Phaseling (5e Class)

Phaseling

Phaselings are beings who have come in contact with the Deep Ether and been transformed by its power. Each of them has part of the Ethereal Plane inside them, making traveling to this plane second nature. The original Phaselings were mages who attempted to merge material and ethereal into one body. This has happened many times over the ages, as the allure of the power of the Deep Ether draws many. However, not all Phaselings are mages. Some are simply travelers who somehow stumbled into, or were brought to, the Ethereal Plane, where untold energies forever changed them. But most simply have their power from birth. Any who have been touched by the Ether produce children that also have part of the Ether inside them, giving any offspring of a Phaseling the ability without the need to venture into the void. Some go their entire lives without realizing their true potential. Others are raised by their Phaseling parent and taught how to master their natural gifts from a young age.

Due to the Ethereal Plane’s influence, all Phaselings have an altered appearance. Those who become Phaselings during their travels return looking slightly different. Their eyes may turn white, their motions may become more fluid, or other various minor changes. However, those born with the touch of the Ether, while being racially the same as their parents, will have pale, luminous eyes, grey to white hair, pale skin, and a voice that is slightly distorted, as if always being echoed. These natural Phaselings often become outcasts, due to their strange appearance, unless their Phaseling parent has remained.

Creating a Phaseling

Having a backstory that explains how your character became a Phaseling is crucial. Was he a wizard who wanted too much power? Was she forced into the Ether as a sacrifice to a powerful creature? Did his parents have Phaseling blood? Once the details are fleshed out,

Class Features

As a Phaseling you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Phaseling level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Phaseling level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light Armor
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Rapier, Scimitar, Whip
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose four from Athletics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Arcana, Perception, Deception, Persuasion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) Shortsword or (b) Light Crossbow
• (a) Dagger or (b) Whip
• (a) Set of Light Armor or (b) {{{item3b}}}

Table: The Phaseling

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Blink Strike Bonus
1st	+2	Planesight, Shift	0
2nd	+2	Planestep	0
3rd	+2	Blink Strike	1d6
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	1d6
5th	+3	Material Awareness, Pocket Portal	2d6
6th	+3	Ether Blast	2d6
7th	+3	Gift of the Ether, Perfect Shift	2d6
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	3d6
9th	+4	Distraction	3d6
10th	+4	Ethereal Tether	3d6
11th	+4	Quick Shift, Ethereal Door	4d6
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement, Improved Ether Blast	4d6
13th	+5	Banish	4d6
14th	+5	Tesser	5d6
15th	+5	Destabilize	5d6
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5d6
17th	+6	—	6d6
18th	+6	Greater Ether Blast	6d6
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	6d6
20th	+6	Duplicate	7d6

Ethereal Plane Review

[not a class feature, just info] As per usual, a being on the Ethereal Plane cannot attack the Material Plane by any means, while mages on the Material Plane can attack beings on the Ethereal Plane with magical force attacks. No matter the original duration of their shifting, Phaselings can pop back into the Material Plane as a bonus action.

While in the Ethereal Plane, beings move by force of will and can go in any direction, phasing through solid objects. Living creatures and dense materials like gold or lead cannot be passed through. If a Phaseling becomes physical while inside an object, he gets moved to the nearest free space and take 2 damage per foot moved.

A creature on the Ethereal Plane can see 60 ft in all directions before their vision is obscured by fog. They can hear the Material Plane as well as they normally would. Creatures on the Material Plane cannot see creatures on the Ethereal Plane, unless affected by specific spells or conditions.

Planesight

Due to their innate connection to the Material Plane, all Phaselings gain the Planesight ability at the moment of their transformation (or from the moment of their birth in the case of natural born Phaselings). Starting at 1st level, this allows a Phaseling to see creatures on the Ethereal Plane. Beings on the Ethereal Plane appear faded and blurry, but can be heard.

Planestepping

[not a class feature, just info] The trait that defines a Phaseling is his ability to shift between the material and Ethereal Planes at will, a movement that is often called 'planestepping’. When learning how to shift, a Phaseling usually associates some movement with the action. Some find it easiest to mime opening a door and stepping through. Others prefer to ‘tear’ a hole between the planes. The gestures are all unique and personalized to each Phaseling.

Phaselings can step into the Ethereal Plane for short periods of time, around three seconds, as many times as they want during the day. However, a Phaseling can also meditate and enter the Ethereal Plane more permanently, remaining there for around a half hour before being pulled back to the Material Plane. The older a Phaseling gets, the longer he can remain in the Ethereal Plane in either case.

Shift

All Phaselings get the Shift ability at 1st level, which brings the target to the Ethereal Plane for a short time. A Phaseling can cast Shift on himself as a bonus action or on someone else as a touch spell for half the duration. When casting Shift on themselves, Phaselings must pass a charisma saving throw at advantage or else the spell will fail. On a fail, they take 2d4 Force damage.

If cast on a willing subject, the Phaseling must pass the same check. If the subject is unwilling, the target must roll a charisma saving throw, if they fail, they get put into the Ethereal Plane. In combat, Shift lasts 1 round per two levels (minimum of 1 round), rounding down. Out of combat, Shift lasts 3 seconds + 1 second per level.

Charisma is the ability score used for saves and attack rolls for all of the Phaseling abilities.

Planestep

Planestep is a variation of the Shift ability gained at the second level that must be cast as a 10 minute ritual, allowing the Phaseling to enter the Ethereal Plane for 30 minutes + 10 minutes per level. Similar to the Shift cantrip, Planestep can be cast as a touch spell for half the duration.

Blink Strike

The most common use for a Phaseling’s abilities is to sneak up on a target in the Ethereal Plane and suddenly appearing behind them, striking them from behind. This tactic has become infamous, earning the name “Blink Strike”.

Starting at 3rd level, when within reach of a target and in the Ethereal Plane, a Phaseling can quickly return to the Material Plane and immediately strike at his foe. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. If the target passes, the Phaseling’s attack continues as normal. If the target fails, the target adds 1d6 of damage. This increases by another d6 at level 5, and then again every 3 levels.

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.

Material Awareness

After enough time popping in and out of the Ethereal Plane, a Phaseling becomes accustomed to making sure that they are not inside any physical material before they reappear. Eventually this becomes second nature. A proficient Phaseling can almost always ensure that he will reappear without any obstruction

Starting at 5th level, right before reappearing, if a Phaseling is intersecting any solid object, he can quickly move to the nearest unoccupied square as long as he has the movement left. Out of combat, a Phaseling will always be able to move this distance.

Pocket Portal

After having been in and out of the Ethereal Plane on a daily basis, a skilled Phaseling can create small tears between planes (commonly called “pocket portals”), starting at 5th level which can be used in a myriad of ways. Most often, these pocket portals are used to pick up items from the Material Plane and bring them to the Ethereal Plane, although they can be used to fire projectiles at material foes or accessing areas too small for a Phaseling’s entire body to fit. Objects or creatures brought into the Ethereal Plane by a Phaseling remain there until brought back to the Material Plane by a Phaseling or other means of interplanar travel.

As a bonus action, a Phaseling can open a small hole between realities, allowing things to pass back and forth. This hole has a diameter equal to the Phaseling’s level and lasts as long as the Phaseling concentrates on it.

Ether Blast

After using pocket portals for long enough, a 6th Level Phaseling can learn how to move them around with his thoughts. When moved incredibly quickly, a portal can take all the air in its path and transfer it to the Ethereal Plane, leaving a vacuum behind. The surrounding air quickly rushes in to fill this void, causing a concussive blast to travel in the direction of the portal. The further the portal travels, the more powerful it becomes. These blasts can be used to devastating effect if shot at a foe.

As an action, a Phaseling can create a portal and shoot it towards an enemy. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the foe takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage for every 5 feet the portal traveled, plus the Phaseling’s charisma modifier, up to a maximum of 30 feet. This damage caps at 12d4 damage.

Gift of the Ether

Over time, Phaselings become more closely tied to the Ethereal Plane and are able to use its natural energies to enhance their abilities while in the Ether. Starting at 7th level, wounds heal faster, movement becomes easier, and the fog becomes less obscuring.

While in the Ethereal Plane, Phaselings regenerate 1 free hit dice worth of HP during a short rest. Movement speed increases by 10 ft. Vision is now lightly obscured instead of heavily obscured at 60 feet.

Perfect Shift

After enough shifting, a Phaseling can successfully shift almost without fail.

Unless affected by a condition, a Phaseling will always succeed in traveling to the Ethereal Plane, starting at 7th level.

Distraction

When approaching an enemy, a Phaseling can Shift in and out of the plane rapidly, causing the target confusion, allowing the Phaseling to catch them off guard.

If the Phaseling moves at least 10 feet to reach a target, starting at 9th level, he gets advantage on his first attack roll.

Ethereal Tether

As a Phaseling grows more accustomed to the Ether, he becomes more adept in manipulating it. One of the first things that Phaselings learn is how to tether items in the Ethereal Plane to places in the Material Plane, which involves pocket portals and ingenuity. Most commonly, a Phaseling tethers his money pouch to his belt. This puts the pouch in the Ethereal Plane, but keeps it in the same position relative to whatever it’s tethered to. A pocket portal allows easy access for the Phaseling, but only he (and other beings who can see Ethereal objects) know where the pouch is located. A Phaseling can stash weapons on his person, store valuables in his house, or hide stolen goods with ease. At first, only one of these tethers can exist at a time, but as a Phaseling gets more powerful, he can create more.

Starting at level 10, a Phaseling can tether 1 item to any surface or point in space. If attached to a person, the item’s weight still takes effect (if a 400 pound weight is tethered to someone with a carrying capacity of 80, that person would be encumbered, even though the object is on a separate plane). To cast, a Phaseling must touch both objects within 5 seconds of each other. These objects’ positions are then fixed, relative to one another. Every two levels, a Phaseling gains another tether. (2 at level 12, 3 at level 14, 4 at level 16, 5 at level 18, and 6 at level 20)

Quick Shift

During combat, Phaselings can utilize their shifting ability to make themselves harder to hit, flashing in and out of the Ethereal Plane to avoid strikes, and make a foe lose track of them. The quicker the Phaseling, the harder they are to hit.

A Phaseling can add 2 to his AC, starting at level 11..

Ethereal Door

A powerful Phaseling can tear a large hole between realities, creating a permanent doorway in and out of the Ethereal Plane. The door lasts multiple days, before fading away.

Starting at level 11, Phaseling can create a door to the Ethereal Plane. It takes 10 minutes to cast and lasts 3 days. The gate is 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Anything that passes through will enter the Ethereal Plane.

Improved Ether Blast

The more talented a Phaseling becomes, stronger his Ether Blast grows.

Starting at level 12, Ether Blast now does 2d6 the first 10 feet traveled, and 1d6 every 5 feet after that. This damage caps at 16d6. The Phaseling can also choose to make this damage force damage, rather than bludgeoning.

Banish

Now experienced with transferring other people to and from the Ethereal Plane, experienced Phaselings learn how to completely banish someone to the Ethereal Plane permanently without going themselves. If the target is unwilling, the Phaseling must overpower them to force them into the Ethereal Plane. If the target has been forced, they become disoriented and function poorly in the Ethereal Plane. To return to the Material Plane, the target must either find their own way back or wait until the Phaseling returns to take them back.

At level 13 and beyond, Phaseling can touch a creature to bring them permanently into the Ethereal Plane. If the target is willing, the Phaseling succeeds automatically. If the target resists, he must roll a Charisma saving throw. If the target succeeds, they are not put in the Ethereal Plane. If the Phaseling succeeds, the target is put in the Ethereal Plane. The target is also Stunned for 1d4 rounds in combat or 30 seconds out of combat. In combat the target can take a CON save at the end of each turn to end the stun

Tesser

By folding the Ethereal Plane, a Phaseling can create ‘portals’ to distant locations. The gateway between these locations lasts a short time before closing on itself and restoring the Ethereal Plane to its original form. Anyone can travel through these portals, as long as they fit through the opening.

Starting at level 14, A Phaseling can make a portal to anywhere within a 500 ft range. He can make it go farther with more time spent concentrating (see chart), but is exhausted afterwards. As long as the Phaseling can state where he wants to go, the portal appears in the nearest open space to the specified location. The portal takes 5 minutes to cast and lasts as long as the Phaseling is concentrating. It can only be used once per long rest.

Concentration (hrs) Distance 1 hr 1 mile 2 hr 50 miles 3 hr 500 miles 4 hr 10,000 miles

Destabilize

[Turn this into a AoE. CHA-modifier uses per long rest.]

The Ethereal Plane can also be used violently. Desperate Phaselings have been known to open a portal inside a foe’s body and destabilize it. The boundary between Ethereal and Material is blurred and the two planes interact, creating a void wherever Material matter and Ethereal matter touch. If successful, this rends the target, dealing great damage, then quickly restitches the target back together so there’s no visible impact.

If a level 15 or higher Phaseling can touch a foe, he can open a portal inside the foe’s body. The foe must roll a Constitution saving throw to resist the effects of the portal. If the save is failed, the foe takes 8d8 force damage, or 4d8 on a successful Constitution saving throw. When using this ability, the Phaseling can choose to surge. If the Phaseling surges, the target must make a CHA save. On a fail, the target fails to re-knit. This can cause the target to loose limbs, organs, or other body parts, chosen by the DM. However, if the Phaseling surges, the Phaseling can not interact with the Ethereal plane for the next 10 minutes, and can not use this ability again until the end of a long rest.

Greater Ether Blast

Ether Blast has now become one of the most powerful abilities in a Phaseling’s arsenal, covering large distances and dealing out massive amounts of damage. The air blast is powerful enough to knock over lighter foes and push back heavier ones.

Starting at level 18, Ether Blast now does 2d8 damage per 5 feet and can travel 45 feet. This damage caps at 12d8.

The Planesling can also choose for this ability to knock enemies down. Foes must make a Strength saving throw or else be knocked over (medium and smaller) or pushed backwards 5 feet (large). This effect can not occur if the Planesling also chooses for the damage to be force damage for this casting.

Duplicate

With enough skill, a Phaseling can manipulate the magics of the Ethereal Plane to create a semi-sentient duplicate of himself. This requires time in the Ether to complete, but results in a temporary duplicate of the Phaseling, mirroring his weapons, armor, knowledge, and abilities. This duplicate is much more fragile and can be dispelled after being wounded severely. Since the Phaseling copies everything about himself into this duplicate, the duplicate understands the current situation perfectly and does not need to be ordered. It also is aware that it is only a temporary duplicate and will gladly sacrifice itself for its creator or the party.

At level 20, While in the Ethereal Plane, a Phaseling can take a number of rounds to create a copy of himself, identical in every way. This copy is controlled by the player who controls the Phaseling and lasts 1 d4 rounds for every round the Phaseling spent creating it. The duplicate has ⅓ of the HP that the Phaseling does and disappears once it reaches 0 HP or affected by a spell with similar effects to Dispel Magic. The Phaseling’s total distance is split between him and his duplicate.

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