Soul-Bound
Also known as soul-siphoners or, more derogatorily, soul-suckers, soul-bound paladins are followers of Dalekiy, an ancient deity of death and time. They are well versed in the art of necromancy, but specialize in the manipulation of the energy given off by living souls. To become a soul-bound, one must do what it says on the tin: bind their soul to that of another person.
The ritual is a complex and intimate process which can only be undertaken by those who are genuinely willing to let go of their current existence, never again being fully themselves but no less whole. The individual that the paladin is bound to will become a wellspring of energy, empowering their magic and their weapons, and also their greatest weakness, for they will be bound to each other both in life and in death.
The stat block of your soul-bound partner will be that of a healer spellcaster sidekick, of a level equal to half of your paladin level rounded down; during combat, the only actions they may take are dodge, disengage, dash, or hide. They must be within 60 ft. of you in order for you to be able to cast spells.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
Soul-Bound Spells
- 3rd Level - Inflict Wounds, Hex
- 5th Level - Blindness/Deafness, Warding Bond
- 9th Level - Life Transference, Vampiric Touch
- 13th Level - Shadow of Moil, Death Ward
- 17th Level - Contagion, Raise Dead
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following Channel Divinity options.
Nothing to Waste. As a reaction, you can use your Channel Divinity to quickly reroute some of your life force to someone else. Upon taking damage, you can use your reaction to heal a creature of your choice other than yourself that you can see within 30 feet of you for half of the damage you took, rounded up. This creature will also have resistance to the type of damage taken until the start of your next turn.
Memento Mori. As an action, you may invoke the energy of the Obsidian Pools for each creature of your choice within 30 ft. of either yourself or your soul-bound partner. Each creature is reminded of how fragile their mortality is and must make a wisdom saving throw, and on a failed save they are frightened of you or your partner for the next minute. If the targeted creatures end their turn greater than 30 feet away from you or your partner, they can make another Wisdom saving throw, ending the effect on a success.
Death Shield
At 7th level, you exude necromantic energy that chills your enemies to their core. Any attack that hits you or an ally within 10 feet of you has its damage reduced by the your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).
As a bonus action, you can transfer this aura, centering it on your soul-bound partner rather than yourself. You can transfer it back with an additional bonus action.
River-Dipped
At 15th level, you and your partner have resistance to necrotic damage and have advantage on saving throws to avoid being charmed. If you or your partner already have advantage against becoming charmed, your resistance becomes immunity.
Darling, Dearest, Dead.
At 20th level, you are able to invoke a shred of Dalekiy's power, easily enough to kill one mortal but bearable when shared by two. Using your action, you gain the following benefits for 1 minute:
- Any round in which you do not end your turn concentrating on a spell, your partner can use their action to heal you for 10 hit points.
- Creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you have advantage on death saving throws.
- As a bonus action, you may channel power into your weapon and make a melee spell attack. On a successful hit, the target takes 4d10 either necrotic or radiant damage.
This effect ends early if you are incapacitated or die. This feature can only be used once per long rest.