Passive Effect: You gain the Preserve Corpse focus spell as a cantrip.
Additionally, you gain a unique use: once per day, when casting Preserve Corpse, you may bind a soul fragment to the corpse’s essence. The next time you use Animate Dead on it, the minion has temporary HP equal to your spellcasting ability modifier + half your level.
Narrative Detail: As you finish the cantrip, runes drip from your fingers like ink, sealing the soul fragment in place.
Granted Cantrip
Traditions: Occult
Cast: [One Action] (somatic, verbal)
Range: Touch
Targets: 1 corpse no more than 1 day old
Duration: 1 week
You inscribe necromantic sigils in invisible ink across the corpse’s body, binding the soul’s residue and slowing the body's decay. For the duration:
The body does not decay or emit odor. The weight of the body becomes negligible.
It cannot be affected by speak with dead, gentle repose, or similar effects unless cast by you.
The corpse is preserved for future animation, gaining a +1 status bonus to saves against effects that would destroy it or render it unusable for necromancy.
If the corpse is later used in conjunction with Summon Undead or a similar necromantic spell cast by you, it gains a minor benefit depending on the casting spell (as determined by the GM). If cast using the Soul Ink Binding relic gift, the corpse gains temporary HP equal to your spellcasting modifier + your level.