Path of the Tarnished

Life.
Life finds a way.
Even in the darkest corners of the cosmos, where evil lurks and tries to ruin all that is good in the world, things change. It happens slowly, bit by bit, but the thing about life is that it survives. You may be familiar with the term, ‘survival of the fittest', and most take that to mean ‘the strongest survives’ - but the truth is that it has nothing to do with strength. It just has to do with being the best adapted for the environment.
Sometimes, it simply needs to embroil itself in the madness, to become a part of the madness itself and master it.
We’ve long observed the ‘Crimson Plague’ as some have started to coin it infest all manner of things - people, beasts, and things alike. If it is something the mold can cling to and spread Shuriig’s mind-altering influence, it will. It finds its way into the nooks and crannies of everything, like a rot.
And yet, because life is such a resilient, multi-faceted thing, it learns to adapt. It all started with a lone hellwasp, a larva bathing in the river styx when it was exposed. We don’t know why, but the Crimson Plague cannot spread through the waters, and those who live in it find themselves astoundingly immune. This wasp, once it reached maturity, was mutated… still infested, but it had full control of itself and its will. It began to produce a silver honey, a honey that when consumed imparts the same altered strain. With the assistance of the blood hunters and their monstrous techniques, we’ve found ways to temper this in a way that’s usable to individuals both strong of heart and of mind, but warn that ultimately, you are turning yourself into a monster, and while it does grant you freedom from Shuriig’s influence to use it against theirs and the Usurper’s forces, it only prolongs what may otherwise be inevitable. There is a good chance you’re shortening your lifespan considerably if you take this path, moreso if you use it to its fullest extent.
To join this path, you must travel to The Silver Hive and gain audience with Vetis. Vetis will not try to stop you, but will warn you of both the changes you will experience and the temptation to give in and take more power. Even it is known to feel that urge now and again. You will not be able to go back to what you were, never again, even if you are somehow returned to your original state in some unlikely future. The memories will always be there. The temptation to do it again. If you still accept this fate, Vetis will offer to you its Silver Honey, which you must imbibe. After consuming it, you fall unconscious and begin to roll death saving throws as the transformation begins. On three successes, you gain the traits of the Tarnishing as detailed below. On three failures, you die. If you're willing, Vetis will resurrect you and permit you to retry as many times as you desire.

The Tarnishing

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
When you become Tarnished, your blood is mixed with a silver parasite that invades every fiber of your body, regardless of whether you are made of flesh or steel. As the silver pushes to the surface of your skin, it gains a mottled appearance not unlike tarnished silver, hence the name. Despite its origins as a product of Vetis's creation, you must understand this is no less a mark of Shuriig's invitation into your mind, body, and soul, which will try to invade and control you at every opportunity in order to take everything you know or love and destroy it. Fortunately, Vetis's interventions have drastically slowed this invasion, but your personal health and well-being are no less at risk.
A Tarnished gains the following Resonance properties:

• Creator (Aberration). Your physical appearance (initially) remains as it once did, but is now covered in silver vein-like cracks. This is the precursor to your Corruption. Your creature type is Aberration.
• History (Sinister). Your unnatural presence instills a sense of distinct unease that most folk can pick up on even if you look completely ordinary. Common folk, beasts, and people unaware of your condition or disposition are likely to treat you with suspicion, if not outright hostility.
• Minor Property (Sentinel, Unbreakable). When an aberration or fiend (demon) come within 120 feet of you, you can hear the Dark Power's utterance guiding them like a whisper in your ear (they are otherwise unintelligible, or reminiscient of ringing bells). You cannot be dismembered (though this does not prevent you from taking damage). In the event you die, your body hardens and turns to silver. You are considered petrified in this state. Abberations and demons may be attracted to the area around your corpse for unknown reasons.
• Quirk (Hungry). You have acquired a ghoulish sense of hunger, craving raw meat and fresh blood to survive. You can get by on other types of food, but you must eat twice as much to gain the same benefit. If you fail to eat enough between rests, you gain a level of exhaustion.

In becoming Tarnished, there are some traits that are common from one individual to the next. The rest tend to be wildly different, known as Mutations. Those traits you have in common with other Tarnished are as follows:

• Corruption. Certain effects cause you to gain levels of Corruption, explained in the next section. If an effect would cause you to gain a level of Corruption, consult this chart as needed. If an attack or ability you use specifies it deals "X" damage, replace the X with your current Corruption level. For example, if an effect states "deal Xd6 damage", and your Corruption level is 3, the effect would deal 3d6 damage.
• Abyssal Armor. You gain resistance to cold, fire, and lightning damage. While unarmored, add twice your Corruption level to your Armor Class.
• Corrupted Stinger. You gain a sting. It is your discretion how your sting manifests, but it is a part of you (for example, you might now have a barbed tail, or perhaps a retractable spike hidden within your arm). You may conceal (or reveal) this stinger as a bonus action. The sting has the same properties as a rapier, but additionally has the reach property, is considered to be both adamantine and silvered for the purposes of overcoming resistances, and deals an additional 2d4 acid damage on a hit for every level of Corruption you currently have. If you critically fail an attack with this weapon, you gain a level of Corruption.
• Greater Telepathy. You have telepathy out to a range of 5 miles, and may communicate freely with a creature you are familiar with or can sense within this range. The creature may reply telepathically if you choose to allow it, provided the creature can speak or understand at least one language.
• Relentless. You gain immunity to the exhausted condition, except for levels of exhaustion gained as a result of your Hungry trait.
• Silver Magic. Your connection to Shuriig gives you its ability to conjure spells and spell-like effects into being at the expense of your psyche. You no longer require an arcane focus, holy symbol, or other similar item to cast spells. Choose a cantrip and up to three levels' worth of spells; the spells may be any level, so long as they do not total more than three (for example, a 3rd level spell, or three 1st level spells, or a 2nd level spell and one 1st level spell). You learn these spells, which do not count against your spells known. Whenever a spell you cast would require you to spend a spell slot, you can choose to ignore this requirement and instead choose one of the following options:
  • Take damage equal to the spell's level times your largest hit die, plus your Corruption level for each die rolled. For example, if your largest hit die is a d10 and you cast a 5th level spell, and your Corruption level is 3, you would take 5d10+15 damage. Damage you take this way cannot be negated or reduced in any way.
  • Roll a d20. If the result is less than 14 + your Corruption level, you gain a Corruption level.

You also gain the following abilities:

• Anxiety. As a bonus action on your turn, spend any number of your remaining hit die. Roll each die, and take psychic damage equal to the result. A creature telepathically connected to you or actively reading your mind when you use this ability takes half the damage rolled. When you use this ability, you can choose to either gain a random Short-Term Madness effect or gain a level of Corruption.
• Corrupt. Whenever you grapple a creature or deal psychic damage to a creature within range of your telepathy (5 miles), you can use your reaction to force the creature to make an Intelligence saving throw against your spell save DC (Intelligence) or suffer on of the below effects (your choice). Aberrations and demons succeed automatically on this save.
  • The creature is incapacitated as it begins to babble incomprehensibly for the next 1d10 minutes. It may repeat its save at the end of each minute, ending this effect on a success and becoming immune to it for the next 24 hours.
  • The creature is charmed by you until it gets more than 60 feet away from you.
• Panic. As a reaction to taking psychic damage, you can cause all creatures within 30 feet of you to also take that damage plus five times your Corruption level. You can shield a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus from this effect.
• Protective Thrall. As a reaction to being hit by an attack, you can cause a creature within 10 feet of you that is also charmed by you to be hit by the attack instead as it throws itself in harm's way.
• Withdrawal. As an action on your turn, your movement is reduced to 0, and you cannot take any action other than ending this effect on a later turn (you may still use reactions, provided they do not require you to physically move in any capacity). While in this state, all damage you take is considered psychic damage instead, and you recover HP at the end of each of your turns equal to your largest hit die. When this effect ends, you can choose to either gain a random Short-Term Madness effect or a level of Corruption.

Corruption

No matter how you cut it, you have willingly ingested a parasite intent on killing you, but subdued enough to prevent it from doing so outright. Still, it has its perks. At the end of a long rest, a character can choose to gain a random Long-Term Madness and roll a d20. On a roll of 15 or higher, you lose a level of Corruption. On a roll of 20, you lose two. On a roll of 1, you gain a level of corruption instead.
Whenever your Corruption advances, you gain any of its new properties in addition to previously obtained properties. If you lose a level of Corruption, you lose any properties dependent on reaching that level of Corruption. At any time, you can choose to enter a Silver Rage. Whenever you do so, choose a number between 1 and 5. You Corruption level is immediately increased to the chosen level (it does not decrease if the number you choose is less than your current Corruption level), and you may choose a number of Lesser and Greater Mutations equal to the number chosen. You may not choose more than three Lesser Mutations, and you may not choose more than two Greater Mutations. Corruption levels cannot be reduced below the chosen number until a number of days equal to the chosen number of have passed, during which the chosen features persist. Afterward, whenever you reduce your Corruption level, you lose mutations in order of Greater to Lesser.

Dormant (Level 0)

Your Corruption has only begun.

Itching (Level 1)

Hit points regained by healing or spending hit die are halved, but you now have twice as many hit die. Adjust your maximum hit points to reflect this.

Awakening (Level 2)

You no longer need to sleep, and cannot be forced to sleep by any means. Your body develops additional eyes, sufficient to see in any direction and permitting you to remain awake and alert at all times. You must still avoid doing anything more strenuous than light activity to gain the benefits of a rest.

Evolving (Level 3)

You (painfully) develop spiked growths all over your body. At the start of each of your turns, these spikes deal Xd4 piercing damage to a creature you are grappling, or to a creature who is grappling you.
Additionally, choose one of the below options. Your choice cannot be changed even after you lose and later regain this level of Corruption.

• You sprout aquatic adaptations, like fins and gills. You gain a swimming speed equal to twice your walking speed and can breathe underwater.
• You gain a climb speed equal to your walking speed. You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside-down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Destabilizing (Level 4)

You begin to constantly and painfully molt and shed.
Additionally, choose one of the below options. Your chocie cannot be changed even after you lose and later regain this level of Corruption.

• Your arms are distorted, elongated, or turned into tentacles. When you make a melee attack on your turn, increase your reach by 5 feet.
• Your bones and organs become gelatinous. You can move through a space as narrow as 6 inches wide without squeezing. Creatures around you smell the distinct scent of sulfur.
• A toothy mouth appears on your stomach, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you dealing piercing damage equal to Xd6 + your Strength modifier, and the target is considered grappled by you. While grappling a target this way, you cannot use this attack on other creatures, but may automatically deal its damage to a grappled target at the start of each of your turns.

Silver Resonance (Level 5)

Your blood flows liquid silver. Your eyes rot out and dim octarine light burns in the sockets, granting you blindsight out to 30 feet. Additionally, gain two additional spell slots of the highest level you can cast (to a maximum of 5th level). If you don't have spell slots, your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to twice your level.

Metamorphosis (Level 6)

You immediately fall unconscious and begin to roll death saving throws. On three successes, your Corruption level is reduced by one. On three failures, instead of dying, you become a monster under the GM's control. Please ping a staff member if this happens, because we want to be there.

Silver Rage Mutations

As mentioned in the Corruption section, at any time you can enter a Silver Rage. When you do so, choose a number 1 - 5. In addition to the other effects of entering Silver Rage, you may choose a number of mutations from the below lists equal to the number chosen (no more than three Lesser Mutations, and no more than two Greater Mutations). These mutations remain until your Corruption level begins to decrease, at which point you lose Greater Mutations first, followed by Lesser Mutations. You may choose different mutations each time you enter your Silver Rage.

Purification

There are only three methods of being released from this path: defeat Shuriig, become a fiend, or undergo the Purification ritual.

• In the event Shuriig is defeated, we have reason to believe Tarnishing will go with it. Anyone who’s taken this path will be returned to the life they knew before taking the path, though likely, the scars (both physical and mental) will remain.
• The act of becoming a fiend prompts an individual to pass through the River Styx. We don't know how or why, but the mind wiping effects of the river seem to act as a natural deterrent for Shuriig's influence. I mean, you could take a dip without becoming a fiend... but then you'll forget everything about who or what you ever were before jumping in. 
• Otherwise, for those who undergo the ritual, you will be faced with a difficult trial. You will be pitted against the monster within you in one-on-one combat. If you win, you’re free. If not… well, you won’t know the difference, anyway.