Living Gear Fighter (5e Subclass)
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Living Gear
Stuck behind iron bars, you watch from a distance, as a large mimic hungrily gnaws and scrapes at the cell wall, its pitch black tendrils almost caressing your skin as saliva slowly trickles down the cell. A minute later, the mimic realizes no amount of force will break through the bars, then it stops for an hour; a day; a week; and as your patience and fortitude runs thin, you find yourself speaking in a moment of brief lunacy: "Let's make a deal."
The Living Gear Archetype is for those who had an encounter with a strong mimic, and lived to tell the tale. Striking a deal with a mimic is a two-way road, so for the power the mimic grants you, it also takes something in return, which could be nutrition, dreams, memories, or anything in-between. The relationship with the mimic may also differ between a fear of being eaten alive (as the mimic's way of forcing you to keep your end of the bargain), to mutual tolerance at the prospect of a distant goal. Though all these circumstances may vary, what does not is the fact that the bond between the mimic and the fighter grows stronger by the day.
Material Form
At 3rd level, the mimic transforms, from an amorphous tumorous shape attached to you, into a useful piece of gear. The mimic can remember the items it consumes, and manifest them by changing its own shape and properties.
Storage Slots
Storage slots represent the number of items your mimic can “remember”, to then later physically manifest. To store an item, the mimic consumes it, destroying it permanently. An item may be removed from storage when a new item is consumed. At 3rd, 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th levels, your mimic gains 2 storage slots (to a maximum of 10 slots at 18th level.)
Manifestations
Manifestations represent the mimic’s own recreation of stored items.
After a short or long rest, the mimic may manifest:
- Any mundane simple/martial weapon not stored.
- Any weapon stored.
- Any armor stored.
- Any item stored (at DM’s discretion).
Manifestations, however, are quite different from their normal counterparts, and like so, have the following differences:
- All manifestations must always be physically connected to you, meaning that weapons may not be thrown or dropped (thought may be “sheathed”), and armor may not be doffed or removed.
- Items consumed with the attunement property are considered unattuned when stored, and attuned when manifested.
- Armor that grants disadvantage on stealth instead automatically fails animal handling checks, and deeply disturbs nearby animals and fauna.
- Manifested weapons deal magic damage for the purpose of overcoming resistances.
- Manifestations can be discerned not to be normal with a perception check of 25 or an arcana check of 20, but otherwise, are perfect replicas of the items consumed.
You may simultaneously manifest a number of items up to half of your mimic’s total storage slots.
The More, the Merrier (Optional)
Every time you land the killing blow on a mimic, your own mimic absorbs its essence and matter as its own, granting you with extra storage slots.
There is no limit to the number of storage slots.
Each mimic grants storage slots equal to their challenge rating.
Alternatively, you can void passive increase in storage slots entirely, only to gain them when killing mimics (though this is setting/DM dependent).
Symbiosys
What used to be a parasyte now benefits from granting you a portion of its power. At 3rd level, gain the following bonuses when manifesting each type of apparel:
Weapon
When you roll a 19 or more while attacking with a manifested weapon, the weapon makes an attack against the same target. The weapon attacks as if you attacked again. This effect cannot be triggered by the weapon’s attack.
You can have any number of weapons manifested, and switch between them in each hand once per turn as a free object interaction (as stated in pg. 190 PHB)
Armor
After being hit with attack, you may force a reroll, but you must take the final result. You may use this a number of times per long rest equal to the current number of armor manifestations.
Manifesting armor makes it +1 if it is non-magical.
You can have any number of armors manifested, and spend ten minutes to change into another armor or dismiss your current one. During those minutes, you are considered unarmored and automatically fail animal handling checks, as the change is visibly disturbing, and may spend one action to revert to the last suit of armor actively manifested.
Item
Pick one of the following for each non-weapon non-armor item being actively manifested (you may only pick each option once):
- Gain +5 to initiative.
- Gain resistance to psychic damage.
- Gain access to the Light cantrip (can only be used on your own flesh/manifestations).
- Gain access to any one standard language.
- Gain advantage when trying to detect illusions or traps.
- Gain 10 ft. of movement.
You may have any number of non-weapon non-armor items manifested.
Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing
At 7th level, your mimic is able to express its true form through you for a brief moment. As an action, every creature that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw at DC (Str+Proficiency+8) or be frightened of you for one minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to being feared from Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing for the next 24 hours. At the end of your next turn, pick up to X hostile creatures (where X is your total manifestations) within 30 ft.; those creatures must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw at DC (Str+Proficiency+8), or receive Xd10 bludgeoning damage (where X is your total manifestations) and be knocked prone. If they succeed, they receive half damage and do not become prone. For 10 minutes after you use this feature, you have advantage on Intimidation checks.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Under Your Skin
At 10th level, you become able to extend your consciousness through your physical form, being able to physically, then mentally penetrate someone’s mind, in addition to protecting your own. You are able to cast Detect Thoughts at will as long as you can touch the target. While you touch the target, it fails all saving throws related to this spell. If you break contact with the target, the spell is broken as if you lost concentration. You have advantage against charms and are immune to the frightened condition.
Biological Dependence
At 15th level, you and the mimic rely on each other now more than ever. The effects of Symbiosis become improved:
Weapon
When you roll a 17 or more while attacking with a manifested weapon, the weapon makes an attack against the same target. The weapon attacks as if you attacked again. This effect can be triggered infinitely, but when rolling with advantage for the weapon’s attack, only consider the first roll for the purpose of triggering this feature.
You can have any number of weapons manifested, and are considered to wield them in every hand simultaneously (meaning you would be able to use your action and bonus action to attack with a single weapon that has the finesse property.)
Armor
After being hit with attack, you may force a reroll and take the lower result. You may use this a number of times per long rest equal to the current number of non-weapon manifestations.
Manifesting armor makes it +2 if it is non-magical.
You can have any number of armors manifested, and spend an action to change into another armor manifested.
Item
Pick one of the following for each non-weapon non-armor item being actively manifested (you may only pick each option once):
- You have advantage on initiative rolls.
- You are immune to psychic damage.
- Gain access to the Light and Message cantrips.
- Gain access to any Standard or Exotic language.
- Automatically detect illusions or traps you can see within 20 ft. and advantage detecting them otherwise.
- Gain 20 ft. of movement. You may use Dash or Disengage as a bonus action.
- While you remain motionless, you are indistinguishable from a statue.
You may have any number of non-weapon non-armor items manifested.
Defense Mechanism
At 18th level, the Mimic is now fully dependent on you, and will do its best to keep you alive at all costs. When being hit with an attack, you may interrupt one manifestation to do one of the following, depending on the type of manifestation:
Weapon
Gain 20 Temp HP for one minute and deal two times the weapon’s damage die as magical piercing damage to the attacker if the attack was melee.
Armor
Gain 20+(Armor’s AC) Temp HP for one minute.
Item
Gain 20 Temp HP for one minute and roll a d8:
- Lose an Action Surge. If you have no action surges, permanently remove a random item (includes weapons and armors) from your stored items.
- Create a 10ft. radius heavily obscured sphere centered around you. It disappears in 4 turns.
- Cover the attacker in slime if the attack was melee. Every time the attacker moves for the next 3 turns, it must succeed a 15 DC Dex check, or fall prone and lose the rest of its movement.
- At the end of the attack, gain the effects of the Invisibility spell as if you cast it on yourself.
- Blind every creature but yourself in a 5 ft. radius of yourself on a failed DC 15 Dex save.
- Deal 2d10 acid damage to the attacker if the attack was melee.
- After the end of the attack, launch yourself 40 ft. in any direction. This does not trigger opportunity attacks.
- Trigger the effect of Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing. You can’t use Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing again until you finish a long rest, unless it’s activated by Defense Mechanism.
Your total number of manifestations return to you after a long rest.
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