Fleshwarper, Variant (5e Class)

Fleshwarper

You were once a creature of your original race, untainted by the madness that now courses through your veins. Whether through a thirst for knowledge, desperation, or sheer curiosity, you delved into the forbidden arts of flesh grafting. The experimentation warped not only your body but also your soul. Now, with flesh that bends to your will and a body constantly in flux, you seek to push the boundaries of what is possible with life itself.

What is a Fleshwarper?

A Fleshwarper is a being who manipulates living tissue, including their own, to augment their abilities. They are often looked upon with fear and disgust, as their modifications make them appear unnatural. Fleshwarpers embrace this change, seeing their flesh as a canvas to be altered, enhanced, and perfected. Their bodies, once normal, are now capable of extraordinary feats thanks to their modifications, but this comes at a cost. Each change they make warps their mind and soul, pulling them further from what they once were. Fleshwarpers can attach additional limbs, augment their senses, or even mutate into monstrous forms as they push the limits of their power. Their abilities make them formidable combatants, but also strange, as their constant evolution can cause them to appear alien and terrifying.

Creating a Fleshwarper

When creating a Fleshwarper, consider how your character came to embrace fleshcrafting. Were they a scholar seeking immortality, a criminal escaping judgment, or a person overcoming weakness? Their obsession with flesh often isolates them from society, and their appearance grows more grotesque as they modify their form. Fleshwarpers tend to be loners, driven by a twisted sense of perfection.

Quick Build You can make a Fleshwarper quickly by following these suggestions. First, Constitution should be your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence or Strength, depending on your playstyle. Second, choose the Hermit background.

Class Features

As a Fleshwarper you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Grafter's tools
Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Medicine, Nature, and Survival.

Equipment

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

• (a) A club or (b) A dagger
• Leather armor
• One set of artisan's tools
• Explorer's Pack

Table: The Fleshwarper

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Graftslots	Maximum CR Grafting
1st	+2	Fleshgrafting, Mortician, Flesh Mutation	6	3
2nd	+2	—	6	3
3rd	+2	Flesh Discipline, Sense of Sustenance	9	6
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	9	6
5th	+3	Improved Graft Techniques	11	6
6th	+3	Discipline Feature	11	9
7th	+3	—	13	9
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	13	9
9th	+4	Superior Graft Techniques	15	12
10th	+4	Discipline Feature	15	12
11th	+4	—	17	15
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	17	15
13th	+5	Master Graft Techniques	19	19
14th	+5	Discipline Feature	19	19
15th	+5	—	21	20+
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	21	20+
17th	+6	Discipline Feature	23	20+
18th	+6	—	23	20+
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	26	20+
20th	+6	Final Class Feature	30	20+

---

Fleshgrafting

When you reach the 1st level, you gain proficiency in Medicine, if already proficient become double proficient, and begin with 6 Graft Slots (4 for limbs, 2 for the head). These slots are initially occupied by your natural body parts but may be replaced by grafts.

Mortician

When you reach the 1st level, you do not roll to collect body parts of a creature, instead spend 1 hour on corpse extracting a usable body part. This body part can be used to amalgamate your body.

Flesh Mutation

When you reach the 1st level When grafting, your body mutates slightly, gaining passive bonuses depending on the creature parts that are grafted on your body. For example:

Arms (from beasts) provide natural weapons (like 1d6 slashing). Legs (like from a troll) can provide movement increases.

Flesh Discipline

When you reach the 3rd level, you choose a path that reflects your focus on fleshcrafting. The three paths are:

Discipline of the Chimera: Focuses on combining grafts (smaller grafts on bigger grafts, like beholder eyes on the back of a tortle shell), bodily augmentation and gaining abilities.
Discipline of the Abomination: Focuses on becoming a monstrous amalgamation, gaining limbs, and the potential to have multiple actions that terrify and overwhelm.
Discipline of the Biomancer: Focuses on controlling and healing flesh, even that of others.

Sense of Sustenance

When you reach the 3rd level, your bond with flesh grants you preternatural awareness of living beings. You can sense the presence of any creature within 30 feet, even through walls or obstacles, as long as they have flesh or organic tissue.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach the 4th level, and again at the 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. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

---

Improved Graft Techniques

When you reach the 5th level, you can now replace major body parts such as the torso and head with those from other creatures, gaining racial traits and potential spellcasting abilities. However, your body will reject any graft that is too big or powerful for your form. The changes you make to your form using these techniques are as follows:

---

Torso Grafting -Replacing your torso allows you to gain the racial traits of the creature the torso comes from, overwriting your original racial traits.
-Your size will increase or decrease depending on the creature's torso you are grafting. If the torso belongs to a race that is significantly larger or smaller than your current size, your body will reject the graft, marking it as invalid.
-You must replace your racial stat bonuses (e.g., a Tabaxi’s +2 Dex, +1 Charisma) with the stat bonuses of the creature you are grafting (e.g., an Orc’s +2 Strength, +1 Constitution).
-Once a torso is replaced, your creature type changes to Monstrosity + the creature type of the torso’s original owner (e.g., a graft from an Orc would make you a Monstrosity and Humanoid).
-From this point onward, changing your torso essentially changes your race. This form is now known as your Fleshform.

---

Head Graft -Replacing your head with that of a creature that was a spellcaster (e.g., Wizard, Sorcerer, Warlock) grants the ability to cast spells, but you must pass a skill check related to the head’s original spellcasting ability.
-The check is determined by the spellcasting modifier of the original class (e.g., Intelligence for Wizards, Charisma for Warlocks, Wisdom for Clerics).
-The DC of this skill check is set by the DM and may increase based on the power or resistance of the original caster (e.g., Warlock heads may have higher DCs due to the involvement of a patron).
Skill Check for Spellcasting Head Graft
-Upon attempting to graft a spellcaster's head, the DM will call for a skill check.
-The check is determined by the original caster’s spellcasting ability:
Intelligence for Wizards, Artificers.
Charisma for Sorcerers, Warlocks, Bards.
Wisdom for Clerics, Druids, Rangers.
-Failing the skill check means the head rejects the graft.

Head Graft Rejection
-The head/body agonizes in rejection, causing you to take necrotic damage as the tissue resists being reanimated. The head also decays beyond use.
Example:
You attempt to graft a Wizard's head and roll a 9 on your Intelligence check (failing the DC set by the DM).
The head writhes in rejection, and you take 3d6 necrotic damage. The head is now unusable for future grafts.
“The head writhes and agonizes in rejection as if it still lives, resisting your attempts to use its desecrated corpse. You take 3d6 necrotic damage.”

Higher-Level Head Rejections
Some heads, especially those belonging to Warlocks or other powerful casters, may have higher DCs due to their connection with external forces (e.g., a Warlock’s Patron may resist your grafting attempts).

---

Invalid Grafts
-If a grafted body part is too large for your form or a save is failed, your soul will reject the graft, and the body part will fall off or decay rapidly, becoming unusable.

Superior Graft Techniques

When you reach the 9th level, you gain the ability to graft Legendary body parts and limbs onto your form. This allows you to utilize powerful grafts that significantly enhance your capabilities.

Superior Graft Formula: You may graft legendary limbs or body parts from creatures using this formula for the amount of graft slots used: CR/3

Multiple Grafts per Rest: Replacing grafts that you have already incorporated into your form is now streamlined. You can swap out previously grafted body parts without taking extensive time, but when doing this you will be limited to 1 new graft per rest, you can perform multiple swaps during your rest, making it easier to adapt and optimize your abilities based on your current needs.

Master Graft Techniques

When you reach the 13th level, you unlock Master Graft Techniques, allowing you to graft Mythical body parts and limbs onto your form. This feature provides access to even more powerful enhancements.

Mythical Graft Formula: You may graft mythical limbs using this formula for the amount of graft slots used: CR/5

Enhanced Graft Capability: Similar to your Superior Graft Techniques, swapping out previously grafted limbs or body parts is now more efficient. The ability to swap out prior grafts is now available when you are outside of combat, allowing for a more flexible and tactical approach to combat and challenges.

Placeholder

When you reach the 20th level, your mastery over flesh and mutation culminates in the ability to transform yourself into a near-perfect being. You gain the following benefits:

---

Flesh Discipline

When you reach the 3rd level, you choose a path that reflects your focus on fleshcrafting.

Discipline of the Chimera

<flavor text>

Grafting Fiend

At 3rd level, when you choose this discipline, you can combine grafts onto other grafts. The rarities of the grafts can mismatch, but the total graft slot usage is equal to the greater slot cost + 1. This allows you to create various combinations of body parts. Bonuses gained from hybrid grafts are to the discretion of the DM.
Examples:

- Beholder Eye (Beholder CR: 13) + Tortle Shell (Tortle CR: 2) = "Beholder Carapace" (Graftslot usage: 13 + 1), Feature: Beholder Stare, petrify enemies who look into the beholder eye. Feature 2: Tortle Defense, AC + 1

- Troll Arm (Troll CR: 5) + Dragon Head (Dragon CR: 14) = "Regenerative Flamethrower" (Graftslot usage: 14 + 1), Feature: Troll's Regen, Regain 1d6 every turn. Feature 2: Dragon's Breath, as an action emit breath of flames.

Hybrid Constitution

At the 6th level, -

Unstable Fusion

At the 10th level,

Perfect Synergy

At the 14th level,

Apex

At the 17th level,

Discipline of the Abomination

<flavor text>

Discipline of the Biomancer

<flavor text>

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Fleshwarper class, you must meet these prerequisites: 14 Wisdom, 12 Constitution

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Fleshwarper class, you gain the following proficiencies: Arcana, Medicine

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes