D&D Young Justice: M'gann M'orzz

Making Kaldur'ahm was extremely fun. Like exceedingly. And satisfying too. It was like finally playing with a PC you created and seeing them work perfectly. Like planning your main months before the MMO comes out and then when you play it's perfect. I want more of this feeling. I'm going to create the rest of the animated young justice main crew.

No one else is quite as standard fantasy as Kaldur, but that just means I'm going to have to be more creative. I might even have to give up trying to not change the flavor of the classes from that presented in the PHB. That's a long way off however because Wizards just released a perfect race for my challenge this week. 

First, who is the character I'm creating? Hello, Megan! It's M'gann M'orzz a.k.a. Ms. Martian. Another Young Justice character, she gets most of her powers from simply being a Martian. She and her uncle are similar to superman in that way. However, instead of being weak to kryptonite she is weak to heat. A little more common. Most martian powers boil down to telepathy, telekinesis, shape shifting, and its cooler cousin density shifting. 

Like I said earlier, Wizards made my job easier by releasing the Changeling class last week. Officially M'gann can also shift her clothes, but this works so well, that I don't really see an issue. So the race covers the cosmetic shape shifting, but what about the rest? Well to get telekinesis and telepathy and better shape shifting we are going to need to go arcane caster. M'gann doesn't study anything and she is extremely charismatic, so probably Sorcerer or Warlock. Looking at both options I really like the Warlock pact for all the telepathy and stuff, but the sorcerer chassis as a whole for being more powerful and having that innate feel to it. Her background is oh jeez this is hard, I want to say charlatan although see if your DM will let you switch sleight of hand for insight. She is good at reading people, not so much at stealing. 

Alright, since this is Homebrew Monday (I need a better name for this still), I'll cave and homebrew an Outsider origin for the Sorcerer class. I think it will give most of the easier telepathy stuff, and we'll leave the shape shifting to spells. Will this character be as powerful as the real M'gann? Heck no, but that's okay because this is D&D; we're lower on the power scale.

New Sorcerous Origin: Outsider Influence

Your innate magic comes from the influence of beings outside reality mingling with you or your bloodline. You might have been rescued from an assault by psychic aberrations and their warped magic warped you on accident. Instead, you may have sought out rituals and favors from these beings to not just borrow their power, but to change you forever. Some sorcerers with this origin are aliens themselves, or have the blood of aliens running through them.  No matter how you got this power, it strengthens your mind and your will. It runs through you, altering your physiology and psychology, for good or ill. In Eberron, I'm thinking influence for Xoriat or Dal'Quor could both work well to cause this bloodline. 

Cerebral Transmission

At 1st level, when you choose this origin, the alien influence allows your mind to connect with others. You gain telepathy out to 60 feet of you. You don't need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathic communication; however, if the creature doesn't speak a language, you only gain a feeling of its general emotions. 

Alien Form

The magic that flows through your body allows it to shift and bend in unforeseen ways. Your melee reach is extended by 5 feet, and you gain advantage on Dexterity checks to escape grapples or bonds. 

Mental Backlash

At 6th level, your experience fending off others thoughts has strengthened your will; you gain proficiency with Wisdom saving throws. In addition, whenever you succeed on a Wisdom or Charisma saving throw, you can spend 1 sorcery point as a reaction to either deal 2d10+sorcerer level damage to whatever creature forced you to make that save, or to instead make it take psychic damage equal to the damage inflicted upon you.

Perfect Adaptation

At 14th level, you no longer need to breathe and you have immunity to the poisoned condition and to poison damage. You also learn to survive in different environments. As an action, you can spend 1 sorcery point to gain a swim speed or 2 sorcery points to gain a fly speed. Whichever you choose, the new speed equals twice your current speed and lasts for 1 hour. 

Psychic Superiority

At 18th level whenever you cast a spell of 1st-level or higher that requires the creature to make a Wisdom or Charisma save, you can also make that creature take 1d10 psychic damage per spell level on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. This is in addition to any damage the spell already deals. 

What I'm thinking: Alright, this might be crazy overpowered, but I don't care, because I think the sorcerer origins are a bit under-powered. Mental Link gives her telepathy and DM fiat can make it group telepathy with her facilitation. At one point, it also gave her access to vicious mockery, but she doesn't like using telepathy for fighting in the show, so I scrapped it; well at least not always, so I figure we leave psychic damage for the real spells. Alien form gives her some more shifting, as does perfect adaptation. Mental strength and psychic superiority are likely super unbalanced, but I think super flavorful and the first one won't come up very much and the second is 18th level so should be a pretty big deal. 

Alright, I decided she needs a good force telekinetic cantrip. 

New Spell for Sorcerers and Wizards

Mage Slap

Evocation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

You quickly summon a hand of force to slap a creature. Make a ranged spell attack against a creature in range; on a hit, you deal 1d6 force damage to that creature and it cannot take reactions until the start of your next turn.  

   This spell's damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).

Alright, it's time to bring out M'gann.

M'gann M'orzz

Level 1 Changeling Sorcerer
Background: Charlatan
Str 8 (-1), Dex 11 (0), Con 14 (+2)
Int 12(+1), Wis 13(+1), Cha 16(+3)
HP 8, AC 10, HD 1d6
Saves: Con +4, Cha +5
Speed: 30 feet.
Languages: Common, Undercommon, Elvish, Telepathy to 60 feet
Skills: Arcana +3, Deception +5, Insight +3, Persuasion +5, Stealth +2

Reach of 10 feet with melee
Quarterstaff  +1, 1d6-1 bludgeoning, versatile d8
Dagger +2, 1d4 piercing, range 20/60
Mage Slap +5, 1d6 force, 60 ft. opponent can't make reactions

Sorcerous Origin: Outsider Influence (Cerebral Transmission, Alien Form)
Cantrips: blade ward, friends, mage hand, mage slap
1st-level spells: shield, sleep

Gear: Quarterstaff, component pouch, explorer's pack, two daggers, a set of fine clothes, a disguise kit, papers for Megan Morse.

Leveling up M'gann
Ability score improvements should up Charisma and Wisdom
Spell choices should focus around shape shifting yourself, telekinesis, and telepathy
(alter self, levitate, fly, detect thoughts, dominate/hold blank, polymorph)