Deceiver, 2nd Variant (5e Class)

Deceiver, 2nd Variant

Deceivers are practitioners of a secret form of magic, that allows them to play tricks on and off the battlefield. Whether they are appearing in multiple places at once, manipulating the minds of their foes, or spying on others using advanced illusions, deceivers are always one step ahead. By drawing on the power of the weave and mixing it with the energy of emotions, deceivers can create powerful magic effects unseen before.

Creating a Deceiver

When creating your deceiver, ask yourself how this power was given to you, or why this power was given to you. Did you spend years in study, harnessing your inner power and releasing it in bursts? Was it taught to you by someone, or did you learn it a book? Did it come naturally to you, or did it take extreme dedication to learn?

Quick Build

You can make a deceiver quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by either Dexterity for combat optimization or Intelligence for skill optimization. Second, choose the Entertainer background.

Class Features

As a Deceiver you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: light
Weapons: All Weapons
Tools: Disguise Kit, Choose one from a Musical instrument or a Gaming set of your choice
Saving Throws: Charisma, Wisdom
Skills: Choose three from Deception, Stealth, Performance, Persuasion or Insight

Equipment

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

• (a) a quarterstaff or (b) a decorated fan or (c) an arcane orb
• (a) a musical instrument or (b) any gaming set
• (a) an explorer’s pack or (b) a disguise kit or (c) a diplomat’s pack
• Leather armor and a dagger

Table: The Deceiver

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known
1st	+2	Cantrips Illusions	2
2nd	+2	Deceiver’s Persona	3
3rd	+2	Where Am I? Keen Eyes	3
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	4
5th	+3	Persona feature	4
6th	+3	Energy Steal	4
7th	+3	—	4
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4
9th	+4	Strength in Numbers	4
10th	+4	Persona feature	5
11th	+4	Manipulative Magic	5
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5
13th	+5	Keen Eyes Improvement	5
14th	+5	Persona feature	5
15th	+5	Mente Magica	5
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5
17th	+6	Manipulative Magic	5
18th	+6	Persona feature	5
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement, Target Acquired	5
20th	+6	Total Control	5

Cantrips

You know two cantrips from the wizard spell list. You learn additional deceiver cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Deceiver’s table.

Illusions

At 1st level, you gain the ability to weave the fabric of reality by tapping into your magic. As an action, you can create an identical duplicate of yourself in an unoccupied space that you can see within 60 feet of you, the illusions can not be discerned from the original. These illusions have your ac and 1 Hit Point. They also gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws and act on their own, however they will obey all of your commands. In combat, on each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command any illusion you made with this spell if the illusion is within 60 feet of you (if you control multiple illusions, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing a command to each one). You decide what action the illusion will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the illusion only defends itself against hostile creatures. When taking the attack action, regardless of what weapon they use your illusions deal 1d4+your charisma modifier on a hit, and add your charisma modifier plus your proficiency bonus to attack rolls. If you later choose the path of the body persona, your illusions still use your charisma for attack and damage, but only add your proficiency bonus if they are proficient in the weapon, and the damage dice is equal to the damage dice of the weapon the illusion choses to hold. The numbers of active illusions you can have at once, increases to 2 at Level 3, 3 at Level 5, 4 at Level 7, 5 at Level 9, 6 at level 11, 7 at level 13 and 8 at level 17.

Creating another illusion when you are at capacity will destroy an illusion of your choice.

Misdirection

When you are within 5 feet of one of your illusions and you are attacked by a creature, they are confused and can't tell which one is the real you. The attacking creature gains disadvantage on their attack roll against you as a result of their confusion. You may also expend your reaction, and gain +3 to the damage of your next attack, so long as there is a minimum of one illusion within 30 feet of you. You can use this ability (the reaction expending one, disadvantage via confusion requires no reactions) 1 + your Charisma mod amount of times, and these charges can be regained after a short or long rest. A long rest regains all expended charges, and a short rest regains half (rounded down).

Deceiver's Persona

At 2nd level, you're able to shape your inner-self with one of the following Personas: Path of the Soul or Path of the Body. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level, and again at 5th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Where am I?

At 3rd level, you learn how to manipulate the space-time between you and your illusions. As a reaction, you may choose one active illusion within 1 mile of you to swap places with. You are able to use this ability a number of times equal to 1 + your charisma modifier. You must finish a short or long rest to replenish your used charges. At 8th level, twice per long rest, you can swap places to an illusion, no matter the distance, as long as is on the same plane. Once you are teleported to that position, your illusion is destroyed.

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 and learn 1 feat. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Energy Steal

Starting at 6th level, you gain the ability to steal the energy from an opponent. As a reaction to being hit, you can force the enemy that damaged you to make a wisdom save. On a failure, they take half the damage from the triggering attack, as you steal their energy from them. You may use this twice per long rest. At 11th level, you can instead choose to destroy an illusion and automatically split the damage between you and the attacker, drawing on the energy of the destroyed illusion to make your magic flawless.

Keen Eyes

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast bestow curse and remove curse once per day. you now have advantage on perception checks when one or more clones are out. your clones now gain 120ft of dark vision. At 8th level you can now cast bestow curse and remove curse at will.

Strength in Numbers

At the 9th level, the Deceiver learns to find strength with each illusion up. Each illusion within 30ft of the deceiver gains a bonus to damage equal to your proficiency bonus. The deceiver gets twice this bonus when the max number of illusions are within 30ft of them.

Manipulative Magic

Beginning at 11th level, you may attempt to manipulate creatures' souls. You may cast each of the following spells once: compulsion, confusion, enemies abound or phantasmal killer. You regain use of this feature after you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 17th level, you can cast these each twice per long rest.

Mente Magica

Starting at 15th level, you become aware of any divination magic that targets you or any other creature within 30 feet of you. As a reaction, you can end that spell by interrupting the caster's concentration with your own manipulation of magic. The caster does not receive any information if you do so. If you wish, you may let the spell continue, but you may use your reaction to give the caster false informations if it is an information gleaning spell like detect thoughts or locate creature. If it is a targeting spell like guidance, you may have the die be rolled again to get a new result, or, in the case of a spell like true strike, you can change the caster's target. Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Target Acquired

Beginning at 19th level, as an action you may command all illusions to teleport to an enemy and make a weapon attack. At the end of the weapon attack, all illusions explode, dealing 3d10 force damage per illusion. You may only use this feature once per long rest.

Total Control

At 20th level, the deceiver gains the ability to totally control an enemy. Once per day, the deceiver can cast dominate monster. The enemy will automatically fail this save, however legendary resistance may still be used.

Deceiver Personas

Path of The Soul

The Path of the Soul is for Deceivers who focus on controlling the inner power within them, and use it to create powerful magical effects.

Dominate The Minds

When you reach the 2nd level, you become proficient at manipulating the minds of others. You gain the spells suggestion, phantasmal force, and charm person. Every long rest, you can choose one of these spells to be able to cast at will, the other two spells you can cast twice per long rest. Additionally, your illusions can cast these for you if you give them the command or are controlling them. Also, phantasmal force no longer requires your concentration.

Now you see me...

At 5th level, the deceiver becomes proficient in new magic that either makes something disappear or creates something new. You gain the ability to cast the spells misty step, shadow blade, and invisibility. Every long rest, you can choose one of these spells to be able to cast at will, the other two spells you can cast twice per long rest. When you cast invisibility or misty step, any illusions within 100 ft of you also gain the benefits of the spell.

Mastered Magic

Starting at the 10th level, you master higher level magic, and gain the ability to cast the spells hypnotic pattern, charm monster, and sending. Every long rest, you can choose one of these spells to be able to cast at will, the other two spells you can cast twice per long rest.

False Knowledge

Upon reaching the 14th level, you gain the ability to use magic that affects one's thoughts and visions. You gain the ability to cast the spells modify memory and programmed illusion. However, if a creature succeeds their modify memory save, they are immune to the spell for the next 24 hours. Every long rest, you can choose one of these spells to be able to cast at will, the other spell you can cast twice per long rest. Starting at 20th level, you can cast modify memory as though it was a 9th level spell once per day.

Mental Master

Starting at 18th level, you can cast the spells glibness and project image. Every long rest, you can choose one of these spells to be able to cast at will, the other spell you can cast twice per long rest.

Path of the Body

Powerful Attacks

Starting at the 2nd level, your illusions gain proficiency in all ranged weapons and all melee weapons without the heavy or two handed properties. Additionally, at will you can have any number of your illusions summon an illusory weapon. This illusory weapon functions as a normal weapon, however it does psychic damage. You also gain the ability to summon illusory weapons, however you can choose the damage type of the weapon to be either psychic or force damage. Additionally, you can use your charisma modifier in place of your strength/dex mod on attack and damage rolls.

Additional Attacks

Starting at the 5th level, you and your illusions get faster in combat. You and two of your illusions can make an additional attack when taking the attack action. At 11th level, a third illusion can make an additional attack when they make an attack action.

Reactive Attack

Starting at the 10th level, when you successfully hit a target, you can use your reaction to allow one illusion to teleport next to you and make a single weapon attack. At 15th level, you can have up to two illusions teleport to you when you use this ability.

Energy Burst

Starting at the 14th level, you can use a bonus action to destroy all active illusions. The next time you make a successful weapon attack, you may harness all of the energy you just released, adding (number of illusions destroyed)d20 to the damage roll. You may only destroy a number of illusions equal to your level in this manner per long rest.

Illusion Commander

Starting at the 18th level, you may use a reaction to allow 1d8 illusions of your choice to make a single weapon attack. You may use this up to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the deceiver class, you must meet these prerequisites: Charisma Score of 13 or more

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the deceiver class, you gain the following proficiencies: light armor, all simple weapons

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