Ethereal Bloodline (5e Subclass)
Ethereal Bloodline[edit]
Sorcerer Subclass
Your innate magic comes from the Ethereal essence which flows through the Transitive Planes, It could be due to your ancestors traveling through and spending abundant amounts of time in the Ethereal Plane or maybe it's because they often dabbled in magic which brought them closer with the ethereal realm of the dead or perhaps they were gifted with this mystical peculiarity by a god or entity of some kind. However it came to be, it's dream like power runs through you, waiting for when the time comes that you decide to shape it into what fits you.
Ethereal Rest
Starting at 1st level, The Ethereal blood flowing through you is capable of temporarily empowering your mind and body's resilience against certain forms of attack when you rest. you can spend 2 sorcery points and gain resistance to Psychic and Force damage for an hour plus half your proficiency bonus, when you do this you emit a dreamy aura for the duration of the effect. you also add Sleep to the list of spells you know without affecting the total amount of spells you can know.
Planar Path
At 1st level, you decide which path you wish to take your Ethereal power. You choose between the two Ethereal Walker types, Knightmare Walker or Dream Walker, The path you choose determines which of the following features as well as which features you gain at later levels. Upon Choosing the Knightmare Walker path you learn the Eldritch Blast cantrip without it counting against the total amount of spells you can know, additionally you can choose to add spells from the warlock spell list instead of the sorcerer spell list when you gain new spells. upon choosing the Dream Walker path you learn the Spare the Dying cantrip without it counting against the total amount of spells you can know, additionally you can choose to add spells from the cleric spell list instead of the sorcerer spell list when you gain new spells.
Sleep Walker
At 1st level, As an action you can touch an unconscious creature and read it's mind to a degree, when doing so the creature must make a wisdom saving throw, their unconscious mind submitting and allowing you to read it on a failed save, and resisting your attempt, causing you to take (1d4 - your wisdom modifier) psychic damage, on a successful one. (What you read from the creature's mind is 100% up to your DM/GM)
Dream Spirits
At 6th level, (If you chose the Dream Walker path) You gain the ability to spend 5 sorcery points to enter a Meditative Dream like state, called a Spirit Call, during a long rest and Beckon nearby spirits while doing so, you do not gain the benefits of a long rest when you do this and it is instead treated as a short rest, The Spirits summoned can give you lore or information on the area, on a rumor or even on a person or thing depending on the spirit summoned, but docile and helpful spirits aren't the only thing you can summon, upon summoning spirits roll a d20 to determine the type of spirit, 5-15 is an "average" and docile spirit, 1-4 is an angry or vengeful spirit that wishes you harm(the specific type is up to your DM, whether it be wraith or simply a CR 1/8-CR 1 ghost that can be defeated with a successful wisdom saving throw or Dispell Magic spell) and 16-20 is a "warrior" spirit with which can give helpful information as well as can be convinced(Charisma check with a DC that is up to DM and depends on the specific spirit), if you so choose, to make a soul bond with you for 1 sorcery point causing it to be forever linked to you as a ghostly companion that will stand by you until or even beyond your demise.
-The stats for said warrior spirit are determined through random stat rolls similar to if you were rolling for character stats(roll 4d6 and add the three highest, repeat for each stat), this excludes constitution as you and your Bonded Spirit have the same Constitution, you also share health and damage taken, Your Warrior Spirit is however immune to being poisoned(this means you cannot be poisoned through your Spirit however you can still be poisoned directly and still share said damage with your spirit).
-Each Warrior Spirit has it's own form of attacking whether that's through the weapons it carried into the after life or simply it's own hands(or whatever they can shape them into), if your Spirit has spirit weapons they deal damage like they would in their physical form but instead deal force damage as oppose to whatever they would normally do(your Warrior Spirit has a number of attacks per turn equal to their Dexterity modifier).
-A Warrior Spirits AC is equal to 12+ it's dexterity modifier.
-The Speed of a Warrior spirit is how far away from you it can move as well as how far it can move per turn, it's speed is equal to it's dexterity stat plus your proficiency bonus(specifically what it was when you Bonded with your spirit as it's speed does not change as you level) minus it's strength modifier, rounded to the nearest multiple of five(with a minimum of 5ft).
-Each Warrior Spirit has an ability unique to it, this could be a spell it's able to cast or a class feature or similar magic ability it knew in life(A Warrior Spirit can only have a single Ability and it cannot be changed but can increase in power depending on what it is and if your DM allows it)
-For 5 sorcery points you can use a Bonus Action or Reaction to summon the Warrior Spirit into the Physical World so it may assist you
-Keep in mind that this ability is heavily reliant on your DM especially because Whatever spirit you choose to Bond with can be customized and tailored to or similar to what you desire by you working with your DM if you and your DM wish to do so(Also note that if a spirit you have Bonded with Disapproves of your behavior or actions it can choose to break the soul bond, this also applies to your spirit as you can break the bond and release it during a short rest, if you attempt to soul bond to another warrior spirit while still bonded to another one, the attempt automatically fails).
Knightmare Walkers Blade
At 6th Level, (if you chose the Knightmare Walker path) You gain the ability to spend 5 sorcery points to create a sword made from the nightmare essence being held within the world around you that has a range of 5ft and deals force damage equal to 1d4+your spell attack bonus(you do not add your strength when attacking with this weapon), you can only create your sword during a short or long rest (this does not affect the benefits of taking either), after creating your knightmare sword you can use a bonus action or reaction to summon it in one of your hands, your sword cannot be held or picked up by creatures other than you, if one tries their hand(s) would go through it as though they were trying to grab smoke, upon creating this sword you can spend additional sorcery points to add modifiers to it, the modifiers you can apply are listed below and can be removed/added/replaced during a short or long rest(Sorcery points spent to place modifiers on your Knightmare Sword temporarily decrease your maximum number of sorcery points by the same amount, but only until the modifiers they were spent on are removed or replaced, eg. if you spent 6 sorcery point's on modifiers that are active after the rest you took your maximum number of sorcery point's would decrease by 6 until you removed or replace the modifiers you spent them on).
-(2 sorcery point)Sharpened Nightmares, your Knightmare Blades edge sharpens, your Knightmare Swords damage die becomes a 1d6(or 1d8 if it's already 1d6) and you add your Strength modifier to damage whenever attacking with it.
-(2 sorcery point)Reaching Shadow, when you swing your sword at a creature outside your reach a Dark Tendril made of shadows strikes outwards at it from your blade, the range of attacks with your Knightmare Blade increases by 5ft.
-(3 sorcery points)Cleaving Darkness, Your Knightmare Swords blade widens and phases through creatures hit with it, When you attack with your Knightmare Sword it also hits any creatures within 5ft to the target of your initial attack so long as they are within your attack range, you roll to attack each creature separately.
-(3 sorcery points)Bleeding Shade, Your Knightmare Swords Edge becomes serrated and develops barbs, Creatures hit with your Knightmare Sword must make a constitution saving throw against your spell save DC, on a failure the creature must repeat the save until it succeeds, suffering from a bleeding effect that deals bleeding damage, equal to your proficiency bonus, at the start of each of it's turns until it succeeds a constitution saving throw.
-(4 sorcery points)Unbreaking Gloom, Your Knighmare Blade Hardens when striking certain creatures, Your Knightmare Sword now ignores resistances.
-(10 sorcery points)Marking Dark, Your Knightmare Sword Cuts creatures deeply and marks them with a hex, Creatures hit with your Knightmare Sword lose their resistance to force and one damage type of your choice, if the creature hit does not have resistances it instead gains weakness's, this affect can only be active on one creature at a time.
-(5 sorcery points)Tracking Abyss, Whenever you Strike a creature with your Knightmare Sword a small piece breaks off and attaches itself to the creature while retaining it's connection to you, whenever you strike a creature you sense their general location for the next hour, the closer they are the more accurately you can sense their location, within 15ft of you know their exact location, within 30ft you know a 10ft radius that they're in, within 100ft feet you know the direction they're in and within 1 mile you know the general direction they're in(eg. you would know they're between north and west but not exactly which they're closer to).
-(4 sorcery points)Fearful Fog, Your blade releases some of the Nightmare essence when striking a creature, whenever you strike a creature it must make a wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become frightened of you, additionally your Knightmare blade now deals Psychic Damage instead of force.
-(4 sorcery points)Elemental Grim, Your Knightmare Sword becomes infused with an element within the Nightmare essence absorbed during a rest, you can pick a damage type (other than piercing, slashing and bludgeoning) and make your Knightmare Sword deal that damage type instead of force damage, additionally, your Knightmare sword gains the appearance of a nightmarish and shadowy version of whatever damage type it deals, eg. if you picked fire it would look akin to a flame tongue but the flames emitted would be pitch black and give off no light).
Spirt Dream Warrior
At 14th level, (if you chose the Dream Walker path) Your ability to commune with spirits has improved as your soul and mind have gotten stronger. You're now resistant to psychic damage, You can now see spirit's and ghost's without them having to be revealed by other means, however this does not beckon them to you. Additionally you can now use your Spirit Call ability during a long rest without spending any sorcery point's or spend the normal 5 sorcery points to use it during a short rest, additionally you have resistance to non-magical damage While Unconscious and whenever anything other than a deity attempts to enter your dreams or read your thoughts you can choose to prevent said thing from doing so.
Knight of Fear
At 14th level, (if you chose the Knightmare Walker path) Your ferocity has become the stuff of nightmares and you strike fear in your enemies who witness it. Whenever you roll for initiative, you do so with advantage and creature's of your choice who's turn is after yours, up to a maximum equal to your spell attack modifier, must succeed a wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC taking psychic damage equal to 1d6+your spell attack modifier and becoming frightened of you for 1 minute on a failed save and taking half damage on a successful save, Additionally, whenever you hit a creature with your Knightmare Sword you can spend a sorcery point to make all other creature's of your choice within 15ft of the creature hit must make a wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become frightened of you for 1 minute, if the hit was a critical hit the range of this effect increases to 25ft and the creature's who become frightened of you take psychic damage equal to 1d4+your proficiency bonus. Your Knightmare Sword now uses a d6 for damage instead of a d4.
Ethereal Master
At 18th level, (if you chose the Dream Walker Path) Your Connection to the transitive planes has strengthened your soul and mind beyond most. You Learn the Astral Projection spell to the list of spells you know without it counting against the maximum number of spells you can know, when you cast Astral Projection all creature's body's affected by the spell are resistant to non magical damage while their soul is in the astral plane, whenever you enter the Astral or Ethereal plane by any means, your unconscious body is resistant to all damage and your silver cord cannot be cut by any means, Additionally you can now soul bond to two Warrior Spirits at once instead of just one.
Nightmare Fueled
At 18th level,(if you chose the Knightmare Walker path)The Nightmare essence around you now Fuels the Ethereal power in you and causes you to emanate Fear. You now add half your sorcerer level when dealing damage with your Knightmare Sword and when using your Knightmare Sword you land a critical hit on a 19 or 20. Whenever you land a critical hit on a creature you can spend 3 sorcery points to cause all other creatures of your choice, that can see you, make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC taking psychic damage equal to half your sorcerer level and becoming frightened for 1 minute and stunned for one round on a failed save, taking half damage and suffering no ailments on a successful save, Additionally you're resistant to all damage received from a creature frightened by you for 1 minute after you use this feature. Whenever you kill a creature that's frightened of you, you can spend a hit die to regain a number of sorcery points equal to whatever you roll on the spent hit die, this can only be done a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, you cannot go beyond your maximum beyond sorcery points with this feature.
Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Character Options → Subclasses