You are not alone. Another soul, or fragments of it, inhabits your body along with your own. This may be the result of deliberate action on your part. In this situation, you ritualistically consumed a humanoid corpse. However, this necrograft could also be caused by a lost soul attaching itself to you without your knowledge.
This is a unique necrograft. Normally, you temporarily activate a necrograft by expending a spell slot. However, because you actually invite in (or are effectively possessed by) another creature's soul, it cannot be turned on and off.
The necrograft has four different power levels: Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, and the most powerful, Stage 4. The benefits are cumulative, if you activate the necrograft at Stage 2, you also gain the benefits described in Stage 1. The DC of any features gained through this necrograft is your spell DC.
Activating the necrograft at Stage 1 requires expending a spell slot of at least 3rd level.
Activating the necrograft at Stage 2 requires expending a spell slot of at least 5th level.
Activating the necrograft at Stage 3 requires expending a spell slot of at least 7th level.
Activating the necrograft at Stage 4 requires expending a 9th level spell slot.
When you first cast this spell, you no longer regain one 3rd level spell slot when you regain your other spell slots. You can regain it only by expending a spell slot high enough to activate the necrograft at the next stage, but then you no longer regain a spell slot of that level. For example, Larry the necromancer acquired this necrograft at 5th level. He is now 11th level and he wants to activate this necrograft at Stage 2. He expends a 5th or 6th level spell slot. When he regains his spell slots, he regains one fewer 5th level spell slot. However, he now regains the 3rd spell slot that he expended to originally gain this necrograft.
Additionally, while other necrografts can simply be acquired and activated at any Stage that the spellcaster has enough power to reach, this necrograft works differently. It must originally be cast at Stage 1. The caster must wait at least 1 month before advancing the necrograft to the next Stage.
At any given time, you can have up to four necrografts active. One cannot exceed Stage 1, one can be up to Stage 2, one can be up to Stage 3, and one can be up to Stage 4.
This spell was originally designed as part of the Necrografter class, which can be found on DnDBeyond.
Stage 1
You gain the Another’s Flesh ability. At will, you can spend an action to physically take on the form of the soul that shares your body. Once you select the appearance of that soul, it cannot be changed.
This acts like the Change Appearance benefit of Alter Self, with three key differences. First, this ability requires no concentration. Second, there are no restrictions on adopting a different size; a halfling can physically transform into a goliath and vice versa. Your clothes and equipment adjust to your new size. While this transformation affects your height and weight, the only mechanical difference is your carrying capacity. Your stats are not changed as though affected by Enlarge or Reduce. Third, while this transformation does not actually change the clothes and equipment you are wearing beyond their size, if you wish, they can appear to change as if you had cast Disguise Self. This effect is an illusion and can be changed at will by spending an action. Only your clothes’ and equipment’s appearance can change; your body cannot.
When you use Another’s Flesh, you appear as a normal person without any necrografts, should you have any others. However, you may still use all of the abilities granted by your necrografts. Some, like the speed increase of Vampiric Grace, won’t appear to be unnatural, but many, like using the powers granted by the Bone Spikes necrograft, will clearly reveal that you are not what you appear to be.
Returning to your original form takes a bonus action, while dropping an illusion of clothes and equipment takes no action. If killed, you revert to your original form. However, when you are in your altered form, you can spend an action to return to your original form in an extremely disturbing manner. Your original form appears to erupt from the flesh of your altered form.
Any enemies that witness your Violent Transformation must make a Wisdom saving throw. If they fail, they take psychic damage equal to your necrografter level +10 and are frightened of you until the end of their next turn. Creatures that succeed take half damage and aren’t frightened. Once you use this feature, you can’t use again it until you finish a short or long rest.
At Stage 1, you and the other soul are definitely aware of each other. If you didn’t already know, you learn their name and some broad, general details about them such as their age and where they are from. You cannot directly communicate with the soul, but might hear whispers from it once or twice a day. You also occasionally have dreams about their life.
Stage 2
Any creature that fails its saving throw against Violent Transformation is frightened for 1 minute. At the end of its turn, it can make a Wisdom saving throw to end the effect.
At Stage 2, you learn more details about the other soul, and vice-versa. You roughly know the same information about them as you would a casual acquaintance. You can also communicate directly with it, although this method of communication is cumbersome and slow. Your relationship with the soul could vary wildly depending who they were and on the actions you take as an adventurer. They are under no obligation to answer any questions you ask. You probably have a dream about their life once a week.
If the soul is that of a child, you cannot help but be subtly influenced by its youthful qualities. You gain proficiency in Performance and advantage on Deception checks to appear helpless or innocent.
If the soul is that of an adult, you subconsciously learn how to perform certain tasks. You gain proficiency in any one tool or skill that the soul was proficient with.
Stage 3
Creatures that are frightened by Violent Transformation take psychic damage equal to your Constitution modifier at the start of their turns as they are mentally scarred by your grotesque metamorphosis.
You have learned enough about the other soul to persuasively imitate them. You gain advantage on any Charisma (Deception checks) to convince others that you are the other soul.
At Stage 3, you and the other soul know as much information about each other as good friends do. You can communicate with each other more efficiently. You frequently dream about their life and they might choose to talk to you in your dreams.
If the soul is that of a child, you gain the ability to wield a shard of their lost destiny. Once per long rest, you can reroll any attack roll, ability check, or saving throw and take the higher result. If the roll was made with advantage, reroll only one of the dice.
If the soul is that of an adult, you gain more of their abilities. You gain proficiency in one language, tool, and skill they were proficient in.
Stage 4
Violent Transformation now does psychic damage equal to twice your necrografter level.
Any creature that fails its saving throw against Violent Transformation and is frightened must immediately use its reaction, if available, to move as far as its speed allows away from you. The creature doesn’t move into obviously dangerous ground, such as a fire or a pit.
At Stage 4, you and the other soul have almost total access to each other’s memories. You can communicate with each other as though you were talking face to face. It may choose to appear before your waking eyes. No one else can see it.
If the soul chooses, it can make you dream about it every night.
If the soul wants to, it can prevent you from dying. Once per day, you can effectively ignore a death saving throw failure. Generally, only souls that you have a good relationship with will grant you this favor.
If your relationship with the soul is more rocky, as is often the case, and the failed death saving throw will kill you, the GM may give you and the soul a chance to bargain for your life. This will likely require significant action on your part, if the soul is willing at all. If the soul decides to save your life in return for a request, it has the power to kill you if you fail to perform as requested. However, unless the GM decides otherwise, it cannot kill you while you are sincerely trying to perform the request or after you have completed the request.
Unless the GM decides otherwise, if a soul saves your life without demanding a favor because it likes you, and later your relationship sours, it cannot kill you.
Other necrografts can be found on DnDBeyond. Here is the complete list:
Abomination Gut: You can vomit acid and belch poison.
Bonemail: You can better protect yourself and your allies.
Bone Spikes: You gain long-range attacks and can retaliate against foes.
Elemental Cadaver: You can channel fire, frost, or lightning.
Ghoul Claws: You can gouge and paralyze your foes as well as swim through the ground.
Mummified Eye: You gain a fearsome gaze, bonuses to initiative, and access to some divination spells.
Lich’s Skull: You heighten your mental defenses and gain minor spellcasting plus knowledge.
Paladin’s Tomb: You’re the opposite of a holy man, but you can fight like one.
Two Corpses in One Grave: Sharing your body with another soul, you can change your appearance and shock your opponents with a hideous metamorphosis.
Wight Heart: Your attacks deal extra damage and can weaken your enemies.
Vampiric Grace: You can move fast, crawl on walls, and drink the blood of your foes.
Vampiric Soul: You can bend the minds of others to your will and call creatures of the night to serve your bidding.
Zombie Hulk: You can increase your size and use special melee attacks.
* - (the corpse of a humanoid)
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