The Empath v1.5

by Bamstacks

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The Empath
Bolster, sympathize, and affect with this emotional half-casting support class

All Empaths have one emotion core to the development of their empathic abilties. Maybe your abilities were born out of anger and frustration, or maybe through pure trauma and sadness. This event shapes how your abilities form and adapt, even if you have since moved on and changed as a person. Not to say, of course, that though difficult introspection and meditation, that one wouldn't, ever so rarely, be able to change their core emotion...

How do your powers come about? Do you tell stories that resonate with your emotional powers? Do you keep your powers bottled inside, protecting yourself? Have you used your powers to form unique and powerful bonds with creatures of nature? While all empaths share an affinity for emotion, each one will have different and unique powers and capabilities compared to one another.

Other Changes

This class is intended to go along with the other changes, like class proficiency bonuses, detailed here.

The Empath v.1.5

A white dragonborn enters into a room and notices auras of passive anger in a room full of two different dwarven factions who would otherwise appear to be peaceful, the tension being missed by others. Wanting to avoid the bloodshed, the dragonborn reacts to the aura, and manipulates the aura in the room to calm the emotions within.

A goliath is locked in vicious combat with an opposed orc war chief, wielding a warhammer that resonates with the fear he has spent his life working through. Over the course of the fight, hit after hit, he reads the emotions of his opponent and transfers his fear to the war chief, causing the orc to lose his edge and taking advantage of the orc's sudden bout of fright to deal the final blow.

A half-elf who'd awoken her empathic powers in a fit of frustration with her hometown is looking at a group of goblins rushing at her. She brings out her favorite storybook, and condenses the emotions therein, bringing the magic of the story to the goblins rushing at her. The area vibrates with crazed emotions, as the goblins' charge breaks and scatters in an instant.

An insectoid tries desperately to hold onto the head of the near demigod, focusing on flooding his head with sad emotions so that her friends can grab the gauntlet they desperately need to save the universe.

People of Emotions

Many creatures can lay claim to many different kinds of magic, but the magic birthed of strong emotions is unique. The magic of emotion does not focus on destruction or transmutation, but focuses on creating illusions, enchantments and reconfigurations. Empaths do not tend to interact with the Weave by summoning magic through it, but the Weave tends to be magnetically attracted to the unique way they channel their emotions and the emotions of others.

Revered and Mysterious

The unique way of channeling the magic of the Weave that Empaths use is seen as strange. Some Empaths are revered as unique beings, anomalies of the world who carry with them a unique wisdom and charisma fueled by the knowledge of what the people around them feel. Some are shunned by their communities for this same uniqueness.

A lot of empaths are comfortable in social situations, replacing the need for natural charisma with their unique insightful strengths. They say the things people want to hear, and use their unique knowledge to their own ends, for good or bad. Some have become used to this intensely personal knowledge, and some find it too easy to do unethical things with their abilities.

Most Empaths have developed intense feelings of empathy, and go out into the world seeking to use their powers to influence the world for good. Many have found irredeemable villains and monsters, and wish to help those who fight them. Others will find those that do evil but might be able to be convinced otherwise. Empaths are intensely personal creatures, and their journeys will inevitably end up close to the heart.

Creating an Empath

While Empaths can be found in any profession and anywhere doing anything, most empaths had their empathic powers awoken in a specific, emotional event related to their Core Emotion. Consider what this event was, and how that event influenced what your character is like to this day.

Also consider how your character reacted to their Empathic abilities awakening, and how they have decided to use their Empathic abilities. If their Core Emotion is fear, are they a character who has already worked through the fear that awakened their powers? What do they think about their powers revolving around causing fear in others? If your character has a Core Emotion of glee, do not feel trapped into having a gleeful character. Character development does not influence the past. A morose character could have powers that bring hope and happiness to their allies.

Quick Build

You can make an Empath quickly by following these suggestions: First, put your highest ability score in Wisdom or Charisma, your next highest into Dexterity, and your third highest into Constitution. Second, choose the Anthropologist or Folk Hero background.

The Empath
Level Proficiency Bonus Features Empath Die Cantrips Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1st +2 Empathic Mind, Unarmored Defense, Bolster Mind, Core Emotion - - - - - - -
2nd +2 Spellcasting, Empath Dice d6 2 2 - - - -
3rd +2 Sympathy, Empath Sense d6 2 3 - - - -
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement d6 2 3 - - - -
5th +3 Empath Sense Feature, Bolster Mind improvement d8 2 4 2 - - -
6th +3 Core Emotion Feature d8 2 4 2 - - -
7th +3 Shared Condition d8 2 4 3 - - -
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement d8 2 4 3 - - -
9th +4 — d8 2 4 3 2 - -
10th +4 Empath Sense Feature, Sympathy improvement d10 3 4 3 2 - -
11th +4 Core Emotion Feature, Bolster Mind improvement d10 3 4 3 3 - -
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement d10 3 4 3 3 - -
13th +5 — d10 3 4 3 3 1 -
14th +5 Empath Sense Feature d10 3 4 3 3 1 -
15th +5 Emotional Multitasking d12 3 4 3 3 2 -
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement d12 3 4 3 3 2 -
17th +6 Bolster Mind improvement d12 3 4 3 3 3 1
18th +6 Empath Sense Feature d12 3 4 3 3 3 1
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement d12 3 4 3 3 3 2
20th +6 Core Emotion Feature d12 3 4 3 3 3 2

Class Features

As an empath, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

  • Armor: Light armor
  • Weapons: Simple weapons
  • Tools: None
  • Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
  • Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Deception, History, Investigation, Insight, Intimidation, and Persuasion

Equipment

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

  • leather armor
  • (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
  • (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
  • An item of personal, emotional significance to you

You may alternatively roll 2d4 x 10 gp and buy your starting equipment.

Empath Multiclassing

Empaths follow all the normal rules for multiclassing. The following tables function as additions to the normal multiclassing rules.

If your group uses the optional rule on multiclassing in the Player’s Handbook, here’s what you need to know if you choose empath as one of your classes.

Ability Score Minimum. As a multiclass character, you must have at least a Wisdom or Charisma score of 15 to take a level in this class, or to take a level in another class if you are already an empath.

Spell Slots. Add half of your levels in the empath class, rounded down, to the appropriate levels from other classes to determine your available spell slots.

Empathic Mind

Starting at 1st level as an empath, emotions appear to you clearly in some way, and you can focus your senses to read those emotions. You gain proficiency in Insight, and your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Insight.

Empaths can either focus their empathic abilities through their wisdom and personal experiences, or they can focus it through their natural charisma and will. Choose Wisdom or Charisma to be your Empath Ability. You refer to this ability score or its modifier whenever a feature refers to your Empath Ability or Empath Ability modifier.

In addition, you gain a passive sense of the general emotions present in the area you are in. You might sense a generalized desperation in a ramshackle hospital, grief at a funeral, or calm at a monastery. You also passively know whether any creatures within 30 feet of you that you can see are friendly, indifferent, or hostile towards you. Creatures that have a passive Insight or Arcana (10 + the creature's skill bonus) equal to or higher than your spell save DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Empath Ability modifier) can choose to use their reaction to hide their intent from you, but you will be able to tell that they hid their intentions from you.

You also gain resistance to psychic damage.

Unarmored Defense

Starting at 1st level, while you are wearing light or no armor and holding an item of personal significance to you, which will later become your spellcasting focus, your empathic power gives hesitation to attacks that would attempt to harm you, and your AC is calculated as 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Empath Ability modifier.

Bolster Mind

Beginning at 1st level, your basic empathic abilities allow you to bolster the minds of yourself and your allies, minimizing fearful hesitations and bolstering wills. As an action, you can target one willing creature you can see within 60 feet of you. You must provide a somatic component as if casting a spell. That creature gains a d4 it can use in the following ways:

  • If the creature casts a spell or uses a feature that forces at least one saving throw, it can roll and expend the die and add it to the save DC for the spell or effect. The bonus only applies to the save DC of the spell or effect until the beginning of the creature's next turn.
  • If the creature hits with an attack, it can expend the die to add two rolls of the die to the damage roll of the attack.
  • If the creature makes an ability check or saving throw, it can expend and roll the die to add the result of the roll to the saving throw. The creature can decide to expend the die this way after they roll but before the know whether they succeeded or failed.

The die a creature gains from this ability lasts until it is expended, or the creature finishes a long rest. A creature can only have one die from this feature at a time, even if used by multiple characters.

As you gain Empath levels, the number of creatures you can target with this ability increases. You can target one additional creature with this feature when you reach 5th level (2), 11th level (3), and 17th level (4).

Core Emotion

Every Empath is an individual themselves, and feels the full breadth of emotions, but all empaths have one central emotion that is most important to them, their story, or their past. Starting at 1st level, your empathic powers have come about in some way related to your Core Emotion. Your Core Emotion grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 11th, and 20th level.

DM Note: Changing Core Emotion

Maybe a character goes through a significant character moment or development, and feels like a different Core Emotion is more character relevant. Work with your player or DM on details on how it works, maybe it involves a ritual with a material component, maybe features are replaced over the course of time. Either way, when the process is completed, all features gained through the original Core Emotion should be replaced by those of the new Emotion.

Emotion Spells

Each Core Emotion grants certain innate access to certain kinds of magic. You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the associated Emotion Spells table for each Core Emotion. Once you gain an Emotion spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

If you have an Emotion spell that doesn't appear on the empath spell list, the spell is nonetheless an empath spell for you.

Spellcasting

Beginning at 2nd level, your connection with emotions allows you to cast spells. Your spells are a representation of the ways in which you connect your emotions to the world. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the Empath spell list.

Cantrips

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

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Empath table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your empath spells of 1st level and 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 when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of empath spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the empath spell list. When you do so, choose a number of empath spells equal to your Empath Ability modifier + half your empath level, rounded down (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 empath, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Empath Ability of 16, your list of prepared spells can include five spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell healing word, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 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 empath spells requires time spent reorienting your emotions and your connections to them: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Your Empath ability is your spellcasting ability for your empath spells. Your magic either comes from your deep connection to the emotions of yourself and others, or from the intense will and strength of your own emotions. You use your Empath Ability whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Empath Ability modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an empath spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +

your Empath Ability modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus +

your Empath Ability modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast any empath spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an item of personal, emotional significance to you as a spellcasting focus for your empath spells. If this item is lost, you may spend 1 hour with a new item to gain an emotional connection to it in this way.

Empath Dice

Starting at 2nd level, you gain a pool of Empath Dice equal to your Empath Ability modifier (minimum 1) representing the extent and power of the emotions you can extract from the creatures and environments you interact with. The size of this die increases as you gain Empath levels, as shown in the Empath class table. You regain all expended Empath Dice when you finish a short or long rest. When you use your Bolster Mind ability, you can expend one of your Empath Dice to use two of the following features, or you can expend two to use all three.

Augmented Bolster

You can replace the d4 with your Empath Die.

Hastened Bolster

You can use Bolster Mind as a bonus action instead of an action on your turn.

Multiplicative Bolster

You can target one additional creature.

As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend a spell slot to regain expended Empath Dice equal to twice the level of the expended spell slot.

Sympathy

Beginning at 3rd level, your Empathic powers allow you to link yourself empathically to others. As an action, you can touch a willing creature and link its consciousness to yours. Maintaining this link requires you to concentrate as if concentrating on a spell, though you can also concentrate on an Empath spell or class feature while concentrating on this feature, though if you do, you have disadvantage on concentration checks you make. While linked in this way, you deeply sense the linked creature's comfort as well as its suffering, you fully understand any strong emotion it feels, and you gain the following benefits:

  • When the target is healed, you can use your reaction and expend an Empath Die to be healed for the same amount. Roll the Empath Die and apply it in extra healing to both you and the target.
  • Both you and the target gain the following use for your reaction: When the person you are sympathetic with takes damage other than psychic damage, you may use your reaction to halve the damage they take. If you do, you take the same amount of damage, but the damage type for you is changed to psychic.
  • When the target makes an attack roll or a saving throw, it can take and expend one of your Empath Dice and add it to the roll. The creature can do so after it sees the roll but before it knows if it succeeded or failed.

You can only have one creature linked at a time through your Sympathy. You can use your Sympathy a number of times equal to your empath proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

When you reach 10th level in this class, maintaining your Sympathy no longer requires your concentration.

Empathic Sense

Starting at 3rd level, your empathic abilities have evolved to take a specific form. These different forms make up the various Empath Senses, the ways in which Empaths differentiate in function. Maybe you interact with emotions through auras you see around creatures, or maybe you utilize your control and sense of emotions offensively to disable and hurt your enemies, or maybe your empathic abilities empower your fighting style as a warrior. Your Empathic Sense choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 5th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Sense Spells

Each Empath Sense has certain spells associated with the way in which each empathic sense channels its empathic powers. You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the associated Sense Spells table for each Empathic Sense. Once you gain a Sense spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

If you have a Sense spell that doesn't appear on the empath spell list, the spell is nonetheless an empath spell for you.

Shared Condition

Starting at 7th level, as a reaction to a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see become charmed, frightened, stunned, or paralyzed, you can immediately end the condition on the creature and place it on yourself. You can do so even if you are already under the effects of the same condition.

If you do so, at the start of your turn, you may make a check using your Empath ability against the effect's DC. If you are Empathically Linked with a creature, that creature can use its reaction to take psychic damage equal to a roll of your Empath Die and grant you advantage on the check. On a successful check, the condition ends on you. On a failure, the effect takes its normal effect on you as if you were the original target and had failed the saving throw. Regardless of whether you succeed or fail, if you use this ability, you cannot use a bonus action or cast a spell of 1st-level or higher on your turn.

Emotional Multitasking

Starting at 15th level, you gain the ability to react to multiple instances of emotions around the battlefield. You gain a second reaction each round, which can only be used on Empath class or subclass features, or to cast reaction spells on the Empath spell list.

Anger

Empaths with a core emotion of anger were driven to their Empathic abilities through an experience that continues to fill them with vitriol and frustration to this day.

Anger contorts your empathic abilities to deal additional damage to destroy your enemies as quickly as possible.

Anger Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd transfer failure
5th redirect anger
9th boost emotions
13th raulothim's psychic lance
17th synaptic static

Rebuke

1st-level Anger Core Emotion feature

As a reaction to taking damage from a creature you can see within 30 feet of you, you glare at the creature and let your anger flare. The creature that damaged you has its mind assaulted by your anger. The creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. It takes 3d4 psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The d4s are changed to become equal to your Empath Die when you gain the Empath Dice class feature.

A creature with a die granted by your Bolster Mind can also use this feature by expending the die, although the Empath Die size for them is equal to the size of the die granted by Bolster Mind.

Frustration

6th-level Anger Core Emotion feature

If you miss with an attack roll, or a creature succeeds on a saving throw versus one of your spells or Empath abilities, your frustration emanates from you. You can choose to have the creature you attempted to hit, or one creature who succeeded on its saving throw take psychic damage equal to two rolls of your Empath Die. You may only apply this damage once per turn.

Destroy

11th-level Anger Core Emotion feature

Your anger has become extra destructive. Once per turn, when you cast an Empath spell or hit with a weapon attack, you can add a roll of your Empath Die to the first damage roll of the attack or spell.

Fuck You In Particular

20th-level Anger Core Emotion feature

As an action, you can choose to expend your emotional power to send out a powerful lance of destructive emotional energy towards a creature you can see within 60 feet of you. You force one creature you can see within 60 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw versus your spell save DC. On a failure, that creature takes 20d10 psychic damage, or half as much on a success.

After you use this ability, you must immediately make a Wisdom saving throw against your own spell save DC or else fall unconscious. You can't use this ability again until you finish a long rest.

Contentedness

Most empaths awake their Empathic experiences through intense emotions, but Empaths with Contentedness as their Core Emotion often have gained their powers through reconciliation and understanding, reflecting on these intense experiences.

Contentedness calms, stabilizes you, and keeps you and your allies going in tough times.

Contentedness Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd bless
5th calm emotions
9th slow
13th aura of life
17th dispel evil and good

Calm

1st-level Contentedness Core Emotion feature

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Understanding

6th-level Contentedness Core Emotion feature

Your empathic powers anchor you to your body and resist effects that would try to affect it. You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws. A creature who uses a die granted by your Bolster Mind to add it to a Constitution saving throw they make can also reroll the saving throw. They can add the die after they roll, but before the results of the roll are announced.

Reconciliation

11th-level Contentedness Core Emotion feature

Much like you have reconciled with your emotions and found stability, your magic is infused with the power of reconciliation, causing creatures affected by them to be less hostile. Creatures that fail a saving throw against at least one of your Empath spells or abilities, if they target you with an attack or a harmful spell, must first make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell.

This effect ends after 1 minute, or if you target the creature with an attack or spell or deal damage to it.

Resolution

20th-level Contentedness Core Emotion feature

You can become a force of immovable contentedness and calm on the battlefield, forcing others to acknowledge your sheer emotional presence. As an action, you steel your resolve and take a deep breath in, and then out. You then emanate a wave of resolute energy from you. All creatures of your choice within 120 feet of you must immediately use their reactions, if available, to steel their resolve to fight against your calming influence. If a creature does not have their reaction available, they immediately lose the will to fight, drop a weapon if they are holding one, drop concentration on any spell they may be concentrating on, and spend their next turn doing nothing. A creature who has lost the will to fight makes a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC at the beginning of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success, though they cannot target you with an attack or harmful spell or magical effect until the end of their turn.

Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Desire

Was it a failed romance? Did you awaken your powers in your teenage years? Maybe you were the target of so much affection that you awakened your powers in response to the overwhelming pressure. Maybe you were born with a deformity, and in that desperation for affection, you awoke your powers.

Regardless, Empaths with a core emotion of desire truly understand our most base impulses and can manipulate these emotions and impulses to their benefit. They tend to use their magic to charm and manipulate.

Desire Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd charm person
5th enthrall
9th hypnotic pattern
13th charm monster
17th dominate person

Charming Visage

1st-level Desire Core Emotion feature

Regardless of your actual physical appearance, creatures that can see you of your choice regard you as very conventionally attractive. You have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion, Deception, Performance) checks.

A creature with a die granted by your Bolster Mind can also expend that die to add it to one of these checks after they roll but before they know the result.

Universal Attraction

6th-level Desire Core Emotion feature

Some creatures are harder to charm for some. However, you can awaken those emotions in creatures that wouldn't normally be able to be charmed. If a creature would normally have advantage on a saving throw to resist becoming charmed by you, they must roll without advantage. Creatures immune to the charmed condition instead have advantage on saving throws to resist becoming charmed by you, becoming charmed on a failed save.

In addition, your brief charm effects last longer. When a spell that frightens or is on the Desire Spells table says that the condition ends at the beginning or end of your next turn, it instead has a duration of 1 minute, and provides a saving throw at the end of each of the target's turns to end the effect. If the effect lasts for 1 minute, it now lasts for 10, if it lasts for 10 minutes, it lasts for 1 hour, if it lasts for 1 hour, it lasts for 8 hours, if it lasts for 8 hours or longer, it now lasts until dispelled. Furthermore, creatures have disadvantage on saving throws they make to end the effects on themselves of a Desire Spell or spell that charms that you cast.

Voracious Charm

11th-level Desire Core Emotion feature

When you cause a creature to be charmed by you through a spell or class ability, the charmed condition is more debilitating than normal.

A creature charmed by you will not attack you or any other creatures you designate, and they will use any resources and actions at their disposal to attempt to end their turn as close to you as they can.

In addition, on your turn as a bonus action, you can ensure those charmed by you remain charmed. Creatures that are charmed by you remain charmed until the end of your next turn, and do not get a save to end the effect, and cannot have the effect ended on them, except via a Restoration (as a 5th-level spell), Heal (as a 6th-level spell), or Wish spell.

If a spell causes a creature charmed by you to suffer additional effects, like Hypnotic Pattern, these effects do not override those effects.

Help Me

20th-level Desire Core Emotion feature

As an action, you can cause one creature within 60 feet of you that can see you to do something you ask it. You can give the creature a command from the following list, and the creature must use its action on its next turn to follow your command to the best of its ability.

  • Kill this creature (designate a creature you and the target can see within 30 feet of the target.)
  • Heal or support me and my allies.
  • Do nothing (the creature ends its turn without taking any actions or bonus actions)

Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Disgust

Empaths who focus their powers through the emotion of disgust often awakened their powers in response to an event so vile, horrible, and disgusting that their powers were suddenly gained. Or the triggering event could have been as simple as something good happened to someone you hate, or maybe someone you deeply trust lying to you about something important.

Whichever way you got to this point, the magic of a Disgust Empath is often amplified to degrade your enemies, to reveal them for who and what they are.

Disgust Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd bane
5th blindness/deafness
9th stinking cloud
13th banishment
17th cloudkill

Mock

1st-level Disgust Core Emotion feature

You learn the vicious mockery cantrip, it becomes an Empath spell for you, and it doesn't count against your Cantrips Known. When you cast vicious mockery, the penalty is equal to a roll of your Empath Die.

In addition, a creature with a die granted by your Bolster Mind can expend that die to cast vicious mockery the same way you can, using your spell save DC, except the penalty is equal to the granted die.

Villify

6th-level Disgust Core Emotion feature

When a creature takes damage from one of your weapon attacks or spells, or fails its saving throw against one of your spells or Empath abilities, you can gain control over its negative reactions to events, and it becomes Villified. Only one creature can be villified at a time. At the start of your turn, you may switch which creature is villified, as long as the target clears the prerequisites for being Villified.

When a Villified creature uses its reaction, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a Wisdom saving throw versus your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature cannot take reactions until the end of its next turn.

Reveal

11th-level Disgust Core Emotion feature

You can reveal the most negative, disgusting thoughts of creatures to its allies. As a bonus action on your turn, you can cause a a Villified creature to become incapacitated as long as the creature has at least one creature within 30 feet of it that is allied with it. A creature becomes immune to this effect once you use this ability on it. A Villified creature with legendary resistances can expend one of its legendary resistances to avoid becoming incapacitated.

Repugnance

20th-level Disgust Core Emotion feature

A Villified creature becomes repugnant to its own allies. Any creature that starts its turn within 15 feet of a Villified creature must make a Wisdom saving throw or else be forced to use its action to take the Dash action to move as far away from the Villified creature as it can in a direction of its choice.

Fear

Empaths whose Empath abilities center around fear focus on making sure their enemies know fear themselves. They probably awakened their powers through a terrifying experience in their past. Why do you cause so much fear? Do you just want to make people feel what you felt those years ago? Do you want to put real fear in the minds of the high and mighty?

Regardless, the magic of a Fear Empath focuses on imposing the frightened condition as much as possible, even causing fear for those creatures that would never normally be frightened of anything.

Fear Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd cause fear
5th phantasmal force
9th fear
13th phantasmal killer
17th seeming

Implant Alarm

1st-level Fear Core Emotion feature

You gain the following feature. Any creature can expend a die granted by your Bolster Mind to use this ability as well.

You can use a bonus action to target one creature you can see within 60 feet of you, causing a sense of trepidation and anxiety. That creature has disadvantage on saving throws it makes to avoid becoming frightened until the end of your next turn.

Universal Fear

6th-level Fear Core Emotion feature

Fear triggered by your spells and Empath abilities becomes universal. If a creature would normally have advantage on a saving throw to resist becoming frightened by you, they must roll without advantage. Creatures immune to the frightened condition instead have advantage on saving throws to resist becoming frightened by you, becoming frightened on a failed save.

In addition, your terrifying effects last longer. When a spell that frightens or is on the Fear Spells table says that the condition ends at the beginning or end of your next turn, it instead has a duration of 1 minute, and provides a saving throw at the end of each of the target's turns to end the effect. If the effect lasts for 1 minute, it now lasts for 10, if it lasts for 10 minutes, it lasts for 1 hour, if it lasts for 1 hour, it lasts for 8 hours, if it lasts for 8 hours or longer, it now lasts until dispelled. Furthermore, creatures have disadvantage on saving throws they make to end the effects on themselves of a Fear Spell or spell that frightens that you cast.

Panic

11th-level Fear Core Emotion feature

You can choose for creatures frightened by you that are within 30 feet of you at the start of their turn to have their speed reduced to 0 and be incapacitated.

True Horror

20th-level Fear Core Emotion feature

As an action on your turn, you dig deeply into the essence of horror, and implant that horror into a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. That creature becomes frightened of itself, even if it is immune to the frightened condition.

A creature frightened by itself in this way must use its action on its turn to attack itself, as if trying to end its own suffering. At the end of each of its turns, the creature makes a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, ending the effect on a success. The creature makes this saving throw with disadvantage if it can see you.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Glee

Empaths with Glee as their Core Emotion are usually extremely positive, happy, and optimistic people. Their empathy is all about making others feel amazing, and their happiness is supernaturally infectious. However, maybe you gained your empathic powers through a happy experience, but what you have learned through your empathic powers has caused a downturn in your own emotions.

Regardless of the specifics of your current emotional state, your gleeful origin causes your empathic powers to amplify the power of your allies and allow them to shine.

Glee Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd bless
5th enhance ability
9th aura of vitality
13th aura of purity
17th circle of power

Good Cheer

1st-level Glee Core Emotion feature

Your empathic energy can energize and bring good cheer to your allies. When you take a short rest, all creatures of your choice that regain hit points at the end of the short rest by spending one or more Hit Dice regain additional hit points equal to a roll of your Empath Die. This bonus increases to two rolls at 10th level, and three rolls at 20th level.

Jovial

6th-level Glee Core Emotion feature

Your jovial spirit fends off negative emotions. You are immune to the frightened condition, and all allies within 10 feet of you have advantage on saving throws made to resist the frightened condition.

In addition, when you cast an Empath spell on the Glee Spells table, damage can't break your concentration on the spell.

Opportune Happiness

11th-level Glee Core Emotion feature

When you create your Sympathy, you can infuse it with purified good spirit and indomitable enthusiasm. The linked creature gains a bonus to all saving throws, weapon damage rolls, and spell damage rolls equal to your Empath Ability modifier. This purified Sympathy lasts for 1 minute.

Once you modify your Sympathy in this way, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Undying Merriment

20th-level Glee Core Emotion feature

When you finish a long rest, you may choose any number of creatures to become infused with undying merriment. Until the end of your next long rest, those creatures double their movemement speed and their movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

When any of those creatures drop to 0 hit points, they can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. Once a creature uses this ability, it can't use it again until it becomes the beneficiary of this feature again.

Hysteria

Empaths with Hysteria as their Core Emotion most often gained their powers through an emotionally harrowing experience that caused the Empath to go mad, at least briefly. They probably have gained control of their emotions since then, but that layer of panic and madness at least lies in wait underneath their consciousness, if it doesn't manifest itself regularly in conditions like panic attacks or schizophrenia.

The magic of a Hysteria Empath causes creatures to become confused, disoriented, and unsure of who is friend or foe.

Hysteria Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd dissonant whispers
5th mirror image
9th enemies abound
13th confusion
17th modify memory

Confuse

1st-level Hysteria Core Emotion feature

You can use your reaction when you are hit with an attack and add a d4 to your AC against the triggering attack, potentially causing it to miss. When you later gain the Empath Dice feature, this bonus will equal your Empath Die.

Any creature can expend a die granted by your Bolster Mind to use this ability as well. If a creature other than you uses this ability, they use the size of die granted by your Bolster Mind instead of your Empath Die.

Panicked Movement

6th-level Hysteria Core Emotion feature

If a creature is hit by one of your weapon attacks or fails a saving throw versus one of your Empath spells or Empathic abilities, you can force the creature to immediately move 10 feet in a direction of your choice. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks, and can stack with other sources of forced movement.

Frenzy

11th-level Hysteria Core Emotion feature

You can choose to cause a frenzy in a creature that fails a saving throw versus one of your Empath spells. That creature drops everything it is holding, falls prone if it isn't prone already, and has disadvantage on Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws until the end of your next turn.

Purified Madness

20th-level Hysteria Core Emotion feature

As an action, you can target one creature you can see with targeted, pinpoint, purified madness. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the target must use its action on its turn to attack itself as many times as it can, and each of those attacks are automatically critical hits. On a success, the target must use its action on its turn to attack itself as many times as it can, but those attacks are not automatically critical hits.

Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Pride

Empaths of Pride are often born of a great achievement, feat, or deed they accomplished, and often founded their Empathic powers in the basking glow of realization that they can and should achieve what they can, and forge the world in their image.

The magic of a Pride Empath empowers you, protects you, and can turn your enemies into prideful husks, forgoing strategy in exchange for dangerous decisions.

Pride Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd command
5th enhance ability
9th fly
13th freedom of movement
17th wall of light

You Can't Hurt Me

1st-level Pride Core Emotion feature

Your empathy, coming from Pride, can reinforce you against harm. You can use your action to gain 2d4 temporary hitpoints. When you later gain the Empath Dice feature, the temporary hit points become equal to two rolls of your Empath Die. In addition, if you are concentrating on an effect or spell, if you take damage that does not reduce the amount of temporary hitpoints you have to 0, it no longer forces a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration.

A creature with a die granted by your Bolster Mind can expend that die as an action to grant itself temporary hitpoints equal to two rolls of the granted die.

I Say When It Ends

6th-level Pride Core Emotion feature

Did someone try to drop you unconscious? The gall. When you drop to 0 hitpoints, you can use your reaction and expend an Empath Die to drop to 1 hitpoint instead, immediately gaining a roll of your Empath Die in temporary hitpoints. You can expend additional Empath Dice to add to the temporary hitpoints you gain using this feature.

Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Who Decided That?

11th-level Pride Core Emotion feature

You missed with an attack, someone avoided the effects of a spell or ability you cast. Your magic reacts strongly to that affront to your Pride. You can use either of the following two abilities:

  • If you miss with an attack roll, you can reroll the attack roll with advantage, dealing extra psychic damage on a hit equal to two rolls of your Empath Die. If the attack hits, it ignores resistance and immunity to any damage type you deal.
  • You can force one creature you can see within 60 feet of you that succeeds on a saving throw versus one of your spells or Empath Abilities to reroll with disadvantage as your Empathic powers mess with their mind in a forceful attempt at success.

Once you use either ability, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 3rd-level or higher to do so again.

Prideful Wager

20th-level Pride Core Emotion feature

Your empathic abilities have developed to the point where you can put your life on the line for your pride. As a reaction to taking damage, you can force the creature who damaged you to enter into a Wager of Pride. Before the end of your next turn, if you and your allies can deal more cumulative damage to the creature who made the triggering attack than the creature did to you and your allies during its turn, or you cause it to fall unconscious, you win the wager. If you win the wager, the target takes 100 psychic damage or a quarter of its maximum hitpoints, whichever is higher, and you regain all of your hitpoints and all of your Empath Dice. On a tie, nothing happens. If you lose the wager, you immediately drop to 0 hitpoints and fall unconscious.

Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Sadness

Empaths of Sadness often are found borne among those in every community who deal with the everyday sadnesses and tragedies of life. Their abilities are a natural extension of what they already do. Or maybe you went through an unexpected tragedy that sent you careening into sadness and depression.

Regardless of how your powers awakened, your empathic abilities emphasize incapacitating and debuffing your enemies.

Sadness Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd id insinuation
5th hold person
9th bestow curse
13th shadow of moil
17th synaptic static

Regret

1st-level Sadness Core Emotion feature

You can cause the pain and desperation of being hit by an attack to echo to the cause of that pain. When you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to force the creature who made the attack to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature is flooded with regret for hitting you, and can't make any more attacks or cast any spells that would cause harm to or incapacitate any creature. This effect ends at the beginning of its next turn.

A creature with a die granted by your Bolster Mind can use this ability as well by expending the die.

Grief

6th-level Sadness Core Emotion feature

When a creature you can see that you consider friendly drops to 0 hit points, you can choose to allow your grief to channel your empathic abilities. You can use your reaction to regain all expended Empath Dice, and the next time you force a creature to make a saving throw, the creature makes the saving throw with disadvantage. If you force multiple creatures to make a saving throw, pick one of the affected creatures.

Morose

11th-level Sadness Core Emotion feature

Morosity and depression tinge all of your magical capabilities. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack or the creature fails its saving throw against one of your spells or Empath abilities, you can choose to cause the creature to become saddened. A saddened creature suffers a d4 penalty to all saving throws it makes. This effect ends at the end of your next turn.

Flood of Tears

20th-level Sadness Core Emotion feature

No matter who you're fighting, no creature is immune to the grief and sadness one feels upon seeings its allies go down. When a creature you can see that was hostile to you drops to zero hit points, you can use your reaction to cause a different creature you can see within 60 feet of you to instantly break down sobbing. The creature is blinded by tears, or some equivalent emotional expression until the start of its next turn. This ignores immunity to the blinded condition; you are skilled enough to awaken this sadness even in creatures who wouldn't normally feel sadness. At the start of its turn, a creature can expend a use of its legendary resistance, if it has any, to end this effect on itself.

Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Wonder

Something shone so bright in your life that it awakened in you the ability to sense emotions in others and induce that same sense of wonder you had as a child. Maybe it was the simple wonder of seeing snow for the first time, or maybe you were saved by an awe-inspiring figure and have held that feeling close to your chest ever since.

Regardless of how you awoke your powers, Empaths of Wonder inspire awe in their allies through their abilities, and even sometimes in their enemies.

Wonder Spells

Empath Level Emotion Spells
2nd distort value
5th nathair's mischief
9th incite greed
13th wondrous being
17th holy weapon

Wondrous Thing

1st-level Wonder Core Emotion feature

As an action on your turn, or as a bonus action if you expend an Empath Die, you can designate one creature of size Small or larger, or an object of size Medium or Larger that you can see within 60 feet of you to be a Wondrous Thing for a duration of 1 minute. All creatures of your choice who start their turn within 10 feet of the Wondrous Thing or enter within 10 feet of the Wondrous Thing for the first time on their turn must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, a creature cannot willingly move more than 10 feet away from the Wondrous Thing. A creature can make a Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. This effect also ends if the creature takes damage or if it starts its turn more than 10 feet away from the Wondrous Thing. A creature immune to the charmed condition is immune to this effect.

Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Starry-Eyed

6th-level Wonder Core Emotion feature

The wonder that powers your empath abilities causes you to look deeper into the souls and hearts of those you interact with. When you make an Empath Ability check, you can choose to see the wonders in what you're doing, adding a roll of your Empath Die to your ability check. You can decide to use this bonus after you roll, but before the DM decides the result. You can do so a number of times equal to your Empath Ability modifier, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Supernatural Wonder

11th-level Wonder Core Emotion feature

Creatures immune to the charmed condition are no longer immune to the effects of your Wondrous Thing. In addition, creatures under the effect of your Wondrous Thing have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws.

Inspire Awe

20th-level Wonder Core Emotion feature

You have learned to find wonder in your allies, and you can extend those feelings deeply to others. As an action, you can extend inspiring links between any creatures of your choice that you can see. As long as one of the creatures can see another creature that it is connected to in this way, that creature is immune to the charmed and frightened conditions and, at the start of each of its turns, gains 15 temporary hit points.

Aura Sense

You see the world around you full of emotions,
radiating in auras around creatures you see. You can read that emotional aura like a book, and your abilities as an empath center around manipulating, enhancing, or degrading those auras, as well as emanating an aura of your own.

Aura Spells

Empath Level Spells
3rd identify
5th silence
9th end emotions
13th evard's black tentacles
17th telekinesis

Aura Sense

3rd-level Aura Sense feature

Strong emotions leave emotional residue in their wake, and you have learned to sense and read that residue. If strong emotion existed in an area you investigate for 1 minute or more, you find a piece of that emotion and learn the basic emotional character of the event that triggered the strong emotion.

In addition, you can read emotions through reading people's auras. As an action, you can force a creature within your aura to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, you gain the benefits of the detect thoughts spell as if they had failed the saving throw. On a success, they are unaware you tried to probe their mind, but they are immune to this ability until you finish a long rest.

Empathic Aura

3rd-level Aura Sense feature

You emanate an aura of empathy with a radius of 10 feet that calms creatures near you. All creatures within your aura add your Empath Ability modifier to Wisdom saving throws they make. As a bonus action on your turn, you can turn off this aura or turn it back on again. As an action, you can triple the radius until the end of your next turn.

Aura Polarity

5th-level Aura Sense feature

Your passive aura gains an additional feature based on your Core Emotion.

Anger. Your passive anger and frustration empowers the strength of creatures near you. All weapon damage rolls based on Strength, as well as Strength saving throws made within your aura gain a bonus to the roll equal to a roll of your Empath Die.

Contentedness. Your content nature makes those near you steadfast and quiet. Any creature within your aura has advantage on stealth checks and saving throws that would cause them to be moved, stunned, petrified, or paralyzed.

Desire. Your core emotion infects those in your aura. As an action on your turn, you can force all creatures of your choice within your aura to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a creature is charmed by you until the end of your next turn. You can expend an Empath Die to use this effect as a bonus action instead.

Disgust. Your disgust at your enemies invades into the minds of your enemies. As a reaction to a creature entering your aura, you can force the creature to make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the creature suffers the effects of the bane spell until the end of your next turn. You can use this ability once per short or long rest, unless you expend an Empath Die to use it again.

Fear. Your aura is terrifying. If a creature starts its turn within your aura, or enters your aura for the first time on its turn, you can use your reaction to force it to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature is afraid of you until the end of its next turn. You can use this ability once per short or long rest, unless you expend an Empath Die to use it again.

Glee. Your contagious energy energizes creatures in your aura. If a creature starts its turn in your aura, its speed increases by 10 feet, and opportunity attacks made againt the creature are made with disadvantage until the end of its turn.

Hysteria. Your emotions cause hysteria in those around you. If a creature starts its turn in your aura or enters it for the first time on its turn, you can use your reaction to force the creature to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature must use its reaction to run up to its speed in a direction of your choice. You can use this ability once per short or long rest, unless you expend an Empath Die to use it again.

Pride. Your prideful empathy maintains your aura as clean. Within your aura, any nonmagical diseases are cured and any nonmagical poisons are neutralized, and you can detect magical varieties of either within your aura. Your aura is difficult terrain for any creatures of your choice as they have to push past your prideful will.

Sadness. If a creature starts its turn in your aura, you can use your reaction to force the creature to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature is distracted by saddening memories and visions and has disadvantage on all attack rolls until the end of its turn. You can use this ability once per short or long rest, unless you expend an Empath Die to use it again.

Wonder. If a creature you can see within your aura sees you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you can force that creature to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature is incapacitated with awe by the emotions sifting through your spell until the end of your next turn. You can use this ability once per short or long rest, unless you expend an Empath Die to use it again.

Aura Manipulation

10th-level Aura Sense feature

You can manipulate the auras of creatures you can see. As an action, you can force one creature you can see within 30 feet of you to make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the creature is incapacitated until the end of your next turn and gains an aura of equivalent size to your aura. The aura's effect differs based on your Core Emotion. You must concentrate on this effect as if concentrating on a spell.

Anger. The aura around the creature is filled with vicious, hateful anger. All creatures of your choice that start their turn in the aura or enter it for the first time on their turn take psychic damage equal to two rolls of your Empath Die.

Contentedness. The aura around the creature is intensely calming. Creatures that start their turn in the aura or enter it for the first time on their turn can use an action or bonus action, but not both, and can't make more than one attack on their turn.

Desire. The aura around the target is inebriated with desire. Creatures that start their turn in the aura or enter it for the first time on their turn must make a Wisdom saving throw versus your Spell Save DC or else be charmed by you until the end of their next turn.

Disgust. The aura around the creature is ridden with disgust. Creatures that start their turn in the aura or enter it for the first time on their turn have disadvantage on the next ability check or attack roll they make.

Fear. The aura around the creature is filled with fear. Creatures that start their turn in the aura or enter it for the first time on their turn become frightened of the target. The fear ends as soon as a creature ends its turn outside the target's aura.

Glee. The aura around the target is filled with ecstatic energy, blinding creatures with happiness and visions of their dream lives. Creatures that start their turn in the aura of enter it for the first time on their turn must make a Wisdom saving throw or be blinded. This ignores immunity to the blinded condition.

Hysteria. The aura around the target is filled with crazed emotions. Creatures that start their turn in the aura or enter it for the first time on their turn must use any remaining movement to move in a direction randomly chosen by the DM in as much of a straight line as they can, moving around obstacles as much as they can.

Pride. The aura around the target is filled with overconfident, prideful energy. Creatures that start their turn in the aura or enter it for the first time on their turn feel overconfident in their success, cannot take either the Dodge or Disengage actions, and have disadvantage on Intelligence saving throws until the end of their next turn.

Sadness. The aura around the target is ensconced with profound sadness and depression. Creatures that start their turn in the aura or enter it for the first time on their turn have their speed halved and have disadvantage on Charisma saving throws until the end of their next turn.

Wonder. The aura around the target brims with wonderment and awe. Creatures that start their turn in the aura or enter it for the first time on their turn have their speed reduced to zero and can't take any other actions except for the Dodge or Disengage action on their turn.

Aura Flood

14th-level Aura Sense feature

Your aura improves in the following ways:

  • Your aura's passive radius increases to 15 feet.
  • You can manipulate your aura to distract creatures in it. If a creature in your aura hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to add your Wisdom modifier to your AC for that attack, potentially causing it miss.
  • At the start of your turn, you can use your bonus action to increase your aura's radius to 20 feet. You can do once per short or long rest, unless you expend an Empath Die to use it again.

Mind Breakdown

18th-level Aura Sense feature

As an action, you can focus your aura in on the aura of a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. Time immediately stops for both you and the creature as your sympathy link with that creature is forced through with just enough power. You immediately begin an earnest conversation with that creature, investigating its guilt, conscious, feelings, or just things it has done, and you pull at those feelings through your control over your and its auras. Make 3 Charisma skill checks, with each check using a different skill. The target must then make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, making it with disadvantage if the sum of your 3 skill checks surpassed 50. On a failure, the target is incapacitated and paralyzed until the end of your next turn and takes psychic damage equal to twice the sum of your 3 skill checks. On a success, the target takes psychic damage equal to the sum of your 3 skill checks. Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Blade Sense

Your empathy is focused on combat, reading emotions and influencing them as you fend off their attacks and make
your own. You have learned that the intensity of emotions that occurs under constant mortal threat can grant you ultimate understanding. Your own martial skill becomes the most important way to learn about and understand the threats posed to you and those you care about.

Blade Spells

Empath Level Spells
3rd shield
5th branding smite
9th haste
13th death ward
17th steel wind strike

Empathic Warrior

3rd-level Blade Sense feature

You gain proficiency in medium armor and shields. Your hit point maximum increases by 3, and increases by 1 whenever you gain another level in this class.

In addition, you can perform a 10-minute ritual with a weapon you touch and focus on for the duration, and that weapon becomes your Empath Weapon. The weapon must be a melee weapon. When you complete the ritual, you are proficient with your Empath Weapon and always know its location, unless it is protected by a divination spell of a level greater than or equal to your empath proficiency bonus. If you perform this ritual with a different weapon, that weapon becomes your Empath weapon, and your bond with the previous weapon ends.

Emotive Resonance

3rd-level Blade Sense feature

As a bonus action on your turn, you can cause your Empath Weapon to resonate with emotion until the end of your next turn. While resonating, you can use your Empath weapon as a spellcasting focus for your Empath spells, and it counts as a magic weapon. The first time on a turn that you hit a target with your Empath Weapon the attack deals additional psychic damage on a hit equal to a roll of your Empath Die. This bonus psychic damage increases as you gain levels in this class: to two rolls of your Empath Die at 10th level and three rolls at 18th level.

When you hit a creature with your Empath Weapon while it is resonating, you learn the target's surface thoughts. When you land a critical hit on a target while your Empath Weapon is resonating, you 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).

Extra Attack

5th-level Blade Sense feature

You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Emotional Strikes

5th-level Blade Sense feature

You gain abilities you can use while wielding your resonating Empath Weapon depending on your Core Emotion:

Anger. When you hit a creature with your resonating Empath Weapon, your anger intensifies the psychic harm your attacks deal. The additional damage dealt by your resonating Empath Weapon increases to two rolls of your Empath Die instead of one.

Contentedness. While wielding your resonating Empath Weapon, you gain advantage on Constitution saving throws.

Desire. The sting of your Empath Weapon's bite causes a strange attraction to rise up in your enemies. Once per turn, you can force a creature you hit with your resonating Empath Weapon to not be able to move away from you or make an attack roll against any other creature. This effects ends at the end of your next turn or unless you attack any creature aside from the target before the end of your next turn.

Disgust. Your disgust carries through into your attacks. If you hit a creature with your resonating Empath Weapon, the target has disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws you cause until the end of your next turn.

Fear. Your attacks bring out fear in your enemies. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with your resonating Empath Weapon, you can choose to force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw, becoming frightened of you until the end of your next turn on a failure.

Glee. Making your attacks brings out the best in you as you are energized by what you feel during combat. After you hit a creature with an attack with your resonating Empath Weapon, you can choose to gain temporary hit points equal to a roll of your Empath Die.

Hysteria. Feeling the hysteria come through in your attacks, your enemies feel more and more crazed the more you connect with them through combat. Once per turn, you can cause a creature you hit with your resonating Empath Weapon to doubt themselves and their surroundings, taking a penalty to their next saving throw equal to a roll of your Empath Die.

Pride. You can warp your pride and force it through your Empath Weapon into your opponent. When you hit with an attack, you can choose to force the target to be unable to target anyone but you with attacks or harmful spells.

Sadness. The sadness that comes through your attacks slows and depresses your enemies. Once per turn, you can force a creature you hit with an attack to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the targets suffers a -2 penalty to their AC and can only make one weapon attack on their next turn. This effect ends at the end of your next turn.

Wonder. The wonder found within the glory of your combat shines for all to see. Once on your turn after you hit a creature with an attack, you can grant a creature that can see you within 30 feet of you temporary hit points equal to a roll of your Empath Die.

Emotional Reconstitution

10th-level Blade Sense feature

You can gain strength from the emotions you find around you in response to trauma. As a reaction to taking damage, you can expend an Empath Die to give yourself temporary hit points equal to the damage you just took.

Surge Strike

14th-level Blade Sense feature

As an action, you can expend a spell slot to gather your Core Emotion from your memories and your environment and concentrate it in your Empath Weapon, unleashing it in a Surge Strike with specific variances depending on your Core Emotion. Target a 30-foot cone originating from you. All creatures of your choice in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes psychic damage equal to a number of rolls of your Empath Die equal to 2 + the slot level used. On a success, a creature takes half as much damage. Using a Surge Strike counts as having taken the Attack action with regards to other features and abilities.

Anger. Your Surge Strike is filled with angry, vicious energy, and you add two extra rolls of your Empath Die to the psychic damage dealt by the Surge Strike.

Contentedness. Your Surge Strike is filled with visibly white-gold energy. After you use your Surge Strike, you have resistance to all damage until the end of your next turn.

Desire. Your Surge Strike is filled with intoxicating energy that clouds judgement. All creatures that fail their saving throw are charmed by you until the end of your next turn.

Disgust. Your Surge Strike is filled with disgusting, horrible energy that induces bile-inducing images. All creatures that failed their saving throw are magically compelled by their disgust of you to be unable to attack or target with a harmful spell anyone but you until the end of your next turn. Other creatures may still be included in area of effect effects.

Fear. Your Surge Strike is filled with purplish, terrifying energy. All creatures that failed their saving throws are frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Glee. Your Surge Strike is filled with golden, light-hearted energy. After you use your Surge Strike, you and one ally of your choice within 30 feet of you when you make this Surge strike gain a d4 bonus to their attack rolls and saving throws until the end of your next turn.

Hysteria. Your Surge Strike is filled with charged energy that causes spasms and intrusive thoughts. All creatures that fail their saving throw immediately flail and cannot use reactions until the end of your next turn.

Pride. Your Surge Strike is filled with visions of your own success and glory. All creatures that failed their saving throw can't take the Dodge or Disengage actions, can't move into a space where your vision of it would be obscured, can't cast illusion or enchantment spells, and can't heal or grant temporary hitpoints until the end of your next turn.

Sadness. Your Surge Strike is filled with saddening, blue energy. All creatures that fail their saving throw cannot make more than one attack on their next turn.

Wonder. Your Surge Strike is filled with wondrous energy and emotions. One creature of your choice after you use your Surge Strike is inspired by your Strike, and has advantage on any attack rolls it makes until the end of your next turn.

Emotive War Magic

18th-level Blade Sense feature

If you use your action to make a Surge Strike, to cast an Empath spell, or to use your Bolster Mind feature, you can make one additional weapon attack as part of the same action.

Divine Sense

Until now, your empathy was from only yourself, but maybe now you have been recognized by a god, or you have sought the aid of one to grant you the ability to amplify your empathic abilities with divine, purifying magic. Your empathic abilities flow out from you in divine bursts to suffuse your allies with divinely-inspired emotional power.

Divine Spells

Empath Level Spells
3rd sanctuary
5th prayer of healing
9th revivify
13th guardian of faith
17th dawn

Divine Empathy

3rd-level Divine Sense feature

Your empathy is augmented by a divine presence, and the feeling those who experience your empathy is different as a result. With a Divine Sense empath, your Bolster Mind will feel warm and comforting, and the darkest spaces might feel brighter. Through your connection with the god that has decided to help you, you gain access to powers typically reserved for clerics. When you choose which spells you prepare each day, you can decide to choose spells from the cleric spell list. Spells known on the cleric spell list become Empath spells for you.

Wave of Divinity

3rd-level Divine Sense feature

Your natural, previously passive Empathic mind has been amplified by the god who you gain your powers from to provide divine protection. As an action, you can cause a 15-foot sphere of divinely-empowered empathic magic to emanate from you. All creatures of your choice within the area gain temporary hitpoints equal to a roll of your Empath Die plus your Empath Ability modifier.

Divine Inspiration

5th-level Divine Sense feature

The wave of divinity you can emit from yourself has now become suffused with your Core Emotion, granting a unique ability it can use depending on your Core Emotion, as long as the creature has temporary hitppints gained from your Wave of Divinity.

Anger. The creature can add your Empath Ability modifier to one damage roll it causes on its turn.

Contentedness. The creature has advantage on Wisdom saving throws, and as long the temporary hitpoints granted by your Wave of Divinity are not reduced to 0, it does not need to make concentration checks when it takes damage.

Desire. A creature is immune to the charmed condition and can use its bonus action to cast the charm person spell using your spellcasting ability, but they must concentrate on it.

Disgust. A creature can use its reaction upon being hit by an attack to force the attacker to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or else fall under the effects of the bane spell until the end of the creature's next turn.

Fear. A creature is immune to the frightened condition and can use its bonus action to cast the cause fear spell using your spellcasting ability, but they must concentrate on it.

Glee. A creature has its speed increased by 10 feet, and opportunity attacks against the creature have disadvantage.

Hysteria. A creature can use its reaction upon a creature moving away from it to force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or else use any remaining movement up to 15 feet to move in a random direction as determined by the DM.

Pride. Upon losing temporary hitpoints granted by your Wave of Divinity, a creature can use its reaction to restore up to 10 of those temporary hitpoints.

Sadness. The creature can cause one target it hits with an attack or a target who fails a saving throw against one of its spells to be saddened, causing their AC to drop by 2 until the end of the creature's next turn.

Wonder. The creature becomes statuesque and wondrous in their appearance, and they can use their reaction upon being hit with an attack to force the attacker to reroll, potentially causing the attack to miss.

Martyr

10th-level Divine Sense feature

When a creature loses temporary hitpoints granted by your Wave of Divinity, you can use your reaction to take the damage as psychic damage instead, causing any temporary hitpoints lost through the attack to regenerate.

In addition, when you cast revivify, you can choose to cast it as a bonus action instead. If you cast revivify in this way, you take psychic damage when you cast it equal to three rolls of your Empath Die.

Flood of Divinity

14th-level Divine Sense feature

The range of your Wave of Divinity increases to 30 feet, and you can roll your Empath Die twice instead of once when determining the temporary hitpoints gained by creatures.

Judgement of a Mind

18th-level Divine Sense feature

You can psychically invade a creature's mind and flood their mind with divinely-enhanced psychic judgement. As an action, you can target a creature who you perceive to have harmed you or a friendly creature. That creature has their mind assaulted by the judgement, and you may immediately make one claim against the creature. If the claim is true, the target immediately takes psychic damage equal to ten rolls of your Empath Die and is blinded and stunned until the end of your next turn. If the claim is partially true as determined by the DM, the target takes half as much psychic damage and is blinded but not stunned. If the claim is false, the judgement fails and the target takes no damage and is not blinded or stunned.

Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Inward Sense

Your empathy is heavily controlled and often suppressed, building up empathic energy within yourself that you can use to empower yourself and release bursts of empathic magic that can disable your foes or rejuvenate your allies.

Inward Spells

Empath Level Spells
3rd absorb elements
5th pass without trace
9th ashardalon's stride
13th fire shield
17th far step

Inward Empathy

3rd-level Inward Sense feature

Unlike other Empath Senses, Inward Empaths don't have an at-will way to detect the thoughts of others. Instead, they're insular empathy protects them from any effect that would encroach on their mind. You have advantage on saving throws against enchantment and divination spells of a level equal to or less than your empath proficiency bonus.

Emotional Augmentation

3rd-level Inward Sense feature

Your empathic energies coalesce into a transluscent, colorful, magical coating around your body. You can use a bonus action to coat yourself in these empathic energies. While coated in this way, your AC from your Unarmored Defense is calculated instead as 12 + your Dexterity modifier + your Empath Ability modifier, and you gain temporary hitpoints equal to two times your Empath level. You lose your coating when you lose the temporary hitpoints it grants. You can coat yourself a number of times equal to your Empath Ability modifier, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest, unless you expend an Empath Die to use it again.

You also gain an Emotional Burst action, causing this coating to burst open in a blast of emotional energy. You lose all temporary hitpoints granted by your Augmentation, and all creatures within 15 feet of you when you use this ability must make a Dexterity saving throw to avoid being hit by the near-physical shards of your emotional armor. On a failed save, a creature takes force damage equal to three rolls of your Empath Die, or half as much on a successful save. You can expend any amount of Empath Dice and add a roll of them to the damage of this burst.

The radius of the effect increases to 20 feet at 9th level, 25 feet at 13th level, and 30 feet at 17th level.

Augmentation Abilities

5th-level Inward Sense feature

While coated in your Emotional Augmentation, you gain an ability you can use that differs based on your Core Emotion:

Anger. As an action, you can form bolts of angry red energy in your hand and throw them. They use your Empath Ability for the attack and damage rolls, deal 1d12 psychic damage on a hit, and have a close range of 60 feet and a long range of 120 feet. You can fire two of these bolts with your action at 5th level, three at 11th level, and four at 17th level.

Contentedness. As an action, you can send out a wave of calming energy in a radius equal to your Emotional Burst. Until the end of your next turn, all creatures that were within the area of effect have advantage on Constitution saving throws and can use their reaction to make a saving throw against a magical effect they are under. You can choose to also cause creatures of your choice within the area to make a Wisdom saving throw, or else only be able to make only one weapon attack on their turn.

Desire. As an action, you can send out a wave of intensely attractive energy in a radius equal to your Emotional Burst. All creatures of your choice within the area must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you until the end of your next turn.

Disgust. As an action, you can send out a wave of disgust in a radius equal to your Emotional Burst. All creatures of your choice within the area must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or else be unable to target any creature except you with attacks or harmful spells until the end of your next turn.

Fear. As an action, you can send out a wave of horrifying images and feelings in a radius equal to your Emotional Burst. All creatures of your choice within the area must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Glee. As an action, you can touch a creature and flood them with enthusiasm and mirth, granting them a +2 bonus to AC, and an extra action on their turn which they can use to take the Dodge, Disengage, Attack (one weapon attack only) or Cast a Spell (cantrip only). These benefits last until the end of their next turn.

Hysteria. As an action, you can send out a wave of hysteric energy in a radius equal to your Emotional Burst. All creatures of your choice within the area must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or all immediately use their reactions to move up to their speed in one direction randomly determined by the DM. This movement does provoke opportunity attacks.

Pride. As an action, you can send out a wave of prideful energy in a radius equal to your Emotional Burst. All creatures of your choice within the area become unable to take the Dodge or Disengage actions, can't move into a space where your vision of it would be obscured, cast illusion or enchantment spells, heal, or grant temporary hitpoints until the end of your next turn.

Sadness. As an action, you can touch a creature and send sad energy flowing into it. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or else fall under the effects of the slow spell until the end of your next turn. You can expend two Empath Dice to force the target to make the saving throw with disadvantage.

Wonder. As an action, you can project a wondrous appearance on the battlefield. All creatures of your choice within a radius equal to your Emotional Burst that can see you gain temporary hitpoints equal to your Empath Level plus a roll of your Empath Die. You can expend any amount of Empath Die when you use this feature to add them to the temporary hitpoints gained.

I Wish I Could Fly

10th-level Inward Sense feature

Your empathic abilities have evolved to lift you off the ground with the pure strength of your emotions. You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed.

Surging Explosion

14th-level Inward Sense feature

You can charge your empathic abilities in yourself, learning to release powerful Empathic magic in a surge when you break open your Emotional Augmentation. When you use your Emotional Burst action, you can choose to cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action as a bonus action. This spell is automatically upcast as if it were cast using a slot level 2 levels higher than the one you used to cast it.

Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Controlled Surges

18th-level Inward Sense feature

When you cast a spell, you can choose to expend Empath Dice equal to the level of the spell slot used to cast the spell as if you had used a spell slot of 2 levels higher than the one you used to cast the spell. When you do so, you take psychic damage equal to a roll of the Empath Dice you expended with this ability.

Nature Sense

While most Empaths have powers that allow them to see inside the minds of their fellow humanoids, some have the exclusive ability to peer inside of and influence the minds of animals.

Nature Sense Empaths use their powers to gain a Forest Friend, who they empower with their empathic abilities.

Nature Spells

Empath Level Spells
3rd beast bond
5th spike growth
9th conjure animals
13th conjure woodland beings
17th tree stride

Primal Connection

3rd-level Nature Sense feature

Your natural connection to nature and its consciousness allows you to peer effortlessly into the minds of beasts. As an action, you can target any beast within 60 feet of you. Each creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, they are subject to the effects of the detect thoughts spell as if they had failed the saving throw, and they are also charmed by you for 1 hour. On a success, they are unaware that you tried to peer into their mind, and are not charmed.

Your connection to nature also makes you more attuned to nature than other Empaths. You gain proficiency in Nature and Survival. If you are already proficient in one or both of these skills, you can choose to gain proficiency in another skill for each skill you already have proficiency in.

Forest Friend

3rd-level Nature Sense feature

You can effortlessly form deep friendships with the nature that surrounds you. As an action, you can expend an Empath Die to manifest a creature that appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. As part of the action you use to manifest it, you can also command it to use an action in its statblock. This might appear as a wolf bounding to your side in the middle of a forest, or a spectral lion might form in the air around you in an arid, desolate desert. This creature uses the Forest Friend stablock, is considered allied to you, and acts on your initiative count. You can also dismiss the creature as an action, causing it to fade back into the background or residual emotions from which it formed.

Forest Friend

Medium beast

  • Armor Class 13 + PB
  • Hit Points 5 + five times your empath level (the beast has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your empath level)
  • Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 8 (-1) 14 (+2) 11 (+0)
  • Saving Throws Con +2+PB, Int -1+PB, Wis +2+PB, Cha 0+PB
  • Damage Resistances psychic
  • Condition Immunities charmed
  • Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
  • Languages understands the languages you speak
  • Proficiency Bonus (PB): Equals your bonus.
  • Empath Ability (EA): Equals your Empath Ability modifier.

Bonded Creature. The Forest Friend is always under the effects of an Empath's Sympathy together with its owner, and can use its reaction to use Sympathy's effects. This link does not require a use of Sympathy or the Empath's concentration.

Actions

Multiattack. The Forest Friend makes 1 maul attack. This increases to 2 maul attacks at 11th level in this class, and to 3 attacks at 18th level.

Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10 + EA slashing damage.

Cast a Spell. The Forest Friend can cast one of your cantrips, using your spellcasting ability. The Forest Friend concentrates on the spell.

Bolster Mind. The Forest Friend can use your Bolster Mind feature, but when it does so, it can't modify it with Empath Dice, and the ability does not scale with Empath levels. A creature cannot have a Die from both you and your Forest Friend at the same time.

Unless you take your action to command it, it takes the Dodge action on its turn, unless you are incapacitated, in which case it will act to protect you. If you take your action to command your Forest Friend to attack a creature, and you do not give it commands on subsequent turns, it will continue to attack the creature until it is dead, your Forest Friend is dead, or you give it a different command. When you take your action to command it, the Forest Friend can take any action available in its statblock and move up to its speed.

When you take your action to either manifest or command your Forest Friend, you can also use Bolster Mind as part of the same action, though you cannot expend Empath Dice to augment it when you use it this way.

Your Forest Friend can roll and expend its own hit dice just like any other creature.

Connected Wellspring

5th-level Nature Sense feature

You and your forest friend deeply understand one another, and you can channel your emotional power through your forest friend. Your Forest Friend gains an Emotional Roar action it can use when you use your action to command it. When it uses Emotional Roar, all creatures of your choice within 10 feet of your Forest Friend that can hear your forest friend must make Wisdom saving throws against your spell save DC. Creatures can choose to fail this saving throw. On a failure, a creature suffers an effect depending on your Core Emotion:

Anger. Creatures take psychic damage equal to three rolls of your Empath Die. This increases to 4 rolls at 11th level, and 5 rolls at 17th level.

Contentedness. Creatures gain advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects until the end of your next turn.

Desire. Creatures become charmed by you and your Forest Friend until the end of your next turn.

Disgust. Creatures must use their reaction, if available, to move 15 feet away from the Forest Friend.

Fear. Creatures become frightened of you and your Forest Friend until the end of your next turn.

Glee. Creatures may use their reaction to move up to their movement speed without provoking opportunity attacks, and their movement speed on their next turn is increased by 10 feet.

Hysteria. Creatures must use their reaction to move 15 feet in a random direction and make one attack against one creature within their range during this reaction.

Pride. Creatures gain temporary hit points equal to two rolls of your Empath Die and cannot be moved against their will until the end of your next turn.

Sadness. Creatures are saddened, causing their AC to drop by 2 until the end of your next turn.

Wonder. Creatures must use their reaction, if available, to move towards the Forest Friend and then drop prone if they move within 5 feet of the Forest Friend.

Burgeoning Friendship

10th-level Nature Sense feature

As part of the action you use to command or manifest your Forest Friend, you can expend a 2nd-level spell slot instead of an Empath Die to cause your Forest Friend to become large. When your Forest Friend becomes large, once per turn, it can deal extra damage equal to your Empath Die if it hits with an attack. In addition, while large, if it uses its Emotional Roar ability, the radius increases to 15 feet and it can choose one creature in its range to suffer disadvantage on its saving throw.

Deep Friendship

14th-level Nature Sense feature

Your Forest Friend now understands you deeper than it did before, and can access some of your emotional power. When you use your action to command your Forest Friend, it can cast an Empath spell you have prepared of 3rd-level or lower with a casting time of 1 action. The spell uses your spellcasting ability, but your Forest Friend concentrates on the spell if it requires concentration. Your Forest Friend makes saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell with advantage if it is large.

One and the Same

18th-level Nature Sense feature

Your Forest Friend has gained the ability to serve as a source of empathetic power on its own. The Forest Friend gains a new action, where it can open a Sympathy just like the Empath can, and it doesn't require concentration.

Storyteller Sense

Your empathy is focused on expression, as you tell stories to those enraptured by your tales, your natural ability to tell those stories evolved to involve the manipulation of the emotions of those who hear your stories, as well as bringing some of those stories to life. You target areas of affect with your empathic abilities through storytelling.

Storyteller Spells

Empath Level Spells
3rd thunderwave
5th shatter
9th fireball
13th wall of fire
17th cone of cold
Flavor Suggestion

Empaths don't usually get evocation spells, so to flavor casting these spells as an empath, it is suggested to, as you cast fireball, for instance, have the empath say, as if telling a story, "And then there was an explosion!" as part of the somatic components of the spell.

Storybook

3rd-level Storyteller Sense feature

You have a book of stories collected over your lifetime that is connected to your Empath abilities called a Storybook. Your Storybook becomes the spellcasting focus for your Empath spells. When you gain this feature, your Storybook contains two 1st-level evocation spells of your choice from any spell list.

You can copy a new evocation spell into your storybook by spending 25 gp and 1 hour of time per level of the spell. The material costs of scribing the spells represent the paper, ink, binding, and visual aids required to master the emotions of the spell. Scribing a spell into your storybook counts as light activity with regards to the rules for short and long rests. A copied spell must be of a level you can cast through your Empath levels.

You can copy a spell from your Storybook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your storybook. You've already mastered the craft of the spells within your Storybook, so copying spells into another book only costs 5 gp and 10 minutes of time per level of the spell. If you lose your Storybook, you can use this procedure to copy all the spells you had previously in your Storybook into a new book. If you spend 1 hour practicing reading from a new book, you can choose for it to become your Storybook.

When you gain this feature and when you finish a long rest, you may choose a number of evocation spells present in your Storybook for you to have known for the day equal to your empath proficiency bonus. Until you finish a long rest, you know these spells, they are Empath spells for you, and they don't count against your Spells Known.

Adept Storyteller

3rd-level Storyteller Sense feature

You are amazingly adept at telling stories and narratives filled with seeming sincerity and emotion. You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice between Persuasion, Deception, and Performance. If you make an ability check using one of those skill proficiencies, you can expend an Empath Die to empower your story with your Empathic Powers, adding it to the roll. You can do so after you see the result of the roll, but before your DM decides the outcome.

In addition, while telling a story, you can force a creature who can hear you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, you gain the benefits of the detect thoughts spell as if they had failed the saving throw. On a success, they are unaware you tried to probe their mind, but they are immune to this ability until you finish a long rest.

Storyteller Tales

3rd-level Storyteller Sense feature

Your storytelling evolves, and you gain a way to place the emotions of a story on the battlefield, called a Tale. As an action, you can target a point you can see within 60 feet of you. You read aloud a portion of a story, infusing your words with the core message and emotions of the story, and those emotions flood a sphere of radius 5 feet surrounding that point. Each creature of your choice within that radius must make a Wisdom saving throw or take psychic damage equal to two rolls of your Empath Die.

The radius of your Tale action increases to 10 feet at 9th level, 15 feet at 13th level, and again to 20 feet at 17th level.

Emotionally Charged

5th-level Storyteller Sense feature

When a creature fails its saving throw versus one of your Tales or evocation spells, it suffers an additional effect based on your Core Emotion:

Anger. Creatures take additional psychic damage equal to a roll of your Empath Die.

Contentedness. Creatures become under your choice of the effects of the calm emotions spell until the end of your next turn.

Desire. Creatures become charmed by you until the end of your next turn.

Disgust. Creatures must use their reaction, if available, to move 15 feet away from you.

Fear. Creatures become frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Glee. Creatures cannot help but jump for joy upon hearing your story, and have their speed reduced to 0 on their next turn from expending all their energy on this excitement.

Hysteria. Creatures must, on their next turn, make one attack against the creature nearest them, no matter if they are allied with it or not. If multiple creatures are nearest, the DM should roll to determine the target.

Pride. Creatures cannot take the Dodge or Disengage actions, can't move into a space where your vision of it would be obscured, can't cast illusion or enchantment spells, and can't regain hitpoints or gain or grant temporary hitpoints until the end of your next turn.

Sadness. Creatures are saddened, causing their AC to drop by 2 until the end of your next turn.

Wonder. Creatures are entranced by the wonder in the story, and suffer disadvantage on the next saving throw they make.

Empowered Narratives

10th-level Storyteller Sense feature

When you use your action to use your Tale or to cast an evocation spell, you add your Empath Ability modifier to the first damage roll, and creatures you succeed their saving throw versus your Tale take half damage. In addition, you can choose to expend an Empath Die to cause the Tale or spell to deal additional psychic damage equal to a roll of your Empath Dice. This additional damage is halved on a successful save.

Targeted Story Beats

14th-level Storyteller Sense feature

When you use your action to use your Tale or a to cast an evocation spell that deals damage, you can choose to use targeted, specific story beats against specific creatures. Choose one target within the area of your Tale. That target has disadvantage on its first saving throw it makes against the Tale or spell. You can choose to also expend Empath Dice to affect more creatures this way, expending one Empath Die per additional creature above 1 you give disadvantage on the saving throw.

Finis

18th-level Storyteller Sense feature

You know when the story is over, and you can weave the desperation into the stories you tell. Any creatures that have less than half of their maximum hitpoints have disadvantage on saving throws against your Tales and Empath spells.

Touch Sense

Your empathy is very much a focused, person-to-person empathy. You form deep bonds and understanding through touch, and can use that touch as well to both empower your allies and shut down your enemies.

Touch Spells

Empath Level Spells
3rd Heal
5th Enhance Ability
9th Remove Curse
13th Death Ward
17th Stolen Life

Touching Empathy

3rd-level Touch Sense feature

Your touch allows you to read emotions and thoughts. If you are touching someone, you can force them to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, you gain the benefits of the Detect Thoughts spell as if they had failed the saving throw. On a success, they are unaware you tried to probe their mind, but they are immune to this ability until you finish a long rest.

In addition, you can cast Heal without expending a spell slot a number of times equal to your empath proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Disrupt

3rd-level Touch Sense feature

Your Empathic abilities allow you to flood the minds of creatures with emotions, disrupting them. You gain proficiency in Athletics, you can add double your proficiency bonus to athletics checks you make, and you can use Dexterity instead of Strength when you make an Athletics check. You can gain advantage on an Athletics check to initiate a grapple if a friendly creature within 5 feet of the target of the grapple attempt uses its reaction to help you.

If you successfully grapple a target using your action, you can Disrupt the creature as part of the same action, flooding their mind with emotions. The target has disadvantage on all attack rolls and saving throws, can't speak, can't concentrate, and can't cast spells until the end of your next turn, unless you use your action on your next turn to maintain the effect. You must concentrate on this effect as if concentrating on a spell. The target makes a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC at the end of each of its turns and when it takes damage, ending the effect on a success and becoming immune to this ability for the next 24 hours, though it is still grappled by you. The effect also ends if the grapple ends.

Emotional Disruption

5th-level Touch Sense feature

When you use your Disrupt feature on a creature, a creature also suffers an additional effect when it is Disrupted by you depending on your Core Emotion.

Anger. The creature takes psychic damage equal to three rolls of your Empath Die. This damage does not trigger a saving throw against this effect.

Contentedness. A creature's natural defenses against your disruption is weakened by the calming effect of your empathy. The creature makes its first Wisdom saving throw against this effect with disadvantage.

Desire. The creature automatically fails its next saving throw it makes to avoid being charmed by you. A legendary resistance can override this failure.

Disgust. The creature immediately wretches, pukes, or some other similar action. It gains 1 level of exhaustion.

Fear. The creature must use its action to take the Dash action to move in a direction of your choice, taking you with it.

Glee. You siphon off its most joyous and happiest emotions, gaining temporary hit points equal to your Empath level plus your Empath Ability modifier.

Hysteria. The creature must use its action before moving on its next turn to make a melee attack against a creature other than itself that you mentally choose. The target can act normally on its turn if you choose no creature or if none are within its reach.

Pride. The creature cannot comprehend that it was taken control of, and it takes its turn doing nothing.

Sadness. The creature's AC is decreased by 5 until the end of its next turn.

Wonder. The creature drops prone in awe and its speed becomes zero until the end of its next turn.

Gripping Touch

10th-level Touch Sense feature

Your empathic powers allow you to disrupt creatures that you normally wouldn't be able to grapple. You can grapple creatures up to two sizes larger than you.

In addition, your touch radiates emotional healing. You know the spell Restoration, it becomes an Empath spell for you, it doesn't count against the spells you can prepare each day, and you can cast it with a range of touch at-will.

Lingering Disruption

14th-level Touch Sense feature

Your disruption causes lingering effects that persist even after a creature ends your Disruption on it. The target makes an additional Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turns after it ends the original Disruption on itself, ending this lingering effect on a success. These effects can persist for up to 1 minute if they are not ended by a successful save.

Anger. The creature takes psychic damage equal to two rolls of your Empath Die at the beginning of each of its turns.

Contentedness. The creature is calmed, and cannot take the Dash or Disengage actions, and its speed is reduced by 10 feet.

Desire. The creature is charmed by you.

Disgust. The creature is filled with a passive disgust with other creatures. The creature cannot regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.

Fear. The creature is frightened of you.

Glee. You continuously siphon positive energy off the creature, gaining temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier at the beginning of each of the target's turns.

Hysteria. You can use your reaction when the target makes an attack roll or saving throw to make the target roll with disadvantage.

Pride. The creature cannot regain hitpoints, gain temporary hitpoints, or move away from you.

Sadness. The creature's AC is decreased by 2.

Wonder. The creature's jaw drops agape in awe at the world. The creature cannot speak.

Shutdown

18th-level Touch Sense feature

There is no limit on the size of creatures you can grapple. Additionally, if you disrupt a creature, you can choose, in addition to the normal effects, for the creature to be stunned until it ends the effect on itself. Alternatively, you can choose for only the normal effects to apply, in which case, disrupting the creature no longer requires your concentration.

Empath Spell List

Spells with a superscript of Em are spells made for the Empath and detailed below. Those with a * are modified existing spells, either published or UA. All spell changes are found here.

Cantrips (0-Level)

Brain RearrangeEm
Friends*
Guidance*
Message*
Minor Illusion*
Second ChanceEm
Word of Radiance

1st-Level

Animal Friendship
Bless
Cause Fear*
Charm*
Color Spray*
Command
Disguise Self
Distort Value
Heal*
Healing Word*
Heroism
Id Insinuation*
Salvage HappinessEm
Sense Emotion*
Silent Image
Speak with Animals
Transfer FailureEm

2nd-Level

Beast Sense
Blur*
Calm Emotions
Crown of Madness*
Detect Thoughts
Enhance Ability
Enthrall
Gift of Gab
Hold*
Invisibility
Restoration*
Levitate
Magic Mouth*
Mental Barrier
Mirror Image
Nathair's Mischief
Phantasmal Force*
Redirect AngerEm
See Invisibility
Silence
Suggestion
Tasha's Mind Whip

3rd-Level

Bestow Curse
Boost EmotionsEm
Clairvoyance
End EmotionsEm
Enemies Abound
Fast Friends
Fear*
Haste
Hypnotic Pattern*
Incite Greed
Major Image
Perpetuation of FailureEm
Reinforcement of SuccessEm
Remove Curse
Revivify*
Sending
Speak with Dead
Speak with Plants
Tongues

4th-Level

Amplify EmotionsEm
Compulsion
Confusion*
Dominate*
Ego Whip
Emotional WardEm
Greater Invisibility
Hallucinatory Terrain
Phantasmal Killer
Raulothim's Psychic Lance*
Wondrous BeingEm

5th-Level

Awaken
Commune with Nature
Dream*
Filled with DeterminationEm
Geas*
Mislead
Modify Memory
Morass of HopelessnessEm
Scrying
Seeming
Skill Empowerment
Supercharge EmotionsEm
Synaptic Static*

Art Credits

Made By: Bamstacks
(Cover): Maikol Silva: Empath commissioned by me (Link)
(Page 2): Tyrelle Smith: Half Elf Psion Commission (Link)
(Page 3): Manuel Castañón: Secret Rendezvous (Link)
(Page 4): Bruce Rolff: Psychedelic Brain (Link)
(Page 5): Zack Stella: Temporal Machinations - Magic: The Gathering (Link)
(Page 7): Johannes Voss: Deadly Vanity (Link)
(Page 8): Benjamin Ee: Infuriate (Link)
(Page 9): Chris Rahn: Jadzi, Oracle of Arcavios (Link)
(Page 10): Livia Prima: Siphon Insight (Link)
(Page 11): AugustinasRaginskis: Fleshy Guest (Link)
(Page 12): damie-m: Fear - Book Tutorial (Link)
(Page 13): sweetmoon: Happiness (Link)
(Page 14): Mathias Kollros: Self-Inflicted Wound (Link)
(Page 15): Peter Mohrbacher: Samyaza, Angel of Pride (Link)
(Page 16): Dominik Mayer: Blue Sun’s Zenith (Link)
(Page 17): Matt Collins (Link)
(Page 18): u/Angel_Moonlight: Alex from Life is Strange True Colors by me! (Link)
(Page 19): David Lane: Auras Emotional Reflections (Link)
(Page 20): Laura Sheridan (Link)
(Page 21): Magdalena Pagowska: insight (Link)
(Page 22): Kat: Empathy series (Link)
(Page 23): Kristina von Wiesen: Empath Girl (Link)
(Page 24): Hayden Williams: Woman Curled Up In Ball Waking Up From A Surreal Dream (Link)
(Page 25): Ryan Ree: Counterspell (Link)
(Page 26): Manoela Costa: Luna and the thestral (Link)
(Page 27): AnthonyDevine: Griffin Mage by Anthony Devine (Link)
(Page 28): Manuel Castañón: Lorehold Apprentice (Link)
(Page 29): Magic the Gathering: Loreholds (Link)
(Page 30): MichaelCTY: The Missing Girl (Link)
(Page 31): Wahtari Studio: Mind Reader (Link)
Page Stain: /u/flamableconcrete

Empath New Spells

Cantrips

Brain Rearrange

Enchantment Cantrip

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: 60 Feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You reach your empathic powers into the mind of one creature you can see within range, confusing its brain and emotional state. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or subtract 1d6 from the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn.

At Higher Levels. You can affect multiple creatures with this spell when you reach certain levels. You can target two creatures at 5th level, three at 11th, and four at 17th.

Second Chance

Abjuration Cantrip

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: 60 Feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 Minute

You focus your empathic magic on a creature you can see within range. For the duration, when the target is under an effect that forces it to make a saving throw at the beginning or end of its turn, it can use its action to make an additional saving throw against the effect.

At Higher Levels.

  • 5th Level. For the duration, the target rerolls 1s when making a saving throw.
  • 11th Level. The target can use its bonus action instead to make the additional saving throw.
  • 17th Level. You can target two creatures instead of one.

1st-Level Spells

Id Insinuation

1st level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Bard, Empath, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: 60 Feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 Minute

You unleash a torrent of conflicting desires in the mind of one creature you can see within range, impairing its ability to make decisions. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be incapacitated. At the end of each of its turns it can make another Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the spell ends on the target.

Salvage Happiness

1st level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Reaction, which you take when a creature you can see within range succeeds on a saving throw
  • Range: 60 Feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You can salvage the relief a creature feels upon resisting an effect and transfer those positive feelings to a different creature you can see within range. That creature gains a bonus to its next saving throw equal to a roll of your Empath Dice, or 1d4 if you do not have the Empath Dice feature.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can transfer the bonus to one additional creature within range for each slot level above 1st.

Sense Emotion

1st level Divination

  • Spell List: Empath, Warlock, Wizard
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 10 Minutes

You attune your senses to pick up the emotions of others for the duration. When you cast the spell, and as your action on each turn until the spell ends, you can focus your senses on one humanoid you can see within 30 feet of you. You instantly learn the target's prevailing emotion, whether it's love, anger, pain, fear, calm, or something else. If the target isn't actually humanoid or it is immune to being charmed, you sense that it is calm.

Transfer Failure

1st level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Reaction, which you take when a creature you can see within range fails a saving throw
  • Range: 60 Feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You can salvage the moments of terror and frustration a creature feels upon feeling an effect take over them and transfer those negative feelings to a different creature you can see within range. That creature suffers a penalty to its next saving throw equal to a roll of your Empath Dice, or 1d4 if you do not have the Empath Dice feature.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can transfer the penalty to one additional creature within range for each slot level above 1st.

2nd-Level Spells

Redirect Anger

2nd level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Reaction, which you take when a creature you can see hits you with an attack
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

When a creature hits you with an attack, you cause the target's anger to be momentarily directed at someone else. The target misses you and must instead use the attack roll it used against you against a different creature of your choice within its range. If there are no suitable targets of your choice, you may choose for the attack to simply miss you, turning the anger into frustration.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the redirected attack deals an additional 1d10 damage of the appropriate type for each slot level above 2nd.

3rd-Level Spells

Boost Emotions

3rd level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: Self (20-Foot Radius)
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 1 Minute

You can amplify all emotions in an area of radius 20 feet around you. Any charmed creatures, as long as the charmed condition remains, must, if possible, end their turns as close to the creature they are charmed by as they can safely get. Frightened creatures become incapacitated as long as they can see the source of their fear.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the radius increases by 10 feet for each slot level above 3rd. If you cast this spell with a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can choose which creatures within the radius are affected.

End Emotions

3rd level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: Self (20-Foot Radius)
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You can negate any emotions in an area of radius 20 feet around you. All creatures within the area that are charmed or frightened or both immediately end the charmed or frightened condition on themselves.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the radius increases by 10 feet for each slot level above 3rd. If you cast this spell with a spell slot of 4th-level or higher, you can choose which creatures within the radius are affected.

Perpetuation of Failure

3rd level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Reaction, which you take when a creature you can see rolls a 1 on a d20.
  • Range: 60 Feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You magically take the failure a creature experiences and magically meld those emotions into a purified sense of helpless failure, transferring it onto another creature within range. That creature automatically rolls a natural 1 on its next ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you can apply the effect to one additional creature within range for each slot level above 3rd.

Reinforcement of Success

3rd level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Reaction, which you take when a creature you can see rolls a 20 on a d20.
  • Range: 60 Feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You magically take the success a creature experiences and you amplify and restructure those emotions to their purest form and apply it to another creature within range. That creature automatically rolls a natural 20 on its next ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you can apply the effect to one additional creature within range for each slot level above 3rd.

4th-Level Spells

Amplify Emotions

4th level Transmutation

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: Self (20-Foot Radius)
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 1 Minute

You can amplify all emotions in an area of radius 30 feet around you. Any charmed creatures, as long as the charmed condition remains, must use their action and movement to attack any creatures who they have seen attack the creature they are charmed by. Frightened creatures become stunned as long as they can see the source of their fear.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the radius increases by 10 feet for each slot level above 4th. If you cast this spell with a spell slot of 6th-level or higher, you can choose which creatures within the radius are affected.

Emotional Ward

4th level Abjuration

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 8 Hours

You infuse a creature you touch with a measure of emotive power it can use in a surge to protect itself. The targets gains a legendary resistance that lasts for the duration of the spell, it finishes a long rest, or until it is used. When the target fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead by expending this legendary resistance, allowing this emotional energy to surge forward and protect it in a beautiful display of colors.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the target gains one additional legendary resistance for each slot level above 4th.

Wondrous Being

4th level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: Self (30-Foot Radius)
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 Minute

You control the emotions around you in such a way as to create an inherently wondrous appearance for yourself, as if you were a grand monument, a seemingly infinitely tall mountain, or the ocean itself. You then send that feeling of awe and wonder out in a 60-foot radius emanating from you. Each creature of your choice within the radius must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature becomes charmed for the duration. While charmed by this spell, the creature is incapacitated, has a speed of 0, and has vulnerability to psychic damage.

Creatures get to make an additional save against the effect if they take any damage or if someone else uses an action to attempt to shake the creature out of its wonder.

5th-Level Spells

Filled with Determination

5th level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Reaction, which you take when a creature you can see rolls a 20 on a d20.
  • Range: 60 Feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 Minute

You take the success of a moment you see and infuse it with the good memories of your past and the happiness found in the world, placing that purified happiness and determination onto a creature you can see within range. For the duration of the spell, that creature automatically succeeds on all saving throws it makes.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, you can transfer the effects to one additional creature for every two slot levels above 5th.

Morass of Hopelessness

5th level Enchantment

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Reaction, which you take when a creature you can see rolls a 1 on a d20.
  • Range: 60 Feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 Minute

You take the failure of a moment you see and warp it with the worst hopelessness you can conjure into an abscess of abject nihilism, transferring it to a creature within range. For the duration of the spell, whenever that creature makes a saving throw, it fails the saving throw. A legendary resistance will override this failure.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, you can transfer the effects to one additional creature for every two slot levels above 5th.

Supercharge Emotions

5th level Transmutation

  • Spell List: Empath
  • Casting Time: 1 Action
  • Range: Self (20-Foot Radius)
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 1 Minute

You can amplify all emotions in an area of radius 30 feet around you. Any charmed creatures, as long as the charmed condition remains, are now fully allied with the creature they are charmed by, and will act in defense and in alliance with the creature they are charmed by, and will treat as divine command anything the creature they are charmed by says, no action required. Frightened creatures become paralyzed as long as they can see the source of their fear.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the radius increases by 10 feet for each slot level above 5th. If you cast this spell with a spell slot of 7th-level or higher, you can choose which creatures within the radius are affected.

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