Every creature in Erthos is made up of Essence, the building blocks of the Universe. Some characters are able to harness their life essence to produce effects that seem miraculous. This is different than the usual magical essence that is harnessed by spellcasters. Every creature, mortal and Spirit, has essence but only Spirits can access it naturally. Mortals often have to study for years or travel to the Eternal Domain in order to access their life Essence.
Essense Reservoir:
Every character has a reservoir of Life Essence. When a character depletes their Essence Reservoir, they die, and their soul does not journey onto the Eternal Domain. So far no one knows what happens to a creature when they use its entire Essence Reservoir.
Increasing the Reservoirs: (Can only reach 20 reservoirs)
Player Characters.
When a player character gains a class level, they can roll 1d100. ON a 50 or higher they gain a Essence Reservoir.
DM's Discretion:
The Dungeon Master can also grant Essence to a player for a variety of reasons. One such reason is they are granted it by a Chara Spirit; or they find a place of immense power.
Essence Theft.
Some monsters and abilities allow for the theft of Essence. If the Essence Reservoir is not their last one there are no special rules. If it is the last Reservoir, then the Character whose Essence is being stolen can make a Constitution Saving throw starting with a DC of 5. Every time, within 24 hours that this last Essence Reservoir is attempted to be stolen; the DC increases by 5. On a Failure the Essence is stolen and the character dies. Very Few Creatures have the ability to steal Essence.
Essence Abilities:
On their turn, a creature can use a reaction to use its Essence to produce one of the following effects.
General Abilities:
Essence Blast (1+ reservoir chamber). Every creature within 10 feet of you must make a strength saving throw DC 10+ your proficiency bonus+ reservoir chambers used. On a failure, they take 2d6 force damage and are pushed 15 feet away. The damage increases by 2d6 for each reservoir chamber used.
Essence Hoarding. You choose any number of your Essence Reservoir and choose to lock access to it. You can not use those Reservoirs for 1d10 months. After that time those Reservoirs are usable and you gain 1d4 reservoirs.
Dimensional Jaunt. (2 reservoir chambers). You shift between the two dimensions and can teleport up to 100 feet. Any creature within 5 feet of where you appear must make a Wisdom Saving throw DC 12 or be blinded for 1 round.
Drift between Worlds (3 reservoir chambers). You shift into the Astral Sea and absorb the healing energies of the Eternal Domain. You heal all your health and return to the Mortal Realm at the beginning of your next turn.
Gift of Sight (3 Reservoir chambers). You connect your Essence to another creature, you must know their name and be able to picture them in your mind. You can see through that creature's eyes for 10 minutes or you can sever the connection early. The creature can make an Arcana check DC 10 to know that you have connected to it.
Essence Stun (4 Reservoir Chambers). A blast of your Essence stuns one enemy within 30 feet. They must succeed a Constitution Saving throw DC (10+your proficiency bonus) or be stunned for 1d4 rounds.
Master of Time (6 reservoir chambers). Utilizing the difference in time between the Eternal Domain and the Mortal Realm you gain the ability to have another turn following the current turn.
All-knowing Sight (7 Reservoir chambers). You can a glimpse of all the Essence surrounding you within 100 feet. You can see any creatures, their resistances, immunities, and vulnerabilities. You are also able to see any magical effects and traps. You know what objects are around you and are able to see through walls.
Gate Creation (10 Reservoir Chambers). You tear a hole between the Mortal Plane and Eternal Domain. Creatures Large or smaller can pass through at will. You can close this gate at will. By roll 1d100 you have a 10% chance of opening the gate to a specific Demiplane.
Life Severance (10 Reservoir Chambers). You use your Essence to strike a fatal blow against an enemy. They must make a Constitution Saving throw DC 20+ Your Proficiency bonus. They can not use legendary resistance against this.
Unique Abilities.
Essence Theft (1 reservoir chamber)(Spirits only). You attempt to steal another creature's Essence. They must make a Wisdom Saving throw DC 15 and on a failure you steal 1d4 Essence Reservoirs from them. This can not kill the creature; they must have at least 1 Essence Reservoir remaining.
Enemy Knowledge. (2 Essence Reservoir chambers) When you gets hit by an attack you make an insight check against the attacker's deception check. If your insight check is higher you have advantage on attack rolls made against the creature until the end of their next turn and their attack deals an additional 1d6 force damage.
Revenge Oath. (1 reservoir). When you take damage you can mark the enemy who hit it with a curse. Until the end of your next turn, you have advantage on all attacks against that target.
The Unseen Lost. (1 reservoir chamber) When you hits an unsuspecting enemy with an attack it must make a Wisdom saving throw DC 14 or move in a random direction on its next turn.
Nature's Lure. (1 Reservoir chamber). Until the end of your next turn when you hit an enemy with an attack the target must make a Wisdom saving throw DC 14 or fall asleep. At the end of their turn, they can repeat the saving throw or when they take damage.
