Forgery A (possibly OP) Prestige Class for D&D 5e, inspired by Brandon Sanderson's The Emperor's Soul

Forger "All things exist in three Realms, Gaotona. Physical, Cognitive, Spiritual. The Physical is what we feel, what is before us. the Cognitive is how an object is viewed and how it views itself. The Spiritual Realm contains an object's soul—its essence—as well as the ways it is connected to the things and people around it.” —Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor's Soul Historical Manipulation Forgers practice the art of taking an object's history and tweaking it subtley to create something different. Sometimes, these changes are drastic, but much more often, they are almost unnoticeable. A worn table can be made beautiful by causing it to be taken care of and properly varnished instead of cast in a forgotten corner of a workshop, or a structural weakness in a cell door could be increased temporarily by causing the insane prisoner next door that constantly smashes against his bars to have been placed in this cell for a time. Whatever the case, this paradoxical ability to manipulate an object's personal history is the Forger's most impressive one in his or her arsenal, but requires extensive knowledge of the time being edited. These changes are created through the use of Soulstamps carved by the Forger that, when applied, use the object's Cognitive perception and memory of itself to alter its Spiritual essence and connection, and therefore its physical being. Sly Artisans Soulstamps are far from the only tool Forgers have at their disposal, and is in fact used as a last resort. Due to the difficulty of creating a proper Stamp, Forgers will sooner use their knowledge of charlatan arts to solve problems. Among other things, Forgers are skilled in mimicry, deception, and mudane forgery of objects. This skill set leads to them being generally untrusted by the general populace; some societies ban Forgery entirely. That isn't to say that Forgers are inherently evil, but they do typically view the law with distaste. Prerequisites In order to learn the art of Forgery, you must meet these prerequisites (in addition to the multiclassing prerequisites for your current class): Dexterity 13. Forgers need a steady hand to properly carve a Soulstamp

Forgers need a steady hand to properly carve a Soulstamp Intelligence 13. Successfully carving Soulstamps requires high intellect.

Successfully carving Soulstamps requires high intellect. Proficency in Deception. Forgers need to know what lies are plausible in order to begin even the most basic Forgery. This skill becomes even more important when carving complicated Soulstamps where vast changes happen because of small edits.

Forgers need to know what lies are plausible in order to begin even the most basic Forgery. This skill becomes even more important when carving complicated Soulstamps where vast changes happen because of small edits. Proficiency in History. No Forger can get far without knowing the importance of the past.

No Forger can get far without knowing the importance of the past. Complete a special task. You must find an NPC Forger that agrees to teach you the ways of Forgery. The NPC will have you do something for them to prove your potential to Forge, such as swapping a painting with a copy of your own design or masquerading as an important figure for a time. Forgers are clever, so no task they give you will be random; they always have something to gain from whatever they have you do. You cannot gain more levels in this prestige class than your tutor has. You will most likely need to seek out multiple tutors and perform additional tasks to reach 5th level in this class. Forger Level Features 1st Jack of All Trades, Minor Soulstamp 2nd Expertise, Cunning Mind 3rd Skillful Soulstamp 4th Expert Carver 5th Imposter, Perfected Soulstamp Class Features As a Forger, you gain the following class features Hit Points Hit Dice. 1d6 per Forger level.

1d6 per Forger level. Hit Points. 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per Forger level. Proficiencies Tools: Calligrapher's supplies, painter's supplies, mason's tools, woodcarver's tools.

Calligrapher's supplies, painter's supplies, mason's tools, woodcarver's tools. Saving Throws: Intelligence.

Intelligence. Skills: None. Equipment Your first tutor will grant you an ink pad and your choice of either woodcarver's or mason's tools upon taking a level in this class. Jack of All Trades In order to create even the most mundane Soulstamp, you must know the process behind what you wish it to create. As such, your tutor has instructed you to learn a little bit of everything. You can add half your proficency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that does not already include your proficency bonus.

Minor Soulstamp You have learned the basics of Forgery, allowing you to edit the recent history of objects to produce minor effects such as deepening flaws or repairing them through the use of a Soulstamp. You may not make changes to an event that occured more than a year prior to your beginning creation of the Soulstamp. Making any Soulstamp requires that you first declare the intent of the Soulstamp to the DM. After that, you make an Intelligence (History) check against a DC that the DM determines based on the plausibility of your intent and how likely it is that you know the information (DMs, please see the included table below for help determining the DC of the check). This check determines the maximum duration of the stamp based on your degree of failure or lack thereof, as detailed in the table below. The DM never tells you the DC or if you failed, but you may abandon the idea before creating the Soulstamp after seeing your roll. After doing this, you must make a Dexterity check against a DC 20 with either mason's or woodcarver's tools to carve the stamp using 2gp of materials. The duration of the stamp is reduced based on your degree of failure on this check. If you fail either check in the creation of a Soulstamp, the maximum duration you can possibly get is 24 hours. The time it takes to craft the Soulstamp is based on the amount of time you are editing. You must spend an hour working on the stamp for each month of its history that you are changing. Each stamp you make is both change-specific and object-specific. You must make a new stamp for each object and for each intended use. Breaking a stamped object causes the stamp to immediately fail, but the object to remain broken. The stamp will no longer function on that object unless you repair it. Applying a stamp requires a small amount of fine ink, roughly 1 copper piece worth. Stamped objects have a noticeable mark where the stamp was applied that can be dislodged. Doing so causes the mark to dissipate and the effect to immediately stop. History Check Degree of Failure Duration 0 (success) Permanent 1 24 hours 2-3 1 hour 4-6 1 minute 7-9 1 second 10+ Stamp Fails Crafting Check Degree of Failure Time Reducion 0 (success) Full Effect 1-3 1/2 effect 4-6 1/4 effect 7-9 1/8 effect 10+ Stamp Fails Designating a History DC The check DC should be a composite of how complicated the change is and how likely the PC is to know the information: Complicatedness of Stamp intent Initial DC 0 (Repair a nick on a table) 5 1 7 2 9 3 11 4 13 5 (change gold into lead) 15 6 17 7 20 8 25 9 30 10 (repair terribly damaged wall and add a beautiful tapestry on it) 35 11 (change lead into gold) 40 Unlikelyhood of PC's necessary historical knowledge DC change (cannot reduce below 1) 0 (Obviously knows/previously discovered the information) -20 1 -10 2 -5 3 (unknown but likely to guess) -3 4 -1 5 +/-0 6 +2 7 +5 8 +7 9 +10 10 (Extremely unlikely to know) +20 11 (No way to possibly know) +40 Please note that natural 20s and natural 1s should not count on this check, no matter your home rules, if only for consistency's sake. Also, this goes without saying, but please, please reward player ingenuity and espionage! If they have to know even a key plot point to create a stamp and happen to guess at it, reduce the DC. Don't be stingy, especially when the intended change is very complicated (unless of course the Forger is trying to do something stupidly impossible, like lead to gold; don't let them do that).

Expertise Beginning at level 2, your practice in numerous disciplines has deepened your understanding of the skills you already knew. Choose two skills that you are proficient in. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make for the chosen skills. Cunning Mind Also at level 2, whenever you make an Wisdom or Charisma ability check, you can use your Intelligence score instead. In addition, you can also use your Intelligence score in place of your Wisdom or Charisma score when you make a saving throw that you are proficient in. Skillful Soulstamp Beginning at level 3, you have learned enough Soulstamp formulas to create a myriad of different effects on inanimate objects, even to the point of transforming their very substance (such as converting granite to obsidian). Your accumulated knowledge has also enabled you to work deep into objects' pasts. You have no limit to how recent events must have happened to allow you to edit them. Expert Carver Beginning at level 4, your experience carving intricately detailed Soulstamps has led to a fine control of the tools required. You add double your proficiency bonus to any check you make with mason's or woodcarver's tools. Additionally, you automatically succeed the carving check when making Soulstamps. Imposter When you reach level 5 in this prestige class, your studies as a Forger have taught you how to unerringly mimic another person's speech, writing, and behavior. You must spend at least three hours studying those three components of the person's behavior, listening to speech, examining handwriting, and observing mannerisms. Your ruse is indiscernible to the casual observer. If a wary creature suspects something is amiss, you have advantage on any Charisma/Intelligence (Deception) check you make to avoid detection. Perfected Soulstamp Also at 5th level, you have mastered the art of SoulForgery and learned the secret to manipulating living souls. You have advantage on Intelligence (History) checks to design Soulstamps intended for inanimate objects, and you can create Soulstamps for living beings. Living souls are incredibly complex, so Soulstamps that change them drastically are notoriously difficult to create, often taking years to design and perfect, but purely physical effects such as restoring a lost limb or causing an existing one to disappear can be done within a week to a month, depending on the length of the history needing to be changed for it to intersect with the current timeline with minimal side effects. That said, creating complicated Soulstamps for living beings can be incredibly rewarding, allowing you to change a creature's entire class, background, and even alignment. Such detailed Soulstamps that edit the very lives of creatures are very different than those on inanimate objects. They are limited by the following restrictions and benefit from the following differences: They only affect willing creatures, and completing one requires testing it on the creature or one very close to it.

The maximum time that one can last is 24 hours.

They have two parts: the "true stamp" and the "linchpin". The true stamp is fairly large, must be worn on the person, and can be stored in a backpack or made into a piece of jewelery, such as a large amulet, but it does not have to be inked onto the skin. If the true stamp is ever more than 10 feet from the affected creature, the stamp fails. The linchpin, however, is inked onto the skin, essentially telling the soul where to find the true stamp and what parts of it to apply where.

Making one requires more work than a normal Soulstamp; you must make an Intelligence (History) check for every hour of work you complete for it to count toward the total required to complete the stamp, but you can continue to construct the stamp even if you fail.

These stamps are more expensive than their simpler cousins, requiring 4gp of materials for every hour worked on the stamp.

Making one can overwrite level progression, background, and alignment, but a creature cannot gain levels or have their original (level 0) ability scores changed with an applied Soulstamp. When designing a Soulstamp, the class progression must follow all existing rules, as if they had grown up with the new class(es).

When making the first one for a creature besides yourself, you make the required Intelligence (History) checks at disadvantage, as you don't know them very well. However, after completing it, you make all Deception, Persuasion, Intimidation, and Insight checks against them with advantage, because you know them much better after the process is complete.

When making one for yourself, you make all required Intelligence (History) checks at advantage because you know yourself very well.

While not required, it is highly reccommended and even traditional among Forgers to create a mold of the true stamp to be cast in metal to make it more durable.

Memory can be selectively preserved or overwritten in a given Soulstamp. The new personality created with it can know about the true personality and its life without knowing how it does the things it does and vice versa. The created personality can be designed to know it's a Forgery and when to deactivate it or not, but the creature it's applied to must always be willing to give up any required memories when it is applied. If it is not willing, the stamp fails.

Whenever a creature gains experience while a stamp is active, it is applied to the creature, not the Soulstamp. You must edit the Soulstamp to increase its level. Editing Soulstamps does not require that you spend another month on the project, but it does require that you spend the additional resources and time stated above.

Because of the history-altering nature of these stamps, there is a high chance (almost certain) that the creature's way of thinking will change as a result of getting a stamp applied. This change will be expected and known by the creator of the stamp, but there will be no way around it.