Soulwright

Where most Artificers build weapons and constructs, the Soulwright forges something far more intimate — the missing pieces of the soul. Through a blend of arcane engineering and empathic resonance, a Soulwright crafts Resonance Cores: small crystalline constructs implanted into willing creatures that restore or amplify emotional capacities like courage, memory, empathy, and grief.

Soulwrights are part engineer, part philosopher, part healer. They believe the soul is a mechanism — complex, yes, but ultimately something that can be studied and repaired. They are controversial figures. Clerics distrust them. Warlocks envy them. Common folk whisper that a Soulwright once gave a broken veteran the will to live again.

A Soulwright keeps a Ledger of Souls — a journal recording every Core ever implanted, the person it was given to, and what was missing in them.

Resonance Cores

At 3rd level you have learned to craft Resonance Cores — small arcane crystalline constructs that attune to a creature's emotional frequency and provide a boon tied to it.

CRAFTING CORES
During a long rest you can craft one Resonance Core for free using tinker's tools. You can have a number of Cores in existence at one time equal to your Intelligence modifier. Crafting a Core requires two things:

A physical vessel — a small crystal or metallic component worth at least 5gp.

An emotional anchor — you must have genuinely experienced or witnessed the corresponding emotion within the last 24 hours (see the Core table below).

IMPLANTING CORES
As an action, you can implant a Core into a willing creature within 5 feet. A creature can only hold one Core at a time. Removing a Core from a willing creature takes 10 minutes. Each Core's effect lasts indefinitely until removed.

RESONANCE CORE TABLE

Core of Resolve — Anchor: You or an ally overcame fear in the last 24 hours. Effect: The bearer has advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed.

Core of Wrath — Anchor: You felt genuine anger during the previous day. Effect: Once per turn when the bearer hits with an attack while below half their maximum hit points, they deal an extra 1d6 damage.

Core of Empathy — Anchor: You had a meaningful emotional conversation with another creature. Effect: The bearer can sense the surface emotions of creatures within 60 feet as though under a permanent, passive detect thoughts (surface thoughts only, no action required).

Core of Grief — Anchor: You witnessed or experienced loss recently. Effect: When the bearer hits with an attack while below half their maximum hit points, they deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage. This does not stack with Core of Wrath.

Core of Recall — Anchor: You spent 10 minutes in focused meditation reviewing a significant memory. Effect: The bearer has perfect recall of anything they have experienced and cannot have their memories magically altered or erased.

Empathic Resonance

Also at 3rd level, your attunement to the emotional frequencies of others grants you unique insight.

You can cast detect thoughts once without expending a spell slot. You regain this use when you finish a long rest.

Additionally your infusions can be applied to Resonance Cores instead of items, allowing a Core to also function as an infused object.

Sympathetic Link

At 5th level, your bond with your Core-bearers deepens into something protective.

When a creature bearing one of your Resonance Cores takes damage, you can use your reaction to absorb up to half of that damage (rounded down). You take the absorbed damage and the bearer takes the remainder. You must be within 60 feet of the bearer to use this feature.

Additionally you passively sense the emotional state of any creature bearing one of your Cores while they are within 60 feet of you. You don't read specific thoughts — only the broad emotional texture of what they are feeling.

Overclock

At 9th level you can push a Resonance Core beyond its safe operating limits.

As a bonus action, choose one creature within 60 feet bearing one of your Resonance Cores. That Core's effect is doubled for 1 minute (see individual Core effects for what doubled means — advantage becomes advantage on all saves of that type, damage dice double, etc.). When the duration ends the Core goes dormant and provides no benefit for the next 24 hours.

While Overclocked the bearer's eyes glow the color associated with their Core's emotion.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier. You regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

Soul Scaffold

At 15th level your mastery of the soul allows you to perform emergency arcane intervention at the moment of death.

When a creature within 60 feet of you drops to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to instantly implant a Core of Resolve into them. That creature is stabilized, regains 1 hit point, and immediately gains the benefit of the Core of Resolve. The creature's body briefly becomes semi-translucent with glowing veins of arcane light as the Core takes hold.

Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.