PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next 5e Class, The Synthesist (Playing Abathur in D&D)



Zinarik
2015-09-11, 05:17 PM
“Symbiotic link established. Organism improved.”

Due to one of your ancestors or an event in your past you carry aberration blood in your veins, both your mind and body function in ways others don’t understand.

Synthesists hate chaos and are obsessed with perfection. They usually don’t engage in combat directly, preferring to stay back and enhance their allies’ (or minions’) capabilities.


HIT POINTS
Hit Dice: 1d6 per synthesist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your constitution modifier
per synthesist level after 1st

PROFICIENCIES
Armor: None
Weapons: Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
Tools: None

Saving Throws: Intelligence, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine and Perception

EQUIPMENT
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
· (a) a quarterstaff or (b) a dagger
· (a) a scholar's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack




Levels
Proficiency Bonus
Features
Cantrips
Spells Known
Slot Level


1st
+2
Magic Circuit, Symbiote
2
-
-


2nd
+2
Evolutions
2
-
-


3rd
+2
-
3
1
1


4th
+2
Ability Score Improvement
3
2
1


5th
+3
-
3
3
2


6th
+3
-
4
4
2


7th
+3
-
4
5
3


8th
+3
Ability Score Improvement
4
6
3


9th
+4
-
4
7
4


10th
+4
-
5
7
4


11th
+4
Intuitive Leap (5th level)
5
8
4


12th
+4
Ability Score Improvement
5
8
4


13th
+5
Intuitive Leap (6th level)
5
9
4


14th
+5
-
5
9
4


15th
+5
Intuitive Leap (7th level)
6
10
4


16th
+5
Ability Score Improvement
6
10
4


17th
+6
Intuitive Leap (8th level)
6
11
4


18
+6
-
6
11
4


19th
+6
Ability Score Improvement
6
12
4


20th
+6
Mastermind, Intuitive Leap (9th level)
6
12
4




CLASS FEATURES

Magic Circuit
Your obsession for perfection leads you to study and practice spells to such an extent that they become fixed in your mind and you become infused with the magic needed to produce the effect over and over.

Cantrips
You know two cantrips of your choice from the synthesist spell list. You learn additional synthesist cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the cantrips known column of the Synthesist table.

Spells Known
At 3rd level you know one 1st-level spell of your choice from the Synthesist spell list.
The spells known column of the Synthesist table show when you learn more synthesist spells of your choice of 1st level and higher. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what’s shown in the table's Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 8th level, for example, you learn a new synthesist spell, which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one o f the synthesist spells you know and replace it with another spell from the synthesist spell list, which also must be of a level no higher than you slot level.

All your spells are cast using a slot of the level indicated on the Slot Level column on the Synthesist table.

Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your synthesist spells. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability.
In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a synthesist spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your intelligence modifier


Symbiote
Attach a parasite to a willing target, it works as conduit for your spells.
While in symbiote you cast your synthesist spells from your parasite’s location, they require no components and synthesist spells with a range of self or personal can be cast on the parasite’s host, spells that would affect you affect the parasite’s host instead.
You can attach or detach your symbiote as a bonus action, you move at half speed for a round after detaching it.
You need line of sight with the target of the symbiote and it must be within 80 feet of you, if the host is more than 120 feet away from you it automatically detaches.
You can communicate telepathically with the host. The parasite is always visible on the host.

While in symbiote a cocoon surrounds you, protecting and rooting you to the ground.
You perceive through the host’s senses, you benefit from any special senses possessed by the host, and you are blinded and deafened to your surroundings while inside the cocoon, you can’t move or take any actions with your own body.
The cocoon receives any non self inflicted damage you take (e.g. warding bond spell). You can feel this damage. If this damage reduces it to 0 hit points, you take the remaining damage, your symbiote is interrupted and you are stunned for 1 round. It has hit points equal to twice you synthesist level + your intelligence modifier
It disappears when you detach your symbiote and reappears at full hit points when you reattach it.


Evolutions
Your abilities as you go up in levels is determined by your evolutions.
You start with an evolution pool equal to 1 + your intelligence modifier and it increases by 1 each time you gain a level, evolutions may cost between 1 to 3 points of your pool.
These choices are not set. You can change them whenever you gain a level.


1 point evolutions

Toxic Nest
You can use an action to spawn a mine within 60 feet of you that attaches itself to a solid surface and fills a 5 foot square. It explodes whenever a creature passes within 5 feet of it dealing 1d6 poison damage to anyone in the area and revealing its location to you for 1 minute, you can sense its location even while in your cocoon.
You must finish a short rest before using this ability again. The nest disappears after 24 hours. You can only have 1 toxic nest active at a time.
This evolution can be taken up to 5 times, each time you gain another use of toxic nest and you can have an extra active toxic nest.

Toxic Nest Upgrade
Prerequisite: 3rd level
The damage of your toxic nest increases by 1d6.
This evolution can be taken once for every 3 levels you possess.

Improved Toxic Fluid
You add your intelligence modifier to you toxic nest’s damage.

Parasitic Leap
As a move action, you can reattach your symbiote to a new host that must be within 60 feet of the current host.
You must finish a short rest before you can use this ability again.
This evolution can be taken multiple times, each time you gain another use of this ability.

False Life Upgrade
Prerequisite: False Life Spell
When using the false life spell, you gain 1 additional hit point.
This evolution can be taken as many times as your intelligence modifier.

Cantrip Mastery
Choose one cantrip, it deals 1 additional point of damage.
This evolution can be taken as many times as your intelligence modifier for each cantrip.

Magic Circuit Overload
when you use this ability, choose one intuitive leap spell of a level you can cast, you cast that spell.
You lose 1 evolution point permanently after using this ability.

Infused into the Circuit
You don’t need to maintain concentration on cantrips.


2 point evolutions

Magic Circuit Upgrade
While in symbiote you can cast cantrips with a cast time of 1 action as a bonus action.

Magic Circuit Upgrade II
Prerequisite: 5th level
While in symbiote you can cast 1st level spells with a cast time of 1 action as a bonus action.

Incomplete study
Prerequisite: 3rd level
Choose one 1st-level spell from the synthesist spell list, you can cast that spell as a ritual.

Complete memorization II
Prerequisite: 7th level
Choose one 1st-level spell from the synthesist spell list, you don’t need to maintain concentration on that spell.

Burrow
While in your cocoon, as a move action you can burrow into the ground and emerge on a location your host can see.

Danger Response
Whenever you cocoon is damaged, your symbiote automatically detaches and you can take a dash action.


3 point evolutions

Complete memorization III
Prerequisite: 9th level
Choose one 2nd-level spell from the synthesist spell list, you don’t need to maintain concentration on that spell.

Incomplete study II
Prerequisite: 5th level
Choose one 2nd-level spell from the synthesist spell list, you can cast that spell as a ritual.

Subtle parasite
Your symbiote is no longer visible on the host.

Independent Symbiosis
You can use symbiote yourself. You do not enter your cocoon and can move and act normally while you are in symbiote with yourself.

Magic Circuit Perfection
Prerequisite: 13th level
While in symbiote you can cast cantrips with a cast time of 1 action as a move action.


Intuitive Leap
At 11th level, a strike of genius grants you limited knowledge over one powerful spell. Chose one 5th-level spell from the synthesist spell list, you can cast that spell once and must finish a long rest before doing so again.
You keep gaining spells in this manner at higher levels: one 6th-level at 13th level, one 7th-level at 15th level, one 8th-level at 17th level and one 9th level at 20.

Mastermind
At 20th level, your mastery over your symbiote is complete.
Your symbiote has no max range and you can symbiote two targets at a time. You can attach your symbiote to any willing target you can see or know the exact location of.

Spell list:

0 Level: Acid Splash, Blade Ward, Chill Touch, Friends, Frostbite, Guidance, Poison Spray, Ray of Frost, Resistance, True Strike, Thunderclap.

1st Level: Armor of Agathys, Disguise Self, Expeditious Retreat, False Life, Feather Fall, Find Familiar, Hellish Rebuke, Hex, Jump, Longstrider, Mage Armor, Shield, Silent Image.

2nd Level: Aid, Alter Self, Blur, Darkvision, Enhance Ability, Enlarge/Reduce, Gentle Repose, Invisibility, Lesser Restoration, Levitate, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Protection from Poison, See Invisibility, Silence, Spider Climb, Warding Bond.

3rd Level: Feign Death, Fly, Gaseous Form, Haste, Major Image, Nondetection, Protection from Energy, Remove Curse, Revivify, Vampiric Touch, Water Breathing, Water Walk.

4th Level: Arcane Eye, Fire Shield, Freedom of Movement, Greater Invisibility, Polymorph, Death Ward, Stoneskin.

5th Level: Antilife Shell, Contagion, Geas, Greater Restoration, Mislead, Modify Memory, Reincarnate, Scrying, Seeming.

6th Level: Eyebite, Find the Path, Forbiddance, Globe of Invulnerability, Magic Jar, Programmed Illusion, True Seeing, Wind Walk.

7th Level: Project Image, Regenerate, Sequester, Simulacrum, Teleport.

8th Level: Antimagic Field, Clone, Dominate Monster, Glibness, Mind Blank, Telepathy.

9th Level: Foresight, Shapechange, Time Stop, True Polymorph.


It's obviously a work in progress, but I'd love some criticism and hear your thoughts on it.

Sindeloke
2015-09-13, 09:04 PM
So you cast all your spells at the same level, but how many do you get, and how do they recharge? I'm assuming they're on a warlock schedule with the same short rest mechanic, but it's not clear in your spellcasting section. Also, why stop at 4th level instead of 5th like the normal lock?

Symbiote is an interesting mechanic, but it seems to contradict itself a little thematically. The fact that you lose any control over or ability to perceive your own body makes it dangerous in combat and turns it into a scouting/exploration ability, but the range limit and the fact that the host has to be willing (can't be a random passing squirrel) makes it very limited for scouting and turns it into a combat ability. If you want it to be a combat ability, as the class flavor suggests, I'd remove the whole cocoon thing and the unnecessary complexity of the 80/120 feet division and LoS (if you can see with the host's senses, the symbiote is always in line of sight), just say "as long as you have an active symbiote, you can only cast spells through that symbiote, you move at half speed, and any attacks or checks you make personally are at disadvantage from the distraction. Your symbiote must be within 120 feet and have line of effect to your body in order to function." You can easily just have burrow and danger sense simply apply to you whenever you have an active symbiote.

Also, there are no move actions in 5e. I'd rewrite Parasitic Leap to "on your turn, instead of moving yourself, you can move your symbiote up to 60 feet to attach to a different host than its current one" or similar.

All that said, I think this is a cool idea with really rich flavor.

Zinarik
2015-09-14, 12:58 AM
Thanks a lot for the response.

The spells are at will. I'm not sure about this but the class doesn't have any encounter ending spells as other casters do (combat wise), just buffs and utility. A typical turn at low levels would be you casting Blade Ward/True Strike as a bonus action and False Life as an action (yeah not that much people would enjoy this play style but hey) or just being a cantrip machine gun.

I stopped at 4th level because I didn't see any non abusable 5th level spell (remember the class can spam spells), although you could argue stuff like polymorph is even easier to abuse.

I'll try rewriting it without the cocoon and following your suggestions, the hardest part is the spells, if I make it like the warlock's why not just make the whole thing a warlock archetype in the first place.