Soulbond

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Overview & Creation

The soulbond is an Aurea practitioner much like the Elemental Channels and the Zarian Masters. For the current universe, this is thought to be the oldest form of casting, part of nearly all recorded early civilizations. Soulbond is found as an integral part of many ancient civilizations and practices, even used by Edician Shaman once upon a time. In its original form, Soulbond began as symbolic representation of connection to greater power and the world surrounding them. Currently, the Kasunan are the most prominent Soulbond as many of their spiritual leaders practice Soulbond techniques. Soulbond are some of the most spiritual beings in the cosmos, sometimes even surpassing the Lightworkers in their spiritual prowess. They believe and connect with greater spiritual realms beyond that of even the living realms, seeing all energy as part of one interconnected Source. Much of a Soulbond’s energy, however, is focused into symbolism and typically a singular spiritual being or familiar with which they are connected.  

Aura Familiar

The Soulbond utilizes what is referred to as a familiar spirit as the greatest expression of their magic. This is an engrained part of the Soulbond practice, regardless of race and culture. While the finding of a familiar may be different, the concept is still the same. Those who choose the path of the Soulbond normally do so at a young age, chosen by a Soulbond mentor who has recognized their gift and affinity towards this skill. They then become a ward of said teacher who will teach them the ways of spiritual connection and the soulbond faith. When they reach a point, typically in adolescence, where their guide believes they are ready, they undergo several tests to find their spirit animal and forge a soul bond. Through isolation and meditation, they find their spirit animal that will become theirs for life. Once this has occurred, they work to forge a Soulbond. This is the hardest part as only half of Soulbond Apprentices make it past this point due to the challenge of forming such a bond. Once sealed, true training begins to make them a Soulbond. It’s also important to note that Soulbonds don’t typically select an animal. Their animal chooses them, typically based on personality, compatibility, and symbolic meaning.  

Becoming a Soulbond

If you are becoming a Soulbond, then you must understand what inspired you to do so. Who was your teacher and why did they select you as a student? What was your training like? You’ll also need to decide on your familiar, which will occur when building your character. Why did you select that animal? What is its connection to your character? There needs to be more than a mere affinity towards that animal because the animal would have to choose your character for whatever reason, not the other way around. There are rarer animals that also exist within this practice, but those will need to be cleared through a DM first. You’ll also need to determine why you are away from your people or mentor for this journey. Is this a final test on the part of your mentor to ensure you’re ready for the task of being a soulbond? Are you in search of your own people to spiritually guide? Or has your spirit animal led you to a path that is important for your growth?

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Class Features

Familiar Bond

  Starting at 1st level, you have a bond with a familiar or animal spirit that is intended to guide and assist you. They are a primary source of your casting abilities as most casting will come from them. While you may learn limited cantrips and first level spells, all higher casting will come from your Familiar Bond. Your familiar is determined based upon your spirit and the source of your connection. You will choose between having a Gentle, Free, and Resilient Spirit. These will provide you with a list of options for selecting your familiar, in addition to a feat at the first level, then again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.   Casting your Familiar   You can always commune with your familiar as they are an ever-present part of your existence. However, to project your familiar so that it may act on your behalf or be seen by others requires casting and concentration. As a bonus action, you may cast your familiar. When you do so, it will always start its first action either beside you or somewhere on you (such as resting on your shoulder) depending on the familiar. You must keep focus on your bond in order to maintain this casting, thereby making the casting of your familiar equivalent to a concentration spell. If you cast a spell that requires concentration, this will break the concentration of your projection, causing your familiar to vanish from tangibility. Other forms of concentration based on guidance from the players handbook. You may also unsummon your familiar as a bonus action.   Familiar HP   Additionally, since your familiar is not a true tangible being but does maintain HP, should its form be lowered to 0HP, then this will act as a break of concentration and require a reprojection of your spirit animal. You will not be able to project for 1d4 turns after this.   Familiar Actions   Your familiar may take its own actions and operate on its own turn. It will share initiative with you as the caster since it is an extension of yourself and may take its turn before or after the Soulbond caster based on caster preference. Soulbond speed is equal to that of its caster unless otherwise specified. Soulbond, being only partially tangible, may also share space with yourself and allies. As with normal characters, a familiar may take a bonus action, action, and reaction each round.  

Familiar Form

Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to bring your familiar into yourself, combining its power with your own. You must be able to hold concentration for this feature to last through its duration. It may last for an amount of hours equal to half-your soulbond level. You may use this feature twice. You regain this feature after a short or long rest. Your creature will not be able to be projected when you do this but it will provide you with the following benefits options: • (a) You may select an attack from the creature page of your familiar and utilize that attack as a bonus action in addition to your typical attacks. As an example, if your creature may attack using a bite action, you may make a bite attack as a bonus action utilizing your own ability score for the attack role. • Or (b) You may select a feat allotted to that creature that does not involve travel (such as flight, swimming, or speed) and attain that feature for the duration of this feature. As an example, if your creature has a Darkvision feature, you may utilize Darkvision for the duration of this feature’s use.  

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one of your ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.  

Soul Rescue

Starting at 5th level, if you would take a damaging blow that would reduce your hit points to 0 or below, your familiar will immediately come to your aid. It will sacrifice its energetic form to protect you from the blow, reducing the damage enough to ensure your survival at 1 hit point. When you use this feature, your familiar will not be projected again for 1 minute. This feature may only be used once per long rest.  

Familiar’s Travel

Starting at 7th level, your spirit animal can provide you assistance in a travel type based on your familiar’s form of travel, as described in the below section. By merging with its energy, you allow it to influence your movement. In some cases, others may see some of your creature’s aura (such as wings) either behind you or exuding from you when this occurs. As long as you maintain concentration, you may use this travel method for a total of 10 minutes. You may not use this feature again until you have completed a short rest.   • If your familiar is an undersea creature then you receive a swimspeed equal to your walking speed and may also remain underwater without needing air for the duration of this use.   • If your familiar is a flying creature then you gain a flying speed equal to that of your walking speed.   • If your familiar is a land animal, then it adds some of it’s speed to your own, increasing your walking speed by 15.  

Bond Travel

Starting at 16th level, you and your familiar hold such a strong bond that you may travel between one another. As an action, you may choose to transport yourself directly to your familiar’s side or you may call your familiar to transport directly to your side.  

Attuned Casting

Starting at level 18, you and your totem are so attune that when you and your totem is projected within you for either the Familiar Form or Familiar travel features, you may cast the spells of your familiar from yourself as if the two of your were one. This will still occur on your turn and your familiar will not have it’s own turn while utilizing this feature.  

Ascended Bond

Starting at level 20, the bond with your familiar is so strong that you are capable of the following features:   • You may use a bonus action to bring your familiar into yourself and access the features of both Familiar Form and Familiar Travel simultaneously.   • Your combination power will allow you to use both options of Familiar form simultaneously, granting you an attack option as well as a feature option. To change options, you must deactivate and reactivate this ability.   • You may use this feature an unlimited amount of times regardless of rest.   Your familiar still cannot project separately from yourself using this feature and does not have a turn separate from your own should you choose to use this feature.

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Starting Equipment

• (a) Any simple weapon or (b)a basic shield.   • (a) Any simple Melee Weapon or (b) a spear.   • Leather Armor.   • Explorer’s Pack.   • Totem Symbol both representing your familiar and acting as a focus.

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Spellcasting

Drawing from the power of your soulbond, you have spellcasting ability. You may also use this bond to cast through your spirit animal, granting you some additional range.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know one cantrip yourself and one cantrip is known by your familiar. You can learn additional as you level up, which will also be the same for your familiar, based on the above chart.

Spellcasting

The Soulbond and Familiar tables will show you how many spells both you and familiar can know as well as the amount of EP allotted for each. You regain all expended EP when you finish a long rest.

Spellcasting Ability

Widsom is your spellcasting ability for your Soulbond and your Familiar, since your magic is based on the spiritual connection and relationship to that animal. You use your wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a soulbond spell you cast and when making an attack with one.  

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Subclass Options

Spirit Affinity

When building a Soulbond, you must determine your Soul Affinity. This may both influence aspects of your personality, but also the type of spirit animal that you have a connection with. This will also determine the additional features you may receive depending on your affinity.  

Gentle Spirit

The Gentle Spirit is that which belongs to someone who is kind, compassionate, and cooperative. Their loving heart is like a calming presence that inspires and influences them and those around them. Their spirit animal chose them because of a matched gentleness, but also because of the comfort that a familiar of this type can provide when the Gentle Spirit inevitably is taken for granite or hurt because of their naïve and gentle nature.  

Familiar Options

At level 1, when you choose this Spirit, you are chosen by one of these animals that often come to those gentle spirits. Be sure to review their other symbolic significance in order to determine other items such as backstory.

Familiar	Symbolism
Bunny	Innocence, Self-Acceptance, Family Values
Swan	Love, Loyalty, Commitment
Kasun	Friendship, Reliability, Playfulness
Turtle	Grounded, Understanding, Slowing Down

Calming Aura

Starting at 1st level, you may utilize your spirit as an aid to those in turmoil. You may either send your familiar to enter into an ally or within yourself in order to help calm intense emotions. You must use an action to do so. When this occurs, you may reduce the level of exhaustion or take away fear from someone who is frightened. Additionally, you may use this to reduce anger in angry individuals. Should you use this, they will have to succeed a constitution saving throw against your spellcasting save. On a fail, this will have no effect, but on a success the spirit will calm them of their anger or sadness.  

Healing Light

Starting at 6th level, you may utilize your familiar as a means of healing. You may project your familiar towards the person in need of its assistance. Its light will provide healing equal to 1d6+your spellcasting ability modifier.  

Preservation

Starting at 10th level, whenever an ally has taken a blow that would otherwise drop them to 0HP or kill them, you may send your familiar to join with them in the way it normally does with you in Familiar Form. When this occurs, the familiar steps into the person, residing within them and may no longer take any actions. They will then preserve that person so long as concentration remains. This will automatically stabilize that person. Any attacks made on the person will transferred to the familiar instead of the person. Once the person has been healed, the familiar will leave the person.   Should the familiar return to intangibility due to loss of concentration, if the damage would have killed them then they will automatically die. If they were at 0HP, then they will remain stabilized until an additional attack deals damage.  

Healing Terrain

Starting at 14th level, your familiar can send out an energy burst that will cover the ground with a healing terrain. Ally creatures within 30 feet of the familiar will receive health each turn matching their proficiency modifier. This feature will last for 10 minutes and may be used twice before a short or long rest.  

Free Spirit

The free spirit is playful and wild. They revel in the little things and don’t often enjoy being tied down. They find solace in the unknown and truly embrace the wilderness. They are typically upbeat and a real joy to be around but may not always be the best of influences. Free Spirits find ways to enjoy themselves even in the mundane, often turning everything into a game. They truly just want everyone to have as much fun as they are having.  

Familiar Options

At level 1, when you choose this Spirit, you are chosen by one of these animals that often come to those gentle spirits. Be sure to review their other symbolic significance in order to determine other items such as backstory.

Familiar	Symbolism
Crow	Magic, Flexibility, Mischievous, Fearless, Intelligence
Butterfly	Change, Renewal, Playfulness, Joy
Dolphin	Intuitive, Cheerfulness, Resurrection, Positivity
Horse	Passionate, Strong Emotions, Instinct

Playful Aura

Starting at 1st level, when your Familiar is out and about, you may influence it to be playful with other people, even doing tricks for others. When you do this, you will increase your likability with those who have enjoyed your show, providing you an opportunity to build relationships. You may also use this as a distraction. If you wish to use it in this fashion, then your familiar’s actions should be towards a targeted individual. They will then need to make a constitution save based on your Spell Save DC. If they fail the save, they are distracted and spend their turn admiring your spirit animal.  

Rushing Energy

Starting at 6th level, you may utilize your familiar to assist yourself or others with their speed. By sending your familiar into a person, they will share their energy with them. Their energy boost will provide them with the ability to both take a dash action or disengage action as well as an additional action on their next turn.  

Wild Sanctuary

Starting at 10th level, your connection to your wild familiar is capable of being sensed by creatures of the natural world. When a beast or plant creature attacks you, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Soulbond Spell DC. On a fail save, they must choose another target or the attack automatically misses. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours. Creatures are aware of this effect before making an attack against you.  

Group Mentality

Starting at 14th level, you can summon a group of familiars matching your own. They can act and behave the same as your familiar and will act on your familiar’s turn. They have the same abilities, except the other creatures can only cast cantrips and level 1 spells. This effect only lasts for 10 minutes. It may be activated twice per short or long rest.  

Resilient Spirit

The Resilient Spirit belongs to those who are strong and proud. Oftentimes, they have had some form of traumatic experience that has hardened them, but enduring such has allowed their spirit to become resilient and strong. While at times they can seem serious, they are also stable and secure individuals to be around, providing guidance and support for everyone they care for. Their spirit animals tend to be more aggressive and protective than those of other spirit affinities.  

Familiar Options

At level 1, when you choose this Spirit, you are chosen by one of these animals that often come to those gentle spirits. Be sure to review their other symbolic significance in order to determine other items such as backstory.

Familiar	Symbolism
Whale	Emotional Strength, Communication, Truth
Bear	Strength, Confidence, Grounded
Eagle	Resilience, Hope, Courage, Vision
Wolf	Leadership, Protection, Intensity

Protective Aura

As an action or reaction, you can send your familiar to either yourself or an ally you can see within ten feet of you as a protective aura. Your familiar, in doing so, will add 2 to the individual’s AC that they are protecting when using this feature.  

Magical Form

Starting at 6th level, when attacking using your Familiar Form feature, the attack counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non magical attacks and damage.  

Extra Attack

Starting at 10th level, you gain the ability for an extra attack. You may choose to take the extra attack yourself or you may choose to allow your familiar to attack an extra time if it has its own turn.  

Familiar Growth

Starting at 14th level, you can use your action to increase the presence of your familiar. This increase will last for only 1 minute and will provide the following benefits:   • When making an attack, your creature will have advantage on its attack roll.   • Your familiar is now a large creature and will fill space accordingly.   • Your familiar receives an increased speed of 15.   • Physical attacks receive a bonus equal to your proficiency bonus.   This feature may be used twice before a short or long rest.

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