Sorcerous Origin: The Afflicted

#### Sicker Than They Thought

Not all innate spellcasting reveals itself as a blessing; yours is a result of a magical affliction. Perhaps you’ve only recently developed your magical potency after catching a Magus Virus while you were looting an abandoned Lich Cave. Perhaps your parents attracted the ire of an itinerante arcanist, who then cursed you out of revenge. Or perhaps you mistakenly pitched camp at the meeting of a few unfortunate ley lines. You may even have a parasite working through you. Whatever the case, the magic is with you, and it seems to be here to stay.

#### A Furtive Secret

Citizens of Meradyne don't react well to the sight of an individual with an aggressive illness, so many of The Afflicted prefer to cover up their more obvious symptoms through various means, whether a mundane Disguise Kit or more involved self-altering spells. Maybe one might over-apply perfumes to cover up that scent of ozone, or play music loudly when in town to drown out the scaly rasping of the creature beneath your skin. But the largest mountain for The Afflicted to climb is fellow party members--how do you tell them? Who can you trust with your deadly secret? How can you convince them they aren't in any danger of catching your illness? And can even you be certain they truly are safe?

#### Foregone Conclusion

Eventually, The Afflicted all come to the realization that, however long their life may happen to be, this magical disease will kill them in the end. Perhaps you are in denial at the realization, and you imagine, hey, this will clear up eventually. Maybe your limited time has filled you with a burning wrath that consumes all who would stand against you in your days' dusk. Some turn to religion or medicine, doing acts of service to the gods or paying tonnes of coin in an attempt to purge oneself of the ailment. A bleak despondency settles on some, filling the sufferer with apathy and exhaustion. Others simply accept their lot in life and move on with a deep hunger for friendship and connection before their time on this mortal coil ends. This are simply roleplaying suggestions for your character; take them or leave them.

### Nature of the Unnatural

At 1st level, you decide the nature in which your affliction presents itself. Each type of affliction has its benefits.

##### Affliction Characteristics

 Curious Scent
 Intangible Companion
 Arcane Venting
 Mood Music
 Ocular Oddity
 Creeping Covering

These terms are intentionally vague, as the player is encouraged to personalize these afflictions.

### Dreadful Infection

You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Clockwork Spells table. Each spell counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. These spells can’t be replaced when you gain a level in this class.

Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be an abjuration or a transmutation spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list.

Afflicted Spells
 3
 5
 7
 9

### Defensive Dynamo

Your affliction is committed to protecting itself, which means it’s committed to protecting its host (you) as well. You may use your reaction to expend a sorcery point and change any type of saving throw to a charisma saving throw, as your affliction manifests to protect its interests.

### The Four Humours

Starting at 6th level, you may choose Blood, Choler, Black Bile, or Phlegm as the locus of your affliction for that day. You may choose a different option the next morning- your affliction isn’t choosy.

##### Humours and Their Effects

 Choler
 Black Bile
 Phlegm

### Metastasis

Things are getting out of hand. Starting at 14th level, you may choose another trait of your evolving affliction from the table below.

Affliction Characteristics
 Amorphous Pupils
 Crowning Colony
 Maw and Straw
 Gravity Well
 Seizing Lash
 Weeping Skin
 Dimensional Meld

### Ravenous Parasite

At 18th level, your affliction has become unquenchably ravenous, lashing out to ensnare creatures and objects around its host. You may expend five sorcery points to cast the spell True Polymorph. This spell stems from your indwelling affliction, and therefore has its own individual concentration check that is not affected by casting another spell. However, if you choose to cast another True Polymorph spell alongside this one, that will consume your primary concentration pool; your beleaguered mind can only take so much.