The Outsider, Variant (5e Subclass)
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The Outsider[edit]
Warlock Subclass
You awaken in a field, your mind a shattered mess, and in a body you do not own. You feel yourself being carried, and you notice you are gripping a piece of stone with such force that it is cutting into your hands. You know you can't loosen your grip. The next few days are spent in an unfamiliar room, being tended to by people you do not know. You start to hear your stone whispering to you, at first incomprehensible, slowly resolving in to words, and eventually answers. You slip away in the middle of the night, seeking more.
The name "Outsider" does not refer to any mysterious entities from which these warlocks draw power, but to the warlocks themselves. Somehow, they were banished from their body, their mind drifting through the multiverse (Or the material plane, you do you) until it eventually anchored itself in a new body. Whether stolen or fabricated, it is not the warlock's original body, and their mind isn't quite in one piece. As a side effect of the shattering of your mind, however, you are able to cast spells. Doesn't really make up for it, but it could be worse.
Reflavoring[edit]
While this subclass as written focuses on an untethered mind, your character may be a drifting soul, or a ghost, or something else entirely. Up to you.
Expanded Spell List[edit]
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | dissonant whispers, sleep |
| 2nd | spike growth, phantasmal force |
| 3rd | speak with dead, phantom steed |
| 4th | confusion, phantasmal killer |
| 5th | legend lore/dominate person, modify memory |
Reflavoring Spells[edit]
Not all the spells listed here fit the theme of this subclass in their default forms. Feel free to change the way certain spells works, at least on a visual level, ensuring they still match the constraints of the spell. For example, spike growth might cause spears resembling your Fragment to thrust out of the ground, skewering those foolish enough to challenge you. Or maybe ghost hands. Having fun is what's most important here.
Fragmented Memory[edit]
At 1st level, you awaken with a Fragmented Memory.
This Fragment resembles a small piece of metal or stone inlaid with glass or crystal, or a small sculpture of an object associated with the character's past. The exact appearance and material is up to the player. It serves as your guide to this world. The Fragment is sentient has its own personality, with mental ability scores equal to 10 + your modifier for that ability score + your proficiency bonus.
Fragments have a flying speed of 20 feet and can hover, 30 feet of blindsight (Blind beyond this radius) and project dim light out to 15 feet. This light can not be extinguished, but it can be hidden. The Fragment understands all languages you do, and one additional language associated with your mysterious past, but cannot speak. Your Fragment can telepathically communicate with you, and you can allow it to hear and perceive through your senses as an action, ending the effect as a bonus action.
Fragment Properties[edit]
Your Fragment is able to show you a memory associated with an object you examine, most likely someone else's. The Fragment can cast identify a number of time per day equal to your proficiency bonus. It can also provide an answer to a basic question concerning an object or creature. The Dungeon Master determines how much or how little information is revealed when these property are used. Fragments share your space and move with you while on your person. You can move it up to 20 feet on your turn as a free action, and you may use an action to recall it to your hand, provided you have one free.
Destruction of a Fragment[edit]
Fragments are not incorporeal or indestructible. They are more resilient than their composition suggests, but they can still be destroyed with enough force. Fragments have an AC of 14 + your proficiency bonus, one tenth of your maximum health, and resistance to all damage. Your Fragment can only be targeted by hostile effects when it is not sharing your space. If your Fragment is destroyed, you suffer one level of exhaustion, which cannot be removed until your fragment is replaced. During a long rest, you are able to reform your Fragment, restoring it to functionality.
Reveal[edit]
Also at 1st level, you gain the ability to channel your mind through your Fragment, accessing its senses. As a bonus action, You gain 45 feet of blindsight centered on your fragment, perceiving its surroundings as well as your own. This sight is able to penetrate up to 10 feet of dirt or wood, 5 feet of stone, 1 foot of common metal, or 1 inch of lead, and is able to penetrate up to 5 feet of magical darkness. This property can be used for up to 5 minutes each short or long rest. Subtract usage in increments of six seconds (one round in combat). You are able to perfectly recall the location of anything you see during this time, allowing you to target or interact with any object or creature which has not moved since you last saw it with this ability.
Reach Out[edit]
Beginning at 6th level, you gain the ability to project you consciousness into another creature's form, subtly influencing their behavior. As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you, or a creature you are aware of within 20 feet of you or your fragment. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. If you are fighting the creature, or if it knows you are capable of this ability, it has advantage on the saving throw. If the creature succeeds on its save, nothing happens, as your mind fails to find a hold and withdraws. If the creature fails its save, you are able to perceive through its senses for up to 10 minutes.
During this time, you are unable to perceive through you own eyes, but can still hear. Once every minute, you can force the target to make a wisdom saving throw. If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, nothing happens. On a failure, you temporarily seize control of its movement, shortening the duration of this effect by one minute, and allowing you to force the target to move and take the Use Object action. However, you gain no special knowledge of how to achieve your desired course of action. For example, you can make a creature walk to a door and open it, but only if you are familiar with how this door functions, or you could make a creature press random buttons on a device, but you have no idea what those buttons will do.
When this effect ends, the creature becomes aware of your direction and that you were affecting its mind, as it feels your mind withdraw. This effect also ends if your concentration is broken (as if you were concentrating on spell). Undead and constructs are immune to this effect. You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this ability again.
Reach Back[edit]
At 10th level, you gain more control over your mind and the drifting memories of others. Whenever you are under any effect that causes you to be charmed, you may attempt to end the effect as a bonus action. The creature that charmed you must succeed on a wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC, or take 1d4 psychic damage, and become stunned for 1 minute as your mind assaults theirs, forcing them to end the effect and withdraw. At the end of each of their turns, they can repeat the saving throw, ending this effect on a success, and taking another 1d4 psychic damage on a failed save. This effect also ends if your concentration is broken (as if you are concentrating on a spell).
Also, at the end of every long rest, you may gain proficiency in one skill or one tool. This benefit lasts until your next long rest, when you are able to change the skill or tool you gained proficiency in.
Reach Beyond[edit]
Starting at 14th level, your mind and body are no longer chained together by any "mortal coil". As a reaction when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you are able to project your mind into another body.
Choose a creature you are aware of within 60 feet of you with an Intelligence score of at least 6. The target creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature's Wisdom score is lower than your Charisma score, it has disadvantage on the saving throw. A creature can choose to fail this saving throw. If the creature succeeds, you may stun every creature of your choice within 60 feet of you until the start of your next turn as your mind attacks anything it perceives as a threat before withdrawing to your failing body. On a failed save, your mind overwrites theirs, dealing 2d10 psychic damage and afflicting both the creature and yourself with one level of exhaustion. If the creature willingly failed its save, it takes no damage from this ability.
You use the creature's stat block and may perform any action it is capable of. You are unable to use any action that requires specific knowledge, such as a spell which you don't know or are unfamiliar with. You are able to inhabit the creature for up to 10 minutes. At the end of every minute the creature can repeat the saving throw. If they succeed, your mind is shunted back into your body. On a failure, the creature takes 1d8 psychic damage, but stuns you for one round as you force them back down. You do not make death saving throws during your possession of the creature, as your Fragment keeps your body in stasis until you return.
If the creature fails its save, you cannot use this ability for 48 hours. After you expend your use of this ability, you can use the following reaction: As a reaction when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you may force every creature of your choice within 60 feet of you to make a wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, nothing happens. On a failure, the creature is stunned until the start of your next turn.
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