Elämän Olemus

You were born from a long line of sorcerers, though scant few of your relatives remain. Some died while adventuring. Some went into hiding and were never heard from or seen again - afraid of the power that burned within them. But more than a few tales have been handed down of those that were consumed from the inside, burning fast and bright while attempting to harness the magic within them to complete a task their physical form could not stand - leaving nothing but ash to be blown in the wind.

As an Elämän Olemus, or "Life Essence" Sorcerer, you have the innate ability to harness any spell - at a price. Will you hide away in fear of your own self? Will you misjudge your own strength and too soon rejoin the dust? Or will you succeed where most Elämän Olemus have failed, and find wealth, power, and glory?

Strength of Body

The main reason Elämän Olemus have survived as long as they have is due to their strength of body - fortunate as your magic flows through and consumes your physical form.

Starting at 1st level, you use CON instead of CHA for your spellcasting modifier, and your spells use your very physical essence as their arcane focus. In addition, your hit point maximum increases by 1 and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class.

Overflow of Magic

You are able to cast any spell, even if it is not known to you, or you do not have the spell slots available to use.

Starting at 1st level, the first time you would cast a spell you do not know, you must succeed on a D20 roll against the difficulty to cast the spell, equal to 10 + the spell's level (cantrips count as 1 for the purpose of this calculation). If you fail, nothing happens and the spell is wasted, including the time taken to cast it. However, on a success, the spell acts as normal.

Whenever you cast a spell you do not know, or of a level, you do not have the spell slots available to use, you must roll a D100. Multiply the result by the spell's level, and divide by your current hit points, rounded up, taking that many levels of exhaustion. You may sacrifice one or more spell slots to reduce the level multiplier of this effect, thereby avoiding some or all of the exhaustion received from casting the spell. 

If casting a spell in this way would cause you to die, your body disintegrates into dust and you cannot return to life except through the means of a true resurrection or wish spell.

Life Substitution

Starting at 6th level, you have the ability to buffer your spells by drawing on the life force of the living around you. When you would cast a spell outside of or above your ability and would take exhaustion, you may first draw on the life force of another living thing by expending a sorcery point and touching them/it before casting the spell. After the spell is cast and you roll for exhaustion, reduce the result by the living thing's hit points after multiplying by the spell level, but before dividing by your current hit points. If doing so reduces the living thing's hit points to 0, they/it turns to dust and cannot be resurrected.

At Higher Levels. You may touch up to two living things (8th level), three living things (10th level), and four living things (12th level) at higher levels. When you reach 14th level, you may touch a number of living things up to your current available sorcery points. A living thing is considered "touched" for the purpose of this ability if it is touching at least one other living thing being touched by you for this ability. You must expend one sorcery point per living thing used this way.

Fate Link

Starting at 14th level, you gain the ability to bind your life force to that of another willing creature.

If you find a willing creature, be it a humanoid, beast, or dragon, you may perform an hour-long ritual to bind your life force to it, and it to you. From then on, whenever you would cast a spell that would require you to make an exhaustion roll, you may add the creature's current hit points to yours for the purpose of deciding exhaustion levels received, as long as the creature is within 240 feet of you.

Additionally, any levels of exhaustion received may be given to either you, or the creature - you decide.

Once formed, this bond may not be broken except through a wish spell. If this bond were to be broken through death or any other means, you may not link with another willing creature for at least a month.

Resilient Recovery

Starting at 18th level, you have built up resiliency to being exhausted from your casting. When recovering levels of exhaustion, you recover double the levels of exhaustion you would normally. Additionally, when rolling for exhaustion, reduce the spell multiplier by 1 for the purposes of determining levels of exhaustion received.