In this series, I’ll be slowly tackling a rework of one of our favorite classes, the Binder. The class was originally a straight update of the class of the same name from D&D 3.5’s Tome of Magic, including most of the original vestiges, but as we revisit this class, we’d like to examine its mechanics and its concepts with fresh eyes, improve upon them, and write a whole new list of vestiges.
Asklepios
Asklepios will be the only proper healing vestige and will likely be the only one grounded in Greek mythology.
Asklepios, the Physician
2nd-level vestige
The father of all medicine, Asklepios and his serpent grant their binders supernatural healing and unsurpassed medicinal knowledge.
Legend. All great physicians stand on the shoulders of their predecessors; so too was it with the first physician. Asklepios apprenticed in the art of healing under his adoptive father, but did not surpass the dull thinking of his peers until a wise snake taught him the secrets of Medicine.
While Asklepios was walking through the woods, he deeply punctured his leg on a splintered log. A wise serpent came to his aid and constricted his wound, teaching Asklepios the first of many secret principles of Medicine. By way of thanks, Asklepios took the serpent with him, coiled on his staff, and the two traveled together from then on.
Asklepios learned much from the serpent and the two founded the first temples of Medicine, where healers could learn the true art of mending bodies, curing illness, and easing the mind. Asklepios even created a salve of medusa blood that could raise the dead from the underworld. The God of Death shuddered at this, for it was the first time that souls were wrenched from his grasp, and conspired with the God of Lightning to strike down Asklepios.
Ironically, when the bolt of lightning struck Asklepios, the salve he carried resurrected him. Lightning struck again and again, slaying Asklepios dozens of times until the salve was depleted. Though Asklepios laid dead, his temples would remain, and the symbol of his serpent-entwined staff would forever remain the emblem of Medicine. His vestige is this very image: the staff speaking with the voice of the Physician and the serpent chiming in with profound medicinal insight.
Ideal. While bound to this vestige, you gain the following Ideal: “Do No Harm. I have taken the oath of a physician, swearing to do no harm to those in my care. (Good)”
Triage
While bound to Asklepios, you know whether each creature you see has all its hit points, more than half of its hit points, less than half of its hit points, or less than 10 hit points. You also know if a creature you see is cursed, poisoned, or diseased.
Doctor’s Orders
As a bonus action, you can use your borrowed anatomical knowledge to point out the most vital area to strike a creature within 60 feet. The next attack made against that creature before the start of your next turn adds 1d6 to its attack and damage roll. This ability has no effect on constructs, elementals, oozes, and undead.
Physician’s Balm
You can use your action to touch a humanoid, which regains hit points equal to your binder level plus your Charisma modifier. You can use this ability three times and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Trait: Serpent Staff
While bound to Asklepios, his serpent materializes and coils on your arm, or on a staff, tool, or a weapon you are holding. You can use your action to touch a living humanoid with the serpent-coiled item, restoring one hit point and ending one disease afflicting the creature. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Additionally, Asklepios’s serpent whispers knowledge in your ear. If you make a Wisdom (Medicine) check while bound to this vestige, you can treat the result as 10, or your binder level plus your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher.
Notes
Initially, it wasn’t clear if the binder needed a healing vestige. After all, it’s first appearance in Tome of Magic grounded the class as being fundamentally arcane, which in the world of D&D is pretty far away from healing magic. Perhaps an arbitrary distinction, but one that most veteran players will innately understand.
However, the core idea of this class being able to fill roles that were left unfilled in the party meant that healing was an unmistakable gap in the earlier version of the binder (and to some extent , the 3.5 binder, which had only one vestige with minimal healing potential.) Of course, we didn’t want to overdo the healing and provide something more powerful than the paladin or cleric, so we’re hopefully on the right side of that line.
Hou Yi
A fun counterpoint to Tilo’s heavy weapon focus, Hou Yi is the principle archery vestige.
Hou Yi, the Archer
2nd-level vestige
A legendary archer that shot down many suns, Hou Yi grants his binders his eagle vision and his skill with the bow.
Legend. In the early years of the world, the deep flaws in its creation manifested as terrible catastrophes, each more cataclysmic than the last. In one such catastrophe, ten suns rose over the horizon, boiling the seas and scorching the land. It seems the gods were powerless to stop it, so the great hunter Hou Yi rode to the peak of the highest mountain with his bow. One by one, he shot the suns down, which crashed to the earth, forming islands where they landed.
As thanks for his great deed, the gods bequeathed Yi a boon of apotheosis, an elixir that would grant whoever drank it eternal life and propel them to godhood. Instead of drinking it immediately, Yi hid the potion in his home, hoping that he might find a way to bring his wife with him to godhood.
However, Yi’s jealous apprentice, Feng Meng, attempted to steal the elixir for himself. Rather than let the thief take the potion, Yi’s wife drank it instead, ascending and becoming a goddess of the moon. Yi was furious, having lost his wife and his own bid at immortality, so he battled his apprentice to the death. However, having used all but one of his arrows to slay the suns, Yi could not slay his apprentice, who drew close and beat him to death with a club.
Yi’s vestige is a battered and bruised amalgamation of eagle and man, with piercing eagle eyes and broken arms.
Ideal. While bound to this vestige, you gain the following Ideal: “Challenge. I will rise to any test that presents itself. (Neutral)”
Bonus Proficiencies
While bound to Hou Yi, you gain proficiency with blowguns, hand crossbows, heavy crossbows, longbows, and nets. Additionally, your long range with ranged and thrown weapons is doubled.
Fighting Style: Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Sunkiller’s Quiver
Whenever you would draw a weapon, you can summon the antique, but exquisitely crafted longbow and quiver used by Hou Yi. The quiver contains an unlimited supply of regular arrows and 9 sunkiller arrows. This equipment lasts until you dismiss it on your turn (no action required) or you are no longer bound to Hou Yi.
A sunkiller arrow deals fire damage instead of piercing damage and deals an additional 1d4 fire damage on a hit. When a sunkiller arrow hits a target, it explodes in a 5-foot radius sphere and is destroyed. The arrow can be fired at an unoccupied space within its range. Each creature other than the target within the blast radius must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, taking half the damage rolled on a failed save or no damage on a successful one.
Once a sunkiller arrow is used, it can’t be used again until you finish a long rest.
Trait: Eagle’s Eyes
While bound to Yi, your eyes are replaced with that of an eagle’s, bordered by resplendent feathers. Because of this, you can use your Charisma, instead of your Dexterity modifier, for attacks and damage rolls with ranged weapon attacks.
Additionally, if you make a Wisdom (Perception) check that relies on sight, you can treat the result as 10, or your binder level plus your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher.
Notes
Once I read the Chinese legend of Hou Yi, I knew he needed to be a vestige. Shooting down nine suns was too cool not to include in this class. From there, the vestige basically wrote itself.
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As always, feedback is appreciated. I’ve got a backlog of vestiges, so I’ll probably be releasing more next week while I work on patching the minor spirits and finalizing the class table.
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Changelog: Hou Yi: Sunkiller’s Quiver: For consistency with Rostam, feature now specifies when the equipment vanishes.
