Supernatural mutagen
why would i need this?
Well, short answer: You don't. D&D 5e has enough material as it is to make your player characters stronger. Usually in the form of class features and magic items. But some people don't want a he-man, who is enhanced by a magic sword. Some people want a captain america or bucky barnes, who is enhanced by a super serum. Here's my take on supernatural powers.
how would i integrate this into my campaign?
This can be a bit tricky, because if you want to use it your setting might not have the magical or technological advancements needed to make a supernatural mutagen or super serum. In a more technologically advanced setting you could go full bio punk and have scientists working on making them, but if you're very much low tech you could have mages magically enhancing potions with more permanent effects. You could always handle it the way The Witcher handles their mutagenic potions. If you wish to use this in your campaign but it doesn't fit the setting perfectly, feel free to reflavor any descriptions, or rework any mechanics to make this work for your setting.
What are supernatural mutagen?
Supernatural mutagen are consumables that give a permanent effect. But they are dangerous and can very quickly backfire. The reward for making a mutagen however is well worth the cost. It is unusual for adventurers to discover power beyond their class features or magic items, with the power of mutagen your horizons widen as you discover more and more abilities unlocked by messing with the very biology of an adventurer. Mutagen can come from scientific research, artificers often dabble in the art of mutation. Or from magical sources, a wizard that has studied long to harness the power of evolution. Or perhaps a druid, who has lend his shapeshifting abilities to another to bolster their allies. Even those who weren't blessed with either can lend their assistance in making the mutagen. As long as one has the knowledge on how to work with them.
Starting with a mutated character
Mutagen are hard to obtain, but can be a very interesting character trait. If one wishes to play a mutated player character there is a lineage option a lot like the custom lineage at the very bottom of this page. You determine the way your character looks, how they were mutated, and other details.
Supernatural mutagen
consuming a mutagen
Mutagen are dangerous substances and can often have horrible side effects to ill suited users. Whenever a creature consumes a mutagen they revert to 0 hitpoints and fall unconscious and must make death savingthrows, after stabi they suffer 2 levels of exhaustion. After the next long rest the creature will manifest the benefits of the consumed mutagen. Creatures can only benefit from 1 type of mutagen at a time, when consuming more than one mutagen of the same type the creature will benefit only from the strongest mutagen. For example: a creature can benefit from a speed mutagen and a strength mutagen, but not from two speedmutagen or two strength mutagen.
Crafting mutagen.
To craft a mutagen is no easy process. There are several steps to creating such an experimental substance and many things can go wrong. A lot of work is put in the making of a mutagen, and the process is divided in the following steps: Choosing the type of your mutagen and it's properties, gathering experimental matter and gathering ingredients. After all these steps your mutagen is ready for consumption.
costs of creating a mutagen
When creating a mutagen it will cost a lot of money and time. Most of the money will go to the materials needed to experiment, and the time will go to researching the experiment. To determine the cost of the experiment, check the gold listed for each beneficial properties you apply in a mutagen. Add the gold you expended to remove detrimental properties and that's the total gold cost to create a mutagen. To determine the amount of work weeks you need for a mutagen, divide the total cost by 50. If multiple characters are working on the project, divide the time needed to create the mutagen by the amount of characters working on them.
types of mutagen
There are three types of mutagen: movement mutagen, strength mutagen, and miscellaneous mutagen. To start you must choose what type of mutagen you want to create.
properties of the mutagen
When you've chosen the type of mutagen your want, you can pick the properties of such a mutagen. Properties can be beneficial or detrimental, depending on their costs.
When picking properties for your mutagen, pick at least 1 minor or major beneficial property. Each beneficial property lists how many detrimental properties it has. Properties will list how much ingredients cost in gold to add or remove them.
you can find the list of properties on the List of properties further down below.
Gathering experimental matter
To start creating a potion, you must first experiment with the subject. you need biological matter of the subject you're going to inject with the mutagen. If this subject is you, you have plenty of matter to perform tests on. If the subject is not you, you need at least 5 vials of blood, a part of the body the size of a hand, or have them readily available to take matter from. Creating mutagen without experimental matter will result in impotent mutagen.
mutagen without experimental matter
When creating a mutagen without experimental matter, or ingesting a mutagen not designed for your biology you can reverse engineer and create the mutagen for your own biology at half the cost in gold pieces it would cost to make it normally.
Gathering ingredients
Now that everything is done, it's time to gather the tools used to make mutagen. Normally you're going to expend an amount of gold equal to the total price of the mutagen worth of alchemist supplies, but your DM may determine that you need other materials as well for the process. your GM may determine that you have enough magical supplies or have defeated enough monsters with fitting properties to lower the costs of your process. After expending all the gold for the materials your characters will go to work on their mutagen.
speed mutagen
Quick feet
benefit: you improve your walking speed by 5 feet or more
cost: 70gp for each 5 feet added
detriments: 1 detriment for each 5 feet added
Levitation
benefit: You gain a flying speed of 5 feet and you can hover. Or you improve your current flying speed by 5 feet and gain the ability to hover.
cost: 100gp for each 5 feet gained
detriment 1 minor detriment for each 5 feet added.
Water adapted
benefit: You gain a swimming speed of 5 feet or more. Or improve your swimming speed by 10 feet or more
cost: 50gp for each 10 feet increased
detriment: 1 minor detriment for each 5 feet added
sprinter
benefit: You can use the dash action as a bonus action
cost: 200gp
detriment1 minor detriment
Hyperdextrous
benefit increase your dexterity score by 1 and it's maximum by 1.
cost 1000gp per increase of dexterity
detriment 3 major detriment per increase of dexterity
Wall crawler
benefit you gain 5 feet or more of climbing speed and can walk up vertical and horizontal surfaces while keeping your hands free.
cost 80gp for each 5 feet added
detriment 1 minor detriment for each 5 feet added
speedster
benefit you can travel at 7 miles per hour on a slow pace, 10 miles at a normal pace and 13 miles at a fast pace.
cost 20000gp
detriment 2 major detriments
strength mutagen
power punch
benefit Your unarmed strike die increases by one die to a max of d12, after that each upgrade adds another die starting from 1d4 which can be upgraded too.
cost 60gp for each upgrade
detriment 1 minor detriment for each upgrade
mighty leap
benefit your jump distance increases by 5 feet or more
cost 60gp for each 5 feet added
detriment 1 minor detriment for each 5 feet added
Superior strength
benefit your carrying capacity and the weight you can push drag or lift is doubled for each upgrade
cost 70gp for each upgrade
detriment 1 minor detriment for each upgrade
wild haymakers
benefit On your turn you can choose to make all melee attacks at disadvantage. If you hit, you assume max damage instead of rolling the damage die.
cost 600gp
detriment 1 major detriment
Jotumn grip
benefit You can hold two handed weapons in one hand and ignore the heavy property of weapons.
cost 500gp
detriment 1 major detriment
Siege monster
benefit You deal double damage to objects and buildings
cost 300gp
detriment 1 major detriment
Herculean might
benefit Whenever you make a strength check or savingthrow and fail, you can reroll the check once. You must use this result.
cost 700gp
detriment 1 major detriment
unrivaled strength
benefit you count as 1 or more sizes larger for purposes of creatures you can grapple or shove.
cost 130gp for each size upgrade
detriment 1 major detriment for each size upgrade
hypermusculair
benefit increase your strength score by 1 and it's maximum by 1
cost 850gp per increase of strength
detriment 3 major detriments per increase of strength
mighty throw
benefit You can hurl an object you're holding or a creature you're graplling into a direction of your choice. It follows a line of 30 feet and the creature thrown and creatures on this line must make a dexterity savingthrow or take 3d8 bludgeoning damage and fall prone.
cost 700gp
detriment 1 major detriment
miscellaneous mutagen
steel skin
benefit You gain +1 or more to your armor class
cost 400gp per upgrade
detriment 1 major detriment per upgrade
heat vision
benefit you can make a ranged attack with a normal range of 150 feet and a long range of 600 feet. You add your constitution modifier to the attack and damage roll instead of strength or dexterity. On a hit you deal 1d10+ your constitution modifier fire damage
cost 300gp and 250 gp to add an additional 1d10 to the damage roll.
detriment 1 major detriment and 1 major detriment for each upgrade
Ice breath
benefit As an action you can create a 15 feet long cone. Each creature in this cone must make a constitution savingthrow or take 2d8 cold damage. You can use this feature an amount of times equal to your proficiencybonus
cost 200gp and 180 goldpieces to add an additional 1d8 cold to the damage roll.
detriment 1 major detriment and 1 additional major detriment for each upgrade.
living weapon
benefit When making an attack with an unarmed strike or natural weapon you can decide if it deals bludgeoning, piecring or slashing damage.
cost 150gp
detriment 1 minor detriment
fireproof
benefit You become immune to fire damage
cost 1200gp
detriment 1 major detriment
Lizard regeneration
benefit At the start of each turn when you're below half your hitpoints you regain an amount of hitpoints equal to your proficiencybonus. You can also use an action to regrow a lost limb, you take 1 level of exhaustion when regrowing a limb
cost1400gp
detriment 1 major detriment
Solar powered
benefit When basking in the sun for atleast 1 hour you recover from 1 level of exhaustion or end one condition affecting you, this condition can be blinded, deafened, paralyzed or poisoned
cost 1000gp
detriment 1 major detriment
mutagen detriments
When characters make their mutagen, you as the DM can determine a fitting detriment or roll on the detriment table. You are also allowed to make your own detriment if you think it's required.
removing minor detriments 50gp for each detriment
removing major detriments 100gp for each detriment
| 1d20 | minor detriments |
|---|---|
| 1 | your eyes push out of the head, growing on stalks like that of a snail. You must submerge them in water for atleast 1 hour every day or become blinded |
| 2 | Your fingers grow twice as long, you have disadvantage on sleight of hand checks |
| 3 | your feet become clumps of flesh. You can only travel 5 hours on foot before going into forced march |
| 4 | your eyes become a greyish color, you treat bright light like dim light and dim light like darkness |
| 5 | You can only eat meat from now on |
| 6 | Your body swells, your weight is tripled |
| 7 | You are always hungry and require three times the amount of food per day. |
| 8 | Your skin excretes a slimy mucus, you gain vulnerability to fire damage unless you submerge your body in water for atleast 1 hour per day |
| 9 | Your body requires to be basked in the sun for at least 1 hour per day, or else you'll lose all benefits from the mutagen. |
| 10 | Your eyes become very sensitive to light and you get the sunlight sensitivity trait |
| 11 | You can no longer eat meat. |
| 12 | You are very thirsty and need twice the amount of water a normal person needs |
| 13 | Your ears crumble away or mold into themselves. You are deafened |
| 14 | Your tongue becomes twice as long, you can only speak falteringly |
| 15 | Your face becomes swollen, you have disadvantage on persuasion checls |
| 16 | Your mouth and lips are paralyzed, you take twice the amount of time to eat or drink. |
| 17 | You grow an extra unusable appendage under one of your arms. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and skillchecks made with that arm |
| 18 | you become incredibly easy to scare. You have disadvantage on saves made against becoming frightened |
| 19 | you are so gullible, you have disadvantage on saves against becoming charmed. |
| 20 | Your detriment becomes a major detriment, roll once on the major detriment table |
| 1d20 | major detriments |
|---|---|
| 1 | You grow an extra pair of hyper sensitive ears. You become vulnerable to thunder damage |
| 2 | Your bones become incredibly brittle. You become vulnerable to bludgeoning damage |
| 3 | Your flesh becomes unusualy soft, you become vulnerable to piercing and slashing damage |
| 4 | Your mind is warped easily, you gain vulnerability to psychic damage |
| 5 | your benefits must be activated as a bonus action and last for 1 minute, during this time you can't cast spells |
| 6 | You become hyperconductive and have vulnerability to lightning damage |
| 7 | One of your arms shrivels away |
| 8 | Your eyes shrivel away and you become blinded |
| 9 | Your vestibular organ crumbles causing you to lose balance. you have disadvantage on all dexterity checks and savingthrows |
| 10 | You have disadvantage on charisma savingthrow |
| 11 | You become horribly ill. You have disadvantage on constitution savingthrows |
| 12 | You develop a rare disease, you are poisoned for one week and friendly creatures within 5 feet of you must make a constitution savingthrow (DC 14) or become infected as well. |
| 13 | Your skin and flesh slowly fall off. Each day your maximum HP is reduced by 1d4 |
| 14 | your arms and legs swap places, becoming unable to move unless you crawl. |
| 15 | You can only cast spells below 3rd level. |
| 16 | Whenever you attack twice in one turn you have disadvantage on both attacks. |
| 17 | whenever you get a level of exhaustion, you gain one extra level of exhaustion |
| 18 | You are incredibly tired, each level of exhaustion takes 2 long rests to remove |
| 19 | your health is deteriorating fast, you only have 1 month to live |
| 20 | you have disadvantage on death savingtrhows. |
superhumanoid
Superhuman traits
ability score increase
You can increase one ability score by 2 and another by 1, or increase three different ability scores by 1.
Age
Your aging isn't as regular as a normal human. You can live for about about 80 years, but in rare cases can live for over a century.
Size
You can choose wether you are small or medium
speed
You have a walking speed of 30 feet.
variable trait
You can choose one of the following
- darkvision with a range of 60 feet
- proficiency in one skill of your choice
supernatural mutation
Your body has been altered with supernatural traits. Choose two supernatural mutations.
- agile build: You can move slightly faster, your movementspeed increases by 10.
- powerful build Your carrying capacity and the weight you can lift, drag or push is doubled.
- laser eyes When you take the attack action you can use your heat vision to make a ranged attack with a normal range of 60 feet and a long range of 180 feet. You use your constitution modifier for the attack roll. On a hit you deal 1d8 fire damage. this damage will ignite any flammable object that isn't being worn or carried
- flight While you are not wearing heavy or medium armor or wielding a shield you gain a flying speed equal to your movementspeed and can hover. This flight is magical and does not need require use of your wings (if you have them)
Strengthened mutation
Choose one of your supernatural mutations. At 5th level, it will gain the following benefit
super speed You've become more agile. You can take the dash action as a bonus action.
super strength You've become even stronger, Your jumping distance is 20 feet, with or without a running start.
laser eyes Your heat vision is strengthened, when you make a laser eye attack you can add your constitution modifier to the damage roll. The range of your attack increases with a normal range of 120 feet and a long range of 480 feet
flight You no longer lose your flying speed when wearing heavy armor, medium armor or while wielding a shield.