The Symbiote

There are certain souls who form symbiotic relationships with vastly powerful beings, requiring a host to act or survive through. Maybe you formed a pact with a powerful entity on the verge of death, giving it extended life for power. You could have taken in a powerful spirit, not becoming possessed but not banishing the entity, forming your symbiotic relationship through mutual survival. Perhaps a colony of a microbial hive-mind containing ancient knowledge, even an alien visitor or piece of sentient tech containing vast intelligence with the requirement of a permanent host to act, bonded with you. This entity, regardless of its nature, has a purpose. Work with the DM to determine your patron’s origin and purpose, are you aware of its intelligence and inner workings or are you unable to read its thoughts, are you in alignment with the patron or must you occasionally fight off its influences.

Symbiote Purpose

 

d6	Purpose
1	Warden- Your symbiote is a jailer looking for prison escapee(s) (Lawful)
2	Traveler- Your symbiote is an explorer, arriving to learn of any indiginous inhabitants and customs (Any)
3	Harbinger- Your symbiote is the herald of an even greater invasion (Evil)
4	Survivor- Your Symbiote believes it is the last of its kind (Neutral)
5	Raider- Your symbiote is a member of a race of marauders, arriving to plunder and steal (Chaotic)
6	Teacher- Your symbiote is an ambassador of a benevolent race, here to teach your species all they have learned. (Good)

 

Expanded Spell List

The Symbiote lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

Symbiote Expanded Spells

Symbiosis

Staring at 1st level, you and your patron have formed a symbiotic bond, and the entity is bound to you in some fashion. Once the bond is established there is no known way be undone, or removed, save potentially death. Your symbiote also acts as your spellcasting focus while bonded to you, it may live inside you, or as an object that is grafted to your body. It could even replace a lost limb.

The bond with your symbiote can be a strained relationship, but one thing remains true, you need each other. Your patron actively seeks to keep you alive, if you would drop to 0 hit points you may make a Charisma saving throw (DC 5 + damage taken) to instead drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this ability you must complete a long rest before using it again. Additionally you have a bonus to death saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier.

Due to the entity’s strange nature it requires a specific chemical/substance to sustain the bond and itself, manifesting as quirks in your behavior and cravings. At your option you can pick from, or roll on the following table, or create one yourself, determining the entity’s dependency.

Symbiote Dependency

 

1d6	Symbiote Dependency
1	Vitamin C. You crave citrus.
2	Sucrose/Phenethylamine. You have a craving for sugar/chocolate.
3	Adrenaline. The rush of adrenaline stimulates your symbiote and it craves it.
4	Protein. You have a craving for meat
5	Caffeine. Tea, seeds, coffee, or other forms of caffeine stimulate your symbiote
6	Sodium. Your symbiote has a craving for salts

Host Transformation

 

Starting at 6th level your bond with your patron has grown to an extent that allows you to merge with their power as a bonus action on your turn. You might gain a magical aura, your features may mutate or change to resemble your patron’s form, or the patron’s power might merge with your body and equipment, giving you a clearly magical appearance. Your Host Transformation lasts for 1 minute. Regardless of the nature of your transformation you have the following benefits while transformed:

• You have a +2 bonus to your Armor Class.
• Choose one of the following damage types; Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing. You have resistance to the damage type of your choice while the transformation lasts.
• Weapon attacks you make while transformed count as magical for overcoming resistance and immunity.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use the feature again until you finish a short or long rest.

Enhanced Symbiosis

Once you reach 10th level your patron has become more at home within you, and the aid they offer in keeping you alive has grown more potent. You are now resistant to poison and psychic damage, and you have advantage on Constitution saving throws.

Perfect Union

Beginning at 14th level you have achieved a perfect bond with the Symbiote living within you. As a result your merged form as well as your natural body are further enhanced. You regain a number of hit points equal 1 + your Constitution modifier at the start of your turn, as long as you have at least 1 hit point remaining, and no more than half your maximum hit points remaining. Your Host Transformation now lasts for 1 hour, and when you deal damage to a creature or object, the damage is increased by your proficiency modifier, while the transformation lasts.