Living Aspect (5e Feat)

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Living Aspect  (Feat)
Prerequisite: Below 5th level to begin.

See the below for details on each Aspect and choice.

The symbol of The Mana, an elaborate tattoo depicting the Paths, vices and virtues.

A Living Aspect

You have been chosen, since the instant you were created, to embody one of the Aspects of The Mana. Though you are compelled to fulfill your purpose, the path you choose in life beyond that does not matter. A noble, a pauper, a valiant warrior, or a humble scholar - your power will manifest regardless of where life takes you. Traditionally of the Mazohk race, as time has worn on, what makes an Aspect has become more about the soul than its container.

Below are the details for each Living Aspect chain of feats, as well as their requirements and additional notes.

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Aspect of Death

悲哀 | 決意 | 死
Yours is the Path of The Mana itself, the energy of the world. Aspects of Death have historically been the conduit between The Mana and the common people. They stand at the threshold of the afterlife, and the world around them comes to their aid - so long as they remain virtuous. It is your station to embody the virtue of Determination, and overcome the vice of Loss. Failure and death are part of life, and having the inner strength to push on is something you will never struggle with.

• At 4th level, you may select this feat to begin your training in this power. Once you select it, no other creature in the universe may have the same power so long as you live. During a short rest, you can cast the spell Augury with The Mana as the answering entity. She may offer a single word, or a short sentence as the GM decides. If you cast this spell more than once in a seven-day period, the DM rolls a d20 in secret. On a 15 or below, you get no response. On a 16 or higher, the spell works a second time, then not again for seven days. After an attempt, successful or not, you cannot use this feature again until the next dawn.
• At 8th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
• At 12th level, you must select this feat again. You can cast Conjure Elemental once. The spell can only be cast at 5th level, even if you have higher level spell slots. If you lose concentration before the spell ends, the elemental collapses back into the stuff of its origin.
• At 16th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. During a short rest, you may call upon the world around you to answer your questions. You may ask five questions, and each time must ask something new. If the scene is a struggle, you may ask the blood spilled one question, such as "To whom do you belong." You might also ask the ground, "who has tread upon you." Each time, you receive a truthful answer, but with only as much detail as the GM decides, as perhaps the dirt only knows that soft shoes tread upon it and not to whom they belonged. The wind may witness a murder, but the wind travels swiftly and randomly. Furthrmore, this ability does not work on creatures, living or dead.
• At 19th level, you must select this feat again. You become immune to being possessed or cursed by any effect. You can call on The Mana to intervene if you are below half your hit point maximum. Imploring Her aid requires you to use your action. Describe the assistance you seek, and roll percentile dice. If you roll a number equal to or lower than your character level, She intervenes as the GM determines. After making an attempt, you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest. If The Mana intervenes, you cannot try again for eight days.

Aspect of Water

旧弊 | 好奇 | 水
Your Aspect is one of those lost to history. The Path of The Ascended affords you incredible powers for discovery of both physical and metaphysical things. The Ascended were the original users of magic, and foresaw the descent of their race into conflict and arrogance, so they committed their souls to a cycle of rebirth and abandoned their powers for the good of the world. You are never one to shut your eyes and turn away, whether from new and harsh truths or terrible realities of life.

• At 4th level, you may select this feat to begin your training in this power. Once you select it, no other creature in the universe may have the same power so long as you live. You can cast Detect Magic at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.
• At 8th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
• At 12th level, you must select this feat again. When you or a willing creature you can hear cast a spell with a spell slot and the spell deals acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, radiant, or thunder damage, you can substitute that damage type with one other type from that list as a reaction (you can change only one damage type per casting of a spell). You replace one energy type for another by altering the spell as it is cast. Once you do this a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier, you must complete a long rest before you do so again.
• At 16th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. From now on, you always know which way is north and cannot get lost even by magical means, and you always know how the number of hours left before the next sunrise or sunset.
• At 19th level, you must select this feat again. Your connection to magic allows you to alter the effects of spells further. When you or a creature you can see makes a saving throw, you can change which ability score that creature must use. Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before you can do so again.

Aspect of Wind

傲慢 | 平等 | 空
Your Aspect is one of those lost to history. The Path of The Celestial is one of understanding the place and purpose of all living things, and treating them accordingly. Celestials are descended from The Hollows, and considered themselves above other Paths which led to the breakdown of their physical bodies and deformed their spirits. You understand that all creatures have a purpose, that nature's balance depends on the ability of beings to fulfill that purpose, and you know your own place.

• At 4th level, you may select this feat to begin your training in this power. Once you select it, no other creature in the universe may have the same power so long as you live. You can cast Dissonant Whispers a number of times equal to your proficiency, regaining expended uses when you complete a long rest. If you are capable of magic already, use your existing spellcasting modifier when determining the saving throw DC. Otherwise, your spellcasting modifier for this spell is Intelligence.
• At 8th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
• At 12th level, you must select this feat again. You can cast Earthbind three times, and regain expended uses when you finish a long rest. The spell gains the added effect of reducing any speed other than flying that the target has by half, provided they fail the saving throw. If you are capable of magic already, use your existing spellcasting modifier when determining the saving throw DC. Otherwise, your spellcasting modifier for this spell is Intelligence.
• At 16th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. You can use an action to leverage your connection with The Mana and sense a creature's strength relative to your own. Choose a creature within 60 feet of you, and choose to learn two of the following: how many class levels (if any) the creature has, its Challenge Rating, its Armor Class, creature type, or current hit points. You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier and regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.
• At 19th level, you must select this feat again. You can cast Antimagic Field once with the following modifications: the spell lasts only one minute, magic items and travel are not suppressed, and summoned creatures or objects are not banished while inside the radius of this effect. Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before you can do so again.

Aspect of Light

独立 | 協力 | 灮
Your Path is tied to the many Mortal souls of the world, including your own. The Path of The Mortal was formed when stronger beings of magic and immortality shed their powers and cast aside their pride, realizing that their powers in tandem would make a greater difference. By committing themselves to rebirth, they allowed their souls to embody and strengthen every face of magic. You understand and value cooperation, and your powers make you an excellent teacher, as well as a fearsome foe.

• At 4th level, you may select this feat to begin your training in this power. Once you select it, no other creature in the universe may have the same power so long as you live. During any downtime, you can use your innate ability to mimic to pass knowledge from one party member to another. If two player characters are willing, you are able to cut the time they spend learning languages, tool proficiency, or skill proficiency from each other down to only a month. The training must be uninterrupted, and all three player characters must be present each day.
• At 8th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
• At 12th level, you must select this feat again. When a creature you can see and hear casts a spell of up to 2nd level, you can use your reaction to gain knowledge of the spell's casting. You can use the spell at its lowest level a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you cannot use this feature again until you complete a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting modifier for any calculation a spell requires.
• At 16th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. When you or a creature you can see or hear makes a saving throw to resist being fooled by an illusion, you can use your reaction to have the creature roll with advantage. Once you do so, you must complete a short rest before you can again.
• At 19th level, you must select this feat again. You can help any creature on a skill check (excluding Intelligence skill checks besides Investigation) or tool use, even if you lack the correct proficiency to do so. Any creature that speaks a language understands you, and you can no longer be fooled by illusions caused by spells of 7th level or lower. You can reduce psychic damage you take by 3 for each die rolled of that type against you.

Aspect of Earth

慾望 | 無私 | 地
Your Aspect is one of those lost to history. The Path of The Hollow exists from a time when souls distinguished themselves through fits of emotion and the exercise of agency. Hollows war constantly with their instincts and impulses, with only the most dedicated capable of restraint. Their story is told through indulgences and abstinence, actions that only benefit them or living for the sake of others. Removing oneself from the equation is natural to you, and you find strength in selflessness and altruism.

• At 4th level, you may select this feat to begin your training in this power. Once you select it, no other creature in the universe may have the same power so long as you live. Each day, when you finish a long rest, choose a creature you can see and hear, and are familiar with. You know the creature's general condition, such as if they are wounded, cursed, or exhausted, as long as you are on the same plane of existence. As long as you do not select a different creature, you do not need to be in their presence on subsequent days to select them again.
• At 8th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
• At 12th level, you must select this feat again. While you are within one mile of your chosen creature, as part of your 4th level ability in this feat, you have +2 on attack rolls versus any creature that has rolled an attack against your chosen creature. If your target is also of Chaotic Evil alignment, gain an additional +2 to your attacks against it.
• At 16th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. You now know the status of all creatures within 120 feet of you that you are allied with. If one such creature fails a saving throw against an effect, you know which spell or what condition ails them. Over a short rest, you can perform an hour-long ritual on a willing creature. You expend a hit die to allow the creature to reroll a saving throw to resist the effect. On a failure, you can choose to have the spell effect and/or condition be fully transferred to you without interruption.
• At 19th level, you must select this feat again. If your chosen creature is reduced to 0 hit points by any effect, you become immune to the effects of difficult terrain, your speed increases by 10 feet, and your jump distance is doubled. Furthermore, you gain resistance to falling damage and damage from the source that triggered this feat. If it is a creature, you also know its whereabouts for one hour. If your chosen creature subsequently dies, you enter a rage-like state, gaining +3 to damage rolls, advantage on Strength checks and saving throws, and an additional 5 feet of movement speed. This state cannot end early unless you die, and lasts for one hour, after which you gain one point of exhaustion.

Aspect of Life

恐怖 | 勇気 | 生
Your Path brings you great subconscious understanding of the two most base emotions: fear and hope. Animals live and die by the accuracy of their instincts, and the creatures that rose from their ranks retain these genetic memories. In order to find virtue, however, one must acknowledge these instincts and sometimes act counter to them. A lack of fear shows a lack of understanding or overconfidence - something that leads a hunter to its doom. Rather, it is the lynx who hunts in the face of fear that feeds her cubs.

• At 4th level, you may select this feat to begin your training in this power. Once you select it, no other creature in the universe may have the same power so long as you live. You gain the ability to cast the Spare the Dying cantrip.
• At 8th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
• At 12th level, you must select this feat again. When you complete a short rest, your severed body members (fingers, legs, tails, and so on), if any, are restored. If you have the severed part and hold it to the stump during the rest, it instantaneously causes the limb to knit to the stump.
• At 16th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. You gain a pool of healing magic you can draw from to aid others. As an action, a creature you touch can choose to expend up to half its maximum number of hit dice to regain hit points as a reaction. If it has less than half its hit dice remaining, you can expend your own. In addition, you regain all your expended hit dice when you finish a long rest.
• At 19th level, you must select this feat again. You gain the ability to cast both the Reincarnate and Regenerate spells, but each are modified. A Reincarnate spell cast with this feature will restore a dead creature to life - provided it has not been dead for longer than 10 days - if its soul is still free. The creature returns as the same creature type and race that it was when it died, however the d100 roll creates a perfectly healthy body for the creature of an age in years equal to the number rolled. A Regenerate spell cast with this feature can last up to two minutes, and requires your concentration to maintain. Once you use either spell, you must complete a long rest before you can access the abilities provided by this feature again.

Aspect of Darkness

物慾 | 雅量 | 暗
Wraiths, restless and unfulfilled souls, are still souls. In order to become a Wraith, one who died must be filled with regret and lack virtue. A soul is the font of magic, interacting with Mana to apply its effects on the world. Wraiths are known to embody physical desires because of this; so tied are they to the living world that they sacrifice the chance for an afterlife or rebirth to remain in it. They retain no personality, and only seek to fill the void with items the living find valuable. For you, there is no such void, and instead the strength of your soul flows outward to fill the void in the hearts of others.

• At 4th level, you may select this feat to begin your training in this power. Once you select it, no other creature in the universe may have the same power so long as you live. You can cast Detect Magic at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.
• At 8th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
• At 12th level, you must select this feat again. You are able to attune an additional magic item, but must follow all other rules of doing so.
• At 16th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. Once each month, you are able to infuse a weapon to become a magic weapon of rare quality or lower which requires attunement and is not cursed. The weapon must be of the correct type to receive such infusion (a Mace of Disruption you make cannot take the form of a sword). The wielder of any such item knows you are the creator and your exact location at all times, and items you create in this way cannot be wielded by or attuned to you - they are mundane, even fragile, in your grasp.
• At 19th level, you must select this feat again. Your infusion ability expands to include any magic item which requires attunement of rare quality or lower, except cursed items. Any magic item you create using this power retains the previous side effects; anyone holding the item knows you made it and your location, and all items you create are useless to you.

Note: Your DM may decide that a certain item you attempt to create does not exist in the setting of your campaign, or may otherwise further limit this ability to suit the overarching plot. The inherent risk of those who obtain your creations knowing who and where you are should also not be arbitrated out.

Aspect of Fire

迫害 | 正義 | 炎
Your Aspect is one of those lost to history. Demons, as well, who embodied the duality of justice and injustice, who were so tightly bound to their impulses that they became alien to the other races - they and their society were lost to history. History remembers the bad before the good, as a sort of warning passed down from one mortal generation to the next. So it is that the righteous of the Demon race, those who acted without thinking in the interest of good and balance, are forgotten behind the raging faces of those whose impulses were evil. When faced with a situation of any kind, you know the path to righteousness, and you have the strength to find victory. No act is inherently good or evil - you know that it is the intention which matters most.

• At 4th level, you may select this feat to begin your training in this power. Once you select it, no other creature in the universe may have the same power so long as you live. While you are within 10 feet of any creature, you can sense their alignment. This is more subconscious than anything; your gut feeling may still require an Insight check as the DM determines, but the feeling of foreboding or of security cannot be shaken.
• At 8th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
• At 12th level, you must select this feat again. As a reaction to being subjected to a condition due to a spell's effects, you may expend eight hit dice to immediately end the effect on yourself.
• At 16th level, you must select this feat again. An ability score of your choice increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. Your ability to overcome adversity expands to diseases and even madness.
• At 19th level, you must select this feat again. If you know, as a result of this feat, that you are engaged in combat with a creature of Evil alignment, you can expend a hit die to receive the following effects. You expend these hit dice and receive the effects as a bonus action on your turn, and the effect ends at the start of your next turn.
  • Gain +2 to attack rolls against the creature
  • Gain the effects of the Disengage action
  • Gain advantage on Grapple checks against the creature
  • Gain advantage on concentration checks caused by damage from the creature

Symbolism

The following explains the symbols used for each Aspect and provides their pronunciation in the Mazohk language.

Death

悲哀 | 決意 | 死
Hih’ai | Qe’tsui | Shii
Grief | Determination | Death
The vice of grief or loss refers to losing oneself and the way forward because of attachment, especially to something that no longer exists.

Water

旧弊 | 好奇 | 水
Qyu’uhe | Qo’uki | Suu
Willful Ignorance | Discovery | Water
The vice of ignorance can refer to any concept where the individual has closed their mind and their heart to change and new information, especially when it would conflict with or alter their world-view.

Wind

傲慢 | 平等 | 空
Go’man | Byo’dou | Ka’zeh
Arrogance | Equality | Wind
The vice of arrogance refers to believing oneself above others - more important or valuable to the world. The universe will go on long after any soul has passed, even an immortal; to mistake one's place is true folly.

Light

独立 | 協力 | 灮
Doqu’ritsu | Qyo’ryoku | Kou
Pride | Cooperation | Light
The vice of pride refers to the desire to stand alone - to be "self-made" or "avoid burdening others" with one's own problems. Great things are done arm in arm, and though an individual may be the keystone, they alone do not make the arch.

Earth

慾望 | 無私 | 地
Yoqu’bo | Mu’shi | Tsu’chi
Indulgence | Selflessness | Earth
The vice for this Path can be many words, but the concept is the same: thinking only of what one has to gain from others, and never about their well-being or needs. The most virtuous of this lower path are actually the closest to The Mana of any, for if a selfish figure is indifferent to others' needs, then one who cares deeply for others has a heart ready to accept virtue.

Life

恐怖 | 勇気 | 生
Qyo’fu | Yu’qi | Sei
Fear | Bravery | Life
Perhaps the most straightforward of the vices and virtues, the vice of fear is understood by all beings. Should this rush of instinct stay one's feet, they have experienced its vice. Fearlessness is not the same as bravery, however; one must understand and accept the existence of a threat before they can truly face it.

Darkness

物慾 | 雅量 | 暗
Monyo’ku | Ga’ryo | Ahn
Gluttony | Generosity | Darkness
Unlike Earth, which deals in metaphysical desires, even such as control over a resource, thie vice of Darkness' Path, "gluttony" or "greed" refer to physical things. In the world The Mana and these teachings are native to, metal is scarce. A metal City of Darkness, then, is the perfect temple to test those overrun with a tendency to hoard valuables.

Fire

迫害 | 正義 | 炎
Haqu’gai | Sei’gi | Ho’noh
Persecution | Righteousness | Fire
Persecution as a vice refers to the desire to, or act of, enslaving or oppressing others. Righteousness, so often skewed and debated, refers to what is in the interest of the greater good for all things. Sometimes violence is necessary in a natural world requiring balance, but one must always ensure that actions in the name of justice are done with the best of intentions and abundance of council.

Enlightenment

愛
Mana
This symbol was considered taboo by the time The Hollows who invented it died out. To them, in their society, no creature but one who truly embodied every virtue could understand it. Simply translated, it is "love," but it implies the practice of every virtue at once, with the absence of all vice. In time, it has become synonymous with enlightenment and the deity bound to The Mana, found at the center of Her tattooed seal, and rarely ever seen.

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