Sans Feat: Rule Breaker (Work in progress)

Okay the one link I use isn't to another website it's to a sheet on dndbeyond and Undertale isn't copyrighted, only its' music is. So none of this breaks any rules.

This feat is designed for the one and only "Sans the Skeleton" to help the DM mechanically approximate the experience of the Sans encounter / boss fight.

I will provide an example link to my own character sheet for Sans in lieu of a stat block for anyone who wants a Sans in their game that can exist in their world as an NPC as well as a potential enemy: 

(as of 4/10/22 it's a WIP as well)          https: //www dndbeyond com/characters/71653250        (replace spaces with dots)

Homebrewed spells for Sans are a WIP and are coming. They will probably be set to be cast at will without using spell slots. These will likely include his "Blue Attacks", "Gaster Blasters", "Bone Traps" and "Magic Throws."

In taking this feat, Sans's hit points are to be locked at 1. Spells that provide temporary hit points will affect Sans but nothing can raise his maximum hit points.

This feat will be broken down into a two parts for the sake of just how much it allows Sans to do in an effort to explain it better.

Side Step

Sans has 1 hit point. If he is hurt by anyone, even accidentally... that's it. Realistically however, everything is going to miss. You might want to give Sans the Alert feat so that he can't be surprised while CONSCIOUS (see what I did there?) Side Step gives sans a pool of game breaking, comically perfect dodges equal to 16 plus 12 times the number of enemies OR allies (whichever is greater) present in the encounter.

When an attack roll succeeds to hit Sans, the pool of Side Step is reduced by 1 or by 2 on critical hits and Sans moves inexplicably out of harm's way in the blink of an eye. Characters controlled by players are certain their attacks were going to connect until the last very moment. If they choose to roll for (perception, investigation, etc.) checks to discern how Sans seems to be evading their attacks, you can describe what they see like this if you need ideas: On failed checks the player can't explain it and insist their attacks should be hurting him. On barely successful checks the player believes he is either incredibly fast or is using illusions to survive. On very successful checks they see the side step and are aware that Sans winked at them while doing so.

Sans also uses 1 charge of Side Step to pass failed spell saves, and a second charge to avoid damage from spells where successful saves result in taking half damage.

Fully depleting this pool results in Sans immediately cutting in line and taking his turn despite his place in rotation and also despite a player not being finished with their turn. In situations where Sans lacks the second charge necessary that he would usually spend to avoid a critical hit or half damage from spells, one final additional charge will be given to successfully achieve this outcome. At this point combat is technically over but the DM should not necessarily announce this fact. Sans loses the effects of Karma and is unable to cast spells but will bluff to the party that they know they've been outclassed and are doomed to be defeated. He is exhausted and makes this deception check with disadvantage. Whatever the outcome on this check. He states that they cannot win because he will never end his turn, making it impossible for them to kill him.

The party can leave if they choose, especially if they believed his bluff. If they try to attack him at this point in time, a mock combat scenario will covertly resume with the original initiatives during San's turn. He will neither attack or end his mock turn. Players may talk amongst themselves and with Sans but nothing will change until the party remains quiet and motionless long enough for Sans to begin nodding off. During this time anyone keenly observing Sans should make a perception check. On a successful check the player will glean that Sans is beginning to lose consciousness. Failing to remain quiet or failing to refrain from attempting to harm Sans while he is awake will in essence reset this timer. Only when Sans is sleeping can a player sneak up to him and attack, any spell using verbal components will awaken Sans and reset the timer and resume his "turn". On a successful hit while Sans is sleeping, he will briefly awaken, attempt to use Side Step and fail. At this point the DM can use this moment to create or recreate his death scene.

Karma

This is Sans's main workhorse tactic for killing the party, and also his Achilles heal. Karma is a switch Sans chooses to flip when he fights the party right before his first fearsome attack. Outside of this encounter you as the DM can choose to make his spells behave differently, but during this encounter you want it to be clear that Sans isn't playing fair. Karma helps you achieve that goal but it also requires a certain level of fairness from you... because what Karma does is allow you to deal damage to players while they take their turns based on how long they take for their turns to end. Know your players, if they're newer to D&D go a little easier on them if they have a hard time choosing what to do. And turn up the heat if they know what they're getting into.

According to D&D rules, a round of combat takes 6 seconds. Karma is not based on that mechanic, but rather deals damage based upon how much real time passes while the player's turn is in progress. The damage is applied at the ends of turns. Use a stopwatch, the rate of damage is 1 per second (adjustable based upon your players.) Pause the stopwatch at points where you are the one making the turn take longer, then resume when you're not (or don't if they can handle it.) 

An example:

Player: "does a 22 hit?"

DM: *Pause stopwatch* "Um lemme check... yes." *Resume stopwatch*

Players will inevitably get into the habit of acting more quickly and announcing when their turn is over out loud. If not, it's their funerals. 

Karma becomes active as soon as combat starts between himself and the players. All of Sans's damage is converted into Karma damage. What this means is no matter what spells Sans uses during his turns, the player can only take 1 damage per second (or your chosen rate). Elaborating further, players affected by karma will only take up to 6 damage from Sans's attacks, and whatever damage Sans should have dealt past that 6 damage will be dealt out during that individual player's turn (for added difficulty use the stopwatch during sans turn and apply that damage at the end as well.)

A good and easy way to keep track of karma damage is to deal that 6 damage AND deal his karma upfront to the players and provide the remaining undealt karma damage as temporary hit points that decrease at the ends of their turns. Explaining this mechanic probably shouldn't count against them. Healing should subtract from those temporary hit points before being applied to the current hit point value.