Biological Apex, Variant (5e Class)

This content deviates from 5e 2014 standards. Its use could dramatically alter campaigns, take extreme care.

Caution - Here there be monsters! This content intends to provide a different experience, or goes beyond the scope of the anticipated subjects and situations, than the 5e 2014 rules were intended to handle. Some portions of the content below may not be what you expect from traditional game content. When implementing this content, DMs and Players should read over all the information carefully, and consider the following specific notes of interest:

Please consult your DM before using. This class heavily relies upon the enemies you kill and may require either more effort to curate the monsters, or will simply come out less powerful.

The Biological Apex

“

While you have made strides in magical or physical power, I honed biological power. The power within everyone, which they cast aside like it is unimportant!

”

“

I will make far better use of your adaptations than you ever did.

”

Forced Evolution

Through one way or another, when someone of a particular mindset of narcism gets caught up in an experiment gone wrong, a ritual done incorrectly, or anything of the sort, Biological Apex’s are created. Beings of pure biology, which can manipulate their very flesh at will, as well as the flesh of others. They are particularly fond of stealing traits and abilities from other creatures after killing them. Only the strongest survive, and the strongest know when to get creative.

Creating a Biological Apex

When creating a Biological Apex, do not think of it as purely just a class. To be the Apex of all things is a mindset, and in most circumstances, your character must’ve been heavily narcissistic to become one. How did your character become the Biological Apex? Did it happen through some unfortunate series of events, or did they want to become it? Does your character hate all life because they see themselves as better, or does your character love life, and see it as a sacred thing that they themselves can alter? Answer these questions as you make your character.

Quick Build

Constitution and Strength should be your highest ability scores, followed by either Dexterity or Intelligence. Then choose Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception. There are no other choices to be had.

Class Features

As a Biological Apex you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Biological Apex level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Biological Apex level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: None
Weapons: None
Tools: All
Saving Throws: Constitution, Strength
Skills: Choose four of your choice.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• Clothes, Common.

• If you are using starting wealth, you have 1d4 gp. in funds.

Table: The Biological Apex

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Predatory Evolution Limit
1st	+2	Predatory Evolution, A Smile Full of Razorblades	4
2nd	+2	Immutable Apex	4
3rd	+2	Abiotic Factor	5
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	5
5th	+3	Extra Attack	6
6th	+3	Convergent Evolution, Mind Eater	6
7th	+3	Hematophagy Mutation	7
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, A Smile Full of Razorblades	7
9th	+4	Metamorphosis	8
10th	+4	Convergent Evolution	8
11th	+4	Extra Attack	9
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	9
13th	+5	Echoes of Zenith	10
14th	+5	Bottomless Stomach, Convergent Evolution	10
15th	+5	Abiogenesis, Hematophagy Mutation	11
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	11
17th	+6	Unnatural Constitution	12
18th	+6	—	12
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	13
20th	+6	Eternal Hunger	13

Predatory Evolution

At 1st level, you are able to analyze the form of any creature (other than aberrations, celestials, constructs, elementals, fiends and undead) you consume, unhinging your jaw and swallowing impossible amounts. Starting at 1st level you can eat whole any creature that has been reduced to 0 hit points and replicate one of its traits, actions, or reactions, changing your own body to be able to accommodate the new features. Consuming a creature takes 1 action if they are tiny, 1 minute if they are small or medium, 10 minutes if they are large, 30 minutes if they are huge, or 1 hour if they are gargantuan (or larger). You can have a maximum number of actions, reactions, and traits, called evolutions, equal to your Predatory Evolution Limit as listed in the Biological Apex table. Any evolutions acquired after hitting this limit must replace an already existing trait, which is itself lost. You can take anything innate to a creature's body (magical or not): natural weapons such as claws, natural armor, add half your Dexterity modifier rounded down), traits such as a sphinx's Magic Weapons or a giant spider's Spider Climb. You cannot take anything that isn’t a part of the creature's species, such as a sword or bow attack, proficiencies, languages, multiattack, or learned (non-innate) spellcasting (denoted by it declaring levels in a spellcasting class). You also cannot, at 1st level, take ability scores, movement speeds, senses, resistances, or immunities.

You can activate or deactivate any number of evolutions you have as an action, growing new body parts, or changing current ones, as needed. You may only have 1 Armor Class evolution at a time. You can only take and/or replace one trait at a time, though you can take multiple from the same species of creature if you eat more of them, and you cannot take a trait from a creature that's been dead for more than an hour.

Your DM may combine pieces of a given creature's stat block into a single evolution as required, where it would make sense, and may even allow certain evolutions to interact or even counteract any negatives. As an example, a Biological Apex with the Tail Spike action can be required to take Tail Spike Regrowth as part of the same evolution, a limit of the Manticore's biology. This may be cancelled out by the troll's regeneration for example which would allow for fast regrowth of said spikes while active. If there is any confusion with this feature, default to the ruling of your DM.

Any evolutions that deal damage use their original dice but add your Strength modifier for melee, and Dexterity modifier for ranged. Any evolutions that have a DC use the original DC. When an evolution would recharge, roll a d6 and instead spend that many hit dice to recharge it; if you choose not to, or simply cannot, it does not recharge. Armor Class evolutions are calculated as follows

creature's AC - creature's Dexterity mod.

A Smile Full of Razorblades

Beginning at 1st level your creature type becomes monstrosity in addition to any others you already are, and you can make bite unarmed attacks with your unnaturally strong jaws. Your bite attack deals 1d6 piercing damage + your strength modifier.

When you reach 8th level the number needed (to show on the die) to critically succeed with an unarmed attack is reduced by 1 (I.E. from 20 -> 19).

Immutable Apex

Beginning at 2nd level you are immune to any (outside) spell or effect that would alter your form.

Abiotic Factor

Beginning at 3rd level, you no longer have to sleep in order to survive. When taking a short or long rest, so long as you undertake only light activities for the duration, you will get the full benefit of the rest. Upon completing a Long Rest you also restore all of your hit dice instead of half, and if your long rest is interrupted after an hour has passed, it will still count as a short rest.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. You can increase your ability scores beyond 20 up to a maximum of 30.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, and again at 11th level, you can make an additional attack when you take the attack action.

Convergent Evolution

Beginning at 6th level your Predatory Evolution feature allows you to gain walking, swimming, or climbing speeds, as well as senses such as tremor sense. You can acquire up to 2 evolutions at once from a single use of your Predatory Evolution feature, and you can now use Predatory Evolution on a creature that has been dead for no more than 8 hours.

At 10th level your Predatory Evolution feature allows you to gain resistances, burrowing and flying speeds, and you can acquire up to 4 evolutions at once from a single use of your Predatory Evolution feature instead of 2. Additionally, you can use your Predatory Evolution feature on aberrations, celestials, fiends and undead, provided you have a corpse left over.

At 14th level your Predatory Evolution feature allows you to gain ability scores and (condition and damage) immunities. When gaining ability scores you choose a single one from a creature's stat block, setting yours to that number while it is active. Any effect that would permanently increase an ability score changes your base scores, not evolution scores. Additionally, ability score and immunity evolutions count as 3 evolutions instead of 1 when determining when you must replace evolutions or how many may be active.

Mind Eater

Beginning at 6th level, when you consume a creature through Predatory Evolution, you can forgo gaining any Evolutions and instead gain the creature's memories. Roll a Wisdom (Insight) check. On a 7 or lower you gain nothing important. On an 8-12 you gain the last hour of their memories. On a 13-18 you gain the last day of memories. On a 19-24 you gain the last week of memories. On a 25-29 you gain the last year of memories. On a 30+ you gain all of their memories. A natural 20 does not change your results for this roll.

Hematophagy Mutation

When you reach 7th level, after making a successful bite attack you can choose to spend and roll a hit dice, restoring your hit points by the result + your Constitution modifier. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses upon finishing a short or long rest.

At 15th level you can spend up to your Constitution modifier hit dice at once after a successful bite attack, adding your Constitution modifier for each one rolled, and can also choose to grant this healing to another creature within 5 ft. of you instead of yourself.

Metamorphosis

Beginning at 9th level you can spend an bonus action to enter an Apex form that lasts for 1 minute, until you are reduced to 0 hit points, or until you end it as a bonus action. While in this form all of your inactive evolutions are also active (use the "strongest" ability scores, movement speeds, and senses if any overlap), your size increases by one category (If there isn't enough room for you to double in size, you instead attain the maximum possible size in the space available), and you have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws. Additionally, your evolutions that have a DC use your Apex DC instead, if it is higher, and your Armor Class evolution allows you to add your Dexterity modifier while transformed.

Apex DC = 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.

Armor Class Evolution (Apex Form only) = Creature's AC - Creature's Dexterity modifier + your Dexterity modifier.

Rapid Evolution

Beginning at 10th level you can use your Predatory Evolution feature to temporarily steal evolutions from a creature. If you critically hit with a bite attack you can choose to gain 1 evolution you would otherwise normally be able to gain from the creature. This evolution does not count against your Evolution limit and disappears permanently after 1 minute, or when dismissed by you. You cannot use that evolution again until you have consumed the creature in full using Predatory Evolution. You can use this feature once, regaining use upon completing a long rest.

Echoes of Zenith

Starting at 13th level, you can no longer age past your prime, if you were already past your prime you revert to your prime, and you are immune to nonmagical poisons (but not poison damage) and diseases. Additionally, if you reduce a creature without a corporeal form (ghosts, shadows, banshees) to 0 hit points with a bite attack, you can immediately swallow them and use Predatory Evolution as a reaction.

Bottomless Stomach

At 14th level your Predatory Evolution limit only applies to how many evolutions you may have active, allowing you to store as many inactive evolutions as you desire.

Abiogenesis

Beginning at 15th level, you can instantly revive any creature that has died within the last week, as an action, by sacrificing 3 of your evolutions (1 ability score or immunity evolution counts for 3 as stated in Convergent Evolution above), losing it until you reacquire it from a new creature, and gaining a level of exhaustion. The revived creature cannot do anything other than move until it takes a long rest, and is revived with 1 hit point.

Unnatural Constitution

Starting at 17th level your body stands so far above all other life forms that it can only be seen as unnatural. Your hit dice increase to d12s and you gain 2 hit points for each level up to now, and the number needed (to show on the die) to critically succeed with an unarmed attack is reduced by 1 (I.E. from 19 -> 18). Additionally, your Apex form increases in size by an additional size category, lasts for up to an hour instead of a minute, and you can use it additional times past the first by taking a level of exhaustion.

Eternal Hunger

At 20th level, you have have reached your peak potential, the absolute apex of all living things. Your Apex Form increases in size by another size category, and when you critically hit a creature your size or smaller with a bite attack you can choose to swallow them whole. Before rolling damage the target must make a Strength saving throw against your Apex DC, becoming grappled and taking no damage on a success, barely holding your jaws open. Your bite attacks have advantage against creatures grappled in this way. On a failed save the target takes damage as normal and is swallowed. A swallowed creature is blind and restrained, and must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, taking 12d6 acid damage on a failure, or half as much on a success. You can have up to your Constitution modifier creatures swallowed at once, regurgitating all of them upon taking 50 damage in a single round. If a creature dies to this feature you can use Predatory Evolution against them as a free action, taking no time to gain new evolutions since they are already digested.

Multiclassing

You cannot multiclass into or out of this class, as it is balanced around the fact that you can’t use weapons or armor.

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