Requesting Polish Pass: Protean Class

[PhoenixPhyre]

Full class with formatting: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fg1gNCKdt5EqTFwiQihMY5usjPxVHr_PqqltysnaoGQ/edit?usp=sharing

I've got a player who will be playtesting the following class (which I wrote for a contest a long time ago) in a few weeks. Before that, I'd like to clean up any last glaring issues and (possibly) get ideas for more mutations. Your help in doing so would be very much appreciated. The player will be taking the Skulking Venom subclass. Multiclassing (for the purposes of the playtest) is not allowed.

Protean
A gang of ruffians chase a heavy-set man down an alleyway. As they turn a corner, he disappears into the shadows. They pile on past; he pours himself from a crack between buildings much too small to fit his frame. Grinning, he reshapes his legs and jumps to the top of the 30-foot-tall building and vanishes into the night.

A slender woman and her team fight a group of ogres that tower over them. Suddenly, her frame expands to twice its prior size and she grabs one of the ogres in a massive fist. With a grunt and a swing, she sends it flying dozens of feet into another ogre threatening her comrade.

A wood elf fights on a ship’s deck, bare-handed except for gleaming claws that jut from his fists. When allies are dragged under the waves by sahuagin warriors, he dives under the waves, growing fins and gills to come to the rescue.

Warlocks strike pacts and cast spells. Theirs is a power drawn from study, from bargains, and from spells. Not so with the protean. Her power comes from the pits of chaos, as unpredictable and wild as the inhabitants of that plane. That power reshapes her flesh, forming it to whatever shape she needs.

Wild Wanderers, Feared Mutants
Proteans are rare. Most who encounter beings of Chaos die outright; the few who survive the initial encounter but are infected with the Strain are converted into chaotic beings that must be put down for the safety of others. Only a tiny minority are able to master the strain and use its power.

Proteans are often looked at as aberrations, as monsters. Those that show their mutations are rarely welcome in the more superstitious areas and are often driven out. They are welcomed by the criminal underworld’s denizens, who take a more pragmatic view of the power conferred on the protean. Venomites are especially welcome with their flexibility and stealth. Ichorites find work as bruisers or bouncers, where physical strength and fearsome mien are valued commodities. Those that don’t join underworld organizations often wander, taking jobs as they find them.

Some proteans find strength in rituals and routines and become highly ordered individuals, believing that only through focus and discipline can control be maintained. Others embrace the chaotic nature of their power and take pleasure in drifting with the wind, doing whatever they feel appropriate.

Questions to Consider
How did you get infected with your Chaos Strain? Are you trying to suppress it and live a normal life? Do you glory in the power it gives you? How did your fellows look at you once you were infected and started showing mutations? How do you feel about the creatures that infected you? Do you wish to join them in Chaos or do you despise them? Or something else entirely?

Quick Build
To quickly build a protean, follow these suggestions. If you want to focus on nimbleness and natural weapons, choose the Skulking Venom Chaos Strain and make Dexterity your highest attribute, with Constitution second. Choose Acrobatics as one of your skill proficiencies. If instead you want to be a durable grappler, choose the Brutish Ichor Chaos Strain and make Strength your highest attribute with Constitution a close second. Choose Athletics as one of your skill proficiencies.

Class Features
As a protean, you gain the following features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per protean level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per protean level after 1st.

Proficiencies
Armor: none
Weapons: simple weapons
Tools: none
Saving Throws: none (see Chaos Strain)
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Arcana, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, and Stealth

Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background.
any simple weapon
(a) two javelins or (b) two daggers
leather armor (if proficient)
(a) a burglar’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack



Level
Proficiency
Features
Mutation Die
Simultaneous Mutations


1
2
Chaotic Strain
1d4
-- (other than the one granted by the subclass)


2
2
Mutations
1d4
1


3
2
Strain Feature
1d4
1


4
2
Ability Score Increase
1d4
1


5
3
Extra Attack
1d6
1


6
3
Instinctive Adaptation
1d6
1


7
3
Strain Feature
1d6
1


8
3
Ability Score Increase
1d6
1


9
4
Greater Mutations
1d6
1


10
4
Persistent Mutation
1d6
2


11
4
Strain Feature
1d8
2


12
4
Ability Score Increase
1d8
2


13
5
Aberrant Physiology
1d8
2


14
5
Perfected Mutations
1d8
2


15
5
Strain Feature
1d8
2


16
Ability Score Increase
5
1d8
2


17
6
Shapechanger
1d10
2


18
6
Persistent Mutation (2)
1d10
2


19
6
Ability Score Increase
1d10
2


20
6
Master of Mutations
1d10
2




Chaotic Strain
As a protean, your powers stem from the effect of a rare strain of disease known as a Chaos Strain. While most who are contaminated fall under its influence become ravening monsters, you have learned to draw power from that contaminant and bend its twisted energy to your own purposes.
These strains come in countless varieties. At first level you are infected by one strain of your choice. Two common strains, Brutish Ichor and Skulking Venom, are detailed at the end of this class description. Each strain grants features when you choose it at 1st level and then again at 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, and 18th level.

Mutations
The destabilizing influence of chaos alters the bodies of those it infects. They become plastic and responsive, altering to fit the needs of the moment. These alterations are called mutations. Each mutation alters a specific body part. No two mutations can alter the same body part at the same time. Mutations that provide random effects use your Mutation Die, which is 1d4. As you progress in the class, the strength of these mutations grows in several ways. First, the size of your mutation die increases as shown in the Mutation Die column of the protean table. Second, you unlock new tiers of effects at higher levels--Greater Mutations at 9th level and Perfected Mutations at 14th level. The effects of higher tiers are cumulative with the lower ones.

At 2nd level you can only maintain one mutation at a time other than the one granted by your Chaos Strain. At higher levels you can sustain more mutations at the same time, as shown in the Simultaneous Mutations column of the protean table. You know all the mutations on the list presented at the end of this class description but can only manifest up to your limit at any one time. Each mutation specifies the action requirement to manifest that mutation. If activating a new mutation would put you over your limit, you can choose what other mutation gets suppressed. Active mutations are permanent until switched out for another mutation.
Some mutations require your target to make a saving throw to resist the effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Mutation save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier

Ability Score Increase
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.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Instinctive Adaptation
Starting at 6th level, your body adapts to changing conditions immediately. You can breathe both air and water and gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed.
Since your body adapts so fast, you are also immune to disease.

Persistent Mutation
Starting at 10th level, you can keep one mutation active even after you switch it out for another, as long as the body slot is not used by the new mutation. This persisted mutation does not count against your active mutation limit, but you do not gain the Greater or Perfected benefit from a mutation persisted in this way. Starting at 18th level you can persist two mutations in this way.

Aberrant Physiology
Starting at 13th level, you count as an aberration instead of a humanoid when determining legal targets of spells. You also gain immunity to poison as well as magical effects that change your shape.

Shapechanger
Starting at 17th level, you can assume the form of another creature for one hour. The new form can be of any aberration or monstrosity with a challenge rating equal to your level or lower. You must have seen this sort of creature at least once. You transform into an average example of that creature, one without any class levels or the Spellcasting trait. All the other requirements are as the shapechange spell. Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before you can use it again.

Master of Mutations
At level 20, activating mutations no longer requires an action. Once you mutate a body part however, you cannot change that mutation until the beginning of your next turn, and two mutations that share a body part cannot be active simultaneously.
In addition, you can unleash the chaos strain’s power as an action on your turn, mutating every body part simultaneously at full power for one minute (ignoring your usual active mutation limit). Once you use this feature in this way, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Mutations
Mutations indicate the body part they modify. If the word “visible” is present, the mutation creates an outwardly visible modification.

Aberrant Body Plan (Torso)
Activation: 1 action
When a creature would make a critical hit against you, roll a d20. On a roll of 10 or lower, the hit is only a normal hit instead.
Greater Mutation: You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, and psychic damage.
Perfected Mutation: When you start your turn with less than half your maximum hit points remaining but are not incapacitated, you regain hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.

Aberrant Senses (Head)
Activation: 1 action
While this mutation is active, you have advantage on any saving throw made against being blinded or deafened. You gain darkvision out to 120 feet.
Greater Mutation: You also have advantage on any saving throw made to resist a gaze-based effects such as a Medusa’s gaze.
Perfected Mutation: You gain blindsight and tremorsense with a range of 10 feet.

Bloodhound’s Nose (Head)
Activation: 1 action
You have advantage on perception checks involving smell. In addition, you can track any creature you’ve met or whose belongings you’ve handled for at least one minute without needing to make a roll. Magic such as pass without trace negates this ability.
Greater Mutation: You can pinpoint the locations of all creatures within 60 feet as long as there is a path for scent to flow between your location and theirs.
Perfected Mutation: The range of the greater mutation increases to 120 feet. When you pinpoint the location of a creature using this feature you can also determine one the following of your choice:
If they are wounded and roughly how badly.
Their emotional state.
Their approximate power level (the DM may answer with their CR or with their Hit Dice or with another indication as he chooses).
Their creature type (undead, beast, humanoid, etc).

Caustic Spew (Head)
Activation: 1 action
This mutation enables you to spit a cone of noxious fluids as a bonus action, burning and irritating those it hits. All creatures in a 15-foot cone must make a Dexterity saving throw. Roll your mutation dice 3 times; on a failed save the target takes acid damage equal to the amount rolled and has disadvantage on any attack rolls or Concentration checks until the end of their next turn. On a success, the target takes half damage.
You can use this mutation a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum once). Expended uses are regained after you finish a short or long rest. Suppressing or switching out this mutation does not recover expended uses.
Greater Mutation: The damage increases to 5 times your mutation dice and the range to a 20-foot cone.
Perfected Mutation: The damage increases to 7 times your mutation dice and the range to a 30-foot cone.

Claws (Arms/Hands, visible)
Activation: 1 bonus action
Razor-sharp claws grow from one or both hands. They count as a light finesse melee weapon with which you have proficiency and with damage die equal to your mutation die. You add your Strength or Dexterity modifier to this attack’s damage as if you had the Two Weapon Fighting style.
Special: If you have the Mutated Charm strain feature, this mutation can be active while another arms/hands mutation is active.
Greater Mutation: The damage done by the claws counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to damage from non-magical attacks.
Perfected Mutation: When you use two-weapon fighting with the claws as the offhand, you can attack twice with the claws as a bonus action instead of once.

Enlarged Grip (Arms/Hands, visible)
Activation: 1 bonus action
While this mutation is active you can hold a two handed melee weapon with which you have proficiency in one hand. Your other hand must not have a weapon or shield in it. The weapon cannot have the heavy property.
Additionally, if you take the Attack action on your turn you can use a bonus action to attempt a grapple or shove.
Special: If you have the Brutish Physique strain feature, this mutation can be active while another arms/hands mutation is active.
Greater Mutation: You can grapple a target two sizes larger than yourself (instead of one size larger).
Perfected Mutation: Creatures you grapple are restrained and cannot cast spells requiring material or somatic components while grappled.

Extendable Reach (Arms/Hands)
Activation: 1 bonus action
Your reach with melee weapons increases by 5 feet.
Greater Mutation: You can make an opportunity attack when creatures leave either your normal reach or your extended reach without disengaging.
Perfected Mutation: You can also make an opportunity attack when creatures enter your reach.

Gazelles’ Legs (Legs/Feet)
Activation: 1 action
Your speed increases by 5 feet.
Greater Mutation: Your speed increases by another 5 feet. Difficult terrain no longer costs extra movement.
Perfected Mutation: Your speed increases by another 5 feet. Your speed cannot be decreased as long as you are not restrained.

Geckos’ Toes (Legs/Feet)
Activation: 1 action
You gain a climb speed equal to your regular speed. In addition, you can pick up, hold, and manipulate objects with your feet.
Greater Mutation: You can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free.
Perfected Mutation: You cannot be unwillingly moved except by teleportation or plane-shift effects as long as your feet are on a solid surface.

Leaping Legs (Legs/Feet)
Activation: 1 action
You can jump vertically as far as you can jump horizontally. When you fall you only take half of the normal falling damage.
Greater Mutation: You always count as having a running start when jumping. In addition you can perform a leaping attack. When you fall at least 10 feet and make a successful weapon attack against another creature, the target must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If you would have taken falling damage, you take none and the target takes the whole amount as additional damage.
Perfected Mutation: The falling damage dealt by your leaping attacks is doubled. Jumping only costs 1 foot of movement for every 2 feet jumped and your jump distance is doubled.

Tireless Gait (Legs/Feet, visible)
Activation: 1 minute
You grow an extra set of legs and your body adapts to this new plan. You can travel at a fast pace for up to 12 hours without suffering any ill effects. In addition, you count as one size larger for determining how much you can drag or pull.
Greater Mutation: You have advantage against any attempt to knock you prone and on Dexterity saving throws or checks to keep your balance.
Perfected Mutation: You can travel indefinitely at a fast pace without suffering ill effects from a forced march.

Thermal Adaptation (Torso)
Activation: 1 action
You are now comfortable at all temperatures between -50 and 100 degrees. You also gain resistance to cold damage.
Greater Mutation: You are now comfortable at any temperature, and gain resistance to fire damage.
Perfected Mutation: You gain immunity to either fire or cold damage (your choice when you activate this mutation).

Tunneling Limbs (Arms/Hands, visible)
Activation: 1 action
Your arms and hands take on forms better suited to digging. You gain a burrow speed equal to half your walking speed. You cannot burrow through solid stone. You can leave a tunnel behind you if you choose, otherwise it collapses as you pass through.
Greater Mutation: You can burrow through stone at the cost of 3 feet of movement per foot traveled.
Perfected Mutation: Your burrow speed is equal to your movement speed and solid stone only costs 2 feet per foot moved.

Spiny Carapace (Torso, visible)
Activation: 1 action
Whenever a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make the attacker take piercing damage equal to your mutation die.
Greater Mutation: The damage increases by your Constitution modifier; this additional damage is acid damage.
Perfected Mutation: The attacker must make a Strength saving throw or be grappled by you as he gets caught in the spikes.

Web Spit (Head)
Activation: 1 action
While this mutation is active you can, as an action, spit a mass of sticky webs up to 30 feet. The webs fill four 5-foot cubes. These cubes can be arranged as you wish as long as every cube is adjacent to another cube. These webs last for 1 minute.
Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them during its turn must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is restrained as long as it remains in the webs or until it breaks free.
A creature restrained by the webs can use its action to make a Strength check against your mutation DC. If it succeeds, it is no longer restrained.
You can use this mutation a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum once). Expended uses are regained after you finish a short or long rest. Suppressing or switching out this mutation does not recover expended uses.
Greater Mutation: The webs now occupy eight 5-foot cubes and last for 30 minutes. They are strong enough to hold up to 600 pounds if properly anchored.
Perfected Mutation: The webs now occupy sixteen 5-foot cubes and last for 1 hour. If anchored they can hold 1200 pounds.

Wings (Torso, visible)
Activation: 1 action
As long as this mutation is active, you can fly short distances. You gain a fly speed equal to half of your walking speed, but you must end your movement on a horizontal solid surface heavy enough to bear your weight.
Greater Mutation: The fly speed granted by this mutation increases to your normal speed and you must land only at the end of every second turn (instead of every turn).
Perfected Mutation: The fly speed granted is now 60 ft and you do not have to land.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Chaos Strain
Brutish Ichor
This chaos strain can be harnessed to improve the physical stature and strength of the protean. Those with this strain, called Ichorites, tend to prefer direct methods in confrontations, battering their opponents with their size and strength rather than fancy techniques. Their bodies become hardened and insensitive to pain.

Brutish Physique
Starting at 1st level when you choose this Strain your skin hardens and becomes insensitive to pain. When you are not wearing armor your armor class equals 14 + your Constitution modifier.
You also gain the Enlarged Grip mutation; this mutation does not count against your active mutation limit.
Additional Proficiencies
When you choose this Strain, you gain proficiency with Constitution and Strength saving throws.

Rapid Growth
Starting at 3rd level you can use a bonus action to grow up to one size larger than your normal size for one minute. Your gear either conforms to the new size or falls to the ground (your choice).
While you are enlarged using this feature, your weapon attacks deal additional damage equal to your mutation die. In addition, any ability checks made to initiate or maintain a grapple add twice your proficiency bonus for the duration.
This effect ends early if you are incapacitated.

Siege Weapon
Starting at 7th level, your strength has grown to the point that you are a living battering ram. You have advantage on ability checks made to break objects and you deal double damage to objects and structures.

Crushing Grip
Starting at 11th level, your grip crushes the life from those you’ve grabbed. Creatures you are grappling take bludgeoning damage equal to your mutation die at the start of each of their turns. This damage counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.

Hulking Hurler
Starting at 15th level, you can throw creatures that you have grappled. They count as thrown weapons with a range of 30/60. You have proficiency in this weapon. You can throw a friendly target or an enemy at a point within range or at another creature. The thrown creature must be no bigger than you are.
If you throw a willing creature at another creature, make an attack roll against the target’s AC. On a hit, the target takes bludgeoning damage equal to your mutation die + your Strength modifier and the thrown creature can use its reaction to make a single melee attack against the target. On a miss, the thrown creature ends next to the target on the line of travel.
If you throw an enemy, make an attack roll against the target’s AC; on a hit the creatures collide and both take bludgeoning damage (using your mutation die as the damage die) and must make a Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone. If you throw the creature against a stationary surface like a wall, make the attack roll against AC 10. On a miss, neither takes damage and the thrown creature ends up adjacent to the target creature or point on the line of travel.

Skulking Venom
This strain of Chaos Phage can be harnessed to improve the ability of the protean to infiltrate, blend in with crowds and strike from the shadows. Those with this strain, called Venomites, tend to act in subtle ways right up until they strike; they then tear at their foes with bestial ferocity.

Additional Proficiencies
When you choose this Strain, you gain proficiency in Constitution and Charisma saving throws and light armor..

Mutated Charm
Your mutation grants you a strange sort of charm. You gain proficiency in the Deception skill.
This charm, like a rose, has thorns; you also gain the Claws mutation. This mutation does not count against your active mutations limit.

Flexible Skeleton
Starting at 3rd level your whole skeletal frame becomes flexible. You can fit through spaces as narrow as 6” without squeezing. In addition, when you are hit by an attack you can see you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC against that attack, possibly causing the attack to miss instead.

Physiological Mimicry
Starting at 7th level, you can alter your physical appearance to look like another humanoid. You must spend at least 10 minutes studying your target’s appearance, mannerisms, and speech. When you use this feature, you take on all outward characteristics (including visible scars, tattoos, gait, and voice) of the target. This does not include their clothing, but is not an illusion and cannot be revealed by touch. You have advantage on deception checks made to convince people that you are the target. This lasts for 1 hour. Once you use this feature you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Blinding Miasma
Starting at 11th level, you can exude chaotic energy from your pores. When an enemy hits you with a melee attack from within 5 feet of you you can use your reaction to force them to make a Wisdom saving throw. Roll your mutation die 3 times. On a failed save they take psychic damage equal to the total rolled and are blinded for 1 minute. On a success they take half damage and are only blinded until the end of your next turn. Once you use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Special: If you used your Flexible Skeleton to successfully avoid an attack that would have hit you, you can choose to activate this ability as part of that reaction.

Venomous Mastery
Starting at 15th level, when you hit with a claw attack you can coat your claws with one of two poisons whose effects are described below. These poisons affect even creatures immune to regular poison due to their origins in Chaos, but such creatures have advantage on the saving throws against the effect. Once you use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Toxic Dominance: The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be dominated by you for 30 seconds, attacking anyone who threatens you. You do not control its actions--it will act to destroy your attackers with the best of its ability. At the end of that minute it becomes berserk and will attack whoever is nearby with no regard for previous friends or foes for another 30 seconds. Each time a dominated target takes damage, it makes a new Wisdom saving throw against the toxin at disadvantage. If the saving throw succeeds, the domination effect ends and it enters the berserk phase which lasts 30 seconds from then.
Eroding Venom: The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save the creature has vulnerability to all damage until the end of its next turn. If the creature had immunity to a damage type, that immunity is suppressed for the duration but it does not gain vulnerability to that damage type. On a success, the creature instead loses any immunities or resistances it had for the same duration.