Building Bhakashal - New Classes - The Beastial

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Beastials are the Bhakashal version of Druids. 

They have a d8 for HD, can wear no armor, and can use any weapon of iron or wood. 

Bhakashal beastials each have an animal representing their clan in the coven. 

The coven is responsible for maintaining the Bhakashal blossom in the Ward of House Viinos, they protect and tend to the blossom so it may continue to offer its healing magic.

There are 20 animal clans in the Bhakashal coven. 

Tiger

Panther

Alligator

Lion

Crocodile

Rabbit

Goat

Boar

Rat

Snake

Frog

Lizard

Hawk

Peacock

Bee

Turtle

Ant

Dragonfly

Fish

Ape

1. Each Beastial will be a member of a clan. They will have an animal mask representing that clan that they wear during all ceremonies and during spell casting (not required, but practiced). All animal masks for a given clan are essentially identical, with one mark on them known to those in the clan and coven to distinguish them. Beastial masks are carved from the burragh tree, and are dark wine red in color. 

2. Between clan rivalries exist, though they are mostly friendly and take the form of physical challenges of strength, endurance, cunning, etc. Clans compete against each other regularly to maintain their instincts and skills.

3. Each Beastial has a woven sithak reed sleeve over their left arm and dresses in white robes. They wrap their left arm in vines of the thornwood tree, and they touch the thorns to draw a drop of blood for each spell they cast. The blood on the thorns is the material component for their spells rather than mistletoe. When not being used the vines are covered.

4. Beastials are free casters, they get the spells per day of the PHB Beastial, so they may cast up to that number of spells of the appropriate level per day without praying for them in advance. They pray on the spot for their magic. They get no wisdom bonus for castable spells.

5. Beastials get the ability to identify plant type, animal type and pure water at 1st level. 

6. Each beastial will have 3-5 animals from their clan animal totem with them when in the coven at all times, and when adventuring/travelling, will have 1-3 of their clan’s animal with them, under the conditions of an animal friendship spell.

7. Beastials from each clan try to exemplify one characteristic of their animal avatar, so for the crocodile clan, they might be slow and contemplative, for the panther clan they might be stealthy and furtive, for the peacock clan they might be showy and boastful.

8. At third Level the beastial gets several abilities:

1. She has a 5% chance of identifying a lycanthrope in human form, the chance increases by 10% per level to a max of 95% at 12th.

2. The beastial gains an additional saving throw against lycanthropic infection at a bonus of +1 for every two levels above 3rd, so no bonus at 3rd, +1 at 5th, etc.

3. A ½ level bonus (round down) to hit and damage against lycanthropes of all kinds (e.g. a 3rd level Beastial gets a +1 to hit and damage against lycanthropes).

9. At 7th level the beastial gets several abilities:

1. They may transform into animal form one time for each level of experience, only three of these transformations may be to animals outside of their clan totem.

2. Each time they transform back into humanoid form they heal 1-4 HP.

3. The beastial may attempt to force a transformation into were form or out of were form on any lycanthrope, the range is 3”, and the lycanthrope must save versus petrification / polymorph to resist. For every level above 7th the save is at -1, meaning that the Great Beastial can force a transformation with a – 7 modifier. During a full moon the lycanthrope gains a +2 on the save versus being changed to human form, and during a half moon a +1. The beastial requires thornwood and a silver sickle to perform the transformation, and it counts as their only action for the round.

10. All “Animal” spells by beastials work on dinosaurs (animal intelligence) and giant sized animals.

11. When a beastial advances to 9th level they must challenge an existing 9th level beastial within their clan for their place of authority in the coven. The total number of beastials in the coven are limited by level between all clans. If desired, a beastial may fight one from a different clan for their position. These fights are always more contentious.

12. If a beastial beats someone from within their clan, they advance to the next level and get three 1st level beastials from within their clan as followers. If they challenge outside their clan and are successful, they get two 1st beastials from their own clan and one 1st level from the clan of their defeated challenger as followers. 

13. This process is repeated every level thereafter, and each time 3 followers are gained in the pattern indicated, but their level goes up to 2, then 3, then 4, etc. as the beastial levels. 

14. When they become a Grand Beastial, and rule the coven, they will be attended to by were creatures for the animal of their clan, at any given time the Grand Beastial for the coven is from a particular animal clan. 

15. There is a coven in the marshes which has monster clans instead of animal clans, the animal clan coven in the city rejects them as unnatural, the monster clan coven believes that monsters are as “natural” as animals, and is hoping to merge covens in the future. 

16. I have written over 200 new beastial spells to add to the existing spells in the PHB. Four are previewed here.

New Beastial Spells

Ambient Water

Level 4, Casting time: 5 segments, Range: 8”, Duration: 1 round/level, Area of Effect: special, Components: V,S,M, Saving Throw: special

This spell allows the Beastial to draw ambient water in the range of the spell to her person. This water then gathers together into a sphere and then splits into approximately 20 or so 2ft diameter smaller spheres, which then surround the Beastial for a 2” radius. Any attack on the Beastial requires that these spheres must be avoided. 

If attacking the Beastial with a melee weapon (or monster):

The attacker makes a saving throw versus spell, if they fail roll on the following table with a d4.

1. Weapon hits a sphere on attack, -3 to hit, -3 to damage

2. Sphere hits the lower body on attack, victim trips and is prone for a round

3. Sphere hits the upper body on attack, slowing the victim to 1/3 movement rate for the round

4. Sphere hits the head, cutting off air and causing the victim to collapse unconscious for 1-4 rounds

If attacking the Beastial with a spell:

Any spell that requires a line of sight (e.g. fireball) requires the caster to make a saving throw, if they fail their spell will be “intercepted” by a sphere, taking the effect of the spell rather than the Beastial. 

AOE spells that are not concentrated before impact (e.g. ice storm as opposed to fireball) cannot be defended against.

If  attacking the Beastial with a missile weapon:

Each missile weapon attack is made at -4 to hit as a globe might interfere with the missile weapon. 

If a sphere is hit it disperses and reforms. If the Beastial is hit by a fireball spell while under the effect of this spell they get +2 to their save and if they are successful they take ¼ damage (the magical spheres dissipate the fireball to a degree). 

The material component of this spell is thornwood, a piece of salt and a berry of any kind.

Devolver

Level: 4, Casting Time: 6 segments, Range: 2”, Duration: 1 turn/level, Area of Effect: 2” rad. sphere, Components: V,S,M, Saving Throw: neg.

The swamp decomposes things back to their primal form, and devolver allows the Beastial to transform current animal types to their prehistoric form for the duration of the spell. Animals so transformed will be at the service of the Beastial for that time as well. The Beastial can impact 1HD of target creature for every level of experience, as long as they are in the AOE. 

An exhaustive list of all such devolving transformations is impossible, but some examples from the DMG include:

Cave bear, wild giant boar, giant crocodile, giant hyena, Irish deer, spotted lion, mammoth, mastodon, wooly rhino, giant stag, giant constrictor snake, sabre toothed tiger, dire wolf, giant lizard, minotaur lizard, rhinoceros beetle, etc. 

So, for example, a Beastial could transform a family of black bears into larger, more formidable cave bears, and these would be at their disposal. The material component of this spell is thornwood and a pair of claws or talons, one small, one large.

Hive Mind

Level: 4, Casting Time:  segments, Range: 1” per level, Duration: 1 round/level, Area of Effect: 1 target per level, Components: V,S,M, Saving throw: none

Hive mind links together the minds of the Beastial and up to one target per level. All targets must be willing. While under the influence of a hive mind spell the targets:

a) Get a + bonus equal to the number of targets on their saving throws against any mental attacks, +5 benefit maximum

b) May communicate mentally with each other (e.g. even when under the influence of a silence spell) as long as they are within the spell range of the Beastial

c) Once during the spell duration they may collectively try to cast a suggestion on a victim in the spell range of the Beastial, that victim will save at -1 for every 2 targets in the hive mind

The material component of this spell is thornwood, a piece of honeycomb and a hair from each of the targets to be included.

Hunger Plant

Level: 4, Casting Time: 6 segments, Range: 1”, Duration: 1 round/level, Area of Effect: 1 medium sized plant, Components: V,S,M, Saving Throw: none

When the Beastial casts a hunger plant spell the plant targeted immediately transforms into a 14 foot tall “flower” with a half foot diameter thick stem and a large, leathery flower at the top consisting of two large semi-spherical halves which are large enough to swallow a medium sized or smaller creature. The hunger plant has an AC of 7, the same HP and THACO as the Beastial, and an effective striking range of 5’. If the plant successfully strikes a victim instead of doing damage the victim is encompassed by the semi-spherical halves and must make a saving throw versus paralysis every round they are in the flower’s grasp. Those who fail their save are paralyzed for 2-8 rounds. A victim may attempt to cut their way out of the flower, but this will require a saving throw versus paralyzation, and can only be done with a sharp weapon. Others may attempt to cut out the victim, but any attack against the hunger plant does ½ that much damage to the victim as well. The material component for this spell is thornwood and a tooth from a carnivorous animal.