As a child of the Leylines you were born infused with raw primordial arcana, your genes thrumming with potential and tangled with the chaotic forces that stitch together the fabric of the universe. You have always been at the mercy of this wild magic; tragic, bizarre, and miraculous incidents manifesting all throughout your life, for both weal and woe. Eventually, this surging arcana could not remain contained, its energy coursing through your veins and altering your body and mind forever. Having survived the impossible you find yourself strangely attuned to the rivers of primordial magic that drift throughout the world, allowing you to tap into their currents of unrealized potential.
- Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Perception
- Tool Proficiencies: Alchemist's Supplies
- Languages: Celestial, Primordial
- Equipment: A dowsing rod, a set of common clothes including a hood, pouch containing 30 gp and a set of runestones.
As a child of the Leylines, your spellcasting can unleash surges of untamed magic. Once per turn, the DM can have you roll a Wisdom or Constitution saving throw immediately after you cast a spell of 1st level or higher. If you fail, roll on the Leyline Interference table to determine what magical effect occurs. Once per day you can choose to succeed a failed saving throw instead, allowing you to avoid rolling on the Leyline Interference table below.
|
1-2 |
A spell slot of the highest level currently available to you is immediately expended. |
|
3-4 |
You cast fireball at level 3, centered on the largest grouping of your nearest allies. |
|
5-6 |
Immediately take 1d12 lightning damage for every level your character possesses. |
|
7-8 |
Any armor you are wearing (mundane or magical) is badly damaged, and must be repaired before it can continue to provide an AC bonus. |
|
9-10 |
You become vulnerable to all damage for 1d4 rounds. |
|
11-12 |
All the coin on your person transmutes into one solid statue depicting the closest creature to you in immaculate detail. |
|
13-14 |
Off tune music plays ceaselessly in your ear for 1 hour, granting disadvantage on all Charisma checks as it distracts you for the duration. |
|
15-16 |
All food and water within a 120-foot radius, centered on you, turns to rot and brine. |
|
17-18 |
You cast hypnotic pattern, centered on yourself. |
|
19-20 |
You transform into a clay doll version of yourself for 1 minute, during which time you are considered petrified. |
|
21-22 |
You summon an entire flock of chickens, which are hostile toward you, and will accost you for a total of 1d12 piercing damage. The flock lasts for 1 minute before disappearing. |
|
23-24 |
You awaken the nearest plant or inanimate object, who’s sudden and limited consciousness grants it a 50% chance of being hostile. It returns to its original form after 1 minute. |
|
25-26 |
You are allergic to alcohol for the next 1d12 days, each pint consumed inflicts 1d8 poison damage for the duration. |
|
27-28 |
Immediately cast reduce, centered on yourself. |
|
29-30 |
Your vision blurs, granting you disadvantage on all attacks for one minute. |
|
31-32 |
You switch souls with a random creature within 30 feet of you. You control it on its next turn, and it controls you on your next turn. You go back to your regular bodies at the end of your next turn, if the body is still alive. |
|
33-34 |
The color drains from your form, leaving you and anything you hold or wear completely black and white for 24 hours. Anything you remove from your grasp or person while under these effects takes 1 hour to regain its color as long as it remains away from you. |
|
35-36 |
Wildflowers erupt from the ground in a 60-foot radius, centered on you. |
|
37-38 |
You suddenly sprout foliage; leaves and vines erupting from your body wildly. This leafage lasts until physically removed; at which time it immediately turns to dust. |
|
39-40 |
You cast polymorph on a random creature within 60 feet of you. If that creature fails the saving throw (DC 10), they turn into a cat for the spell’s duration. |
|
41-42 |
You cast enlarge on a random creature other than yourself within 30 feet. |
|
43-44 |
The gravity acting on you is reduced, causing you to hover and bounce uncomfortably for 1d8 hours. Walking speed is reduced by half for the duration, jumping distance is increased to double – but has a chance of sending you into the sky. |
|
45-46 |
A specter of the past appears to guide you, granting you advantage on any saving throws or ability checks made for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can ask the specter for another kind of guidance. The specter dissipates after the duration. |
|
47-48 |
For the next 8 hours, any food you touch gains psychedelic properties. |
|
49-50 |
A size tiny Tyrannosaurus Rex controlled by the DM appears and remains for 1 minute before dissolving back into arcana. |
|
51-52 |
You suddenly sprout thick brown fur that you shed after 24 hours. |
|
53-54 |
Illusory butterflies and flower petals flutter in the air within 10 feet of you for the next minute. |
|
55-56 |
You regain your lowest-level expended spell slot. |
|
57-58 |
If you die within the next minute, you immediately come back to life as if by the reincarnate spell. |
|
59-60 |
Immediately cast shatter on the nearest creature of your choosing. |
|
61-62 |
You gain temporary hp equal to the amount of damage you last received. |
|
63-64 |
You sense all creatures tapping Leylines within a one-mile radius centered on yourself. Effect is instantaneous and fades immediately. |
|
65-66 |
Immediately wild shape into a CR 3 beast of your choosing for 1d4 rounds. |
|
67-68 |
Instantaneously discern the largest source of arcana within a 3 mile radius. |
|
69-70 |
Insult a creature you can see. It has vulnerability to damage from your spells and attacks for 1 minute. |
|
71-72 |
Masterful music plays in your ear for 1 hour, granting advantage on all Charisma checks as it inspires you for the duration. |
|
73-74 |
You gain the ability to comprehend all known languages for 24 hours. |
|
75-76 |
You cast mass healing word, choosing six creatures within range to heal. |
|
77-78 |
You gain a temporary +1 to all weapon attack and damage rolls, this is in addition to any existing bonuses and lasts for 24 hours. |
|
79-80 |
You cast find the path. |
|
81-82 |
A golden turtle shell grows over you for the next 10 minutes. For the duration, when you are targeted by a spell, roll 1d4. On a 4, the shell negates the spell. |
|
83-84 |
Your last spell is either Twinned or Empowered (your choice) as if by Sorcery Metamagic. |
|
85-86 |
You cast find exalted familiar, summoning forth a CR 1 beast that persists for 1d4 days or until slain. |
|
87-88 |
Immediately recast your last spell as a free action, even if you no longer have the required spell slot. |
|
89-90 |
Take one additional action immediately. |
|
91-92 |
Immediately divine plea to any deity of your choosing, even if expended. |
|
93-94 |
Immediately regain half your max hp. |
|
95-96 |
Double either the damage, healing, or duration of the spell you just cast. |
|
97-98 |
Immediately regain all expended spell slots. |
|
99-100 |
Select any effect from this table of your choosing. |
Suggested Characteristics
Surge Children are forged in fire, steeped in the unchecked chaos of wild arcana, and bursting with raw potential. Torn between struggling to control their abilities and seeking to understand them, they are often victims of great tragedy and have seen the best and worst of what magic is capable of. The guilt and glory that stem from this exposure and the chaotic nature of their abilities deeply affect the mannerisms and ideals of these children. Where some choose to repress their skills out of fear, others may throw themselves recklessly into the spotlight, each Surge Child reacting to their capabilities differently based on their experience.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm not surprised easily, when chaos rules your life you learn to get used to the unexpected. |
| 2 | I try not to get close to anyone, the less people I have to worry about the better. |
| 3 | Nothing is certain. Especially me. |
| 4 | I might grow old, but I'll never grow up. |
| 5 | Wherever I go, I try to bring a little whimsy with me. |
| 6 | The flow of the world pulls me forward, I can never stay still for long. |
| 7 | I am in love with life and all its fleeting moments. |
| 8 | I live in fear of losing control, and what else I might lose as a result. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cultivation. All I want to do is leave the world better than I found it. (Good) |
| 2 | Change. The world is never the same moment to moment, why should I be? (Chaotic) |
| 3 | Daring. I'm at my best when I'm risking it all. (Any) |
| 4 | Freedom. I flow where the lines lead me, and in turn I lead the lines. (Neutral) |
| 5 | Nature. We are all at the mercy of the winds and waters, I am no different despite the medium. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Chance. I owe my life to forces beyond my control, it's up to me now to live and see why. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I find magic in all its forms to be compelling. The more magical something is, the more I am drawn to it. |
| 2 | I must understand why I am the way I am and learn how to control my abilities. |
| 3 | I seek an enlightenment that still eludes me. |
| 4 | The flow of arcana calls me, and I will answer. |
| 5 | I can't get close to people, I can't even trust myself. |
| 6 | I am fascinated by the beauty and wonder of the natural world. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I've started to lose myself to the allure of my wild arcana. |
| 2 | I can't help but hesitate to use my magic, who knows what will happen if I do? |
| 3 | The weight of what my arcana has wrought in the past has driven me ever so slightly mad. |
| 4 | I've convinced myself that I'm completely in control of my magic, everything's fine! |
| 5 | I don't care what befalls anyone else as a result of my efforts, I just need to get stronger. |
| 6 | I resent the world for the struggles I have endured. |
Comments