Symbiosis

A rugged farm girl resists the scrawling whispers at the edge of her mind as her form is encased in living chitinous armor. She repels the strange beasts that pour from the forest, knowing that she is the only one left to hold back the horde before her family and friends can flee. Her mental and physical fortitude are drained as weapons of all shapes and sizes spring forth from the armor entombing her, cutting down the horrors before her. The longer the battle goes on the more she hopes that she can find some way to free herself from the abberation now puppeting her body.

The young dwarf burrows through the rock and dirt, his way guided by the mysterious entity that granted him this power. Sensing the vibrations from shouts of alarm and fighting, he bursts forth into a mining tunnel. His skin easily turns the blow of a goblin spear to the side of his head, now hard as steel. It has been some time since he found the earth spirit dying, in need of help and they have since bonded closely, fighting and protecting his kin like no other dwarf could; patrolling their mines in a safety and stealth that left others envious. No more of his clan will die today, of that he would make sure.

The old elf cocked her head to the side, attempting to understand what was happening to her. The world shimmered and darkened, as if it were a mere ghost reflection of her own. She had barely started to get a handle on the strange boughts of fire or freezing when she became upset. This was too much for her cope with. When the world finally snapped back into place she went for her tea box. It was better to continue staying awake she thought. Anything was better than the incromprehensible voices she heard when she entered her daily trance, a practice she gave up two days ago.

Why Play a Symbiont

A symbiont is a great choice of character if you want play with the themes of having multiple entities in a single body. Each Nature that a Symbiont can develop is highly specialized in what it does while having its abilities provide a lot of roleplaying potential. The core mechanics of the Symbiont revolve around Manifesting a form and weapon, spending your hit dice to improve what you're doing and increasing your character's sphere of knowledge and skill from the bond between the two entities. There is a lot of mechanics going on at the mid to later levels so this should be considered a class for more experienced players or those who like a challenge.

Parasitic Symbionts are great damage dealers that can specialize in dealing extra damage to a single target or spreading damage around. They spend their hit dice to increase the damage they deal.

Mutualistic Symbionts gain increased health and durability. They develop extra modes of movement and spend their hit dice to reduce the damage they take.

Commensalistic Symbionts deal with gaining resistance to and adjusting to different elements. They can go Ethereal for a short period of time and spend their hit dice to unleash blasts of elemental power, each one causing a different effect.

Class Features

As a symbiont, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per symbiont level

Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution Modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution Modifier per symbiont level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: None

Weapons: Simple Weapons

Tools: Choose one Artisan Toolkit

Saving Throws: Intelligence and Strength

Skills: Choose two; Arcana, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Sleight of Hand

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• Any simple melee weapon
• Any simple ranged weapon and 20 ammo.
• (a) Explorer's Pack, (b) Scholar's Pack or (c) Diplomat's Pack
• One Artisan Toolkit you are proficient with.

Symbiosis

At 1st level a strange entity has bonded to you. The symbiont uses alien senses to feed you information. You gain Blindsight within 10 feet of you.

Manifested Form

Starting at level 1, your symbiont manifests a combat form (Lycanthropy, Armor or some shape in between). You can summon this form using a standard action. This form lasts for 8 hours. While in this form and not wearing armor or wielding a shield you are not proficient with, your AC equals 11 plus your Constitution modifier.

This form counts as a fourth level magical effect. Resting or sleeping in your Manifested Form has the same effects as resting or sleeping in armor.

Alien knowledge

Starting at level 2 your symbiont shares its knowledge and experiences with you. You become proficient in and double your proficiency bonus for two of the following skills; Arcana, History, Nature or Survival. At level 10 choose two skills you are not proficient with and gain proficiency in them. At level 15 choose one skill you are proficient in and double your proficiency bonus for it.

Manifested Weapon

At level 2 your symbiont manifests a weapon. This manifestation can either use your free object interaction or be manifested as a bonus action. When you manifest a new weapon your old weapon disintegrates. When you manifest a weapon;

• You are proficient with this weapon.
• This weapon deals 1d4 damage. This die changes as you gain symbiont levels, as shown in the Manifested Weapon column of the Symbiont table.
• Choose a damage type: Bludgeoning, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Piercing or Slashing.
• Choose two properties: Ammo (Range 80/320), Finesse, Heavy, Light, Reach or Thrown (Range 20/60). You may choose an additional property at 10th level.

This weapon counts as magical. This weapon generates enough ammo each turn to make all attacks you could attempt that round. Reloading does not take an additional hand unless you are loading non-generated ammo into the weapon.

Symbiotic Nature

At 3rd level the symbiotic nature of your symbiont has become apparent. Choose one of the following Symbiotic Natures; Parasitic Nature, Mutualistic Nature or Commensalistic Nature. These Natures are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 9th, 13th and 17th levels.

Alien Insight

Beginning at 4th level your symbiont provides you with its insight to the situation at hand. When you perform an attack roll, a skill check or a saving throw you can add 1d4 to the result.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Extra Attack

Starting at 5th level you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Of Two Minds

Beginning at 7th level your symbiont reinforces your mind against charming and frightful impulses. You gain advantage on all saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Symbiotic Unity

Starting at 11th level the bond with your symbiont grows stronger. You can summon your Manifested Form as a bonus action. While wearing your Manifested Form increase your Walking speed by 15 feet. You now regain half your hit dice after finishing a short rest.

Enhanced Bonding

Beginning at 18th level both yourself and your symbiont have grown greatly integrated with each other. If you fail a skill check you may reroll it, you cannot use this feature again until you finish a short rest.

Two Minds One Body

At 20th level thought and intention pass between yourself and your symbiont as if there was no separation. You cannot be afflicted with the surprised condition, additionally you have advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks. If a creature attempts to read your, or your symbiont's, mind you may choose to let them or deny access to your minds.

Commensalistic Nature

Your symbiont does not parasitize you but neither does it offer a mutual synergizing of your strengths. You are left exposed to its alien nature, attempting to use the strange changes happening to you to the best of your ability.

Elemental Adaptation

Starting at level 3 your symbiont adapts to the elements of the world.

• You may choose one element (Cold, Fire, Lightning or Thunder) at the end of a short or long rest.
• While in your Manifested Form you gain resistance to that element until the end of your next short or long rest.
• You may add 1d4 damage of the element(s) you are currently adapted to when you deal damage to a creature.
• At 10th and 15th levels you may adapt to one additional element.

Elemental Expulsion

Beginning at 6th level your symbiont begins to expel the energies of the element(s) it adapts to.

• You may spend a hit die to expel elemental energy. You can only expel the element type that the symbiont is currently adapted to, using the Elemental Adaptation feature. If you have multiple, choose one.
• Each creature affected must make a saving throw equal to 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Intelligence modifier, taking full damage and subject to the elemental effect, if any, on a failed save (half as much and no effect on a successful save).

Additionally;

• This expulsion deals 3d6 elemental damage to each affected creature. At 10th level the damage increases to 7d6 and at 15th to 10d6.
• Unless otherwise stated the expulsion cannot be more than 60 feet away from you.
• Consult the table below for the elemental effect, shape of the expulsion and type of saving throw.

Elemental Effects

Element	Shape	Save	Effect
Cold	30 ft Cone	Constitution	Restrained until end of next turn.
Fire	15 ft radius, 30 ft height cylinder	Dexterity	Ongoing 1d6 Fire damage, save ends.
Lightning	5 by 40 ft line	Constitution	Stunned until beginning of next turn.
Thunder	15 ft cube	Strength	Pushed 15 feet.

Ethereal Shift

Starting at 9th level the symbiont begins to shift in and out of this plane of existence, taking you with it. As an action you may become ethereal as if you had cast the spell Etherealness at 7th level on yourself, this effect lasts for the next minute or you can dismiss it as a bonus action. You cannot use this feature again until after a long rest.

Reactive Adaptation

Beginning at 13th level your symbiont can rapidly adapt to changing battle conditions. When you take damage that your symbiont can adapt to you may use your reaction to replace one of your chosen elements with the element of the type of damage taken. If more than one type of applicable damage is taken at once you can replace as many elements as your symbiont can adapt to and that you have taken damage from in that instance.

Advanced Adaptation

Starting at 17th level the symbiont has adapted to rarer elements. You may now choose Force, Necrotic, Psychic and Radiant elements as part of the Elemental Adaptation Feature. Additionally your Elemental Expulsion feature has new expulsions for these elements, in the table on the following page.

Elemental Effects

Element	Shape	Save	Effect
Force	20 ft sphere	Intelligence	All attacks against affected creatures have advantage until the end of your next turn.
Necrotic	─	Wisdom	Choose up to your Intelligence modifier of creatures within 20 ft you can see. You gain Temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier for each creature affected.
Psychic	─	Charisma	Choose up to your Intelligence modifier of creatures that you can see. Each creature affected becomes Frightened until the end of your next turn, they can attempt a save at the end of their turn to end.
Radiant	─	Dexterity	Choose one creature you can see. That creature takes an additional 4d6 Radiant damage.

Mutualistic Nature

Your symbiont synergizes it's abilities with your own, allowing the two of you to reach greater heights than either could individually.

Reinforced Constitution

Starting at 3rd level your symbiont enhances your constitution. Your hit point maximum increases by 6, and it increases by 2 every time you gain a level. Additionally your AC while in your Manifested Form is now 13 plus your Constitution Modifier.

Alien Shielding

Beginning at 6th level your symbiont draws on your strength to shield you from damage. When you are damaged you can use your reaction to spend up to half your Symbiont level in hit dice to reduce the damage taken. Additionally you gain proficiency with Shields and your Manifested Weapon can now manifest Shields simultaneously with other Manifested Weapons without causing those weapons to disintegrate.

Enhanced Manifested Form

Starting at 9th level and then at 12th and 15th levels your symbiont develops enhanced locomotion adaptations, choose an adaptation from below. Your Manifested form gains the benefits of what you choose.

Locomotive Adaptations

Type	Ability
Burrowing	You gain a Burrow speed equal to your Walking speed.
Climbing	You gain a Climb speed equal to double your Walking speed.
Flying	You gain a Fly speed equal to your Walking speed.
Swimming	You gain a Swim speed equal to your Walking speed.

Borrowed Essence

Beginning at 13th level your symbiont boosts your health in combat. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points you gain Temporary hit points equal to your Symbiont level. Additionally your close relationship with your symbiont causes your Manifested Form to lasts indefinitely, until you dismiss it (as a bonus action), or it is dispelled.

Strange Regeneration

Starting at 17th level your symbiont mends your wounds. You regenerate 2 hit points a turn while wearing your Manifested Form.

Parasitic Nature

Your symbiont sees you as little more than a resource to exploit, a meal to consume. It changes you to its whims, for its goals, likely to discard you after it has no more use for you.

Adrenal Overload

Starting at 3rd level your symbiont modifies your adrenal glands, or grows adrenal glands in you if you have none.

• You may manifest two weapons before one disintegrates, both can be manifested simultaneously.
• You may use the Dash action as a bonus action while in your Manifested Form.
• If you use your bonus action to make a Two-Weapon Fighting attack you may make a second attack with that weapon.

Draining Power

Beginning at 6th level the symbiont saps your vitality for power. When you deal damage to a creature you may spend a hit die to add that hit die to the damage dealt.

Caustic Armaments

Starting at 9th level the symbiont creates reserviors of caustic materials in your Manifested Weapons. Choose between Toxic or Corrosive armaments.

Caustic Types

Element	Effect
Toxic	Add 2d4 Poison damage to attacks made with your Manifested Weapons.
Corrosive	When you hit with an attack made with your Manifested Weapons choose up to your Strength Modifier of creatures adjacent to your target, minimum of 1. Your target and those creatures take 1d6 Acid damage.

Alien Growth

Beginning at 13th level the symbiont mutates your Manifested Weapons. When you make an attack with your Manifested Weapons you may add 5 feet to its range, if an attack is made this way it is made with disadvantage.

Retaliation

Starting at 17th Level the aggressive and self-interested tendencies of the symbiont puppet your body. When you are the target of an attack you may use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against the attacker.

Credits

• All art was done by TheDurrrrian. I own none of it. http://thedurrrrian.tumblr.com/
• The inspiration for this class was from Jacob Carlson's The Bonded. I read it and thought the core idea was great but a little restrictive so I took some of the core ideas from the class and made something new.
• This PDF was made using NaturalCrit's Homebrewery. http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/
• Created using /u/AeronDrake's guide. https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HJWLQsTwUZ#p3
• Feedback given by u/Karmagator
• Thanks to my friends who let me rant at them about stuff I find and encourage me to make new things.
• Class done by Ian Bewley.