Transformation Pathways

[MidnightPoet]

The Society of the Occult

"We may be heroes, but we’re also miserable wretches,

always at war with monsters and madness."

The Society Secret

Have you heard about Drago’s Reapers, a band of marauding dwarves tearing apart the Raulish Giant? Perhaps, the Steely-Eyed Magicmen of Erlefurt staring down the Nordelian Count Strahd better suits your taste. These are the tales that bards sing of, and the names that first leave the tongue for any bard’s tale about adventurers. They are also the most powerful and skilled adventuring companies in the land capable of standing toe-to-toe against the most foul of monsters. 

But, as you now know, there is a reason for that. Artom Drago and his Reapers are all lycanthropes, their bones heal in seconds and they can literally tear apart steel plate with their bare hands. As for the Magicmen of Erlefurt: liches, which perfectly explains why they can stare at a vampire for more than 10 seconds.

The Society of the Occult are the means by which the Crown and the Hearthkeepers keep monsters in check. They give them resources to feed, protection from the Inqusition, power and privilege in the highest rungs of society, a comfortable life for their families–so long as they follow rules. 

First, the civilian populace must never know what you truly are. The people already react with pitchforks and a burning pyre when they spot an apprentice change the color of his robe. Imagine what they will do when they realize the monster-slaying warrior hasn’t aged in the last 40 years.

Second, the Society fights the monsters the city guard and the army can’t handle. We don’t deal with homeless goblins terrorizing the countryside. We unravel the cause, delve deep down unwalked paths, and we cut off the head of the eldritch horror hiding in the dark. 

Third and last, the Society takes care of their own. When one of your own goes mad, you don’t wait and hope they get better. You pick up your weapon and you get straight to work. Because if you don’t, their family is worse than dead within 5 minutes; their neighbors become shambling minions in an hour; and the city will be in flames before morning.

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Players will have the option to pursue a Transformation Pathway in this game. A Pathway is a series of transformations caused by a curse. This transformation will send your character down the path towards becoming a monster, granting you its power in exchange for a burdensome madness that becomes stronger as you depart further away from humanity.

It is expected that most players will pursue one Transformation Pathway or another in the course of play. A player can only pursue one pathway at any given time, and must reverse their existing pathway first if they wish to pursue another one later.

It is also possible for some players not to pursue a pathway. I encourage you to talk to me about this so I can arrange for a suitable magical item, feat, or other benefit to help maintain the team power balance.

 

Edited February 4 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

Aberrant Horror

 

A cloaked figure flees through the dimly lit city streets. The guards appear to have the upper hand, until she turns to greet them—a hulking mess of spines, claws, and gnashing maws. Lightning cracks. A mad doctor bellows in triumph as a once-deceased woman rises. With three fleshy tentacles sprouting from her back, his newest creation is complete. Thunder booms as the woman approaches the doctor menacingly, tendrils extended. Not all successful experiments end well.

Aberrant Horrors are the result of a humanoid becoming an aberration. Able to break free from the physical restrictions imposed upon them by the Material Plane, they shift the components of their form at a whim. This makes Aberrant Horrors terrifying to behold, especially in battle. Many adversaries have been caught off-guard when a seemingly defenceless opponent grew rows of gruesome spines before their eyes.

Becoming an Aberrant Horror

Each Aberrant Horror is defined by one key question: what happened to them? Some individuals make pacts with ancient entities for powers that have unforeseen effects. Others awaken after being defeated by an unnatural monster, surprised that they have been spared, only to feel something writhing in their stomach. Many tropes of body horror can be used as inspiration for an Aberrant Horror.

Once your origin has been determined, you can consider what your character’s motivations are regarding their transformation. As their power grows and manifests, they may feel they have

lost what makes them fundamentally themselves. Perhaps they decide to take revenge on the entity responsible for their transformation, or perhaps they perceive their transformation as a gift.

Transformation Features An Aberrant Horror has the following transformation features: Prerequisites Ability Scores: Constitution 13 Roleplay: You must have had an encounter with an Aberration, magical anomaly, or some other plausible reason to have become an Aberrant Horror. Discuss with your GM how you can achieve this in your backstory or in-game. Some of your abilities will require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows: Transformation Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier   Level Milestones The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Aberrant Horror: Defeating a powerful Aberration and absorbing its power. Undergoing a dangerous and costly experiment. Surviving a magical mishap. Acquiring the strength to give birth to a more powerful version of yourself, which then consumes your old self. Fulfilling an eldritch prophecy written in the stars   Transformation Level 1 Starting at 1st level, you gain the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw. Your body can twist and reshape itself as you will it, changing body parts into dangerous weapons or useful tools, and regenerating after damage. This ability is represented through Adaptations. At 1st level, you gain the following adaptations: Boon: Aberrant Adaptations Chitinous Shell. As a bonus action, you can develop a hard, crustacean-like shell. When you use this adaptation and are not wearing heavy armour, you gain a +2 natural armor bonus to AC. However, this reduces your speed by 10 feet. This adaptation lasts for 1 minute or until you are knocked unconscious. On your turn, you may use a bonus action to end this Adaptation. Eldritch Limbs. You can transform one or both of your arms into a weapon of thick muscle, sharp claws, or hardened bone. When you make an attack, you can use this Adaptation. If you do, you gain the following features: You can choose what type of damage your unarmed attacks will cause, from Piercing, Bludgeoning, or Slashing. Your arm becomes a claw, tusk, or bone club, depending on the damage type chosen. You may roll a d6 in place of normal damage for unarmed strikes. You cannot hold any object in the affected arm. This includes, but is not limited to, weapons, shields, and spellcasting focuses. Any object you are holding merges into your adaptation or immediately drops to the ground. The GM may decide if they feel the object is too large to merge. This adaptation lasts until you become knocked unconscious. On your turn, you may use a bonus action to end this adaptation. Boon: Aberrant Form Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Strength score increases by 1. You become an Aberration in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells and abilities that affect Aberrations of a specific CR have no effect on you.  Flaw: Unstable Mutations Your body becomes malleable and struggles to maintain any one physical shape. Upon completing a long rest, you must roll 1d12 on the Unstable Form table and apply the effects of the result, determined by your transformation level. You roll an additional 1d12 for each level in the transformation, and you can choose which effect you prefer. These effects last until you complete another long rest. If you roll the same result on the table more than once in a row, roll again until a new result is rolled.

Unstable Mutation Table Roll Effect 1 Your body starts to become formless. You have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws. 2 You start to become rigid and brittle, making resting less effective. When you consume a hit dice, you do not add your constitution modifier to the result. 3 Your body starts sweating a viscous substance that hardens quickly. You cannot doff armour or change clothes. Dropping, stowing, or interacting with an object requires an action. 4 You immediately throw up a thick, black ichor and begin feeling nauseous. You do not benefit from the effects of any food, drink, or potions consumed. 5 You are only able to form one-word sentences in a guttural voice you do not recognise. You can still cast spells with verbal components. 6 Your legs become unresponsive and difficult to move. Your movement speed decreases by 10 feet. 7 Your body begins fighting against any form you take. You cannot make reactions. 8 Your arms periodically have a will of their own, causing your reaction speed to slow while you regain control of them. You have disadvantage on Dexterity ability checks to determine initiative order. 9 Your skin quivers and shifts, while your appearance constantly changes. Every 30 seconds a defining feature of appearance changes, such as hair colour, facial features, or body proportions. 10 Nothing happens. 11 You become immune to the grappled and restrained conditions. 12 If you would gain hit points from a spell or ability other than your own, you gain that many hit points plus your Constitution modifier instead.

 

 

Transformation Level 2

These abilities are unknown at the current time. You must investigate to discover more.

Edited February 8 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

The Fiend

A smirking, well-dressed man of unknown origin appears in a time of great need. He extends his hand and a contract manifests in a golden flash. With a quill floating by his side, he remarks, “Of course I can fix your dilemma. After all, who do you think caused it in the first place?” For a solution to a world of problems, the man asks for only two things in return: a signature and an eternity of servitude.

Hellfire swirls up a Fiend’s arms as she laughs maniacally. In a single motion, she launches waves of fiery death at the legions of lesser Daemons sent to rein her in. Those who perish twist and harden into charred, blackened figures with bright molten cores. The Fiend laughs again as she snaps her fingers and each figure explodes into another wave of fiery destruction.

Many tales are told in Etharis of the power of Fiends and the dangers of their contracts. Regardless, every year a champion rises, a prodigy is born, or some individual makes a deal for their soul in exchange for Lady Luck to be on their side. To a Fiend, a soul is a delicious meal with an invigorating aftertaste. Most importantly, a soul contains the power to sustain their transformation.

Becoming a Fiend

A mortal can become a Fiend in a variety of ways. Some forfeit their souls and become one upon death. Others undertake excruciating rituals to transform into one. However, your character becomes a Fiend constitutes their contract. Communicating with your GM about creating deals with mortals in their story is a great way to roleplay your influence within the game world. As a Fiend, you should consider what your character’s motivations are and which NPCs they can use to achieve their goals.

Transformation Features

A Fiend has the following transformation features:

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Charisma 13

Roleplay: You must have made a pact with a Fiend, undergone an infernal ritual, or have some other plausible reason to have become a Fiend. Discuss with your GM how you can achieve this in-game.

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Fiend:

• Defeating a greater rival Fiend and taking their place in the hierarchy.
• Ensnaring a particularly powerful or influential soul with a contract.
• Establishing a cult of worshipers who offer their strength to you.
• Establishing a portal between the materialplane and the Netherworld.
• Killing or corrupting a Seraph.

Transformation Level 1

Starting at 1st level, you gain the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw.

Boon: Gifts of Damnation

You have acquired the ability to bind your first mortal to your will. You can create a contract to bind their soul to you, feeding on its power. However, you will not gain the benefits of this gift until you have bound a mortal with a contract.

To bind a mortal’s soul to you and grant them a Gift of Damnation, you must first create a contract for that gift. A contract requires magical ink and paper worth 50gp for each Transformation level you have acquired, and you must meet the prerequisites listed. In addition, you and the mortal must both sign the contract willingly, fully aware of the costs involved. Once signed, Netherworld entities give the benefits of the gift to you, and the mortal receives the named benefit within 7 days. You do not have to provide this benefit yourself. For example, upon signing a contract for a Gift of Unfettered Glory, you will receive the benefits listed under the gift. The mortal who signs will receive glory and no in-game mechanical bonuses, provided by the dubious powers of the Netherworld.

While you may have any number of contracts in your possession, you can only benefit from one at a time. Upon the completion of a long rest, you may swap the contract you are currently benefiting from for an alternate contract that you have bound a mortal to and signed.

On your turn, as an action, you can call upon the Netherworld to reveal to you the exact location of a creature that has signed one of your contracts, providing they are on the same plane of existence as you.

A contract you hold lasts for 7 years or until the mortal that signed it dies. At which point it bursts into flames and you cannot receive any benefits from it.

Gifts of Damnation Contracts

Gifts of Damnation are named after the benefits you can offer mortals in exchange for their souls. As the name suggests, these gifts offer mortals only short-term benefits and usually end in tragedy. To a Fiend, however, these gifts represent the powers you can gain by offering certain contracts and gaining the power of a soul. You can choose gifts that are thematic for your character, or that you like the benefits of, providing you meet the requirements.

Gift of Unfettered Glory

When you hit a creature with a melee attack or melee spell attack, you can add your Charisma modifier to the damage dealt.

Gift of Joyous Youth

At the beginning of your turn, if you have no remaining Hit Dice, you can choose to make a DC 10 Charisma saving throw. On a success, you regain 1 spent Hit Die. If you fail, you suffer 1d6 psychic damage.

Gift of Unsurpassed Fortune

Whenever a creature makes an attack roll, skill check, or saving throw within 20 feet, after the GM has rolled but before they have determined the result, you can use your reaction to roll a d20. If you roll a 10 or higher, the attack roll, saving throw, or skill check immediately fails. You cannot do this again until you complete a long rest.

Gift of Prodigious Talent

Prerequisite: 2nd Level of Fiend Transformation

Choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies. This ability cannot double your proficiency bonus on a skill whose proficiency bonus is already being doubled.

Gift of Liberating Freedom

Prerequisite: 2nd Level of Fiend Transformation

As a bonus action, you can manifest a pair of leathery wings. You gain a fly speed equal to your current speed. These wings recede if you dismiss them as a bonus action on your turn, or if you are knocked unconscious. You cannot manifest your wings while wearing heavy armour. You can manifest your wings while wearing medium or light armour if it is made to accommodate them.

Gift of Unconditional Love

Prerequisite: 3rd Level of Fiend Transformation

Whenever a creature fails a Charisma saving throw due to a spell or magical ability you control, you can use your reaction to gain temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your Character’s level. You cannot do this again until you complete a short rest.

Gift of Second Chances

Prerequisite: 3rd Level of Fiend Transformation

If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to roll a Hit Die. If you do, your hit point total becomes the Hit Die result instead. You can’t use this feature again until you complete a long rest.

Gift of Expansive Knowledge

Prerequisite: 4th Level of Fiend Transformation

When you complete this contract for the first time, you learn additional spells from the cleric, warlock, or wizard spell list equal to your Charisma modifier. You must have a spell slot level equal to or greater than each of these spells. While you have the effects of this contract and no other contract active, you know these spells in addition to your total Spells Known.

Gift of Unbridled Power

Prerequisite: 4th Level of Fiend Transformation

Upon completing a short rest, you can spend 1 Hit Die and regain any number of spell slots whose total is equal to or less than the result of the Hit Dice. If you do, you suffer psychic damage equal to the number of spell slot levels you regained. You cannot use this ability again until you complete a long rest.

Boon: Fiendish Form

Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Intelligence score increases by 1. You become a Fiend in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells and abilities that affect Fiends of a specific CR have no effect on you.

Flaw: Planar Binding

Your body and soul are bound to a fiendish plane of existence. You have disadvantage on death saving throws as the plane attempts to pull you back to it. If you would be killed, your soul has been dragged back to a plane of existence of the GM’s choice. This plane is your new home, and you become an NPC under the GM’s control. If you are on the fiendish plane responsible for your transformation, this flaw has no effect.

Transformation Level 2

These abilities are unknown at the current time. You must investigate to discover more.

Edited February 8 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

The Lich

The screams of souls torn from their bodies echo over the electric crackling of forbidden magic. A mass of worms rapidly covers a skeletal frame, writhing together to resemble muscle and skin, creating a seemingly living man – a man from an age and kingdom long gone. A man who has conquered death and risen again to enact his insidious will from millennia ago. The screams stop and are replaced with murmurs, as a new star bursts and its light shines down from an alien night sky. 

An ancient figure slowly turns the pages of a decrepit tome possessing forbidden cosmic knowledge. Tracing a bony finger over the inscription, the figure turns its head, revealing a gaunt, deathly face. 

“I do not receive company often,” it rasps, slowly locking eyes with a broad-shouldered warrior. The warrior makes no movement or gestures, save for his eyes, which dart rapidly around the room in search of an escape. 

“Oh, do not struggle. It will be over soon.” The deathly figure continues, raising itself up from a crouch. The very fabric of the room appears to warp and shudder with the figure’s power and authority.

A Lich is a herald and vessel for the arcane. Resting upon a throne of raw, world-rending spellcasting potential, a Lich comes as close to a God as any mortal could imagine. However, this awe-inspiring power comes at a dear price. Immune to the effects of age but not time, a Lich is destined to exist without living for eternity. While this drives some Lich mad and others evil, it makes them all physically decrepit and feeble. Time itself takes their body from them until they are reduced to a skeletal head, passively watching the world pass them by.

Becoming a Lich

Across the Multiverse there are many ways to become a Lich, each determining the type of Lich the mortal becomes. However, within Etharis there is only one type of Lich, as there is only one known method of ascending to the Lordship: The Ritual of Dread. The process of this ritual is a well-guarded secret, entrusted to only a handful of mortals at any one time. The process of the ritual involves several despicable acts including murder, the brewing of a vile concoction, and even one’s own death. However, it is the process of tearing one’s soul from the body that is most despised, for this process involves the sacrifice of something truly dear to a mortal, and no substitute will be accepted. For some, it is the death of a cherished loved one. For others it is a family legacy. Regardless of the sacrifice, unless the Elder Gods deem it worthy, Lordship will not be granted.

Transformation Features

A Lich has the following transformation features:

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Intelligence 16 or Wisdom 16

Spellcasting Ability: You must have the ability to cast 2nd level spells or an animal companion.

Roleplay: You must complete the Ritual of Dread. The process of this ritual is partially described, but left intentionally vague so it can be tailored to your setting and campaign. Discuss with your GM how you can achieve this in-game.

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence or Wisdom modifier

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Lich:

• Discover ancient and dark arcane knowledge.
• Consume the soul of an exceptionally powerful spellcaster.
• Build a monument to your power to serve as a giant arcane focus.
• Create an army of undead.
• Kill a god.

Transformation Level 1 

Starting at 1st level, you gain the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw.

Boon: Harvester of Souls

You have gained the ability to tear the soul out of creatures you kill and consume it for its invigorating effects. Whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, if you are on the same plane of existence as your phylactery, its soul is transformed into a worm and charges your phylactery with profane power.

On your turn, as an action, you can consume any number of charge levels from your phylactery to regain a single spell slot. When you regain a spell slot in this way, the spell slot’s level is equal to one-third of the charge you consumed, rounded down.

Boon: Undead Form

Choose whether your Intelligence or Wisdom score increases by 2. The other score increases by 1. An ability score cannot be increased beyond 20 this way. 

You become an Undead in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells and abilities that state effects or conditions specifically regarding Undead of a specific CR have no effect on you. If a spell or ability other than your own would cause you to gain Hit Points, you gain that many temporary Hit Points instead. If you are reduced to 0 hit points and fall unconscious as a result, any healing you receive will stabilize you and leave you on 1 hit point and unconscious. 

You stop aging. You are immune to any effect that would age you, and you cannot die from old age.

Flaw: Phylactery

You have successfully torn your soul from your body and trapped it in a suitable object. The object must be a trinket or item no larger than 1 square foot in size. This item becomes your phylactery.

Phylactery. A phylactery is an enchanted vessel containing a Lich’s essence. Additionally, a phylactery is a conduit for the Lich to feed on captured souls.

A phylactery has the following statistics:

• Armour Class: 18
• Hit Points: 90
• Speed: 0
• Damage Immunities: poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical sources.
• Damage Resistances: necrotic, cold, thunder,lightning, force, fire.

While a soul is stored in your phylactery, the phylactery is considered charged. Its charge level is equal to the CR of all the creatures whose soul you have captured. To store a new soul in your Phylactery, add the CR of the creature you killed to your Phylacteries charge level. The souls of creatures with a CR of less than ¼ are not great enough to charge your phylactery. Your Phylacteries charge level cannot exceed 27. 

If your phylactery is reduced to 0 hit points, your soul is lost; you crumble to dust and are killed outright.

If you are killed and you control a charged phylactery on the same plane of existence, your phylactery’s charge is consumed and your body is reconstructed within 5 feet of your phylactery 48 hours  later. If you are killed and your Phylactery does not have a level of charge, you are reanimated 7 days later as a Demilich or Larva Mage under the GM’s control.

Alternative Phylacteries

Carrion Companion

Requirements: An animal companion

If its carrion companion is still alive, a destroyed lich gains a new body in 48 hours, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of its companion.

Your companion gains the following features:

Companion Phylactery. If its carrion companion is still alive, a destroyed lich gains a new body in 48 hours, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of its companion.

Soul Feast. Whenever you roll for initiative, your animal companion gains temporary hit points equal to half the number of souls stored in your phylactery at the start of your turn.

Edited February 4 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

Lycanthrope

A howling call is heard across thatched rooftops, summoning the pack to assemble. Below, a man tears at his clothes as moonlight shines down on him. The hunched figure screams in pain, begging his family to run. With muscles bursting and razor-sharp claws forming, his transformation is underway.

Rain pours through the forest canopy as a woman falls to her knees in exhaustion. Unable to run further, she accepts her fate and awaits the monsters of the dark. Instead, she hears a thunderous roar as a hulking figure tears through the undergrowth with impossible strength. The hulking, bear-like figure then turns to the woman and grunts, “Are you lost?” offering a paw in aid.

Lycanthropes may appear to be ordinary humanoids, but behind the veneer of humanity there is a pivotal struggle between beast and man. For most, it is a matter of time before they lose this fight and transform into a monstrous hybrid, half-animal and half-humanoid. Most Lycanthropes recall very little of their time transformed, often waking in a strange location, covered in blood and tattered clothes. However, as some Lycanthropes grow, they learn to balance both natures, using their curse as a gift.

Becoming a Lycanthrope

In Etharis, there are two documented methods of contracting the Lycanthropic curse. The first is being bitten by a Lycanthrope and not curing the curse before it takes hold. The second is to complete a druidic ritual known as the Lunar Sacrament. Once you have become a Lycanthrope, consider how your character feels about the curse. Do they wish to cure it before it progresses too far? Do they wish to understand it and make peace with the beast that resides within?

Transformation Features

A Lycanthrope has the following transformation features:

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Strength 13

Roleplay: You must have contracted the Curse of Lycanthropy. This usually comes from being bitten by a Lycanthrope and surviving the encounter. Alternatively, you may have completed the Lunar Sacrament and been imbued with Lycanthropy. Discuss with your GM how you can achieve this within your backstory or in-game.

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Lycanthrope:

• Establishing a pack of other Lycanthropes.
• Killing an Alpha Lycanthrope.
• Gaining control of your animalistic urges.
• Unleashing the beast within and losing your humanity.

Transformation Level 1

Starting at 1st level, you gain all the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw.

Boon: Hybrid Transformation

As an action, you may transform into a monstrous hybrid: half-beast, half-sentient. While in your hybrid form, the following rules apply:

• You can’t cast spells or concentrate on spells. Your ability to speak is reduced to short, basic, guttural responses.
• Your stats remain the same as your humanoid stats.
• Any armour you are wearing merges into your Hybrid Form or immediately drops to the ground. The GM may decide if they feel the armour is too large to merge.
• While transformed and not wearing any armour or using a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Constitution modifier + your Dexterity modifier.
• While transformed you can use weapons and equipment as normal, unless specified elsewhere.
• You roll a d6 in place of the normal damage for your unarmed strikes. Attacks using your claws deal slashing damage instead of bludgeoning damage.
• When making the attack action you may substitute one attack to make an unarmed bite attack. If the attack hits, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier. If you make a bite attack, you cannot make another until the beginning of your next turn.
• If you made the attack action, as a bonus action you may make an unarmed claw attack or bite attack, provided you have not already used your bonus action.

Your hybrid form lasts for a number of hours equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) and ends early if you are knocked unconscious or reduced to 0 hit points. You can end your Hybrid Form by using an action on your turn.

Boon: Shapechanger’s Form

Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1. You become a Shapechanger in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells and abilities that affect Shapechangers of a specific CR have no effect on you.

Flaw: Lust for the Hunt

The savage nature of your curse sometimes causes you to lose control. These ferocious tendencies are a constant struggle between you as a humanoid and the beast within. When you are in your hybrid form, you must succeed at a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw at the beginning of each turn or lose control. If you are in the light of a full moon, you automatically fail this saving throw. If you fail this saving throw, you are subjected to the following until you succeed:

• You must move toward the closest non-player creature you can see, smell or hear, prioritising helpless creatures. If you end your movement and no non-player creature is within 5 feet of you, then you must use your action to dash toward one.
• If there is a non-player creature within 5 feet of you and you have not used your action you must make a melee attack against it, prioritising helpless creatures.
• If you made a melee attack against a creature, and that creature is still alive, then you must use your bonus action to make an unarmed claw or bite attack against the same creature. Additionally, if you are subjected to the light of a full moon you must succeed at a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or automatically turn into your hybrid form and cannot transform back until dawn. If you succeed in this saving throw, you are immune to its effects for 24 hours.

Helpless Creatures

The defenceless and downtrodden are met with a modicum, of sympathy by most. However, to the bestial side of a Lycanthrope, these creatures represent prey. This Transformation refers to helpless creatures in multiple instances. For game purposes a helpless creature is a humanoid that is unconscious, restrained, blinded, paralized or frightened. Additionally, creatures that are so vulnerable in their current situation, they are completely defenceless are also considered helpless. For example, a disarmed and defeated enemy, pleading for mercy. In these instances the GM decides if the creature is considered helpless or not.

Edited February 8 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

The Seraph

Incense burns dimly, as muffled coughs echo through the musty room. Loved ones hold each other as a bedridden woman exhales for the last time, her scarred face bearing the mortifying lesions of the Weeping Pox. Her family sobs, too lost in their sorrow to notice how the smouldering embers radiate and shine. A woman with flowing robes and platinum hair approaches, radiant energy emitting from her folded, angelic wings. 

“Hold on for but a moment my child,” she whispers. “Mercy has been granted.”

With a thunderous boom, the Seraph’s hammer collides with a skeletal abomination. Shards of bone scatter across the dilapidated chapel floor as the monster roars in pain. Gritting her teeth, the angelic figure proclaims, “By all that is holy, you will be vanquished!” Golden fire erupts from her hammer as she prepares for another strike. 

Seraphs are mortals who have transformed into Celestial representations of a virtue or ideal. Exalted by a higher power, Seraphs are selected by divine beings after long and patient observation, confirming that the mortal displays pure character. Seraphs are selected from noble martyrs, tireless crusaders, or other exemplary individuals who are prepared to become the physical manifestation of righteousness.

Becoming a Seraph

To be chosen by an Arch Seraph is to become a vessel for the principles they uphold. This is a charge not to be taken lightly, and those who display righteousness with the intention of becoming a Seraph are usually overlooked for this reason. When becoming a Seraph, consider why your character was chosen. Do you display hidden merit? Are you devoted to a cause they will value?

Transformation Features

A Seraph has the following transformation features:

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Wisdom 13

Roleplay: You must have been exalted by an Arch Seraph, divine cosmic energies, or have some other plausible reason to have become a Seraph. Discuss with your GM how you can achieve this in-game.

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Seraph:

• Defeating a powerful force of darkness.
• Create a hallowed landmark for pilgrims.
• Establish a parish of worshipers who uphold your virtue.
• Establish a portal between the Material Plane and the Empyrium.
• Redeem a soul that was considered beyond redemption.

Transformation Level 1

Starting at 1st level, you gain the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw.

Boon: Celestial form

Your Wisdom score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1. You become a Celestial in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells and abilities that affect Celestials of a specific CR have no effect on you.

Boon: Angelic Wings

You have manifested feathered wings. You have a flying speed equal to your normal speed. You cannot wear armour or clothing that has not been modified to accommodate your wings.

Flaw: Planar Binding

Your body and soul are bound to a divine plane of existence. You have disadvantage on death saving throws as the plane attempts to pull you back to it. If you would be killed, your soul has been taken back to a plane of existence of the GM’s choice. This plane is your new home, and you become an NPC under the GM’s control. If you are on the divine plane responsible for your transformation, this flaw has no effect.

Edited February 8 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

Vampire

A lone figure clad in burnished steel greets the roaring infantry as they charge through the breach in the castle’s walls. In a flash of black mist, the figure appears in front of the soldiers, striking them down with inhuman speed.

Candlelight flickers as a hooded adviser leans over an ornate throne, whispering machinations into her lord’s ensnared mind. The chamber erupts in commotion as the lord announces further powers be granted to the resident merchant’s guild.

Vampires are creatures of cursed blood and tragic existence. Exquisite food, a warm summer’s breeze, and growing old with loved ones are all luxuries a Vampire will never experience. Unable to enjoy many of the fineries of life as they once knew it, Vampires often become bitter creatures, filled with hate for everything they once loved.

Becoming a Vampire

Vampires are spawned into the world when a mortal contracts the Sanguine Curse, dies, and is reborn undead. There are a variety of ways to contract the curse. A Vampire may have offered their blood to a loyal servant, powerful ally, or loved one they wished to elevate. More commonly, a Vampire may have bitten you, and you survived the Vampire’s attack long enough to contract the Sanguine Curse before perishing and being reborn. Other methods include ancient and dark magic, as well as powerful but cursed magical artifacts. Regardless of how you have become a Vampire, you should discuss with your GM what type of Vampire you would like to become, and how it can be implemented in the campaign.

Transformation Features

A Vampire has the following transformation features:

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Dexterity 13

Roleplay: You must have contracted the Sanguine Curse, whether by being bitten by a Vampire, offered their blood, completing the Sanguine Ritual, or by another plausible method. Discuss with your GM how you can achieve this in-game.

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity or Charisma modifier

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Vampire:

• Establish a coven of vampire spawn.
• Drink the blood of a legendary monster.
• Learn the great secrets of vampirism from a Vampire Lord.
• Learn to embrace your Hideous Form and lose the ability to conceal it.
• Discover the lost crypts of an ancient vampire and consume its essence.

Transformation Level 1

Starting at 1st level, you gain the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw.

Boon: Blood Fury

You have become possessed by the thirst that grips all Vampires. In combat, this thirst drives you into an insatiable frenzy of bloodshed. Whenever you deal combat damage with an unarmed strike or a melee/ranged weapon to a target that can bleed, and is not undead or a construct, you gain one Fury Point. You may only have a maximum of 4 Fury Points at any time. Upon completing a short or long rest, the number of Fury Points you have is reset to 0. These points are used by certain abilities that you can learn through your transformation levels.

You can spend Fury Points (FP) to use the following abilities. The entries below detail their names, Fury Points cost in parentheses, and features:

• Fanged Bite (1FP). On your turn, immediately after you take the attack action, you can use your bonus action to make a special unarmed bite attack. You can use your Dexterity modifier instead of strength to hit with this attack. This attack deals piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier. The target must then succeed at a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 necrotic damage. You regain hit point equal to the necrotic damage dealt this way.
  This attack generates 1 Fury Point as normal. If this attack reduces a humanoid creature of size Medium or smaller to 0 hit points, you gain 3 Fury Points instead.
• Calculated Strike (1FP). When you hit with a melee weapon attack, you may use this ability before damage is dealt. If you do so, you may add 1d6 of the same damage as your weapon to the damage result. If this ability is used, no Fury Points are generated for this attack.
• Vampiric Mist (2FP). As a bonus action, you can disappear in a puff of shadowy mist and teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.
• Unearthly Reflexes (1FP). After you have rolled a Dexterity saving throw, but before the GM has determined the result, you can use your reaction and take half damage on a failed save, and no damage on a successful one.
• Deathly Horror (3FP). As a bonus action, you can emit a ghastly distortion of your true form. A creature of your choice within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become Frightened of you for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw is immune to this ability for 24 hours.

Boon: Undead Form

Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Charisma score increases by 1. In addition, your creature type changes to undead. Spells and abilities that state effects or conditions specifically regarding Undead of a specific CR have no effect on you. If a spell or ability other than your own would cause you to gain Hit Points, you gain that many temporary Hit Points instead. If you are reduced to 0 hit points and fall unconscious as a result, any healing you receive will stabilize you and leave you on 1 hit point and unconscious. Furthermore, you cannot die from old age and you do not require air, food or drink.

Flaw: The Sanguine Curse

The sanguine curse has taken a hold on you. As a result you gain the following features:

• You gain Darkvision (60 ft.) if you do not already have it.
• While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
• You must feed every 7 days.

Feeding

Transcended beyond mortal needs, vampires do not need to eat. However, the gripping nature of their curse requires them to feed on the fresh blood of humanoids. A task they undertake with delight.

On your turn, as an action, you can make an unarmed bite attack against an unconscious, restrained or charmed humanoid. If you do so, the target is drained for 1 pint of blood and bears a bite mark on the location you bit them. This attack does not wake sleeping creatures or end the effect of spells and abilities. A creature bitten this way gains a level of exhaustion, which can only be removed with the use of a greater restoration spell.

A vampire that does not feed within the required time goes into an unconscious feeding frenzy, under the GM’s control. The next time they sleep or enter a trance they attack all nearby living creatures and attempt to feed on them. A vampire remains in this state until they have drained a creature completely (killing them), at which point the vampire falls unconscious for 4 hours.

Edited February 8 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

Giant

Guards brace the large wooden door against the hulking creature on the other side. As the door explodes into splinters, the guards scatter across the room, pushing one another down or in the giant’s way to ensure their own safety. The giant makes short work of the smallfolk, throwing their bodies around like ragdolls before making her way deeper into the keep for its food stores.

As the brown bear rushed towards him, the giant lowered himself into a squat and prepared for the impact. At the moment they met, the giant let out a belly laugh, putting the bear into a headlock and wrestling it to the ground. The two twist around on the ground for several minutes before the bear gives up and sits in the dirt beside the giant. “Good boy,” the giant said before throwing a large fish to the ground.

Giants are relics of a harsher time in the world, long before the gods tamed Etharis to allow for the rise of smaller peoples. Most of the giants of Etharis were eliminated over the centuries, but their magical influences, both beneficial and cursed, still linger in pockets around Etharis. Many of the giant clans of old strode the lands of Etharis.

The frost giants were most prevalent in their frozen ice castles. The fire giants often warred with them, rising from their magma-filled, subterranean volcanic strongholds. Even the stone, cloud, and storm giants found refuge in the lands of Valika. Of course, no place was safe from the ravages of the brutish hill giants, and their ogre, troll, and ettin servants.

This history meant giants exceled at surviving, most famously through their extraordinary size and the capacity for violence that size allows. Giants were a clannish people who respect physical strength, and some postulate that the native people of Valika still have giant blood coursing through their veins.

Those who transform into giants may do so because of that giant heritage. Others may come across some latent giant magic trapped beneath the ice or in long-forgotten giant strongholds. Those transforming into giants might find acceptance with the limited number of giants who still call Etharis home, but only after proving themselves worthy of respect by way of personal might or incredible bravery and wit.

Becoming a Giant

Few mortals have ever transformed into giants or, more accurately, few mortals have survived the experience. Those who were able to transform had some ancient ancestry that included giants, completed one of a handful of arcane procedures, earned the blessing of a giant high priest, stumbled upon some ancient eldritch giant magic, or a combination of these. Becoming a giant isn’t just about growing in size—it also relies on tapping into the primordial prowess of the giants that allowed them to survive against the wilds when the world was new.

Growing in strength as a giant often means setting aside planning and reason for instinct and action. Most giants don’t sit around a table plotting the downfall of their enemies; instead, they take the most direct route to their foes and pummel them into submission with their bare hands. Those who show loyalty to their clan, exhibit formidable physical strength, and display decisiveness in war and other contests grow in titanic power.

Transformation Features

A Giant has the following transformation features:

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Strength 13

Roleplay: Complete an arcane ritual, consume a giant’s heart stuffed with alchemical compounds and mashed caterpillars, earn the favor of a giant tribe and undergo a ceremony performed by one of their high priests to bestow the gifts of their titanic ancestors upon you, or accidentally stumble upon ancient giant magic.

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the giant:

• Defeating a creature larger than you
• Intimidating a group of creatures smaller than you into running away or obeying you
• Overcome a challenge with an extraordinary feat of strength or excessive violence
• Eating a creature the same size as you or larger 
• Leading a tribe of giants into battle against another tribe of giants

Transformation Level 1

Starting at the 1st level of transformation, you gain the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw (or the Alternative Flaw).

Boon: Giant Form

Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1. You become a Giant in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells and abilities that affect giants of a specific CR have no effect on you.

Boon: Growth Sport

Your body swells as muscles grow and bones elongate, a painful transformation that ends in a towering stature. If your size is smaller than Large, it is now Large. In addition, your maximum hit points increase by 5 and increase by 5 again each time you gain a new Giant transformation level.

Flaw: Big Appetite

As your body has grown, so has your appetite. While you once subsisted on a few pounds of food a day, you now must eat one livestock animal a day to feel nourished. You must eat at least 2 gp, or about 200 lbs., of food each day. You cannot gain the benefits of a long rest on a day where you have not eaten enough food.

Edited February 8 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

Fey

The soft strumming of a harp draws the children ever deeper into the dark wood. As they reach a moonlit clearing, they see a beautiful maid dressed in a gown of starlight. She turns her soft gaze upon them at the sounds of their gasps and calls to them, “Welcome, little ones, be not afraid. Step into the ring so we may dance and play.”

An elfin man with pale blue skin leans his forehead against the dying tree. As he softly hums, the shriveled leaves turn green once again, and the ancient bow begins to straighten. The man lets out a sigh of relief, which momentarily chills the air.

The fey are changeable beings of great power and even greater danger. No two fey are quite alike, but their tie to the natural world is universal. Mortals cannot comprehend the level of true freedom the faerie people feel. To know such freedom is to change entirely. 

Becoming Fey

Becoming a fey requires a direct connection to the faerie realms. Most creatures who become fey are forced to do so when they are stolen from the material realm as a child. These children, known as changelings, rapidly transform after only a few days trapped in the realm of faerie. A changeling’s transition is often painful or strange, for a child altered in this way does not have a say in what type of fey they ultimately become.

A creature who voluntarily seeks to become a fey can strike a deal with an arch fey or beseech the court of one of the faerie queens. These pathways to transformation are as dangerous as the realms of faeries themselves, and it requires a quick wit and sharp awareness to get the best of the fey kind.

Transformation Features

A fey has the following transformation features:

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Charisma 13

Roleplay: You must have sworn fealty to one of the fey courts, been raised in the realms as a changeling, or have some other plausible reason to have become a fey. Discuss with your GM how you can achieve this in the game.

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Fey:

• Striking a bargain with a greater fey
• Performing a great deed in the name of one of the faerie queens
• Establishing a new faerie ring or bridge to the fey realms
• Defeating a powerful agent from your rival court
• Earning a domain or title in the realm of faerie

Transformation Level 1

Starting at 1st level, you gain the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw.

Boon: Fey Form

Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Dexterity score increases by 1. You also become a fey in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells that affect humanoids still affect you. However, you’re immune to effects that only affect a creature of your new type of a specific CR.

When you gain this ability, you must also choose which Fey court fuels your transformation. Choose one of the following:

• The Summer Court. The summer court embodies the bounty and warmth of the growing season. The fey of summer tend towards joviality, fickleness, and vanity. Creatures of summer often hide their cruel intentions behind beautiful facades.
• The Winter Court. The winter court embodies the stillness and darkness of the coldest season. The fey of winter tend to be serious, cruel, and reflective. Creatures of winter are often terrifying to behold but very direct about their intentions.

Boon: Twilight Step

As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Your twilight step also gains an additional feature depending on which court you chose for your Fey Form ability.

• Summer. Immediately after using your Twilight Step, one creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you takes fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 damage).
• Winter. Immediately after using your Twilight Step, one creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you takes cold damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 damage).

You can use the Twilight Step feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Flaw: Planar Binding

Your body and soul are bound to one of the faerie realms. You have disadvantage on death saving throws as the realm attempts to pull you back to it. If you would be killed, your soul is taken back to a plane of existence of the GM’s choice. This plane is your new home, and you become an NPC under the GM’s control.

If you are in the faerie realm responsible for your transformation, this flaw has no effect.

Edited February 8 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

Primordial

The city dwellers raise their eyes to a floating figure barely glimpsed through the smog-filled sky. Their cries ring out as the figure, wreathed in flame, clenches a fist, causing the earth to tremble violently. The crushing weight of water is the last sensation the people know, as their filthy streets are washed clean.

The primordial throws her head back as she exhales a gout of flame. Her charred skin rapidly heals as she wades free of the molten lava, laughing all the way. Her companions look on in horror as she calls to them, “I have heard it. I heard the song of creation!”

Primordials are born when a humanoid absorbs a spark of primordial chaos. The primordial forces are the purest building blocks of creation, and a fostered spark quickly grows to an all-consuming flame. Mastering the elements requires unlearning the limitations of mortality, a process that spurs rapid transformation.

Becoming a Primordial

There are several ways for a mortal to consume a primordial spark, but continuing to become an elemental takes concentrated effort. A mortal might be born with an elemental spark, gifted one, or they could gain one by consuming the power of an elemental. Once acquired, one must spend a great deal of time contemplating and understanding the spark to unlock its full potential.

The process of attaining elemental mastery is dangerous. The slightest slip in control can cause devastation on a massive scale. Such facts are why isolated individuals like druids, monks, or rangers are most likely to see the transformation through to its end.

Transformation Features

A Primordial has the following transformation features:

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Constitution 13
Roleplay: Either through ritual, defeating a greater Elemental being, or some other means, you must consume a Primordial Spark.

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier.

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Primordial:

• Defeat and absorb the power of a greater elemental
• Claim an elemental node
• Make an alliance with a being from one of the elemental planes
• Use your powers to defeat an encroaching civilization
• Free an imprisoned or indentured elemental creature

Transformation Level 1

Starting at 1st level, you gain the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw.

Boon: Elemental Form

Your Constitution increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1. You become an Elemental in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells and abilities that affect Elementals of a specific CR do not affect you.

Boon: Primordial Affinity

While able to control all elements, your Primordial birth was sparked by one particular element: your Primordial Affinity. Your body is infused with malleable elemental energy. You must choose an element below and gain all the benefits of that element:

• Air. You have resistance to lightning damage. In addition, you can channel the air currents around you to guide a ranged attack. Once on each of your turns, when you make a ranged weapon or ranged spell attack, you can make that attack with advantage. If you are in a location without an air current–such as underwater–this feature has no effect.
• Earth. You have resistance to poison damage. In addition, whenever you gain temporary hit points, you gain that many plus your proficiency bonus instead.
• Fire. You have resistance to fire damage. In addition, whenever you deal fire damage, you can add your Constitution modifier to the damage dealt.
• Water. You have resistance to cold damage. In addition, whenever a creature regains hit points due to a spell or feature you control, you can imbue them with healing elemental energy. The creature regains additional hit points equal to 1d6 + your Constitution modifier.

Flaw: Planar Binding

Your body and soul are bound to a primordial plane of existence. You have disadvantage on death saving throws as the plane attempts to pull you back to it. If you would be killed, your soul is taken back to a plane of existence of the GM’s choice. This plane is your new home, and you become an NPC under the GM’s control.

If you are on the primordial plane responsible for your transformation, this flaw has no effect.

Edited February 8 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)

[MidnightPoet]

Specter

A lithe figure dashes between buildings, their body becomes luminous and ghastly, held together in tatters as the being disappears into a wall. The ghostly shape reappears on the rooftops, emerging from the solid slate. They turn, eyes luminous and haunted, and unleash a cry of the dead, beckoning all who hear to the afterlife.

A living person becomes a specter either by touching the realm of the dead or by means of magic that breaks the body’s ties to material reality and time. The transformation tears at the substance of body and mind, until what is left is a spiritual shadow. Specters have a tenuous grasp on reality, and some fade into oblivion while others become monsters that sow the same. Few cursed with this transformation have the fortitude to remain whole.

Becoming a Specter

Methods of becoming a specter vary, and few find their way willingly. Contact with the forces of death is the most common—a would-be hero is corrupted by the force they wanted to fight. Sinister rituals can also infuse a body with the powers of unmaking. Alongside beings and magic of death stand entities that exist in a reality untethered from the material world as mortals understand it. These others and their minions, manifestations of otherworldly chaos, can infuse a person with that chaos, making the victim’s ultimate home a dream of cosmic horror.

Specter Features

A specter, no matter their origin, has the following features.

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Dexterity 13 or higher
Roleplay: You must have contact with the world of the dead, either through an encounter with a monstrous and incorporeal undead creature or through contact with the afterlife. Some magical rituals can infuse mortals with this energy. Alternatively, you have had contact with an entity or force that has caused your material form to start to slip out of existence.

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation Save DC = 8  + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier.

Level Milestones

The following are possible level milestones for becoming a specter.

• Defeat a powerful, ghostly undead and absorb its power. Or defeat an aberration of similar might that has powers over space, time, or death.
• Use a ritual that infuses your body with the forces of death or primordial chaos.
• Survive a near-death experience caused by a ghostly undead creature or an aberration, especially one in which your hit point maximum is reduced, such as by a wraith’s life drain, or in which you drop to 0 hit points.
• Kill a significant foe with necrotic or psychic damage, or by using necromancy magic.
• Infuse other willing people with the power that corrupts you.
• Deal with ghosts and similar spirits, or beings of other realities, perhaps as a conduit between them and other mortals.
• Open a gate or path to places of the dead or the dreams of the Aether Kindred.

Transformation Level 1

Starting at transformation level 1, you gain the following Transformation Boons and the level’s Transformation Flaw. 

Boon: Spectral Presence

Your Dexterity increases by 2 and your Charisma increases by 1. No ability score can increase above 16 in this way. If your transformation is due to contact with the afterlife, you become Undead in addition to any other creature types you are. If your transformation is due to an abnormality with reality, you become an Aberration in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells that affect humanoids still affect you. However, you’re immune to effects that only affect a creature of your new type of a specific CR.

Also, you cease aging and cannot be aged magically.

Boon: Spectral Movement

Your walking speed increases by 10 feet. In addition, you can move through other creatures and solid objects as if they were difficult terrain and you can move through difficult terrain as if it were normal. If you end your turn inside a creature or object, you’re shunted back to where you entered and take 1d6 force damage per 10 feet (rounded up) you travel in this way. Objects that have been in your possession less than 1 minute cannot move through creatures and objects with you.

As a final benefit of this boon, due to your incorporeal nature, during your turn you have resistance to all nonmagical bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage from sources you can see.

Flaw: Close to Death

Your body and soul have a tenuous grasp on existence. You have disadvantage on death saving throws as the pull of a peaceful death calls out to you. If you would be killed, the GM chooses whether you die permanently (unable to be restored by magic) or you transform into an incorporeal undead or aberration under the GM’s control. If you are on the Ethereal Plane, this flaw has no effect.

[MidnightPoet]

Nightmare

A child wakes up from a nightmare and crawls into their parent’s bed. The parents smile and hug them tightly to their chest as the child tells them a story. Most often, that is the end of it and as routine as wetting the bed or going to school. But the parents hear something strange: a stranger in the dream. Always the same stranger, watching, speaking, and even playing with their child. And then they notice a change. The child no longer runs to them for help, or even seems to know them. They have become a stranger, and then one night, they are gone; run away, stolen. 

Becoming a Nightmare

The Nightmares are monsters who invade dreams and steal bodies. Nobody knows where they first came from, but many stories tell about the Kalashtar, a people whose souls have combined and fused with those of another world. These otherworlders faced an unprecedented apocalypse and fled to the mortal world

Priests suggest that Nightmares are corrupting forces, or even apocalyptic harbingers that followed the otherworlders to Eltharis. Others say they are a kind of daemon which delights in stealing dreams and tempting souls. None can say what they are with certainty, but all agree that a visit from a Nightmare, means it is only a matter of time before you too will become one.

Nightmare Features

A nightmare, no matter their origin, has the following features.

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Intelligence 13 or higher
Roleplay: You must have a recurring dream where you are visited by another Nightmare. On the last occurrence of this nightmare, you die in your sleep and are brought back to life as a creature who no longer dreams, but must sustain themselves on the dreams of others. 

Some of your abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Transformation Save DC = 8  + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

Level Milestones

The following are possible level milestones for becoming a specter.

• Defeat a powerful, ghostly undead and absorb its power. Or defeat an aberration of similar might that has powers over space, time, or death.
• Use a ritual that infuses your body with the forces of death or primordial chaos.
• Survive a near-death experience caused by a ghostly undead creature or an aberration, especially one in which your hit point maximum is reduced, such as by a wraith’s life drain, or in which you drop to 0 hit points.
• Kill a significant foe with necrotic or psychic damage, or by using necromancy magic.
• Infuse other willing people with the power that corrupts you.
• Deal with ghosts and similar spirits, or beings of other realities, perhaps as a conduit between them and other mortals.
• Open a gate or path to places of the dead or the dreams of the Aether Kindred.

Transformation Level 1

Starting at transformation level 1, you gain the following Transformation Boons and the level’s Transformation Flaw. 

Boon: Nightmarish Form

Your Intelligence increases by 2 and your Charisma increases by 1. If your transformation is due to contact with the afterlife, you become Undead in addition to any other creature types you are. If your transformation is due to an abnormality with reality, you become an Fiend in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells that affect humanoids still affect you. However, you’re immune to effects that only affect a creature of your new type of a specific CR.

You also gain resistance to psychic damage. You don’t need to sleep and magical effects cannot put you to sleep. You must rest for 6 hours to gain the benefits of a short rest, but can accomplish simple tasks in this time.

Boon: Dreamwalking

If a Nightmare is sleeping within 1 mile of another creature they are aware of, they can reach out and enter their dreams. The creature must have an Intelligence of 3 or higher to be targeted with this ability. You can specifically target a creature you have personally seen in the last 24 hours and is within reach of this ability, or you can select a random creature within range.

In the dream, the Nightmare controls everything the creature sees and senses. In this dreamscape, the Nightmare is able to shape the dream according to the creature’s desires. You can choose one of the following actions while in a creature’s dreamscape.

• Probe. You can reveal thoughts, memories, or desires as if the creature was under the effects of a Detect Thoughts spell. When you use this feature, the creature rolls an Intelligence saving throw against your Transformation DC. If the creature succeeds on this check, they realize they are in a dream and wake up.
• Epiphany. You can give advice or communicate with the creature as if you had cast the Sending spell. After each message, you must roll a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw to prevent the creature from waking. This DC increases by +2 for every subsequent message you send.
• Preserve. You may choose to steal the dream of another creature. Doing so immediately wakes both you and the creature you have selected, and the creature will have no memory of the dream. You may preserve this dream to fuel your abilities or to consume them during your downtime. Consuming a dream in this manner grants you 1 resolve dice. You may preserve a maximum number of dreams equal to your proficiency score.

While dreamwalking, the Nightmare is also unconscious. They are unable to move their bodies or perform any actions outside of the dreamscape. Any actions in the dreamscape cannot harm the creature or the Nightmare, but may wake them up prematurely. Dreamwalking consumes approximately 4 hours of downtime.

Flaw: Dream Eater

• You no longer need to sleep. You are not affected by spells and abilities that force you to sleep.
• You must feed and consume a dream once every 7 days. Consuming a dream requires you to spend 8 hours viewing it. During this time you are unconscious and unaware of your surroundings.

Edited February 8 by MidnightPoet (see edit history)