The brand new Skinshifter Sorcerer out of Heliana’s Information to Monster Looking: Half 2 is all about making it magical morphin’ time.
Of all the brand new subclasses in Heliana’s Information to Monster Looking: Half 2, the Skinshifter Sorcerer might be essentially the most visceral. You may see it within the iconic artwork for the subclass, however it’s additionally baked into the mechanics. This subclass is all about magic gone awry.
And when it goes awry, it’s your physique that retains the rating, because it have been. Solely the rating is gaining quite a few totally different results. This contains rising a pure weapon, rubber pores and skin, or, say, your proper foot turning into a left foot. It is a subclass for gamers who like a number of randomness to affect their play.
It’s additionally a subclass for individuals who need their little man to be particularly liable to weirdness. As a result of as you degree up as a Skinshifter Sorcerer you’ll solely develop into extra mutated. It’s not fairly “and now you develop into a monster” however it’s about as near that concept as a subclass will get.
And it’s wild to see. As a result of the sort of subclass isn’t current within the Monster Hunter video games. At the very least not those that I’ve performed. Although, that stated, the Skinshifter Sorcerer does match proper in to the world of Biomancy. And behemoth beasts that take entire adventuring events to hunt. So let’s test it out.
The Skinshifter Sorcerer
All of it kicks off with the bread and butter function of the Skinshifter, the eponymous Skinshift. This mechanic displays the truth that generally magic makes you morph. Right here’s the way it works: each time you solid a Sorcerer spell of 1st degree or larger, roll a d20. If you happen to get lower than or equal to 1/third of your Sorcerer Stage (minimal 1), you then roll to see the way you Skinshift.
While you Skinshift, your physique is magically altered till the tip of your subsequent flip. Though, should you roll one thing you need to preserve for some time, you can spend a single Sorcery level to increase the length of no matter impact you roll for 10 minutes. I can not emphasize sufficient that generally you would possibly need to and different instances you undoubtedly received’t.
A number of Results
There’s a chart with 30 totally different results (you’ll solely roll 1d20, however ultimately you’ll add a bonus to it). The primary 8 or so are impediments. Roll low and also you would possibly achieve Paper Pores and skin or Brittle Bones. Or you might achieve an Elemental Sensitivity, making you susceptible to sure harm varieties (harmful for somebody with low HP like a Sorcerer).
However however, roll excessive sufficient, and also you would possibly achieve a tentacle arm that extends your attain by 5 toes and may grapple creatures. Or achieve a fly pace and even resistance to sure sorts of harm. All of it is determined by how fortunate you’re feeling.
But it surely’s not only a physique horror random magic chart. You additionally achieve a listing of bonus Skinshifter Spells. It’s a strong checklist of bonus spells, however weirdly sufficient, Alter Self isn’t on it. As a substitute you achieve issues like Inflict Wounds and Vampiric Contact (as a result of I feel that is subtly a melee Sorcerer class) in addition to a few of the new spells launched in Heliana’s Information, like Chameleon Pores and skin or Frogskin, which helps you to make melee assaults that deal poison harm.
Larger Stage Skinshifts
At sixth degree you unlock much more potential together with your Skinshift Diversifications thanks to 2 options. The primary is Modify Shift, which helps you to add as much as half of your Sorcerer degree to no matter you roll – which means you possibly can decide from a variety of outcomes. Rolling a 19 on a d20 at sixth degree provides you any outcome between 19 and 22 – and the 20+ Skinshift outcomes are actually good. You would possibly achieve bonus harm or the results of a Haste spell (with no draw back or Focus wanted).
That is comboed with Selective Shift, a capability that permits you to spend a Sorcery Factors as a bonus motion to realize no matter Skinshift Diversifications you resolve from the desk. You will get the buffs at a charge of 1 per Sorcery Level spent, and so they final for 10 minutes. The one requirement is that you would be able to theoretically roll them; so a sixth Stage Skinshifter Sorcerer might solely get outcomes as much as 23 on the desk, for example.
I actually like this function, as a result of that is the place you really develop into the Chaos Spawn/Cronenberg monster of your goals. Spend just a few Sorcery Factors and get a remarkably efficient battle transformation. Positive, there are limits to what number of highly effective variations you possibly can have, however should you combo your transformation with a spell that enhances your melee assaults, you might be an absolute terror on the battlefield, resistant to wreck, dealing higher assaults, even hasted. It’s good things.
At 14th degree, Reactive Mutations provides you the power to realize harm resistance as a Response. Spend a Sorcery Level and achieve resistance to an incoming harm sort for 10 minutes as your physique mutates in such a means that it takes much less harm.
Lastly, the entire thing caps off with Shapeshift, the 18th-level function. This allows you to embrace your internal mutations as your physique turns into an expression of chaos. In a nutshell, it’s a ten minute battle transformation that you just set off as a Bonus Motion. You’re instantly free of any grapple/restrained results. Plus, you get six variations of your selection from the Skinshift desk, with no restrictions on what you possibly can take. And also you robotically achieve resistance to incoming harm (as much as three varieties directly).
It could be for 5E, however if you’d like a melee-focused Sorcerer, that is actually the way in which to do it!
