K’Sir and Bluetongue | Rebinding

In this series, I’ll be slowly tackling a rework of one of our favorite classes, the Binder. The class was originally a straight update of the class of the same name from D&D 3.5’s Tome of Magic, including most of the original vestiges, but as we revisit this class, we’d like to examine its mechanics and its concepts with fresh eyes, improve upon them, and write a whole new list of vestiges.

1st Level Vestiges

Bluetongue

This vestige occupies the Face and Skillmonkey archetypes on the list.

Bluetongue, The Trickster
1st-level vestige

A duplicitous shapeshifter, Bluetongue offers his sly words and shape-changing powers to those who bind him.
     Legend. The old myths remember Bluetongue as a lizard, a liar, and a shapeshifter that traveled from land to land, scheming and swindling those that he met, such that he never needed to work.
     One day, Bluetongue came across a hunter’s camp whose owner had left it unguarded as he hunted for the day. Bluetongue laughed at his good fortune and stole everything from the camp that he could, including every scrap of food he could find. When the hunter returned, he was outraged, but found a trail of food and items dropped by Bluetongue as he ate and chuckled.
     When Bluetongue saw the hunter arrive at the cave where he slept, he hid his treasures and transformed into the form of a feeble old man. But the hunter was wise to Bluetongue’s tricks and set fire to the cave as he left. Bluetongue, too greedy to leave his belongings and too unfit to outrun the flames, perished in the fire. The hunter told the story of the shapeshifter, and the story spread into legend and, eventually, into vestigehood.
     Each time the story of Bluetonge is recorded, it is a little different. None can say if the original story featured Bluetongue’s theft or even his fiery punishment; most every aspect of it has changed with time. Accordingly, Bluetongue’s vestige appears as a blur of ever-shifting appearances, with the sole constant of its unchanging, serpentine tongue.
     Personality Trait. While bound to this vestige, you gain the following personality trait: “I speak in a sonorous tone, but always sounds like I’m trying to sell something.” 

Bonus Proficiencies
While bound to Bluetongue, you gain proficiency with Deception and Persuasion. Additionally, Bluetongue steals power from other vestiges, granting you proficiency in one additional skill or tool of your choice for each other vestige you have bound. 

Deep Pockets
While bound to Bluetongue, a pocket, bag, or other container of your choice becomes a portal to a personal extradimensional space, which is 64 cubic feet in volume. The container’s opening stretches to accommodate items of any size which can fit within the space, and items within the space are weightless until removed. When you reach into this space, any item you intend to take is magically on top. A container loses this property and its contents are expelled when you are no longer bound to Bluetongue. 

Persuasive Words
You can cast the spell charm person once without expending a spell slot. Once you cast this spell, you can’t cast it again in this way until you finish a short or long rest. 

Trait: Blue Tongue
While bound to Bluetongue, you can cast the spell disguise self without using a spell slot or spell components. Casting the spell in this fashion requires 1 minute. No matter what your appearance, however, whenever you speak, a serpentine blue tongue can be seen within your mouth.

Notes
Bluetongue lizard is an interesting character from aboriginal myth and I tried to do it justice here. Mechanically, this hits many of the same beats Naberius used to, including a couple of direct features. Importantly, Bluetongue’s ability to give away actual skill proficiencies should be unique to him, in order to keep the system simple. In general, players should not have to recalculate any of this attack or skill bonuses when they trade vestiges (though their damage might still change.)

K’Sir

Here’s our basic rogue vestige.

K’Sir, Thief Primeval
1st-level vestige

A mythic thief who once stole power from the mighty dragons, K’Sir offers binders his roguish cunning and his infamous mark.
     Legend. Legends say that in the early days of the world, the dragons knew the Words of Creation by heart. It was by speaking these forbidden words, the very same words which brought the whole multiverse into being, that dragons gained their fearsome breaths and auras.
     This power was coveted by all mortal beings, but only one brave soul attempted to claim it: K’Sir, the thief, snuck into the dragons’ lair while they slept. With expert precision, he slipped past every trap, avoided every guard, and silently stole the Words of Creation for himself.
     When at last he was away safely with his prize, K’Sir might have translated the words into mortal runes, but his curiosity got the better of him: K’Sir opened his satchel and read all the Words of Creation at once. When he was at last done, the magical energy was too great to bear, and K’Sir was spread thinly across time and space, such that even his name is convoluted today. Though, if the legends are true, only K’Sir, in his reckless arrogance, is the only mortal to have ever read all the Words of Creation.
     Flaw. While bound to this vestige, you gain the following flaw: “My curiosity always gets the better of me.”

Bonus Proficiencies
While bound to K’Sir, you gain proficiency with scimitars, shortswords, and thieves’ tools.

Sneak Attack
While bound to K’Sir, once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon. You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
     The amount of the extra damage increases by 1d6 for each vestige other than K’Sir you have bound. If you already have Sneak Attack from another class feature, you add this damage to the Sneak Attack roll.

Thief’s Instincts
You can take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action as a bonus action. You can use this ability twice and regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Trait: K’Sir’s Mark
While bound to K’Sir, your skin becomes branded with all manner of ancient runes and symbols, which magically silence your movements. You don’t gain disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks for wearing any type of armor. Additionally, if you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check, you can treat the result as 10, or your binder level plus your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher.