Symbiote

This is the importation of a subclass created by Matt Conlon for the purpose of utilizing dndbeyond's infrastructure.

---

An alien thing has taken root in your body. It grants mysterious magic and can extrude its grotesque anatomy from yours to aid in battle or exploration. It knows what you know, sees what you see, but may feel things very different. A born coward may be filled with an unquenchable thirst for battle, feeling like a passenger in their own body during combat. A being of infinite compassion may want to consume their injured allies, seeing them as an easy meal.

The most common sources of the Symbiote Origin are escapees from Mindflayer colonies and children born near a Beholder lair. Among the Illithids, spontaneous mutations in larva sometimes lead to failed ceremorphosis. These unexpectedly potent unions of alien and humanoid flesh may escape using their powers or be allowed to leave as an experiment. In the other case, a Beholder’s dreams may corrupt the generative process creating weak “twins” that a humanoid child may absorb before birth. Over time the aberration grows like a tumor until something rouses it to dim self awareness. These are by no means the only sources, just the most common among an exceedingly small population.

Aberrant Appendage

Beginning at level 1 your Symbiote can extrude an unnatural appendage. The awful extremity has the reach and dexterity of an additional arm and hand for your race. While the extra limb is extruded it provides you with a form of natural attack as detailed below. It can also provide the somatic components for a spell while your hands are otherwise occupied. Despite the limb’s dexterity, you are still limited to the normal allotment of actions.

When you roll initiative you have the option of allowing your symbiote to extrude a random appendage, rolling 1d4 to determine which appendage manifests. Alternatively you can use an action to extrude an appendage of your choice. The appendage remains until you use an action to reabsorb it. While an appendage is extruded it is obvious, curiously sniffing or tapping anything in its reach. Attempts to hide the appendage with a disguises kit have disadvantage. Even with the appendage hidden, you have disadvantage on social checks and animal handling with non aberrations. If the limb is severed you can extrude a new one as an action.

1. Gibbering Face. A worm with a human mouth and teeth comes out of your naval. Creatures that start their turn within 5 feet of you can hear the mad whisperings of this face suffering your Charisma bonus in Psychic damage. During any turn in which you cast a spell of first level or higher, the face’s gibbering intensifies dealing psychic damage equal to the spell’s level to each creature within 5 feet. While the Gibbering Face is extruded you can use your action to cast the Vicious Mockery cantrip.

2. Tentacle. A rubbery prehensile limb lined with , or a rope of your own veins that reaches out from your face. Whatever its form, you can use this appendage to make an unarmed attack adding your Strength or Dexterity bonus to the attack and damage rolls. The tentacle deals 1d8 bludgeoning damage. You are proficient with attacks using the tentacle. During any turn in which you cast a spell of first level or higher you can use a bonus action to make an attack with the tentacle. These attacks are considered magical and the target is grappled on a hit. The escape DC for this grapple is your Spell DC.

3. Infectious Barb. A similar variety of appearances to the tentacle but the limb ends in a wicked barb or claws. You are proficient with attacks using this limb and may add your strength or dexterity to the attack and damage rolls. The limb deals 1d6 piercing or slashing damage as appropriate and an additional 2d4 poison damage. A creature can reduce the poison damage by half with a successful Constitution save versus your Spell DC. When you use your action to cast a spell of first level or higher you can use a bonus action to make an attack with the claw. These attacks are considered magical. The poison damage increases by 1d4 for each level of the spell.

4. Eye Stalk. You extrude an eye stalk like that of a Beholder. The Eyestalk has darkvision of 60’ and one of the following eye rays chosen at the time it is extruded. Each ray has a range of 30 feet. You can use the ray as an action. If the eye stalk was randomly extruded, roll to determine which ray it has:

1. Dazing Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell DC or be charmed until the start of your next turn. While the target is charmed in this way, its speed is halved, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls.
2. Fear Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell DC or be frightened until the start of your next turn.
3. Harm Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell DC or take 10 (3d6) Necrotic damage.
4. Telekinetic Ray. If the target is a creature that is medium or smaller, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your Spell DC or be moved up to 30 feet directly away from you. If the target is an object weighing 10 pounds or less that isn't being worn or carried, you move it up to 30 feet in any direction. You can also exert fine control on objects with this ray, such as manipulating a simple tool or opening a container.

When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you may use the ray as a bonus action.

Psychic Symbiote

Beginning at 6th level, your Symbiote empowers spells that assault your target’s mind. Once per turn you you may increase the psychic damage dealt by one of your spells by your Charisma modifier. If you are using a spell or affect that targets more than one creature, choose one target to suffer the additional damage.

Of Two Minds

By 14th level the Symbiote has learned a significant amount about the world from concentrating on details and aspects that you do not. By listening to its guidance you can intuit correct action, remember something you normally wouldn’t, or even recognize an unseen threat at the last moment.

You gain proficiency in two additional skills from the following list: Animal Handling, Arcana, History, Nature, Religion, Deception, Persuasion, Medicine, Perception, and Insight. Alternatively, you may gain a new Tool Proficiency in place of either skill.

Whenever you are attacked unexpectedly you can, as a reaction, spend a sorcery point to negate the attacker’s advantage.

Unnatural Spawn

Beginning at 18th level, you can infect an incapacitated humanoid with your Symbiote’s spawn. By spending 5 sorcery points you can use your currently extruded Aberrant Appendage to infect an incapacitated humanoid creature with one of your Symbiote’s spawn as an action. The target gains an Aberrant Appendage identical to the one used to infect it, however the appendage cannot be reabsorbed by the target. Unlike your fusion, the Symbiote Spawn is the dominant being. The target is Charmed by you and friendly to you and your allies until someone rids it of the spawn via greater restoration, wish, or death.