Base Class: Fighter
Keeper
The lightly-armored halfling smirks at the bandits that surround him. A viscous reddish fluid covers his body and he becomes... something else. The thugs attack, but their weapons barely cut through the bizarre biomass that now coats the halfling’s skin. A Chimera pounces at a bloodied tiefling, but the tiefling dodges, her reflexes enhanced by the organism that she’s bound with, turning her into a stark white monster. One of her appendages extends, unnaturally, piercing the chimera’s body. She then pulls the beast towards her and grows, covering the creature. It struggles for a while and then it quiets. When the white fluid recedes the chimera’s corpse is gone. All that’s left is the injured tiefling, now victorious. A group of adventurers travel through an underground tunnel. They are ambushed by goblins wielding poisoned weapons. But the team is well coordinated - unnaturally well. Standing in the back,
an old human woman grins. She casts a spell to protect herself from poison and as the greenish glow covers her, the rest of her party shines with the same light. A lone elf shudders in his bed. He seems alone, but he is not. His constant companion whispers in his ear, demanding that he grow stronger. That they grow stronger... together. While they approach combat differently, all of these characters are Keepers, adventurers who have bonded with a symbiote - an organism that enhances the power of whoever it bonds to, and uses that connection to grow more powerful. As long as they’re able to keep their symbiote in control, Keepers are extremely difficult to take down and make for unpredictable foes, able to adapt to any circumstance.
Stronger Together
The strength of the Keeper lies in combining the control and mental faculties of the host with the raw toughness and adaptability of the symbiote. On their own neither is too impressive. The Keeper - a simple adventurer - lacks the strength to survive the world’s dangerous monsters and the symbiote lacks the ability to carefully apply its strength. Together, however, the Keeper can make use of all of these strengths - becoming exceedingly dangerous and only growing more so as the pair continues to strengthen their bond an evolve to adapt to its environment.
Fated Connections
Symbiotes are very rare organisms that can remain dormant for eons and survive the harshest environments. Sometimes they are found deep within ancient temples, or disguised as family heirlooms passed down over generations. Through this found power, a Keeper can rise to the height of power in their worlds. Some symbiotes are bizarre, organic monstrosities or aberrations, while others are magical beings of the arcane. Others yet, seem like living armor - from worlds beyond our understanding. They can occur naturally - hailing from other worlds of the material plane -or be crafted, designed by powerful wizards or societies as instruments of their will.
Fated Connections
Symbiotes are very rare organisms that can remain dormant for eons and survive the harshest environments. Sometimes they are found deep within ancient temples, or disguised as family heirlooms passed down over generations. Through this found power, a Keeper can rise to the height of power in their worlds. Some symbiotes are bizarre, organic monstrosities or aberrations, while others are magical beings of the arcane. Others yet, seem like living armor - from worlds beyond our understanding. They can occur naturally - hailing from other worlds of the material plane - or be crafted, designed by powerful wizards or societies as instruments of their will.
Level | Proficiency | Features | Transformations | Adaptations Known
1st | +2 | Symbiotic Metamorphosis | 2 | —
2nd | +2 | Sentient Awakening, Divided, Adaptations | 2 | 2
3rd |+2 | Evolutionary Calling | 3 | 2
4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 2
5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 3 | 3
6th | +3 | Magical Entity, Evolutionary Calling Feature | 4 |3
7th | +3 | Amalgamated Mind | 4 | 4
8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4
9th | +4 | Retribution (1 die) | 4 |5
10th | +4 | Evolutionary Calling Feature | 4 | 5
11th | +4 | Superior Symbiosis | 4 | 5
12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 6
13th | +5 | Retribution (2 dice) | 5 |6
14th | +5 | Evolutionary Calling Feature | 5 | 6
15th | +5 | Symbiotic Dependence | 5 | 7
16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 7
17th | +6 | Retribution (3 dice) | 6 | 7
18th | +6 | — | 6 | 8
19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | 8
20th | +6 | Symbiogenesis | Unlimited | 8
Symbiotic Metamorphosis
Symbiotic Metamorphosis
At 3rd level, you can compel or allow the symbiote you have bonded with to cover your body, greatly increasing your physical abilities. On your turn, you can transform into your Hybrid Form as a bonus action.
When you transform, you choose whether your equipment merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Your transformation lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are
knocked unconscious.
Once you have transformed the number of times shown for your Keeper level in the Transformation column of the Keeper table, you must finish a long rest before you can transform again.
While transformed you gain the following features:
- Adaptive Defenses. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
- Symbiotic Exoskeleton. Your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier, regardless of the armor you are wearing.
- Organic Impermeability. You are immune to disease. This does not end any diseases you currently have, but postpones their effects.
- Innate Vulnerability. You are vulnerable to Fire and Thunder damage, though in time you can adapt to address these weaknesses.
Symbiotic Weaponry
Symbiotic Weaponry
Your symbiosis allows you to form your own weapons, like sharpened spikes or claws. You can use these natural weapons when you attack, whether or not you are transformed. When you attack, your symbiote can cover your limbs to form natural weapons that you are considered proficient with. If you hit your target you deal 1d6 slashing damage + your Strength modifier. These attacks are not considered unarmed strikes.
In addition you gain the following feature:
Synchronization
While transformed, when you use the Attack action on your Turn, you can make one attack with your Symbiotic Weaponry as a Bonus Action. You do not add your ability modifier to the damage for this attack.
Sentient Awakening
Sentient Awakening
Starting at 3rd level, through your mutual exchange of power and deep connection, the symbiote that grants you power fully awakens. It can communicate with you telepathically, projecting its voice in whatever choice you learn in Divided Mind.
Consider your symbiote’s origins. Where does it come from? What does it want? Is it the only one of its kind? You may already have an idea of these things or perhaps your DM has some of their own.
Divided Mind
Divided Mind
While your transformation grants you great strength, it is not entirely your own power, but one you share with your symbiote. At 3rd level, you gain the following features:
Tongues. Pick one of the following languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Deep Speech, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan. While transformed you can only speak the selected language. You gain proficiency with the selected language.
Wrath. While transformed, if you use your action attack a creature other than the one you last attacked, you must make a Charisma saving throw against your own Saving Throw DC to do
so. On a failed save you must move toward the creature you were previously attacking until they are within reach and continue to attack them, if possible.
Possessiveness. Despite the challenges of having two minds, your symbiote’s presence makes it more difficult for other creatures to influence your mental state. You gain advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed.
Tounges
Pick one of the following languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Deep Speech, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan. While transformed you can only speak the selected language. You gain proficiency with the selected language.
Adaptations
Adaptations
As you and your symbiote continue to grow, you can influence its development, imbuing you with greater power.
At 3rd level, you gain two adaptations of your choice. Your adaptation options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain Keeper levels, you gain additional adaptations of your choice, as shown in the Adaptations Known column of the Keeper table.
If an adaptation has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the adaptation at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. If an adaptation grants you a spell that doesn’t appear on the Keeper spell list, the spell is nonetheless a Keeper spell for you. You can cast all Keeper spells without expending any spell slots or material components.
The number of Adaptations know increases at specific levels:
- Level 3-4: 2 known
- Level 5-6: 3 known
- Level 7-8: 4 known
- Level 9-11: 5 known
- Level 12-14: 6 known
- Level 15-17: 7 known
- Level 18-20: 8 known
Chosen Adaptations:
Amorphous Form: While transformed, you can use a bonus action to become amorphous. While in this form, your body becomes soft and translucent. You can pass through spaces as small as 1 inch without squeezing and your speed is set to 10 feet. While passing through spaces you normally could not fit through, you cannot take actions or bonus actions. You can also pass through enemy spaces.
Symbiotic Speed: While transformed, your speed increases by 10 feet and your jump distance is doubled.
Flight: While transformed, your body adapts in a way to enable you to take to the skies. You gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed.
Amorphous Form
Amorphous Form
While transformed, you can use a bonus action to become amorphous. While in this form, your body becomes soft and translucent. You can pass through spaces as small as 1 inch without squeezing and your speed is set to 10 feet. While passing through spaces you normally could not fit through, you cannot take actions or bonus actions. You can also pass through enemy spaces.
Flight
Flight
Prerequisite: 5th Level
While transformed, your body adapts in a way to enable you to take to the skies. You gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed.
Symbiotic Speed
Symbiotic Speed
While transformed, your speed increases by 10 feet and your jump distance is doubled.
Evolutionary Calling
Evolutionary Calling
At 3rd level, you and your symbiote evolve together, further shaping your combined nature and abilities.
Choose the Assimilation, Cooperation, Corruption, or Predation evolutionary callings, each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd levels and again at 7th, 10th, and 15th level.
Evolutionary Calling - Assimilation
Evolutionary Calling:
Assimilation
Assimilation takes a Keeper’s ability to adapt and pushes it to its limits, turning it into a combat ability that allows the Keeper to drain life from enemy creatures they target, and not only absorb their thoughts, but also their very characteristics and make it their own. A Keeper driven to assimilate is the ultimate survivor. A warrior of unnatural power that excels in outlasting their foes and surpassing their own natural limits.
Assimilating Grasp (Evolutionary Calling: Assimilation)
Assimilating Grasp
Starting at 3rd level, you can attempt to assimilate your enemies to absorb their strength and abilities. While transformed, the first time you hit a creature on your turn with an attack using your Symbiotic Weaponry you can activate this feature on that target, provided it is not a construct or undead and is no more than one size larger than you.
The target creature must make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check against your Saving Throw DC. On a failed check, the target is grappled. On a failed check the creature takes necrotic damage equal to 1d6 + your Charisma modifier. On a success, the target only takes half damage and is not grappled. A grappled creature can try to escape you by taking an action to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against your Save DC.
Progressive Assimilation. While a creature is grappled by your Assimilating Grasp it takes an additional 1d6 necrotic damage at the end of its turn. At 5th level, the damage dealt by progressive assimilation increases to 2d6. The damage increases to 3d6 at 11th level and 4d6 at 17th level.
Leech. You regain hit points equal to half the damage you deal with this feature (rounded up). You can only use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses after completing a long rest
Leech
Leech.
You regain hit points equal to half the damage you deal with this feature (rounded up). You can only use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses after completing a long rest
Knowledge Absorption (Evolutionary Calling: Assimilation)
Knowledge Absorption
At 7th level, your ability to assimilate creatures grows more profound. Your assimilating grasp enables you to selectively absorb information from the creatures’ mind. When you hit a creature with assimilating grasp, instead of regaining hit points you can choose to subject your target to the effect of Detect Thoughts as if you had cast the spell.
Magical Entity
Magical Entity
Starting at 7th level, your symbiote takes on greater magical potency. Your symbiotic weaponry attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Amalgamated Mind
Amalgamated Mind
At 7th level, your minds have grown together for enough time that you are better able to coexist. Whenever you make a Charisma saving throw to exert control over your symbiote to resist your Wrath, you do so with advantage.
You can now also speak all the languages you know while transformed.
Retribution
Retribution
Beginning at 10th level, your symbiote strikes out to protect you when you are unable to protect yourself. When you are targeted by a melee weapon attack within reach of your Symbiotic Weaponry, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack and make your own attack with your symbiotic weaponry against the attacking creature. On a hit, you deal damage with one additional weapon damage die. The damage you deal when retaliating increases to two additional weapon damage die at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.
You can only use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses after completing a long rest.
Superior Symbiosis
Superior Symbiosis
Starting at 10th level, you have each further evolved to become more suitable for the other. Your transformation now lasts 10 minutes. In addition, you gain the following feature:
Hybrid Attachment. You and your symbiote have begun to realize you are stronger together. When your transformation would end involuntarily - because you are rendered unconscious or due to some other effect - you can instead choose to remain in your Hybrid Form for the remaining duration of your transformation.
After you activate this feature, your transformation does not end until it has reached its full duration, even if you want to voluntarily end it. You also suffer a point of exhaustion. You can’t use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Hybrid Attachment
Hybrid Attachment. You and your symbiote have begun to realize you are stronger together. When your transformation would end involuntarily - because you are rendered unconscious or due to some other effect - you can instead choose to remain in your Hybrid Form for the remaining duration of your transformation.
After you activate this feature, your transformation does not end until it has reached its full duration, even if you want to voluntarily end it. You also suffer a point of exhaustion. You can’t use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Symbiotic Dependence
Symbiotic Dependence
Starting at 15th level, you can recover your strength and heal your wounds using your symbiotes’ own natural healing ability. On your turn, if you are below half health, you can use an action to expend one of your transformations to regain hit points equal to your Keeper level + your Charisma modifier.
In addition for the next 1 minute you regain hit points equal to your Charisma modifier at the start of each of your turns. Your severed body parts (fingers, legs, tails, and so on), if any, are restored at the end of the minute. If you have the severed part and hold it to the stump, the feature instantaneously causes the limb to knit to the stump.
If you drop to 0 hit points while transformed, and don’t die outright, this feature automatically activates, unless you have no transformations left to expend. If you activate the feature in this way, you suffer a point of exhaustion.
You can’t use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Symbiogenesis
Symbiogenesis
At 18th level, your symbiosis has reached such a level that you and your symbiote are no longer two separate entities, but one... a hybrid being, wholly and truly unified. You gain the following benefits.
- You no longer have to roll to exert control over your Symbiote to resist your Wrath.
- Your transformation only ends if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.
- You no longer suffer a point of exhaustion when you use the Hybrid Attachment feature or Symbiotic Dependence.