The Cenobite

Intrinsic Psionics

A cenobite is one who has discovered their inborn psionic capabilities and dedicated their lives to understanding and mastering it, and to helping others find their own potential.

This living vitality flows through all things in the natural world but only a select few can exploit it in their own bodies, deploying it in the form of psionic magic and psychic energy.

In conjunction with this psionic energy, they train their own bodies for peak health and stamina, the better to become a more efficient conduit for their powers.

Discipline and Austerity

A cenobite is an austere warrior, fanatically valuing self-reliance, stoicism, and minimalism. They are fiercely proud of their own durability and psionic prowess, consequently viewing weapons, shields, armor, and even items such as healing potions as a hindrance and a sign of weakness. They also loathe any magic equipment that would give them an artificial boost in combat. Only in the most extreme or desperate of circumstances will a cenobite begrudgingly use such devices.

For this reason, cenobites readily admire other classes such as monks, barbarians, and sorcerers, and are more judgemental of classes like fighters, paladins, and rangers.

They dedicate themselves to training their mind and body in equal measure, frequently learning new skills and crafts and martial arts. As they travel the landscape, they also seek to learn more about the natural world, and can often be seen examining plants and small creatures, and scribbling notes and observances in a journal.

A cenobite also has little use for money and treasure, and usually collects small amounts of gold only for basic necessities and dispatches any excess valuables or money back to their temple in the form of remittance.

Cenobite Temples

Cenobite temples operate in networks, with cloisters scattered about the secretive corners of the world. A cenobite temple could be anywhere from a remote monastery high in the mountains to a hidden speakeasy in a basement in a bustling city. They sometimes deploy a network of coded signs, symbols, and passwords to operate without harassment from authorities.

They welcome all races and creatures, often becoming a source of guidance and comfort for wayward souls who don’t understand their own potential. Different cenobite temples have different missions and methodologies, some violent, some peaceful, but their ultimate goal all remains the same: to discover and draw out others with psionic abilities.

Creating a Cenobite

As you create your character, consider their past and their upbringing. Were they an outcast, a bullied and misunderstood scapegoat whose psionic abilities were condemned and feared? Were they an intellectual student of magic, who understood that they were gifted with this powerful energy and sought out others who can help them learn?

What do you wish to accomplish with this psionic aptitude now that you can utilize it? Do you hope to heal the natural world, help others discover the connection to all living things and bring about peace? Or do you wish to reshape the world as you see fit, taking advantage of whatever means necessary to break those who deny your power?

Whatever their background or upbringing, a cenobite understood from an early age that they were different, for better or worse. They can be lawful or chaotic or anywhere in-between, but they still often long for a sense of kinship and inclusion, and can easily fall in with a group of fellow adventurers. However, whether your character wants to learn from and help others, or exploit them, is up to you.

Hit Points

Hit Dice 1d10 per cenobite level

Hit points at 1st level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per cenobite level after 1st

Unarmored Defense

While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier.

Psionic-Infused Strikes

When you are unarmed and not wearing armor or a shield, you can infuse your unarmed strikes with psionic energy. You are proficient in these psi-infused unarmed strikes and they use your Constitution modifier for the attack roll instead of Strength.

They deal force damage of 1d8 + your Constitution modifier on a hit, and their reach and damage can be increased with later features.

Bonus Strike. When you use the Attack action to make a psi-infused unarmed strike on your turn, you can make one psi-infused unarmed strike as a bonus action.

Temple of Mediation

The Temple of Mediation is disillusioned with the normal hierarchies of power in the world and seeks a new balance of fairness and justice. In this pursuit, they have no qualms about displaying the violence and ferocity of their psionic capabilities with dazzling shows of force, blasting their enemies off their feet with explosions of energy.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you choose the Temple of Vitality, you gain proficiencies in the Animal Handling and Nature skills, and you learn an additional language of your choice.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you choose the Temple of Discordance, you gain proficiencies in the Deception and Performance skills, and with all gaming sets.

Psionic Hymns

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the following abilities:

Blind Spot. You can spend 1 psi point to erase your image from the mind of one creature you can see within 60 feet of you; the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or you are invisible to it until the end of your next turn. You can spend an additional psi point to give the target disadvantage on the saving throw.

Psychic Infliction. As an action, you can spend 1 psi point to target one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be either charmed or frightened by you until the end of your next turn. You can spend an additional psi point to give the target disadvantage on the saving throw.

Mind Splinter. Whenever you make a successful psi-infused unarmed strike against a target, you can spend 1 psi point to impose additional damage. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take an extra 2d10 psychic damage. The damage increases by 1d10 for each additional psi point spent.

When you spend psi points to use this feature, you cannot gain any psi points back using the Psionic Tap feature.

Life Drain

Starting at 7th level, you can corrode a creature’s vitality. When you make a successful psi-infused unarmed strike on a target, you can spend 2 psi points. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or suffer a new level of exhaustion. You can spend an additional psi point to impose disadvantage on the target's saving throw.

When you spend psi points to use this feature, you cannot gain any psi points back using the Psionic Tap feature.

Bonus Psionic Verse

When you choose Temple of the Far Reach, you gain two additional options from the Psionic Verse feature.

Psionic Hymns

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the following abilities:

Flexible Psyche. As an action for 2 psi points, you can concentrate for up to 1 hour to gain proficiency in one skill or tool of your choice that lasts until your concentration ends.

Piercing Sight. As an action, you can spend 2 psi points to concentrate for up to 1 minute. During this concentration, you can see through walls or objects that are up to 1 foot thick within 10 feet of you.

Psionic Translation. Whenever you hear or see written a language you don't know, you can spend 2 psi points as an action to concentrate up to 1 hour to speak, read, and write that language.

Additionally, you can spend 2 psi points as an action to concentrate up to 1 hour to comprehend and communicate verbally with beasts. The knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence, but at a minimum, beasts can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past few days. You could also attempt to persuade them to perform a small favor for you, or to convince them you mean them no harm.

Psionic Transposition

Starting at 7th level, when you are not wearing any armor or wielding a shield, you can spend 2 psi points as an action and choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw.

On a failed save, you and that creature teleport, swapping places. This action fails if either of you can’t fit in the destination space.

Psychic Censure

Starting at 10th level, you can briefly sever an opponent's psyche from their body. As an action for 2 psi points you can target a creature within range of your psi-infused unarmed strike. The creature must make a Wisdom saving throw.

On a failure, the target takes 3d10 psychic damage and is paralyzed until the end of your next turn. For each additional psi point spent, the damage is increased by 1d10.

On a successful save, the target takes half damage and is not paralyzed, but instead has their speed reduced to 0 until the end of their next turn.

Psionic Levee

Starting at 13th level, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Constitution 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.

Additionally, as a reaction when you are forced to make a saving throw against an enemy attack or spell, you can spend 3 psi points to add your proficiency bonus to that saving throw if you aren't proficient in it.

Psychic Ransack

Starting at 15th level, as an action for 4 psi points, you can target one creature within range of your psi-infused unarmed strikes. That creature must make an Intelligence saving throw.

On a failed save, the creature automatically fails any Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom saving throws until the end of its next turn, and you choose the target's movement and action on its next turn if you are not incapacitated.

On a successful save, the target instead takes 2d8 psychic damage and suffers none of the other effects.

You can only have one creature under the effect of this feature at a time.

Psionic Mimicry

Starting at 19th level, you can use your psionic energy to copy another creature's magic. Whenever you are targeted by a spell or included in its area of effect, you can use your reaction to spend a number of psi points to copy the spell and cast it at the start of your next turn.

You must spend a number of psi points equal to the level of the spell you are copying. On your next turn, you can cast the spell as an action without any components.

When you cast a copied spell, your spell save DC is the same as your Psionic Hymns DC, and your spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier.

Psionic Hymns

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the following abilities:

Reactive Strike

Starting at 6th level, whenever you take damage from an enemy attack, you can spend psi points and use your reaction to store that energy and release it on your next attack to amplify the damage you would normally inflict.

However much damage of any type that you take from another creature's attack or spell, you can spend a number of psi points to add at most that much damage to a psi-infused unarmed strike on a single target on your next turn. You can choose to add all the damage or some portion of it, based on how many psi points you spend.

See the Reactive Strike table below for point cost.

Psychic Deluge

Starting at 9th level, as an action for 3 psi points, you create a 20-foot cube of psychic energy within 60 feet of you. Each creature in that area must make a Wisdom saving throw.

On a failed save, a target takes 2d6 psychic damage and is stunned until the end of your next turn. On a successful save, a target takes half as much damage and is not stunned.

The damage is increased by 1d6 for each additional psi point spent.

Eat Memories

Starting at 17th level, you can psychically invade another person's mind and devour their memories. As an action for 3 psi points, you can concentrate for up to 1 hour and target one creature within 60 feet of you that you can see.

That creature must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, they take 2d8 psychic damage and, for the duration of your concentration, they forget any languages they know, lose any skill, weapon, or tool proficiencies they have, and lose any saving throw proficiencies in Intelligence or Wisdom.

During your concentration, you learn all the languages the target knows and gain all its lost proficiencies, including Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws.

Defiant Soul

Starting at 20th level, your psionic energy suffuses your every breath, fortifying your very soul. As an action, you can roll a d20 and gain that many extra psi points for the next hour, even if it goes beyond the maximum amount normally allowed by your cenobite level.

At the end of the hour, you are reduced to 0 psi points. You can use this feature only once per long rest.

Mythic Soul

At 20th level, you fulfill your psionic potential. You gain all the remaining Psionic Verse abilities, and your Constitution score increases by 4, up to the maximum of 24.