Some artifacts are living beings unto themselves, artifice brought to life or mortal souls bound eternally to objects of power. Such artifacts have their own goals, their own plots and agendas, and they may refuse to share their power with wielders that go against them. To wield an ensouled artifact is to enter a partnership and to go forth in agreement to have the other’s best interests at heart, at least in theory. Wielders and artifacts can be either partners or tools, and their status as either can always be questioned.
Your power is derived from your mutual connection and trust with your artifact. You and your artifact must be in agreement and in sync to accomplish anything together and you must rely on your charm and character. Your spellcasting ability is Charisma and you use Charisma and your Charisma modifier for the purposes of your spellcasting and your bonded artifact feature.
Starting at 1st level you must establish your artifact’s features as a sentient magic item. Use the rules for Creating Sentient Magic Items to create your artifact’s personality and traits either by working with your narrator or determining the following randomly:
Your bonded artifact is an NPC controlled by the narrator, but your bond is strong and unless you are in conflict with your artifact you are always able to utilize its features and direct any actions it can make. Your artifact acts on your turn in initiative.
While you are in conflict with your artifact, you cannot cast any wielder spells or use any wielder features that require the use of artifact charges.
Starting at 1st level, your artifact is alive and able to aid you in your endeavors by offering its expertise, warning you of dangers, or distracting your enemies. Your bonded artifact can perform the help action.
Starting at 6th level, you can animate your bonded artifact and allow it to act independently of you as a bonus action. While animated in this way your bonded artifact has a fly speed of 30 feet, and an AC equal to 10 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus.
Whenever your bonded artifact would take damage while animated in this way, it instead loses one charge for every instance of damage taken. When your bonded artifact has no charges remaining or when you recall it as a bonus action, it vanishes and reappears in your possession (or in the case of armor of power, it reappears donned on you).
On each of your turns while your bonded artifact is animated it may cast one wielder spell as if it were you and uses your statistics. If your bonded artifact is a weapon of power, it may instead choose to make an attack using your statistics.
Visually your bonded artifact may appear as a ghostly version of the soul that now inhabits the artifact, the artifact may glow with magical power, or it may simply look as if the artifact is floating and moving freely but otherwise occupies space as if it were a medium-sized creature.
Two minds are often better than one and your bonded artifact can remain alert while you rest. Starting at 10th level, so long as your bonded artifact is in your possession and not in conflict, you gain a bonus to your Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma checks and saving throws equal to your bonded artifact’s corresponding modifiers. In addition, you are considered aware and conscious even when unconscious and you gain advantage on initiative checks.
Starting at 14th level, you and your bonded artifact are in sync and can fully trust each other in the heat of combat. While your bonded artifact is animated, both you and your artifact have advantage on attack rolls so long as you both are within 5 feet of the target creature and neither of you is incapacitated.
Starting at 18th level, your will and that of your artifact are inseparable as is your desire to keep each other safe. So long as you and your bonded artifact are not in conflict, whenever you would take damage you can spend three artifact charges to completely negate that damage. In addition, whenever your artifact is animated and would lose a charge due to taking damage, you may choose to spend a point of exertion instead. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses whenever you finish a long rest.