Chromatician

Since times immemorial there have been told hushed tales of people with scintillating skin adorning themselves with colourful, magical crystals - granting them varied spellcasting capabilities and governance over peculiar armaments, which are made of themselves. Some call them Chromaticians - the refracting ones.

Prismatic Spellcasting and Crystal Sockets

A Chromatician doesn't use spellslots to cast spells and instead utilizes prismatic crystals, slotted into crystal sockets on their body. As a Chromatician, you can't use Flexible Casting, which you would normally get by Font of Magic. You can cast cantrips the same way as you usually would. At 1st level you gain 4 crystal sockets. You gain 2 additional crystal sockets at 4th / 7th / 10th / 17th level respectively.

Starting at 1st level you can cast 1st-level-spells. Your ability to cast spells of higher levels using this method increases at 5th / 9th / 13th / 17th level respectively, up to being able to cast 5th-level-spells. A Chromatician doesn't learn any new spells as they level up - they know every spell up to and including the highest levelled spells they can cast at that time. You can still learn new cantrips like you normally would.

(When creating a new character using this subclass in DnDBeyond, please make sure to take every spell that this feature gives you access to.)

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Chromatician spells, as your power draws from the innate magical forces of chromatic colour. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Chromatician spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

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In order to cast spells, a Chromatician needs to have a prismatic crystal of the corresponding color of that spell, slotted in a crystal socket. You can ignore material requirements when casting spells this way.

A Chromatician can gain prismatic crystals by crystallizing materials using Crystallize as a bonus action - this affects an area of 0.5 ft and can't be used to deal damage. The color of the prismatic crystal created this way is determined by the type of material that has been crystallized. A prismatic crystals' colour turns to gray after 1 minute of not being slotted into a crystal socket, becoming brittle and unsuitable for casting spells. Starting at 1st Level you can use Crystallize 4 times per day, which changes to 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 / 12 times per day as you reach 5th / 7th / 11th / 14th / 17th level respectively.

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Below are some suggestions for what kinds of materials and themes could correspond to what colour:

• Green :  plants, acid
• Brown :  stone, earth, minerals
• Blue :  water, ice
• Orange :  fire, lava, heat
• Light Blue :  air, steam
• Red :  blood, flesh, controlling creatures
• Violet :  poison, sickness
• White :  light, healing, rejuvenation
• Rainbow :  magic, energy
• Black :  death, bones, decay, curses
• Yellow :  electricity, storms

Diamond-like Resilience

Starting at 1st level, your scintillating skin is hard to the touch and progressively crystallizes - you lose the ability to wear armor, but you can still wear clothes. Your AC is now calculated as follows:

Armor Class = 10 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

(Please make sure to manually override your AC.)

Crystalline Armory

Starting at 1st Level, you gain the ability to transform one or both of your hands into crystalline, natural weapons using Transform Crystalline Weapon as a bonus action. When you do, choose between either claw, spear, shield or club.

The natural weapons created by this ability count as magical. If you transformed both of your hands and you hit a target with an attack, you may roll an additional damage die for that weapon and add the result to the damage that would be dealt to the target.

• Crystalline Claw / 2d4 slashing
• Crystalline Spear / 1d8 piercing
• Crystalline Shield / 1d4 bludgeoning / You gain Raise Shield as a reaction, which reduces the damage of a physical strike or physical projectile that would hit you by 2d4.
• Crystalline Club / 1d8 bludgeoning

Glittering Agression

Starting at 6th level, utilizing the power of one of your slotted prismatic crystals, you may use Consume Crystal as a bonus action to add 3d4 damage to your next damage roll. This effect lasts until after your next damage roll or 3 turns, whichever one happens sooner. The damage type of the added damage is determined by the colour of prismatic crystal you used, which you can check below. After using this ability, the prismatic crystal will turn gray and brittle and become unsuitable for spellcasting.

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• Green :  Acid
• Brown :  Bludgeoning
• Blue :  Cold
• Orange :  Fire
• Light Blue :  Thunder
• Red :  Slashing
• Violet :  Poison
• White :  Radiant
• Rainbow :  Force
• Black :  Necrotic
• Yellow :  Lightning

Thousand Colours At Once

Starting at 14th level, your body changes and crystallizes inexorably and by now crystallized growths cover your eyes fully - but through the power of the crystals you can still see. You gain blindsight (60ft) and don't lose your regular vision inside the range of your blindsight. You can't see anything beyond the range of your blindsight - if you try an ability check that requires sight it automatically fails and if a creature attacks you from outside of your blindsight range, it has advantage.

(Please make sure to manually add as an additional sense type for your character.)

Eternally Refracting Gaze

At 18th level, with the physical changes that the crystals bring, there have also been some magical in nature, now, that your transformation is complete - your sight feels sharper, clearer and focused, moreso than it ever was. You gain Truesight (120ft) and can see beyond that range in a matter you normally could.

One With Crystal

At 18th level, you're almost fully crystallized, and parts of your body may already be wholly made of crystal - translucent and refracting eternally. You become resistant to slashing and piercing damage, but vulnerable to bludgeoning damage.