Sorcerous Origin: Yōtō

Sorcerous Origin: Yōtō

 

Folk tales sometimes tell of weapons forged with such passion or pain that their murderous intent can bend the will of their wielder. Stories around the light of the forge after an arduous day’s labor tell more still of weapons so soaked in blood that they also, at least in part, soak in the souls of those slain, and after enough time take on life of their own. Amongst the oldest, most seasoned, and perhaps senile of warriors, there may be even legend of a paramour of a knight who somehow transformed into the very weapon the knight wielded unstoppably, triumphantly, into battle; their being somehow a weapon in the guise of a creature. Perhaps these collected stories of the Yōtō are just that - stories - or perhaps, there are indeed weapons of such sentience, or beings touched by such ancient powers and master craft, that they transform from a humanoid guise to their true forms; their vast power lent to those most trusted, or most easily manipulated.

 

Yōtō Origins

 

d6	Origin
1	You are newly forged. What grief, ecstasy, inspiration, or madness compelled the smith that forged you to create a weapon of such terrible power?
2	You have existed for thousands of years, been the end of countless lives on the battlefield, in duels, in secret… but now enough blood has been spilled on your blade that you have consciousness… choice… what will you do with it?  When you are in weapon form, a DC 20 history check reveals what your weapon has been historically named and information about battles you took part in before you were a Yōtō.
3	Unbeknownst to you, an ancestor of yours was a powerful Yōtō, and you have inherited their power. How did you discover your gift? Was your family expecting it?  Hoping for it?  Dreading it?
4	Your father or mother was a Yōtō, and you are the deliberate continuation of their line and power.  Are they/you bound in servitude? Are they/you simply continuing traditions? For what purpose have you been specifically bred?
5	You are unaware of your past or history.  You awoke, perhaps on the battlefield, soaked in blood and surrounded by corpses.
6	Was it the hubris of a mage? Was it the devoutness of a misguided cleric? Did a Warlock’s patron will them to this deed? Whoever it was, they had no shortage of arcane power and they bound your soul and form to a powerful magical weapon.  An act that could have killed you outright has instead created a Yōtō. Was this your goal as well, or will you seek revenge?

Yōtō Features

Sorcerer Level	Feature
1st	The Iron Strand, True Form, Yōtō Spells
6th	The Silver Strand
14th	The Golden Strand
18th	The Platinum Strand

 

A NOTE TO PROSPECTIVE PLAYERS AND DMS INTERESTED IN THIS SUBCLASS

This subclass is interesting, unique, tactical, engaging, and incredibly fun. It also feels very odd. It does not slow combat at all, but rather speeds it up dramatically, as two players effectively go at once. Due to this, there are a number of things that appear to be true which may not be. The damage output of that turn can be tremendous, depending if the wielder hits. This is a huge gamble, because if the wielder doesn't hit, then effectively the damage of two rounds of combat is gone. If they do hit, however, it can feel a bit like "constant nova damage". Please speak to the other players to make sure this doesn't feel unfair or unfun. The damage does not exceed what two rounds can actually accomplish, but the fact that it is all happening at the same time can really colour experience.

Secondly, please familiarize yourself with the different action economy and limitations, as it can be wildly unbalanced if mistakes are made. Along these same lines, DMs please familiarize yourself with the weaknesses of the Yōtō. There are many, but if they are not taken advantage of, the giant powerful weapon in the room will start to work against your encounters. Some tactics include: getting little minions in the way of the Yōtō to limit it's effectiveness, having BBEG's figure out that they can target the weapon, etc. The Yōtō takes some imagination and strategy to play, and also to play against.

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The Iron Strand

The Yōtō is, in essence, a magical weapon. Powerful magical items require attunement, and so does the Yōtō. In fact, the tethers of attunement are at the root of the power of a Yōtō as it grows over time. The first strand of the binding Cord of Attunement is the tether of self: The Iron Strand.

Unlike other sorcerers, the magic you conjure is not an expression of your personality or coaxed through a report between your consciousness and ancestry. The magic you wield is pulled physically through the roots of what you are, like an enchanted weapon. Constitution can be used in place of Charisma for your spell casting modifier and spell DC.

True Form

The rarity of a Yōtō is on par with a legendary item or artifact. They are all unique, and as such can be complicated. You are a Yōtō; a living weapon. At first level you must define that weapon and how it is used.

Creating a Yōtō

To create a Yōtō, at first level in Sorcerer choose the form of the weapon by choosing any existing weapon.  You may customize your weapon form by adding or subtracting one weapon property from the weapon’s base properties. The damage dice remain the same, unless versatile is added.

Note that versatile cannot be added to ranged weapons, such as bows and crossbows, or to weapons with the heavy property.  Weapons with the Two-Handed property revert to versatile if heavy is removed.

Alternatively, you can completely customize your weapon using these rules, but still adding or removing a single weapon property of your choice: www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Custom_Weapon_Design_(5e_Variant_Rule)

Yōtō Attributes

While in weapon form, the following attributes apply to you:

• To use all of your Yōtō abilities, such as spells, and get your benefits in combat, a wielder must attune to you.  This takes one of their Attunement slots. 
• You can be used as a spell focus by your attuned wielder
• You may transform yourself as a free action, or your attuned wielder can transform you as a bonus action.
  You can transform a number of times per day up to your Proficiency modifier, but a transformation counts as from one form to another. Therefore, if you are in humanoid form and transform to your weapon form, that is one use, and if you change back that is two total uses.
• Your movement is reduced to 0
• You cannot communicate with anyone outside your wielder
• At 5th level, you provide a +1 to hit and damage rolls by your wielder and are considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances. At 10th level this scales to +2, and at 15th level this scales to +3
• You do not interact with the world in the traditional sense.  Though you can make skill checks based on seeing or hearing, you can not make any skill check that requires you interacting with the physical environment or socially with creatures outside your attuned wielder.  You do not have physical autonomy in weapon form.

The Yōtō in Combat

While in weapon form, you engage in combat very differently. Action Economy is fundamentally changed, as you lack autonomy in combat and rely on synchronous moves with your attuned wielder.

You cannot target enemies. Instead:
- You may target yourself
- You may target your wielder
- Your wielder targets enemies and you are able to target the same enemies that your wielder has targeted on their turn or with reactions

You do not take actions on your own, or have your own turn. Instead, you have Yōtō Reactions.

You cannot take the attack, dodge, or use item actions, nor can you move on your own volition.

Yōtō Reactions

Instead of movement, action, bonus action, and reaction, you have three Yōtõ reactions. Two can be used at any time during any movement, action, bonus action, your attuned wilder makes, and the third can be used if your attuned wielder takes a reaction.  Yōtō Reactions can be an action, bonus action, or reaction, and disregard rules governing spell usage; you may use multiple spells and cantrips per turn. However, remember they cannot be attack, dodge, use item, or any non-spell movement based actions.

Yōtō Spellcasting

The range of all your spells in your True Form becomes within 5 feet or Touch, and can only effect the creature(s) your attuned wielder is currently engaged with or has hit with a non-spell attack ( unless that spell has been cast through you as an arcane focus ).  Spells which can be moved to a new target as a bonus action, such as Witch Bolt, Hex, or Hunter's Mark, can be moved as a Yōtō reaction under the same conditions. Although you are no longer targeting or attacking per se, all spells which require a spell attack roll to hit still require this roll to determine their effectiveness.  However, disadvantage due to ranged spells used at melee distance or a target being prone is negated.

Area of Effect spells, such as Fireball, are cast with the edge of the circumference or outermost side of the area beginning where you touch the intended target. 

Spells which normally target you such as Misty Step, instead target you and your wielder, including healing spells. Though, the total HP healed by the spell in question is split evenly between you and your wielder, with any remainder going to you.

Mulitclass or Racial Features and Yōtō Reactions

If you are multiclassed into something such as a Paladin or Rogue, you can use the Smite feature or the Sneak Attack feature as one of your Yōtō Reactions, but not as a free add on to existing actions. This is the same for any Racial feature which comports with the limitations of a Yōtō reaction.

Critical Hits

Since you no longer attack while in Yōtō form, you are robbed of your natural 20s. Nor can you piggy back off the damage boost when your attuned wielder rolls a natural 20 in combat ( the resulting nova damage would be … insane).  But do not despair!  When your attuned wielder gets a natural 20, you receive a Critical Token, which can be used at any time as a free action when you are in weapon form for the following:

Critical Token Table

Token Cost	Effect
1	Exchange one Critical Token for a Sorcery Point
2	Deliver Max damage on any one spell effect
2	Perform an extra Yōtō Reaction this turn
2	Heal yourself and your attuned wielder up to your proficiency bonus in hit points, each
3	Grant your attuned wielder an extra attack this turn

There is no limit on how many tokens can be stored for later use.

Targeting a Yōtō in Combat

Though you are an item, you can also be targeted as a creature by attacks, spells, and effects.  You are assumed to be targeted by Area of Effect spells and effects, however you must be directly targeted to have damage done to you otherwise.  The action of combat, IE hitting an enemy or perhaps parrying their attacks, is not considered damage dealing. The combatant must declare you, the Yōtō, as their target. They do not have any penalties from this, such as with other called shot rules, and you use your current AC for the purposes of attacks made directly to you.

Disarming strikes can disarm you from your attuned wielder.  You are unable to make any Yōtō reactions while you have been disarmed, other than spells that effect only you, or to change your form.

Yōtō Resistances

While in your True Form, You have resistance to non-magical piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning attacks, as well as fire or cold damage. You cannot be considered prone. You cannot be stunned or petrified. Spells intended to do extra damage to inorganic material, such as Shatter, work as intended. You have advantage on saving throws against spells or magical effects intended to charm, cause sleep, or dominate. However, if you are affected by spells of this kind you immediately revert to your humanoid form.

Yōtō Saving Throws

You rely on your welder to make your DEX/STR saving throws. If the wielder also must make these, then the same roll is used for both Yōtō and wielder. If you are in weapon form, are not being wielded or your wielder is incapacitated, and must make a DEX or STR saving throw, you automatically fail. Any other save is made by you with your normal modifiers.

Becoming Unconscious or Dying

If you are brought to 0 hp, you revert to your humanoid form. If you are killed, you revert to your weapon form and are considered a weapon that does magical damage for the purposes of overcoming damage resistances with your current to hit and damage bonuses. You do not retain your consciousness if you die. You can be brought back with any normal in game means.

Using Magic Items in Weapon Form

You can not take the Use Item action in weapon form, as stated before, so magic items which require activation can not be used while you are transformed.  However, items and magic items with passive effects still function.  In this way, you will still retain your AC and other modifiers for purposes of combat, etc.

Yōtō Spell List

Expanded spell list for Yōtō

Sorcerer Level	Spells
1st	Inflict Wounds, hunter’s mark, Cure Wounds
3rd	Blur, Vampiric Touch
5th	Bestow Curse, Haste
7th	Banishment, Death Ward
9th	Dispel Evil and Good

The Silver Strand

The Silver Strand is the tether of magic. Once this strand is empowered, the Yōtō can imbue the magics of its attuned wielder with magics normally reserved only for itself.

While in weapon form, use your meta magic on wielder's spells as if they were your own. Additionally, you may exchange your sorcery points with user’s spell slots and vice versa as if they were your own

The Golden Strand

The Golden Strand, the tether of service, enables you to act as an attuned weapon in a limited capacity while not actually assuming your True Form. You may hold your movement, action, or bonus action while not in weapon form to act on your attuned wielder's turn with any action or bonus action you normally could take during your turn. This does not preclude you from holding an action as well.  For example, you could hold your action per normal action economy rules, but then also hold your movement in order to hold an action as your reaction per normal, but also use a bonus action or action on your wielder’s turn.  Additionally, you may use your Critical Tokens while not in your True Form, though not in conjunction with a critical success if you roll one.

The Platinum Strand

The tether of soul, the Platinum Strand; few Yōtō have reached this level of synchronicity with their attuned wielder.

If your attuned wielder is not using you as their current main weapon(s) and you are in your weapon form, you are wielded telekinetically, hovering 5ft from your attuned wielder. If you did not have the reach property in your True Form, you now do. If you already had the reach property, your reach is now considered 15 instead of 10 feet when you are used in this manner.

Additionally when you and your attuned wielder are in this configuration, your attuned wielder now has a single extra attack that they can make on top of their current normal attacks when they take the attack action. This additional attack can only be made using you, but the normal attacks made by the attuned wielder may be made with other weapons. During these standard attacks, you are able to expend your reactions on other weapon attacks the wielder may make with their main and/or offhand non-Yōtō weapons.