Spirit Guardian (5e Class)

Spirit Guardian

She lifted herself from the ground, chest aching with every breath. Creatures that were once men began to surround her as she prepared for them. Looking around, she noticed that she was the last one standing. Getting control of her breath, she took a stance, and closed her eyes in concentration.

The creatures rushed towards her in an animal-like manner, some even dropping to all-fours. As soon as they could, they pounced on her location. Opening her eyes, she launched herself into the air, trailing light behind her. She fell back to the ground with a sword of light in hand. Landing on the ground, she turned her sword in hand, and began to hack at the creatures.

One after another, they fell to her blade as she moved from one enemy to the next. Spikes, thrown by one of the creatures, rained down on her. Her only reaction was to cast out her unoccupied hand, and a shield of light formed around her. After the barrage had finished, her sword dispelled, and she summoned a bow of light, much like her sword. She launched arrow after arrow. Not even the cultists could get away. She smiled as she watched the last of the cultists flee.

Stalwart Warriors

Spirit warriors are the guardians of the spirits. In order to protect the sacred grounds of the spirits they make pact with certain spirits in order to gain otherworldly power. Some choose to bond with elemental spirits and becoming their masters calling forth storms and blizzards. Others become bonded to the spirits of mythical creatures such as dragons, hydras, and sphinxes.

Creating a Spirit Guardian

Quick Build

You can make a Spirit Guardian quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom, if you wish to take the Spirit Beast Bond, or the other way around if you wish to take the Elemental Spirit Bond focusing more on your spirit magic. Second, choose the Outlander background.

Class Features

As a Spirit Guardian you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Spirit Guardian level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Spirit Guardian level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: One artisan's tools of your choice
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Wisdom
Skills: Choose 3 from Animal Handling, Insight, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) A medium armor of your choice and a shield or (b) A light armor of your choice and a shield
• (a) A martial weapon or (b) Two simple weapons
• One artisan's tools of your choice
• (a) Dungeoneer's pack or (b) Explorer's pack
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4x10 gp in funds.

Table: The Spirit Guardian

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
				1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
1st	+2	Ghost Sight	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	Fighting Style,Spellcasting	2	2	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	Spirit Bond	2	3	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	3	3	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	Extra Attack	3	4	2	—	—	—
6th	+3	Spirit Caller	3	4	2	—	—	—
7th	+3	Spirit Bond Feature	3	4	3	—	—	—
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	3	4	3	—	—	—
9th	+4	—	3	4	3	2	—	—
10th	+4	Evasion	4	4	3	2	—	—
11th	+4	Spirit Bond Feature	4	4	3	3	—	—
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	3	3	—	—
13th	+5	—	4	4	3	3	1	—
14th	+5	Spirit Channel	4	4	3	3	1	—
15th	+5	Spirit Bond Feature	4	4	3	3	2	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	3	3	2	—
17th	+6	—	4	4	3	3	3	1
18th	+6	Seer Sight	4	4	3	3	3	1
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	3	3	3	2
20th	+6	Spirit Shaman	4	4	3	3	3	2

Ghost Sight

Beginning at 1st level, you gain the ability to see the spirits around you. As a bonus action, you can see spirits within 60 ft of you for 10 minutes or until you end it early as a bonus action. You can speak to them and they can speak to you and only be heard by you. Others can hear your words but cannot see the spirits themselves.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a 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.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 to AC.

Dueling

While you are wielding a weapon in 1 hand and none in the other, you gain +2 to damage 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. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Spellcasting

By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to use the magical essence of nature to cast spells, much as a druid does.

Spell Slots: The Spirit Guardian 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. For example, if you know the 1st-level spell animal friendship and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast animal friendship using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher: You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the Druid spell list. The Spells Known column of the Spirit Guardian table shows when you learn more druid spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Druid spells you know and replace it with another spell from the druid spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability: Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your druid spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spirit guardian 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

Spirit Bond

At 3rd level, you choose a Spirit Bond. Choose between the Elemental Spirit and the Inhuman Spirit, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.

Ability Score Increase

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.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Spirit Caller

Beginning at 6th level you can call forth the spirits of the dead to the prime material plane. Now, when you use your Ghost Sight, you can make it so any number of spirits in range are also seen and heard by people around you.

Evasion

Beginning at 10th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Spirit Channel

Beginning at 14th level, you can channel your spirit bond as an action to take your senses and go forth. Your spirit bond has all your senses, letting you see what it sees and hear what it hears. Your spirit bond can go through walls, and is always considered invisible. While using this feature, your body is deafened and blinded, and Ghost Sight is considered to be active. Spirit Guardian of the Inhuman Spirit have movement speed equal to the creature's that they are bonded to. Those of the Elemental Spirit have a flight speed of 120 ft.

Seer Sight

Beginning at 18th level, you gain truesight of 60 feet.

Spirit Shaman

At 20th level, you now embody the powers of the spirits. Your Dexterity and Wisdom scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24. You also have advantage on all Constitution saving throws for maintaining concentration on spells. In addition, when you target only one creature with a spell, you have advantage on all attack rolls and the target has disadvantage on all saving throws against the spell.

Elemental Spirit

Spirit Guardians who associate themselves with the power of the elements will be able to derive the spiritual power from elemental planes, which grants magical abilities to the Elemental Spirit Guardians.

Elemental Attunement

When you take this bond at level 3, the magical properties of the elemental planes grant you the following benefits:

• Your spell slot count, spells known and prepared spells increases to that of a Druid, leveled appropriately.

• At the end of each short or long rest, you can attune yourself to an element: Fire, Water, Earth, or Storm. Each element gives a special action while attuned, each allowing one use per long rest.

• Whenever you cast a spell of your attuned element type, you deal an additional 1d4 of the damage type. This damage increases to 1d6 at 7th level, 1d8 at 11th, and 1d10 at 15th. (Fire=Fire, Water=cold, Storm=Lightning/thunder, Earth=Force/Bludgeoning).

• As a bonus action, you can change you elemental attunement for 1 minute. You can do this a number of times equal to 1+Wisdom modifier per long rest. If you attempt to change more than once each minute, you must make a Wisdom saving throw of DC 12+times changed before a short or long rest, taking 1d8 psychic damage and being stunned for 1 turn on a failed save.

Attunement actions:

• Fire: As an action, you can radiate fire damage in either a 30 foot line or a 15 foot radius, centered on you. The radius deals damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (Min 1) to all creatures of your choice that start in or enter the field for the first time in their turn for one minute. The line deals 1d6+Spellcasting modifier fire damage.

• Water: As a reaction to taking damage, you can gain resistance to the triggering damage and move in any direction up to your Wisdom modifier×5 feet, moving through enemies if needed. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. All enemies in the line must succeed a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 cold damage and be unable to take reactions until the end of their next turn.

• Earth: As a action, you can give yourself a burrow and climbing speed equal to your movement speed for 1 minute. During this time, you gain the benefits of the stoneskin spell.

• Storm: As a action, you can dash forward up to a distance equal to twice your movement speed in a flash of lightning. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. All enemies in the dash distance must succeed a Dexterity saving throw, at disadvantage if wearing heavy armor, or take 1d6 lightning damage and be knocked prone from the ensuing thunder crack. At the end of the dash, you can make a melee attack against a target within 5 feet. This attack can use your melee attack modifier or your spell casting modifier.

Elemental Summoner:

At 7th level, you can call forth minor elementals, as if casting the conjure minor elemental spell, at will during your turn. Elementals summoned this way must be in some way aligned to your current attuned element. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (min 1) before a long rest, but can only use this feature one use at a time. You can concentrate on the spell from this feature as well as a normally casted spell, making separate saving throws for each one.

Elemental Form

At 11th level, you can change your body and mind to suit your condition and perception, tying yourself to the elemental planes that your spirit is bound to. As an action, you gain the following benefits for 1 hour or until you end the effect as an action:

• You can give yourself resistance to damage equal to your attuned element type.

• All enemies that end their turn within 5 feet of you must succeed a Constitution saving throw or take 1d4 damage of your attuned element and be pushed 5 feet back as the elemental energy in your body lashes out.

• On hit, your attacks deal an additional 1d6 of damage equal your attuned element type.

• You gain +5 to Concentration checks made with spells of your attuned element type.

• While in this state, you cannot change your attuned element type using Elemental Attunement. You can only use this feature once per long rest.

Soulbind Attunement:

At 15th level, you and your elemental spirit's bond has become much greater, giving you the following benefits:

• You can be attuned to two different elements at a time using Elemental Attunement, each one taking one use. This can even occur while using Elemental Form, but you keep the benefits and damage type of your original attunement instead of the ones gained by Elemental Attunement.

• You can add your Wisdom modifier to all damage rolls of elemental spell attacks you do.

• Your attacks do an additional 1d6 of damage equal to your attuned element type on hit.

• You can regain all uses of your class features by spending 30 minutes meditating and attuning to the elemental planes through your spirit bond. You can do this a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (min 1) until a long rest.

• You learn the spells investiture of flame, investiture of ice, investiture of stone, and investiture of wind. These spells are always prepared. These do not count against your amount of spells known or prepared, and can be casted without any components or using a spell slot. You can only use this section of the feature once per long rest, and can only cast the spell aligned with your current elemental attunement.

Inhuman Spirit

Spirit Guardians who associate themselves with the power of the inhuman will be able to derive the spiritual power from their chosen bond, granting supernatural abilities to the Inhuman Spirit Guardians.

One with the Beast:

When you take this bond at 3rd level, choose a creature type from the following: Beast, Monstrosity, Celestial, Aberration, Dragon, or Fiend. Your spirit bonds with a mythical creature of that type, giving you the following benefits:

• Beast: blindsight of 20 feet, proficiency/expertise in the perception skill, climbing speed equal to half your movement speed

• Monstrosity: Increase to AC equal to half your Wisdom modifier, rounded down, while not wearing heavy armor. As an action, gain natural weapons that deal 1d6 of an appropriate type for 10 minutes. Regain use of the weapons after a short rest.

• Celestial: Gain resistance to Radiant damage. As an action, gain a flight speed equal to movement speed for 10 minutes. Regain flight use after short rest.

• Aberration: As a reaction to taking damage, shift your body in unnatural ways, gaining resistance to the triggering attack and giving disadvantage to all attacks that are made against you until the beginning of your next turn. Can use a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (min 1).

• Dragon: Gain scale color of a true dragon closest to your alignment. Resistance against corresponding color's elemental damage and one use of corresponding Dragon's Breath per long rest.

• Fiend: Gain resistance to Necrotic damage. As an action, gain a flight speed equal to half movement and natural weapons (claws) that deal 1d6 Necrotic for 10 minutes. You are proficient with these claws. Regain use of wings and claws after a long rest.

Beast Form:

At 7th level, as an action, you can transform into a creature with a matching type to your One with the Beast spirit type. The creature cannot be over a CR equal to half your Spirit Warrior level, rounded down, and cannot have Legendary Actions. You remain in this form for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier times 3. All gear you are carrying or holding either melds into your new form, is equipped by your new form (if possible), or is simply dropped. The same rules apply to all equipment possibly gained while in a new form when you change back. While in this form, you retain your Wisdom and Intelligence scores, lose your ability to speak but can still understand speech unless the new form has the ability to speak, and gain temporary hit points equal to the creature's average max hp. If you lose all temporary hit points, you are forced back to your normal form and take all damage over the remaining amount of temporary hit points (I.E., if you have 5 temporary hit points and take 10 damage, you would take 5 damage to your health as you’re knocked out of your transformation). You can do this a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (min 1) per short rest.

Enhanced Beastial Link:

At 11th level, your One with the Beast trait gains improved stats based on the creature type:

• Beast: Advantage on Dexterity saves to avoid fall damage, blindsight increase to 60 feet, climbing speed increases to equal movement speed.

• Monstrosity: Increase to AC equal to Wisdom modifier instead of half while not wearing heavy armor.

• Celestial: Wings now last for an hour. Gain a weapon of your choice that teems with radiant energy, dealing radiant damage instead of its normal damage type. You are proficient with the weapon, even if you or your chosen form normally lack proficiency. If the weapon has the “Thrown” property, it magically returns to your hand at the end of your turn. Weapon lasts as long as the wings. Regain use of wings and weapon after a short rest instead.

• Aberration: Shifting now gives you immunity to triggering damage and gives a -2 to all attacks against you as well as disadvantage.

• Dragon: As an action, surge your sense to that of a true dragon, gaining truesight out to 30 feet on top of all other sources, a +5 to Wisdom (Perception) checks, and a magical flight speed of 40 for 5 minutes. Can use a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (Min of 1). Can use additional times past your Constitution modifier by making a successful Constitution saving throw of DC 10+times used since last long rest. On a failed save, lose all benefits of One with the Beast and this feat for 1 minute. Each additional failed save adds another minute to the time you lose your feats. If that time exceeds 10 minutes, you also have disadvantage on all saving throws and skill checks while you have lost your feats. The timer resets on a long rest.

• Fiend: Flight speed now equals movement speed. Claws now deals 2d6 Necrotic. Regain wings and claws with a short rest now instead.

• In addition, once per long rest, you may transform into a creature with the same creature type as your One with the Beast choice that is a CR equal to your level, max 13, and has Legendary Actions. You gain 1 Legendary Action as normally ruled. All normal transformations last for 10 minutes now, and legendary transformations last 1 minute.

Soulbind Attunement:

At 15th level, the bond with your Inhuman spirit has grown and become much greater, giving you the following benefits:

• Beast Form now lasts for a number of hours equal to half your Spirit Warrior level (rounded down).

• Beast Form Legendary transformations now last for an hour at most.

• Using Beast Form Legendary transformations, you can transform into a creature with CR equal to your Spirit Warrior level and now gain 2 Legendary Actions.

• All One with the Beast natural attacks deal an additional damage die, and all movement and senses gain an additional 10 feet.

• While in Beast Form, you can use a bonus action to regain temporary hit points equal to your form’s hit die while you are below half of your form’s max hit points. Can use a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier each transformation (min 1).

• If you are lowered to 0 temporary hit points while in Beast Form, make a Constitution saving throw with DC of 5+damage dealt over a killing blow. On a success, you instead gain temporary hit points equal to half your form’s max health minus overkill damage and stay within your form. The base DC increases by 5 on each successful attempt, resetting when you take a long rest.

Spell List

You know all of the spells on the basic Druid spell list and additional spells based on your subclass.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Spirit Guardian class, you must meet these prerequisites:

Dexterity 13 and Wisdom 13, and an event where you could bond with a spirit of a creature with one of the given creature types.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Spirit Guardian class, you gain the following proficiencies:

Light and medium Armor, shields, one set of artisan's tools of your choice, simple and martial weapons.

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