Aberrant Horror

in Transformations

A cloaked figure flees through the dimly lit city streets. The guards appear to have the upper hand, until she turns to greet them—a hulking mess of spines, claws, and gnashing maws.

Lightning cracks. A mad doctor bellows in triumph as a once-deceased woman rises. With three fleshy tentacles sprouting from her back, his newest creation is complete. Thunder booms as the woman approaches the doctor menacingly, tendrils extended. Not all successful experiments end well.

Aberrant Horrors are the result of a humanoid becoming an aberration. Able to break free from the physical restrictions imposed upon them by the Material Plane, they shift the components of their form at a whim. This makes Aberrant Horrors terrifying to behold, especially in battle. Many adversaries have been caught off-guard when a seemingly defenceless opponent grew rows of gruesome spines before their eyes.  

 

Becoming an Aberrant Horror

Each Aberrant Horror is defined by one key question: what happened to them? Some individuals make pacts with ancient entities for powers that have unforeseen effects. Others awaken after being defeated by an unnatural monster, surprised that they have been spared, only to feel something writhing in their stomach. Many tropes of body horror can be used as inspiration for an Aberrant Horror.
Once your origin has been determined, you can consider what your character’s motivations are regarding their transformation. As their power grows and manifests, they may feel they have lost what makes them fundamentally themselves. Perhaps they decide to take revenge on the entity responsible for their transformation, or perhaps they perceive their transformation as a gift.  

Transformation Features

An Aberrant Horror has the following transformation features:

Prerequisites

Ability Scores: Constitution 13
Roleplay: You must have had an encounter with an Aberration, magical anomaly, or some other plausible reason to have become an Aberrant Horror. Discuss with your GM how you can achieve this in your backstory or in-game.

Some of your abilities will require your target to make a saving throw to resist their effects. Thesaving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Aberrant Horror:

• Defeating a powerful Aberration and absorbing its power.
• Undergoing a dangerous and costly experiment.
• Surviving a magical mishap.
• Acquiring the strength to give birth to a more powerful version of yourself, which then consumes your old self.
• Fulfilling an eldritch prophecy written in the stars.