The Outsider, Variant (5e Subclass)
The Outsider
You stand in an emptiness. The sky shines with endless forms, and you feel their gaze turn upon you. They reach deep into your mind, ripping and tearing. They seek evidence of your crimes. Your judgement is... unfavourable. You come to in a small room, your mind a shattered mess, and in a body you do not own. A fragment of the room's wall breaks off, and your mind begins to pull itself back together. A hole opens in the wall, the voice of the Fragment beckoning. With your Fragment in hand, you set off to learn about this world, what you are, and where you came from. The Outsider does not refer to the mysterious entities which banished these warlocks, but to the warlocks themselves. They are not of our world. They were punished for a great misdeed in the eyes of the beings which trapped them in their new forms, and their sentence was imprisonment. But many of the entities wish to be able to have greater sway over the material plane, or just feel sorry for the warlocks. They grant them freedom, a fragment of their old memories, and they loosen the chains of the warlock's mind. The warlocks are then free to wander the world, learning secrets beyond the understanding of even the most well-learned scholar, and swaying the course of history more than even the greatest of heroes. Keep in mind that your character is an outlier; Many other prisoners still reside within their cells, kept from their memories for the rest of time in a cell of their own mind.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Dissonant Whispers, Sleep |
| 2nd | Spike Growth, Phantasmal Force |
| 3rd | Speak With Dead, Phantom Steed |
| 4th | Confusion, Phantasmal Killer |
| 5th | Legend Lore/Dominate Person, Modify Memory |
- Re-flavouring Spells
Not all the spells listed here fit the theme of this subclass in their default forms. Feel free to change the way certain spells works, at least on a visual level, ensuring they still match the constraints of the spell. For example, Spike Growth might cause spears resembling your Fragment to thrust out of the ground, skewering those foolish enough to challenge you. Having fun is what's most important here.
- Fragmented Memory
At 1st level, you are granted a Fragmented Memory by your patron. This Fragment resembles a small piece of metal or stone inlaid with glass or crystal, or a small object associated with the character's backstory, but this is rare. The exact appearance and material is up to the player. It is your guide to this world, and your handler. The Fragment is sentient has its own personality, with mental ability scores equal to 11 + your modifier for that ability score + your proficiency bonus. Fragments have a flying (hover) speed of 20 feet, 30 feet of blindsight (Blind beyond this radius) and project dim light out to 15 feet. This light can not be extinguished, but it can be hidden. Your Fragment is able to grant you a damaged memory of an object you examine, most likely someone else's. The Fragment can cast Identify a number of time per day equal to its Intelligence or Charisma modifier (Whichever is higher), a minimum of once. It can also provide an answer to a basic question concerning an object or creature, once a day for any given creature or object. The Dungeon Master determines how much or how little information is revealed when this property is used. Fragments are able to telepathically communicate with you, and you can allow it to hear and perceive through your senses as an action, ending the effect as a bonus action.
- Destruction of a Fragment
Fragments are not incorporeal or indestructible. They are unusually resilient, but they can still be destroyed with enough force. Fragments have an AC of 14 + Their Charisma or intelligence modifier (Whichever is higher) + your proficiency bonus, one tenth of your maximum health, and resistance to all damage. If your Fragment is destroyed, you suffer one level of exhaustion, which cannot be removed. During a long rest, you are able to call forth your fragment from the void, restoring it to functionality and removing the previously mentioned level of exhaustion.
- Reveal
Also at 1st level, you gain the ability to channel your mind through your Fragment, accessing its senses. As a bonus action, You gain 45 feet of blindsight centred on your fragment. This sight is able to penetrate up to 10 feet of dirt or wood, 5 feet of stone, 1 foot of common metal, or 6 inches of lead, and is able to penetrate up to 5 feet of magical darkness. This property can be used for up to 5 minutes each short or long rest. Subtract usage in increments of six seconds (one round in combat). You are able to perfectly recall the location of anything you see during this time, allowing you to target or interact with any object or creature which has not moved since you last saw them with this ability.
- Reach Without
Beginning at 6th level, you gain the ability to project you consciousness into another creatures form, subtly influencing their behaviour. As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you, or a creature you are know the location of of within 20 feet. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw, with advantage if it is fighting you or it knows you are capable of this ability. If the creature succeeds on its save, nothing happens, as your mind fails to find a handhold and withdraws. If the creature fails its save, you are able to perceive through its senses for up to 10 minutes. During this time, you are unable to perceive through you own eyes, but can still hear. Once every minute, you can force the target to make a wisdom saving throw. If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, nothing happens. On a failure, you temporarily seize control of its movement, shortening the duration of this effect by one minute, and allowing you to force the target to move and take the Use Object action. However, you gain no special knowledge of how to achieve your desired course of action. For example, you can make a creature walk to a door and open it, but only if you are familiar with how this door functions, or you could make a creature press random buttons on a device, but you have no idea what those buttons will do. When this effect ends, the creature becomes aware of your direction and that you were affecting its mind, as it feels your mind withdraw. This effect also ends if your concentration is broken (as if you were concentrating on spell). You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this ability again.
- Reach Within
At 10th level, you gain more control over your mind and the drifting memories of others. Whenever you are under any effect that causes you to be charmed, you may attempt to end the effect as a bonus action. The creature that charmed you must succeed on a wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC, or take 1d4 psychic damage, and become stunned for 1 minute as your mind assaults theirs, forcing them to end the effect and withdraw. At the end of each of their turns, they can repeat the saving throw, ending this effect on a success, and taking another 1d4 psychic damage on a failed save. This effect also ends if your concentration is broken (as if you are concentrating on a spell). Also, at the end of every long rest, you may gain proficiency in one skill or one tool. This benefit lasts until your next long rest, when you are able to change the skill or tool you gained proficiency in.
- Reach Beyond
Starting at 14th level, your mind and body are no longer tethered together by any "mortal coil". As a reaction when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you are able to project your mind into another body. The targeted creature must succeed on a wisdom saving throw, which they make at disadvantage is their Wisdom score is lower than your Charisma score. A creature can choose to fail this saving throw. On a success, you are able to stun every creature of your choice within 60 feet of you for one round as your mind attacks anything it perceives as a threat before withdrawing to your failing body, and you start making death saving throws as normal. On a failed save, your mind overwrites theirs, dealing 2d10 psychic damage and afflicting both the creature and yourself with one level of exhaustion. If the creature willingly failed its save, it takes so damage from this ability. You use the creature's stat block and most abilities and class features. You are unable to use any class feature that requires specific knowledge, such as a spell which you don't know or are unfamiliar with. You are able to inhabit the creature for up to 10 minutes. At the end of every minute the creature can repeat the saving throw. If they succeed, your mind is shunted back into your body. On a failure, the creature takes 1d8 psychic damage, but stuns you for one round as you force them back down. You do not make death saving throws during your possession of the creature, as your Fragment keeps your body in stasis until you return. If the creature fails its save, you cannot use this ability for 48 hours. You can, however, as a reaction to being reduced to 0 hit points, force every creature of your choice within 60 feet of you to make a wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, nothing happens, and you make death saving throws as normal. On a failure, the creature is stunned for one round, and then you make death saving throws as normal.
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