The Deep One v0.4
A tiefling appears from thin air in the fog, stabbing through the heart of a nearby orc. She murmurs a short incantation over the slain enemy, and power seems to flow into her. The orc's allies swing their mauls and axes at her, but to no avail - the mist itself seems to be protecting her from their blows, and before they can attack again, she has faded into the mist once more.
A human slices into his arm with a sacrificial knife, the blood seeming to evaporate into the air as it flows out. Before the surrounding goblins can react, his arms extend into long black tentacles, wrapping around the heads of the nearest two and crushing their skulls.
The thing that was once a dwarf walks towards its enemy, something dark and strange in its eyes. Its body ripples and transforms, shifting into a formless abomination, and it emits a horrible, otherworldly scream as four limbs with blades of bone lash out at its foe.
These are deep ones, servants of an eldritch god who have gained its favor and been blessed with transformation into an alien form. As strange and unpredictable as the Great Old Ones they revere, deep ones vary greatly in terms of how they use their eldritch abilities and what they are - one might crush and rend enemies with claws or fangs, another might draw magic from the beings they serve and use it to inspire fear and madness, and yet another might absorb the minds or bodies of their foes for their own strange purpose. Whatever their reasons may have originally been, the process of becoming a deep one twists the mind as well as the body, and many find a deep drive to please their eldritch patron as well as a strange confusion about the thoughts and emotions that drive other mortal beings. If you become a deep one, consider how the transformation affects you mentally as well as physically. You can roll on the following table for a change, or use it as inspiration for your own alterations.
Mental Changes
| d6 | Change |
|---|---|
| 1 | I often refer to other humanoids as "mortals" or "playthings." For some reason, that makes them uncomfortable. |
| 2 | I don't understand why people are so afraid of aboleths or beholders. They look quite friendly, actually. |
| 3 | Other people don't understand mathematics. 2+2 is obviously fmlagh on Tuesdays, except at dawn when it's actually tlirnch, unless... |
| 4 | I can't bring myself to care about morality anymore. What does it matter, compared to my patron's plans? |
| 5 | As far as I'm concerned, warlocks of my patron can do no wrong. |
| 6 | The deep one tends to describe itself in a manner some of its companions find offputting. |
Prerequisites
To become a deep one, you must fulfil the following prerequisites:
- Strength 13. Even the fragile and sickly can transform, as long as the transformation has decent physical might to improve upon.
- Charisma 13. Transforming into a deep one warps the mind, and requires a sufficient force of personality not to lose yourself in the transformation.
- At least level 10. Even if you have the necessary physical strength and presence of self, weaker candidates will not survive the transformation.
- Must complete a special task. To become a deep one, you must capture the attention of a Great Old One or other eldritch being of similar power who will transform you. This is much easier said than done, as even warlocks that follow a Great Old One typically do so without its direct knowledge, but it is not impossible.
Deep One
| Level | Features | Link Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Eldritch Form, Ethereal Link, Dreadful Might | 2 |
| 2nd | Glimpses and Whispers, Obfuscation | 3 |
| 3rd | Implement, Mania and Dementia | 5 |
| 4th | Eldritch Aspect, Improved Obfuscation | 6 |
| 5th | Truly Alien | 7 |
Class Features
As a deep one, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d8 per deep one level
- Hit Points: 1d8 + your Constitution modifier per deep one level
Proficiencies
- Armor: None
- Weapons: None
- Tools: None
- Languages: Deep Speech
Eldritch Form
After completing your transformation into a deep one, your new nature brings a plethora of physical and mental changes. You gain the following traits:
- Your creature type is abberation, and you can be affected by any effects that target abberations or humanoids.
- You can breathe air and water. You gain a swim speed of 30 feet unless you already had an equal or greater swim speed. You suffer no drawbacks from a deep underwater environment.
- You have darkvision to a range of 60 feet. You can see in dim light within that range as if it were bright light, and darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of grey. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 60 feet.
- You are immune to psychic damage, and your mind can't be read by any means.
- Your mentality undergoes a shift, becoming a bit more like that of the entity responsible for your transformation. Your newly alien psychology makes it difficult to predict other people, but also makes it more difficult for them to predict you. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks, and all other creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks about you.
Ethereal Link
As a deep one, you have an innate link to the eldritch being that granted you your new form. Depending on the strength of your link, you may call on the powers of your benefactor to invoke certain effects. You have a potential number of link points shown in the Link Points column of the deep one table, which you may expend to cause certain effects. You regain link points by performing certain actions in the name of your otherworldly benefactor, as shown below. You can spend link points with other actions in a similar way. You can never have more link points than the number shown in the deep one class table. Some actions may require you to make an attack roll or other creatures to make saving throws against you; you use your Charisma modifier for your deep one attack bonus and save DC.
Deep One Save DC
Deep One attack modifier
Flagellation
You cut yourself open as an action, sacrificing your lifeforce to your patron. You expend a deep one hit die and lose hit points equal to the amount rolled, and you gain one link pont. If you have no deep one hit dice remaining, you can't use this feature.
Glossolalia
As an action, you shout a phrase in an incomprehensible language. All creatures within 30 feet of you that can hear you must make an Intelligence saving throw against your deep one save DC. On a failure, they are forced to use their reaction to shout the same phrase. You gain a number of link points equal to the number of affected creatures. This feature can't affect creatures incapable of speech. If a creature has been affected by this feature once, whether they succeeded or failed, they can't be affected by it again for 24 hours.
Sacrifice
As an action, you touch a creature that has died since your last turn and utter a short incantation, offering up the death to your patron. You gain one link point. This can only be done once per creature.
Link Casting
As an action, you can expend a certain number of link points to cast spells. You can expend 2 link points to cast arms of hadar, 3 link points to cast crown of madness, or 5 link points to cast hunger of hadar. Spells cast with your link points use your deep one attack bonus and/or save DC. Regardless of how many link points you have, you can only cast each of these spells once before completing a short or long rest.
Dreadful Might
Your transformation into a deep one has altered your body and granted you otherworldly powers no regular mortal could ever possess. Choose one of the following options.
Boneless Limbs. You move with an unnatural fluidity, and your limbs can move in impossible ways. You can move through 1 foot spaces without squeezing, your movement speed increases by 5 feet, and your limbs can extend into tentacles which you can use as natural melee weapons that deal 1d8 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage on a hit. As part of the Attack action, you can expend a link point. Until the start of your next turn, your limbs have a reach of 20 feet and you can make one tentacle attack as a reaction to an enemy's melee attack against you.
Delving Pincers. Your hands are chitinous claws, and it is almost impossible to break your grip. You have advantage on any checks or saving throws made to maintain your grip on an object. You also have claws which you can use as natural melee weapons, dealing 1d8 + your Strength modifier slashing damage on a hit. As part of the Attack action, you can expend a link point to strengthen your claws into vicelike pincers. Until the start of your next turn, you can attempt to grapple an enemy as a bonus action, enemies have disadvantage on ability checks made to escape or avoid your grapple, and you can use an action or bonus action to squeeze down on a grappled creature with a crushing grip, dealing 1d8 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage.
Prying Orbs. Nothing can escape your sight. The range of your darkvision extends by 60 feet, you can see through magical darkness, and you can see in both dim light and darkness as if it were bright light. In addition, you can shoot a bolt of psychic energy from your eyes to damage a nearby creature. Your eyebolts count as natural ranged weapons, using your Charisma modifier for their attack roll and dealing 1d8 + your Charisma modifier psychic damage on a hit. As an action, you can expend a link point to sharpen your vision enough to detect the invisible, surprising any hidden foes. Until the end of your next turn, you have advantage on any roll made when you take the Search action and you become aware of the presence of any hidden or invisible creatures within 30 feet of you. They have disadvantage on attack rolls against you, and you have advantage on attack rolls against them.
Gnashing Blades. Your teeth are as sharp as razors, clearly made for tearing through flesh. You can bite a creature as a natural melee weapon attack, dealing 1d8 + your Strength modifier piercing damage on a hit, and you have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks against creatures that can see your face. As part of the Attack action, you can expend a link point to devour an enemy to heal yourself. The first time you hit a creature with your bite attack before your next turn, it has disadvantage on all Strength- and Dexterity-based rolls until the end of its next turn, and you restore 1d8 hit points.
Glimpses and Whispers
At 2nd level, you can call upon your eldritch powers to create illusory sounds or sights. You learn the message and minor illusion cantrips if you did not already know them, and can cast them at will. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these cantrips. When you cast either cantrip, you can expend a link point and choose to reveal a fragment of something incomprehensible. Your message transmits indecipherable whispers along with your voice, or your illusion appears to be something alien to this world. The recipient of your message or each creature that sees or hears your illusion must make an Intelligence save against your deep one save DC. Creatures that fail take 1d8 psychic damage and have disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws until the start of your next turn as their minds try and fail to process what they have perceived. However, some creatures are simple-minded enough to remain unaffected. Creatures with an Intelligence score less than 6 can't be affected by this ability.
Obfuscation
Also at 2nd level, your transformation allows you to blend into mist and shadows without effort. When in dim light, darkness, or when you are lightly or heavily obscured by mist, fog, smoke, or other such disruption, you can take the Hide action regardless of whether or not others can see you.
Starting at 4th level, you can draw power from mist and shadows to avoid attacks and slip into thin air. When in favorable conditions for your Obfuscation feature, you have half cover, can disengage as a bonus action, and can spend 3 link points as an action to vanish into the fog or darkness. You become invisible for 1 minute or until you leave the obscured area or target a creature with an attack, spell, or deep one ability.
Implement
At 3rd level, the eldritch might contained within your body can be externalized. Choose a weapon, tool, arcane focus, or musical instrument to claim as your implement, imbuing it with special abilities. The item gains the following properties:
- The item becomes magical. If it is a weapon, you gain +1 to attack and damage rolls with it; if it is a spellcasting focus, you gain +1 to spell attacks and save DCs using the item; and if it is a tool or instrument, you gain +1 to all ability checks involving the item. If the item already grants a bonus of +1 or greater, you gain no additional bonus by making it an implement.
- You become the only one who can use the item. If anyone else attempts to use your implement, they do not gain the +1 bonus or any other benefits, they have disadvantage on any ability checks or attack rolls with the item, and they take 2d8 psychic damage for each minute they stay in physical contact with the item.
- When making a damage roll or ability check using your implement, you can choose to spend a link point to gain a bonus to the roll. Roll 1d8 and add the result to your roll. You can also do this for attack rolls with weapons or foci, at the cost of 2 link points.
Mania and Dementia
Also at 3rd level, the full force of your eldritch might can drive others mad. As an action on your turn, you can spend 1 link point to let out an unearthly sound that makes enemies tremble with fear and madness. All creatures of your choice within 60 feet that can hear you must make an Intelligence saving throw against your deep one save DC or be afflicted with a random short-term madness. Roll for the duration and type of madness for each affected creature independently. If a creature succeeds on its save against this feature, it can't be affected by it for 24 hours.
Eldritch Aspect
At 4th level, your connection to the eldritch strengthens further. Choose a feat from the Eldritch Aspect feats list below. If your DM allows you to take a feat when you would normally receive an ability score improvement from a class, you can take an Eldritch Aspect feat in the place of any future ability score improvements you may receive from other classes.
Truly Alien
At 5th level, you have fully developed as a Deep One and your eldritch patron has granted you the ability to call on its own form to empower yourself. As an action, you can transform into an incomprehensible, monstrous form. While transformed, you gain the following benefits:
- Your Strength and Charisma scores increase by 4 each, to a maximum of 24.
- You gain 5d8 + 5 times your Charisma modifier temporary hit points.
- Your size increases to Large.
- You gain a flying speed of 30 feet. You fall to the ground if you end your turn in the air.
- When you transform, each creature of your choice within 120 feet that can see you must make an Intelligence saving throw against your deep one save DC or be frightened of you for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, they are immune to this feature for 24 hours.
- You can take the Flagellation, Glossolalia, and Sacrifice actions as bonus actions or as reactions to taking damage or killing a creature. If you take the Flagellation action as a reaction to taking damage, you do not expend a hit die or lose any additional hit points, but you still gain a link point.
- You grow a number of long limbs of various shapes and designs. As an action, you can make up to four arm attacks against creatures within 10 feet of you. Each attack is rolled separately and deals 1d12 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (your choice). You can make multiple attacks against a single target with this feature.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute, or until you fall to 0 hit points. You can't transform again until you complete a long rest.
Eldritch Aspect Feats
The following are a list of feats you may choose for your Eldritch Aspect feature, or possibly whenever you could otherwise gain an ability score improvement from improving your level in a class. You must be a deep one of at least 4th level to take any of these feats, and some require you to make specific choices for your Dreadful Might feature.
Beholder's Wrath
Prerequisites: Prying Orbs feature
Your physiology has adapted to mimic that of the abberations known as beholders. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores by 1, to a maximum of 20
- When attacking with your eyebolt, you can choose to deal necrotic, radiant, or force damage instead of psychic damage.
- You can make a special attack with your eyebolt. Instead of rolling for an attack, your target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your deep one save DC. On a failure, the target is charmed, frightened, slowed, or stunned at random (roll a d4) for 1 minute. A slowed creature has its speed halved and can't take reactions. The creature can make this save again at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. Once you use this special action, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.
Choker's Grasp
Prerequisites: Boneless Limbs feature
Your physiology has adapted to mimic that of the abberations known as chokers. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20
- You gain a climb speed of 30 feet.
- When you hit an enemy with your tentacle attack, you can choose to target their throat if they have one. The target is grappled and can't breathe or speak until the grapple ends. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.
Dweller in the Depths
Your body has adapted to a deep underwater environment, and you can empower your strikes with speed. You gain the following benefits:
- Your swim speed increases to 60 feet.
- When swimming, you can take the Dash and Disengage actions as bonus actions.
- If you move at least 30 feet in a straight line towards an enemy before attacking, the attack may score a critical hit on a natural 17 or higher. Once you score a critical hit in this way, you must finish a short or long rest before using this feature again.
Flayer's Appetite
Your physiology has adapted to mimic that of the abberations known as mind flayers. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence or Charisma scores by 1, to a maximum of 20
- Over the course of a minute, you can consume the brain of a dead creature. You must consume the entire brain to gain any benefits. If you do so, you gain 1d10 temporary hit points and you become able to access the creature's memories. You gain rough knowledge about the creature's life, and for the next hour, you can make Intelligence (History) checks to remember more specific details. Your DM sets the DC for these checks depending on how specific the details you wish to recall are. If you fail a check to remember a particular thing, you can't make any additional checks to remember it from the same creature's memories.
Lurker in the Darkness
You can coalesce eldritch energies around you to hide yourself, and use those same energies to see through any obfuscation. You gain the following benefits:
- You can see through magical darkness if you couldn't already, and you suffer no disadvantage on Perception checks when in dim light or looking at something lightly obscured. In a heavily obscured area, you do not have disadvantage on your attacks and your Perception checks do not automatically fail, although you have disadvantage on them.
- You can cast the spells darkness and fog cloud at will, without expending a spell slot. Once you cast one of these spells, you can't cast it again by this method until you complete a short or long rest.
Mangler's Rending
Prerequisites: Delving Pincers feature
Your physiology has adapted to mimic that of the abberations known as star spawn manglers. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength or Dexterity scores by 1, to a maximum of 20
- When attacking a target with your claws, you have advantage on the attack if your target has not taken a turn yet.
- When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make up to four claw attacks as part of that action, regardless of how many attacks you could normally make with that action. If any of those attacks have advantage, they automatically score a critical hit if they hit. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.
Monstrous Might
Your body becomes stronger and tougher. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength or Constitution scores by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- The damage die of your natural weapon from your Dreadful Might feature becomes 1d12.
- When not wearing medium or heavy armor, you can reduce any damage you take by your deep one level as a reaction.
Mouther's Maw
Prerequisites: Gnashing Blades feature
Your physiology has adapted to mimic that of the abberations known as gibbering mouthers. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20
- The damage dice of your bite attack increases to 2d8, and you can spend 2 link points to restore 2d8 hit points instead of 1d8 with your bite attack.
- As an action or bonus action, you can spit a glob of volatile spittle at a point you can see within 10 feet of you. Each creature within 5 feet of that point must make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC of 8 + your deep one level or be blinded until the end of its turn. Once you use this special action, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.
Skinshifter
Your eldritch powers have granted you limted control over your own form, allowing you to absorb the bodies of your foes and take their shape. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20
- You can spend at least 1 minute in physical contact with the corpse of a humanoid who has died in the last 24 hours, allowing your otherworldly power to flow through it. The body disintegrates, and you memorize its form.
- You can cast the disguise self spell at will without expending a spell slot. However, you can only disguise yourself as humanoid whose form you have memorized with your powers, retaining any wounds or damage they may have had at the time of their death.
Probing Mind
Your powers have granted you some telepathic ability. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence score by 1, to a maximum of 20
- You can communicate telepathically with any creature within 60 feet whose existence you are aware of. You do not need to speak the same language as the creature to communicate with it, but it must be able to understand a language. As a bonus action, you can expend a link point to use your Glimpses and Whispers feature with this telepathic communication, transmitting eldritch whispers into the creature's mind.
- You can cast detect thoughts at will, without expending a spell slot.