The Crooked Man (5e Class)
|
The main contributor(s) of this page determined that this page should be reviewed. Reason: OP request for review on balance
|
The Crooked Man[edit]
The One and Only Crooked Man[edit]
No one truly knows where the Crooked Man came from—only that he traces his steps along the edges of old lullabies and half-forgotten folk legends. Perhaps you once heard a twisted nursery rhyme whispered in the dead of night, its lilting tune echoing in the back of your mind long after the lamps were snuffed out. In time, you noticed strange things: shadows moving at the edges of your vision, faint whisper-laughs when you were alone, and the uneasy sense that every path you walked was ever so slightly…off.
Eventually, you found you could move in ways others could not—stepping through impossible spaces, warping light and sound around you, playing upon the primal fears buried in every living heart. Friends recoiled at your presence, and even strangers sensed something wrong in your aura. Sometimes they asked if you’d been cursed. You wondered, yourself, if you truly were.
Whether you embrace this crooked power or curse it, its eerie hold on you only grows stronger. You bear the weight of countless nursery rhymes and old wives’ tales, wearing them like a tattered cloak of half-real illusions and primal fear. Wherever you tread, nightmares follow. Now, you’ve taken those first few steps beyond folklore—walking a road no one else dares to see—to become the Crooked Man. And though others may flinch from your twisted silhouette, it’s clear that this crooked path is where you belong.
Creating a Crooked Man[edit]
When you create your Crooked Man, think about how you came by your twisted powers and why you embrace (or struggle against) them. Are you a performer who drifted too far into eerie illusions? Did you survive a nightmarish curse that warped your body and mind? Or did you stumble upon a forbidden nursery rhyme that opened a crack in reality?
- Possible Origins of Your Twisted Nature
Childhood Curse: Perhaps you were once an innocent child who recited a dangerous lullaby, binding you to a malevolent nursery spirit.
Ancient Pact or Folklore: Maybe your powers stem from making a pact with an eldritch force of fear, or from rummaging through old tales best left untouched.
Planar Distortion: You might have been caught in a planar rift, returning with your bones and spirit slightly “off.”
Family Legacy: Your ancestors toyed with illusions or strange magic, passing down a literal twisting of the bloodline.
- Quick Build
You can make a Crooked Man quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose the Haunted One, Charlatan, or Entertainer (for an eerie jester vibe) to lean into your unsettling or performance-oriented nature. background.
Class Features
As a The Crooked Man you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per The Crooked Man level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 1d8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per The Crooked Man level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor
Weapons: Simple Weapons
Tools: One type of artisan’s tools or one musical instrument (your choice)
Saving Throws: Dexterity and Charisma
Skills: Choose three from Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Performance, Stealth, Sleight of Hand, Acrobatics, or Investigation
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a dagger or (b) a light hammer
- (a) scholar’s pack or (b) explorer’s pack
- Leather armor and any simple weapon of your choice
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Crooked Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Crooked Lore | 2 |
| 2nd | +2 | Crooked Points | 3 |
| 3rd | +2 | Crooked Aspect (Archetype) | 4 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement | 5 |
| 5th | +3 | Crooked Knack | 6 |
| 6th | +3 | Crooked Aspect Feature | 7 |
| 7th | +3 | Crooked Dominance, Devour Terror | 8 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement | 9 |
| 9th | +4 | Crooked Shift | 10 |
| 10th | +4 | Crooked Aspect Feature | 10 |
| 11th | +4 | Twisted Overreach | 11 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement | 11 |
| 13th | +5 | Warped Will | 12 |
| 14th | +5 | Crooked Aspect Feature | 12 |
| 15th | +5 | Terrifying Visage | 13 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement | 13 |
| 17th | +6 | Crooked Supremacy | 14 |
| 18th | +6 | Tangled Realities | 14 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement | 15 |
| 20th | +6 | The Eternal Crooked Man | 15 |
Crooked Lore[edit]
Starting at 1st level, your twisted existence grants eerie insight into monsters of myth.
Whenever you make an Intelligence check (such as Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion) to recall information about monstrous or legendary creatures (e.g., aberrations, fiends, undead, etc.), you have advantage on the roll. You gain proficiency with one of those skills mentioned.
- Twisted Presence
Starting at 1st level, you can invoke a fleeting surge of terror in a foe. As a bonus action, choose one creature within 30 feet that can see or hear you. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or have disadvantage on all attack rolls it makes against you until the start of your next turn.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Your body can bend at bizarre angles, allowing you to make melee weapon attacks with an additional 5 feet of reach. This benefit applies to any simple weapon you wield. Your bones break and mend, making new joints at will.
Crooked Points[edit]
Starting at 2nd level, you draw on a pool of Crooked Points to fuel your reality-warping abilities. The number of Crooked Points you have is shown in the Crooked Man table. You regain all spent Crooked Points when you finish a long rest.
Also at 2nd level, you learn two “Crooked Maneuvers” of your choice from the list at the end of the class. Each maneuver has a Crooked Point cost. You cannot spend more Crooked Points on a single maneuver than your total Crooked Points. You learn one more at the 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels.
Crooked Save DC: If a maneuver calls for a saving throw, the DC is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier.
Replacing Maneuvers: Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one maneuver you know with another from the list.
Crooked Aspect (Archetype)[edit]
Choose an archetype that reflects the manner in which your crooked power manifests. Three Aspects are detailed below: Aspect of Nursery Nightmares, Aspect of Twisted Jester, and the Aspect of Hollow Lurker. Each Aspect grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.
Ability Score Improvement[edit]
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.
Crooked Knack[edit]
You refine your crooked talents into a potent edge. Choose one of the following passive features (no Crooked Point cost):
-Twisted Reflexes: Add your Charisma modifier (minimum +1) to your initiative rolls.
-Distorted Defense: While wearing light armor, your AC increases by 1.
-Frightful Reputation: You gain proficiency in Intimidation if you don’t have it, and your proficiency bonus is doubled for Intimidation checks.
(DMs can create more options if desired or gain unique ones based on what legendary monsters/people you kill.)
You can change which option you pick after you gain a level.
Crooked Dominance[edit]
At 7th level, your command of terror deepens. You are immune to the frightened condition. Additionally, creatures of your choice within 15 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened.
You also learn Devour Terror: When a creature that is frightened by you starts its turn within 30 feet, you can choose to end the frightened condition on it early without any action. If you do, it takes 2d8 psychic damage as its terror collapses inward. This damage increases to 3d8 at 11th level and 4d8 at 17th level.
Can use this once per round.
Crooked Shift[edit]
Starting at 9th level, you can briefly slip into a two-dimensional silhouette. As a bonus action, you gain the following benefits until the end of your next turn:
Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. This turns into all bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing at 13th level.
You can move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. If you end your turn inside an object, you take 1d10 force damage and are ejected to the nearest unoccupied space.
Uses per Rest: You can use Crooked Shift once between short rests. At 15th level, you can use it twice between rests, and at 18th level, three times.
Twisted Overreach[edit]
Starting at 11th level, when you take the Attack action on your turn and use (or have used) a Crooked Maneuver as part of that action or as a bonus action this turn, you can make one additional melee weapon attack during that Attack action. This bonus attack does not stack with Extra Attack features from other classes.
Warped Will[edit]
Starting at 13th level, you have advantage on saving throws against the charmed condition and illusions. Additionally, the first time you succeed on such a saving throw in a turn, you regain 1 Crooked Point.
Terrifying Visage[edit]
Starting at 15th level, your mere presence can incite overwhelming dread as the rhyme you stem from starts flowing through their head. When a hostile creature first sees you in an encounter or enters your melee range for the first time on a turn, you can force it to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier). On a failure, it is frightened of you for 1 minute. It repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
A creature that succeeds on this saving throw or ends the effect is immune to Terrifying Visage for 24 hours.
Crooked Supremacy[edit]
Starting at 17th level, when a Crooked Maneuver you use would impose the frightened condition or a major illusion effect, you can choose one target of that maneuver. That target cannot be immune to the effect and has disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against it.
Tangled Realities[edit]
Starting at 18th level, your warped presence unravels the minds of those who cling to sanity:
-Psychic damage you deal with Crooked Maneuvers ignores resistance to psychic damage.
-Whenever you impose the frightened condition, treat a target’s immunity to frightened as merely advantage on the save—unless your Crooked Supremacy feature applies, which overrides it entirely.
The Eternal Crooked Man[edit]
Starting at 20th level, you embody warped geometry on a permanent level:
-You no longer age, and are immune to disease and poison.
-When you roll initiative and have 0 Crooked Points, you immediately regain 3 Crooked Points.
-Once per turn, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points with a damaging Crooked Maneuver, you regain 2 Crooked Point.
-If you go down to 0 hit points while a creature is frightened within 60ft, you instead fall to 1 and that creature takes the damage instead as psychic damage. This removes the frightened condition on the targetted creature.
Subclasses[edit]
Aspect of Nursery Nightmares[edit]
You embody the eerie children’s rhyme phenomenon: the sort of being that lurks in lullabies and bedtime stories.
- 3rd Level: Soothing Terror
Starting at 3rd level, whenever a creature fails a saving throw against one of your non-damaging Crooked Maneuvers (such as a fear or sleep-like effect), you can choose for it to become asleep or incapacitated by vivid visions for up to 1 minute (or until it takes damage or someone uses an action to rouse it).
- 6th Level: Nightmare Infiltration
Starting at 6th level, you learn to delve into the dreams of those you’ve subdued. When a creature is asleep or incapacitated due to one of your Crooked Maneuvers, you can use your action to establish a dream-link while you remain within 30 feet, for up to 10 minutes (concentration).
Dream Delving: During this link, you gain telepathic contact with the creature’s subconscious. You can ask up to three questions, which it must answer truthfully to the best of its knowledge. It replies telepathically in a language it knows (possibly using symbolic or distorted imagery if it lacks exact words).
Ending the Link: The link ends if the creature awakens, if you lose concentration, or if you end it (no action required). The creature typically doesn’t remember this interrogation upon waking—only vague nightmares (at the DM’s discretion).
- 10th Level: Crooked Dominion
Starting at 10th level, you can twist a subdued foe’s mind to serve your will. As an action, choose one creature within 30 feet that is asleep, incapacitated, or frightened by one of your Crooked Maneuvers. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or become charmed by you for 1 minute. While charmed, the creature regards you as a trusted ally and obeys your commands to the best of its ability (though it won’t perform obviously suicidal actions). The charmed creature repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. If you or your allies harm the creature, it automatically succeeds on its next saving throw.
Once you use Crooked Dominion, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. If the target was asleep, incapacitated, or frightened by you before using this feature, it has disadvantage on the initial saving throw.
- 14th Level: Endless Nightmare
Starting at 14th level, once per long rest, you can spend 5 Crooked Points to unleash a wave of nightmare energy in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 60 feet. The effect lasts for up to 10 minutes (concentration). Each creature in the area with 50 or fewer hit points must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become unconscious for the duration or until it takes damage.
Mental Scarring
Also at 14th level, you can leave a permanent mental scar on creatures that are asleep or unconscious. If you spend 1 minute within 30 feet of such a creature, you can use your action to force it to make a Wisdom saving throw against your Crooked Save DC. On a failure:
-The creature is branded by your presence and haunted by distorted visions of you in its dreams and idle thoughts.
-It takes a –1 penalty on saving throws against your Crooked Maneuvers as long as it remains scarred.
-You always know its general location (direction and approximate distance) as long as you’re on the same plane of existence.
Scar Limit: You can only maintain a number of these scars at once up to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). If you exceed this limit, you must choose one existing scar to dissolve, ending its effects on that creature.
Removing the Scar: A Greater Restoration or similar magic (DM’s discretion) removes the scar, freeing the creature from your lingering nightmare mark.
Aspect of Twisted Jester[edit]
You are a madcap manipulator, turning horror into spectacle with illusions, confusion, and jarring antics. Your warped humor manifests in cackling laughter and disorienting pranks that unravel the minds of your foes.
- 3rd Level: Harlequin’s Haze
Starting at 3rd level, when you use a Crooked Maneuver that creates illusions or causes confusion (at the DM’s discretion), you can impose disadvantage on the first saving throw one target of that maneuver makes against it. This can represent a swirling carnival of colors, echoing laughter, or trickster illusions that catch the foe off guard.
- 6th Level: Crooked Capers
Starting at 6th level, your trickster nature makes foes drop their guard in unexpected ways. When a hostile creature misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction and spend 2 Crooked Points to force that creature to make a Charisma saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier). On a failure, it becomes charmed by you until the end of your next turn, believing you to be a friendly or amusing ally. The effect ends immediately if you or your allies deal damage to the charmed creature.
- 10th Level: Taunting Illusions
Starting at 10th level, you can conjure elaborate, mocking phantasms that draw enemies’ attention away from you. Once per short rest, as an action, you create two illusory copies of yourself within 30 feet, each in an unoccupied space you can see. These illusions lasts until destroyed. If you dismiss them as a bonus action, you can resummon them as an action again, if they are both alive. They can move same speed as you and listen to mental commands. They can interact but can't use anything like weapons, armor, and shields. If they leave a 120ft radius around, they are automatically desummoned.
An enemy can use its action to make an Investigation check (DC = your Crooked Save DC) against a specific copy. On a success, that illusion disappears. If a creature targets an illusory copy with an attack without investigating first, there’s a 50% chance it harmlessly strikes the illusion, causing it to vanish. The other 50% makes the target a Wisdom Save or take proficient bonus d4 psychic damage
While at least one copy remains, you have advantage on Charisma (Deception, Performance, and Persuasion) checks.
- 14th Level: Revel in Madness
Starting at 14th level, you can unleash a barrage of twisted imagery that drives your foes to temporary insanity. As an action, spend 5 Crooked Points to force each creature of your choice within 30 feet that can see you to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier). On a failure, a creature succumbs to a short-term madness for 1 minute (using the table in the Dungeon Master’s Guide or a custom effect, at the DM’s discretion). An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the madness on a success.
Aspect of Hollow Lurker[edit]
You are the lurking shape in dark corridors—a silent terror striking from the gloom. Your powers revolve around shadow manipulation, stealth, and sowing dread in the darkness.
- 3rd Level: Embrace the Shadows
Starting at 3rd level, you gain a supernatural affinity for darkness:
You gain darkvision out to 60 feet (or extend your existing darkvision by 30 feet).
When you are in dim light or darkness, you can use a bonus action to become invisible until you move or take an action. A faint, distorted outline might still be visible to creatures that can see magical invisibility, reflecting your warped form.
- 6th Level: Shadow Ambush
Starting at 6th level, you can slip through the darkness to strike unexpected angles. As an action, you choose a spot of dim light or darkness within 90 feet that you can see. You instantly teleport to that spot and become rooted by flickering shadows:
-Your speed becomes 0 until the start of your next turn.
-If you appear adjacent to an opponent (within 5 feet) who cannot see you arrive (for instance, they have no line of sight or are facing away), that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw or become startled until the start of your next turn. (A startled creature: as disadvantage on its next attack roll against you or disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes against one of your Crooked Maneuvers (your choice).
Once a creature fails its save against your Shadow Ambush, it is immune to the Ambush Effect for 24 hours.
- 10th Level: Engulfing Gloom
Starting at 10th level, you can enshroud yourself in supernatural darkness once per short rest. As an action, create a 15-foot-radius sphere of impenetrable darkness centered on yourself for 1 minute (no concentration required). Nonmagical light can’t illuminate it; darkvision doesn’t penetrate it, you have normal while within this globe, and while in your darkness, you can move through other creatures’ spaces (difficult terrain).
- 14th Level: Crooked Eclipse
Starting at 14th level, as an action to create a 30-foot-radius mass of roiling shadow for 1 minute (concentration). Choose a point within 60 feet; the darkness spreads from there:
-Nonmagical light is utterly extinguished, and darkvision doesn’t function in it (except your own).
-Each creature other than you that starts its turn in the darkness must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier). On a failure, it’s speed is halved, and it has disadvantage on its first attack roll until the end of its next turn.
-You see normally within this darkness, letting you slip among blinded foes freely.
-As a bonus action, you can move the darkness 15ft in any direction
Once you use Crooked Eclipse, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
Crooked Maneuvers[edit]
- Warped Glimpse
Cost 1 Crooked Point
Effect: As a bonus action, choose one creature within 30 feet that can see you. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or perceive you as horrifyingly distorted. Until the end of your turn, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature.
- Crooked Lullaby
Cost: 2 Crooked Points
Effect: As an action, you hum or whisper a haunting lullaby at a single creature within 30 feet that can hear you. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or fall into a magical slumber (as though affected by a sleep spell) for up to 1 minute. This requires your concentration. At the end of each of its turns, the target can repeat the saving throw, waking on a success.
- Distorted Stagger
Cost: 1 Crooked Point
Effect: As a reaction against a melee attack, you momentarily distort your body to throw off your attacker. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or suffer disadvantage on the triggering attack. If it misses, you can immediately move 5 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Eerie Afterimage
Cost: 2 Crooked Points
Effect: As a bonus action, you flicker in place, leaving behind a blurry, illusory echo. Until the start of your next turn, whenever an enemy within 10 feet of you makes an attack roll against you, you can force it to roll a d4 and subtract the result from the attack roll. Once the afterimage causes an attack to miss, it fades immediately.
- Shivering Pulse
Cost: 1 Crooked Point
Effect: You unleash a brief wave of uncanny energy as an action. Each creature of your choice in a 10-foot radius around you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have its speed reduced by 10 feet (to a minimum of 5 feet) until the start of your next turn. On a success, the creature is unaffected.
- Twisted Reflection
Cost: 2 Crooked Points
Effect: As an action, choose one humanoid creature within 30 feet. It must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it briefly sees you as a warped version of itself, generating deep unease. Until the start of your next turn, it has disadvantage on saving throws against your illusion spells and your Crooked Maneuvers that force a saving throw.
- Corrupt Scream
Cost: 3 Crooked Points
Effect: As an action, you unleash a jarring wail that echoes with maddening distortion. Each creature of your choice within 15 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it takes 2d8 psychic damage and is frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On a success, it takes half damage and isn’t frightened
- Shadow Lash
Cost: 1 Crooked Point
Effect: As an action at no cost or bonus action for 1 point, tendrils of shadow briefly lash out from you. Choose one creature you can see within 10 feet. Make a melee spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 psychic damage, and its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.
- Tether of Nightmares
Cost: 3 Crooked Points
Effect: As an action, you conjure a thread of horrifying illusions that links you and one creature you can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become tethered to you for up to 1 minute (concentration required). While tethered: The creature can’t willingly move more than 30 feet away from you. If it attempts to do so, it must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, its movement ends, and it takes 2d6 psychic damage. On a success, the tether breaks and the effect ends.
- Crimson Distortion
Cost: 4 Crooked Points
Effect: As an action, you violently warp the space around you in a 15-foot cone. Each creature of your choice in that area must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 4d6 psychic damage and is blinded until the end of its next turn. On a success, it takes half damage and isn’t blinded.
- Twisting Strike
Cost: Up to 3 Crooked Points
Effect: When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can spend 1–3 Crooked Points. The attack deals +1d8 psychic damage per point spent. If you spend at least 1 point, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the start of your next turn.
- Shuddering Twist
Minimum Level: 9th
Cost: 3-4 Crooked Points
Effect: As an action, you release warped energy in a 15-foot radius centered on yourself. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it takes 2d8 psychic damage and becomes disoriented (speed halved, disadvantage on Dexterity saves) until the end of your next turn. On a success, half damage and no disorientation.
By default, this affects all creatures in range. You can spend 1 additional Crooked Point to exclude allies from its effects.
Multiclassing[edit]
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Crooked Man class, you must meet these prerequisites: Charisma 14 and Dexterity 12
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Crooked Man class, you gain the following proficiencies: Armor: Light armor Weapons: Simple weapons Skills: Stealth or Intimidation
Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes