Base Class: Fighter
Behold the Spiritsword, the soul of a warrior made into mystical steel. Though these warriors don't always wield swords, their weapons are nonetheless powerful extensions of themselves in the most literal sense. This special melee expert, given the power of their weapons, obtain a mastery of it that few other warriors ever obtain, but indeed they do so at the exclusion of almost all else in their life. Like Wizards in a manner of speaking, Spiritswords are commonly purveyors of weapon forms and techniques that require decades of normal training, and they sequester themselves away in ascetic lifestyles of perpetual practice to master such techniques. When they do emerge in the world, they do so to apply their martial skill with panache and deft skill in service to their armies, and for hardly any other reasons than to arrive, attack, survive, and leave. Their actions almost always speak of efficiency and they are known to be rather deadly.
In Avalestra, the Spirit-forging process was thought lost for utter centuries. This level of skill and devotion was thought purely mythical, until the ancient texts containing the lore were discovered in The Nine Libraries. Now, the techniques have begun to be taught again in earnest, with a great many human warriors finding purpose in this Archetypal role, using it in service to the Army of Empyrean Prime. These soldiers become devout students of their weapon skills, and augment the reforming Empyrean Army with exceptional weaponry and powerful techniques.
Bonded Spiritsword
At 3rd level, when you choose this archetype, you begin training in every known aspect of one particular weapon which slowly forms the bond you will utilize to fully forge your Spiritsword. You gain a weapon bond with the weapon of your choice:
Weapon Bond: At 3rd level, you learn a ritual that creates a magical bond between yourself and one weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge the bond.
Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself, you can't be disarmed of that weapon unless you are incapacitated. If it is on the same plane of existence, you can summon that weapon as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to teleport instantly to your hand.
You can have up to two bonded weapons, but can summon only one at a time with your bonus action. If you attempt to bond with a third weapon, you must break the bond with one of the other two.
Additionally, you spend a great deal of time reflecting upon your bonded weapon as often as possible. This entitles you to a specific focus with that weapon that few others possess. You gain a +1 to attack rolls with your bonded weapon.
Forge the Soulblade
At 7th level, you have begun to transmute the materials of your bonded weapon into a literal spiritual force, which you imbue with your willpower and sharpen with your own cunning. This fully materialized magical essence is what Soulsword Soldiers strive most to attain, and from this point, master. Your bonded weapon is now considered magical for purposes of damage resistance, and has a +1 magic bonus to attack and damage rolls. This bonus improves to +2 at 11th level, and +3 at 15th level. The weapon is honed to a deadly edge or reinforced in extremely sturdy ways, and whenever you score a critical hit with it, you add your Charisma modifier to the weapon damage dealt. The weapon also has double the normal hardness points, and you no longer need a physical copy of the weapon to be able to manifest a copy of the bonded weapon physically through your weapon bond. When you summon the weapon to your hand, you will always manifest this same magical version of the weapon, even if a previous version is lost or destroyed. You may also simply banish your bonded weapon, returning it to your own spiritual matter instantly. If you create a new Weapon Bond with another weapon, that weapon gains these benefits, instead.
Life Taken, Life Given
At 10th level, your knowledge and understanding of the sacred Spiritsword allow you to withdraw literal memories from your weapon to inspire you to further greatness. This training has multitudes of benefits the student will study from this point on, but one of the most vital of these skills is the understanding of life and bodies, and of the vitality in blood. Weapons know this well. If you have caused damage with a weapon attack from your bonded weapon, you have one additional Second Wind until you finish a long rest.
Additionally, when you spend hit dice to recover hit points during a rest, you add the magic bonus of your bonded weapon gained from your Forge the Soulblade feature to each die of hit points regained.
Soulflames Technique
Be not deceived, the technique known as Soulflames is not merely an ability with flame. This extraordinary weapon discipline enables you to manifest spiritual energy into arcane magic that wreathes your Spiritsword, making each strike much more dangerous. As a bonus action, you choose cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, radiant, or thunder damage. Your weapon becomes wreathed in swirling energies that whirl with arcane power and emit light in a 10 foot radius, your weapon damage becomes the chosen damage type, and you may deal 1d6 damage of the chosen type once per turn with your bonded weapon. If you score a critical hit with your bonded weapon in this state, you deal an additional 1d6 damage of the chosen damage type. This lasts for 10 minutes or until you sheathe or banish your bonded weapon. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus before you must finish a long rest to use it again.
Additionally, your ability to learn to aggressively channel arcane energy outward has the added benefit of you learning to be resistant to such energies when need arises. Whenever you have activated the above feature, you gain the ability to cast Absorb Elements a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus before you must finish a long rest to cast this spell using this feature again. You cast this spell as if you were a 1st level sorcerer.
Spiritsword Expertise
At 18th level, you have mastered the Spiritsword, learning all of the techniques that make you capable of astonishing martial prowess. You dispatch multiple enemies with ease, adapting your blade as you choose, manifesting any weapon you might need for any situation. With your expanded mastery, you are a danger to all who would dare oppose you. You gain the following benefits:
- you may cause your bonded weapon to appear in your hand immediately, as part of any action. You merely wish it to be and it appears.
- you may change your bonded weapon to become a version of any weapon you are proficient with as a bonus action. It remains your bonded weapon in this new shape. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus before you must finish a long rest to use it again.
- you have a vast pool of weapon expertise accessible from any weapon, as part of your soul itself reaches the understanding of that weapon in a mystical way. If you transform your weapon to be a weapon with the following damage types, you gain one of the listed benefits:
Damage Type- Benefit-
Bludgeoning damage Crusher feat, and you deal +2d6 bonus weapon damage on prone targets
Piercing damage Piercer feat, and critical hits with the weapon deal 1d10 bonus weapon damage
Slashing damage Slasher feat, you deal +1d4 bonus weapon damage on humanoid targets
If a weapon would have more than one of these damage types, you choose one benefit you would have access to from those damage types.
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