Zaile
2022-09-02, 04:23 AM
Hey Playground. Currently playing Valkyrie Profile (PS1) and got bit by the brew-bug. I started a 3E PRC but figured a 5E version would be better first.
If you are not familiar with the game, you should be. One of the best JRPGs I've ever played.
So here goes... something. No clue how well it balances as I have only played one cleric in 5E and my group clerics tend to default to "Spirit weapon, spirit guardians, heals" (not that those are bad or ineffective)
Chooser of the Slain/Soul Guide Domain 5E
As a Valkyrie your first duty is to the gods and selecting mortal souls who can assist in the affairs of the higher realms. As a guard of the boundary between life and death, you use your judgment to know if a soul can do more now in the mortal or the next realm. Additionally, you have a sacred charge to purge undead wherever they may be. To carry out this mission, you are granted certain powers.
Bonus Proficiency
At 1st level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons and heavy armor.
Collector of Souls
You can touch the body of any creature that has recently died, you can tell if the soul will be worthy to serve the gods. You commune with that soul and give it a choice to go to the afterlife or gain a second life serving the gods in a higher realm. If the creature does not willingly accept your offer, you may make a diplomacy check with a DC = 10 + CR + the creature's Charisma or Wisdom modifier (it's choice) to convince it to serve the gods. You make this check with advantage if they know you are an usher of souls.
The gods will require a certain minimum of souls to continue accessing your power. You must send them at least 1 soul every month or your class features (except spiritual concentration) cease to function until you atone by sending double the souls you are behind. You do not have to send combatants or spellcasters; skilled tradesmen, diplomats, healers, crafters, researchers, etc. are also need in the higher realms.
At your DMs option, the soul may ask for a favor or task to be completed before moving on. Some basic ones are saying goodby to an aggrieved loved one, getting revenge on the person that killed them, or delivering the important message they were carrying to an awaiting town so they can prepare for an invasion.
Spiritual Concentration
Valkyries choose the souls of the dead to go to a celestial realm where they will fight for the gods of the universe. To do this, they are given the gift of Spiritual Concentration.
By concentrating for 1 minute, you know if any living humanoids within 1 mile who meet the current needs of your deity will likely die within 3 days. You know generally how they die, such as “in battle” or “drown”, but not specifics such as the exact time, place or the name of the person that killed them. You may receive images, sounds, and voices if a soul is especially valuable to the gods. The chosen creatures give off energies only a Valkyrie can perceive. Those who will be the most useful to the gods give off an especially potent aura.
You can choose to mark several creatures you detect this way up to your Cleric level. If they die within 3 days, the soul instantaneously goes to you, waiting to be communed with. You can allow their souls to choose between eternal rest or to gain a second life serving the gods. You also know the exact location of the body and can find it without any assistance, check, map or knowledge of the area. You gain this knowledge directly from the threads of destiny, protection from magical scrying does not block this effect, but it does not work on very powerful beings, like gods. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier, you regain all uses after you finish a long rest.
Work with your DM on the kinds of souls need, like a shopping list or commands given by your deity as needed. When you use your spiritual concentration, the DM must let you know the souls within range that best meet deity’s your needs. This also makes for a great bult-in hook if you are between adventures. Will there be a bandit riad? An opposing army advancing? Undead rising? A dragon? This can be used to cheat fate, but the gods frown on abusing their power to unbalance the scales of life and death.
Agent of Destiny
After you send your first soul to the gods, you gain a pool of destiny points. You may spend a Destiny point to once per round whenever a creature makes an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, you can use your reaction to cancel out any Advantage or Disadvantage (your choice) the roll had, then re-roll any one d20 once. You may also use it to reroll all 1s and 2s on a damage or healing dice roll. You can have a maximum number of Destiny Points equal to your proficiency bonus. Unlike other pools, this does not recharge after resting, you only regain points when you send a soul to the gods. Each soul sent refills the pool entirely. This ability cannot be used on the same roll the Lucky feat or other similar ability is used.
Not sure about the balance here. This was intended to be close to or slightly more powerful than the Storm Rune or Silvery Barbs spell. You get a non-recharging pool if your DM is stingy with souls so the feature should be better than a per-rest one, but not too powerful. May cut for another ability.
Channel Divinity: Summon Einherjar "To my side my noble einherjar"
This is the signature ability. If you are not familiar with the game 1) you need to be and 2) the main character, Valkyrie, summons souls to aid in battle as she travels through the dungeons and world. The idea is to make this similar to a summon spell, but more limited in use, as you are summoning humanoids who can have multiple ways to help the party instead of just being beat-sticks.
Beginning at 2nd level, you can call down souls from the higher realms to aid you in battle. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer calling your deity for aid. You expend a use of your Channel Divinity to call down Einherjar who fight by your side. The einherjar can be any humanoid NPC of CR 1 or lower appears in an empty space within 30 feet you can see. Einherjar can be any generic NPCs from the world you inhabit. At your DMs option, you may summon NPCs from other sources or worlds.
The einherjar is an ally to you and your companions and acts as you instruct it. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the action most beneficial to the party or Dodge/disengage if it is in immediate danger. All weapon and unarmed attacks by einherjar are magical. The creature returns to the plane from which it came after 10 minutes or upon being reduced to 0 hit points, leaving behind no remains, items or gear (it all disappears). As you gain levels in this class you can summon higher CR creatures as shown on the Einherjar Strength table.
While you have einherjar summoned, you cannot concentrate on any spell of 3rd level or higher.
Having summons and being able to concentrate on powerful spells would be too much for any class. This lets the player use spells like Bless without allowing spiritual guardians or other summon spells. Yes, I could just make Summon Einherjar a spell, but what's the fun in that?
By expending a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can summon additional einherjar. These additional einherjar are one level lower than your maximum on the Einherjar Strength table. A 3rd, 4th, or 5th level slot summons you one additional einherjar; a 6th or higher summons two additional einherjar.
Einherjar Strength Table
Level
Max CR
2nd
CR 1
5th
CR 2
8th
CR 3
11th
CR 4
14th
CR 5
17th
CR 7
Final Rest
At 6th level, your ability to choose and guide souls improves. You gain proficiency in Religion, if you already have proficiency, you gain expertise instead. After defeating a foe, you can choose to perinatally send its soul to the netherworld. To do this, you must make a Religion check vs the target's CR + 8. If the target is an undead, demon or fiend, you have advantage on the check. If you succeed, the soul is forever banished to either the heavens or to suffer in Niflheim and can never be resurrected, turned undead, or return to the material plane.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 8th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Most clerics get either Divine Strike or Potent Spellcasting, the flavor of the class and the character it is based on is a warrior. Extra attack at 8th is a bit more powerful than other features but getting it 2 levels after Bladesinger Wizards or Bards feels like a balance for a martial-focused character.
Bonus Spells
1st – Command, Divine Favor
2nd – Consecration, Rime’s Binding Ice
3rd – Counterspell, Revivify
4th – Divination, Sickening Radiance
5th – Commune, Steel Wind Strike (Divine assault, Nibelung Valesti!)
If you are not familiar with the game, you should be. One of the best JRPGs I've ever played.
So here goes... something. No clue how well it balances as I have only played one cleric in 5E and my group clerics tend to default to "Spirit weapon, spirit guardians, heals" (not that those are bad or ineffective)
Chooser of the Slain/Soul Guide Domain 5E
As a Valkyrie your first duty is to the gods and selecting mortal souls who can assist in the affairs of the higher realms. As a guard of the boundary between life and death, you use your judgment to know if a soul can do more now in the mortal or the next realm. Additionally, you have a sacred charge to purge undead wherever they may be. To carry out this mission, you are granted certain powers.
Bonus Proficiency
At 1st level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons and heavy armor.
Collector of Souls
You can touch the body of any creature that has recently died, you can tell if the soul will be worthy to serve the gods. You commune with that soul and give it a choice to go to the afterlife or gain a second life serving the gods in a higher realm. If the creature does not willingly accept your offer, you may make a diplomacy check with a DC = 10 + CR + the creature's Charisma or Wisdom modifier (it's choice) to convince it to serve the gods. You make this check with advantage if they know you are an usher of souls.
The gods will require a certain minimum of souls to continue accessing your power. You must send them at least 1 soul every month or your class features (except spiritual concentration) cease to function until you atone by sending double the souls you are behind. You do not have to send combatants or spellcasters; skilled tradesmen, diplomats, healers, crafters, researchers, etc. are also need in the higher realms.
At your DMs option, the soul may ask for a favor or task to be completed before moving on. Some basic ones are saying goodby to an aggrieved loved one, getting revenge on the person that killed them, or delivering the important message they were carrying to an awaiting town so they can prepare for an invasion.
Spiritual Concentration
Valkyries choose the souls of the dead to go to a celestial realm where they will fight for the gods of the universe. To do this, they are given the gift of Spiritual Concentration.
By concentrating for 1 minute, you know if any living humanoids within 1 mile who meet the current needs of your deity will likely die within 3 days. You know generally how they die, such as “in battle” or “drown”, but not specifics such as the exact time, place or the name of the person that killed them. You may receive images, sounds, and voices if a soul is especially valuable to the gods. The chosen creatures give off energies only a Valkyrie can perceive. Those who will be the most useful to the gods give off an especially potent aura.
You can choose to mark several creatures you detect this way up to your Cleric level. If they die within 3 days, the soul instantaneously goes to you, waiting to be communed with. You can allow their souls to choose between eternal rest or to gain a second life serving the gods. You also know the exact location of the body and can find it without any assistance, check, map or knowledge of the area. You gain this knowledge directly from the threads of destiny, protection from magical scrying does not block this effect, but it does not work on very powerful beings, like gods. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier, you regain all uses after you finish a long rest.
Work with your DM on the kinds of souls need, like a shopping list or commands given by your deity as needed. When you use your spiritual concentration, the DM must let you know the souls within range that best meet deity’s your needs. This also makes for a great bult-in hook if you are between adventures. Will there be a bandit riad? An opposing army advancing? Undead rising? A dragon? This can be used to cheat fate, but the gods frown on abusing their power to unbalance the scales of life and death.
Agent of Destiny
After you send your first soul to the gods, you gain a pool of destiny points. You may spend a Destiny point to once per round whenever a creature makes an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, you can use your reaction to cancel out any Advantage or Disadvantage (your choice) the roll had, then re-roll any one d20 once. You may also use it to reroll all 1s and 2s on a damage or healing dice roll. You can have a maximum number of Destiny Points equal to your proficiency bonus. Unlike other pools, this does not recharge after resting, you only regain points when you send a soul to the gods. Each soul sent refills the pool entirely. This ability cannot be used on the same roll the Lucky feat or other similar ability is used.
Not sure about the balance here. This was intended to be close to or slightly more powerful than the Storm Rune or Silvery Barbs spell. You get a non-recharging pool if your DM is stingy with souls so the feature should be better than a per-rest one, but not too powerful. May cut for another ability.
Channel Divinity: Summon Einherjar "To my side my noble einherjar"
This is the signature ability. If you are not familiar with the game 1) you need to be and 2) the main character, Valkyrie, summons souls to aid in battle as she travels through the dungeons and world. The idea is to make this similar to a summon spell, but more limited in use, as you are summoning humanoids who can have multiple ways to help the party instead of just being beat-sticks.
Beginning at 2nd level, you can call down souls from the higher realms to aid you in battle. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer calling your deity for aid. You expend a use of your Channel Divinity to call down Einherjar who fight by your side. The einherjar can be any humanoid NPC of CR 1 or lower appears in an empty space within 30 feet you can see. Einherjar can be any generic NPCs from the world you inhabit. At your DMs option, you may summon NPCs from other sources or worlds.
The einherjar is an ally to you and your companions and acts as you instruct it. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the action most beneficial to the party or Dodge/disengage if it is in immediate danger. All weapon and unarmed attacks by einherjar are magical. The creature returns to the plane from which it came after 10 minutes or upon being reduced to 0 hit points, leaving behind no remains, items or gear (it all disappears). As you gain levels in this class you can summon higher CR creatures as shown on the Einherjar Strength table.
While you have einherjar summoned, you cannot concentrate on any spell of 3rd level or higher.
Having summons and being able to concentrate on powerful spells would be too much for any class. This lets the player use spells like Bless without allowing spiritual guardians or other summon spells. Yes, I could just make Summon Einherjar a spell, but what's the fun in that?
By expending a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can summon additional einherjar. These additional einherjar are one level lower than your maximum on the Einherjar Strength table. A 3rd, 4th, or 5th level slot summons you one additional einherjar; a 6th or higher summons two additional einherjar.
Einherjar Strength Table
Level
Max CR
2nd
CR 1
5th
CR 2
8th
CR 3
11th
CR 4
14th
CR 5
17th
CR 7
Final Rest
At 6th level, your ability to choose and guide souls improves. You gain proficiency in Religion, if you already have proficiency, you gain expertise instead. After defeating a foe, you can choose to perinatally send its soul to the netherworld. To do this, you must make a Religion check vs the target's CR + 8. If the target is an undead, demon or fiend, you have advantage on the check. If you succeed, the soul is forever banished to either the heavens or to suffer in Niflheim and can never be resurrected, turned undead, or return to the material plane.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 8th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Most clerics get either Divine Strike or Potent Spellcasting, the flavor of the class and the character it is based on is a warrior. Extra attack at 8th is a bit more powerful than other features but getting it 2 levels after Bladesinger Wizards or Bards feels like a balance for a martial-focused character.
Bonus Spells
1st – Command, Divine Favor
2nd – Consecration, Rime’s Binding Ice
3rd – Counterspell, Revivify
4th – Divination, Sickening Radiance
5th – Commune, Steel Wind Strike (Divine assault, Nibelung Valesti!)