Binder

In the multiverse where magic and divinity are no extraordinary, not all deities are blessed with the faith of mortal sentience. When a deity is abandoned, forsaken, or simply forgotten by its followers, it slowly descends into a shadow of its former glory, or known as a vestige. While divinity has a vastly different concept of life and death from those of the mortal beings, those unfortunate enough to dwindle into vestigal status may suffer from the cessation of existence, or what is closest to the death for the gods. Simply put, with strange aeons, even gods may die.

Some mortals, often estranged from the more civilized part of the worlds, would actively seeks and contact such vestiges. By striking a contact with vestiges, these individuals, known as binders, can perform a cryptic rite to suggest their own body as a vessel for the vestiges, who would then bind themselves into the mortal body to manifest what is left of their divine power to interact with the world.

Vestiges Known

At 1st level, you can call forth two vestiges from the list at the end of the class description. You can call additional vestiges as you gain level in this class, as shown in the Vestiges Known column of the Binder table.

Binding Vestiges

You can perform a 1-minute ritual to bind vestiges you know into your body, channeling its remnants of divine power. The ritual can be performed during a short rest or long rest. As long as a vestige is bound to you, you gain specific benefits determined by the vestige, as stated in the vestige's description.

At 1st level, you can bind only one vestige to yourself at a same time. You can bind multiple vestiges when you gain levels in this class, as stated on the Vestiges Bound column from the Binder table.

The vestige is bound to you for a number of hours equal to half your binder level, to a minimum of 30 minutes. After the duration, the vestige is dismissed from you. You can also dismiss your vestige early as a bonus action on your turn.

While the vestige is bound to you, you can perform the ritual again to dismiss any number of vestiges currently bound to you, and bind another vestiges to yourself.

Choosing Higher-Level Favors

When you bind more than one vestiges to yourself, you gain all favors from the bound vestiges granted at 1st, 2nd, and 6th level. However, gaining higher-level features must be chosen between vestiges. When you bind two or more vestiges to yourself, you must choose one of the bound vestiges to gain its 10th- and 18th-level features. You can choose two different vestiges for each feature, or choose one vestige for both features.

For example, when you reach 18th level and bind Eligor and Leontoeides, you can choose Eligor to gain his 10th- and 18th-level feature, or choose both Eligor and Leontoeides, one for 10th-level feature and another for 18th-level feature.

Vestigal Spell Lists

Each vestige has a list of spells, known as the vestigal spell list. While the vestige is bound to you, you gain access to the spells listed on its vestigal spell list.

When you are concentrating on a binder spell and the vestige that grants that spell is dismissed from you, you automatically lose concentration on the spell.

Spell Slots

The Binder table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level. To cast one of your binder spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spells slots when you finish a short rest or long rest.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting for your binder spells so you use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a binder spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus for your binder spells.

Portfolio of Aradia

As the hostess of the pagan rites, Aradia's portfolio is associated with magic and rituals. Her portfolios are as follows:

• Seek Magical Wonders. Aradia possesses a passionate avarice toward magic, especially rare spellbooks and artifacts. Aradia would risk even the most lethal hazards if a rare magic is at the stakes — especially since it is her binder's body, not hers, that would meet the fatal end at the worst consequences.
• Spread the Faith. Her mysterious and probably fraudulent history nonwithstanding, Aradia insists her divine status be restored to her past glory. Given any chance, Aradia would boast her magical wonders to awe and sway the gullible into worshiping her as their newfound goddess.
• Suffer Not the Witch to Die. Before her descent as a vestige, Aradia was revered as the patron for witches and pagan occultists, or at least che claims she used to be. As such, Aradia would not harm a witch, and should she do so, she would prefer nonlethal methods.

Vestigal Gift: The Pagan Grimoire

When bound, Aradia grants you a magical tome called the Pagan Grimoire. When you first gain the Grimoire, choose three cantrips from any class' spell list (the three need not be from the same list). While the Grimoire is on your person, you can cast those cantrips at will. These cantrips count as binder cantrips for you.

When you first gain the Grimoire, it also holds two 1st-level spells that have the ritual tag from any class' spell lsit (the two need not be from the same list). While the Grimoire is on your person, you can cast any of the spells as ritual. You cannot cast these seplls except as rituals, unless you have learned them by some other means. You can also cast a binder spell you know as a ritual if it has the ritual tag.

On your adventures, you can add other ritual spells to your Grimoire. When you find such a spell, you can add it to the Grimoire if the spell's level is equal to or less than your binder level divided by four (rounded up) and if you can spare the time to transcribe the spell. For each level of the spell, the transcription process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp for the rare inks, herbs, and incenses needed to inscribe the spell and practice its ritual.

Vestigal Spells

While Aradia is bound to you, she grants you a list of spells for your Vestigal Magic feature, as follows:

Vestigal Favors

Aradia's favors are focused on magical expertise, especially casting a spell and interfering with the spellcasting process. When you bind Aradia to yourself, she grants you the following features.

Table: Atropal Vestigal Spells

Rise and Serve

At 1st level, whenever you kill a humanoid with a binder spell or the Dead Pointer, it rises at the start of your turn as a zombie that is under control for 1 hour, after which it is destroyed and crumbles to dust. The zombie risen this way follows your verbal commands to the best of its ability.

At 1st level, you can control up to two zombies at a time. You can control one additional zombie with this feature when you reach 6th, 10th, and 18th level. When you rise a new zombie while you already control the maximum number of the zombie, a zombie designated by the DM is instantly destroyed.

Rebuke Undead

Starting at 2nd level, while you are holding the Dead Pointer, you can expend one binder spell slot as an action to rebuke the undeads under submission. Each undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your binder spell save DC. On a failed save, an undead becomes rebuked for 1 minute or until it takes damage. A rebuked undead falls prone and becomes incapacitated for the duration.

When a creature fails its saving throw against your Rebuke Undead feature, you can instead take control of the creature for 1 hour if its Challenge Rating is at or below a certain threshold, as shown in the table below.

The Dead Walk

Beginning at 6th level, when a humanoid creature dies while under the effect of your binder spell, you can cause it to rise at the start of your turn as a zombie that is under control for 1 minute, after which it is destroyed and crumbles to dust. The zombie risen this way follows your verbal commands to the best of its ability. The zombie risen with this feature counts against the number of zombies you can control with Rise and Serve feature.

Table: Chichimec Vestigal Spells

Breeze Tunes

At 1st level, as am action, you can start a musical performance with the Windsinger until the end of your next turn. On subsequent turns, you can use an action to extend the duration of your performance until the end of your next turn. The performance ends early when your concentration is broken (as if concentrating on a spell).

While you are concentrating on a binder spell or the performance from this feature, your walking speed increases by 10 feet, and moving through nonmagical difficult terrain no longer costs extra movement for you.

Flyby Steps

Starting at 2nd level, you can expend one binder spell slot to take the Disengage action as a bonus action. If you do so, your walking speed is increased until the end of the turn.

The increased speed equals 10 feet for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 5 feet per each spell slot level above 1st, to a maximum of 30 feet.

Alluring Visage

When you reach 6th level, you can cast phantasmal force once using a binder spell slot. Once you cast a spell this way, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Additionally, while you are concentrating on a binder spell or the performance from Breeze Tunes, you have advantage on all Charisma checks against other humanoid creatures, and other creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks against you.

Gale Steps

Beginning at 10th level, you can choose Chichimec to gain its favor that eludes yourself from incoming harms, both physical and mental. All opportunity attack rolls against you have disadvantage, and you cannot be charmed. If you are already charmed when you bind Chichimec, the effect is suspended for the duration.

Ascendant Tunes

By 18th level, you can choose Chichimec to walk the air. While you are concentrating on a binder spell or the performance from Breeze Tunes, you gain flying speed equal to your walking speed.

Additionally, when you take the Disengage action with your Flyby Steps feature, you gain flying speed equal to your walking speed until the end of the turn. This benefit only works in short bursts; you fall if you end your turn in the air and nothing else is holding you aloft.

Table: Eligor Vestigal Spells

Knightclad Stance

At 1st level, you are considered one size larger for the purpose of avoiding or resisting being shoved or grappled.

Additionally, when you are shoved or otherwise forcibly moved by an outer force, the distance by which you are moved is decreased up to 5 feet.

Dragonslayer's Will

Starting at 2nd level, when you take damage while you are wearing the Knightclad Armor, you can expend one binder spell slot as a reaction to gain temporary hit points, which takes as much of the triggering damage as possible.

The amount of temporary hit points equals 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 per each spell slot level above 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. You lost all temporary hit points gained this way when Eligor is dismissed from you.

The Golden Steed

When you reach 6th level, you can cast find steed once, without expending a spell slot. Once you cast the spell this way, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.

When you cast find steed with this feature, your steed summoned this way always takes on the form of a warhorse, is always a celestial, and disappears when Eligor is dismissed from you.

Additionally, you gain the following benefits, but only for the steed you summoned with this feature:

• While you are mounting your steed, you have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off the steed.
• If you fall off your steed and descend no more than 10 feet, you can land on your feet if you are not incapacitated.
• Mounting or dismounting your steed costs you only 5 feet of movement, instead of half your speed.

Knightclad Fortitude

By 10th level, you can choose Eligor to gain his protection from earthly weapons. Whenever you finish a short rest or long rest while Eligor is bound to you, choose one of the following damage types: bludgeoning, piercing, slashing. While you are wearing the Knightclad Armor, you gain resistance against damage of the chosen type from nonmagical weapons that are not silvered.

Knightclad Presence

When you reach 18th level, you can choose Eligor to emanate his noble aura within your proximity. While you are wearing the Knightclad Armor, the area within 5 feet of you counts as difficult terrain for you, and other creatures provoke opportunity attack from you when they enter your melee weapon's reach.

If you are mounted on the steed summoned from The Golden Steed feature, the radius of difficult terrain increases to 10 feet, and any melee weapon that you are proficient in has the reach property for you, if it does not have it already.

Manifestation of Focalor

When you bind Focalor to yourself, he manifests into your body as follows:

• Your eyes begin to weep constantly, regardless of your current mood or thoughts.
• Spectral webs appear between your fingers and toes, and your skin develops a faint texture akin to fish's scales. The webs are intangible and serves no benefits or penalties.
• Focalor may occasionally interrupt and borrow your voice to express his grief and despair according to your current situations, or more often, his grief and despair in general.

Portfolio of Focalor

Focalor is an eternal slave to his own sadness and grief, which is reflected in his general behaviors. His portfolios are as follows:

• Apologize for Everything. He Who Weeps From Depth tends to apologize to anything and everything, even if it is evident that he has no reason to do so. A fast apologize and retreat from the scene is, for Focalor, is the immediate reaction in order to avoid further conflicts — or at least he thinks so.
• Brooding yet Tranquil. The psyche of Focalor is always turbulent and restless, like the tides of the distant seas. Yet deep inside his facade of remorse and helplessness, there is a vivid spark of insight and intuition, which makes the Prince of Tears resourceful.
• Seek Solitude. Forever lamenting and anguishing, if there is one thing the Prince of Tears would want, it would be being left alone. As such, Focalor would actively avoid or resist blending into social meetings or sharing an intimate moment with others.

Manifestation of Kernos

When you bind Kernos to yourself, he manifests into your body as follows:

• Your skin develops a smudged pattern in a mixture of viridian, olive, and sierra.
• A pair of spectral antlers grow from your head. The antlers are intangible and serves no benefits or penalties.
• Kernos may occasionally interrupt and borrow your voice to sing to a tune you hear, in a serene yet loud singing voice, regardless of the timing and occasion.

Portfolio of Kernos

Kernos is a born hunter, always seeking new games and hunt. His portfolios are as follows:

• Lead the Pack. Back in his divine days, Kernos was one of the well-known vanguard of deities and feys in the great hunt. Even after his descent as a vestige, Kernos still prefers to take a step ahead of the allies and confidants as a scout.
• Seek Great Hunts. As a forerunner to the Wild Hunt, the meaning of life is to find, hunt, and brag about the most dangerous games in the multiverse. Kernos would not anger at the declice; instead, out of sheer glee and jest, he would mock his binder for being a wimpy coward.
• Venture to the Wilderness. Forest and woods are where Kernos is born, worshiped, and forgotten. As such, the Horned God would prefer wilderness to civilized towns and cities, and would nudge his binder to venture to his home ground.

Vestigal Gift: The Force of Nature

When bound, Kernos grants you a magical longbow called the Force of Nature. You are always proficient with the Force of Nature while you wield it.

When you make an attack with the Force of Nature, you can conjure a magical arrow from thin air for the attack. If you do so, you can deal poison damage instead of original damage with the attack, and if the target is poisoned, the attack's damage ignores the target's resistance. The arrow conjured this way disappears after the attack, regardless of whether it hits or misses the target.

While Kernos is bound to you, you can offer one magical shortbow or longbow to him, transforming it into the Force of Nature. To do this, you perform a special ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest or long rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and offer it to Kernos. You cannot affect an artifact or a sentient weapon in this way. After the ritual, the weapon appears whenever you summon the Force of Nature thereafter.

You can have only one weapon offered to Kernos as the Force of Nature. If you attempt to offer a new weapon, you must first retrieve the first weapon from Kernos' possession.

Leontoeides

The False Almighty, the Prideful Sun

Ariel was originally a celestial being created by a deity for the purpose of punishing the wicked. However, for reasons unknown even to himself, a spark of hubris grew within his heart, which caused him to rebel to his former master. After a row of fierce combat, the Divine Lion fell from his grace, mutilated into a hideous shape, and is now known as Leontoeides.

Leontoeides is undoubtedly powerful, but making a contract with him requires patience and tolerance. Arrogant and quick to anger, Leontoeides stubbornly denies his loss, his fall from grace, and even his current name, and would not even bother to listen at all when he does not see fit.

Lustrous Strike

Beginning at 6th level, you can attack with the Luster Edge twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Zeal of the Divine Lion

When you reach 10th level, you can choose Leontoeides to embody his unflinching passion. You gain resistance against radiant damage, and you cannot be frightened. If you are already frightened when you bind Leontoeides, the effect is suspended for the duration.

Contempt the Weak

At 18th level, you can choose Leontoeides to unleash his disdain against the weaklings. You have advantage on an attack roll with the Luster Edge against a creature that is frightened of you.

Additionally, when a creature takes damage from your Cull the Meek or Prideful Smite, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your binder spell save DC or becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turn, the affected creature can repeat the saving throw, ending this effect on it on a successful save. A creature that succeed on the saving throw becomes immune to this effect for 24 hours.

Orthos

The Howler in the Dark, the Primal Shadow

Very little is known of the vestige that answers to the name Orthos. Even the most seasoned and insightful binders doubt whether the name Orthos is the vestige's true name, or one of numerous alias that it chose to respond. The Primal Shadow actively eludes any attempt to know it, and therefore is easily one of the hardest vestige to bind, let alone find and strike a pact with.

Among the few that is known of Orthos shows its nature as an embodiment of the primal darkness, obscure and silent. The Howler in the Dark is one of the oldest among vestiges, if not the oldest of them all.

Table: Phaethon Vestigal Spells

Heart of Prominence

At 1st level, you have advantage on saving throws to resist the effects of extreme heat.

Additionally, when you take the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to make one weapon attack with the Volcanic Fist.

Volcanic Smelt

Starting at 2nd level, once on each of your turn when you hit a creature with the Volcanic Fist, you can expend one binder spell slot to deal fire damage with the attack.

The damage equals 2d6 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d6 per each spell slot level above 1st, to a maximum of 5d6. If the target is a construct or an inanimate object or structure, the damage is increased by 1d6.

Searing Momentum

Beginning at 6th level, you can attack with the Volcanic Fist twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Molten Body

When you reach 10th level, you can choose Phaethon to embrace its passionate blaze, which sears through incoming harms. You gain resistance against fire damage, and whenever you are hit by a melee attack, the attacker takes fire damage equal to 4 + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

Soul of Prominence

At 18th level, you can choose Phaethon to channel its fierce blaze to fuel your aggression. Whenever you hit a creature with the Volcanic Fist, you deal an additional 1d6 fire damage with the attack. If you also use your Volcanic Smelt with the attack. you add this damage to the extra damage of your Volcanic Smelt.

Additionally, fire damage you deal with the Volcanic Fist, binder spells, or binder features ignores the target's resistance to fire damage, and treats the target's immunity against fire damage as resistance.

Manifestation of Xixecal

When you bind Xixecal to yourself, it manifests into your body as follows:

• Your body temperature drops down to 50°F, your breath becomes ice-cold, and you become more tolerant against extreme cold.
• Your hands and feet turns pale with a shade of blue, and develops rock-hard skin.
• Xixecal may occasionally interrupt and borrow your voice to nudge its binder to commit to the most pushing .