Morph (5A)

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An elf silently makes her way through a dark corridor barricaded by steel bars, and so as not to leave a mark, she dissolves into slime to slip through the obstacle and slides, as a puddle, under an adjoining door.

An eagle soars over the bridge guards, and as it passes the sun its shadow grows immensely, and a rampaging gorilla crashes to the earth to make short work of the obstacles.

A halfling, squeezed at the waist and lifted off his feet by a burly half-orc, giggles and assumes the shape of a dragon, readying a breath weapon attack so as to lick his captor’s face with flames.

Source: En5ider: 99.

Shapeshifting Specialists

Morphs are the embodiment of transformation. Whereas a druid looks at the power of beasts as just one weapon in their arsenal, the forms a morph takes are the core of their being. Each morph has an exceptional degree of versatility in adventuring, because they could as easily become a rat, wolf, or monkey to resolve the situation at hand. Furthermore, each morph has forms (and problem-solving strategies) they prefer. Why hide when you can become a rat? Why cast spider climb when you can become a spider? Why don a disguise when you can simply assume a new identity?

Morphs universally originate from an incredible experience which bestows them with the power to change form. For example, shapeshifting is a specialty of the fey, and many morphs obtain their shapeshifter essence from the “blessing” of a faerie or a confluence of sylvan magic. Other morphs began training as a druid but determined to pursue their own exploration of that power before full initiation. In rare cases, morphs may even originate from horrifying events, such as an arcane experiment gone wrong, the shattering of one’s identity, or the touch of an aberration.

Creating a Morph

Assign your best ability score to to Constitution or Charisma and the second best ability score to the other of these abilities. Intelligence and Wisdom are also important, while Strength and Dexterity only applies in your natural form and are therefore less important. Choose the Hermit background.

Class Features

As a morph, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per morph level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per morph level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor, medium armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons
• Tools: None
• Saving Throws: Dexterity, Constitution
• Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Athletics, Arcana, Animal Handling, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival.

Equipment

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

(a) a quarterstaff or (b) a rapier (if proficient)

(a) two javelins or (b) a hand crossbow and 20 bolts (if proficient)

(a) a burglar’s pack, (b) a dungeoneer’s pack, or (c) an explorer’s pack

(a) a game set of your choice, or (c) a set of thieves’ tools (if proficient)

Leather armor, a dagger, a sling, and a pouch with 20 sling bullets.

Multiclassing

You must have a constitution of 13 to multiclass into or out of this class.

Multiclassing into the class gives you proficiency with light armor and one skill from the Morph's list of starting skills.

Morph multiclassing gives no spellcasing progression.

Morph Table

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Shapeshift Uses	Maximum CR	Talents Known
1st	2	Shapeshift, Shapechanger Essence	2	1/4	—
2nd	2	Morph Talents	2	1/2	2
3rd	2	Refreshed Shifting, Shapeshift (swim speed)	2	1	2
4th	2	Ability Score Improvement	2	2	2
5th	3	Identity Coherence	2	2	3
6th	3	Enchanted Strike	2	3	3
7th	3	Shapeshift (burrow/fly speed)	2	3	4
8th	3	Ability Score Improvement	3	4	4
9th	4	Reactive Shifting	3	4	5
10th	4	Ability Score Improvement	3	5	5
11th	4	Restorative Shifting	3	5	5
12th	4	Ability Score Improvement	3	6	6
13th	5	Reiteration	3	6	6
14th	5	Ability Score Improvement	3	7	6
15th	5	Shapechanger’s Youth	4	7	7
16th	5	Ability Score Improvement	4	8	7
17th	6	Essence Feature	4	8	7
18th	6	—	4	9	8
19th	6	Ability Score Improvement	4	9	8
20th	6	Supernal Vitality	Unlimited	10	8

Class Abilities

Shapeshift

You can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before. You begin with two uses of this feature, which are restored when you take a short rest or a long rest. You gain additional uses of this feature at higher levels, as per the Shapeshift Uses column on the Morph table. At 20th level, you can use your Shapeshift an unlimited number of times.

You gain You gain the Shapeshifter creature tag. As a bonus action, you can assume the shape of a beast you have seen before. You can stay in this form for a number of hours equal to your morph level (rounded down). When you Shapeshift your new form’s superficial appearance closely reflects your true nature. For example, if you have a signature hairstyle, pointy ears, wear an eye patch, etc., your shapeshifted forms take on similar traits, making it possible to recognize you.

Starting at 1st level, you can use your Shapeshift to transform into a beast with challenge rating as high as 1/4. At second level you can turn into a creature with challenge rating 1/2 or less. At 3rd level and higher, you can change into a beast with a CR equal to half your morph level, rounded down. This is listed in the Maximum CR column of the Morph table.

At level one to three, the form you morph into cannot have a burrowing, flying or swimming speed. At level 3 you can morph into a form with swimming speed but not burrowing or swimming speed. At level 7 and higher you are not restricted by movement type.

You can stay in a beast shape for a number of hours equal to half your morph level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

If the creature's stat block includes equipment (this is relevant for creatures types your Morph Talents let to Shapeshift into), your change includes that equipment and you are considered proficient in any equipment shown, but if you Shapeshift again or when a piece of equipment ends a turn 10 feet or more feet away from you, it disappears.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throws, in addition to gaining those of the creature. Use the better value in each case.

Example Lorgus has a 10 Dexterity and +3 proficiency bonus for a total Dexterity save bonus of +5. He shapeshifts into a lion, that has a Dexterity bonus of +2 and no proficency bonus to Dexterity saving throws. Since +3 is greater than +2, Lorgus has a Dexterity save bonus of +3 while in the shape of a lion.

• When you transform, you assume the beast's hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form, For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious.

• You can't cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn't break your concentration on a spell you've already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as Call Lightning, that you've already cast.

• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.

• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Essence

At 1st level, you are imbued with the essence of a Shapeshifter Essence of your choice. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and then again at 17th level. It also affects which Morph Talents you can choose.

Morph Talents

No two morphs look or act the same. This is reflected in your repertoire of special talents. At 2nd level, you gain two morph talents of your choice. Your talent options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain morph levels, you gain additional talents of your choice, as shown in the Talents Known column of the Morph table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the talents you know and replace it with another talent you now qualify for.

Refreshed Shifting

Starting at 3rd level, you gain an extra use of your Shapeshift feature whenever you end your Shapeshift at that form’s hit point maximum.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Identity Coherence

Starting at 5th level, you carry over some additional portions of your persona into your shapeshifted form. While shapeshifted, you can speak any languages you know. Your shapeshifted form gains your race’s creature subtype, and you retain all of your racial traits in your new form, except for ability modifiers, Size and Speed.

If you shapeshift into a form that has less than half your current hit points in your natural form, your transformed form has hit points equal to this number.

Finally, when you Shapeshift, your altered form need not pick up visual cues from your true form unless you so wish.

Enchanted Strike

Starting at 6th level, your attacks in shapeshifted form or with your Natural Weapons feature count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Reactive Shifting

Starting at 9th level, you learn to alter your form defensively. When you are subject to an attack or an effect that requires a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw, you can Shapeshift as a reaction. Your shapeshift happens before the attack or saving throw, allowing you to use your shapeshifted form's defenses.

Restorative Shifting

At 11th level, when you end your current Shapeshift and return to your true form, you heal a number of hit points equal to your level.

Reiteration

Starting at 13th level, you learn to recoil into another form instead of reverting to your true shape. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re shapeshifted, the attack didn’t kill you, and you have a Shapeshift use available, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you Shapeshift instead of reverting to your normal form. Your new form takes any damage past that which reduced you to 0. Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a long rest, the DC resets to 10.

Shapeshifter’s Youth

At 15th level, your amorphous nature restores your body so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can’t be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. In addition, when you complete a long rest, you can alter your appearance to that of any age.

Supernal Vitality

Starting at 20th level, when you use Shapeshift, your new form gains temporary hit points equal to half your natural form's current hit points. These temporary hit points disappear when you change forms and are restored when you use Shapeshift again.

Morph Talents

If a morph talent has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the talent at the same time that you meet its prerequisites

Aberrant Form

Prerequisite: 5th level Morph.

You can Shapeshift into an aberration of appropriate challenge rating.

Ascended Beast

Prerequisite: 5th level Morph.

You can Shapeshift into a monstrosity of appropriate challenge rating.

All-Terrain Physiology

Prerequisite: 5th level Morph.

You can cast Alter Self at will, without expending a spell slot.

Ancestral Beast

Prerequisite: Primordial Beast essence

You can use your Natural Weapons feature while shapeshifted. There is no limit to how many Natural Weapons you can manifest at once, and you can use an action to manifest them all at once. This gives you additional attack options, not additional attacks.

Bestial Senses

Both in and out of shapeshifted form, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Celestial Form

Prerequisite: 18th level Morph.

You can Shapeshift into a Celestial of appropriate challenge rating.

Changeling Spurt

You can use a bonus action Shapeshift to enhance your movement. Select one form you can assume. Until the end of your turn, when you move, you benefit from this form’s size, movement speeds, and moment-related features. This does not consume a use of the Shapeshift feature.

Deceptive After-Image

Prerequisite: Trickster essence

As an action, you can cast Mirror Image on yourself, without any material components. You can use this talent a number of times equal to your Proficency Bonus, regaining all uses when you end a long rest.

Door Scratcher

While you have claws, such as when shapeshifted or using Natural Weapons, you gain proficiency with thieves’ tools, and you can treat your claws as though they were thieves’ tools.

Doppelganger’s Intuition

Prerequisite: Doppelganger essence, 5th level Morph.

You can cast Detect Thoughts at will, without expending a spell slot and with no spell components. If you use Deception against a creature who's thoughts you are reading, you have advantage.

Draconic Ascension

Prerequisite: 10th level Morph.

You can expend two uses of Shapeshift at the same time to transform into a dragon of an appropriate challenge rating.

Elemental Ascension

Prerequisite: 10th level Morph.

You can transform into an elemental of an appropriate challenge rating

Embody the Elements

When you Shapeshift into a beast, monstrosity, ooze, or plant creature, you can choose to enter that creature’s form with the composition of one of the elements. If you do, choose one of the following options. The creature’s type becomes elemental and you add the characteristics of the element you chose to your new form.

• Earth: Resistance to non-magical piercing and slashing damage. Vulnerability to acid and thunder damage.
• Fire: Resistance to fire damage. Vulnerability to cold damage.
• Ice: Resistance to cold damage. Vulnerability to fire damage.
• Lightning: Resistance to lightning damage. You take necrotic damage equal to this creature’s hit dice when you begins your turn in or enter a square filled by at least 6 inches of water.

Feeble Form

Prerequisite: 5th level Morph.

You can use your Shapeshift to turn into a creature of any creature type with a CR of 1 or less. If that creature is humanoid, you do not gain its equipment; instead your equipment re-sizes to fit your new form.

Fey Form

Prerequisite: 10th level Morph.

You can Shapeshift into a fey of appropriate challenge rating.

Fiend Form

Prerequisite: 18th level Morph.

You can Shapeshift into a fiend of appropriate challenge rating.

Form of Artifice

Prerequisite: 5th level Morph.

You can use your Shapeshift to turn into an animated object of an appropriate challenge rating.

As long as you remain still and take no actions, you cannot be distinguished from a normal object of your type. Any time you become unconscious or incapacitated, such as with an animated objects’ Antimagic Susceptibility, you instead end your Shapeshift.

Giant Form

Prerequisite: 10th level Morph.

You can Shapeshift into a giant of appropriate challenge rating.

Hybrid Brawler

Prerequisite: Primordial Beast essence

Your Natural Weapons ability improves as follows:

• Bite: 1d8 piercing damage, or sd8 damage if you and the target are grappling.
• Claws: 1d6 slashing damage. You can use the better of your Strength or Dexterity modifiers for this attack. If you have two free hands and use this attack with the Attack action, you can use your bonus action to attack with the other claw for full damage.
• Hooves: 1d8 bludgeoning damage, or 2d6 damage if the target is prone.
• Horns: 1d8 bludgeoning or piercing damage, or 2d6 damage when you moved at least 10 feet towards the target this round.
• Tail: You inflicts 1d4 + your Strength modifier on a successful shove.

Liquid Form

Prerequisite: 5th level Morph.

You can use your Shapeshift to turn into an ooze of an appropriate challenge rating.

Any time you would activate an ooze form’s Split reaction, you control each ooze formed. Your Shapeshift ends when the last ooze you control is reduced to 0 hit points. Any other ooze you control that reaches 0 or fewer hit points or becomes separated from any other 10 feet or more dissipates into inert fluid, your choice of which part if there are several ways this can happen.

Morphed Spellcasting

Prerequisite: level 5 Morph.

You can now cast spells in any shape you assume using Shapeshift. You can perform the somatic and verbal components of a spell while in an alternate shape and you can use a spell focus or material components even if they are merged with your form.

Morph’s Mask

Prerequisite: Doppelganger or Trickster essence.

You transform yourself – including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person. This does not create new equipment, it merely alters any equipment to match your new form, but this can include cosmetic changes in appearance, style, or quality. You can become Small or Medium in size. You can’t change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the change is up to you.

This lasts until you shapeshift, drop to 0 hit points, die, or use this ability again. To discern that you are disguised, a creature can use its action to inspect your appearance and must succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your Charisma (Deception).

Mutable Identity

Prerequisite: Doppelganger essence

When you complete a long rest, you can change your race and subrace, gaining the racial abilities of the assumed race and subrace instead of those of your natural race and subrace. You learn any languages the assumed race and subrace typically know as long as you maintain this ability. Your ability scores do not change. This lasts until you drop to 0 hit points, die, or use this ability again.

Mutual Transformation

Prerequisite: 10th level Morph.

You can use this talent to cast Polymorph on another creature, without expending material components. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. If you are 17th level Morph or higher, you can also cast True Polymorph once. You regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

Natural Armor

When you Shapeshift into creature, you can replace its AC value with 10 + your Proficency Bonus + its Dexterity modifier.

Plant Form

Prerequisite: 5th level Morph.

You can Shapeshift into a plant creature of appropriate challenge rating.

Size Appropriate

As a bonus action, you can use this talent to cast Enlarge/Reduce on yourself at will, without expending material components.

Thin as Air

Prerequisite: 5th level Morph.

As a bonus action, you can your Shapeshift ability to cast Gaseous Form on yourself, without expending material components.

Tool-User Ascension

Prerequisite: 5th level Morph.

You can use your Shapeshift to turn into a Humanoid or Goblinoid of appropriate challenge rating.

Secrete Venom

As an action while shapeshifted, you can secrete a poison to coat one of your natural weapons or your fur. The poison may be any injury or contact poison that costs 200 gp or less, such as drow poison or serpent venom. The poison’s DC is equal to 8 + your Intelligence modifier + your proficiency bonus. The poison loses potency after 1 hour; it dissipates into nothing if you Shapeshift or return to your true form.

At every morph level after the first, the value of the poison you secrete increases by 100 gp. For example, at 5th level you can secrete a poison worth 600 gp or less. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you complete a long rest.

Undead Form

Prerequisite: 18th level Morph.

You can Shapeshift into an Undead of appropriate challenge rating.

Shapeshifter Essence

When the mysterious events converge to create a morph, he or she is imbued with the essence of a significant shapeshifting entity. These entities vary from monsters to deities, and a morph under their influence extend their mythic tradition. To the untrained eye, there is little difference between the original being and a morph that carries its essence.

The Doppelganger

Doppelgangers are monsters notorious for stalking, impersonating, and baby-snatching. While many morphs are drawn to the power and utility of beasts, those who embody this essence use their forms to deceive, infiltrate, and assassinate. Their victims should be wary of household pests and friendly strangers.

Friends of Iron

Starting when you take this essence at 1st level, you gain proficiency with hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, and shortswords. You also gain proficiency with thieves’ tools.

Shifter’s Surprise

At 17th level, you can use Shapeshift as part of an attack against a surprised creature. When you attack and hit a surprised creature, that attack deals double damage.

The Primordial Beast

The Primordial Beast is the mythical ancestor of life and all its forms. Its presence is felt in the dominance of the wolf, the eminence of the elephant, and the sovereignty of the sequoia. Morphs who inherit this essence obtain even more flexibility of their form, and can contort into beast amalgamations never seen before.

Natural Weapons

Starting when you take this essence at 1st level, you don’t need steel to be dangerous. As a bonus action, you can reshape a portion of your body to mimic an animal’s natural weapons. When you do so, choose one of the below attacks to manifest. For 10 minutes or until you Shapeshift, you can emulate that attack with your Unarmed Strike.

• Bite: 1d6 piercing damage, or 1d8 damage if you and the target are grappling.
• Claws: 1d4 slashing damage. You can use the better of your Strength or Dexterity modifiers for this attack. If you have two free hands and use this attack with the Attack action, you can use your bonus action to attack with the other claw for full damage.
• Hooves: 1d6 bludgeoning damage, or 1d8 damage if the target is prone.
• Horns: 1d6 bludgeoning or piercing damage, or 1d8 damage when you moved at least 10 feet towards the target this round.
• Tail: You can use Strength (Athletics) to Shove a creature with a reach of 10 feet. You can can move the creature in any direction without having to take disadvantage on your Strength (Athletics) check.

You can use this feature as many times as you like; however, each attack you manifest after the second replaces your oldest one. When you have more than one attack manifested at once, you choose which one you perform with your Unarmed Strike.

Roar of Life

At 17th level, your voice resonates with the ancestral forces of creation. You can use this feature to cast either Power Word Kill or Power Word Heal, even if you are shapeshifted. Your spellcasting ability for these spells is Charisma. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

The Trickster

Tricksters from folktales break all the rules; they are not even bound by rules of species or gender, and often change their appearance to suit their whims. Their antics—clever or base—defy conventions and create new possibilities for everyone. Particularly jovial, clever, or foolish morphs tend extend the trickster legacy—even if unwittingly so.

Scoundrel’s Cantrips

Starting when you take this essence at 1st level, you learn two bard cantrips of your choice. Your spellcasting ability for spells gained from the Morph class is Charisma.

It Wasn’t Me

At 17th level, with so many antics up your sleeve, causing several more deceptions is like waving your fingers. You can use this feature to cast Major Image at will.

You can also use this feature to cast project image. Once you do, you can’t do so again until you complete a long rest.