Windrunner
The Windrunner is a surgebinder capable of maniplulating the surges of adhesion and gravitation to allow superhuman feats such as walking on walls, delflecting projectiles, and even flight. Their power comes from a bond with a Spren, and from the infusion of Stormlight.
Creating a Windrunner
Windrunners are powerful Surgebinders whose powers allow them to manipulate gravity itself. When creating a Windrunner, consider the following.
Awakening
A Surgebinder's ability is sourced from a Nahel Bond, a mystical connection between a humanoid and a Spren, a primal celestial spirit. Windrunners are formed by bonding with Honourspren, but these Spren are mistrustful of the sentient races and it is therefore rare for them to form Nahel bonds with them. For an Honourspren to even consider a bond, it must judge the potential Surgebinder to be honourable and pure of intent. Honourspren typically only bond with those who have seen life at its worst and still not broken - nobles who have lost everything, slaves imprisoned without rest, those who live in abject poverty or who lost their nearest and dearest in a tragic event.
If the Spren judges the Windrunner unworthy at any point during the bond, the Windrunner's powers will end and the Nahel bond will fade until the Windrunner swears honour once more.
Ideals
In order to advance in the Windrunner class, the Winrunner must swear a number of oaths, called Ideals or the Words of Radiance. The First Ideal (Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination) is shared between all orders of the Knights Radiant, while the latter Ideals are unique to the Windrunners and have to do with protecting the weak and innocent, regardless of personal bias.
The Knights Radiant
The Knights Radiant were an ancient order of Surgebinders, having ten sub-divisions with control over two of the primal surges each. The Windrunners share their control of Gravitation with the Skybreakers, and their mastery of Adhesion with Bondsmiths. Their Gravitation-related abilities are greater than the Skybreakers', but they have reduced Adhesion talents compared to Bondsmiths.
The Knights were responsible for protecting the people of the land against an ancient enemy known as the Voidbringers, now extinct.
Creating a Windrunner
The Windrunner
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Nahel Bond, Infuse Stormlight |
| 2nd | +2 | Full Lashing |
| 3rd | +2 | Reverse Lashing |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Basic Lashing |
| 6th | +3 | Shardblade |
| 7th | +3 | Empowered Infusion |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | Fledgling Shardplate |
| 10th | +4 | Master of the Sky |
| 11th | +4 | Inspiring Leadership |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Shard of Radiance |
| 14th | +5 | Shardbearer |
| 15th | +5 | Radiant Squires |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Gravitation Mastery |
| 18th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 19th | +6 | Rallying Aura |
| 20th | +6 | The Fifth Ideal |
Quick Build
As a Windrunner, you must be both quick and strong, as well as have the wherewithal to keep your head when gravity becomes your plaything. Your highest ability score should be Strength or Dexterity, followed by Wisdom.
Class Features
As a Windrunner, you gain the following Class Features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per Windrunner level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Windrunner level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armour: light armour, shields
Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons without the heavy property
Tools: none
Saving Throws: Constitution, Wisdom
Skills: choose two from acrobatics, athletics, insight, medicine, perception or survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background.
- a) a shortsword, b) a longsword or c) a spear
- any simple weapon
- five infused spheres
- leather armour and a dagger
Nahel Bond
You are bonded to an Honourspren, controlled by the DM. Its statistics are below.
Honourspren
Tiny celestial (spren), NG. 0xp
0
12
7
fly 40
-2
+1
-1
+2
+4
+3
Details knows languages spoken by bonded creature
Semicorporeal. Doesn't need sleep, food or drink. Immune to nonmagical damage. Can hover. Can choose to become invisible to any creature at will.
Discorporation. If the Honourspren would die, it instead discorporates and reforms at the end of your next long rest.
Telepathy. The Honourspren can communicate telepathically with you up to a range of 120ft.
Gust: The Honourspren causes a harmless air-based sensory effect within 30 feet of it.
Infuse Stormlight
The key power of a Surgebinder is the ability to infuse Stormlight. This is crucial to every other ability of the class, and forms the basis of the Windrunner's skillset. Without Stormlight, a Windrunner is just a warrior.
You can expend a bonus action to drain any number of spheres within 5ft of you of stormlight, gaining a number of stormlight points equal to three times the number of spheres drained. As long as you have stormlight points, you are Infused and gain a number of benefits. Your Infusion ends when you have no stormlight points remaining.
While you are Infused, you must concentrate as if concentrating on a spell, and you lose 1 stormlight point at the start of each turn. If you stop concentrating or your concentration is broken, the stormlight leaves your body and you lose all your stormlight points. You may be able to drain other objects of their stored stormlight; in this case, the DM decides how many stormlight points you gain.
While Infused:
- You shed bright light in a 5ft radius, and dim light for an additional 5ft. You can turn this light on or off as an action.
- As an action, you can expend a stormlight point to regain a number of hitpoints equal to your Wisdom modifier or end the effect of one poison or disease affecting you.
- As a bonus action, you can expend two stormlight points to take the Attack action, or one stormlight point to take the Dash, Disengage or Dodge actions.
- You don't need to breathe.
Full Lashing
Starting from 2nd level, you understand the Surge of Adhesion, allowing you to perform a Full Lashing. This involves speading Stormlight on a surface to form a near-unbreakeable bond. Most objects would break apart before the bonds holding them do.
As an action while you are Infused, you can perform a Full Lashing. Some common uses are listed below.
Bond to the Floor. Choose a 5ft by 5ft area of floor within 15ft, then expend any number of stormlight points. For a number of rounds equal to half the stormlight points spent (rounded down), any creature other than you that moves into the area or starts its turn there must make a DC 25 Strength saving throw or be stuck to the surface and have its speed reduced to 0 until this effect ends.
Bond to a Weapon. You spend 1 stormlight point. As long as you are infused, you can't be unwillingly disarmed and can't unwillingly let go of the weapon. You can end this effect early, no action required.
Bond to a Creature. You spend 2 stormlight points. As long as you are Infused, other creatures have disadvantage on Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks made to escape being grappled by you.
Other uses may be possible at the DM's discretion.
Reverse Lashing
Starting from 3rd level, you can perform a Reverse Lashing, giving an object its own gravitational pull as long as you remain in contact with it. The most common use of this is listed below, but other uses might be possible at the DM's discretion.
Attract Missiles. As a bonus action, you spend a stormlight point to perform a Reverse Lashing on a shield you are holding. As long as you are infused and retain contact with the shield, you lose 1 stormlight point at the start of each turn (in addition to the usual point lost), and whenever a ranged attack is made against you or another target within 10ft of you, it comes within the shield's gravitational field and has disadvantage. If the attack misses, it hits the shield.
Ability Score Improvement
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.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
Basic Lashing
Starting from 5th level, you gain limited use of the ability Windrunners are famous for - basic lashings.
You know the Feather Fall spell, and can cast it at will without requiring a spell slot or verbal, somatic or material components by spending 1 stormlight point for each target.
Additionally, as an action, you can choose a Basic Lashing, pay its cost in stormlight points and apply it to a target withing 30ft that is not wearing Shardplate. For now, you have access to the following options when you use a Basic Lashing.
Half Lashing - 2 stormlight points. The target becomes effectively weightless as you sever its connection to the Surge of Gravitation. It can only move by jet propulsion or by pushing itself from surface to surface. It can only attempt to move once per turn and each time it does so in an open or partially open space, it must make DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure, it floats off into open space and can't move again until the lashing ends.
Lash Down - 2 stormlight points. You lash the target toward the earth, making it much harder for them to move. Any fall damage they take is doubled as long as the lashing remains, and at the start of each of their turns they must make a DC 17 Strength saving throw. On a failure, their movement speed is halved and they have disadvantage on attack rolls this turn.
Directional Lashing - 2 stormlight points. You lash the target in a direction of your choice toward a solid surface such as a wall, floor or ceiling. The target falls toward that surface at normal speed, taking fall damage as normal when it strikes it. It must make a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure it lands prone. You can target both yourself and another creature when you use this option, instead of just one target.
Quarter Lashing - 2 stormlight points. The target's weight is halved, making strenuous exercise much easier. The target's jump distance is quadrupled, and its speed increases by 10 feet.
It is mentally taxing to keep many lashings active at the same time. Each time you create a new Basic Lashing while you have one or more Basic Lashings active, make a Wisdom saving throw. The DC of this saving throw is equal to 12 + the number of active lashings. On a failure, all the lashings you have active end immediately.
Shardblade
At 6th level, you learn to manifest a Shardblade, iconic weapon of the Knights Radiant, formed from the Surgebinder's bonded spren into a weapon of incredible power. As a bonus action, or as part of the Attack action, you can summon your Shardblade to a free hand if your Honourspren is free and willing. You choose what weapon it appears as from among melee weapons, or a shield, and you are proficient with it while you wield it. It cannot appear as a weapon with moving parts, e.g. chains, ropes, firing mechanisms.
When you take the Attack action with the Shardblade, you can make two attacks as long as both of them are with the Shardblade. While the Shardblade is manifested, your Honourspren disappears, since it is composing the blade.
A Shardblade doesn't make physical cuts in living creatures - instead, it cuts off that body part's connection to the rest of the creature's life energy, rendering it dead and inert, therefore dealing necrotic damage rather than the weapon's normal damage type. The only effective armour against a Shardblade is Shardplate, and the Shardblade grants a +2 bonus to attack rolls against targets not clad in this mystical armour. It functions as normal against nonliving (or undead) targets, since they have no life force to sever. Only stormlight-based healing can save limbs deadened by a Shardblade.
Empowered Infusion
At level 7, your infusion has gained increased potency you gain the following benefits while Infused.
- Whenever you would be reduced to 0 hit points while infused, you can spend 3 stormlight points to drop to 1 hit point instead. You suffer one level of exhaustion after your infusion ends each time you use this feature.
- As an action, you can spend 5 stormlight points to explode with blinding radiance. Each creature within 30 feet of you that can see you must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be blinded until the end of your next turn.
Fledgling Shardplate
Starting at level 9, you gain a small number of windspren protectors that can defend you from harm. As a reaction when a creature attacks you or targets you with a lashing, you can manifest your Shardplate. It is considered half-plate, except you are proficient with it as long as you wear it and it does not impose disadvantage on stealth checks. If this manifestation increases your AC, the triggering attack may miss.
Your Shardplate doesn't prevent you from lashing youself.
Master of the Sky
At 10th level, you gain a fly speed of 60 feet as long as you are Infused. At the end of any round where you flew any distance, you lose 1 stormlight point. You can also cause other willing creatures to fly. As an action while you are infused, you can touch a creature and expend any number of stormlight points. For a number of rounds equal to the points spent, that creature has a fly speed of 60 feet as long as you can see it and it is not wearing Shardplate. You can end this effect early as a bonus action.
Gravity Well
At 11th level, you learn to perform a Reverse Lashing on yourself. As an action, you can spend 3 stormlight points to cause yourself to attract objects and creatures close to you.
Each creature within 30ft of you when you activate this ability and at the start of each of your turns must make a Strength saving throw. The DC is equal to 30 - the number of feet away that creature is. On a failure, that creature is dragged toward you until it is within 5ft of you. Any object of size Small or smaller is also dragged this way
In addition, whenever you hit a creature with an attack while this feature is active, you deal extra force damage equal to half your level (rounded down) due to the tidal forces crushing its body.
Whenever you start your turn with this feature active, you lose 1 stormlight point. You can end this feature at any time, no action required.
Shard of Radiance
Starting from 13th level, your Shardblade reaches the pinnacle of its effectiveness. It grants a +3, instead of +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls vs non-Shardplated and living targets. In addition, whenever you hit a target with it, you can spend 1 stormlight point to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to that target.
Shardbearer
At 14th level, you can choose to manifest your full Shardplate instead of the fledgling version. It is counted as full plate armour, except it has no strength requirement and doesn't impose disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, as well as having a base AC of 19 rather than 18. You are proficient with it while you wear it. You can also choose to manifest it as an action instead of a reaction.
In addition, while your Shardplate is manifested, you have advantage on Strength checks and have resistance to fall damage.
Radiant Squires
From 15th level, your radiant abilities can be transferred to trusted companions. Choose a number of humanoids you know well that is not greater than your Wisdom modifier. Those creatures become your squires. A squire gains the Infuse Stormlight feature as long as they are within 1 mile of you.
Gravitation Mastery
At 17th level, you unlock the last of the potential of your power over Gravitation, allowing you to perform more advanced lashing techniques. When you use your Basic Lashing, you can also choose from the following option, and you can target one additional creature within 30ft with the lashing.
Double Lashing - 4 points You lash the target in a direction of your choice toward a solid surface such as a wall, floor or ceiling. The target falls toward that surface (if it's a wall or ceiling) at double speed, taking twice the normal fall damage when it strikes it. It must make a DC 20 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure it lands prone, and must succeed on a DC 17 Strength (Athletics) check to stand up. It has disadvantage on attack rolls and its speed is halved as long as this lashing is in effect.
Rallying Aura
From 19th level, as long as you are there to lead them, your allies can't fail. Whenever an ally within 60ft of you fails an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you may force them to reroll it with advantage. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and you regain all expended uses after a long rest.
The Fifth Ideal
At 20th level, you become the embodiment of honour. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, as does your maximum for that score, and your choice of either your Strength or Dexterity score increases by 4, as does your maximum for that score.
In addition, while you are infused, you can spend 10 stormlight points to cause a radiant explosion centred on you. All hostile creatures within 60ft of you must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they each take 8d6 radiant damage. On a successful save they take half as much damage.
Credit Where Credit's Due
Thanks to Daimon5hade, whose Windrunner Prestige Class inspired the bones of this one.
Stormlight and Radiants
This section contains a little background about spheres and the Words of Radiance, as well as an optional feat for your Surgebinder character. This may not apply to your setting, but it's useful to know in case you haven't read Sanderson's Stormlight Archive and still want to run an adventure involving Surgebinding.
Spheres and Highstorms
Spheres are shards of crystal contained within spherical bubbles of glass. Any crystal can hold Stormlight, however the surrounding glass has a stabilising effect on the Stormlight, allowing the sphere to stay infused for longer.
Highstorms are mighty storms which rage across the land in a predictable pattern. If crystals are left outside in a Highstorm, they become charged with Stormlight, enabling Surgebinders to use crystals (especially spheres) as a source of power.
As long as a Surgebinder is within a Highstorm, they have access to a virtually infinite amount of Stormlight. However, the inside of a huge maelstrom is obviously not exactly a safe environment - the storm is capable of throwing around huge boulders, and ripping ill-constructed structures apart. Only those with the power of flight can safely nagigate the storm and stay above the carnage happening at ground level.
Ideals
The Nahel Bond requires the swearing of several oaths, or ideals, to increase in power. The first ideal is required for the Radiant to awaken their power and infuse Stormlight, and is common among all orders of the Knights Radiant: "Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination."
The other four ideals vary wildly between the orders of Knights Radiant. The following sections deal with the oaths of the Windrunners.
The Second Ideal
"I will protect those that cannot protect themselves."
This oath must be spoken before the Windrunner can gain access to most of the abilities associated with the two Surges under their control.
The Third Ideal
"I will be a protector, despite my flaws."
The exact wording of this Ideal varies from individual to individual, but it always focuses on protecting others despite one's own failings.
This oath must be spoken for the Windrunner to be able to manifest their Shardblade.
The Fourth Ideal
"I accept that there will be those I cannot protect."
This oath must be spoken for a Windrunner to gain their Shardplate, formed of Windspren.
The Fifth Ideal
The words of the fifth ideal are unknown. No Radiant in living memory other than a Herald has ever spoken the Fifth Ideal, and nobody knows what the Fifth Ideal of the Windrunners could be. Whatever it is, your character must discover it on their own to finally become the paragon of honour.
Optional Feat
Metabolise into Lifelight
Prerequisite: must have the Infuse Stormlight feature
You gain the ability to turn food into Lifelight, a blessing usually bestowed by an avatar of Cultivation. When you eat food, you can choose not to ingest it and instead metabolise it into Lifelight, a Stormlight-like substance that Infuses you just like its more violent cousin. One pound of food can be turned into six stormlight points, but this much food requires an action to eat.