Class: The Living Weapon

Master of One

The power of a Living Weapon comes from their innate understanding of the weapons in their arsenals and the ability to push these weapons and abilities to their higher limits. This innate mastery and constant improvement makes Living Weapons stronger than many fighters at using their tools. Although, this limits a Living Weapon to the weapons within them, often stopping them from learning other weapons to any similar proficiency. Regardless of their singularly focused nature, Living Weapons are readily sought after by those in need of strong warriors due to their innate strength, skill, and mastery over their power.

Magical Source

A Living Weapon’s innate weapons and magical ability comes from some form of strong magic imbued within them. This power may come from the experimentation of an Artificer or a strong transmutation Wizard, or possibly from the blessing of some Deity or an Unknown Patron’s attempt to make an earthly challenger to represent them. Regardless of its source, Living Weapons may feel some sort of kinship with their source, maybe sympathizing with their goals in some way. Others may despise their source, hating the magic that lies within them, or hating the goals or methods of their source in some way.

Self Defined Purpose

Living Weapons struggle with the concept of purpose. The reason why they sharpen their blades and hone their skills differs as much as any other aspect of a Living Weapon. Some live to fulfill the goals of the source of their innate weapons and magic, fighting to see such goals carried through. Others live to spite their creators, working to fight against the best-laid plans of their source. Some may live and fight for the people around them. A party of adventurers they take a liking to or an army in which they are enlisted. Regardless of why a Living Weapon fights, a Living Weapon knows they must fight to accomplish their goal. As a Living Weapon was created with fighting in mind and often will die with fighting in mind.

Creating a Living Weapon

When creating a Living Weapon think about your character’s relationship with the source of their magic. How does it shape how they think and what they do. Also think about how they fight and why they fight. Do they prefer one form over the others, do they prefer strategy over rushing in blindly? Do they fight for their allies or for personal reasons? Talk to your DM about the role of Living Weapons in the world and common purposes or reasons why they are created, or if Living Weapons are common at all.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per living weapon level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per living weapon level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: None (in base form)
Weapons: Simple weapons (in base form)
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, and Stealth

Equipment

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

• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• a simple weapon of your choice

Mutable Flesh

Depending on the weapon form you are currently manifesting your armor class may change. Refer to the table below when determining your armor class in a given form.

Cantrips & Spells Known

Each Core Form comes with its own suite of cantrips and spells. You can only cast those cantrips and spells while in your Core Form. You cannot learn or cast spells that are higher level than your highest spell slot level, as seen on the living weapon table.

Spell Slots

The Living Weapon table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your Living Weapon spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your living weapon spells as they pull from your innate arcane energy. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a living weapon spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Primal Claws

The primal claws take on the strength of a wild animal. A Living Weapon with primal claws may have been imbued with the power of a great druid or blessed by an archfey.

Rogue's Daggers

The rogue's daggers take on the stealth and efficiency of a skilled assassin or thief. A Living Weapon with rogue's daggers may have been made to assassinate enemies of a king's court or an otherworldly patron.

Refined Duelist

The refined duelist takes on the grace and agility of a master duelist. A Living Weapon of the refined duelist may be the worldly champion of a deity or the forged and chosen blade of an aristocracy.

Weapon Form

At 1st level, one of your arms form into a longsword, while the other forms into a large shield. The blade deals 1d8 slashing damage and you gain the benefit of a shield.

Shield Mastery

At 3rd level, when a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. Additionally, as a bonus action you may hit a creature with your shield. Make a melee attack roll, if it hits the creature takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage and is pushed back 5 feet.

Shield Training

At 7th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you may use your reaction to add +3 AC to your current AC for the purposes of determining if the attack hits.

Bulwark

At 10th level, your Shield Bash deals 1d6 damage instead of 1d4 and your shield grants you +3 to AC instead of +2 to AC. You also take half damage on a failed save, from effects that would require you to make dexterity or strength saving throws, and no damage on a successful save.

Practiced Regiment

At 15th level, when you Parry, you may also attempt to Shield Bash the target as part of the reaction.

Weapon Form

At 1st level, both of your arms form together into a large bulky hammerhead. The hammerhead deals 2d6 bludgeoning damage, and has the two-handed property.

Crushing Blows

At 3rd level, when you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. Additionally, you may, as a bonus action, head crack an enemy. Make a melee attack, if it hits the target has disadvantage on its next attack roll.

Tremor Strikes

At 7th level, when a creature enters or leaves a space adjacent to you, you may use your reaction to hit the ground beneath its feet. The creature makes a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature falls prone, on a successful save the creature’s total movement speed is halved until the start of its next turn.

Steeling Brace

At 10th level, you have advantage against resisting effects that would physically move you against your will. Additionally, when an effect would have you make a dexterity saving throw, you instead may make a strength saving throw.

Living Wall

At 15th level, when you use Tremor Strikes instead of halving a creature’s movement on a failed save, you instead halt its movement entirely.

Weapon Form

At 1st level, both of your hands fuse shut around a pair of brass knuckles. These knuckles deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage, and have the light property.

Bob and Weave

At 3rd level, when you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. Additionally, if you engage in two-weapon fighting in this form and you hit with both attacks, you benefit from the disengage action until the end of your turn.

Sucker Punch

At 7th level, when a creature misses you with a melee attack, you may use your reaction to make two attacks against them.

Brass Uppercut

At 10th level, when you take the attack option on your turn, you may use your bonus action to uppercut the target. The target makes a Constitution saving throw against your spell DC and on a failure, the target is knocked prone.

Scarper

At 15th level, when you sucker punch a creature, you may move up to half your movement, without taking attacks of opportunity.

Hunter's Bow

The hunter's bow is a visage of patience and cunning. A Living Weapon with the hunter's bow may be blessed by the magic of a powerful druid or an elven deity.

Weapon Form

At 1st level, both of your arms form together into an unwieldy ballista. This ballista deals 1d12 piercing damage and has a range of 100/400. It also has the two-handed and loading property.

Steady Shot

At 3rd level, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons. As a bonus action, you may bunker down. While bunkered down, you have advantage on all attack rolls but your movement is limited to 5 feet. You may stop bunkering down as a bonus action.

Defensive Stance

At 7th level, while you are bunkered down, when a creature moves within 100ft of you, you may use your reaction to make one attack against it. When taking this reaction, you have disadvantage on rolls against any creature within 10 feet of you.

Dig in Heels

At 10th level, you are unable to be physically moved against your will while bunkered down. Additionally, when an effect would have you make a dexterity saving throw, you instead may make a strength saving throw.

Swift Turret

At 15th level, you gain another reaction which may only be used to use your Defensive Stance ability.

Weapon Form

At 1st level, your hands form to create chakrams. You may make melee and ranged attacks with these chackrams. They deal 1d6 slashing damage and have a thrown range of 25/100. They also have the finesse property.

Deft Thrower

At 3rd level, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons. Additionally, as bonus action, when you take the attack action, you may make a second attack against another enemy within 5ft of the first enemy attacked.

Swift Disruption

At 7th level, when an attacker you can see makes an attack against an ally within 25 ft, as a reaction you impose disadvantage on the attack.

Agile Strikes

At 10th level, when you make a second attack, as a bonus action, you may attack a third enemy as well. The enemies may be 10 ft of each other instead of 5 ft.

Agile Disruption

At 15th level, when you use Swift Disruption, you grant advantage to the next attack made against the attacker.

Weapon Form

At 1st level, your hands form into two kunai. You may make melee attacks, as well as ranged attacks in this form. They deal 1d4 piercing damage and have a thrown range of 25/100. Additionally, these weapons have the light and finesse properties.

Afflicting Blades

At 3rd level, when you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. Additionally, as a bonus action, you may poison your blade. The next target struck by the poison blade must make a Consitution saving throw or suffer from the poison condition until the start of your next turn.

Deft Retaliation

At 7th level, when an attacker you can see makes an attack against you or an ally in range, you may make a melee or ranged attack as a reaction.

Weapon Form

At 1st level, one of your arms becomes a cannon that shoots fire from the end. The cannon deals 1d8 fire damage and has a range of 80/300.

Adaptive Cannon

At 3rd level, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons. Additionally, as a bonus action you may swap the damage type of your weapon. You may change your weapon’s damage type to fire, acid, thunder, cold, or lightning damage.

Elemental Absorption

At 7th level, when you take fire, acid, thunder, cold, or lightning damage, you may use your reaction to absorb some of the energy of the attack. You half the damage of the incoming attack and deal a bonus 1d8 damage of the absorbed type the next time you deal damage.

Elemental Body

At 10th level, when you are touched or melee attacked from within 5 ft. the attacker takes 2 damage of your current damage type.

Elemental Mastery

At 15th level, when you use your reaction to Absorb Element, you instead take no damage from the attack and you deal 2d8 bonus damage of the absorbed type the next time you deal damage.

Health Core

You radiate dim light from your chest. Your arcane focus manifests as a holy symbol of a deity of light or life, it may also take the form of a symbol of life and healing like a caduceus staff or doctor’s bag. A Living Weapon with a Health Core may have been crafted as a worldly servant by a deity of life or by a strong spellcaster as a protector of a village.

Stealth Core Spell List

At 1st level, you gain a pool of spells you may choose from when gaining spells in this class. These spells count as Living Weapon spells for you.

Exceptional Stealth

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Dexterity (Stealth), your proficiency bonus is doubled for Dexterity (Stealth) checks. Additionally, you make take the hide action as a bonus action on your turn.

Smokescreen

At 7th level, as a reaction, you may attempt to dodge an incoming attack. You gain +1 to AC for the purposes of determining if this attack hits and regardless of if the attack hits or not, you disappear in a puff of smoke and reappear 10 feet away.

Stealth Casting

At 10th level, when casting a spell with verbal components, you may ignore the verbal component when casting the spell. Your spell casting is not affected by silence or similar spell affects.

Smoke Bomb

At 15th level, when you use Puff of Smoke, you gain +2 to AC and you may teleport up to 15 feet instead.

Agility Core Spells

At 1st level, you gain a pool of spells you may choose from when gaining spells in this class. These spells count as Living Weapon spells for you.

Superior Speed

At 3rd level, whenever you cast a spell that requires a Dexterity saving throw, targets suffer a -2 penalty. Additionally, you make take the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn.

Agile Dodge

At 7th level, when you would make a dexterity saving throw, you may choose to use your reaction to gain advantage.

Infallible Agility

At 10th level, you gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws, your proficiency score is doubled for all Dexterity skill checks, attack rolls, and saving throws.

Perfect Dodge

At 15th level, when you would make a Dexterity saving throw, you may choose to succeed as a reaction.

Fey Core Spells

At 1st level, you gain a pool of spells you may choose from when gaining spells in this class. These spells count as Living Weapon spells for you.

Elemental Core Spells

At 1st level, you gain a pool of spells you may choose from when gaining spells in this class. These spells count as Living Weapon spells for you.

Elemental Attunement

At 3rd level, whenever you deal cold, fire, thunder, lightning, or acid damage, add +2 to one damage die of the attack. Additionally, as a bonus action, you may change the element of a spell, if a spell mentions cold, fire, thunder, lightning, or acid damage you may change that element to another one from that list.

Elemental Absorption

At 7th level, when you take fire, acid, thunder, cold, or lightning damage, you may use your reaction to absorb some of the energy of the attack. You half the damage of the incoming attack and deal a bonus 1d8 damage of the absorbed type the next time you deal damage.

Wrath of Elements

At 10th level, when you deal cold, fire, thunder, lightning, or acid damage with a spell that has multiple damage dice, you may change half of the damage dice to damage from another element from that list.

Elemental Mastery

At 15th level, when you use your reaction to Absorb Element, you instead take no damage from the attack and you deal 2d8 bonus damage of the absorbed type the next time you deal damage.

Changelog