Sharing is caring, but for real this time

Starting in 5.2, players will able to share not only fabricated consumables, but also armors and weapons, with their party members. This was always intended but  postponed until now due to technical reasons. I had to rewrite a whole bunch of conditions for weapons and armors to be functional on all party members.

New Passive: Xeno-Engineering

  • This passive is present on all Scrounger's fabricated weapons. When equipped, you are considered proficient with this weapon, it cannot be knocked out of your hand, and will return to you when thrown. If you are a Scrounger, this weapon will use your Intelligence modifier for its attacks. Otherwise, it will use Strength and Dexterity like a normal weapon.


Basic, but not useless

You may have noticed in 5.0.3, the basic harpoon got a new passive called Leviathan Hunter. The goal was to make the harpoon have a niche and not completely overshadowed by superior weapons. This philosophy is now extended to Makeshift Hand Crossbow, adding a new togglable passive to make it more fun to use.

New Passive: Caustic Distraction

  • A togglable passive granted by Makeshift Hand Crossbow. When toggled, you have disadvantage on attack rolls. When you miss an attack, if the target is affected by Acid or Caustic Brine condition, you break their concentration. 


Old, but new

Superior weapon also got touched, now they lean more into their respective elements.

Sunken Maul

  • Entities affected by Horrid Withering now cough out a poison cloud each turn, in addition to base effects.

Lung Impaler

  • Entities affected by Agonizing Infestation now vomit a puddle of acid each turn, in addition to base effects.


Capsules, capsules, capsules

A range of upgrades and quality of life changes were added to capsules, making them more fitting as biological horrors. I also made a green-ish background icon for Oozing Biomass and Malformed Experiment.

Capsule of a Meow

  • Changed the animation and ability icon of its Invisibility, making it appears more unique to this creature.

Capsule of Biomass

  • Removed stacking limit, you can now have multiple of them at the same time.
  • Can only be fabricated once per short rest now.
  • Can also be stacked with Palico Meow and Malformed Experiment.
  • Removed Silenced status effect from Foul Pseudopod.
  • New status effect: Toxic Overload.
  • Toxic Overload can be found on both its melee and ranged attack.
  • Entities affected by Toxic Overload have disadvantage on Constitution saves.
  • When a Toxic Overloaded creature takes damage with less than 50% of their max health remaining, they become Nauseatingly Confused for 2 turns.
  • New status effect: Nauseating Confusion.
  • Nauseating Confusion functions similar to normal confusion, but it can only affect each target once.
  • Foul Spit now creates a poison cloud in addition to an acid surface.

Capsule of Malformed Experiment

  • Added new icons for all of its abilities, making it more visually consistent.


Light the fuses

For a long time bombs have been the hardest to balance due to the container mechanic. In update 5.2, I finally decided to limit Superior Bombs Fabrication to once per long rest. This change allowed me to make some substantial buff to superior bombs.

  • All superior bombs gain two extra damage die.
  • New passive: Eldritch Intervention
  • Eldritch Intervention now replaces the standard Saving Throws on these bombs.
  • When making a saving throw, Eldritch Intervention ignores enemy proficiency bonus and ability modifiers, forcing them to have a 70% chance to fail to overcome the status effect from superior bombs.
  • Note that the initial explosion still uses your spell save dc.

Superior shells are now also limited to once per long rest. They did not get a huge buff because they are already powerful enough.

Shell of Absolute Zero

  • Zone of Absolute Zero has been renamed to Desolate Preservation.

Shell of Sonic Boom

  • Zone of Disturbance has been renamed to Resonating Aftermath.

Shell of Blast Furnace

  • Increased its damage by 2 die.


It's not always sunny in the world of mutation

Ever since 3.0 allowed mutation stacking, I felt like there needs some drawback. Having a substantial boost without comprise doesn't fit the mutation theme. I did the bare minimum in 5.0.3, but 5.2, both the positive effects and negative effects are more potent.

Mutagen of Heightened Sense

  • Darkvision increased to 24m, initiative bonus increased to 8
  • Gain advantage on perception check, and gain an extra reaction.
  • Gain immunity to Surprised and Sleep.
  • Removed immunity to Charmed.
  • Saving throw penalty under bright light increased to 1d4.
  • While under bright light, this mutagen also gives you disadvantage on concentrations.
  • This mutagen now makes a creature vulnerable to Thunder damage.

Mutagen of Musclemass

  • Strength bonus increased to 23, other positive effects unchanged.
  • Now reduce Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma by 2 each.
  • Removes Dexterity bonus to armor class.

Mutagen of Awakened Intelligence

  • Intelligence bonus increased to 27, other positive effects unchanged.
  • Now reduce Strength, Dexterity and Constitution by 4 each.
  • Removes Dexterity bonus to armor class.

Tonic of Perfect Mind

  • Removed bonus to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma
  • Critical threshold reduction reduced to 1, down from 2.
  • Spell save dc bonus reduced to 3, down from 4.
  • Now gives a massive boost to skill checks. Unless you roll a critical failure, it will almost always succeed.


Hazard Navigation Gears

Since they debut, they have been a great addition to the class, but were limited to Scrounger only. In 5.2, you can now share these equipment with your party, and that includes Chemical Support Tank, therefore, its special ability has to work for everyone.   

Chemical Support Tank

  • Mutagen of Unleased Beast has been renamed to Experimental Mutagen: Release the Beast.
  • While Release the Beast is active, grants the special action Instrument of Boundless Rage. Other effects unchanged.
  • New passive: Unstable Mutation.
  • When Chemical Support Tank is equipped by someone that is not a Scrounger, it will grant them Unstable Mutation: Motion-Assist Prosthesis and Unstable Mutation: Release the Beast.

Instrument of Boundless Rage

  • Channel your wrath and hurl an object and hypersonic speed, causing it to explode into a raging ball of fire on contact, dealing fire and force damage in a 4m radius aoe.
  • The main target will take normal throw damage from the object on top of this aoe.
  • Damage riders will apply to both the fire and force damage.
  • Send targets flying.
  • The tremendous force of this throw knocks both you and your targets prone.
  • Using this ability will end Release the Beast no matter how many turns it has left.

Unstable Mutation: Motion-Assist Prosthesis

  • This ability is only available if you are not a Scrounger and equip Chemical Support Tank.
  • Functionally equivalent to a level 1 Motion-Assist Prosthesis. Allows you to use throw as a bonus action, increase the effectiveness of Accursed Harpoon. However, it does not grant extra attack, bonus action or reaction.

Unstable Mutation: Release the Beast

  • Only available if you are not a Scrounger and equip Chemical Support Tank.
  • Functionally equivalent to Experimental Mutagen: Release the Beast. However, this can only be used once per long rest unlike the actual mutagen used by a Scrounger.


Speculative Evolution

Given the nature of the new items added in 5.2, Motion-Assist Prosthesis got another buff.

  • At level 6, in addition to the bonus action, Motion-Assist Prosthesis grants an extra reaction.

As for Optical Melanophores, I wanted to make it a toggle ability. I will use Deus Ex for example, when you active stealth field, instead of "you are invisible for 10 turns", it's "you are invisible until your energy depletes". This is basically what Optical Melanophores is now.

  • Upon activation, immediately drains 2 Morph Sludge, and 1 additional point every 5 turns afterwards.
  • When Morph Sludge depletes, the camouflage will linger for 1 turn.
  • When you succeed a saving throw against See Invisibility, you become immune to it for the rest of the duration.
  • Reworked invisibility check, instead of gradually increasing from DC15 to a higher and higher DC, now you have a 15% chance to fail on all actions.
  • When Optical Melanophores is active, you gain a temporary ability allowing you to deactivate the camouflage early.
  • No longer stacks with other invisibility effects or Pass Without Trace.

In the base game, Pass Without Trace combined with Greater Invisibility could achieve some pretty nutty effect, giving you 95% chance to remain invisible for about 10+ actions. Therefore I made a custom invisibility check for Optical Melanophores and give it a fixed 15% chance of failure. 



New Items, as per Tradition.

5.0 version launched without any new items, and I claimed this was because it's a balance focused patch. Now it feel like 5.2 is the actual 5.0 update.

Mumbling Echoes
A replica of a curiosity from a far away realm, its real copy now resides in the cult's museum. The scrounger who brought it back described a vast body of water in a seemingly endless cavern, where abyss and celeste blur their boundary, where captains brave the murky waves and connect the ports. Even in the darkest corner, civilizations still find a way.
  • Melee offhand shield, +2 bonus to AC.
  • New passive: Tale of Terror
  • When a foe hits you with a melee attack, you can use reaction to share a Tale of Terror with them.
  • If they succeed an Intelligence save, they will perceive the truth behind the story and become Horrified, and so do you.
  • Horrified is a condition that is also applied by Eldritch Dynamite pre 5.2.
  • If they fail an Intelligence save, they are briefly possessed and let out a Manic Laughter.
  • New status effect: Manic Laughter
  • Similar to Hideous Laughter, but does not use Wisdom save. Extract of Neurotoxin also use Manic Laughter instead of Hideous Laughter now.
  • New passive: Moment of Inspiration
  • Functionally equivalent to Lucky feat.
  • Unlike Lucky feat, Moment of Inspiration can only be used once per Short Rest.
  • New passive: Memory of Distant Shores
  • You are considered proficient with Shields, Spears and Tridents.

If "Tale of Terror", "Moment of Inspiration" and "Memory of Distant Shores" sound similar to you, they are references to a game called Sunless Sea, made by Failbetter Games, set in the universe of Fallen London. It's one of the most atmospheric games I have every played. If you don't mind lots of reading, I definitely recommend it. This shield uses the same model as Fossilized Shell, which I consider the best looking shield in the game and thought it was a shame there wasn't a better version of it. Well there is now.

Industrial Hand
A replica of a curiosity from a far away realm, its real copy now resides in the cult's museum. The Industrial Hand was a memorial commissioned by the city's aristocrats to celebrate the opening of the Grand Exhibition. When this delicately tinted cog churned out it first tune, the automatons went rogue and mutinied against those they were meant to serve. The promise of a golden age was over before it even begun.
  • Ranged offhand shield, +1 bonus to AC.
  • Note that shield AC don't stack, whichever is higher overwrites others.
  • New passive: Trajectory Reversal
  • You can spend a reaction and a bonus action to counter a ranged weapon attack, dampening the projectile's inertia and reducing its damage by an amount equals to 1d8 + Strength & Intelligence modifier,  then redirect and accelerate the projectile back to the attacker, dealing weapon damage + unarmed damage + 1d8 force damage.
  • New passive: Momentum Transfer
  • You can spend a reaction and a bonus action to counter a melee weapon attack, reducing its damage by an amount equals to 1d8 + Strength & Intelligence modifier, then transfer its momentum into a powerful retaliatory attack that deals weapon damage + unarmed damage + 1d8 force damage.
  • New passive: Compatible Cog
  • You are considered proficient with this shield and hand crossbows in general.

Partially inspired by Lies of P, made by the Korean studio Round 8. It's one of my favorite souls like so far, and I cannot wait to see more works from them. "The promise of a golden age is over" is a line I took from Deus Ex, for some reason that line stuck with me for so many years.

Paranormal-Temporal Manipulator
A tool you found in the underground laboratory of the college. The word underground might be an understatement, as the elevator ride felt like an eternity. In the middle of the room was a floating hourglass, with deceased researchers around it gesturing like worshippers. As you approached this device, a strange sensation washed over you. Past, present and future unfolded together, fragments of events sliced through your body, each triggering an explosion of emotions. You laughed, grieved and cried. You wished to fast-forward an embarrassing conversation, wished to rewind time to more innocent days, and wished to halt the world...at a moment you most treasure.
  • Can be used on yourself, allies or enemies.
  • New ability: Paranormal-Temporal Contraction
  • Contract the temporal flow of a creature, allowing it to take more actions.
  • Similar to Haste, but also gives +2 initiative and an extra reaction.
  • When the condition ends, there is a 70% chance it reverses into Paranormal-Temporal Dilation.
  • New ability: Paranormal-Temporal Dilation
  • Dilate the temporal flow of a creature, causing it to lag behind others.
  • Similar to Slow, but also imposes -2 penalty to initiative.
  • When the condition ends, there is a 70% chance it reverses into Paranormal-Temporal Contraction. 
  • New ability: Stasis
  • Halt the temporal flow of a target, making them immune to all damage, but prevents them from acting.
  • Entities trapped in stasis are immune to most status effects. If they are concentrating prior, the concentration will be broken.
  • When the condition ends, there is a 50% chance it flows into either Paranormal-Temporal Contraction or Paranormal-Temporal Dilation.

This item is an attempt to recreate Temporal Manipulation from Underrail, another one of my favorites. I spiced it up a little and made all three abilities more interactive with each other.

Signal Disruptor
A gift you received from some children, presumably an ordinary music box. According to the children, it was given to them by the infamous Vivisectionist, and were told to rotate the lever if the big bad evil guy starts muttering. The children did, and a crimson light brightened the alleyway, staggering the shadowy pursuer and bought the children enough time to escape. The children wished to return the item and thank the Vivisectionist, but the unlicensed doctor was nowhere to be found.
  • You might have guessed it based on the name, yes, it allows you to Counterspells.
  • That's all there is to it.


Fuel the Tools

With so many tools right now, all cost Structural Integrity, wouldn't it be nice to have more of them? I got you covered.

Strange Mending

  • Convert 1 Biofuel into 1 Structural Integrity.
  • No cooldowns, no action costs.

Article information

Added on

Edited on

Written by

KuaiBan

0 comments