Summary
The Soul bound are tragic undead who traded their humanity for immortality through dark rituals, now existing in eternal agony. The transformation stripped away something deeply personal from each of them - a memory, an emotion, a purpose, or a core part of their identity - leaving them as suffering immortals who cannot escape their curse.
The Death & Rebirth Mechanic is central to their nature: when defeated, their physical body crumbles to ash and an item manifests containing their soul. This item doesn’t exist before their death; it crystallizes in that moment, reflecting their personality, vice, or what they lost. The danger lies in the temptation - any living being touching the item triggers their rebirth, causing them to reform elsewhere while the item turns to ash. Item size scales with power, ranging from simple rings for minor Soul bound to carriage-sized objects for the most powerful.
While in item form, some souls actively seek freedom through The Whispers - seductive voices, pitiful pleas, and magical compulsions that lure victims to touch them. Others seek rest, remaining silent and appearing mundane, hoping to achieve True Death through slow deterioration in isolation. True death is the only escape from their curse, requiring the item to remain untouched and isolated while it withers over time - a process that can take days for weak ones or centuries for the powerful.
The Soul bound exhibit various Personality Types - from Scholars obsessively researching escape, to Hermits isolating themselves, to Collectors who gather others’ items for mercy or control. They aren’t inherently evil but rather tragic figures, making them valuable for Using Them as NPCs in peaceful encounters where they hire adventurers, warn others away from ritual sites, or trade ancient knowledge. Their World Integration includes town records tracking known Soul bound, professional “Reclaimers” who safely collect and contain their items for a fee, and cursed battlefields where forgotten items still wait, representing both danger and opportunity for those who understand the curse.
Core Concept
Individuals who sought immortality through dark rituals, now existing as undead in eternal agony. The transformation stripped away their humanity (regardless of original race) and cost them something deeply personal - a memory, an emotion, a purpose, or a core part of their identity.
Death & Rebirth Mechanic
When Defeated
- Physical body crumbles to ash
- An item manifests from the ashes - a physical container for their soul
- The item doesn’t exist before death; it crystallizes in that moment
- Item reflects their personality, vice, obsession, or what they lost
The Item
- Power Scaling - Stronger beings = larger items (a ring for minor ones, a carriage-sized object for the most powerful)
- The Trap - Appears as valuable treasure, tempting players/NPCs to pick it up
- Rebirth - Any living being touching the item releases the soul
- Rebirth Location - Creature reforms elsewhere (personal anchor point, location of trauma/triumph, or near the one who touched it)
- Result - Item turns to ash when touched by other living creature & the soul is released
DM's Choice on Rebirth
You choose where they reform based on narrative needs:
- Near the toucher = immediate consequence/confrontation
- Anchor point = they return later as recurring character
- Trauma/triumph location = connects to their backstory
The Limbo State
When in item form, they exist in suspended consciousness:
- Some find peace - A blessed respite from eternal suffering, silence after centuries of pain
- Others experience horror - Sensory deprivation, isolation, a different kind of prison
- Agency matters - Their will affects how the item appears to others
The Whispers
Souls Seeking Escape
If they want to be freed, the item actively lures victims:
- Seductive whispers - “Take me… I am power… I am wealth…”
- Pitiful pleas - “Help me… I’m trapped… please…”
- Deceptive voices - Loved ones calling, children crying
- Magical compulsion - Drawing people near
- Item appears alluring - Glowing, prominently positioned
Player Agency
Whispers and compulsions should enhance temptation, not remove choice. Consider Wisdom saves to resist compulsion, but even on failure, player decides their character’s action. The whispers are enticement, not mind control.
Souls Seeking Rest
If they want to remain in limbo or achieve true death:
- Complete silence, no magical emanation
- Item appears mundane, unremarkable, easily overlooked
- Rusty keys, plain cups, faded scarves
- Simply exists, waiting for deterioration
True Death - The Only Escape
Requirements
- Defeat the creature (body turns to ash, item appears)
- Item must remain isolated and undisturbed while it withers
To move the item you must:
Place item in appropriate magical container WITHOUT touching it. The container can be either:
- Blessed
- Specific material (silver/cold iron/crystal)
- Inscribed with binding runes
Deterioration Process
- Item slowly decays over time (cracks form, colors fade, becomes brittle)
- Time varies by power - Days for weak ones, centuries for the most powerful
- Isolation accelerates - True isolation from all life speeds the process
- Any touch = rebirth - Even a 99% deteriorated item still revives them if touched
The Challenge
- Massive items require equally massive containers (vaults, sarcophagi, magically-enlarged vessels)
- Animals, scavengers, curious children, erosion all risk accidental rebirth
- Proper burial sites become quests in themselves
The Personal Cost
Each paid a different price for immortality:
- Cannot remember loved ones’ faces
- Lost ability to feel joy, love, or any positive emotion
- Forgot their true name and original purpose
- Can no longer create (art, music, magic they once mastered)
- Physical pain manifests as tremors, flickering forms, visible decay
Personality Types
The Scholar - Obsessively researches escape, trades knowledge for leads on breaking the curse
The Hermit - Isolates to avoid attachments, paranoid about their item being discovered
The Hedonist - Desperately fills the void with experiences they can’t truly feel
The Penitent - Does good to balance their choice, warns others against seeking immortality
The Nihilist - Embraced emptiness, serves dark purposes since nothing matters
The Collector - Gathers others’ items, either for mercy or control
The Collector's Vault
A Collector can become a campaign centerpiece:
- Merciful Collector = ally offering safe storage, but what if their vault is breached?
- Control-seeking Collector = villain with army of souls they can release at will
- Their collection represents dozens of potential encounters
The Hunter - Actively seeks their own item after rebirth, trying to re-contain themselves
Using Them as NPCs
Neutral/Peaceful Encounters
- Hiring adventurers to find proper containers for themselves
- Warning players away from ritual sites (corruption spreads)
- Asking for messages delivered to descendants they can’t face
- Protecting “graveyards” where others are properly contained
- Seeking revenge against the entity that offered this curse
- Trading knowledge about breaking curses or ancient history
Identifying Them
- Constant tremors, pain underlying every word
- Forms flicker revealing decay
- Avoid mirrors, grow quiet about the past
- Compulsively touch where hearts once beat
- Serve as living cautionary tales
Recognition Checks
Identifying a Soul bound might require:
- Religion/Arcana check (DC 15) - recognize the signs of the curse
- Insight check (DC 12) - notice their pain and haunted behavior
- History check (DC 18) - recall specific Soul bound from records
They don’t typically hide what they are, but knowing the specific mechanics (that they become items) might require higher DCs or specific lore sources.
World Integration
Knowledge & Records
Towns keep records:
“The Eternal Sage - becomes ivory scroll case - last seen 40 years west - DO NOT TOUCH”
Professional Services
“Reclaimers” - those who safely collect and contain items for a fee
Reclaimer Services
Costs might include:
- Assessment - 50-100 GP to identify and locate the item
- Retrieval - 500-5000 GP depending on danger and item size
- Containment - 1000-10000 GP for proper blessed vault space
- Insurance - Some refuse certain powerful Soul bound entirely
Reclaimers use specialized tools: blessed tongs, force magic gloves, telekinesis wands, and portable containment vessels.
Cursed Locations
Battlefields where they died become avoided - items might still be waiting
Plot Hooks
- Community of Soul bound managing collective grief
- Ancient ritual sites still corrupting those nearby
- Search for the original entity that offered this “gift”
Campaign Notes
- They’re not inherently evil - they’re tragic figures
- Can serve as allies, quest givers, or (possibly reluctant) antagonists
- Knowledge of what item someone becomes is valuable intelligence
- Creates moral dilemmas: mercy-kill and imprison, or leave them suffering?
- Player greed becomes a genuine danger