The Psion and its subclasses got an update in the newest Unearthed Arcana. And the new Metamorph is all about ch-ch-ch-changes.
The Metamorph subclass is one time where you won’t just turn to face the strange, you will be the change. Specifically you’ll be the change you wish to see in the world, so long as the change you wish to see is your body becoming a psionically enhanced weapon. And not metaphorically, literally, because this is the same subclass that introduced the phrase “viscera launcher” to D&D 5.5E. A horrible gift, but one that can never be returned.
In the newest Unearthed Arcana, the Metamorph gets a few tweaks that make it much more suited to its role as a close-in combatant who can supplement their flesh weapons with psionic spellcraft. We’ll be taking a closer look at what’s new, what’s improved, and what’s still fleshy and gross about the updated Metamorph.
The Updated Metamorph – Don’t Worry, You Can Still Launch Your Viscera
In fact, a lot of the bones, pun intended, are still right where they were the last time the Psion got an Unearthed Arcana. The core feature is still Organic Weapons, but now it actually does what you’d want it to. WotC removed the restriction that your limbs return to their normal form after you make an attack with them.
And that right there shows the power of flavor. Because all this does is let you say that your character made a bone blade and it sticks around—it didn’t even used to take an action to activate your Organic Weapons. But flavor is powerful.
And the ability still defines the Metamorph. You still can pick a Bone Blade (rapier with pack tactics built in), Flesh Maul (one handed 1d10 weapon that gives disadvantage on Str and Con saves), or Viscera Launcher (flesh crossbow that deals 1d6 acid damage, and once per turn can deal an extra 1d6 acid damage). And you still want to get in there and mix it up.
In fact, you have more tools than ever to do this. Mutable Form, the other 3rd level feature, has seen a pretty hefty buff. It replaces the former Extended limbs, and grants you an extra Psionic Energy Die (+ Intelligence Modifier) of temporary hit points whenever you spend a die to activate it. Doing so gives you 5 feet of extra reach, 5 feet of extra speed, and you can cast Touch spells out to 10 feet for a minute. Not bad for a psionic brawler.
It gives you some good self-healing/sustainability. Because the Metamorph is in a weird position. It only has a d6 hit die, but definitely wants to be in melee range. Or at least viscera launcher range. And that means that you need more active defenses, because much like the Bladesinger, you really start to feel the difference in hit dice at higher levels. Speaking of which…
Higher Level Means an Even More Mutable Form
All that said, I don’t think the Metamorph is done cooking yet, and here’s why. The higher level features of the subclass all revolve around Mutable Form. And right now? It still feels pretty limiting. Even the Bladesinger (which still needs work, too) has a little more diversity. Actually, it’s not a bad comparison.
The Metamorph fulfills a similar role, right down to gaining the same Extra Attack feature at 6th level. This is the Gish’s extra attack: you can make two attacks, and if you want, you can cast one of your class-specific cantrips that has a casting time of one action in place of one of those attacks.
You also gain a new 6th-level feature, Flesh Weaver, is all about empowering your Mutable Form. Now you can spend two of your precious psionic energy dice to activate it, and if you do, you gain a +2 bonus to AC as well as the ability to boost your healing spells (cast with spell slots) by spending one of your Psionic Energy dice. Again, not bad – but there’s going to be a lot competing for those psionic energy dice.
At level 10, the Mutable Form benefits get even stronger, thanks to the imaginatively named Improved Mutable Form. This ability grants you a few different improvements that make your Mutable Form even stronger. They’re unchanged from the previous version, but in a nutshell, this makes your Mutable Form benefits last 10 minutes, and you can decide whether you increase your AC and become pliable, gain a bonus action dash and swim/climb speed, or gain an elemental damage resistance plus advantage on concentration checks.
Life-Bending Weapons
Finally, Life-Bending Weapons gets an upgrade. Now it lets you deal extra damage without spending a power die, and you have the option to spend one on a big area heal when you use your Organic Weapons.
All in all, not a bad place for the Metamorph. But it feels like it’s still struggling to find the right balance for “melee caster.” I like the ideas, but am not sure if the execution. But that’s just me! Your feedback can help change the shape of these subclasses, so keep an eye out for the feedback survey!
Time to go picture a viscera launcher!
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