Ancient Soul
Born for greatness, some individuals are innately paragons of a specific attribute. Ancient Souls are creatures born with superior Intellect. These ancient souls are spirits from individuals of extreme power, that excelled in one form this aspect, being the farthest erudite of their kind. Their souls passed through a process of refinement and evolution, after generations inside the cycle of death and rebirth, with each new vessel for the spirit developing the already great potential inside these souls, and their bond with both the material and the border ethereal planes.
There are some organizations built with the purpose of track and find bearers of ancient spirits, in order to train and help them to achieve their true potential, although these organizations are few and far between. Some are monasteries, dedicated to spiritual perfection, and believing that the cultivation of the ancient soul should be the goal of any creature that has a soul, and thus train both bearers and not bearers of ancient souls alike, with the purpose of eliciting the growth in the power of both. Others are temples, who pursue ancient soul vessels as a form of worship, treating those who possess that soul as some type of deity. Similarly there are some nations that are ruled by ancient soul bearers, and have developed mechanisms to detect those creatures. Lastly, there are those who just seek to use the great power and potential of those individuals for their own nefarious reasons.
When creating an ancient soul, define what's your lineage, if you have one possible to track. What were the great vessels of the ancient soul before you, and how their great deeds, or vile acts, define your expectations about yourself, and the expectations of others about you. If you have great heroes and virtuous saints as former bearers of your soul, you probably will be expected to follow their footsteps. This can lead to a great receptiveness of people you meet, that will treat you with reverence and kindness, but can be a double sided issue, since the amount of pressure to uphold the legacy left by your lineage can prove itself to be unbearable. However, if your legacy is made up of villains and traitors, you will be treated with fear and aggressiveness, but the low expectations can be freeing for you.
Also, how did you developed your Ancient Soul? Have you been trained on a monastery, were your master used to be a disciple of the former vessel for your spirit? Are you member of royalty, fleeing from your responsibilities of leading your people, like ancient souls before you have done? Are you fleeing an order dedicated to destroy you, due to the mistakes committed by former vessels of your spirit?
You can make an Ancient Soul quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution or Dexterity. Second, choose the sage background. Third, choose the mage hand, light, and firebolt cantrips, along with the following 1st-level spells for your spellbook: burning hands, charm person, feather fall, mage armor, magic missile, and sleep.Creating an Ancient Soul
Quick Build
The Ancient Soul Table
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Cantrips Known |
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Spellcasting, Soul Bond | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Brilliance, Fighting Style | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Materialized Soul Bond | 3 | 4 | 2 | ─ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | ─ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Reaching Soul Bond | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Arcane Infusion | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | Superior Knowledge | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | ─ | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Arcana and Soul | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | ─ | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 14th | +5 | Exemplary Brilliance | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 15th | +5 | ─ | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 17th | +6 | ─ | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | Borne Soul | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20th | +6 | Soul Form | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Class Features
As a Ancient Soul you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Ancient Soul Level
Hit Points at First Level: 8 + your Constitution Modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your
Constitution Modifier per Ancient Soul level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, Shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, and Religion.
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a longsword and a shield (b) two marital weapons
- (a) a a longbow and a quiver with 20 arrows (b) an arcane focus
- (a) an explorer's pack (b) an dungeoneer's pack
- (a) leather rmor (b) scale mail
If you are using starting wealth, you have 4d4 x 10 in funds
Spellcasting
As an soul of ancient arcane magic, you have a spellmind containing spells that show the first glimmerings of your true power. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the Wizard spell list.
Cantrips
At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the Wizard spell list. You learn additional wizard cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Ancient Soul table.
Spellmind
At 1st level, you have an innate ability to store spells in your mind. You can memorize six 1st-level wizard spells of your choice. Your spellmind is the repository of the spells you know, which are fixed in your mind.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Ancient Soul table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your Ancient Soul 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 Ancient Soul spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of Ancient Soul spells from your spellmind equal to your Intelligence modifier + your Proficiency Bonus (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you’re a 3rd-level Ancient Soul, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 16, your list of prepared spells can include five spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your spellmind. If you prepare the 1st-level spell magic missile, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a short or long rest. Preparing a new list of Ancient Soul spells requires time spent meditating on your spellmind and memorizing the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your Ancient Soul spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Ancient Soul spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Ritual Casting
You can cast an Ancient Soul spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellmind. You don’t need to have the spell prepared.
Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your Ancient Soul spells.
Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher
Each time you gain an Ancient Soul level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook for free. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the Ancient Soul table. On your adventures, you might find other spells that you can add to your spellmind (see the “Your Spellmind” sidebar).
YOUR SPELLMIND
The spells that you add to your spellmind as you gain levels reflect the arcane research you conduct on your own, as well as intellectual breakthroughs you have had about the nature of the multiverse. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in a temple to a divine, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient tomb.
Memorizing a Spell into your Spellmind When you find a spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellmind if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and learn it.
Memorizing that spell into your spellmind involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the spellcaster who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then memorize it into your spellmind using your own arcane manipulation techniques.
For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours, and once completed destroys the piece of material the spell was inscribed onto. The time and material cost represents the arcane and mental forces you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the arcana needed to etch the spell into your mind. Once you have spent this material, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells. If there are multiple spells on one piece of material, the time in hours is the total of their levels x2
Record of Arcane You can copy a spell from your spellmind into a book — for example, if you want to share a spell or make a backup. This is like copying a new spell into your spellmind, but requires extended mental effort and expensive inks, since you are essentially transcribing memories into the page. You must spend 2 hours and 25 gp for each level of the copied spell. If you lose your spellmind, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have written down into your new spellmind. For this reason, paranoid Ancient Souls keep backup spells in a safe place.
The Mind's Eye Your spellmind is a unique compilation of spells, with its own arcane flourishes and memories. It might be a hue around your eyes that represents your alignment, a finely controlled rim of mana which floats above your head, or even a loose collection of mana whisps after you lost your previous spellmind in a mishap.
Soul Bond
At 1st level, you can bond with a weapon and/or armor of your choice over a long rest, which then becomes a part of your soul. When attacking with the bonded weapon, you can use your spellcasting ability, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for attack and damage rolls. You deal an additional 1d6 force damage whenever you successfully hit with your bonded weapon, on top of the weapon's normal damage. Your bonded armor gains a +1 to its AC as your soul intertwines it. The damage of your bonded weapon increases as you gain levels, by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).
Brilliance
At 2nd level, whenever you make an Intelligence check and roll a number below your Intelligence modifier + your proficiency bonus, you can choose that number instead. You gain proficiency with one skill or tool of your choice, which you can change at the end of a long rest.
Fighting Style
Also at 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Archery You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Defense While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Dueling When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Protection When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
Two-Weapon Fighting When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Materialized Soul Bond
When you reach 3rd level, you materialize further signs of the soul within you, and an aura surrounds your body. Your bonded weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage, if it is not magical already. You can have an additional bonded weapon or shield, and both can be summoned to your hand as a bonus action. If you have two bonded weapons, half the additional weapon damage you do with each from the Soul Bond feature. You can summon and automatically don or doff your bonded armor as a bonus action. You can use a bonded shield to give yourself a +1 to AC as a Reaction until the start of your next turn.
You can activate an Arcane Aura as an Action. Whenever you make a saving throw, you gain a bonus to the saving throw equal to your spellcasting modifier (minimum of 1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus. Additionally, you can teleport a distance, using three times the amount of feet required to move that distance normally. Your Arcane Aura lasts for 1 minute.
You can use your Arcane Aura feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
At 5th level you can attack twice instead of once when you take the attack action on your turn. Starting at 6th level, your ancient soul broadens its reach. Your Arcane Aura gains a range of 10 feet, and applies to your allies as well as yourself. Your bonded shield gains a bonus +1 to its base AC. At 11th level, the range of this aura increases to 15 feet, and 30 feet and 18th level. Starting at 7th level, you can add your spellcasting modifier, instead of Dexterity, to your initiative rolls and to your AC. Starting at 9th level, you can have two choices for your Brilliance proficiency, and you can choose to add your spellcasting modifier as a bonus to any Intelligence ability check you make. Starting at 11th level your ancient soul starts to effect the world more profoundly. As a bonus action, your bonded shield gives you half cover in a certain direction until the start of your next turn. Your bonded armor gains a +2 to AC. The range of your arcane aura increases to 15 feet. Starting at 14th level, you can have three choices for your Brilliance proficiency, and you gain expertise in your skills chosen by your Brilliance feature.Extra Attack
Reaching Soul Bond
Arcane Infusion
Superior Knowledge
Arcana and Soul
Exemplary Brilliance
Soul Recharge
Borne Soul
At 18th level, you can bring forth the power of your soul at will. You can change one Brilliance proficiency as a bonus action on your turn. Once you have done this, you cannot do so again until you have finished a long rest.
Soul Form
Starting at 20th level, your soul further modifies your body to suit its own needs. Your Intelligence ability score increases by 4, to a maximum of 24.
When you activate your Arcane Aura, you can assume your Soul Form as well, gaining the following benefits:
- All your Ancient Soul spells with a level of 2 or lower can be cast at their lowest level without expending a spell slot. They must be prepared to use this feature.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites
To qualify for multiclassing into the Ancient Soul class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 Intelligence
Proficiencies
When you multiclass into the Ancient Soul class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons.