Fringe

At 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you gain some knowledge of planar fringes, extradimensional spaces between planes of existence.

As an action on your turn, you can open a small tear in your current plane and move into a planar fringe for about 12 seconds, or until the end of your next turn. fringes appear as an endless black space, whose air feels dense and heavy like water, but remains breathable. While within a fringe, you can see the creatures, structures, and land of the plane you just left within 20 feet of you, represented as blurry, indistinguishable glowing figures. Beyond this distance you can perceive the general form of things, but they appear substantially more blurry and difficult to focus on. You can't interact with things upon the plane, and simply pass through them, allowing you to move through otherwise solid surfaces. You can move freely within a fringe on your turn, though the thick atmosphere causes it to be difficult terrain. You can exit a fringe prematurely as a bonus action. When you would emerge from a fringe within an occupied space, you instead simply emerge in the nearest unoccupied space.

While you are within a fringe, creatures on the plane you left can't see or hear you, and you are not affected by anything upon that plane.

You gain one use of this feature at 3rd level, and again at 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. All expended uses are replenished when you finish a long rest

Emerging Swipe

At 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you learn to strike at your enemies when exiting a planar fringe. If you exit a fringe as a bonus action on your turn, your first melee attack on this turn is considered a sneak attack and deals additional force damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Ether Strike

At 9th level, you begin to learn techniques for interacting with corporeal beings from within a fringe.

While you are within a fringe, you can use a bonus action to make a single unarmed strike targeting one of the glowing figures of a creature. On a hit the target takes psychic damage equal to 1d4 + your Wisdom modifier, and must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw whose DC equals 8 + your proficiency Bonus + your Wisdom modifier. On a failed save, the target is stunned until the beginning of your next turn, as its mind and self are assaulted from beyond. This unarmed strike can't benefit from your sneak attack feature.

Ethereal Escape

When you reach 13th level, you learn learn to retreat into a fringe extremely quickly when in danger. After you make a successful Dexterity saving throw as a result of being targeted by a damaging effect, you can use your reaction to expend a use of your fringe feature and retreat into a fringe until the end of your next turn.

Fringe Endurance

By 17th level, you are a master of fringe navigation. You can remain within a fringe for up to 1 minute each time you enter one.

Fringe Seeker v0.5

This version of the Fringe Seeker is a work in progress and in need of review.

Art

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All uncredited art is from DMsGuild Free Creators Resources.

Background

This subclass is one I'm working on for an upcoming compendium. The concept comes partially from characters like the X-Men's Nightcrawler, and partially from the general idea of the blink spell.

Balancing the ability to use the Fringe ability was difficult. I wanted it to be useful and a large part of the subclass, but it does provide a lot of benefits. I hope that the 1 to 4 uses structure shown here is reasonable for the power.

By 17th level I realize that a rogue could simply live within the fringe for 10 rounds at a time, hitting opponents with their Ether Strike each round. While this is certainly powerful, they are limited to only a maximum of 1d4 + Wis damage each turn, and the possibility of a stun until they emerge, so it's still a good idea for them to emerge. This coupled with the limited usage of fringe leads me to believe that most Rogues will not linger within the fringe for that full 10 rounds.

The true purpose of the longer fringe time is for stealth operations and remaining hidden from enemies who could see even invisible threats. The 1 minute time allows for more flexibility in this scenario, though even the 12 second limit is somewhat useful for that purpose.

I hope you enjoy this weird vanishing rogue!

/u/SubjectiveSloth

My Other Works:

• Bloodrager and Whirlwind Barbarian Paths
• Spell Rarity System
• Tiefling Subraces for the Lords of the Nine
• Siren and Rusalka monsters
• Thediem, Master of Everything
• The Mechanist subclass for the UA Arteficer
• For Honor subclasses for 5e
• Naeris, The Mythic Dragon Monster
• Tieflings Reimagined
• Trapper Rogue
• Fey-Touched Sorcerer
• Inner Self Monk
• Elemental Barbarian
• Bard College of Doors
• Nomad Class
• Fringe Seeker Rogue
• Way of Balance Monk
• Non-Human Aasimar Variants
• Bard College of Flavor

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