So I came up with a new class, which is essentially a re-skinning of the fighter with a few tweaks to give the class a different flavor. The real major changes are in the sub-classes and lvl 9 feature. Feedback, play-tests, and recommendations are welcome.
Soul Bond
At the first level, you form a bond with a simple or martial melee weapon. Using your bonus action, you may summon your bonded weapon to your hand, provided you are on the same plane as your weapon. You may bond with a different weapon, but each time you change bonds your hit points will be permanently reduced by 1 as a result of losing part of your soul.
Bond Emergence
The type of bond you have with your equipment shows early on at the first level, giving you various benefits. choose one of the options below. you may not choose the same bond emergence or its corresponding fighting style option twice even if you later get to choose again.
Iron Soul: Your soul is reinforced by your soul-bonded weapon. +1 to ac when wielding your soul-bonded weapon. Corresponds to defense.
Soul Embrace: When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must have your soul-bonded weapon equipped. Corresponds to protection.
Conflicting Soul: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage roll with your bonded weapon, you may re-roll the die and you must use the new roll even if it is a 1 or 2. Corresponds to great weapon fighting.
Soul Merge: When you engage with two weapon fighting, so long as one of the weapons is your soul-bonded weapon, you may add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. Corresponds to two-weapon fighting.
Soul-affliction: On a successful hit with your soul-bonded weapon and before damage is rolled, you may choose to deal no damage and roll a d4 dice to cause an affliction to the creature, provided that the creature’s intelligence score is equal to or lower than yours.If you do so, you may not attack another creature this turn, even if you have the extra attack feature. Consult the following table for the affliction the creatures suffers.
Affliction Table
Roll
Affliction
1
Retaliation: The creature hits you once with no modifiers
2
Enraged: The creature can only attack you next turn
3
Frightened: The creature is Frightened of you until your next turn
4
Stunned: The creature is stunned until your next turn.
Shared Soul
Your soul is melded with your weapon, allowing you to draw upon it in order to heal yourself. On your turn you may use your bonus action to regain hit points. Act as though you are rolling for damage with your soul-bonded weapon including modifiers. Add your fighter level to this total. You regain hit-points equal to this number.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Action Surge
Starting at 2nd level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.
Soul Mutation
At the 3rd level, your soul undergoes a transformation, causing the nature of your bond to change as well. Discover what kind of soul you have, whether it is Bloodthirsty, Calculating, or Protective.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.
Piercing Soul
Beginning at 9th level, you can strike directly at the soul of your opponent. Using your bonus action/action, you may hit an opponent once with your bonded weapon. Deal damage as though the opponent was vulnerable to the damage type dealt. You may not use this feature again until after you finish a long rest. You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.
Soul Mutations
Every person has a unique personality and a unique soul. How the soul transforms is influenced by not only your alignment but also your actions. Think on this as you discover what kind of soul you have.
Bloodthirsty
You have discovered that your soul longs for death and battle. Discover for yourself whether this is a longing for the slaying of creatures regardless of their innocence, a need for the destruction of those that anger you, or simply a burning desire of vengeance that must be resolved.
Thirsting
Just like you, your soul-bonded weapon is hungry for blood. At the 3rd level, your soul-bonded weapon gains +2 to damage and +1 to attack rolls. If it has the thrown property it receives +1 to damage and +2 attack rolls instead.
Bladed Strike
At the 7th level, you gain the ability to send a surge of energy out of your weapon. The color of this energy is determined by the GM, but it should correspond to some personality trait. Whenever you attack, you may strike an opponent that you can see with this surge of energy. If the attack hits, the damage is reduced by 1 damage for every ten feet away they were from you.
Strong Bond
At the 10th level, constant fighting has forged both your will and blade anew. You may choose an additional Bond Emergence.
Self-Reflection
At the 15th level, you can use your bonus action to summon a number of copies of your bonded weapon equal to your intelligence modifier. These weapons lasts for your next two turns and will attack the same targets you attack. Each weapon hits if your original attack hits and misses if your original attack misses, but each weapon only deals half of the damage you roll for the original attack, rounded up. The weapons are capable of using bladed strike. You may do this two times per short or long rest.
Infinite self
At the 18th level, you soul has become stronger. You may now use Self Reflection three times per short or long rest. You may now conjure a number of copies equal to your intelligence modifier times two.
Calculating
Deep down inside, you have discovered something about yourself. Preparing ambushes and analyzing your enemies weakness is your specialty. Always having a plan on hand soothes the restlessness in your soul. The plans are your own though, whether it is to end the pillaging of villagers or to gain riches at the cost of others is something that must be decided by yourself.
Tool for Every Job
Upon reaching the 3rd level, you realize that each weapon gives you an advantage in a fight. You may own a number of bonded weapons equal to your intelligence modifier, minimum 1. Each weapons must each have at least 1 property that that none of your other bonded weapon has. For example, you may have a shortsword and a warhammer, but not a shortsword and a scimitar/rapier. If any of your bonded weapons fail to match this criteria at any time, you will become un-bonded with that weapon, including all penalties that apply. In addition,you may bond with a ranged weapon.
In addition,you may bond with a ranged weapon. If you gain the Thirsting trait, treat a ranged weapon as having the thrown property for the trait.
If you use Shared Soul, you may choose only one of the weapons you are bonded with to use for this feature.
I have a Plan
At the 7th level, you have made plans for scenarios that you find likely to occur. Choose one of the following options. You may choose another at the 10th level.
Ambush. Your parties damage is doubled for any surprise rounds.
Follow Me. When you are the first person in your group to attack, your party members will have advantage on any creatures that you make an attack roll on and was successful.
Observation. If you kill a creature, roll a d20 and add your intelligence modifier. If you roll a 20 or higher, your party will now have advantage against the same kind of creature as the one you killed.
Tactical Retreat. Once per day, you may order your party to retreat. Every member of your party will immediately act as though they have taken the dash option as an action and bonus action, regardless if they have already used their action or bonus action. Your party cannot willingly move towards hostile forces while moving under this skill.
Weakness. When you take the attack action, you may forgo one attack and instead perform a probing attack on a suspected weakness of an enemy of your choice. You may do so a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. Take a short or long rest to recover all uses. Roll a d20 and consult the table below.
Weakness Table
Roll Value
Effect
1-10
No Effect
11-15
You gain advantage when attacking creature
16-19
The creature loses all resistance or immunities to a damage type of your choice if attacked.
20
You gain advantage when attacking the creature and the creature becomes vulnerable to a damage type of your choice.
Wild Card
By the time you reach the 15th level, you realize the benefits of having a trick up your sleeve, especially one that others don't see coming. You may choose one feature from a subclass of Soul-Bound Knight, provided that you do not already have that feature.You must choose a feature that is of the 10th level or lower.
Trump Card
You have proven to yourself that tactical genius is nothing without personal strength. At the 18th level, you may choose one feature from a subclass of Soul-Bound Knight, provided that you do not already have that feature. You must choose a feature that is of the 15th level or lower.
Protective
At the core of your being, you desire to protect. To defend yourself and your friends from harm. Whether this is because you care for your friends and don’t want them to be hurt, or because you don’t want to lose the money that they can bring in is your own motivation.
Warding
Your instincts to protect yourself and your allies is uncanny. At the 3rd level, if you or a creature friendly to you is hit by an attack, you may use your reaction to give yourself or a creature within sixty feet of you that you can see +3 to AC or you can have them recover HP equal to your .
You may use this a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. Take a short or long rest to recover all uses.
Defensive Tactics
Also at the 3rd level, you gain the ability to take the Dodge action as a bonus action.
Inner Rage
At the 7th level, you learn to channel emotions into your strikes. When you deal damage to a creature, you may use your reaction to cause that creature to become enraged at you for your next two turns. An enraged creature will only attack the source of its anger and will only use spells that can hurt the target of its rage. AOE spells will still damage any nearby creatures though.
Soul Armor
At the 10th level, your soul-bonded weapon gains the ability to transform. Using your bonus action, your weapon will temporarily turn into armor composed of the same material as your weapon was. For your next 2 turns, you gain +5 to AC and you become one size larger. Roll your damage and attack rolls for unarmed strikes as though you were attacking with your bonded weapon. You may use this feature twice per short or long rest.
Soul Aura
At the 15th level, you learn how to broadcast an aura of fear that strikes the souls of your enemies. Every enemy creature within 30ft of you must make an intelligence saving throw. Use your intelligence modifier for the spell save DC. If the creature fails the throw, they become Frightened. If they succeed, the creature will not willingly approach you. You my use Soul Aura a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier.
Indomitable Will
Even if the planes crumble to dust, your soul will still remain. At the 18th level, you may use Shared Soul instead of rolling death saving throws, even if all uses of Shared Soul have been expended. You may do so twice per day.
So I came up with a new class, which is essentially a re-skinning of the fighter with a few tweaks to give the class a different flavor. The real major changes are in the sub-classes and lvl 9 feature. Feedback, play-tests, and recommendations are welcome.
Soul Bond
At the first level, you form a bond with a simple or martial melee weapon. Using your bonus action, you may summon your bonded weapon to your hand, provided you are on the same plane as your weapon. You may bond with a different weapon, but each time you change bonds your hit points will be permanently reduced by 1 as a result of losing part of your soul.
Bond Emergence
The type of bond you have with your equipment shows early on at the first level, giving you various benefits. choose one of the options below. you may not choose the same bond emergence or its corresponding fighting style option twice even if you later get to choose again.
Iron Soul: Your soul is reinforced by your soul-bonded weapon. +1 to ac when wielding your soul-bonded weapon. Corresponds to defense.
Soul Embrace: When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must have your soul-bonded weapon equipped. Corresponds to protection.
Conflicting Soul: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage roll with your bonded weapon, you may re-roll the die and you must use the new roll even if it is a 1 or 2. Corresponds to great weapon fighting.
Soul Merge: When you engage with two weapon fighting, so long as one of the weapons is your soul-bonded weapon, you may add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. Corresponds to two-weapon fighting.
Soul-affliction: On a successful hit with your soul-bonded weapon and before damage is rolled, you may choose to deal no damage and roll a d4 dice to cause an affliction to the creature, provided that the creature’s intelligence score is equal to or lower than yours.If you do so, you may not attack another creature this turn, even if you have the extra attack feature. Consult the following table for the affliction the creatures suffers.
Affliction Table
Shared Soul
Your soul is melded with your weapon, allowing you to draw upon it in order to heal yourself. On your turn you may use your bonus action to regain hit points. Act as though you are rolling for damage with your soul-bonded weapon including modifiers. Add your fighter level to this total. You regain hit-points equal to this number.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Action Surge
Starting at 2nd level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.
Soul Mutation
At the 3rd level, your soul undergoes a transformation, causing the nature of your bond to change as well. Discover what kind of soul you have, whether it is Bloodthirsty, Calculating, or Protective.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.
Piercing Soul
Beginning at 9th level, you can strike directly at the soul of your opponent. Using your bonus action/action, you may hit an opponent once with your bonded weapon. Deal damage as though the opponent was vulnerable to the damage type dealt. You may not use this feature again until after you finish a long rest. You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.
Soul Mutations
Every person has a unique personality and a unique soul. How the soul transforms is influenced by not only your alignment but also your actions. Think on this as you discover what kind of soul you have.
Bloodthirsty
You have discovered that your soul longs for death and battle. Discover for yourself whether this is a longing for the slaying of creatures regardless of their innocence, a need for the destruction of those that anger you, or simply a burning desire of vengeance that must be resolved.
Thirsting
Just like you, your soul-bonded weapon is hungry for blood. At the 3rd level, your soul-bonded weapon gains +2 to damage and +1 to attack rolls. If it has the thrown property it receives +1 to damage and +2 attack rolls instead.
Bladed Strike
At the 7th level, you gain the ability to send a surge of energy out of your weapon. The color of this energy is determined by the GM, but it should correspond to some personality trait. Whenever you attack, you may strike an opponent that you can see with this surge of energy. If the attack hits, the damage is reduced by 1 damage for every ten feet away they were from you.
Strong Bond
At the 10th level, constant fighting has forged both your will and blade anew. You may choose an additional Bond Emergence.
Self-Reflection
At the 15th level, you can use your bonus action to summon a number of copies of your bonded weapon equal to your intelligence modifier. These weapons lasts for your next two turns and will attack the same targets you attack. Each weapon hits if your original attack hits and misses if your original attack misses, but each weapon only deals half of the damage you roll for the original attack, rounded up. The weapons are capable of using bladed strike. You may do this two times per short or long rest.
Infinite self
At the 18th level, you soul has become stronger. You may now use Self Reflection three times per short or long rest. You may now conjure a number of copies equal to your intelligence modifier times two.
Calculating
Deep down inside, you have discovered something about yourself. Preparing ambushes and analyzing your enemies weakness is your specialty. Always having a plan on hand soothes the restlessness in your soul. The plans are your own though, whether it is to end the pillaging of villagers or to gain riches at the cost of others is something that must be decided by yourself.
Tool for Every Job
Upon reaching the 3rd level, you realize that each weapon gives you an advantage in a fight. You may own a number of bonded weapons equal to your intelligence modifier, minimum 1. Each weapons must each have at least 1 property that that none of your other bonded weapon has. For example, you may have a shortsword and a warhammer, but not a shortsword and a scimitar/rapier. If any of your bonded weapons fail to match this criteria at any time, you will become un-bonded with that weapon, including all penalties that apply. In addition,you may bond with a ranged weapon.
In addition,you may bond with a ranged weapon. If you gain the Thirsting trait, treat a ranged weapon as having the thrown property for the trait.
If you use Shared Soul, you may choose only one of the weapons you are bonded with to use for this feature.
I have a Plan
At the 7th level, you have made plans for scenarios that you find likely to occur. Choose one of the following options. You may choose another at the 10th level.
Ambush. Your parties damage is doubled for any surprise rounds.
Follow Me. When you are the first person in your group to attack, your party members will have advantage on any creatures that you make an attack roll on and was successful.
Observation. If you kill a creature, roll a d20 and add your intelligence modifier. If you roll a 20 or higher, your party will now have advantage against the same kind of creature as the one you killed.
Tactical Retreat. Once per day, you may order your party to retreat. Every member of your party will immediately act as though they have taken the dash option as an action and bonus action, regardless if they have already used their action or bonus action. Your party cannot willingly move towards hostile forces while moving under this skill.
Weakness. When you take the attack action, you may forgo one attack and instead perform a probing attack on a suspected weakness of an enemy of your choice. You may do so a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. Take a short or long rest to recover all uses. Roll a d20 and consult the table below.
Weakness Table
Wild Card
By the time you reach the 15th level, you realize the benefits of having a trick up your sleeve, especially one that others don't see coming. You may choose one feature from a subclass of Soul-Bound Knight, provided that you do not already have that feature.You must choose a feature that is of the 10th level or lower.
Trump Card
You have proven to yourself that tactical genius is nothing without personal strength. At the 18th level, you may choose one feature from a subclass of Soul-Bound Knight, provided that you do not already have that feature. You must choose a feature that is of the 15th level or lower.
Protective
At the core of your being, you desire to protect. To defend yourself and your friends from harm. Whether this is because you care for your friends and don’t want them to be hurt, or because you don’t want to lose the money that they can bring in is your own motivation.
Warding
Your instincts to protect yourself and your allies is uncanny. At the 3rd level, if you or a creature friendly to you is hit by an attack, you may use your reaction to give yourself or a creature within sixty feet of you that you can see +3 to AC or you can have them recover HP equal to your .
You may use this a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. Take a short or long rest to recover all uses.
Defensive Tactics
Also at the 3rd level, you gain the ability to take the Dodge action as a bonus action.
Inner Rage
At the 7th level, you learn to channel emotions into your strikes. When you deal damage to a creature, you may use your reaction to cause that creature to become enraged at you for your next two turns. An enraged creature will only attack the source of its anger and will only use spells that can hurt the target of its rage. AOE spells will still damage any nearby creatures though.
Soul Armor
At the 10th level, your soul-bonded weapon gains the ability to transform. Using your bonus action, your weapon will temporarily turn into armor composed of the same material as your weapon was. For your next 2 turns, you gain +5 to AC and you become one size larger. Roll your damage and attack rolls for unarmed strikes as though you were attacking with your bonded weapon. You may use this feature twice per short or long rest.
Soul Aura
At the 15th level, you learn how to broadcast an aura of fear that strikes the souls of your enemies. Every enemy creature within 30ft of you must make an intelligence saving throw. Use your intelligence modifier for the spell save DC. If the creature fails the throw, they become Frightened. If they succeed, the creature will not willingly approach you. You my use Soul Aura a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier.
Indomitable Will
Even if the planes crumble to dust, your soul will still remain. At the 18th level, you may use Shared Soul instead of rolling death saving throws, even if all uses of Shared Soul have been expended. You may do so twice per day.
So, what do you think?
:)
"Not all those who wander are lost"