Hello and welcome to Eldritch Excursion, the blog that took it way too literally when you said you wanted to put a guy in some armor. In this continuation of flavor and mechanics, we’ll be following up the last entry by adding some extra goodies for the Soulwrought ancestry. I already did an intro bit for part one so let’s get right to the fun!
Additional Heritages
Soulwrought Garment
Instead of having a body of cold steel or carved wood, you are woven from fine cloth into an outfit suited for dazzling performances. Choose between Craft and Performance. You become trained in your chosen skill. If you chose Craft, you gain the Specialty Crafting feat. If you chose Performance, you gain the Virtuosic Performer feat. You also function as Explorer’s Clothing, and can etch armor runes onto yourself as normal.
When using Moment of Influence, you may make a check with your chosen skill’s specialty or perform your chosen skill’s specialty as a downtime activity. Reduce the number of actions it takes to make your wielder Stride by one.
Soulwrought Jewelry
Your consciousness is divided between four parts of a set that may include rings, a necklace, a tiara, or other such worn finery. All four pieces share your Hit Point total, but you only take damage once from any ability that affects multiple parts. You only perceive through one part of you at a time, but you may switch which part you perceive from as a single action with the concentrate trait. If any part that is not carrying your perception is relocated to another plane, it becomes inert until returned to your plane. If a part is destroyed, it becomes inert until brought back to life and your perception is shunted to the nearest living part if necessary. If any parts of you are inert for any reason, you gain the doomed condition with a value equal to the number of inert parts.
When using Moment of Influence, you may spend three actions to make each creature wearing at least one of your parts take a single Stride action.
Mind Over Matter, Metal Over Mind
While a soulwrought character may use the body of their wielder, the living equipment still calls upon its own knowledge and sense of self to take action. Actions taken by the soulwrought during Moment of Influence still relies their own proficiencies and ability scores.
In addition, the class of a soulwrought character is often reflected in their function and construction, allowing for activities that are unique to their particular design. As a result, the following class abilities are exceptions to soulwrought’s Inflexible ability.
- Alchemist: advanced alchemy, infused reagents, quick alchemy
- Inventor: explode, overdrive
- Summoner: manifest eidolon
- Thaumaturge: exploit vulnerability
“Merisiel! I turned myself into a crossbow! I’m Crossbow Craig!”
Ancestry Feats
Ancestral Design Feat 1
[soulwrought]
You were created by an artisan who wished to reflect the techniques and aesthetics of their ancestry, and much of that culture echoes within you. Choose one common humanoid ancestry that you have access to. You gain the Adopted Ancestry feat for that ancestry, and learn one language that is tied to that ancestry or a region they call home. You gain a relevant trait, such as dwarf, elf, or goblin.
Special You can select this feat only at 1st level, and you can’t retrain into or out of this feat.
Lightweight Design Feat 1
[soulwrought]
Prerequisites cannot be a soulwrought weapon based on a 2 handed weapon
You were crafted with lightweight materials or with excess fabrics that can catch the wind. You take no damage from falling, regardless of the distance you fall. This feat has no effect if you are being wielded or worn unless the wielder is also immune to falling damage.
Soulwrought Lore Feat 1
[soulwrought]
Many soulwrought tools seek to learn about the nature of their own construction, and you are no exception. You gain the trained proficiency rank in Arcana and Crafting. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you become trained in a skill of your own choice. You also become trained in Soulwrought Lore.
Spirit Body Feat 1
[arcane] [conjuration] [soulwrought]
You are able to project your spirit as a physical being that wields your body. You gain the Spirit Body ability.
Spirit Body [1 action]
[arcane] [conjuration] [soulwrought]
You summon or dismiss your spirit body. When summoned, your spirit body appears already wearing or wielding you as appropriate for your heritage. It is a small or medium creature, determined by your construction. It has a Speed of 25 feet, uses your AC and Saves, and any damage it suffers is instead subtracted from your Hit Points, though only you take damage from spells and abilities that effect you both. It is invisible, but gains no benefits from this unless you are also invisible. It cannot take actions unless commanded by your Moment of Influence ability. If it drops or otherwise releases you for any reason, it is automatically dismissed.
If you are being worn or wielded by another creature, this ability has no effect.
Weapon Integration Feat 1
[soulwrought]
Some sort of blade, spike, or bludgeoning implement is added as a key feature in your design. Choose a one-handed melee weapon that you have access to. You may be wielded in combat as that weapon. You may have weapon runes etched onto yourself as normal.
When using Moment of Influence, you may Strike with yourself as a weapon.
Storage Compartment Feat 5
[conjuration] [extradimensional] [soulwrought]
Your construction includes some means of storage such as internal pockets or a hollow shaft, or perhaps your body is itself a reinforced bag. Your storage is supplemented with magic and functions as a Bag of Holding, but storage is limited by the Bulk you can carry. If you are encumbered by this bulk, the actions required to retrieve one of your storied items increases by one due to overcrowding. If your wielder attempts to retrieve an item against your will, they must succeed at an Athletics check against your Fortitude DC. Attempting to store a magic item that would cause an interaction that results in your cataclysmic destruction, your body reflexively rejects the item and disgorges its contents in the process. This reflex also occurs if you are destroyed, which prevents them from being lost forever.
When using Moment of Influence, you may use your wielder’s open hand (or similar grasping appendage) to retrieve an item from your storage.
It’s hard to tell, but this is an entire adventuring party.
Bestow Knowledge Feat 9
[soulwrought]
You may endow your wielder with a fraction of your own power. During your daily preparations, you perform a ritual with your wielder. It gains the archetype dedication feat for your class as well as a feat from the same archetype of 4th level or lower until their next daily preparation. Because you are the conduit for this power, they must choose similar options, such as sorcerer bloodlines, druidic circles, barbarian totems, and so on. The GM is the final arbiter for what feats the wielder can obtain.
As you are partially responsible for the actions taken with your gifted power, you also suffer the consequences of any anathema performed by your wielder during this time.
Cryptometallurgy 101
Soulwrought creations are living things, despite their nature as objects. Their life energy is sustained by slowly siphoning off of their current wielder. This practice is not harmful to the wielder, though it does mean the host requires roughly twice as much food and water to sustain themselves. When left without a host, a soulwrought armament can enter an extended state of dormancy. In this magically induced hibernation, it remains inactive until disturbed by the curious and greedy alike.
And that’ll be it for now. I’ve got a few more rough ideas for this ancestry, but I’ve got to leave a little something for the imagination, right? I’m sure I’ll be happy to revisit this at some point in the future, maybe add some proper lore and a few more feats to round it out. Come back next time and watch me express my inner soul through interpretive Tai Bo.
