Base Class: Ranger
The Escafil Device is a blue, glowing cube that only Andalites have access to. You are, or have come in contact, with an Andalite bearing an Escafil Device, and gained the ability to morph into various creatures. You can morph into any Animal you come in contact with, but only for two hours. Remaining in this state for longer will result in being stuck in that form forever.
While in these forms, you have the stats and abilities of the creature you morphed into, with the exception of Intelligence, which you retain.
Spells cast in this subclass can be used through either Wisdom or Intelligence.
Acquiring, Morphing, and Thought-Speech
You gain the ability to acquire DNA from any living creature you touch. The creature must have DNA for this ability to work. Hostile creatures must make a Con save (INT DC). Upon a failure, the creature stills itself, and does not make a move the next turn. Upon a success, you do not acquire the DNA, and the creature can make an attack of opportunity on you as a reaction. Creatures that are a size or large than you have advantage on this save.
In addition, you gain the ability to morph into the creatures whose DNA you have acquired. You take on the stats of said creature, with the exception of Intelligence, which you retain. You can hold this form for two hours before needing to demorph. Failing to do so will cause you to be trapped in your morphed form for the remainder of your life. Your DM can choose to remind you when two hours is close. The Keen Mind feat ensures that you always know when two hours is approaching.
You cannot cast spells while in morph.
Spells that change your physical being can force you out of a Morph upon the spell duration ending.
Damage dealt to you while morphed can kill you. Unmorph before reaching 0 HP to ensure you do not go unconscious. Subtract 1 from each death saving throw made while morphed. You do not retain damage when demorphing. Similarly, you do not carry over damage when morphing.
Acquiring, Morphing and demorphing each require seperate actions.
While in morph, you have the ability to communicate in Thought-Speech, though more limited than Andalites can. You can speak to specific people, or a group of people, directly to their minds, though they will not understand you if you do not speak a language they understand. The range of thought-speech is 300.
Shapechange Resistance
Starting at level 7, You are well versed in the world of shape-changing, and know how to resist when being forced into a new form. You have advantage on all throws involving a hostile creature casting a shape-changing spell on you.
Morph Healing
Starting at level 11, you've mastered the ability to morph, and know how to heal small wounds by morphing. Roll 1d8 and add your Intelligence modifier. You heal this amount.. You can do this three times per long rest.
Morph Casting
Beginning at 15th level, you gain the ability to cast spells while in morph, as long as those spells do not require material components.
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Posted Jul 30, 2019These are really good ideas and I'm annoyed that I didn't think about it! I'll work on making a morphing feat then! I agree it would better. It's definitely a feat that could easily be overpowered (especially FOR a feat), though, so I think I'll separate it into a few feats? Basic Acquiring and Morphing, and then later the other class features, requiring perquisites?
Also yeah, you're right about spell casting- I am honestly hoping no one tries to acquire any ilithids, but knowing players, they'll try.
About monks, I think Ki points that don't involve extremely dexterous moves (unless they're morphed as a dexterous animal like a monkey or something) would be usable, like flurry of blows and such.
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Posted Jul 29, 2019I wouldn't mind giving it a shot - I'd just have to find a group that'd let me play it to give it a proper play test.
Also, curious thought I had. Should the Morphing ability be a subclass or a Feat? Because when you really think about it, almost anyone could touch the Morphing Cube and gain its power, so technically it would make more sense as an acquirable feat. Just given those same limitations.
Also, I would make a few other changes: First you should make it so the larger the creature you are morphing into is, the longer it takes to morph into it. For example: A Large creature takes 2 full rounds in order to fully morph, 3 would be needed for Huge, and 4 are required for a gargantuan creature. And during that morphing stage, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, but people attacking you have advantage. This is to further promote people to morph into whatever creature they want BEFORE getting into a fight, and encourage them to be smart about what they are morphing into.
Another idea: when it says that you can't cast spells while in morph, I suggest a slight modification to that. If the creature you are morphing into possesses inate magical potential, then you should be able to use magical spells in that case. Like morphing, for example, a Beholder or Dragon? Or if you morph into the form of another humanoid creature perhaps - or any creature that can still at least make general spells without components.
And when it comes to spells, does Ki count as spells when a Monk? Because being a Morphing Monk would be a deadly combination, expecially if they could still use Ki since, to the best of my knowledge, Ki doesn't work the same way like regular magic spells do.
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Posted Jul 28, 2019I thought the same! No worries though! In the second sentence under Aquiring, Morphing, and Thought-Speech, I wrote "The creature must have DNA for this ability to work." I always personally imagined that Celestials don't have DNA, but I think that's for DM interpretation. As for undead and plants, you're right! I should've said something about both of those in the post. (I would edit but D&DBeyond, for some reason, would leave both versions up.) So for anyone reading the comments, feel free to express these limitations in your games!
Oh hey, if you like this, check out my Andalite Race as well. I was worried about them being OP, but Weak Limbs really helped limit that. Since it's unlikely someone will play a fighter or barb with an Andalite, they wouldn't really get a lot of "Extra Attack" feats either. I thought ONE would be okay, so I chose ranger for this subclass.
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Posted Jul 27, 2019*Deep sigh of joy* Good... someone else already did this for me... however I would like to make a suggestion if you would allow me. It feels a bit OP that you can morph essentially ANY creature - I believe there is room for some limitations. Specifically, you should lack the ability to Morph: Celestials (due to their divine nature) Constructs (because they aren't living), Elementals (since they're not DNA), Fiend (Due to their infernal/abyssal nature), Oozes (No DNA, like Elementals), Plants (You can't morph plants in the books) and Undead (Because they aren't alive - thus un-aquireable.)