Radiant damage. Against a Fiend, Undead or creature currently maintaining a fear, charm or possession effect, the target takes an additional 18 (4d8) Radiant damage.

Sistrum Peal. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 32, each hostile creature of Bes’s choice in a 60-foot cone. Failure: 77 (14d10) Thunder or Radiant damage, Bes’s choice, and the creature cannot take Reactions until the end of its next turn. Success: Half damage only.

Roar at the Door (Recharge 5–6). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 32, each hostile creature of Bes’s choice within 120 feet that can hear him. Failure: 99 (18d10) Psychic damage and the Frightened condition for 1 minute. Success: Half damage only. A frightened creature repeats the save at the end of each of its turns. Allies of Bes in the area immediately end Charmed and Frightened on themselves.

Drive Out the Night (1/Day). Bes chooses any number of Fiends, Undead and possessing spirits he can perceive within 120 feet. Each target makes a DC 32 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it takes 110 (20d10) Radiant damage and is banished to its native plane if it is not already there. On a success, it takes half damage and is not banished.

Bonus Action

Dance Between Blows. Bes moves up to his Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks. Up to four allies he passes within 20 feet of gain 25 Temporary Hit Points and can immediately stand from Prone without spending movement.

Reaction

Ward the Vulnerable. When a creature Bes can see within 120 feet takes damage, Bes reduces that damage by 50. If the creature is helpless, unconscious, giving birth, a child, or currently protecting another creature from harm, Bes can reduce the damage to 0 instead. Bes can use this Reaction once per round.

Legendary Actions — 4 Uses

Bes can take up to four Legendary Actions per round, one immediately after another creature ends its turn. He regains all expended uses at the start of his turn.

• Protective Knife. Bes makes one Protective Knife attack.
• Protective Rattle. One ally within 120 feet gains 30 Temporary Hit Points and may immediately repeat one saving throw against Charmed, Frightened or possession.
• Break the Nightmare. Bes ends one illusion, charm, fear or possession effect he can perceive within 120 feet. Against a divine or Artifact-level effect, Bes instead makes a Charisma check with a +13 bonus against a DC set by the GM.
• Sistrum Peal (Costs 2 Uses). Bes uses Sistrum Peal.
• Defiant Laughter (Costs 2 Uses). Each enemy within 60 feet makes a DC 32 Wisdom saving throw, taking 44 (8d10) Psychic damage on a failure or half as much on a success. Allies in the area gain Advantage on their next saving throw before the end of Bes’s next turn.

Bes’s Sistrum — 5.5e

Wondrous Item, Artifact (requires attunement by a creature accepted by Bes)

This gold-and-faience rattle is a SpiralWorlds divine artifact inspired by Egyptian sacred instruments. It is not claimed as a specific historical object.

• Charges. 7 charges; regains 1d6 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn.
• Protective Casting. Expend charges to cast bless (1), heroism (1), aid (2), calm emotions (2), major image (3), or dispel evil and good (5). The attuned bearer uses Charisma or Wisdom, chosen on attunement.
• Rattle at the Threshold. When a creature within 30 feet fails a save against Charmed or Frightened, use your Reaction and expend 1 charge to let it reroll.
• Dance of Bes. As a Magic action, expend 3 charges. Chosen allies within 30 feet who can hear the sistrum gain 10 Temporary Hit Points, end Frightened on themselves and may move up to 10 feet without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
• Refusal. If an attuned creature knowingly terrorises a child, violates a protected birth room or imprisons someone under the pretence of protection, attunement ends and the artifact becomes inert for that creature.

Bes — D&D 3.5e

Divine Package

• Divine Status: Lesser Deity
• Divine Rank: 7
• Alignment: Neutral Good
• Portfolio: households, childbirth, children, protective joy, music, warding
• Domains: Good, Luck, Protection, Trickery
• Favored Weapon: dagger
• Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG, N
• Holy Symbol: frontal plumed Bes-face, knife and rattle

Household Blessing. Once per day a cleric specifically favoured by Bes may grant one ally within 30 feet a +4 sacred bonus on a single saving throw against fear, charm or compulsion. Declare the blessing before the save is rolled.

Full Domain Spell Access

Bes possesses the complete spell lists of the Good, Luck, Protection and Trickery domains. These are deity-granted spell-like abilities rather than mortal domain slots; the exact caster-level and saving-throw treatment appears under Divine Domain Spell-Like Abilities below.

Hit Dice 36d8+504 (792 hp; divine maximum hit points)
Initiative +19
Speed 50 ft.
Armor Class 69, touch 49, flat-footed 54 (+15 Dex, +1 size, +20 natural, +7 divine, +16 deflection)
Base Attack/Grapple +36/+51
Attack +5 holy dagger +64 melee (1d3+17/17–20 plus 4d6 vs. evil)
Full Attack +5 holy dagger +64/+59/+54/+49 melee (1d3+17/17–20 plus 4d6 vs. evil)
Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks divine aura, domain powers, salient divine abilities, spell-like abilities, rattle of defiance
Special Qualities divine immunities, divine senses, immortality, portfolio sense, automatic actions, remote sensing, block sensing, DR 20/epic, energy resistance 12, SR 39
Saves Fort +41, Ref +42, Will +40

Skills Balance +61, Bluff +62, Concentration +60, Diplomacy +66, Heal +59, Hide +62, Jump +58, Knowledge (the planes) +55, Knowledge (religion) +55, Listen +59, Perform (percussion) +65, Sense Motive +59, Spellcraft +55, Spot +59, Tumble +61
Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Critical (dagger), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Skill Focus (Perform), Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (dagger), Epic Reflexes

Divine Characteristics

Bes adds Divine Rank +7 as a divine bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks, caster-level checks and turning checks.

Divine Immunities

Bes is immune to hostile polymorphing and form alteration, energy drain, ability drain, ability damage, mind-affecting effects, acid, cold, electricity, disease, poison, stunning, sleep, paralysis, death effects and disintegration.

Immortality

Bes does not age and need not eat, drink, sleep or breathe. Reducing him to 0 hit points defeats his present divine body but does not permanently erase the deity unless a valid divine-death condition has been established.

Divine Senses

Bes’s senses extend to a radius of 7 miles, subject to the limits of the senses he possesses.

Remote Sensing

Bes can remotely sense up to five qualifying locations at once, particularly households, shrines and protected persons connected to his portfolio.

Portfolio Sense

Bes automatically senses present events involving his portfolio when they affect at least 500 creatures. He also immediately detects a supernatural violation of a consecrated birth room, household threshold or shrine dedicated specifically to him within 7 miles.

Automatic Actions

For tasks directly related to his portfolio, Bes can automatically perform qualifying checks of DC 20 or lower as free actions. He can perform up to five such automatic actions each round.

Divine Aura

Bes’s divine aura can extend to 700 feet. The Will save DC is 33. Bes normally uses the aura to inspire courage in allies or to cause awe or fear in hostile supernatural creatures.

Damage Reduction, Resistance and Spell Resistance

DR 20/epic; acid, cold, electricity, fire and sonic resistance 12; SR 39.

Salient Divine Abilities — 9

1. Alter Reality
2. Divine Blast
3. Divine Shield
4. Power of Luck
5. Divine Inspiration
6. Divine Dodge
7. Irresistible Performance
8. Warding Threshold
9. Protective Presence

Warding Threshold — Unique Salient Divine Ability

Within 700 feet, Bes knows whenever a creature attempts to enter a consecrated household or birth space with the immediate intention of harming a protected occupant. As a free action once per round, Bes can impose a –7 divine penalty on that creature’s next attack roll, saving throw or opposed check before the start of Bes’s next turn.

Protective Presence — Unique Salient Divine Ability

Allies within Bes’s divine aura gain a +7 divine bonus on saving throws against fear, charm and possession. Once per round, Bes may allow one such ally to immediately reroll a failed save against one of those effects.

Rattle of Defiance (Su)

As a standard action every 1d4 rounds, Bes releases a 120-foot cone of divine sound. Hostile creatures take 20d6 points of sonic damage and 20d6 points of divine damage; a DC 44 Will save halves both. Evil outsiders and undead that fail the save are panicked for 1d4 rounds. Allies in the cone may immediately attempt a new saving throw against one fear, charm or possession effect.

Ward the Vulnerable (Su)

Once per round as an immediate action, Bes reduces damage dealt to a creature within 120 feet by 70 points. If the creature is helpless, unconscious, giving birth, a child or actively shielding another creature, Bes may instead negate the damage entirely.

Domain Powers

Bes grants Good, Luck, Protection and Trickery.

Divine Domain Spell-Like Abilities

Bes can use every spell belonging to a domain he grants as a spell-like ability at will. These abilities function at caster level 17th and have a saving throw DC of 33 + spell level.

Bes’s Sistrum — D&D 3.5e

Major Artifact; strong abjuration and enchantment; CL 20th; Weight 2 lb.

The sistrum has 7 charges at sunrise each day. An accepted bearer can spend charges to use the following spell-like effects at caster level 20th: bless or heroism (1); aid or calm emotions (2); major image or break enchantment (3); dispel evil (5).

Rattle at the Threshold (Su). For 1 charge, an ally within 30 feet may immediately attempt a new save against an ongoing charm, compulsion or fear effect with a +4 sacred bonus.

Dance of Bes (Su). For 3 charges, allies within 30 feet gain 15 temporary hit points, end the shaken condition, and may each take a 5-foot step even if they have already moved that round, provided normal space restrictions are met.

Artifact Refusal. The sistrum becomes inert to a wielder who deliberately uses the idea of household protection to abuse the vulnerable.