Soul Knight (5e Class)

Soul Knight

A knight with a gentle, warm glow leads the frontlines! His allies are hit by enemy archers and yet continue to push forward anyways, their wounds begin to stitch themselves back together, and when finished, that same light pierces their enemies!

Shadows cloak a young woman who had been wronged by her lord. They coalesce and gather under him before erupting, impaling him! His retainers rush forward only to be slit in half by her darkness! As the essence passes through them they feel her anguish, her betrayal, and how it seeps down to her very soul!

A lone warrior enveloped in lightning eases into a fray of enemies, the bolts madly lash out and singe his enemies. Before the day is over only the Thunder lord remains.

Soul Knights are unlike other martial warriors, for they harness the very essence that is them into a force to use. They are a primarily front line damaging class, with some support abilities for their allies. Unlike other classes, the path of Soul knight does not have much deviation or variation, as the schools of fighting and learning haven’t been around long. As such they abilities can be split effectively into two categories. Keeping their allies alive and killing their enemies.

Creating a Soul Knight

Questions to aid the construction of your soul knight character...

How did your Knight become attuned to their soul? Was the ability to manifest itself natural? Or was it taught? Did they come from an academy where perhaps individuals were taught to harness their latent power? Did it come to them in a time of need or desperation? Or was it perhaps something that they have always had the ability to control?

Other things to consider...

Why has your character joined the party? Did their lord command them to do so? We’re they simply a sword for hire? Or are they out for revenge? Perhaps a greater purpose, the eradication of demons or devils (if good) or a crusade against the gods (evil/neutral)

Soul Knights are as various as races and they do not lean to any particular alignment, since a soul is based on the individual and nothing more.

Quick Build

You can make a Soul Knight quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the soldier background.

Class Features

As a Soul Knight you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d6 per Soul Knight level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution modifier per Soul Knight level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival

Equipment

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

• (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor, longbow, and 20 arrows
• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two simple weapons
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

Table: The Soul Knight

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Soul Pool
1st	+2	Soul Enlightenment, Soul Insight	-
2nd	+2	Fighting Style, Soul Power	4
3rd	+2	School of Fighting Soul Aura	6
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	6
5th	+3	Extra Attack	14
6th	+3	Soul Empowerment	14
7th	+3	True Essence	17
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	17
9th	+4	Soul Understanding	27
10th	+4	Soul Sight	27
11th	+4	Empowered Aura	32
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	32
13th	+5	Soul Cushion	38
14th	+5	True Essence	38
15th	+5	Soul Rush	44
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	44
17th	+6	True Essence	57
18th	+6	Soul Charge, Soul Thief	57
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	64
20th	+6	Soul Siphon	64

Soul Enlightenment

Starting at the 1st level, your soul manifests in a physical form, as an aura, that is visible to others taking on a color of yours, or the GMs choosing. Furthermore you choose an element which defines the essence of your soul. You choose a Primal Essence described bellow.

Your soul begins to faintly manifest itself around you and the equipment you wear, effectively making it weightless; you no longer include wielded equipment in your carry weight.

As you gain more levels in this class, you learn how to change the essence of your soul, unlocking new powers. At 7th level you learn an Enhanced Essence and 14th level you unlock your True Essence. Finally, at 20th level, you awaken your Quintessence, which allows your aura to be active but invisible should you wish it.

It should be noted only 1 essence is active at a time.

When you finish a short or a long rest, you can choose what type of soul essence is active, from those you have learned.

Soul Essences

Choose from the following soul essences. Some soul essences have a level pre-requisite, that refers to your levels in this class.

Primal Essences

Fiery Essence. Your damage type is fire damage.

Decaying Essence. Your damage type is poison damage.

Cold Essence. Your damage type is cold damage.

Enhanced Essences

Electric Essence. Your damage type is lighting damage.

Vitriolic Essence. Your damage type is acid damage.

True Essences

Thunderous Essence. Your damage type is thunder damage.

Corrupt Essence. Your damage type is necrotic damage.

Pure Essence. Your damage type is radiant damage.

Awakened Essence. Your damage type is psychic damage.

Quintessence

Your damage type is force damage. In addition, the quintessence allow you to use your bonus action and spend 7 soul points to change your active essence by any other essence you know.

Soul Insight

At the first level you begin to understand living things around you better. When you interact with them you do a better job of interacting with them and understanding them. Even if it’s only for a moment. You think you can glimpse their soul, who they truly are.

At the first level you gain proficiency in either Wisdom (Insight) checks, Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks, or Charisma (Persuasion) checks

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

• It should be noted that these are not the only fighting styles available, you may take any fighting style from any of the core books, so long as it’s approved by your DM

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Soul Power

Starting at 2nd level, your can draw power from your vital energy, your soul, allowing you to perform superhuman feats. Your access to your soul power is represented by a pool of soul points. Your soul knight level determines the number of soul points you have, as shown in the Soul Points column of the Soul Knight table.

You can spend these points to fuel various soul features. When you first learn this feature, you know one of such features: the Soul Infusion. You will learn as you gain levels in this class.

When you spend a soul point, it is unavailable until you finish a long rest, at the end of which you let your body restore its vitality.

Some of your soul features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Soul save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier

Soul Infusion

You learn how to imbue your soul energy into your weapon. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend soul points to deal elemental damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The type of damage done is the same as the essence currently active, determined by your Soul Enlightenment feature. The number of points determines the additional damage dealt, according to the table bellow:

At the 9th level In addition, your Soul Infusion damage die is now a d8 from understanding how to better utilize your soul.

Soul Infusion table Damage Soul Cost 2d6 2 3d6 3 4d6 5 5d6 6 6d6 7 School of Fighting When you reach the 3rd level, you finally discover the best ways to manifest your abilities and talents. You learn and follow one of two distinct soul Schools. You can choose between the following schools of combat for the Soul Knight: Soul Warrior and Soul Saint. Your school of fighting gives you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 14th and 17th levels. Soul Aura Starting at 3rd level your soul begins to manifest in an area around you giving a faint glow in the elemental color you chose. enemies and allies can see this aura and are aware of it. You can chose to activate it or to turn it off. It takes a bonus action to turn it on or off. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. As a reaction, you can spend 2 soul points to generate one of the following effects: Dismay: You can impose disadvantage on one melee attack roll, Strength or Dexterity check, or Strength or Dexterity saving throw made by a creature within your aura Empowerment: You can grant advantage on one melee attack roll, Strength or Dexterity check, or Strength or Dexterity saving throw made by a creature within your aura At 14th level, you can spend 7 soul points and use your reaction to empower all allies within your aura, or cause dismay for all enemies. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet, and you can activate it without spending an action. 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. Extra Attack Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Soul Empowerment Starting at 6th level, your soul begins to empower you and your allies. Whenever you or a friendly creature within your soul aura must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Constitution modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus. This bonus is not cumulative with any other type of bonus to saving throw granted by other similar features, like the paladin's aura of protection feature. Soul Understanding At 9th level, your grasp of the soul grows, you’ve come to understand yourself, and others, even more. Creatures in your aura cannot conceal from you their true intentions and you have some limited sway over their soul. When attempting to gain insight into a creature, you can read their soul. You gain advantage when making Wisdom (Insight), or Charisma (Persuasion), checks on humanoids inside your aura range. Furthermore this extends to animals and other creatures as well, should you attempt to interact with them you have some ability to manipulate their soul, giving you advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) rolls against creatures inside your aura range. Making a check in this way Uses 2 Soul Points Soul Sight At 10th Level you begin to see the world for what it truly is. You automatically know the location of anything that has a soul within your soul area, gaining blindsight within your Soul Aura area. In addition, you can actually see the manifestations of others souls. You use your bonus action to make an Wisdom (Insight) check against a creature within your aura range, resisted by the creature's Charisma (Deception) check, to gain insight into its reasoning (if any), its emotional state, and something that looms large in its mind (such as something it worries over, loves, or hates). At 20th level, you also gain truesight inside your Soul Aura area. Empowered Aura At 11th level, you can use your action and spend 5soul points on empowering your soul aura. You must spend 1 soul points for each turn you keep your aura empowered after the first. Any hostile creature that start its turn within your aura area, or who move towards it, take damage equal to your Constitution modifier, from the damage type determined by your elemental damage. You can also use this feature to cause all friendly that start their turn within your aura area (except you), or who move towards it to regain a number of hit points equal to your Constitution modifier. Swapping the aura from attack to healing or vice verse requires an action and an additional 6 soul points. You cannot add the damage of soul infusions to this damage. Soul Cushion At the 13th level, your soul begins to envelop you providing you with a shield from effects you can see. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you can instead take no damage on a success, and only half damage if you fail. Unwavering Soul At the 15th level Your Soul can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you're your Soul Aura is active and don't die outright, you drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest, alternatively you may spend 8 soul points should you need to use it again if you have not completed a long rest. Soul Thief Starting at the 18th level, you regain 1 soul point when you reduce a creature with a CR3 or more to 0 hit points. A piece of their soul lives on within you! Honor it! Soul Charge At 18th level, you can use your action and spend 8 soul points to have your soul aura become elementally charged. All Creatures other than yourself in your aura take damage equal to 7d8 + your Constitution modifier. The damage type is the same of your Soul Infusion feature. A success on a saving throw against your soul save DC reduces this damage to half. Allies who make this save do not gain the benefit of your Soul Empowerment to the save. Alternatively you can use your bonus action and spend 14 Soul points to heal all allies with if range by 3d8 + your Constitution modifier. If you charge your aura you lose the benefit of empowering it. Soul Siphon At the 20th level, For 1 minute, once per long rest, you may Siphon your enemies souls. During this time enemies within your aura have a penalty to saves equal to your aura bonus, as seen in the Soul Empowerment The souls of those you have Siphoned have granted you the additional benefit of keeping you youthful, you’re now immune to the effects of aging. Spells and effects that would age you, end on a long rest. School of Fighting Soul Warrior Soul Warrior’s focus on honing their soul’s into a weapon. They have learned to not only infuse their attacks, but project them in varying forms and use varying techniques to control the flow of battle. A soul warrior is one who crushes foes and flows like water, a technique for every situation, a response for every provocation. They are conflict incarnate. Fighting Spirit When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, when you finish a long rest, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your level in this class. Soul Actions At the 3rd level you have learned to harness your soul and use it in a variety of different forms. The range of your soul actions listed also increase with each empowerment. Each Soul Action gets your Strength modifier added to damage. The soul actions are described in detail by the end of this article. Allies who are caught by any of your Soul Actions that do damage, May NOT gain the benefit of your Soul Empowerment to help succeed the Save. Starting at the 3rd level you learn soul bullet, and learn one soul action of your choice at the 7th (2), 14th (3) and at the 17th (4). At the 20th level you may replace two actions you know on a long rest. In addition, you can use your bonus action to apply the effects of the Soul Infusion to the soul attacks (except soul bullets). Bravery Aura Starting at 7th level, you and any creature within your aura range have advantage on checks against the frightened condition. In addition, you can use your bonus action and spend 2 soul points to end the frightened effect on a creature within your aura. Irresistible Challenge When you reach 14th level, you can use you bonus action on your turn to challenge your enemies. Every hostile creature within your aura range must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Soul save DC. On a failure, a creature can't select a target other than you as for its attacks, spells, and abilities until the start of your next turn. Suppressing Vitality When you reach the 17th level, you can use your action envelop the aura of an enemy you can see within your aura range with yours. The creature must make a saving throw against your spell save DC and, on a failed save, for 1 minute, the creature can't regain hit points, and has vulnerability to the damage type of your currently active soul essence for the next minute. A resistant creature takes normal damage and a immune creature becomes only resistant. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1). You regain all its uses on a long rest. Soul Saint Soul Saint’s are, unlike their warrior counterparts, focused on using their souls to mend. Not tend. They heal their allies and can stop fatal blows. They focus less on controlling the flow of battle, as being an immutable rock, able to whether a number of blows, and helping their allies do so as well. Soul saint’s don’t shy from conflict, focusing on keeping their allies in the fight. Soul Bullet At the 3rd Level when you choose this path you learn the Soul Bullet action. This is the only Soul Action you learn. Bonus Proficiencies When you choose this soul path at the 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the Herbalism kit and the Medicine skill. If you already have this skill, you can add twice your proficiency bonus on checks made with it. Flux of Life At 3rd level, as a reaction when any creature within your aura range is reduced to 0 hit points, you can automatically stabilize that creature. In addition, you can spend 1 soul points to restore 1d4 + your Constitution hit points on a creature, as a bonus action. You can spend additional 1 soul point to restore another d4 of hit points, up to a maximum of 10d4 Bound to Live At 7th level, on your first turn of combat, you can use your bonus action and spend 5 soul points to choose one creature within your aura's range to protect from death. While the chosen creature remains within range, it cannot suffer instant death from taking damage exceeding its hit point maximum. In addition, instead of falling unconscious when it is reduced to 0 hit points, the creature is instead incapacitated and knocked prone. Death and death saving throw otherwise function as normal. The effect lasts until the end of combat, until the target is reduced to 0 hit points or until you use this feature again, on another target. This feature may not be used on yourself. Purifying Aura At the 14th level you become immune to poison damage and the poison condition. Additionally, you can use your action and spend 1 soul point to cure any poison or disease affecting an allied creature inside your aura. Doing so will gain advantage to any saving throw to resist the effects of poison or disease for the next minute. Furthermore, you can use your soul to purify curses. You can use your action and spend 5 soul points to end a curse on any creature or object within your aura. If the object is a cursed magical item, its curse remains, but the spell breaks its owner’s attunement to the object so it can be removed or discarded. Note If so deemed, by your Game Master, then you may attempt to purify the object. The specifics of that can be worked out between you and them. Soul Cover At the 17th Level you gain resistance to the essence types you chose. You can use your bonus action and spend 5 soul points to gain resistance to slashing, bludgeoning, and piercing damage from non-magical sources, lasting for 1 hour. In addition, you can spend 10 soul points to extend your resistances. Doing so give you resistance to magical and nonmagical slashing, bludgeoning and piercing damage, plus one additional damage type of your choice. Also, doing so will immunity to poison damage to any creature of your choice inside the area of your aura. Soul Action Soul Actions deal damage of Your present active soul essence type. When mentioning elemental, it’s simply a place holder for said type. Soul Wave You can spend 5 soul points to project your soul in a way that allows it to cut through matter. Deals 5d6 elemental damage in a 30-foot cone. This increases to 5d8 at 14th level and a 45-foot cone. It changes again to 5d10 in a 60-foot cone at 17th level. Targets make a Dexterity saving throw against 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier bonus with half damage on a success. Soul Spikes You can spend 5 soul points to create and project spikes of your soul, impaling a target within 10 feet of you. Causing 5d6 elemental damage and restrained. This increase to 5d8 at 14th level, with the target now being a stunned instead of restrained. This changes again to 5d10 and a stun at the 17th level and can target any target within your aura or beyond it by 15ft. Targets make a Dexterity saving throw against 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier to avoid the damage. In addition, on a failed save, the target must make a Constitution saving throw against the same save DC or be stunned (Or Rooted) until the end of your next turn. Soul Beam You can spend 5 soul points to create a compressed beam of solidified elemental damage. Deals 6d6 damage in a line 5 foot wide and 30 foot long. At 14th level, this increase to 6d8 in a in a line 10 foot wide and 40 foot long. It increases again at 17th level to 6d10 in a in a line 15 foot wide and 60 foot long. Targets make a Dexterity saving throw against 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier to avoid the damage. Soul Bullet You can spend 2 soul points to create 3 bullets of compressed energy (2 soul points per bullet). Each bullet deals 1d6 and can be directed at the same target or at different targets, each bullet is a separate attack roll. Each bullet has a range of 60 feet. This increased to 2d6 at 14th level. And 3d6 at the 17th level. You use your melee weapon attack modifier for the attacks made with the soul bullets. At 14th and again at 17th levels, you can produce an additional bullet for 3 soul points. The range also increases by 30 feet at each of the level upgrades. Soul Movement You can spend 8 points to teleport to a different point within your Aura as a reaction to you or your allies being attacked. At the 14th level you may extend this to another individual, if this individual is an enemy they make a Constitution save against your Soul DC, upon a failure they take the damage meant for you and you swap positions. At the 17th level you may swap any two targets, allies or enemies. Furthermore, at each increase you can extend this by 10 feet outside your aura. Soul Shroud You can use your soul as a shroud to create a magical darkness of sorts, which its appearance being determined by your essence It’s 6 points to create and 4 to maintain. It could be, for example, an illusionary cloud of smoke for fiery essence, or a thick blizzard for cold essence. While using this feature the area within your aura is treated as darkness, and all creatures within this area you cannot see one another by normal means, and must spend an action to make a Wisdom (Perception) check against your soul save DC to be able to see normally. At the 14th level, you are able to see through your own shroud normally. At the 17th level you can choose what creatures can see normally within the aura. Soul Rush You can spend 10 points and use your action to make a weapon attack against a number of creatures in your aura equal to your Strength modifier (minimum 1). At the 14th level it’s increased to your Strength modifier + 3. At the 17th level it’s your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus. Using your Soul Infusion with this feature only affects the first target. Soul Crush You can use your action and spend 6 points to choose an enemy within range to make a Charisma saving throw against your soul save DC. On a failed save, the target is frightened of you for 1 minute. They can make a saving throw at the end of their turns to end the effect. At the 14th Level you can make all enemies within range make the effect. At the 17th level enemies also make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, your soul crushes a piece of theirs incurring a level of exhaustion. A success on the Charisma saving throw against the frightened condition make the creature immune to this effect for the next 24 hours. The exhaustion still applies. Soul Stop For 6 soul points, enemies within range of your aura must make a Dexterity saving throw against your soul save DC. On a failed save, the targets are restrained for 1 minute. A creature affected can make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect. At the 14th level, two consecutive failures (failed both the initial save, and save on its turn) the target is now incapacitated for the duration. In each of its turns, the creature can make another saving throw to end the effect. At the 17th level three failed saves makes the target stunned . Multiclassing Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the soul knight class, you must meet these prerequisites: 15 Strength and 15 Constitution. Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the soul knight class, you gain the following proficiencies: light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes