Metamorph

Maybe you're a freak of nature, a mutant lycanthrope, a magical experiment, the child of a succubus or doppleganger, a reincarnated fey, or a mimic in disguise. Maybe you eat magical creatures to gain their power. Maybe you started life as one thing, and slowly metamorphosed into different creatures over time. Maybe every morning you burst violently out of your chrysallis looking like something else. Maybe you're learning a rare and well guarded magical art. Whatever the case, you're not bound to one body. But whatever you may look like at any given time, this is you.

Metamorphs don't necessarily share anything in common with each other besides shape shifting abilities. Think about your character's origin and how they got their powers.

Shapechanger (1st level)

You aren't confined to a single body like most people. Starting at 1st level, you learn 2 level 1 shapes of your choice from the Metamoprh shapes list. You learn additional shapes at higher levels, as shown in the Shapes Known column. Whenever you learn a new shape, it must be of a level equal to or less than your Metamorph level. You cannot change which shapes you have previously learned.

You have the shapechanger subtype. As an action, you can shapeshift from the form you are currently in to another form you know, or back into your true form. Your gear is worn by the new form if possible or falls to the ground, your choice.

Your game statistics are replaced by the form's, but you retain your alignment, personality, features that can be used in the form's anatomy, and mental ability scores. You may keep your Constitution if it is higher. Don't recalculate hit points. Additionally, you use your hit points, rather than the form's. You retain your proficiencies and gain those of the creature, except for its saving throw proficiencies. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus instead of yours. Use your proficiency bonus rather than its bonus. If the creature has any legendary actions, lair actions, limited use per rest or day traits, spellcasting, or innate spellcasting, you can't use them. You do not gain the creature's languages unless listed in the form block, though you can use its telepathy. You do not gain immunity to the charmed, exhaustion, or frightened conditions, even if the stat block lists it.

You can't cast spells while not in your true form, unless the form has the Race tag. Your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your new form. Transforming is a mentally stimulating process that breaks your concentration on any spells.

If your form's stat block includes weapons, consider the attack to be based off of a natural weapon instead. Similarly, consider armor to be natural armor. You can use your proficiency bonus in place of its own, and if it uses saving throws, you can calculate the DC as 8+your proficiency bonus+your true form's Constitution modifier.

If inside an area of no magic, you revert to your true form if your current form has the Revert tag. Otherwise, you are stuck in your current form until you leave are in an area with magic again. You cannot change shape in an area of no magic.

If you use the Recharge ability of a form, you only get to roll the recharge die of that ability while in that form, though it also recharges at the end of a long rest.

If the form is immune to a condition already affecting you, the effect is suppressed and its duration paused while in that form.

Additionally, if targeted by any magical effect that would change your form, you retain your Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, alignment, and personality.

Some forms have special tags, explained here:

• No X: You use the statistics of the form except for those traits listed here.
• Race: You keep your statistics, except racial traits inappropriate to the new body, and gain the listed traits instead of referencing a stat block. You can cast spells in this form.
• Revert: You immediately return to your true form if in an area of antimagic while in this form.
• Speechless: This form is incapable of speech.

Assimilation (2nd level)

Starting at 2nd level, you begin to be able to adopt useful aspects of your favored forms while in your true form. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can prepare a number of Transferable Traits from forms you know equal to your the number shown in the Assimilations column for your Metamorph level. Skills a form has are each transferable traits.

As an action, you activate or deactivate 1 or more assimilated traits, which take effect on your true form. You count as being in your true form while assimilating, but any effect that would force you into your true form ends your deactivates your assimilations.

Any assimilations you have active are brought about by visible changes in your body, essentially equivalent to minor aspects of shapeshifting. For example, assimilated bulette armor will appear as large chitinous plates upon your body, while an ankheg's burrowing speed requires you to manifest massive claws or mandibles.

Hybrid Forms (9th level)

Starting at 9th level, you can have the best of both worlds. When you transform into a form you know other than your true form, you can enter a hybrid form. You retain any physical statistics of your true form that you wish to, such as special senses and speeds, and can use the better of your physical scores and those of the form. You use the form's size if it is larger. Otherwise, you choose between the form's size and your own. Additionally, you can use equipment, provided your hybrid form is of an appropriate size and general structure to use it. Armor won't fit if your hybrid form has very nonhumanoid proportions or extra limbs.

Heightened Assimilation (10th level, 15th level)

Starting at 10th level, you begin to master the art of incorporating traits from your forms into each other. You can activate 1 assimilated trait as a time in a form that doesn't have that trait.

At 15th level, this increases to 2 traits.

Magical Strikes (11th level)

Your forms' attacks and any attacks from natural weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage.

Rejuvenation (13th level)

The strength of all your forms flows through you. When an effect would be suppressed due to your entering a form with immunity to it, the effect ends instead.

Additionally, you can patch over weaknesses and wounds with surface level bodily modifications. By concentrating (as if on a spell) and using your action to focus on your body over the course of 1 minute, you can give yourself a number of temporary hit points equal to your Metamorph level.

Weird Anatomy (14th level, 20th level)

You are unchained from the bounds of normal biology. You become immune to poison and disease, and age at half the normal rate. Additionally, you can alter your body fluidly in unnerving ways while in your true form. You gain a 40 foot movement speed of each of the following types in your true form: walking, climbing, crawling, and swimming. Additionally, by gliding, you become immune to falling damage so long as you are conscious and not restrained.

Metamorph Forms