Creating a Kandra

[ChangeSumFlux]

So something I’ve always wanted to do with dnd is create something that is very similar to a kandra from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn book series. For those who are not familiar with a kandra, a kandra is a sentient amorphous blob of muscles and flesh like stuff that can change its shape to perfectly mimic something it has consumed, the experienced ones can also improve upon the base model, adding extra strength, vocal cords to things that normally don’t have them, etc.
Obviously a high level Druid can fit this role really well, being able to change their appearance at will and shapeshift. The problem is 3/4 characters I’ve played recently have all been druids and character usually don’t get to a high level to gain the druids ability to always change their form. Kandra also don’t really have access to magic in the world they are from.
With Eberron out, a changeling now fits the idea of a kandra so well, especially since kandra would always imitate humans rather than animals (there is an exception, but they mainly stay humans in that world). With this, it opens up the possibility to dip deeper into other classes, to fit more of the role of a kandra than just having the abilities due to being a Druid.
So about the kandra, kandra imitated people all of their lives and thus are great at reading people and their intentions, they are also great at taking a role and fulfilling it flawlessly. To this id say proficiency in insight, performance, and deception are key. Kandra aren’t that much of fighters and never fight (lore wise), they can fight but are forbidden to kill humans specifically (for reasons I won’t get into).
Thus I’m thinking more of a support role would be best, maybe going rogue:Mastermind would be useful. Bardic abilities would fit, but the idea of a bard doesn’t fit as kandra tend to want to stay unnoticed, quite the opposite of playing instruments mid fight(college of whispers maybe? The abilities seem redundant though). The more I think about it, pure rogue seems to fit them best but I also feel like they need a bit of magic in them. Lore wise, they used to all be human and have powerful magic, but they gave up their magic to become kandra.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on making kandra, please include what you think would work great towards making a realistic kandra from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series. If you are unfamiliar with kandra and still want to provide you opinions, please google kandra(coppermind wiki or 17th shard are good resources) as I only explained core details and probably quite poorly.
Thanks in advance!

[Nidgit]

I'd generally say that Warlock is a good option to replicate kandra. Between the Contract, vaguely creepy background, and Blessings-like Invocations, Warlocks feel like a pretty good approximation of a kandra. Changelings negate the need for Mask of Many Faces but you have plenty of other options to choose from.

Whispers Bard feels extremely appropriate, but as you said, one of the main reasons to take it is already covered by changelings being stupid good.

One outside the box option? Redemption Paladin. Oaths are built in Contract rules and the Redemption Paladin in particular acts as protection and retribution for damage to allies.

I could see pretty much any Rogue subclass working except for Swashbuckler or Scout.

[Unoriginal]

Just to know: you want this as a PC and using only official material, right?

[ChangeSumFlux]

Yeah, this is supposed to be a PC, and the idea of a warlock does seem to make perfect sense. I didn’t even think of the oath/pact as a contract. Now that you pointed it out, that seems greats. I haven’t played a warlock before so I’m going too look more into them and their subclasses. Pact of the chain caught my eye as potentially being useful, but I don’t know if it fits that well.

[ChangeSumFlux]

Okay, so warlock definitely should be the class to go, get actor feat, and being a changeling is great.
Now the question, is it worth it to multiclass 1 lvl or rogue to get expertise? (No UA feats to get expertise). And if so, deception and what else? Probably disguise kit, persuasion, insight, or performance.

[Daithi]

This kind of sounds somewhat like an adult or elder Oblex from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. However, the oblex a monster.

[Falcon X]

A tiefling of the Juiblex bloodline who is a rogue/bard with expertise in persuasion/intimidation/sense motive/deception/investigation/history.

If you don’t have to stick to AL legal stuff:
Changeling from UA is the obvious first thought here.

Whisper Bard could work here if your DM will let you have an item or ability where you can keep 1 persona locked indefinitely. We did this in my game. He was from a hidden tribe and their rite of manhood was to go out and find their first persona to steal, and it was an honor to steal an impressive one.

[ChangeSumFlux]

So I talked to my DM and since I’m in between characters right now, I actually have the chance to build this character. He does not allow UA and isn’t allowing the changeling from Eberron (He doesn’t want to add new stuff mid campaign).
So I definitely like the idea of warlock the most since changeling isn’t an option, and I doubt my DM will give me a 1 reserve shadow from whispers. I really like how invocations feel like kandra blessings and the pact being a contract. I’d probably make the pact be something along the lines of collecting, storing, and protecting magical items to prevent them from falling to evil hands. Kind of fits with what they do in the book, plus it gives me an opening for sticky fingers :).

Now to decide on the best race, subclass, and pact.
I don’t thing blade pact fits very well and neither does hexblade. I like the sound of the chain pact, but a lot of people say tome is the best.
I don’t know what to do for subclass, ignoring how good stuff is, Fiend doesn’t make sense, GoO kinda of does due to the Lord Ruler being partially immortal. Archfey doesn’t really fit since it doesn’t make sense in that work, so I could pick it, it just wouldn’t be thematic(unless someone else can make a connection). And celestial would probably work well as the kandraserver harmony in the 2nd trilogy, who is basically a god. Plus the healing capability helps with the whole, kandra can’t be hurt by weapons deal. Plus I could take the invocation that always gives healing the max effect when it targets me.

Lastly, race. Vhuman is always a solid choice, especially since I’m going to need the actor feat. Maybe I could go with something a little less common so it makes more sense for me to keep mask of many faces up all the time. One of those snake pure blood people might work well.

Thanks all for the input, I’m starting to get really excited that I can finally play this character idea. (Wish I could be changeling though)

[Falcon X]

Undying patron from Sword Coast Adventurers Guide.
- It can reattach limbs that are severed and doesn’t eat and sleep in a normal manner. Very Kansas-ish if I remember the books right.
- Liberally speaking, Kandra have undead qualities to them, being given sentience by spikes. They can’t truly live without outside influence.

[edit] Svirfneblin (Deep Gnome) race
- Has “Disguise self” as a racial spell
- Keep their magic in items (spell gems)
- Lives hidden away underground from the world
- Being a spy is a right of passage for their god.
- Personality is dour, untrusting, and crafty, yet still are generally good people.

Also, I don’t have Mordenkainens Tome of Foes in front of me, but I remember it having a run-down of a Juiblexian demonic heritage. Such a thing would surely give a person a somewhat amorphic body, I would presume.
I’ll post info on it when I get a look at the book.

[ChangeSumFlux]

So I looked up undying at it is absolutely amazing for this. It’s agreat ways to get the immortality part of kandra. Plus I found an interesting combonation.
The spare the dying cantrip is touch, and if I remember correctly, you can cast touch spells through familiars. I was planning on doing pact of the chain, so this would work as a pretty good combination.
I still need to look at the expanded spell list, but no many of them caught my eye.

As for the deep gnome, I do really like them, but the problem is they are small (I believe) and disguise self can only make you appear +/- 1 ft, so you wouldn’t be able to disguise yourself as any of the medium races excluding dwarf, or a very short medium creature.