The Crooked Man (5e Class)

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The One and Only Crooked Man

No one truly knows where the Crooked Man came from—only that he traces his steps along the edges of old lullabies and half-forgotten folk legends. Perhaps you once heard a twisted nursery rhyme whispered in the dead of night, its lilting tune echoing in the back of your mind long after the lamps were snuffed out. In time, you noticed strange things: shadows moving at the edges of your vision, faint whisper-laughs when you were alone, and the uneasy sense that every path you walked was ever so slightly…off.

Eventually, you found you could move in ways others could not—stepping through impossible spaces, warping light and sound around you, playing upon the primal fears buried in every living heart. Friends recoiled at your presence, and even strangers sensed something wrong in your aura. Sometimes they asked if you’d been cursed. You wondered, yourself, if you truly were.

Whether you embrace this crooked power or curse it, its eerie hold on you only grows stronger. You bear the weight of countless nursery rhymes and old wives’ tales, wearing them like a tattered cloak of half-real illusions and primal fear. Wherever you tread, nightmares follow. Now, you’ve taken those first few steps beyond folklore—walking a road no one else dares to see—to become the Crooked Man. And though others may flinch from your twisted silhouette, it’s clear that this crooked path is where you belong.

Creating a Crooked Man

Quick Build

You can make a Crooked Man quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose the Haunted One, Charlatan, or Entertainer (for an eerie jester vibe) to lean into your unsettling or performance-oriented nature. background.

Class Features

As a The Crooked Man you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: Light Armor
Weapons: Simple Weapons
Tools: One type of artisan’s tools or one musical instrument (your choice)
Saving Throws: Dexterity and Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Performance, Stealth

Equipment

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

• (a) a dagger or (b) a light hammer
• (a) scholar’s pack or (b) explorer’s pack
• Leather armor and any simple weapon of your choice

Table: The The Crooked Man

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Crooked Points	Spells Known	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
					1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
1st	+2	Crooked Lore	2	-	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	Crooked Joints and Crooked Points	3	2	2	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	Crooked Aspect (Archetype)	4	3	3	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	5	3	3	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	Twisting Strike	6	4	4	2	—	—	—
6th	+3	Crooked Aspect Feature	7	4	4	2	—	—	—
7th	+3	Crooked Dominance	8	5	4	3	—	—	—
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	9	5	4	3	—	—	—
9th	+4	Shuddering Twist	10	6	4	3	2	—	—
10th	+4	Crooked Aspect Feature	10	6	4	3	2	—	—
11th	+4	Crooked Shift	11	7	4	3	3	—	—
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	11	7	4	3	3	—	—
13th	+5	Warp Reality	12	8	4	3	3	1	—
14th	+5	Crooked Aspect Feature	12	8	4	3	3	1	—
15th	+5	Crooked Shift	13	9	4	3	3	2	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	13	9	4	3	3	2	—
17th	+6	Crooked Supremacy	14	10	4	3	3	3	1
18th	+6	Crooked Shift	14	10	4	3	3	3	1
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	15	11	4	3	3	3	2
20th	+6	The Eternal Crooked Man	15	11	4	3	3	3	2

Crooked Lore

Upon 1st level, your existence is tied to bizarre, old nursery rhymes, eerie folktales, and cryptic anomalies. Whether you were cursed or born a monster is up to you. You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill if you don’t already have it. You also learn two Crooked Man cantrips of your choice from the spell list at the end of this document (see “Spellcasting” below).

Twisted Presence

Your unsettling aura unsettles creatures around you. You gain the ability to invoke minor illusions or momentarily warp your form:

As an action, choose one creature within 30 feet that can see you. That creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be unsettled until the start of your next turn, giving it disadvantage on the first attack roll it makes against you before the end of its next turn. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). You regain expended uses on a long rest.

Spellcasting

At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the Crooked Man Cantrip List (bottom of the class). You learn an additional Crooked Man cantrip at 4th level, 10th level, and 16th level. Spell Slots The Crooked Man table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your Crooked Man spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know a number of Crooked Man spells of your choice, as shown in the Spells Known column of the Crooked Man table. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, when you reach 5th level in this class, you have four 1st-level and three 2nd-level spell slots. If your Charisma is 16 (+3 modifier), you might know six Crooked Man spells—such as Dissonant Whispers, Silent Image, Cause Fear, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force, and Invisibility. You can cast Dissonant Whispers using a 1st- or 2nd-level slot. Casting a spell doesn’t remove it from your list of known spells. When you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Crooked Man spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Crooked Man spell list. The new spell must also be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your Crooked Man spells, as they stem from your eerie presence and twisted resonance with warped geometry. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Crooked Man spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

'Spell save DC = 8+your proficiency bonus+your Charisma modifier 'Spell save DC = 8+your proficiency bonus+your Charisma modifier 'Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus+your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast a Crooked Man spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you know the spell. Performing the ritual involves unsettling whispers and distorted humming rather than the calm meditation of other casters.

Crooked Joints and Crooked Points

Starting at 2nd level, you tap into the twisted geometry of your being, represented by Crooked Points. You have a number of these points as shown in the Crooked Man table. You regain all spent Crooked Points when you finish a long rest.

You can spend these points to fuel various Crooked Maneuvers, abilities that distort reality or strike fear into enemies. You learn two maneuvers at 2nd level (see “Crooked Maneuvers” at the bottom of the page). You learn more as you gain levels in this class.

Crooked Aspect (Archetype)

Choose an archetype that reflects the manner in which your crooked power manifests. Three Aspects are detailed below: Aspect of Nursery Nightmares, Aspect of Twisted Jester, Aspect of Hollow Lurker. Each Aspect grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

Ability Score Improvement

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

Twisting Strike

When reaching 5th level, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one attack with a Twisting Strike, channeling your warped essence into a melee attack, as you distort your fist to hit the enemy in an unexpected pattern.

Make a melee spell attack against a creature. On a hit you deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage, you can spend up to your Charisma modifier amount of Crooked Points to deal extra psychic damage equal to 1d8 per point spent. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the start of your next turn.

Crooked Dominance

At 7th level, you begin to master your unnatural aura. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened. You also become immune to the frightened condition.

If a creature is frightened within this radius, you can use a bonus action to remove the effect and make them take proficiency bonus d4 psychic damage. You can do this a number of times equal to your Charisma Modifer per long rest

Shuddering Twist

As an action at 9th level, you can release an intense, reality-warping shiver.Any creatures within 15 feet of you. Each must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d8 psychic damage and become disoriented (their speed is halved, and they have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws) until the end of your next turn. You can spend 2 Crooked Points to increase the damage by 1d8 for each additional point spent (to a maximum of 5 Crooked Points total). You are also allowed to spend crooked points up to your proficiency bonus to spare an ally per point spent.

Crooked Shift

Your mastery of warped space grows. At the 11th level, You can transform yourself briefly into a warped silhouette:

As a bonus action, you become a two-dimensional, flickering shape until the end of your next turn. During this time, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and you can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. If you end your turn inside an object, you immediately take 1d10 force damage and are ejected to the nearest unoccupied space. At 15th level, you can use Crooked Shift twice between short rests. At 18th level, you can use it three times.

Warp Reality

Once per long rest upon reaching 13th level, you can cast a powerful distortion effect. Choose one of the following spells to cast without material components: Hallucinatory Terrain (twice as large), Mirage Arcane, or Shadow of Moil. These spells represent the height of your reality warping powers. The spell you choose is cast at its lowest level unless you expend Crooked Points to heighten it (1 point = +1 spell level, up to 5th-level max).

Crooked Supremacy

At 17th level, your power over fear and twisted illusions is almost absolute. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that causes the frightened condition or an illusion effect, you can choose one creature affected by the spell. That creature has disadvantage on any saving throws against the spell’s effects, and it cannot be immune to the frightened condition for this spell’s duration (though it can still have advantage on the save if another effect grants it).

The Eternal Crooked Man

When reaching 20th level, your form transcends normal space, becoming an embodiment of twisted geometry:

You no longer age, and you are immune to disease and poison. When you roll initiative and have no Crooked Points remaining, you regain 3 Crooked Points. Once per turn, when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a Twisting Strike or with a damaging Crooked Maneuver, you immediately regain 1 Crooked Point and the next closest enemey within 60ft must make a Wisdom Save or be frightened. They are unable to become immune to the saving throw.

Subclasses

Aspect of Nursery Nightmares

You embody the eerie children’s rhyme phenomenon: the sort of being that lurks in lullabies and bedtime stories.

3rd Level: Soothing Terror

When a creature fails a save against your Twisted Presence or Crooked Maneuver, you can choose for it to take no immediate damage but fall asleep or become incapacitated with haunting visions. The effect lasts for 1 minute or until the creature takes damage or someone uses an action to shake it awake.

6th Level: Mocking Whisper

You can weave illusions of comforting lullabies or horrifying rhymes. As an action, spend 2 Crooked Points to target a creature that can hear you within 30 feet. It must make a Wisdom saving throw or believe it hears you whispering from all directions, imposing disadvantage on its next attack roll or ability check (your choice) for 1 minute or until it takes damage. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns.

10th Level: Dream Distortion

You gain the ability to cast Dream once per long rest without expending a spell slot or needing material components. If a target fails its saving throw against this casting of Dream, the nightmares it suffers cause it to wake with a level of exhaustion (in addition to the spell’s normal effects).

14th Level: Endless Lullaby

You learn to lull entire groups into that half-awake, half-asleep realm. Once per long rest, you can spend 5 Crooked Points to cast an enhanced version of Sleep as an action, rolling 15d8. If the total HP you can affect is 40 or more, you can choose to have the sleep effect ignore up to 5 friendly creatures of your choice. Creatures put to sleep by this effect also suffer from vivid nightmares—any healing they receive in the next hour is halved.

Aspect of Twisted Jester

You twist reality with a sort of madcap flair, thriving on illusions, trickery, and terror.

3rd Level: Harlequin’s Distortion

When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that creates an illusion, such as Silent Image or Major Image, you can spend 1 Crooked Point to extend its duration by a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1) and/or you can make it appear only to one creature and the illusion will be invisible to everyone else except you and the target.

6th Level: Crooked Capers

Your illusions and jokes unhinge your foes. As a reaction when a hostile creature misses you with an attack, you can spend 2 Crooked Points to force it to make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it becomes charmed by you until the start of your next turn, believing you are a trusted ally. The effect ends immediately if you or your allies damage the charmed creature.

10th Level: Twisting Taunt

You learn the Enemies Abound spell if you don’t know it already. You can cast it once per long rest without expending a spell slot. When you cast Enemies Abound this way, the target has disadvantage on the initial Intelligence saving throw to resist the effect.

14th Level: Revel in Madness

Your illusions wrap themselves around your foes’ minds. As an action, spend 5 Crooked Points to target any number of creatures within 30 feet that can see you. Each must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be inflicted with a short-term madness (roll on the appropriate table in the Dungeon Master’s Guide or use a custom effect) for 1 minute. Affected creatures repeat the save at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success.

Aspect of Hollow Lurker

You are the lurking shape in dark hallways, a paragon of fear and confusion.

3rd Level: Embrace the Shadows

You gain darkvision out to 60 feet (or increase your existing darkvision by seeing through magical darkness as well). If you are in dim light or darkness, you can use a bonus action to become invisible until you move or take an action.

6th Level: Bend the Path

When you use Distorted Step, you can spend 1 additional Crooked Point to leave an illusory double behind in the space you vacated. This double lasts until the start of your next turn. The first time a creature attacks the double, the illusion dissolves, and the attack misses automatically (revealing it was just a mirage).

10th Level: Engulfing Gloom

You can cast Darkness at will without expending a spell slot. Additionally, when you are entirely within darkness created by a spell you cast (like Darkness), you can move through other creatures’ spaces as if they were difficult terrain, and opportunity attacks against you have disadvantage.

14th Level: Crooked Eclipse

As an action, spend 5 Crooked Points to cast a powerful distortion. You create a 30-foot radius sphere of supernatural darkness centered on a point within 60 feet. This darkness is impenetrable even by darkvision, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. While within this darkness, any creature other than you has disadvantage on all saving throws. The darkness lasts for 1 minute (concentration is required). You can see normally in this darkness.

Crooked Maneuvers

Warped Glimpse

Cost 1 Crooked Point

Effect: As a bonus action, choose one creature within 30 feet that can see you. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or perceive you as horrifyingly distorted. Until the end of your turn, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature.

Crooked Lullaby

Cost: 2 Crooked Points

Effect: As an action, you hum or whisper a haunting lullaby at a single creature within 30 feet that can hear you. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or fall into a magical slumber (as though affected by a sleep spell) for up to 1 minute. This requires your concentration. At the end of each of its turns, the target can repeat the saving throw, waking on a success.

Distorted Stagger

Cost: 1 Crooked Point

Effect: As a reaction against a melee attack, you momentarily distort your body to throw off your attacker. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or suffer disadvantage on the triggering attack. If it misses, you can immediately move 5 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Eerie Afterimage

Cost: 2 Crooked Points

Effect: As a bonus action, you flicker in place, leaving behind a blurry, illusory echo. Until the start of your next turn, whenever an enemy within 10 feet of you makes an attack roll against you, you can force it to roll a d4 and subtract the result from the attack roll. Once the afterimage causes an attack to miss, it fades immediately.

Shivering Pulse

Cost: 1 Crooked Point

Effect: You unleash a brief wave of uncanny energy as an action. Each creature of your choice in a 10-foot radius around you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have its speed reduced by 10 feet (to a minimum of 5 feet) until the start of your next turn. On a success, the creature is unaffected.

Twisted Reflection

Cost: 2 Crooked Points

Effect: As an action, choose one humanoid creature within 30 feet. It must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it briefly sees you as a warped version of itself, generating deep unease. Until the start of your next turn, it has disadvantage on saving throws against your illusion spells and your Crooked Maneuvers that force a saving throw.

Corrupt Scream

Cost: 3 Crooked Points

Effect: As an action, you unleash a jarring wail that echoes with maddening distortion. Each creature of your choice within 15 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it takes 2d8 psychic damage and is frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On a success, it takes half damage and isn’t frightened

Shadow Lash

Cost: 1 Crooked Point

Effect: As an action at no cost or bonus action for 1 point, tendrils of shadow briefly lash out from you. Choose one creature you can see within 10 feet. Make a melee spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 psychic damage, and its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.

Tether of Nightmares

Cost: 3 Crooked Points

Effect: As an action, you conjure a thread of horrifying illusions that links you and one creature you can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become tethered to you for up to 1 minute (concentration required). While tethered: The creature can’t willingly move more than 30 feet away from you. If it attempts to do so, it must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, its movement ends, and it takes 2d6 psychic damage. On a success, the tether breaks and the effect ends.

Crimson Distortion

Cost: 4 Crooked Points

Effect: As an action, you violently warp the space around you in a 15-foot cone. Each creature of your choice in that area must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 4d6 psychic damage and is blinded until the end of its next turn. On a success, it takes half damage and isn’t blinded.

The Crooked Man Spell List

You know all of the spells on the basic Crooked Man spell list and additional spells based on your subclass.

Cantrips

Chill Touch, Dancing Lights, Friends, Mage Hand, Message, Mind Sliver, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation, Thaumaturgy, Toll the Dead, Vicious Mockery

1st Level

Cause Fear, Disguise Self, Dissonant Whispers, Illusory Script, Silent Image, Sleep, Wrathful Smite

2nd Level

Crown of Madness, Invisibility, Magic Mouth, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force, Silence

3rd Level

Fear, Major Image, Phantom Steed, Sending

4th Level

Confusion, Greater Invisibility, Phantasmal Killer

5th Level

Dominate Person, Dream, Modify Memory, Seeming

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Crooked Man class, you must meet these prerequisites: Charisma 14 and Dexterity 12

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Crooked Man class, you gain the following proficiencies: Armor: Light armor Weapons: Simple weapons Skills: Stealth or Intimidation

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