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.
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.
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.
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.
You can make a soul binder fast by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability modifier, followed by Constitution or Dexterity, depending if you need to take damage, or deal it. Second, you should take the Hermit background.
| Level | Prof. Bonus |
Features | Cantrips Known |
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Soul Bond, Bonded Companion, Hidden Form | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2nd | +2 | Spellcasting, Edict | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 3rd | +2 | Bond Feature, Magic Item Absorption | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 5th | +3 | Advanced Offense, Soul Linked Casting | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | ||||||
| 6th | +3 | Companion's Protection, Soul Infused Attacks | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | ||||||
| 7th | +3 | Bond Feature, Project Senses | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | ||||||
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | ||||||
| 9th | +4 | Resting Voice | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | ||||||
| 10th | +4 | Countermeasure | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | ||||||
| 11th | +4 | Bond Feature, Advanced Offense (2nd options) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | ||||||
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | ||||||
| 13th | +5 | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | ||||||
| 14th | +5 | Soul Purification | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | ||||||
| 15th | +5 | Bond Feature | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | ||||||
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | ||||||
| 17th | +6 | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| 18th | +6 | Resonating Voice | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||||||
| 20th | +6 | Soul Infused Giant | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
As a soul binder, you gain the following class features:
Hit Dice: 1d6 per soul binder level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per soul binder level after 1st
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Choose one type of artisan’s tools or one musical instrument
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, History, Nature, Insight, Arcana, Persuasion, Intimidation.
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
The creatures that allow themselves to be bound to a soul binder are powerful beings from different realms across the universe. Maybe you tethered your soul to a good hearted celestial being from the upper planes for protection, maybe you made a twisted deal with a devil for their services, that you will have to fulfill one day or maybe you created the being yourself from metal or flesh and used your soul to bring it to life. Whatever the case, you are bound together by an unbreakable vow until one of you perishes.
Different soul binders bond with different types of creatures. Each creature offers different abilities to the soul binder both in and out of combat, affecting them in different ways such as giving them magical powers or making them a powerful force on the battlefield.
At 1st level, you have chosen to sacrifice a piece of your own soul to gain the aid of a creature stronger than you. You can choose one of several bonds listed below:
Your choice grants you additional features when you reach 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th and 15th levels.
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.
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.
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.
By 2nd level, you are now more used to being bonded to a magical creature, and have started to be able to use some magic to help your allies or bolster your companion. See Chapter 10 in the Player's Handbook for the general rules of spellcasting and the soul binder spell list can be found near the end of this document.
At 2nd level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the soul binder spell list. You learn an additional soul binder cantrip of your choice at 4th level and another at 10th level.
The Soul Binder table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your soul binder spells. To cast one of your soul binder spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of soul binder spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the soul binder spell list. When you do so, choose a number of soul binder spells equal to your Charisma modifier + half your soul binder level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, if you are a 5th-level soul binder, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell heroism, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of soul binder spells requires time spent in meditation with your companion: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your soul binder spells, since the power of your magic relies on you being able to communicate with your companion and the bond that you share. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a soul binder spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
You can use an arcane focus (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your soul binder spells.
Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your
Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your
Charisma modifier
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:
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 edicts increase as you gain levels in this class, increasing to 3d6 at 5th level, 4d6 at 11th level and 5d6 at 17th level.
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.
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score past 20 using this feature.
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:
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.
At 11th level you get the other feature that you didn't pick at 5th level.
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.
Starting at 6th level, your companions attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
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.
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.
Beginning at 9th level you now regain all uses of your edicts on a short or long rest.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
If your group uses the optional rule on multiclassing in the Player's Handbook (p. 163), here's what you need to know if you choose soul binder as one of your classes.
You must have at least a Charisma score of 13 to take a level in this class.
When you first multiclass into soul binder, you gain only proficiency in light armor and simple weapons.
When determining spell slots, you add one half (rounded down) of your soul binder levels to the levels of your other classes as described on page 164 of the Player's Handbook. Use the resulting total to determine your spell slots by consulting the Multiclass Spellcaster table on page 165 of the Player's Handbook.
Based on the Soul Binder class by FragSauce