Astral Projectionist, Variant (5e Class)

Astral Projectionist, Variant (5e Class)

Astral projectionists have the innate ability to sever their inner form, their astral form, from the confines of their physical form. Some people call this form the spirit or the soul; regardless of its nomenclature, these adept individuals can take control of their astral form and use them to great effect in and out of combat. In addition, they have learned to harness their chakras, wells of spiritual energy that exist in various places throughout the body, to cast spells and enhance their natural abilities. They also tend to be intelligent, wise, and capable of adapting to any situation.

Creating an Astral Projectionist

When creating your astral projectionist, consider how they gained the ability to do so. Perhaps they come from a long line of mages with the innate ability, or perhaps it was a recent magical accident. Perhaps it was a boon bequeathed from a familial patron deity, or perhaps it was the dark curse of an enemy that they have learned to harness. Perhaps it was merely a trick of fate, an aligning of the stars. The real question that remains to be answered, however, is what the astral projectionist will do with their unique ability.

Quick Build

You can make a Astral Projectionist quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity or Intelligence. Second, choose the sage background.

Class Features

As a Astral Projectionist you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Astral Projectionist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 1d8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Astral Projectionist level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: light armor.
Weapons: simple weapons.
Tools: choice of one artisan tool.
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom.
Skills: Perception, and choose two from the following: Acrobatics, Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Religion, Sleight of hand, Stealth, and Survival.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) diplomat's pack or (b) dungeoneer's pack or (c) explorer's pack.
• (a) short bow with 20 arrows or (b) crossbow with 15 bolts.
• (a) quarterstaff or (b) javelin.
• leather armor.
• set of tools matching your tool proficiency.
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 4d4x10gp. in funds.

Table: The Astral Projectionist

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
					1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
1st	+2	Astral Projection, Chakra Reorientation	-	-	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	Ever Learning (1), Spellcasting	2	2	2	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	Astral Path ability	2	3	3	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	3	4	3	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	-	3	5	4	2	—	—	—
6th	+3	Ever Learning (2)	3	6	4	2	—	—	—
7th	+3	Astral Path ability	3	7	4	3	—	—	—
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	3	8	4	3	—	—	—
9th	+4	-	3	9	4	3	2	—	—
10th	+4	Ever Learning (3)	4	10	4	3	2	—	—
11th	+4	Astral Path ability	4	10	4	3	3	—	—
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4	11	4	3	3	—	—
13th	+5	-	4	11	4	3	3	1	—
14th	+5	Ever Learning (4)	4	12	4	3	3	1	—
15th	+5	Astral Path ability	4	12	4	3	3	2	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	4	13	4	3	3	2	—
17th	+6	-	4	13	4	3	3	3	1
18th	+6	Astral Path ability	4	14	4	3	3	3	1
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	4	14	4	3	3	3	2
20th	+6	Soul of the Amitabha	4	15	4	3	3	3	2

Astral Projection

Starting at 1st level, having gained the ability to sever your astral form from your physical form, you can coalesce it into the material world; however, you need not be conscious to do so as you control your astral form at will. When you project your astral form, it appears as a semi-colored, translucent echo or ghost of your physical form; and it interacts with your surroundings using your own stats and skills to do so. You share senses and memories with your astral form, and it can speak with your voice. As a bonus action, you can have your astral form become invisible or ethereal (you choose one) for up to one minute. You can do this a number of times per long rest equal to half your Wisdom modifier rounded down.

If your astral form is invisible, only you and creatures with truesight or the ability to see onto the astral plane can see it. If your astral form is ethereal, it cannot be affected by any spell, ability, or condition such as the effects of a fireball spell; if your form is corporal and it would be damaged by a spell, attack, or any other ability, it must immediately return to your physical form until the end of your next turn. You can only use your astral form for up to four hours per long rest.

Your astral form and your physical form share all actions each round of combat, except for their movement actions. (I.e. your physical form can take a standard action while your astral form takes a bonus action, and vice versa, while both forms can take the movement action. Either can use a reaction if capable.) Your astral form cannot cast spells, but it can take the following actions:

Astral form standard action

Your astral form can take the grapple, ready, or shove actions. It can also make one unarmed attack, using an attack roll equal to your proficiency bonus + you Wisdom modifier; on a hit, it deals 1d6 + your wisdom modifier force damage.

Astral form bonus action

Your astral form can take the help, hide, and search actions. It can also make one unarmed attack, using an attack roll equal to your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier, on a hit, deal 1d4 force damage.

Astral form reaction

If your astral form is within five feet of a creature, it can impose disadvantage on that creature’s attack roll. You must take a long rest before your astral form take this action again.

Astral form movement action

Your astral form has the same movement speed as your physical form, though it cannot move more than 30 feet away from your physical form. This distance increases to 60 feet at level five, 90 feet at level nine, 120 feet at level thirteen, and up to one mile at level seventeen.

Chakra Reorientation

Also starting at 1st level, you have learned to reorient the chakras of your body. As a bonus action, you may switch your Wisdom ability score with any other ability score; the modifiers applied to attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks likewise switch to match the abilities. This reorientation lasts for one minute and can only be used once per short or long rest. Or, this reorientation lasts for ten minutes and can only be used once per long rest.

Ever Learning

Starting at 2nd level, you gain expertise in the Perception skill, and you cannot be surprised while you or your astral projection are awake. At 6th level, you gain proficiency in one additional language, skill, or tool of your choice, and you gain expertise in one skill with which you are already proficient. At 10th level, you gain proficiency in one additional language, skill, or tool of your choice, and you gain expertise in one skill with which you are already proficient. At 14th level, you gain proficiency in one additional language, skill, or tool, and the time it takes to learn any new language, skill, or tool is reduced by half.

Spellcasting

Also starting at 2nd level, you have learned to tap into the expansive energy and power that the chakras of your body possess, allowing you to use magic. By shifting the energy in your body, drawing upon your understanding of the mystic arts, you can cast spells. See chapter 10 in PHB for the general rules of spellcasting.

Cantrips

You know two cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. You learn additional cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Astral Projectionist table.

Spell Slots

The Astra Projectionist table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of first level or higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots after you finish a long rest.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know one 1st-level spell of your choice from the cleric spell list. The Spells Known column of the Astral Projectionist table shows when you learn more spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. Also, when you gain a level in this class, you may choose one of the spells you already know and replace it with another spell from the cleric spell list, which must also be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your spells since the power of your magic and abilities rely on your inner spirit, the order of your soul, and the strength and bearing of your chakras. 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 spells you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your wisdom modifier.

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your wisdom modifier.

Ritual Casting

You can cast a cleric spell as a ritual as long as it has the ritual tag. It is one of your known spells to do so.

Spellcasting Focus

Because your magic originates from your mastery over your chakras, you do not require an arcane focus to cast spells, nor do you need to supply material components, though if a spell consumes an item(s), you must still supply those. You must still supply the verbal and somatic components of spells.

Astral Path ability

At 3rd level, choose the astral path, or dharma, that you will devote yourself to: the path of the Astral Mage or the path of the Astral Warrior. Your choice grants you features at the 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th and 18th level.

Ability Score Increase

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 of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Soul of the Amitabha

At 20th level, your wisdom ability score raises by 2, and your maximum is now 22. Additionally, when making any intelligence or wisdom ability check with which you are proficient, you can treat any d20 roll of 7 or lower as an 8.

Astral Mage path

Astral projectionists which travel the path of the astral mage focus on sculpting their spirit and their mind, rather than on the body; they believe that aligning the chakras within and strengthening their soul ultimately helps them better align the body. As a result, astral mages tend to be stronger in their magic, and they possess a greater array of knowledge than their warrior counterparts.

Astral Sorcery

Starting at 3rd level, while you are not wearing armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + dexterity modifier + wisdom modifier.

Burden of the Astral Form

Also, starting at 3rd level, your astral form can help you maintain concentration on your spells; if your astral form is within 10 feet of you, it can use an astral form reaction to grant you advantage on one constitution saving throw to maintain concentration. You must complete a short or long rest to use this feature again.

Call of Magic

At 7th level, choose one of the following: druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard; you can now learn spells from that class when you gain a level, and you can now replace spells that you already know from the new spellcasting list. Regardless of the class you choose, Wisdom is still your spellcasting ability for spells you learn from that class. Additionally, you can now use your astral form for up to six hours per long rest.

Prominent Spell Casting

At 11th level, your astral form can aid you in casting your spells more strongly than otherwise; if your astral form is within 10 feet of you, it can use an astral form reaction when you roll dice to deal damage or restore hit points to let you use the highest number possible for each dice. You must complete a short or long rest to use this feature again.

Spiritual Meditation

At 15th level, you and your astral form can forgo all actions during one round, taking a special meditation action; at the beginning of your next turn, your astral and physical form converge together, granting a special effect: you regain two 1st-level spell slots and one 2nd-level spell slot. Additionally, until the end of your next turn, gain advantage on all spells you cast, and other creatures have disadvantage against your spells. Afterwards, your astral and physical form may separate. You must complete a long rest to use this feature again.

Attainment of Nirvana

At 18th level, you gain one 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th level spell slot and learn one spell for each level. Spells learned with this feature do not count against your number of spells known. Additionally, you can now use your astral form for up to eight hours per long rest.

Astral Warrior path

Astral projectionists which trod the path of the astral warrior believe that the body and the spirit exist in tandem, that the strength of one is at least partially dependent on the other; as they work to strengthen their body, their spirits might likewise be strengthened. As a result, they seek to empower the body, to further edify the spirit.

Astral Combat

Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in martial weapons, medium armor, and in shields.

Might of the Astral Form

Also, starting at 3rd level, the strength of your astral form begins to grow; the damage dealt by your astral form’s standard attack increases to 1d8 and its bonus attack to 1d6, and it adds your wisdom modifier as additional force damage to its bonus action attacks as well.

Call of War

At 7th level, you learn three maneuvers of your choice from the Battle Master fighter subclass; you can only use one maneuver per attack. Gain two superiority dice, which are d6s, and you regain all expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest. If a maneuver forces a creature to make a saving throw, use your spell save DC. Additionally, you can now use your astral form for up to six hours per long rest.

Prominent Attacking

At 11th level, your astral and your physical form have learned to work in tandem; either your astral or your physical form can attack twice instead of once when taking the attack action, or each of your forms may attack once when taking the attack action.

Battle Meditation

At 15th level, you and your astral form can forgo all actions during one round, taking a special meditation action; at the beginning of your next turn, your astral and physical form converge together, granting a special effect: gain temporary hit points equal to your astral projectionist level. Additionally, until the end of your next turn, all attacks made with a weapon now critically hit on a natural d20 roll of 16 or higher. Then your astral form may again leave your physical form. You must take a long rest to use this feature again.

Breaking of Samsara

At 18th level, your weapon attacks deal additional force damage equal to your Wisdom modifier; when you deal damage, you gain temporary hit points equal to the amount of force damage dealt. Additionally, you can now use your astral form for up to eight hours per long rest.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Astral Projectionist class, you must meet these prerequisites: Wisdom 15.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Astral Projectionist class, you gain the following proficiencies: Perception and one tool of your choice.

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