To Do: maybe Minion Focus.
The Gatekeeper[]
"Oh, the eternity we shall spend together."
-Thresh, Infamous Gatekeeper known for stealing the souls of innocents.
A fully armored sentinel stands watching, ever vigilant, by a large steel gate, leading to the underworld itself. Foolhardy people with malicious intentions confront the sentinel, seeking to gain entry for their dubious purposes. The sentinel opens a portal underneath one of the creatures, causing it to land in a tree, as a spectral fiend manifests from the sentinel, tearing the others to shreds. The sentinel walks up to the tree, ripping the one it had spared[IJ'\ NH[T4OYS'BGZPO'4Q3RG' BIBGHYTYTY from the carnage out of the tree, glaring into its eyes, as the body of it is disintegrated, another soul claimed for the one who keeps the gates of the underworld.
Creating a Gatekeeper[]
When creating a gatekeeper character, think about how your character came into possession of their imprisoned soul. Did they willing bind the soul to themselves? Did they know the being before it was bound? Does your character wish to remove the soul from themselves, or would they prefer to always keep it? Ask your DM about how souls and those who harness their power are treated in the cultures of your campaign.
Quick Build[]
You can make a Gatekeeper quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Strength or Dexterity, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the acolyte or outlander background. Finally, choose a rapier or longsword, scale mail, and an explorer's pack.
Class Features[]
"I'm the Gatekeeper. I am the one who possesses all."
As a Gatekeeper you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Gatekeeper level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Gatekeeper level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, Medium armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, rapiers, shortswords, longswords, warhammers
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose 2 from Arcana, Athletics, History, Intimidation, Persuasion, and Religion.
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a rapier or (b) a longsword or (c) a simple weapon
- (a) leather armor & 5 javelins or (b) scale mail
- (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
Table: The Gatekeeper[]
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +2 | Imprisoned Soul, Gatekeeper's Quarry |
| 2 | +2 | Spiritual Focus |
| 3 | +2 | Reality Rift |
| 4 | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5 | +3 | Focus Feature |
| 6 | +3 | Fate Warp |
| 7 | +3 | Soul Feature |
| 8 | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9 | +4 | Focus Feature |
| 10 | +4 | Improved Quarry |
| 11 | +4 | Soul Feature |
| 12 | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13 | +5 | Focus Feature |
| 14 | +5 | Endless Quarry |
| 15 | +5 | Soul Feature |
| 16 | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17 | +6 | Focus Feature |
| 18 | +6 | Hyperdrive |
| 19 | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20 | +6 | Destroyed Reality |
Imprisoned Soul[]
As a gatekeeper, you have the essence of a powerful being, their soul, inside of your own soul. The soul grants you features to improve yourself, and interact with your focus that you use to wield it once you acquire one. At the bottom of this page are the Fiend, Angel, and Ereshkigal souls. Your imprisoned soul grants you features at 1st, 7th, 11th, and 15th levels.
Gatekeeper's Quarry[]
You have the ability to mark a target as your quarry, your personal target. As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target is marked for 1 minute. Until the mark ends, you add your proficiency bonus to all damage rolls against that target, with the damage type depending on your imprisoned soul. After using this feature, you must take a short or long rest before doing so again.
Spiritual Focus[]
Beginning at 2nd level, you are able to focus your imprisoned soul into a force of power of your choice. At the bottom of this page are the Blade, Spellcasting, and Armor focuses. The choice you choose grants you features at 2nd, 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels.
Reality Rift[]
Starting at 3rd level, you are able to create rifts in reality. As a bonus action, you may choose a point within 30 feet of yourself that you can see, and mark it as a rift in spacetime, choosing another point within 30 feet of it that you can see to mark as another rift. When a creature steps on the point, it is instantly transported to the other point. The point itself can only be seen by those with truesight, or those who possess the Reality Rift feature.
Ability Score Increase[]
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10, 12th, 14th, 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.
Fate Warp[]
Beginning at 6th level, you are able to bend reality to your will to deflect attacks from yourself. When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack's damage against you.
Improved Quarry[]
Beginning at 10th level, when you mark a creature as your quarry, it can now be a creature within 60 feet of yourself, and the first time you deal damage to them on a turn, they take additional damage of your quarry's type equal to half your gatekeeper level.
Endless Quarry[]
Starting at 14th level, when you mark a creature, they are now marked until the mark is removed by you dispelling it as a bonus action. Additionally, if you spend 1 hour as a ritual in meditation, you can mark any creature that you know the name of and hold any piece of their body-including blood, hair, or bone. When marking a creature in this way, you know the spot they were in when the ritual ends.
Hyperdrive[]
Starting at 18th level, your movements increase in fluidity and movement, due to moving at hyper speeds. Your movement speed increases by 10 feet, and you gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws.
Destroyed Reality[]
Starting at 20th level, you have become a master of manipulating souls and reality. As an action while within 10 feet of a creature you have marked, you can force the creature to make a DC (8 + your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency bonus) Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 10d10 + 20 force damage, or half on a success. If the creature is reduced to 0 hit points by this feature, the creature's body is destroyed from reality, with only their soul remaining inside an object within 10 feet of them of your choice. After using this feature, you must take a long rest before using it again.
Imprisoned Souls[]
Each gatekeeper has a soul that they choose to imprison, to grant them might over the world. This may be for selfish or selfless purposes, but each one has a soul imprisoned inside of their own soul.
Soul of the Fiend[]
The soul you have imprisoned is the soul of a powerful fiend, a being native to either the Abyss, or one of the Nine Hells. The powers of a fiend are ones that involve hellfire and damnation. Your Quarry Damage Type is Fire.
Spellcasting Focus Spells[]
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1 | burning hands, hellish rebuke |
| 2 | blindness/deafness, scorching ray |
| 3 | fireball, fear |
| 4 | fire shield, wall of fire |
| 5 | flame strike, hallow |
Demonic Inbalance[]
Beginning at 1st level, when you deal damage to a target marked by your gatekeeper's quarry, you can choose to not deal the bonus damage. If you do so, the next attack roll against the creature before the start of your next turn has a bonus equal to your Charisma modifier. (min +1) You may only use this feature once per turn.
Infernal Hatred[]
Starting at 7th level, creatures can feel your burning hatred of them even when you have not hurt them. At the start of every turn of creatures you have marked, if you are within 30 feet of them, they take your quarry bonus damage as psychic damage.
Portal to Hell[]
At 11th level, your vortexes can send creatures through hell when they go through them. Whenever a creature enters a vortex from your Reality Rift feature, you may choose for them to take fire damage equal to your gatekeeper level. This does not affect fiends.
Satanic Binding[]
Beginning at 15th level, you are able to attempt to sacrifice your quarry. As an action while grappling a creature marked by your quarry, you can force the creature to make a DC 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is magically restrained by chains, ropes, a sigil, or something similar, for 1 minute. Whenever any creature damages the target, the target take psychic damage equal to your quarry bonus damage. If they are reduced to 0 hit points in this way, a fiend devours their soul, leaving their body as a husk. They may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns. After using this feature, you must take a long rest before doing so again.
Soul of Ereshkigal[]
You have imprisoned the soul of some powerful dark entity. This could be a powerful dark mage, a powerful shadow demon, or even a cursed spell. Your Quarry Damage Type is Necrotic.
Spellcasting Focus Spells[]
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1 | nosferatu, ray of sickness |
| 2 | crown of madness, ray of enfeeblement |
| 3 | fear, vampiric touch |
| 4 | blight, black tentacles |
| 5 | ereshkigal, hold monster |
Quintessence Sap[]
Starting at 1st level, you are able to drain the life force of your quarry for your own gain. When you deal damage to a creature marked by your Gatekeeper's Quarry feature, you gain temporary hit points equal to the bonus damage dealt. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute.
Dark Resistance[]
Beginning at 7th level, the necrotic energies inside the soul you have imprisoned grant you the ability to manipulate the pain that spells inflict on yourself. If you succeed on a saving throw against a spell and would still take damage, you instead take half of the damage.
Event Horizon[]
At 11th level, when your vortexes are formed they decimate life around them. When you make a vortex with your Reality Rift feature, creatures within 10 feet of the vortex of your choice must make a DC 8 + your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency bonus Constitution saving throw, taking necrotic damage equal to your gatekeeper level on a failure.
Umbral Sacrifice[]
Starting at 15th level, you are able to consume bits of your own being to harm those you wish ill upon. When you deal damage to a creature marked by your Gatekeeper's Quarry, you can expend a hit die to deal additional necrotic damage equal to the number rolled.
Soul of the Angel[]
Your imprisoned soul is that of an angelic being, such as a solar or planetar. This may be a guardian that has clung onto your soul to protect you, or may be an angel that you yourself have slain. Your Quarry Damage Type is Radiant.
Spellcasting Focus Spells[]
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1 | cure wounds, guiding bolt |
| 2 | branding smite, spiritual weapon |
| 3 | blinding smite, mass healing word |
| 4 | banishment, death ward |
| 5 | destructive wave, mass cure wounds |
Touch of Life[]
At 1st level, you have a pool of healing that restores when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your gatekeeper level x 3. As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool. This feature has no effect on undead and constructs.
Guardian Angel[]
Starting at 7th level, you are able to temporarily manifest a form of the celestial you have the soul imprisoned of. As a reaction to a creature within 30 feet of you being targeted by an attack, you can force the attacker to have disadvantage on the attack roll. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (min 1), and restore all uses after a long rest.
Heavenly Aegis[]
At 11th level, your vortexes temporarily bless your allies. When a creature enters a vortex created by your Reality Rift feature, you may choose for them to gain temporary hit points equal to half your gatekeeper level plus your Charisma modifier (min 1). These temporary hit points last until the start of your next turn.
Miracle Worker[]
Beginning at 15th level, you are able to tap into celestial might to restore the life of the recently dead. You may cast raise dead as a ritual, without using a spell slot. After using this feature, you must take a long rest.
Spiritual Focuses[]
As well as an imprisoned soul, gatekeepers also possess a focus that they use to conjure up the energy of the soul they have imprisoned, forming them into the world around them.
Blade Focus[]
The blade focus conjures up the energy of an imprisoned soul as a melee weapon crafted out of pure force of will.
Bonus Proficiencies[]
When you choose this focus at 2nd level, you gain proficiency in martial weapons.
Soul Weapon[]
Additionally at 2nd level, you gain the ability to conjure up a melee weapon you have proficiency with as a bonus action as a soul weapon. Your soul weapon deals your quarry damage type instead of its normal damage type, and is treated as a magic weapon. The weapon lasts until you dismiss it as a bonus action, or until you release it from your grip. Alternatively, when wielding a magic weapon, you may use your bonus action to treat it as your soul weapon, changing its damage type to your quarry damage type.
Extra Attack[]
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Destructive Will[]
Starting at 9th level, you ignore resistance to your quarry damage type, and treat immunity to it as resistance.
Marked by Fear[]
Beginning at 13th level, when a creature you have marked makes an opportunity attack against you, it is at disadvantage.
Warped Reflexes[]
At 17th level, when you miss with a weapon attack using your soul weapon, you may use your reaction to make another weapon attack.
Spellcasting Focus[]
The spellcasting focus uses the mystical powers contained in the soul a gatekeeper has imprisoned to manifest as magical energies, to conjure up spells.
Pact Magic[]
At 2nd level, your manipulation of the energies of your imprisoned soul gives you the ability to cast magical spells.
Spell Slots[]
The table below 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 gatekeeper spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher[]
At 2nd level, you know two spells of 1st-level from your Imprisoned Soul. As you gain levels in this class, you gain additional spells at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels.
Spellcasting Ability[]
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your gatekeeper 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 gatekeeper spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spellcasting Focus[]
You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus.
| Gatekeeper Level | Spell Slots | Slot Level |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 1 | 1 |
| 3rd | 1 | 1 |
| 4th | 2 | 1 |
| 5th | 2 | 2 |
| 6th | 2 | 2 |
| 7th | 2 | 2 |
| 8th | 2 | 2 |
| 9th | 2 | 3 |
| 10th | 2 | 3 |
| 11th | 2 | 3 |
| 12th | 2 | 3 |
| 13th | 2 | 4 |
| 14th | 2 | 4 |
| 15th | 2 | 4 |
| 16th | 2 | 4 |
| 17th | 2 | 5 |
| 18th | 2 | 5 |
| 19th | 2 | 5 |
| 20th | 3 | 5 |
Cursed Quarry[]
Starting at 5th level, you gain the ability to curse a target that is currently marked as your gatekeeper's quarry. As a bonus action while within 30 feet of your quarry, you can expend a pact magic spell slot and force your quarry to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, your quarry takes 2d8 damage of your quarry type per spell level.
Destructive Will[]
Starting at 9th level, you ignore resistance to your quarry damage type, and treat immunity to it as resistance.
Gatekeeper's Arcanum[]
Beginning at 13th level, you gain the ability to channel magical energies even when you lack the ability to through normal methods. You can cast a spell from your Imprisoned Soul's spell list at the same level as your pact magic spell slots. After using this feature, you must take a long rest before doing so again.
War Magic[]
At 17th level, after using your action to cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you may use your bonus action to make one weapon attack.
Armor Focus[]
Using your arcane power you meld your imprisoned soul into a peice of armor.
Bonus Proficiencies[]
When you choose this focus at 2nd level, you gain proficiency in heavy armor and shields.
Soul Armor[]
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to conjure up your imprisoned soul as armor to defend yourself. As an action, you can either create magical armor out of your imprisoned soul, or bless a magical suit of armor you're wearing with your imprisoned soul to be your soul armor. If you create it, it gives you an armor class equal to 13 + your Dexterity modifier. When wearing your soul armor, you have resistance to your quarry damage type.
Twist Target[]
Beginning at 5th level, you are able to change where an opponent is aiming to refract attacks onto yourself. As a reaction to a creature within 30 feet of you being attacked, you can change the attack to target yourself. You must be in range for the attack to hit you, and the same attack roll used on the other creature is used on you.
Titanic Endurance[]
Additionally at 5th level, your hit point maximum increases by 5 and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class.
Legionnaire's Presence[]
Starting at 9th level, your very presence alone can bolster your allies will to fight. Allied creatures within 15 feet of you add your Charisma modifier (min +1) as a bonus to all Strength and Dexterity saving throws, and they gain resistance to your quarry damage type if you are wearing your soul armor.
Improved Soul Armor[]
At 13th level, you gain immunity to your quarry damage type while wearing your soul armor, and resistance when you're not.
Spectral Tower[]
Beginning at 17th level, your enemies seem to perceive you as being a towering goliath of a threat. All attack rolls made against allied creatures that are within 10 feet of you are made with disadvantage.
Multiclassing[]
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Gatekeeper class, you must meet these prerequisites: Charisma 13, Constitution 13
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Gatekeeper class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, Medium armor, simple weapons, rapiers, shortswords, longswords, warhammers