Alternative weird class reflavors

[Ganryu]

So, on the fluff side of things, what's the weirdest explanation you've had for where a character got their powers that is nonstandard?

Like I'm working on a monk who rather than going for the whole Wuxia feel of a monastery, just uses lycanthropy to explain why they are skilled at hand to hand and superfast with high wisdom.

I've had a cleric who rather than being devout had a McGuffin that let him syphon a small part of a god's power.

Had a warlock that was 'besties' with a demon rather than a formal pact.

What are some of your stories of a class being reflavored to be unusual?

[Grey Watcher]

This used a third party Shaman class (sort of a Warlock/Druid hybrid), but rather than being going with what the name implies (someone who knowingly and wilfully seeks interactions with spirits), the fluff was more like a Sorcerer: he had a bunch of weird powers he didn't understand, didn't want, and didn't like. I didn't hamstring him: I made full use of my powers, but there were a lot of grumpy (and increasingly implausible) denials that things like magical healing and conveniently aimed deadly moonbeams weren't coming from me.

[stoutstien]

A simic hybrid wild soul barbarian who existences because of a clan of kuo-toa worship. The surges are random due to the insane and ever changing beliefs of the clan.

[Man_Over_Game]

I had a warlock that was born to be a sacrifice in exchange for power from a dark god. My father was ripped from the circle prematurely, but I was still in it, while there was still a sacrifice and a beneficiary of the ritual that needed to be chosen. And since I didn't have an opinion on the topic (being a child with no will), both attributes just kinda became me...by default.

[Magic Myrmidon]

I don't really like the default flavor of Druid. So I refluffed it into an alchemist class. Works really well. Goodberries are tiny healing potions, shapeshifting is just polymorph potions. Some of the stuff is just arcane wand waving, though, like fire storm and such.

[Undyne]

So, on the fluff side of things, what's the weirdest explanation you've had for where a character got their powers that is nonstandard?

Like I'm working on a monk who rather than going for the whole Wuxia feel of a monastery, just uses lycanthropy to explain why they are skilled at hand to hand and superfast with high wisdom.

I've had a cleric who rather than being devout had a McGuffin that let him syphon a small part of a god's power.

Had a warlock that was 'besties' with a demon rather than a formal pact.

What are some of your stories of a class being reflavored to be unusual?

Barbarian, but instead of tribal brute, a humble lumberjack who is mad at his kingdom due to the king placing wood tariffs, thus cutting down his profits. Pun unintentional.

[MrStabby]

I played a monk fluffed as a warlock.

Instead of "magic" the pact benefits manifested themselves as extraordinary speed and skill.

[MagneticKitty]

Warlock with eldritch blast makes a nice gunslinger. Other spells can be special bullets or practical magic (smoke and mirrors). Or western themed in general.

Barbarian animal totems make a decent lycanthrope, where rages are transformations

Shepherd druid can be an earth elementalist, where all the beast they summon are made of dirt and rocks. Could use water/ice as well since ice can pierce and bludgeon and slash. Fire and air less so

[The Cats]

A ghostwise halfing spore circle druid who had been kidnapped by Derro and experimented on using all kinds of magical fungus (cytellish, russet mold, etc) that gave her crazy druid powers.

A battlesmith artificer who is basically Dr. Frankenstein. His steel defender is a flesh golem and his main 'components' for casting spells are bottled lightning.

[Brother12]

A warforged bard who used cooking instead of music to cast spells. Snack of Rest, throwing spices instead of cantrips, that sort of thing. Integrated tool was a cooking set with a torch and various spatulas.

[Bosh]

Barbarians make surprisingly good swashbucklers: lightly armored, mobile and brave (because you can soak damage).

[Lunali]

My personal favorite is still the magical girl barbarian, instead of rage you get transformations.

[Balyano]

Had one warlock refluffed to basically be a paladin.
Had another warlock, but no pact, instead growing up in the combination of every stephen king novel and old horror movie plus lovecraft has warped his nature and basically turned him into a monster.

[sambojin]

Druid as an "evil" caster. As in, got their magic from generalized evilness, sort of like how normal ones get it from generalized "nature". With an entire cult with secret languages and signs to back them up. Used a Moon Druid, but a Shepherd or Grassland Druid would probably have worked better.

Refluffed spells included Guidance as "Daemonic Insight", Shillelagh as "Infernal Weapon", Entangle as "Shackles upon the Weak", Faerie Fire as "Unhallowed Light", Spike Growth as "Aura of Pain", Pass Without Trace as "The Devils' Passage", Enhance Ability as "The 6 Evils' Will", Conjure Animals as "Conjure Minor Devils", Conjure Woodland Beings as "Conjure Real Devils", Conjure Minor Elementals as "Conjure Minor Daemons" (turn your enemies against them), Sleet Storm as "Despoiling Darkness", Awaken as "Enslave Beast", and plenty more. Any healing was just infernal fortitude reinvigorating the recipients.

Wildshape was refluffed as taking on daemonic and devilish animal forms for combat rage and trickery.

Did it as a Firbolg, so you get a quite bit of Super Disguise Self/ Invis popping and Detect Magic per day as well, with him just refluffed as an baby half-devil (no mortal race's parentage known, just that he was definitely a half-devil, kind of like a largish tiefling, or a really big imp that doesn't fly, but more generally person-like) attempting to work out the law/evil balance within himself, but kind of willing to work alongside anyone to further the cult's bigger goals (ie: needed a reason to not be evil all the time, and to be able to work alongside other adventurers. Bigger picture stuff overriding the smaller "I think we should kill them all, all the time" stuff. Following the cult's rules, commands and laws, so he doesn't just "do whatever evil stuff" chaotically).

He could try and command lower lifeforms (Speech of Leaf and Beasts) whenever he wanted, and had Infernal Strength (2x Str carry capacity). Didn't have darkvision unfortunately, until he wildshaped into something that did. Blamed some massacres on daemonic forces to further the devil cult's aims while in wildshape though, just so the "good" could be misdirected against their enemies, and because we all got a bit murder-hobo'y by the end of it. My DM gave me a bit of leeway on just what my wildshapes looked like, being a "natural" shapechanger and all. Honestly worked pretty well, if somewhat disturbingly so. Quite a lot better than a Warlock does that schtick imo.

[moonfly7]

So, on the fluff side of things, what's the weirdest explanation you've had for where a character got their powers that is nonstandard?

Like I'm working on a monk who rather than going for the whole Wuxia feel of a monastery, just uses lycanthropy to explain why they are skilled at hand to hand and superfast with high wisdom.

I've had a cleric who rather than being devout had a McGuffin that let him syphon a small part of a god's power.

Had a warlock that was 'besties' with a demon rather than a formal pact.

What are some of your stories of a class being reflavored to be unusual?

I currently have a player whose a shifter monk that explained their abilities that way. Every single warlock I've ever seen or played as has just been bros with their patrons, I've never once seen a negative relationship.
My personal experience with it was when I played an orphaned aasimar who had been born fallen, he found an ancient glaive that held the soul of a long dead yuanti blade dancer. The dead warrior became his mentor and friend, and that's how I played a hexblade warlock.
But I think my best one is the wizard who isn't a wizard. I used levels in battle master fighter, sun soul monk, and paladin before it gets spells. I reflavored my maneuvers as different spells, trip became grease, guiding strike became guiding bolt, etc. Action surge was haste, and second wind was self cure wounds. Sun bolt was magic missile.
In game he was a wizard who had discovered a new theoretical way of casting without relying on the weave, but rather your own energies. He was laughed out of the college but went on a journey to prove his theories, becoming a mage who always had every spell he knew prepared, could cast in antimagic fields, and whose magic couldn't be counter spelled or dispelled.