Path of the Aberrant (5e Subclass)
Aberrant[edit]
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Barbarian Subclass
A barbarian who follows the Path of the Aberrant is not merely a warrior but a living anomaly—an entity that should not exist within the natural laws of the world. Whether they were spawned from the Far Realm, created by a failed eldritch experiment, or are a creature whose physical form is in constant flux, these barbarians wield terrifying mutations and unpredictable reality-warping abilities. When they rage, they slip between dimensions, lash out with unnatural limbs, and channel alien instincts beyond mortal comprehension.
- Origin Table
| d6 | Origin |
|---|---|
| 1 | You were experimented on by a secretive cult or eldritch entity, your body twisted into something unnatural. |
| 2 | You were born during an astral convergence, your soul infused with the energy of the Far Realm. |
| 3 | Your body is a vessel for a sleeping eldritch god, and your rage stirs it awake. |
| 4 | You consumed something—perhaps an ancient relic, a forbidden potion, or even the flesh of an otherworldly being—that changed you forever. |
| 5 | You were touched by the Void after surviving an encounter with a rift between dimensions. |
| 6 | You were never meant to exist; your form is a mistake, a paradox struggling to stay in one reality. |
- Aberrant Entities (Who Watches Over You?)
Your transformation may not be random. Do you serve—or resist—the influence of something greater?
| d8 | Entity |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Sleeper Beneath – A slumbering entity that feeds off your fury, whispering ancient secrets when you rage. |
| 2 | The Broken Chain – An imprisoned god of entropy, using you as its agent to break the natural order. |
| 3 | The Crawling Chaos – A being of infinite limbs and eyes that revels in your mutations, urging you to spread its influence. |
| 4 | The Unwritten One – A cosmic force that exists outside fate, making you a living paradox. |
| 5 | Tharizdun, the Chained God – The god of eternal darkness, entropy, and madness. Tharizdun’s influence is a creeping despair, and his followers are often driven to madness as they seek to bring about the end of all things. |
| 6 | Yog-Sothoth – A being of incomprehensible knowledge, Yog-Sothoth exists outside of time and space. To serve Yog-Sothoth is to glimpse the unfathomable truths of the universe, often leading to madness or worse. |
| 7 | Cthulhu – The Great Dreamer, who lies sleeping beneath the ocean, calling to those who would serve him from the depths. His cultists are often driven by the promise of dark, forbidden knowledge and the promise of power. |
| 8 | Zargon, the Returner – An ancient and malevolent entity imprisoned by the gods of old. Zargon seeks to return and bring about a new age of horror, chaos, and destruction. |
- Quirk Table
| d8 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your eyes shift colors depending on your emotions. |
| 2 | Your shadow moves independently, twitching or reaching for things. |
| 3 | Your body occasionally emits strange whispers in a language no one understands. |
| 4 | You don’t sleep—when you rest, you drift between planes instead. |
| 5 | Your wounds close too quickly, as if reality struggles to define your injuries. |
| 6 | Your breath sometimes crystallizes into floating symbols. |
| 7 | Your voice echoes with layered distortions, as if multiple versions of you are speaking at once. |
| 8 | Mirrors reflect a slightly different version of you—sometimes older, sometimes twisted. |
- Aberrant Form
At 3rd level when you choose this path, your body twists and warps with eldritch energy. When you enter a rage, you gain one of the following mutations of your choice:
- Tendrils of Madness. You sprout two long, shifting tendrils. These function as natural weapons with a reach of 10 feet. They use your Strength modifier and deal 1d8 psychic damage, increasing to 1d10 at 10th level and 1d12 at 17th level. While these tendrils are extended, they wrap protectively around you, granting you half-cover against ranged weapon attacks.
- Warped Reflexes. Your form flickers unpredictably. Opportunity attacks against you are made at disadvantage, and you can take the Dodge action as a bonus action once per rage.
- Void Maw. Your jaw unhinges, revealing an unnatural abyss. You gain a bite attack that functions as a natural weapon. It has a damage die of 1d10 piercing damage, increasing to 1d12 at 10th level and 2d8 at 17th level. When you hit a creature with this attack, you can force them to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or be frightened of you until the end of their next turn. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
- Unstable Existence
Starting at 6th level, your connection to the material plane grows tenuous. When you are hit by an attack, you can momentarily phase out of reality. The attacker must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier). On a failed save, the attack misses as you flicker in and out of existence. Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until the start of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Additionally, you gain resistance to psychic damage and cannot be charmed while raging.
- Abyssal Surge
At 10th level, your body reacts to danger in horrifying ways. When you take damage while raging, you can use your reaction to force all creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you to make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failure, they take 2d8 psychic damage and have their speed reduced by half until the end of their next turn. On a success, they take half damage and suffer no other effects.
The psychic damage increases to 3d8 at 17th level.
Additionally, you can breathe normally in any environment (including a vacuum), and you have advantage on saving throws against harmful gases such as poisonous gas (inhaled), the stinking cloud spell, and other similar effects.
- Formless Horror
At 14th level, you embrace your true aberrant nature. As a bonus action while raging, you can temporarily shed the last remnants of humanoid form and become a pure nightmare of shifting limbs and writhing tendrils. For 1 minute, you gain all three options from your Aberrant Form feature, in addition to the following benefits:
- You can squeeze through spaces as small as 1 inch without suffering penalties.
- You can pass through creatures and objects as though they were difficult terrain. You can occupy the same space as another creature, but the creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or take 2d8 psychic damage.
- Your aberrant form is terrifying. One creature of your choice that see you for the first time must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or be frightened for 1 minute. It can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns.
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
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