Soul Binder (Bond of the Divine) (Warlock Edition)

 Soul Binder

Loneliness. Weakness. The call to adventure. For most people these are passing moments, a part of the ups and downs of everyday life. There are those however, who are defined by these feelings. Whether feeling alone in a crowd, powerless to get what they deserve or eager to see all things the world has to offer, soul binders have taken a drastic step to solve their problems. Unable to meet the demands of the world alone they choose to give up a piece of their soul to bond with another creature and face life's challenges together.

 A Companion for Life

When soul binders bind themselves to another creature, they do so for life. They will stand together, always, two against the world.
They will always look out for each other, because in the end, they need each other. Whether they like it or not. The companion will often be the stronger of the pair, but without the binder to guide it, the companion is nowhere near its full potential.

Split Soul

The process of binding your soul with another creature can be quite taxing, especially if the creature isn't willing at first. Some people disappear into the wild to find a forest animal willing to bind, and return months later with a beast by their side willing to do anything for them, while others would rather summon a creature of untold horror, force it into submission, then bind the creature to follow their command.

However, having your soul bound to another creature means that your soul will never be full again. There is always something missing. It gets even more apparent for the soul binder when their companion is far away from them, and can sometimes be physically painful for them to be a great distance from their companion.

Creating a Soul Binder

When making your soul binder you must consider how you got your companion. Did you travel the world to seek a companion, was it easy for you, or was it a life goal, was it even your choice to bind your soul? Maybe you were captured by cultist, that forced you to bind with a creature against your and the creatures will.

What kind of relationship do you have with your companion? Are you two inseparable friends? Or is it more of a master and servant relationship. Sometimes a Soul Binder might regret the act of soul binding and want to undo it, though it is a hard and lengthy process.

Soul Binders are in contact with their companion like no other two beings will ever be, and when you play as a Soul Binder you can describe how you and your companion act.

Soul Binder Features

Your hit dice changed to 1d6.

you loose all your proficiencies and gain proficiency in light armor, simple weapons, one artians tool or muscal instrument of your choice, and two of the following skills: Animal Handling, History, Nature, Insight, Arcana, Persuasion, Intimidation. Lastly you gain proficiency in the Constituion and Charisma saving throw.

 You also don't follow the spellcasting progresssion of a warlock, but instead you are a half caster like a paladin, and each longrest you can prepare a number of spells equal to half your level (rounded up) + Your charisma modifier.

Guardian of the Heavens

When you choose this bond at 1st level,, you bind your soul with a celestial creature. The celestial has the appearance of your choice and uses the Holy Guardian stat block. Holy Guardian Stat Block

Expanded Spell List

As Soul Binder you can choose any spell from the soul binder spell list instead of the warlock spell list.

Divine Warrior

At 1st level you gain proficiency with medium armor and martial weapons. You can also speak, read and write Celestial. Additionally your hit point maximum increases by 1 and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class.

Bonded Companion

At 1st level, you gain a companion that will serve and aid you in every way it possibly can. The companion gains bonuses from being linked to your essence. In combat, the companion moves and acts on your turn in initiative. You can command it verbally (no action needed) and if you are incapacitated, it will do its best to protect you and itself from harm.

You and your companion both become empowered from the bond you share, but only one of you can take full advantage of that power at first. If you take the Attack action or cast a spell with a casting time of one action, your companion can't take the Attack action on the same turn, and if your companion takes the Attack action, you can't take the Attack action or cast a spell with a casting time of one action on the same turn.

More details about your companion can be found in the "Soulbound Traits" feature.

Soulbound Traits

Your soulbound companion has its own hit dice, and can spend them during a short rest. At first level, its hit points are equal to the maximum value of its hit dice + its Constitution modifier. Whenever you gain a level in this class, your companion also levels up, and it can increase its hit point maximum using its hit dice as normal.

Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature in this class, your companion's abilities also improve. You can increase one of its ability scores of your choice by 2, or you can increase two of its ability scores of your choice by 1. At the DM's discretion you can forgo increasing the companion's ability scores and instead take one feat of your choice for it. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.

Your companion aids you in and out of battle, as it gains bonuses for being linked to your essence. It gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. In areas where it would use its proficiency bonus, it uses your proficiency bonus instead. It also uses your proficiency bonus when calculating its AC.

Your companion will always use Strength for its attack and damage rolls (unless otherwise specified), and its damage dice is shown in the companion's stat block. If a feature for your companion requires another creature to make a saving throw, the DC is equal to your Spell Save DC.

If your companion is reduced to 0 hit points, it falls unconscious and makes death saving throws. When it is reduced to 0 hit points, the soul binder will take any excess damage from the attack. If it is killed, you can return it to life as part of a long rest. The process of reviving can be very hard on your soul, gaining one level of exhaustion at the end of the rest when you revive your companion.

If you die your companion will gain 1 level of exhaustion for each minute you are dead until you are revived again or the companion dies too.

Hidden Form

You have learned how to reduce your companion's size or hide them on another plane for an easy way to hide or carry it. At 1st level you learn one of the following features:

At the end of a long rest you can choose to swap out your hidden form feature for a different one.

Disguise

As an action you can create an illusion around your companion that makes it looks like another beast or humanoid of similar build and size, such as making a drake look like a dog, or a demon look like a farmer. The disguise end if your companion takes any damage, deals damage to another creature or you end it as an action.

Pocket Dimension

As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your companion as long as it is within 5 feet of you. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. As an action, while it is dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. If you go unconscious while your companion is in its pocket dimension, it reappears within 5 feet on you.

Shrink

You can use your bonus action to change your companion's size to Tiny or back to its full size if it is within 30 feet of you. If there isn't enough space for it to grow to its original size, it instead takes 1d10 force damage and stays Tiny. While in Tiny form, the companion can't attack in any way.

Edict

You have gotten better control over your companion and can give it more complicated commands. You can use a bonus action to speak a command to your companion. It must be able to hear you for the command to take effect. 
At 2nd level, you learn the following commands:

Strike. You command your companion to attack with extra ferocity. The next time your companion hits another creature with an attack this turn, that attack deals extra 2d6 damage.

Toughen Up. You command your companion to toughen up and be ready to withstand even more blows. Your companion gains 2d6 temporary hit points that last for 10 minutes.

Block. You command your companion to evade or block incoming attacks rather than taking them. Until the end of your next turn your companion can add your Charisma modifier to any saving throw it has to make, and add half your Charimsa modifier (rounded up) to its AC.

Move. You tell your companion that it needs to move fast, or move safely. When given this command your companion can take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action on this turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1), regaining all uses on a long rest.

The amount of dice for the "Strike" and "Toughen Up" edict increase as you gain levels in this class, increasing to 3d6 at 5th level, 4d6 at 11th level and 5d6 at 17th level.

Magic Item Absorption

When you reach 3rd level, the soul binder can perform a special ritual to merge a magic item into its companion during a short rest. Merging with an item requires physical contact between the soul binder, the item and the companion.

Certain items have prerequisites. The companion must meet any prerequisite for the item to successfully merge with it. Your companion cannot merge with items requiring a class prerequisite. If the short rest is interrupted, the merging fails. Otherwise, at the end of the short rest, the item merges into the companion.

While merged, the companion gains an intuitive understanding of how to activate any magical properties of the item, including any necessary Command words. Your companion can use the magical properties of the item and apply the effects to its natural weapons and natural armor, but doesn't get the benefit of the armor or weapon itself. It can only have one weapon merged at a time, and one piece of armor. The companions natural weapons can only benefit from one of the merged items, and you can change this on a short rest, the same goes for its natural armor. If it absorbs a weapon, its attacks becomes magical.

Example: if you bind a +1 Plate armor to your companion it gains +1 to its AC, but not the benefits of wearing Plate armor. Each merged item within the creature counts as an attunement for the soul binder, regardless if whether the item required attunement. Attempting to merge with more than three items fails automatically. The soul binder can voluntarily end the merge by spending another short rest focused on the item, unless the item is cursed.

If the companion dies, all the merges items are expelled from its corpse on the ground around it.

Gift of Life

When you reach 3rd level, your companion has learned to be selfless and giving, sacrificing part of its life energy to heal you or your companions.

Your guardian can use a bonus action to deal damage to itself, in turn healing a creature of its choice within 5 feet of it. This damage ignores temporary hit points, immunities and resistances. The creature regains hit points equal to the damage dealt.

Advanced Offense

Beginning at 5th level, you and your companion have improved your skill in combat and work even better together. You gain one of the following features of your choice:

At 11th level you get the other feature that you didn't pick at 5th level.

Companion Extra Attack

Your companion can attack twice instead of once, whenever it takes the Attack action on its turn.

Expert Commanding

There is no longer any restrictions for whenever you or your companion can take the Attack action or cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action as long as it is a soul binder spell.

Pick this at level 1

it does nothing

Soul Linked Casting

You and your companion are of the same soul, and you can channel magic through your link.

At 5th level, when you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can choose to also have the spell affect your companion if the companion is within 60 feet of you. If you lose concentration on the spell, you both lose the effect, and you must make concentration checks also if your companion takes damage, as if you took that amount of damage.

Soul Infused Attacks

Starting at 6th level, your companions attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Companion's Protection

When you reach 6th level your companion's defense is better than ever, avoiding everything from traps to spells. It gains proficiency in all saving throws. Additionally, it has advantage on Intelligence and Charisma saving throws when you are within 100 feet of it and it can see you.

Project Senses

Beginning at 7th level you can project your mind into your companion. As an action, you can see through your companion’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the companion has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. While you are seeing with your companion's eyes you can also choose to speak though it with your own voice being projected from its mouth.

Inspiring Heal

At 7th level, you know how to mend wounds and inspire your guardian to perform better in combat.

You learn the healing word spell. You always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. It counts as a soul binder spell for you.

Additionally, whenever you cast healing word on your guardian, it can use its reaction to make a melee weapon attack.

Resting Voice

Beginning at 9th level you now regain all uses of your edicts on a short or long rest.

Countermeasure

At 10th level, your companion is very protective of you and will harm anyone who seeks to hurt you. When you are targeted by an attack, your companion can take one of the following reactions:

Revenge. The companion can use its reaction to make one attack against the enemy if it is within range.

Roar. It uses its reaction to let out a frightful roar to impose disadvantage on the attack roll as long as the attacker is within 30 feet of it and is not deafened.

Body Shield. If your companion is within 5 feet of you when the attack is made, it can use its reaction to redirect the attack to target the companion instead.

Edicts of Radiance

Starting at 11th level, you can command your guardian with a voice that can pierce the heavens. The following commands are added to your Edict options:

Blinding Light. You command your guardian to unleash its inner radiant light. On its turn it can use its action to release its blinding energy. Creatures of its choice within 15 feet of it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of your next turn.

Spread Your Wings. Your words inspire your guardian to fly as high as the sky. It has a flying speed of 60 feet and it doesn't provoke opportunity attacks until the start of your next turn.

Death Prevention

When you reach 15th level, your guardian have gained the powers to protect people from the grasp of death.

If a creature within 60 feet of your companion drops to 0 hit points or fails a death saving throw, your guardian can use its reaction to teleport to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of that creature and breathe new life into them. The creature regains 10d12 hit points.

Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Soul Purification

When you reach 14th level you can use your soul energy to flush out any negative effects currently impeding your companion.

If your companion is affected by a magical effect that allows it to make a saving throw at the start or end of its turns, or as an action, you can use your action to allow your companion to immediately attempt to make the saving throw even if it has already done so on said turn.

Resonating Voice

At 18th level you use your magic to command your companion with a voice that resonates with your shared soul bond.

When you use an edict you can select another edict you know and have that affect your companion as well.

Soul Infused Giant

When you reach 20th level you can infuse your companion with all your energy to make it into a behemoth of raw power.

As an action while your companion is within 120 feet, you can choose to transform it, while it is transformed it gains the following benefits:

• It increases its size by two category – from Medium to Huge, for example
• Its attacks deals an extra 2d10.
• It deals double damage to structures.
• Its current and maximum hit points are increased by 50.
• Its movement speed is doubled.

The transformation ends after 1 hour has passed, the companion goes unconscious or you end it as an action. Once you have used this feature you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.