Deathmarked

When you kill, the souls of your enemies do not depart—they linger within you, granting you their abilities at a cost. You can channel their powers, but each use risks letting them take control, driven by their own desires and grudges. As you grow stronger, the voices grow louder, each battle a struggle not only against your foes but against the restless spirits within.

Level 3: Soul Absorption & Soul Rend

When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can choose to absorb its soul as a reaction, you can absorb an amount of souls equal to your proficiency bonus soul per short rest. You can hold a number of souls up to twice your proficiency bonus.

• Soul Rend Uses: Once per short rest, you can use a soul’s ability (spell, weapon attack, or feature) as an action. You can use this ability twice per short rest, with uses scaling to three at level 10 and four at level 15.

• Control Check: Each time you activate a soul’s ability, roll a d20. On a roll of 1, the soul attempts to take control of your body. Make a Charisma saving throw (DC = 10 + the number of souls you currently hold). On a failure, the soul takes control for 1 minute, morphing your body back into its old form and acting according to its nature as the DM dictates.

Level 6: Phantom Abilities

You can call upon a skill or language the absorbed soul possessed as a bonus action equal to your proficiency bonus per short rest. For example, if you absorbed a skilled thief’s soul, you might gain proficiency in Stealth or Thieves' Tools.

• Duration: Once activated, the Phantom Ability remains with you until the end of your next short rest or until you swap it for another one, allowing for more versatile use without expending additional uses.

• Control Check: When you use this ability, roll a d20. On a roll of 1-3, the soul attempts to take control. Make a Charisma saving throw (DC = 12 + the number of souls). On a failure, the soul takes over for up to 1 minute, with the DM controlling its actions based on its personality and motivations.

Level 14: Soulbound Strength

You can now maintain two Soul Rend abilities, such as a spell, weapon attack, or feature, increasing your options for empowered actions.

• Ritual of Resonance: You may perform a ritual to release certain souls and bind new ones. This 1-hour ritual requires uninterrupted concentration and solitude.

  • Effect: At the end of the ritual, you may replace up to two abilities granted by currently absorbed souls with abilities from new souls.

  • Control Check: The released soul does not depart quietly. Roll a d20—on a 10 or lower, the soul resists and imposes a curse, haunting you with visions or hindering certain abilities (DM's discretion) until your next long rest.

Level 18: Dominance of Souls

You may release up to three of the souls to fight alongside you as specters under your command for 1 minute using an action once per long rest.

• Drawback: The release agitates your bond with the remaining souls, causing them to surge in influence. After the specters vanish, you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 18). On a failure, the souls collectively take control for up to 1 hour, with the DM roleplaying the struggle and consequences.