Sohei (Dungeons & Dragons)

The sohei is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

Publication history

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The sohei was introduced in the original 1st edition Oriental Adventures book.

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007)

The sohei was updated to 3rd edition with the release of that edition of Oriental Adventures and met its 3.5 edition update in Issue #318 of Dragon Magazine published by Paizo Publishing under license from Wizards of the Coast.

Sohei are a group of melee character that act as religious warriors and are primarily employed by large temples and monasteries as a kind of templar or holy warrior. While they are religious, sohei are far more militant than their pious brethren.

Sohei are reliant on the following ability scores:

• Wisdom: A high wisdom score grants the sohei stronger spells.
• Constitution: Because sohei are martial characters first and religious characters second, a high constitution gives them an edge in taking damage.
• Strength: Soheis rely on strength because it makes them more effective in melee combat, which is their specialty.

No published race currently uses the sohei as a favored class.

Class features

As a martial priest, the sohei has a number of abilities that combine to make it unique. The sohei is similar to both the Paladin and, surprisingly, the Barbarian classes, with a slight dose of Monk thrown in.

Ki frenzy

This is the main ability of the sohei class. The sohei has the ability to draw upon an inner power known as ki to fuel an intense frenzy that mimics the barbarian's berserker-like rage. While in the frenzy, the sohei gains bonuses to its strength and dexterity and cannot use any ability that requires concentration. Unlike barbarians, a shohei does not become overly reckless and thus does not leave itself open to attacks like one who uses their internal rage.

Spells

Soheis begin to learn spells early on in their adventuring career, much like the paladin. The spells of a Sohei are drawn from their own select spell list that utilizes divine spells. Much like a cleric, they may freely choose which spell on their spell list they wish to prepare.

Defensive measures

Much like barbarians, soheis are granted a significant ability to roll with the blows that are dealt to them. They are able to deflect the arrows shot at them from an opponent, much like the monk, and do not tire easily when in battle. Probably the most useful defensive feature that the sohei possesses is the ability to reduce the amount of damage dealt by an opponent. Functioning exactly the same as the barbarian's, this damage reduction allows a few points of damage to be simply ignored.

Ex-sohei

Because of their rigorous training, soheis must maintain a lawful alignment. When they leave the realm of order, many of their abilities are lost until they prove themselves again.