Cosmic Knowledge

Prerequisite: Exposure to eldritch forces (such as through the portal) or DM discretion

Through your encounter with forbidden knowledge and eldritch realms, you have gained insight that comes with a cost. You can now harness this Cosmic Knowledge, though it risks fracturing your mind. The more you know, the closer you are drawn to the shadows lurking beyond the Veil.

Benefit: You gain the ability to accrue Cosmic Knowledge points, representing dark insights and forbidden lore granted by eldritch forces. Each Cosmic Knowledge point grants you unique powers or advantages, but accumulating them also subjects you to Cosmic Fracture, eroding your sanity and humanity.

Mechanics of Cosmic Knowledge and Cosmic Fracture

For each point of Cosmic Knowledge you gain, you may also accumulate an equal level of Cosmic Fracture, indicating your mind’s struggle to comprehend forbidden truths. Each stage brings new powers but also increases the risk of madness, paranoia, or physical changes.

1. Stage 1 (1 Point)

   • Benefit: You gain proficiency in Arcana or Religion (your choice) and advantage on Intelligence checks to recall eldritch or forbidden knowledge.
   • Drawback: You feel the presence of the Veil in quiet moments, hearing faint whispers. This presence is unsettling but not yet harmful.

2. Stage 2 (2 Points)

   • Benefit: Once per day, you may tap into Cosmic Knowledge to cast Detect Thoughts or Augury without expending a spell slot. Your mind briefly touches the Veil, allowing you to gather insights.
   • Drawback: Small, unsettling hallucinations become common—strange shadows, whispers of your name, fleeting movements at the corner of your eye. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to notice hidden creatures or objects, as your attention is easily misled.

3. Stage 3 (3 Points)

   • Benefit: You gain the ability to cast Arms of Hadar once per day as a 1st-level spell. This invocation brings forth dark tendrils to protect you.
   • Drawback: Your mind suffers, imposing disadvantage on saving throws against effects that cause fear or charm, as the Veil’s influence distorts your sense of reality. At this stage, your eyes or skin may develop faint, otherworldly marks—a hint of the eldritch realm.

4. Stage 4 (4 Points)

   • Benefit: You gain a new level of awareness: once per long rest, you may cast Speak with Dead or Divination without a spell slot, communing briefly with the shadows beyond the Veil.
   • Drawback: You suffer from intermittent paranoia, as if something is watching you from the shadows. The DM may occasionally call for a Wisdom saving throw (DC 15) when you attempt to rest or concentrate, with failure preventing you from completing a long rest.

5. Stage 5 (5 Points - Cosmic Resonance)

   • Benefit: You gain the Eldritch Sight ability: You can cast True Seeing once, after which this ability cannot be used again for 1d4 days. This vision pierces all illusions but brings you dangerously close to the Veil’s edge.
   • Drawback: The Cosmic Fracture is severe. You suffer disadvantage on all Charisma checks, as your physical and mental changes are visibly disturbing to others. Additionally, once per long rest, the DM may call for an Intelligence saving throw (DC 16) as flashes of horrific eldritch visions intrude on your mind. Failure results in 1 level of short-term madness for 1d10 minutes.