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The Keeper Class: Bind with a Symbiote, Transform & Terrify Your Enemies!Click to magnify
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The Keeper Class: Bind with a Symbiote, Transform & Terrify Your Enemies!

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Not all power is wholly natural… Keepers are adventurers who, by fate or fortune, find and bind with a symbiote - an entity (either organic, mechanical, or arcane) of great power. Through their symbiotic bond, the symbiote & adventurer gain strength together, able to assume a Hybrid form of remarkable power.

A keeper’s strength doesn’t come from studying books or years of training, but from the combination of the symbiote’s great power and the keeper’s own force of character - which they must use to remain in control of their wrathful counterpart.

The Keeper is a full character class with progression from levels 1-20. It includes four distinct Evolutionary Callings (subclasses), and over 30 possible adaptations to choose from. Not only does it provide new gameplay opportunities, through unique combat mechanics for players, but also an interesting roleplaying opportunity in portraying a character contending with the symbiote they are now linked to, in both life and death - a symbiote which might have a very different outlook or set of goals than their host. 

 

The Subclasses

Play as an Assimilator - stealing your enemies strength, making it your own, and using your fluid morphology to ensnare and engulf your enemies, draining their very life force.

Or support your allies by following the Cooperation evolutionary calling, using your symbiotic link to connect your allies through a telepathic bond which allows you to share damage suffered, healing received, your own senses, and more.

Turn your attention against your enemies as a Corruptor, using your symbiote’s parasitic powers to bend enemies to your will or break them from within.

Or follow your path to becoming an apex predator by pursuing the evolutionary calling of Predation and evolving to become a monstrous, otherworldly foe capable of tearing your enemies apart without using any wieldy weapons.

 

Since the creation of this class there have been many updates and changes made to balance this out and it is currently undergoing even more playtesting (latest updates as of July 2nd, 2019!). I’ll be updating rapidly as I receive notes and comments so I hope you check out the Keeper if you’ve ever wanted to play a character that transforms into a terrifying monster, able to wreck havoc on the battlefield.

If you like the Keeper class you can find my other products on the DM’s guild, too!

  • Loreekeper’s Guide to Falconry: Options for players to become falconers, and train their own raptor companions (Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, Owls, Vultures & More!) in their adventures! Along with options for DMs to add Falconry into their worldbuilding and use Falconer adversaries against their players.

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Reviews (4)
Discussions (18)
Customer avatar
Anthony K June 06, 2023 11:01 pm UTC
PURCHASER
i would love to see you play around more with the Keeper as maybe a subclass based around Knull from king in black could be cool kindof like the corruption subclass but more focused on roleplay elements like controlling the tavernkeep with a symbiote you shoot out that envelops him and is now bonded with that tavernkeep who is now a mini keeper who you can control to lets say let you and your party sleep at the tavern for free,obvoisly there would be saves and penaltys involved but i think the idea of creating a bunch of mini symbiotes that you can decide to help npc's so later you can asert control over them sorta like benign cooperation in the cooperation subclass but almost like in the king in black where its in low levels just support and debuff but late game infecting cities and spreading your offspring to others to help and hinder them. Also i feel the 14th level ability for cooperation is just a bit bland as its just an extra way to support the other allies and not a more potent way your core ability of...See more
Customer avatar
Picard V June 03, 2022 9:38 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Hey,do you plan on working on the Keeper to further developp the class/correct missing things (at which level are cast the innate spells? Etc) ?
All in all the class is flavorful and very well designed, but maybe could received a little more text/clarifications
Customer avatar
Michael H February 07, 2022 12:12 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hi there, one of my players is wanting to play the predation subclass but I'm having concerns over the massive damage output + utility they can deal. Three 1d12 attacks plus charisma, with high speed, reach, and flight seems overpowered at level 5, easily able to take down any melee fighters with ease.
Doing a monks amount of attacks, with a monks speed, a barbarians resistance and damage die, a fighters hit die, relatively high ac, with a short rest 'shield' like ability, some other optional invocation-ish abilities that hold a lot of utility, and an unlimited use of fear that also grants advantage to your attacks against them so long as you get the killing blows, which doesn't sound terribly hard.

I love the flavor and mechanics of the class, feels very on point for a symbiote style of play, and the other subclasses seem more balanced at a glance but I'm struggling to see the balance of predation, am I missing something? Am I thinking about it too hard? What suggestions do you have to maybe...See more
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M February 07, 2022 11:26 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey, Michael! Thanks for writing. So, yes, the Predation subclass is definitely strong in combat, especially if optimized by a player in the way you describe. I'm going to address my thoughts on the balance first and then also give you some suggestions to tone it down if you still want to adjust it for your table.

1. Vulnerabilities
The vulnerability to Fire & Thunder are *huge* weaknesses. Resolving those weaknesses comes at the cost of some of the combat utility you describe. These vulnerabilities shouldn't be used to "punish" the player, but they should be felt!

2. Power Curve
I would look at this current bump as a temporary spike in Power Curve. Relative to some of the other classes you describe that continue to grow, a Predation Keeper's damage output will stay relatively stable unlike Monks who keep increasing their Martial Die and Barbarians' Rage Damage

3. Overall Utility
If a player is optimizing for combat they're missing a lot of...See more
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Customer avatar
Michael H February 08, 2022 6:46 am UTC
PURCHASER
Thanks for the reply! I totally forgot about wrath, and you're right about the power curve, the other classes do grow to meet the damage output although I still think three 1d12+5 attacks is pretty strong even for high level characters, A barbarians rage damage doesn't compete with a full third attack, but then again, a GWM barbarian would match a keepers damage (Without the drawbacks of GWM though)
however, one thing I realized is that Keepers can't benefit from magical weapons like a barbarian usually would, which is a pretty good balancer especially at later levels.

Thanks for the recommendations too! I think I'll take your suggestion and up the flight requirement to level 8.
My only other concern is the free fear plus the advantage on top of it, the way it's worded sounds like the victim never gets to remake their save, and can only shake it if they lose sight or move out of the 120ft range, is that intended? If so you can really cheese that with reach and sentinel.
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M February 08, 2022 6:52 am UTC
CREATOR
Hey! No, you're right about the fear on Fear Incarnate. That's an oversight on my part. As with most conditions an affected target should be able to attempt the save again at the end of each turn.
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Customer avatar
Michael H February 09, 2022 12:12 am UTC
PURCHASER
Awesome, Thanks for all your help! You've done a great job with the class and I'm excited to see the more roleplay side of situations this can open up with my players when we start the campaign, thanks again!
Customer avatar
Robert R December 02, 2021 8:50 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Vulnerability (especially fire, thunder less so) is a MAJOR negative for a player, less so for a NPC, because of how common the fire damage type is. Have you considered something along the lines of "taking fire/thunder damage give you disadvantage on attacks and ability checks until the end of your next turn" as well as adjusting the adaptations to remove that disadvantage?

As it stands now, I think those anti-vulnerability adaptations are too close to a "must have" and I'm not a big fan of losing optional customization to cover very serious flaws. Besides that, this is the best Venom/Symbiote class I've found so far. Keep up the good work!
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M December 03, 2021 5:51 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey, Robert! Thanks for the compliment on the work! You're definitely right that the vulnerability can be a major negative. I prefer vulnerability since it's easier to run / track at the table, but if you (as a player or DM) are feeling that it's too much of a drawback I'd encourage you to modify it for your own use. In my experience, the class is strong enough that the vulnerability helps to even it out a little bit and I'd hope that the other adaptations are tempting enough to pull players towards doubling down on their strengths rather than covering up their weaknesses.
Customer avatar
Christian M August 23, 2021 7:43 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Hey Jeremy,
I like the concept of the class but im confused. The class has spells but no spell slots why is that?
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M August 23, 2021 7:49 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey, Christian! It's possible you may have misread the class? A couple of the Evolutionary Callings (subclasses) & Adaptations offer spells as part of a feature, but The Keeper isn't a "spellcasting" class.
Customer avatar
Water D July 26, 2021 3:29 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hello Jeremy
Lovin the class but I noticed somthin, for divided minds it says you get all the features but for sentient awakening it mentions picking one, so which one of these is it?
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M July 27, 2021 5:53 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey! Good catch! So, in Sentient Awakening, it's referring to the *language* you choose in the Tongues feature of Divided Mind. Essentially it's just specifying that you *hear* the telepathy in that language.

You do get all the other features of Divided Mind as well, as specified in that section. Sorry for the unclear wording!
Customer avatar
Malachi W April 11, 2021 2:22 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hi Jeremy!

Great class, I am going to be playing it next week!
I was wondering how often did you intend the Symbiote Surge ability (in the Predation subclass) to be used per day? It seems to be missing that clarification. Or is it supposed to be able to be used as often as you want?

Thanks!

-Malachi
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Customer avatar
Malachi W April 11, 2021 6:47 am UTC
PURCHASER
Also, does Evolved Weaponry make your attack roll Charisma, or only the damage modifier?
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M April 11, 2021 3:31 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey Malachi! So excited for you to play the Keeper! Let's talk Predation!

1. Evolved Weaponry only does what it specifies. It allows you to use your Charisma for the damage modifier only.

2. Symbiote Surge has no limitations on its use! You can use it as often as you like. It was inspired by the Hunter-Ranger's "Whirlwind Attack". Obviously the reach potential of the class makes it rather powerful but that's part of what's special about the Keeper!

I hope you enjoy!


Customer avatar
Clinton C February 10, 2021 6:20 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I love this concept so much! Any chance to make a VTT version for Foundry?
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M February 10, 2021 11:36 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey, Clinton! Thanks! Unfortunately at this time I'm not planning on doing so, but maybe down the line!
Customer avatar
An W February 10, 2021 4:10 am UTC
PURCHASER
For some reason it won't open up to let me view the Keeper Class v1.2
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M February 10, 2021 4:12 am UTC
CREATOR
Hey, that's so strange! I'm not seeing any issues with the download. Feel free to reply here (or reach out to me on twitter, @JeremyMelloul) with your email address & I'll mail you a copy if the issue persists.
Customer avatar
Andrew L November 12, 2020 8:47 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I have yet to actually play it (Waiting on DM approval), but this is an incredibly in-depth and well written class, not something you'd expect from something being offered for nothing. This looks like it has the polish of an official class, but even some of the official classes don't feel as polished as this does, just reading it makes it feel like a blast to play, it has some really great boons, but it's balanced well with it's banes, which tend to be getting exhaustion, which is fine since so few things actually give it, it will be a detriment, but not usually life threatening, which is something 5th edition classes tend to dislike doing, giving power, but not at a cost. All in all, I can't wait to play this, it looks like it will be a character to remember
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M November 13, 2020 1:03 am UTC
CREATOR
Thank you so much for the kind words, Andrew! I hope your DM lets you play the Keeper and I hope you greatly enjoy the experience.
Customer avatar
kenneth B July 05, 2020 5:12 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I hope you don't mind I'm going to be making an animated series around your class
Customer avatar
Ken S May 22, 2020 2:51 am UTC
PURCHASER
Symbiotic Physiology seems to be cut off, I am not sure what comes after it in the cooperation tree
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M May 22, 2020 4:57 am UTC
CREATOR
Hey! Which version are you looking at? I'm looking at the latest upload and not seeing this issue. Feel free to reply here or @ me on Twitter (@JeremyMelloul) so I can get this fixed for you!
Customer avatar
Kaine H September 19, 2019 9:06 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I’ve been following this class for a while now, and it’s probably my favorite homebrew out there. However, I have a small question about the latest update; while most of the changes make sense and are welcome, why the change to Arachnid Morphology? It seems like it’s weaker now, and doesn’t actually live up to its name.
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M September 20, 2019 7:49 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey! First, thank you so much. You know, I'm reviewing it and I think you might be right about Arachnid Morphology. I made the change because I wanted to give a more permanent benefit to the class with the Adaptation so it felt really like a change in form as opposed to just a temporary transformation, but ultimately what makes Spider Climb really worthwhile are the benefits you get in conjunction with climb speed.

I think, depending on your game, I would rule as a DM to either grant the benefits of Spider Climb permanently or provide the player the option to choose between the general climb speed and the Spider Climb casting. That said, I'll probably switch this feature back in a future update.

Thanks for commenting!
Customer avatar
Roberto L August 11, 2019 9:10 am UTC
PURCHASER
I've been looking around to play a Venom-themed character for quite a while and, I must say, I'm really impressed with your work here. Definitely will try this out for one of my next games.
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M August 11, 2019 6:43 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey, thanks, Roberto! I hope you have a blast with the class & whatever character you create!
Customer avatar
Travis F August 05, 2019 4:48 am UTC
PURCHASER
So with the symbiotic weapon it uses the player's strength modifier for the attack roll even when they take the Predation calling by default right? Without a Adaptation.
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M August 05, 2019 5:04 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey, Travis! It uses your Strength for the modifier only with the other callings! One of the benefits of the Predation calling is that you get to add your Charisma modifier instead!
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Customer avatar
Travis F August 10, 2019 7:05 pm UTC
PURCHASER
For the attack roll and the damage roll?
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M August 11, 2019 7:34 am UTC
CREATOR
Yep! That's right! It's proficiency + Charisma modifier for the damage with the Predation calling & you get to add the Charisma modifier to your damage! The other callings use Strength, instead, and a smaller damage die.
Customer avatar
Spencer J July 08, 2019 10:16 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hey, great class! Absolutely love it and it goes so well with most D&D settings! The only thing: it seems that for Evolutionary Calling: Cooperation; the first two paragraphs talk about the Assimilation Subclass instead.
Other than that, great stuff! You should be very proud of this!
Reply
Customer avatar
Jeremy M July 09, 2019 1:48 am UTC
CREATOR
Thanks for the note, Spencer! I'm glad you're enjoying it and find that it fits in - I tried to make it be as flexible as possible setting-wise, while still keeping its flavor!

I fixed the paragraphs you mentioned! Thanks for pointing that out!
Reply
Customer avatar
Spencer J July 26, 2019 7:29 am UTC
PURCHASER
No problem! Another quick question: what would you say the symbol for the Keeper would look like?
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Customer avatar
Jeremy M July 26, 2019 3:58 pm UTC
CREATOR
Hey! To be honest, I haven't thought about a single symbol for the class! I imagine that in most worlds Keepers would likely be very rare (though could see some cool worldbuilding for a world where the opposite is true and they have organizations of their own). Individual symbiotes could also have their own symbols representing their original homes / societies that would vary depending on how you build them (are they of infernal or celestial origin, for example).

In all cases, I'd imagine that a Keeper symbol would play on duality (the duality between host & symbiote) whereas the Symbiote symbol would seem very alien. Does this help at all?
Reply
Customer avatar
Spencer J July 26, 2019 4:21 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Oh yes, definitely! This helps immensely! I already have a few ideas spreading now. Thank you so much!
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This title was added to our catalog on July 26, 2018.