Soulbound (5e Race)
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Soulbound[edit]
You know . . . Being a living armor has its obvious and wonderful benefits, but . . . also its certain drawbacks . . . Oh dear, the drawbacks . . . For example, I have so much time. I'm at a point in my existence where I . . . I don't know what else I could do with myself . . . I suppose I'm, well, bored. Everything is kind of the same for me by now. Do you understand? So much has become meaningless around me. Just like you. Ahm, I mean, I like you and I value the time we spend together, but in a few . . . sorry, I mean maybe 90 years or so from now, I will eventually meet someone new to spend my time with. Do you understand? The people around me have become replaceable . . . In some way . . . And then I continue my diary. And a copy of it. And the copy of the copy. Just in case I lose one.
A Mortal Mind In An Immortal Body[edit]
A soulbound is a soul no longer occupying an organic body, which has been bound to an artificial replacement by potent magic. Soulbounds appear as a very transparent, shadowy darkness, filling the bound armor. The head of a soulbound contains two piercing motes of light through which the soulbound perceives the world. The bounding process is mainly the result of a divine intervention by a God to rescue a soul from a dying body. Only a wish-spell cast by at least 30 masters of the art is strong enough to recreate the bounding process. Because of the high magic required that leads to their creation, soulbounds are exceedingly rare and are by commoners therefore often mistaken for monsters such as Animated Armors, Golems, or Helmed Horrors.
The body replacement can be almost any set of armor, though in rare cases it can also be a not animated golem or a shield guardian. Most soulbounds, who are bound to a light or medium armor, are likely to equip "missing" pieces retrospectively, especially the headwear, to avoid being mistaken for something sinister. The armor pieces respond to external pressure and physical contact, as if they are filled rather than hollow, though the space inside can be filled or occupied. Soulbounds mostly describe the feeling of being worn by someone as a bit strange and warm, like a second heartbeat, even though they lack a heart, but it is a welcome change to their otherwise numb existence. Over time a soulbound and their wearer can develop a magical bond that allows them, in the beginning, to share emotions with each other and later even their thoughts.
A Soulbound's original armor pieces are magically tethered to each other and actively seek to rejoin the breastplate, hauberk, haubergeon, jerkin, or other chest pieces in a 5ft radius if separated from it. A Soulbound can always feel in what direction a piece of their armor is located. The various armor pieces of a soulbound can be removed, but not without also taking the shadowy limb itself. A separation causes no more than minor discomfort to the soulbound, but is yet difficult to take away if the soulbound doesn't want it. The breastplate, hauberk, haubergeon, jerkin, or another chest piece is the heart piece of a soulbound to which the soul is permanently fused. Destroying the breastplate, hauberk, haubergeon, jerkin, or other chest pieces means killing the soulbound. The original armor pieces are capable of very slow but perfect regeneration, making their bodies last under normal conditions for an undefined time. This makes soulbounds functionally immortal but not invulnerable.
The maximum age a soulbound can reach has not yet been determined, but so far it depends heavily on the soulbound's lifestyle and exposure to risks.
After living for a few centuries they often struggle with keeping their memories in order and recalling specific events that are older than a few decades, as time becomes progressively more meaningless to them. While a soulbound is capable of learning and growing wiser after the binding, they are limited to the emotional or mental maturity of their pre-bound state.
A heavy side effect of being bound to a set of armor is that many soulbounds experience a longing for the comforts of the flesh. Soulbounds are mostly incapable of experiencing any sensory comforts such as the taste of food or drinks, feeling the breeze of the wind, the warmth of sunlight, the touch of their loved ones, their lungs filling with air, dreams, etc. Anything a soulbound attempts to consume will simply fall inside their inner cavity if their armor has one. Those who can't handle the lack of sensation, are likely to fall into insanity or take their own lives sooner or later. Most soulbounds who are tired of their existence wait until they are alone, with no one left who could miss them before they take their lives. Others may seek a more heroic end, but an end nonetheless.
Alignment[edit]
Soulbounds keep their alignments and names they had in their former lives. But some might change their names later.
Soulbound Traits[edit]
Walking and talking magical armors and constructs, due to a bound soul.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age. unknown.
Alignment. The alignment is the same as in the soulbounds former life.
Size. A soulbound's size depends on their former race and their weight and AC, including the proficiency scores, on the kind of armor pieces they are bound to.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Living Construct. Though you are still driven by a living soul, your body is artificial, a suit of armor made of a variety of durable materials.
Your creature type is constructed.
You are immune to normal diseases, normal toxins of any kind, suffocation, starvation, sleep loss, and exhaustion.
You do not benefit from any conventional magical HP restoration.
Since you are a soul bound to a set of armor or other constructs, your HP is bound to the condition of that armor or construct.
The central piece of the armor is analogous to your heart, and as such your soul will be lost if your breastplate, hauberk, haubergeon, jerkin, or other chest piece is destroyed.
Before your armor pieces can take damage themselves, they drain received damage from your HP to mend themself.
Should you reach 0 HP you stabilize automatically, but your armor pieces fall motionless to the ground.
As long as the breastplate, hauberk, haubergeon, jerkin, or other chest piece is intact, other destroyed armor pieces may recover from what is left of them slowly over time.
Until destroyed pieces had a full recovery, your HP is reduced by the percentage, represented by the destroyed armor pieces (if uneven, round up).
A soulbound may recover broken parts and HP faster through a meditation ritual innately known to them, which requires no material components to cast.
This ritual restores their armor and HP to maximum and takes 4 hours to fully prepare and cast in which you remain motionless while fully aware of your surroundings.
Alternatively, the spell mending can be cast to cure a Soulbounds wounds.
The caster may expand any number of spell slots (minimum 1) causing the spell to heal a number of hit points equal to 1d8 + their spellcasting ability modifier.
When using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.
Ensouled Armor. You can control your separated limbs, as long as they are not more than 20 feet away from your breastplate, hauberk, haubergeon, jerkin, or other chest piece.
Artificial Senses. Because you do not have physical eyes or ears, your senses are magical in nature.
You have an advantage on saving throws against any effect that can cause the blinded or deafened conditions.
You also feel no discomfort from normal extremes of temperature and are immune to Exhaustion caused by exceptionally hot or cold natural environments.
You can always feel in what direction a separated piece of your armor is located.
Insomnia. You cannot be put to sleep by natural means.
Antimagic Susceptibility. You are incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If targeted by dispel magic, you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.
Empty, But Not. Any spell or ability that treats an armored creature differently considers you to be an armored creature, despite your lack of a living body.
Living Armor. As a soulbound you can allow a creature that is fitting your kind of armor to wear you, which presents a number of benefits.
By doing so, you and your wearer basically become one character in combat:
• You and your wearer take the lower initiative result of your both rolls.
• You and your wearer share a turn.
• You or your wearer must pass on their action, but may use their bonus action.
• A fight for control is determined by a competing strength check, using an action.
After a week of being worn by the same person, you and your wearer start to feel each other's emotions, granting the following benefit:
• You and your wearer take the higher initiative result of your both rolls.
After another two weeks of being worn by the same person, you and your wearer can hear the other's thoughts, granting the following benefit:
• You or your wearer gets an advantage on their action rolls (and an additional damage die), if your interests match.
• Alternatively, if you or your wearer is a caster and has passed on their action, they may cast or prepare a spell of their 4th highest spell level that doesn't require hand signs, using their bonus action.
Languages. You can speak, read and write common and up to one extra language of your choice based on the background of the soul that is bound to the armor.
The Difference[edit]
As a soulbound, you have slightly different properties depending on the kind of armor to which you are bound. Choose one of the following subraces.
Light Armor Soulbound[edit]
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Lightweight. Your base speed is 40ft.
Armor class. Your AC is equal to 8 plus your Dexterity modifier, plus your proficiency bonus.
Medium Armor Soulbound[edit]
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity or Strength score increases by 1.
Flexible. You can take the Dodge action as a bonus action a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier(minimum 1). You regain all expended uses of this trait when you complete a long rest.
Armor class. Your AC is equal to 11 plus your Dexterity modifier (Max 2) plus your proficiency bonus.
Heavy Armor Soulbound[edit]
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Heavy plating. At the end of a short or long rest, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level.
Armor class. Your AC is equal to 15 plus your proficiency bonus.
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