Ethereal Samurai (5e Class)
Ethereal Samurai[edit]
Ethereal samurais are followers of an ancient tradition, being taught to open their awareness to the supernatural. Doing so allows them to see trough the veil that separates the material plane from the bordering ethereal plane, and connect to their inhabitants. This power often makes them in charge of tasks that require this level of connection with other worlds. Some ethereal samurais acts as guardians, protecting their communities from supernatural menaces and unholy threats, warding sacred sites and acting as a type of bridge between the two planes, helping lost souls to find peace. Others use this power to hunt and slay evil and vengeful spirits, tracking signs of strange occurrences and haunted places, fighting to destroy spirits that are far past the point of redemption.
Creating a Ethereal Samurai[edit]
When creating an ethereal samurai, ask yourself the following questions: how did you became an ethereal samurai? Is this an ancient family tradition that you fight to maintain, or did you learned to control your innate powers to commune to the soul of the dead? With what purpose do you employ these powers? To protect the material plane from supernatural powers, to seek vengeance on evil spirits from some past tragedy, or to enhance your martial abilities for your personal and individual purposes?
- Quick Build
You can make an Ethereal Samurai quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the Acolyte background.
Class Features
As a Etheral Samurai you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per Etheral Samurai level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Etheral Samurai level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Perception, Persuasion and Religion.
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) longsword and shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) leather armor or (b) chain shirt
- (a) diplomat's pack or (b) scholar's pack
- a shortbow and a quiver with 20 arrows and a sacred symbol
- If you are using starting wealth, you have 4d4 x 10 gp in funds.
Ethereal Blade[edit]
At 1st level, when you finish a long rest, you can bond with a melee weapon you are proficient with that lacks the two handed or heavy property, two if you use dual wielding, transforming it into ethereal blade. You can use your Wisdom, instead of Strength, for attacks and damage rolls with the ethereal blade. Also, attacks with the ethereal blade ignore resistances and immunities to damage from ethereal beings and undead.
Whenever you hit or miss an attack with the ethereal blade, you cause necrotic damage to the target equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Ethereal Step[edit]
At 1st level, you learn to step through the Ethereal Plane. As a bonus action on your turn, you can cast the Etherealness spell with this feature, without expending a spell slot, but the spell ends at the end of the current turn.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest, unless you spend a spell slot to do so again.
Connection with the Dead[edit]
Also at 1st level, due to your connection with the ethereal plane, you can tap into the knowledge of the deceased to acquire knowledge. You add your Wisdom modifier to all your Intelligence checks.
At 6th level, when you finish a short or long rest, you can gain one skill or tool proficiency of your choice, as a ghostly presence shares its knowledge with you. You lose this proficiency when you use this feature to choose a different proficiency that you lack.
Spellcasting[edit]
As a bridge between the spiritual and material world, starting at 2nd level you can cast spells.
- Preparing and Casting Spells
The Ethereal Samurai table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your 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 ethereal samurai spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the cleric spell list. When you do so, choose a number of cleric spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your ethereal samurai level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 3rd-level ethereal samurai, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, 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 cleric spells requires time spent meditation to commune with the spiritual world: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
- Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ethereal samurai spells. The power of your spells comes from your devotion to your deity. You use your Wisdom whenever a ethereal samurai spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a ethereal spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
- Ritual Casting
You can cast a ethereal samurai spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.
- Spellcasting Focus
You can use a holy symbol (see “Equipment”) or your Ethereal Blade as a spellcasting focus for your ethereal samurai spells.
Ethereal Sight[edit]
Starting at 2nd level, you can focus your mind to see into the spiritual realm. You can choose to see into the Ethereal Plane, without using an action. Doing so requires concentration, as if concentrating on a spell. In addition, while concentrating in this manner, you gain truesight up to a range of 10 feet.
At 18th level, the range of your Truesight increases to 30 feet and it no longer requires concentration.
Spiritual Banishment[edit]
Starting at 2nd level, you can use an action and spend a spell slot to ward off spirits. Any undead, spirit, fey, celestial or fiend of your choice that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes any damage.
A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can't willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can't take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there's nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action
After you reach 5th level, when a creature fails its saving throw against your Spiritual Banishment feature, the creature is banished for 1 minute (as in the Banishment spell, no concentration required) if it isn't on its plane of origin and its challenge rating is equal or below the spell slot spent. If the creature is an undead, it is destroyed if its CR is under the spell slot spent.
Ethereal Samurai Order[edit]
Starting at 3rd level, you can choose an Ethereal Samurai Order. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 11th and 15th levels.
Commune With Dead[edit]
Starting at 3rd level, you can communicate with the dead. You must spend a spell slot to do so, generating one of the following effects:
- Vitality of the Ancestors
While you have at least one spell slot, you have advantage on Death Saving throws and Constitution saving throws.
- Ghostly Strike
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can summon the power of your ancestors to enhance that strike. The attack causes additional damage equal to 1d6, plus 1d6 per spell slot spent. The additional damage is either necrotic or radiant.
- Commune With Dead
As an action, you can touch the body of a deceased body and spend a spell slot. You can then ask a number of questions to the spirit of that creature equal to the level of the spell slot spent. The spirit appears to you and answers in a language it knew in life. It's under no obligation to be truthful, and it answers as concisely as possible, eager to be free. The spirit knows only what it knew in life, as determined by the DM.
Extra Attack[edit]
Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Ghostly Walk[edit]
At 10th level, you can phase partially into the realm of the dead, becoming like a ghost. As a bonus action, you assume a spectral form. While in this form, you have a flying speed of 10 feet, you can hover, and attack rolls have disadvantage against you. You can also move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, but you take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside a creature or an object.
You stay in this form for 10 minutes or until you end it as a bonus action. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain your uses of it after finishing a long rest, unless you spend one spell slot to do so. You also regain one use of this feature after successfully banishing a creature or destroying an undead.
Phantasmagorical Strike[edit]
At 14th level, whenever you score a critical hit with your Ethereal Blade, you cause additional necrotic damage equal to your Ethereal Samurai level, as your weapon pierce trough bone, targeting the vital organs of your target.
Ethereal Travel[edit]
Starting at 18th level, you can spend a total of seven levels in spell slots to cast etherealness.
Ethereal Guardian[edit]
When you reach the 20th level, you become the true guardian of the material and ethereal planes. You can use your Ghostly Walk and Ethereal Step features without limitations.
In addition, once per turn when you hit a creature with a Ethereal Blade, you cause additional 2d8 damage from the same type of that weapon.
Moreover, when you banish a creature successfully, that creature is banished indefinitely.
Ethereal Order[edit]
Order of the Spectral Wardens[edit]
Spectral wardens are guardians of both the living and the dead alike, protecting the living from evil or vengeful spirits, while helping the lost souls to find rest and peace in the afterlife. They are usually found in temples, graveyards and other places with strong connection with the deceased, acting as guards to those places, or wander the lands looking for lost souls to help and evil souls to banish.
- Spiritual Guardian
As a spiritual guardian, you learn how to channel your spiritual energy in both offensive and defensive manners. You can harness the power of your spirit to create one of the effects below. When you do so, you can't do it again until you finish a short or a long rest.
In addition, once per day over the course of a minute, you can meditate to regain one use of your Spiritual Guardian feature, by connecting with the spirits and offering a gift to them. You must spend 15 gp per Ethereal Samurai level as an offering.
- Empowered Blade. When you take the Attack action, you can empower your Ethereal Blade you use asking for the help of the dead as part of the same action. Choose either necrotic or radiant. For the next minute, attacks with the ethereal blade deal additional 1d6 damage from the chosen type for the next minute.
- At 11th level, the damage increases to 2d6.
- Spectral Warden. You can cast one spell from the Abjuration spell from a level you can cast spells, without spending spell slots. At 17th level, you can cast hallow using this feature, without spending spell slots or material components. The spell is cast at its minimum level.
- In addition, you can spend one spell slot to end the charmed condition or a possession on a creature of your choice within range 30 feet, as an action. You can affect one additional creature for each level of the spell slot spent above 1st.
- Pacify Soul. You can use this feature to cast calm emotions on an undead being with a CR equal to your level or lower.
- Preternatural Senses
Starting at 3rd level, you can sense corruption and decay around you. As an action you can open your awareness and sense the presence of any undead or effect that could be ended by a remove curse spell in an area of 30 feet. Doing so requires concentration, as if concentrating on a spell.
- Ghostly Barrier
At 7th level, you can raise an ethereal barrier around you. Whenever you cast an Ethereal Samurai spell from the abjuration school, you can cause a creature within 60 feet to gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + twice the level of the spell slot used to cast the spell.
- Spectral Exorcist
Starting at 11th level, whenever a creature protected by an abjuration spell cast by you takes damage whenever your Ghostly Barrier is reduced to 0 hit points, the creature responsible for this is Turned, as if affected by your Spiritual Banishment feature until the end of your next turn.
In addition, once in each of your turns when you hit a creature with your Spectral Blade, you can force the creature to make a Wisdom saving throw or be Turned, without spending spell slots.
Morevoer, whenever you successfully banish a creature with the Spiritual Banishment feature, that creature is permanently banished.
- Protector of the Living
At 15th level, whenever a creature within 60 feet takes damage, you can use your reaction to take damage in its place. If you do so, the creature who caused the damage takes necrotic or radiant damage (your choice) equal to the damage taken by you.
Order of the Immortal Guides[edit]
Immortal guides are Ethereal Samurais that are accompanied by a spectral guardian, who is usually an ancestor and a former Immortal Guide itself, who take upon itself to train and orient the new Ethereal Samurai in its task.
- Spectral Guide
Starting at 3rd level, you can summon a spectral guide to come to your aid. Your spectral guide acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In Combat, it rolls its own Initiative and acts on its own turn. The spectral guide can't attack, but it can take any other action.
When the spectral guide drops to 0 Hit Points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. You can't summon it again until you complete a long rest, unless you spend a spell slot to summon it again. The spectral guide have no Strength, Dexterity or Constitution scores, and is immune to effects that require those types of saving throws. Its Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma equal 10 + your Wisdom modifier. The Spectral Guide shares all your proficiencies.
While your spiritual guide is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your spiritual guide eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any Special Senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own Senses.
As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your spiritual guide. It disappears into the spiritual plane where it awaits your summons. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. Your spiritual guide is an undead, but is immune to effects and spells that target undead.
The spiritual guide as an AC equal to your Spell save DC, 5 hit points for each level you have in the Ethereal Samurai class, is immune to all conditions. Your spirit can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. If it ends its turn inside an objects, it is shunted to the nearest unoccupied space and takes 1d10 force damage for every 5 feet traveled.
The spiritual guide can't attack, but you can let it possess your body using its action and if it is within 5 feet of you. If you do so, you can take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge or Help action using your bonus action. You can also make a single attack with the Ethereal Blade using your bonus action while possessed. When you take damage while possessed, the guide take half the damage taken by you.
- Spiritual Orientation
Also at 3rd level, your spiritual guide can orient and guide your efforts. It can use its action to cast guidance. In addition, whenever the spiritual guide take the Help action to aid you on an ability check, you can roll a third die.
- Phantasmagorical Protection
Starting at 7th level, your spiritual guide can use its reaction to reduce any damage taken by half. In addition, whenever you make an attack, you can cause it to come from your or your guide position, if the guide is within 30 feet.
Attacks made from your guide position cause necrotic damage.
- Possessed Warrior
At 11th level, when you are possessed, you can make three attacks, instead of two, whenever you take the Attack action on our turn.
- Double Soul
Starting at 15th level, while possessed, you have advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.
In addition, when you die, you can choose to return as a spectral guide to aid another Ethereal Samurai in its task to protect the material world.
Order of the Ghost Slayers[edit]
Ghost Slayers have one duty, and one duty only: to seek and destroy dangerous ethereal beings. You are extremely apt in tracking those creatures, and employ tactics that have been developed and improved trough generations to hunt these types of creatures and grant them the eternal rest.
- Slayer Tactics
Starting at 3rd level, you develop special tactics to hunt and destroy spirits. You gain a pool of tactics dice equal to three times your proficiency bonus. Your tactics die is a d6.
When you use a tactics dice, it is spent until you complete a long rest. You can use the tactics dice in the following manners:
- Ghostly Strike. When you make an attack with your ethereal blade, you can spend one dice to cause the blade to become completely ethereal for some moments. You add the result on the die to the attack roll, and the damage becomes either necrotic or radiant (your choice).
- Slayer's Punishment. When you damage a creature with the ethereal blade, you can spend one die to add it to the damage roll. If the target is an undead, fey or fiend, it must make a Wisdom saving throw or is Turned until the end of your next turn.
- Spectral Communion. You can enhance your ability to commune with the spirits of the dead. You can add your tactic die to the result of an Intelligence or Wisdom check.
- Supernatural Sensitivity. You can spend one dice as an action to sense the presence of an undead, fey or fiend creature within 1000 feet. You sense its exact location, creature type and distance from you. This senses last until the end of your next turn.
- Supernatural Detective
Also at 3rd level, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track fey, fiend and undead, and on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
- Ghost Slayer
Starting at 7th level, whenever you spend your Slayer Tactics dice and add it to the damage roll, you can deal additional 1d6 damage if the creature is an undead, fey or fiend.
In addition, when you make a Saving Throw against effects created by these creatures, you can add your dice to the roll.
- Experienced Hunter
Starting at 11th level, when you start your turn and have no Tactics dice, you regain two.
- Slayer's Rebuke
At 15th level, whenever a creature forces you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to move up to its movement speed towards that creature and make an attack. If the attack hits, you have advantage on the save.
Order of the Spectral Warrior[edit]
Spectral Warriors use the power to phase into the ethereal plane for a simple goal: to make them better combatants. They usually are born with a strong connection with the ethereal plane, and soon discover how this connection give them an unfair advantage in combat, since they can strike trough armor with ease and walk trough their enemies bodies. Spectral Warriors learn about the spiritual world in hopes of becoming better warriors.
Some follow a strong code of life, and are disciplined and perfectionists, living a life of devotion to the art of ethereal combat and keeping the tradition alive. Others, use these powers to fulfill their own selfish desires.
- Warrior's Tradition
Starting at 3rd level, you must choose one of the spectral warrior combat traditions, that are traditional styles of combat taught in schools linked to ancestral families. Your choices are:
- Life Drinker. The life drinker tradition is devoted to steal the life force of their opponents. Once in each turn when you cause necrotic damage to a creature, you gain 1d8 temporary hit points.
- Spectral Lancers. The spectral lancer tradition is devoted to master the spectral blade. Once per turn when you make an attack with the spectral blade, you can force the target to make a Constitution saving throw, or take necrotic damage equal to the damage of your weapon. In addition, the Spectral Blade gain the reach property.
- Ethereal Bastions. The ethereal bastion tradition use the ethereal powers for protection. Whenever you or a friendly creature within 30 feet is hit by an attack, you can impose disadvantage to that attack as a reaction. If the attack misses, the attacker takes necrotic damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.
- Advanced Techniques
Starting at 7th level, you improve your abilities, developing your technique on your chosen style further:
- Life Drinker. When you deal necrotic damage to a creature, you can spend one hit die. You cause additional necrotic damage equal to the number rolled on the die, and regain hit points as if you had completed a short rest. In addition, when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Ethereal Samurai level + your Constituion modifier.
- Spectral Lancers. When you miss an attack with the Ethereal Blade, you can use your bonus action to move up to 15 feet without taking opportunity attacks and attack another target.
- Ethereal Bastions. As a bonus action, you can create a spectral protection on a creature within 30 feet. The next time that creature take damage, the damage is reduced by 2d6 and the source of damage, if it is within 20 feet, must succeed on a Strength saving throw or take necrotic damage equal to your Wisdom modifier and is pushed 15 feet back from the target. This protection lasts for 1 minute or until the creature take damage. You can use this ability equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain your uses after a long rest.
- Master Techniques
Starting at 11th level, you become a master on your chosen style:
- Life Drinker. Whenever you have temporary hit points, any necrotic damage caused by you deal additional damage equal to the amount of temporary hit points you have. In addition, if you are under half your maximum hit points, you regain hit points equal to the damage you cause with the Ethereal Blade.
- Spectral Lancers. You can use your action to make one attack against each creature within your Ethereal Blade reach. In addition, you can throw the blade up to a range of 60 feet using an action, forcing creatures in a 10 foot radius to make a Constitution saving throw, or take the Ethereal Blade damage. The damage is necrotic.
- Ethereal Bastions. When a creature within 30 feet take damage, you can move towards the source of the damage if it is within 30 feet, and make one attack. This doesn't take a reaction. You activate Ethereal Step while moving in this manner, without spending uses. You can't use this ability again until the start of your next turn, unless you use a reaction.
- Secret Technique
When you reach the 15th level, you discover the secret technique from your style:
- Life Drinker. You can convert your temporary hit points in healing, regaining hit points equal to the amount of temporary hit points you have. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier, and regain your uses after finishing a long rest.
- Spectral Lancers. You score critical hits on a roll of 18-20 with the Ethereal Blade.
- Ethereal Bastions. When you use your action to cast an Ethereal Samurai spell, you can make an attack using your bonus action.
Multiclassing[edit]
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Etheral Samurai class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength 14 or Dexterity 14 and Wisdom 14
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Ethereal Samurai class, you gain the following proficiencies: Medium Armour, Simple Wea[pons and Martial Weapons.
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