Infested The goblins look on at a party of adventurers, all sleeping with no one on the lookout. They silently approach, thinking of the rewards and meat they are soon to acquire. Suddenly, a half-orc wearing armor covered in eyes bolts up right and calls his companions to battle. A human clad in organic armor with a sword of bone and shield of flesh runs with his allies down the crypts hallway, away from the coming horde. When they reach a doorway, he turns around and his armor increases in size and durability. He holds back the near endless waves of undead so that his friends may escape. An elf watches as a large group of guards approach her slender form. She takes out a disc from her own body and tosses it. The disc ricochets through the coming guards, slicing each of their bodies, making impossible course corrections as if it was a living thing. By the time the disc falls to the ground, the elf is long gone. Infested draw on the unnatural power and strength of the being they now share their body with. All infested are able to create living weapons from their own flesh and bone. Some find their new partners giving them more defensive capabilities, while others find themselves faster and able to strike multiple foes at once. Symbiotic Existence All those infested have a second being living within them. This being has limited sentience and occasionally whispers to its host. Some symbiotes have a master and a purpose beyond their host, but most are just concerned with living and growing, because of this they bequeath their hosts with the ability to mutate their own bodies. Some of those infested sought out this condition, striving for power greater than themselves. Others had it forced upon them as the result of some dark and twisted experiment. Some run into a pack of parasitic creatures. A few find themselves with the symbiotic existence already inside of them, with no recollection on how they acquired it. Hungry, Strange, and Contaminated Infested find themselves nearly always hungry, as their new powers rely on having enough extra organic matter stored within themselves. While not ravenous nor driven to eat, their symbiote might start making it known that it is hungry. The infested will also find that whatever they eat does not get expunged as much, and their weight increasing but their body size staying the same. While infested can still pass for normal, until they utilize their powers that is, they still might have some kind of mutation or symptom that they can’t seem to get rid of. This permanent identifier of their infested status drives some away, fearful of some illness, while bringing the attention of medical and healing experts who find this condition fascinating. Selecting a Mutation or Symptom To add some flavor to your infested, you might want to add some kind of permanent mutation or symptom that the symbiote has given them. These physical abnormalities have no game effect, but some characters might insist that you keep a certain distance or being welcomed into a medical institution for study. These are a roleplaying tool to add to the game. You can pick from the table below, or create your own. Also, consider why your character has these mutations. What does it say about the symbiote? Is it purposeful or accidental? Infested Mutations and Symptoms d20 Mutations and Symptoms 1 Your skin feels like scales 2 Occasionally, small black tendrils will appear pressing up beneath your skin 3 Your iris and pupil have doubled 4 You have too many teeth 5 You have horn likes growths somewhere on your body 6 You have a patch of rough, feathered skin 7 Your appendages appear always bruised 8 Your blood is not red 9 You have black markings across your face 10 Your eyes change colors every day 11 Small faces appear in your flesh 12 Your skin is translucent 13 One appendage is attached by small, interlocking tentacles 14 You grow a tail (or another tail) 15 Your eyes faintly glow 16 You still have five fingers, but two are thumbs 17 You can only taste meat 18 Your pupils have an odd shape 19 Your flesh is soft like clay 20 Mushrooms grow from your body Creating an Infested As you create your Infested, think about how they encountered the infestation and whether or not they embrace their condition. One of the most important aspects of the infested is their symbiote. Consider the origins of this existence. Is it the result of an experiment by a mad wizard, a being from the Far Realms, the boon from some ancient and forgotten flesh god? You can use one of those examples or make your own.

The Infested Level Proficiency Bonus Features Mutation Points 1st +2 Living Armor, Fighting Syle 1 2nd +2 Mutation 2 3rd +2 Evolutionary Path, Adaptation 3 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 4 5th +3 Extra Attack 5 6th +3 Blood Purification 6 7th +3 Evolutionary Path feature 7 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 8 9th +4 Enhanced Movement 9 10th +4 Evolutionary Path feature 10 11th +4 Symbiotic Sentience 11 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 12 13th +5 Enhanced Body 13 14th +5 Pathogen Pathways 14 15th +5 Evolutionary Path feature 15 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 16 17th +6 Symbiosis 17 18th +6 Evolutionary Path feature 18 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 19 20th +6 Unrestrained Mutation 20 Quick Build You can make an infested quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending on whether you want to focus on melee weapons or on archery (or finesse weapons). Your next-highest score should be Constitution. Second, choose the Haunted One background. Class Features As an infested, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d6 per infested level

1d6 per infested level Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier

6 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per infested level after 1st Proficiencies Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields

Light armor, medium armor, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons

Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution

Strength, Constitution Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Acrobatics, Insight, Investigation, Intimidation, Nature, Survival Equipment Your start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: • (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two simple weapons • (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes • (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack Living Armor At 1st level you can create organic armor that covers your entire body. You can only use this feature when you wear no armor. Your AC becomes 13 + your Constitution modifier. You also gain advantage on intimidation checks and disadvantage on persuasion checks. As a bonus action, you gain temporary hit points equal to 8 times your Infested level. This ability can always be active but you can only gain temporary hit points from this feature once per short or long rest. Fighting Style You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. Close Quarters Shooter You are trained in making ranged attacks at close quarters. When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll. Your ranged attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover against targets within 30 feet of you. Finally, you have a +1 bonus to attack rolls on ranged attacks. Dueling When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon. Great Weapon Fighting 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. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit. Protection 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. You must be wielding a shield.

Tunnel Fighter You excel at defending narrow passages, doorways, and other tight spaces. As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach. Two-Weapon Fighting When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. Mutation At 2nd level the power of your infestation starts to rapidly grow, adapt, and mutate. You gain Mutation Points determined by your Infested level, as shown in Mutation Points column of the Infested table. These can be used to increase or alter your abilities. You regain all Mutation Points after a short or long rest. You also gain the following mutation options: Mutate Eyes. You can spend 1 Mutation Point to gain advantage on a Wisdom (Perception) check. Mutate Body. You can spend 1 Mutation Point to gain advantage on your next attack. Mutate Arms. You can spend 1 Mutation Point to increase your critical hit range to 19-20 for your next attack. Mutate Legs. You can spend 1 Mutation Point to take the Disengage or Dash Actions as a Bonus Action. Evolutionary Path At 3rd level you choose in what way your symbiote evolves. Select one of the following Evolutionary Paths; Defensive Evolution or Mobility Evolution. These paths are detailed at the end of this class description Adaptation At 3rd level, your living armor will adapt to adverse conditions if you take a short or long rest in it. This prevents you from taking damage from proximity to hazardous elements and from suffering exhaustion while traveling in the extreme conditions. Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 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. Extra Attack At 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Blood Purification At 6th level, the symbiotic armor within you purifies your blood, making you resistant to poison and immune to disease. Enhanced Movement At 9th level your movement speed increases by +10ft, and you add half your proficiency bonus to your initiative roll. Symbiotic Sentience At 11th level the symbiotic armor gains a degree of sentience, aiding you by keeping an ever-watchful eye and retaining information. You can no longer be surprised and by spending 1 Mutation Point your armor can keep watch for you during a long rest. Additionally, you can spend up to 3 Mutation Points to gain a bonus on a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (History) check equal to the amount of Mutation Points spent. Enhanced Body At 13th level, you can spend 1 Mutation Point as a bonus action to gain advantage on a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution ability check. You can also spend 1 Mutation Point as a reaction to gain advantage on a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw. Pathogen Pathways Beginning at 14th level, you can use an Action and 2 Mutation Point while you are wearing Living Armor to mutate it to give you one of the following benefits. These changes last until you spend a Bonus Action to dismiss them or until you take a short or long rest: Aquatic. Grow gills and webbing, giving you the ability to breath underwater and gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. Mountainous. Generate four spindly arms with suction fingertips, allowing you to climb any surface, gaining a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and allowing you to keep you regular hands free. Symbiosis At 17th level, you and the infestation have truly become one, as long as one lives so will the other. You no longer age, cannot be magically aged, and cannot die of old age. Unrestrained Mutation At 20th level when you reduce a creatures health points to zero you regain 1 Mutation Point. Evolutionary Paths As the symbiote gains power and integrates itself further with its host, it begins to evolve. This evolution usually comes in two forms; the Defensive Evolution and Mobility Evolution. Defensive Evolution The most common evolutionary path. This path focuses on strengthening oneself, creating weaponry and defense systems to allow for continued existence. Some of these abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist the ability’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated: Ability save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice)

Infested Armament Creation When you take this Evolution Path at 3rd level, your symbiote allows you to create special equipment: the Mimic Blade and Carapace Shield. You can create these over the course of a short or long rest and then keep it within your body, using an Action to retrieve it. You can only have one created at a time. You can absorb a magic weapon or shield during a long rest, then apply that weapon’s bonus to attack and damage to the Mimic Blade or the AC bonus to the Carapace Shield. Other magical effects granted by a weapon or shield are not carried over if absorbed. You can only have one magic weapon and shield assimilated at a time. You cannot create duplicates of these. Both count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage. Your created weapon will begin to breakdown if it is out of your possession for 1 minute, completely decaying after 5 minutes. If you lose your weapon this way you can spend a short rest recreating it. Both have an additional effect; you may spend Mutation Points to activate these Mutations. Mimic Blade. Create an intimidating versatile weapon out of bone and flesh. It deals 1d8 or 1d10 if wielded with two hands. This weapon takes the form of any simple or martial melee weapon which determines the damage type. Mutation: You can spend 1 Mutation Point as a bonus action to have this weapon deal an additional 1d6 necrotic or acid damage for 1 minute. Carapace Shield. Creates jagged shield of infested flesh. This shield grants +2 to AC. Mutation: When you are attacked, you can spend 1 Mutation Point, as a reaction, to create spiked tendrils which erupt from the face of the shield and attempt to pierce the attacker. The attacker must immediately make a Dexterity saving throw, dealing 1d6 piercing damage while also healing you by the amount of damage dealt on a failed save. By spending additional Mutation Points, to a max of 3 total, you can increase the damage by 1d6 per Mutation Point spent. This damage does not benefit from any modifiers. Shell At 7th level you are able to generate even more organic armor. As an action, you can spend 2 Mutation Points to create a protective shell around yourself for 1 minute, increasing your AC by 3, giving you resistance to all damage except for psychic, and making yourself harder to forcefully move (you go up one size category with regards to this). However, your speed is reduced by half and you attack with disadvantage. You can use a Bonus Action to retract the shell and end this effect. Advanced Armament Mutation At 10th level, your symbiote evolves to have more powerful weaponry, unlocking further mutations for the weapons. Mimic Blade. You can spend 2 Mutation Points to make the weapon hunt for fresh blood. As an Action, you may make a single melee attack against each creature within range as part of the Attack action. Carapace Shield. You learn how to store extra biomass in your shield. When your Living Armor runs out of temporary hit points you can spend 1-10 Mutation Points to regain temporary hit points equal to double the amount of Mutation Points spent. Full Armament At 15th level, you are now able to use the Mimic Blade and Carapace Shield at the same time, both benefit from Advanced Weapon Mutation. Both can be created and drawn at the same time as a bonus action. Parasitic Growth At 18th level, you can use a reaction to spend any number of Mutation Points to send out parasites. Each enemy within 5 feet of you takes necrotic damage equal to the Mutation Points spent. The parasites then return to you and you gain temporary hit points equal to the number of enemies affected times the amount of Mutation Points spent. Mobility Evolution Another common evolutionary path for creatures to take. Sacrificing armor for higher mobility, these infested can quickly evade danger and strike multiple foes at once. Some of these abilities require your target to make a saving throw to resist the ability’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated: Ability save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) Aerodynamic Armor When you take this Evolution Path at 3rd level your Living Armor undergoes a drastic change. By shedding some of its considerable defenses it allows its host to move at a much greater pace. Temporary hit points granted by the Living Armor feature drop to 5 times infested level. In exchange, you gain +10 ft. movement speed. Infested Finesse Creation Also at 3rd level, your symbiote allows you to create the following finesse weaponry; the Keratin Disc and Spine Claws. You can create the following weapons over the course of a short rest and then keep it within your body, using an Action to retrieve it. You can only have one created at a time. You are proficient with these weapons. You can absorb a magic weapon during a long rest, then apply that weapon’s bonus to attack and damage to the weapon you chose. Other magical effects granted by a weapon are not carried over if absorbed. You can only have one magic weapon assimilated at a time. You cannot create duplicates of your weapon. Both count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage. Your created weapon will begin to breakdown if it is out of your possession for 1 minute, completely decaying after 5 minutes. If you lose your weapon this way you can spend a short rest recreating it. Both have an additional effect; you may spend Mutation Points to activate these Mutations. Keratin Disc. Creates a razor-sharp chakram. This light, thrown finesse weapon deals 1d8 slashing and has a range of 60/120. Mutation: You can spend 1 Mutation Point as a bonus action to gain the following effects, this lasts for 1 minute. By ricocheting this weapon off of solid surfaces you can ignore all cover if you know where the enemy is. After this weapon hits its target it returns to you. If the entire trip is 60 feet or less, then you catch the Keratin Disc automatically.