[Brainstorming] Class that gets spectral limbs (e.g. "combat tentacles")

[Greywander]

TL;DR, think Doc Oc from Spiderman, but with spooky ghost limbs. Thematically, it's similar to the Astral Self monk, but the execution is quite different.

I was struck with a character concept after seeing a YouTube thumbnail that looked like the character had a spectral hand floating behind them, as if it were coming from a tendril coming out of their back. (In reality, it was a dove, not a hand, but it kind of looked like it out of the corner of my eye. Anyway...) I got some good answers for how to do this concept RAW, but I still wanted to try and write up a homebrew class or subclass for this concept, as none of the RAW options quite do it for me.

What I'm thinking is that you start with one spectral limb and get more as you level up. This class might get four attacks like a fighter, getting an additional limb at the same time as each Extra Attack. The limbs extend your reach, likely up to 30 feet, but I'm not sure if it should scale up to that or start that high from 1st level. I'm also thinking that this will be more of a utility-type of martial class, like the rogue. It might use a mental stat for attacking with the spectral limbs, though I'm not sure which one (CHA seems the most logical).

I'm thinking that each limb can take one of three forms: Spectral heads have their own senses which you can perceive through (probably free darkvision, too). This can allow you to look around corners, and you might even be able to stick spectral limbs under doorways. Spectral hands can be used to pick up and hold items, or to grapple or shove, and you can also use them like a Zelda hookshot to pull yourself up somewhere out of reach. Spectral legs increase your speed and jump distance, and may grant you special move speeds (e.g. swim and climb), though I'm not sure if just one spectral leg should be sufficient for that or how it should scale.

I'm inclined to make all spectral limbs deal force damage, perhaps 1d6 + mod. I could also see making them do physical damage, with each type of limb dealing a different type: piercing for heads, bludgeoning for hands, and slashing for legs. If I go with force damage, I might add an ability that allows you to change it to psychic, radiant, or necrotic, or you might have to choose between those four at character creation.

I'm also considering customizable features in the same vein as Eldritch Invocations. One might give you additional limbs (allowing you to use all three types more easily), one might extend your reach even farther, or give your heads blindsight, or allow your legs to burrow or spiderclimb, or your hands to count as one size larger for grappling, and so on.

I'm not really sure what to do for subclasses, either. The original concept only had one spectral limb, so perhaps one subclass might have you combine limbs to make a stronger super limb. One subclass might focus more on combat, another on utility, and I could also see including a third caster subclass (making use of the ability to see around corners and such to remote cast certain spells). One thing making this difficult is that I have no idea what the lore/flavor of this class is. The spectral limbs could be a psionic ability, or it could be some kind of symbiotic entity or spirit, or just an innate supernatural power, or even some kind of ki thing. I'm tentatively calling this class the "Spectral Hydra", but I'm open to other names.

A lot is still up in the air and I'm still trying to figure out some of the fundamental aspects of this potential class. What are some ideas or suggestions you might have?

[BerzerkerUnit]

TL;DR, think Doc Oc from Spiderman, but with spooky ghost limbs. Thematically, it's similar to the Astral Self monk, but the execution is quite different.

I was struck with a character concept after seeing a YouTube thumbnail that looked like the character had a spectral hand floating behind them, as if it were coming from a tendril coming out of their back. (In reality, it was a dove, not a hand, but it kind of looked like it out of the corner of my eye. Anyway...) I got some good answers for how to do this concept RAW, but I still wanted to try and write up a homebrew class or subclass for this concept, as none of the RAW options quite do it for me.

What I'm thinking is that you start with one spectral limb and get more as you level up. This class might get four attacks like a fighter, getting an additional limb at the same time as each Extra Attack. The limbs extend your reach, likely up to 30 feet, but I'm not sure if it should scale up to that or start that high from 1st level. I'm also thinking that this will be more of a utility-type of martial class, like the rogue. It might use a mental stat for attacking with the spectral limbs, though I'm not sure which one (CHA seems the most logical).

I'm thinking that each limb can take one of three forms: Spectral heads have their own senses which you can perceive through (probably free darkvision, too). This can allow you to look around corners, and you might even be able to stick spectral limbs under doorways. Spectral hands can be used to pick up and hold items, or to grapple or shove, and you can also use them like a Zelda hookshot to pull yourself up somewhere out of reach. Spectral legs increase your speed and jump distance, and may grant you special move speeds (e.g. swim and climb), though I'm not sure if just one spectral leg should be sufficient for that or how it should scale.

I'm inclined to make all spectral limbs deal force damage, perhaps 1d6 + mod. I could also see making them do physical damage, with each type of limb dealing a different type: piercing for heads, bludgeoning for hands, and slashing for legs. If I go with force damage, I might add an ability that allows you to change it to psychic, radiant, or necrotic, or you might have to choose between those four at character creation.

I'm also considering customizable features in the same vein as Eldritch Invocations. One might give you additional limbs (allowing you to use all three types more easily), one might extend your reach even farther, or give your heads blindsight, or allow your legs to burrow or spiderclimb, or your hands to count as one size larger for grappling, and so on.

I'm not really sure what to do for subclasses, either. The original concept only had one spectral limb, so perhaps one subclass might have you combine limbs to make a stronger super limb. One subclass might focus more on combat, another on utility, and I could also see including a third caster subclass (making use of the ability to see around corners and such to remote cast certain spells). One thing making this difficult is that I have no idea what the lore/flavor of this class is. The spectral limbs could be a psionic ability, or it could be some kind of symbiotic entity or spirit, or just an innate supernatural power, or even some kind of ki thing. I'm tentatively calling this class the "Spectral Hydra", but I'm open to other names.

A lot is still up in the air and I'm still trying to figure out some of the fundamental aspects of this potential class. What are some ideas or suggestions you might have?

Aloha,

I know you mentioned the Astral Self Monk, but honestly it seems like it already does most of what you're describing with only flavor tweaks.

Example:
With Flurry you can make 4 attacks/rd @ level 5.
You can flavor stunning strike to be keeping an enemy bound in coils of held by many hands.

L6 ASM gives you a face that can see in darkness and magical darkness at an extreme range, advantage on wisdom and cha checks, and the ability to whisper up to 60 ft or shout 600. All that feels like something spectral tentacles with heads on the end could do. Many heads looking around for wisdom, many speaking in chorus or making numerous arguments for charisma, a crowd shouting or on head slinking along the ground to whisper in an ally's ear.

At level 9 you can run up walls and over water as a monk, flavoring it as your astral arms carrying you like dock ock or spider legs, etc.

You can take a feat that just gives you Invocations from warlock for some very unique options.

Also, RAW, your astral arms are described as arms, they can be used to do anything you can use your arms to do. There's nothing in the rules describing arms as extremities ending in digits capable of fine manipulation, etc, etc. It's understood. So picking things up etc isn't something you need to call out in the rules.

Disclaimer- I've played monks and seen them played, they are categorically not as bad from a general perspective as most believe. They are very difficult to optimize and their raw damage potential is more limited. The only real benefit they have is being the single class in the game the DM cannot simple NOPE a bunch of effectiveness from.

-I realize we play in a different era, but when I was a kid, adventures starting with the party having just woken up from a bender with none of our stuff were not uncommon. The party having to do something like get themselves captured where all our stuff was taken away until we could get it back were not uncommon. Armor had to be fitted so stealing it wasn't an immediate solution, wizards started the day with no spells until they could study their book, clerics could not pray for spells without access to a holy symbol of their god or their temple, and all of this meant you were hard core boned until you could get your stuff. Who was the one chilling in those moments? Monks because they need exactly nothing for their schtick. That said I think their damage used to scale much better (bc monsters and NPCs had way fewer hp) and these days that seems to be the primary complaint about monks, their damage is always too low, but I digress.

In short, it seems like a particular character build can get everything you want from the ASMonk. BUT, as someone that has written dozens of classes for 5e, many of which are covered to one degree or another by existing core classes and subclasses, I wish you the best of luck!

[Old Harry MTX]

I totally agree with BerzerkerUnit, but, if you still want to homebrew something, why don't you just write a fighter subclass with this flavor, that gains an additional limb each time it gains an extra attack and that can trade those attacks for other stuffs like more heads or legs?