Parasite Mage

"What torments you, dragonblood?"

The man glanced at his hands, his eyes staring past them into a memory.

"I have sinned. In my envy and my greed, I have abandoned the righteous path, and taken shortcuts to power I have not earned. Now I am cursed by this stolen magic; cursed to live in fear of the ghost created by my own hands, cursed to a life of madness and regret. I am no dragonblood. I am no sorcerer. I am a thief who stole the very soul of another."

The cleric regarded the man for a moment without words, and then slowly responded.

"We all sin, we all fall short. To feel regret is natural, but it will not do to wallow in it. Redemption is a long and arduous path, but we must move forward, or be consumed by the ghosts of our past. Perhaps, with this power you have stolen, you might use it to do good, and walk this path together with the rest of us sinners, to a brighter future."

Parasite mages are false sorcerers, born without magic and stealing their arcane abilities from true sorcerers. The rituals controlling this arcane thievery are vile, mysterious, and forbidden secrets, decried among arcane practitioners as an abhorrent act. As your kind is very rare, few know of the less than admirable source of your abilities and you are often thought to be a true sorcerer.

Stolen Spark

1st-level Parasite Mage feature

At 1st level, you have stolen the arcane spark within the soul of another, gaining both their magical abilities and pieces of their heart and mind. You learn one language that this soul once spoke and gain proficiency with one skill or tool they were once proficient with. Alternatively, if you already knew all the languages they spoke, you may choose two skills/tools.

The soul of the victim from which you stole your arcane ability acts like a subconscious mind grafted to your own, providing certain insights and magical powers as well as haunting your thoughts and dreams with visions of a life which was not your own. You gain a character flaw relating to your nature as a Parasite Mage, called your Parasitic Curse; roll on the table below or discuss with your DM another appropriate curse.

Parasitic Curse

 

Language and Proficiency

You learn an additional language and gain proficiency with one skill or tool.

Two Proficiencies

You gain proficiency with two skills or tools.

False Origin

1st-level Parasite Mage feature

Also at 1st level, you have incorporated aspects of your victim's bloodline into your own power and presentation as a sorcerer. Choose an option from the False Bloodline list, which grants you a lesser mimicry of the nature of your victim's heritage.

Aberrant Mind: Telepathic Speech

You have stolen power from a sorcerer of aberrant origin. You know the Message cantrip, which does not count against your number of cantrips known, and when you cast the spell its range increases to 360 feet.

Clockwork Soul: Restore Balance

You have taken power from a sorcerer of clockwork origin. Once per short rest, when a creature you can see within 60 feet of you is about to roll a d20 with advantage or disadvantage, you can use your reaction to prevent the roll from being affected by advantage and disadvantage.

Divine Soul: Favored by the Gods

You have stolen power from a sorcerer of divine origin. Once per short rest, when you fail a saving throw or miss with an attack roll, you can roll 1d4 and add it to the total, possibly changing the outcome.

Draconic Bloodline: Draconic Resilience

You have taken power from a sorcerer of draconic origin, and gained the resilience of dragons. Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your total level.

Lunar Sorcery: Moon Fire

You have stolen power from a sorcerer of lunar origin. You know the Sacred Flame cantrip, which does not count against your number of cantrips known.

Shadow Magic: Eyes of the Dark

You have stolen power from a sorcerer of shadowy origin. You gain darkvision out to 120 feet.

Storm Sorcery: Tempestuous Magic

You have stolen power from a sorcerer of stormy origin. You can use a bonus action on your turn to cause whirling gusts of elemental air to briefly surround you, immediately before or after you cast a spell of 1st level or higher. Doing so allows you to fly up to 10 feet, and opportunity attacks made against you as a result of this movement are made at disadvantage.

Wild Magic: Tides of Chaos

You have stolen power from a sorcerer of wild origin. Once per long rest, you can manipulate the forces of chance and chaos to gain advantage on one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. After you use this ability, until the end of your next long rest, each time you cast a spell or 1st level or higher, roll a d20; if the roll on the die is a 1, you must roll on the Wild Magic Sorcerer's Wild Magic table as a wild magic effect manifests from your spellcasting.

Spell Drinker

6th-level Parasite Mage feature

Starting at 6th level, you have learned to consume part of the power of hostile spells, reducing their effect on you. When you are hit by a spell attack or fail a saving throw against a spell that deals damage, you can use your reaction to spend a sorcery point and reduce the damage you take from the spell by an amount equal to twice your proficiency bonus + the spell's level.

Spell Thief

6th-level Parasite Mage feature

Also at 6th level, you can replicate the magic of the spells you foil. When you disrupt a spell, such as with the Counterspell or Dispel Magic spell or your Spell Drinker ability, if that spell is of a level you can cast, you can choose to capture an intuitive understanding of the spell for later use. This spell is added to your spell list and counts as a Sorcerer spell for you. If you use this ability again, the previous spell you stole is lost and replaced with the new spell.

Parasitic Hoard

14th-level Parasite Mage feature

By 14th level, you've mastered the art of arcane mimicry. You can have up to three spells added to your spell list at once via your Spell Thief ability, instead of one.

Arcane Vampire

18th-level Parasite Mage feature

By 18th level, your disruption of spells leeches arcane power from your enemies' attacks. When you disrupt a spell, such as with the Counterspell or Dispel Magic spell or your Spell Drinker ability, you can regain a spell slot which is of a level less than or equal to half the level of the triggering spell (rounded up).