Monstrous Empowerment

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you undergo rituals to take on features that rival the monstrosities of this world.

You gain the following benefits.

Natural Armor. Your skin grows hard like a carapace, taking on a hue of your choice. While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Natural Weapons. You grow one or more of your choice of claws, horns, hooves, or hard, sharp ridges along your forearms and shins. These count as melee weapons with the light property that deal 1d6 of an appropriate damage type. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of these weapons.

Additionally, small spines grow from your back and shoulders. When you make an attack, you can rip off one such spine and treat it as a ranged weapon with the light and thrown property and a range of 30/120 feet that deals 1d6 piercing damage. A spine that's removed grows back in mere seconds.

Starting at 7th level, these weapons count as magical, and at 11th level, their damage die increases to 1d8.

Bridled Instincts. As your reservoir of magical energy fluctuates, so does the restraints you have on the alien changes to your body and mind. While you have spell slots remaining, you are immune to any spell or effect that would alter your form if you are unwilling to do so. When you have no spell slots left, the mutations you've unleashed on yourself intensify, while your mental acuity diminishes. Your natural weapons deal 1d4 additional damage, and you have disadvantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration and on ability checks and saving throws using Intelligence.

Instinctive Warding

At 7th level, you can use your magical energy to ward yourself in times of trouble. When you fail a saving throw against a spell or area effect (like a cleric's sacred flame or a dragon's fiery breath), you can use a reaction to expend a spell slot and reroll the saving throw, adding the spell slot level to the number rolled.

Feral Takedown

Starting at 11th level, you emulate the savageness of wild monsters. As a bonus action, if you move at least 20 ft. straight toward a creature, you can ram into it, impaling it with your spikes. You must make an attack roll using your choice of Dexterity and Strength, and if you hit, you deal 1d6 piercing damage per 10 feet moved directly before the attack. If the target is your size or smaller, it's knocked prone.