NekoIncardine
2015-09-30, 11:36 PM
So not influenced by me waking up to eight inches of snow this morning
Most Warlocks willingly or unwittingly enter a pact with some power in the name of gaining their arcane might. This is generally a good thing, in that a warlock usually at least vaguely has a clue what they are getting into. Not so with those who are unlucky enough to be exposed too deeply to the raw energies of the Elemental Plane of Cold (Manual of Planes). Being sufficiently exposed to the energies of pure cold grants an arcane power not dissimilar to that of the standard Warlock pacts, but with a very… Obvious bent.
This archetype modifies T.G. Oskar’s Warlock retool (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?212830-3-5-The-Retooled-Warlock-a-Pact-you-won-t-intend-to-break!) by intent. That said, it shouldn’t be hard to adjust it to suit any other Warlock retool, buff, or the Complete Arcane Warlock, since it only modifies abilities, and does not provide major new ones.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Frost-Pact Warlocks do not gain proficiency with flails or shortswords. Their armor proficiency is unchanged.
Initially, I'd restricted Frost-Pact to only wearing Cloth or Leather armor, because metal armor plus cold equals suck. However, this only equates to an increase in gold costs in practice, as a Mithral Chain Shirt that was both Githcraft and Feycraft hits an ACP of 0%, removing the primary reason you'd want to avoid just going for that instead. I'd considered putting a more severe issue with wearing metal armor in instead, but the ideas I had would have implications I really didn't want to run with at all. So, I just switched it back to the same armor proficiency as before. The weapon proficiency reduction still remains - reducing them to Simple weapons, plus the shortbow and whip.
This modifies the Warlock’s proficiencies.
Invocations:
As per the normal Warlock, except:
All invocations used by a Frost-Pact Warlock gain the Cold descriptor. This does not change the damage type dealt, if applicable.
These invocations take on visual aspects with a clear cold, ice, and snow thematic as well. Optionally, this may also apply to spells and abilities acquired via other classes, similar to the Spell Thematics feat from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
Under no circumstances may you take an invocation that deals fire damage, nor that modifies your Eldritch Blast to deal fire damage, off of your Frost-Pact Warlock progression. (This means, among other things, that you are flat-out barred from taking a level in Hellfire Warlock.)
Icy Blast: A Frost-Pact Warlock’s most basic attack channels, not raw arcane energy like more typical Warlocks, but raw cold energy. That said, like the eldritch blast, it’s still painful and still often debilitating.
An Icy Blast works similar to the standard eldritch blast, except that it deals cold damage instead of untyped arcane damage. It is not subject to damage reduction or energy resistances besides cold resistance. It is modified by Blast Shape and Eldritch Essence invocations the same way as Eldritch Blast is.
This replaces Eldritch Blast.
Frost-Pact: At 1st level, a Frost-Pact Warlock receives their initial exposure to the energies of the Elemental Plane of Cold, an irrevocable experience. The force of cold is not sapient like a typical Warlock’s sponsors, but its hold on the Warlock’s soul is adapted as the Warlock gains power, forging similar benefits to those achieved from a more standard pact.
Immediately, they begin to benefit from this, gaining a +2 bonus to saves against cold effects.
This replaces a Warlock’s pact choice.
Pact Resilience: At 4th level, a Frost-Pact Warlock’s skin begins to harden and become resistant to damage. They gain damage reduction 1/chaotic.
At 8th level, and every four levels afterwards, the amount of damage reduced by this ability increases by 1.
This modifies a Warlock’s Pact Resilience.
Pact Resistance: At 6th level, the influence of cold on the Warlock evolves further, granting unusual resistance to specific elements. They gain cold resistance 5 and their choice of either fire, acid, or electricity resistance 5.
At 12th level, the immunity to all chosen elements increases to 10; at 18th level, it increases to 20.
This modifies a Warlock’s Pact Resistance.
Ice Technique: At 9th level, a Frost-Pact Warlock develops one of three special techniques to enhance their Icy Blast. They may choose one of the following techniques; once chosen, the choice cannot be changed.
Split Blast: As the ability for T.G. Oskar's Warlock.
Icy Arrows: When wielding a shortbow (and only a shortbow or equivalent weapon), a Frost-Pact Warlock who takes this technique may add an Icy Blast to each arrow, complete with a Blast Shape and an Eldritch Essence. Arrows so charged replace their base damage with the damage of the Eldritch Blast, but benefit from any enhancements placed upon them or the bow as normal, [i]except[i] for Flaming, Firey Burst, or other effects that add fire damage. Attacks are still ranged touch attacks. All arrows fired in one round must use the same Blast Shape and same Eldritch Essence, and Shapes that make an Eldritch Blast into a melee weapon, such as Eldritch Glaive and Eldritch Claw, are not compatible with this technique. This allows a Frost-Pact Warlock to land multiple attacks in one turn as a full-round action. When not applying a Blast Shape in this way, you use the bow's range as if you were firing normal arrows, rather than the range of a standard Icy Blast. You may still use Icy Blast as normal if you don't have a shortbow wielded.
Frost Whip: When wielding a whip (and only a whip or equivalent weapon - explicitly not including whip-daggers), a Frost-Pact Warlock who takes this technique may add an Icy Blast to each strike, complete with a blast shape and an Eldritch Essence. Strikes so charged replace the whip's base damage with the damage of the Eldritch Blast (including changing from nonlethal damage to cold damage), but benefit from any enhancements placed upon the whip as normal, except for Flaming, Firey Burst, or other effects that add fire damage. Strikes so modified will damage a creature through armor. Attacks become melee touch attacks. All strikes used in one round must use the same Blast Shape and same Eldritch Essence, and Shapes that extend an Eldritch Blast's range beyond the range of a standard Eldritch Blast are not compatible with this technique. When not applying a Blast Shape, you use the whip's range as if you were making normal whip strikes, rather than the range of a standard Icy Blast. You may still use an Icy Blast as normal when not wielding a whip, or with your free hand while wielding one.
This selection replaces Split Ray.
So, this here is the big differentiation between standard Oskarlock and the Frost-Pact Warlock. Three options for getting multiple attacks in one turn, each distinct from the other. I'll probably have to write out more and more edge cases over time for this. The key factor that I believe balances this ability - even after reading Oskar's reasons for not doing straight-up iteratives - is simply that Frost-Pact Warlocks can't go into Hellfire Warlock.
And yes, this is the primary reason the Frost-Pact Warlock gets to keep shortbow and whip proficiency.
The prohibition on flame effects is more for thematic consistency than any serious balance concerns.
Pact Culmination: At 20th level, a Frost-Pact Warlock’s nature is altered by the power of cold, making them something closer to a cold elemental than who they once were, branding them and their progeny for eternity. A warlock is forever treated as a cold elemental as well as a member of his own race for the purpose of magic items and magical effects that depend on alignment.
The Frost-Pact Warlock becomes an Elemental with the Cold subtype; she also gains immunity to cold and fire.
---
Frost-Pact Warlock Inovcations
Type-specific Invocations (as listed in Oskar’s post) are mostly off-limits to the Frost-Pact Warlock under normal circumstances; however, the invocations are available specifically to Frost-Pact Warlocks:
Invocations:
Least- diamond dust***
Greater - chilling fog**
Pact Boons:
Least - Devil’s Sight, aquatic adaptation**
Greater - Unnatural Resilience
*New Invocation from Oskar’s Post
**Invocation found in Dragon Magic
*** New invocation found in this post
---
New Invocation
DIAMOND DUST
Least; 2nd
Blinding snow fills the air in an area of your choice, affecting an area as the glitterdust spell, and also dealing 1d4 cold damage to creatures within each round.
Most Warlocks willingly or unwittingly enter a pact with some power in the name of gaining their arcane might. This is generally a good thing, in that a warlock usually at least vaguely has a clue what they are getting into. Not so with those who are unlucky enough to be exposed too deeply to the raw energies of the Elemental Plane of Cold (Manual of Planes). Being sufficiently exposed to the energies of pure cold grants an arcane power not dissimilar to that of the standard Warlock pacts, but with a very… Obvious bent.
This archetype modifies T.G. Oskar’s Warlock retool (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?212830-3-5-The-Retooled-Warlock-a-Pact-you-won-t-intend-to-break!) by intent. That said, it shouldn’t be hard to adjust it to suit any other Warlock retool, buff, or the Complete Arcane Warlock, since it only modifies abilities, and does not provide major new ones.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Frost-Pact Warlocks do not gain proficiency with flails or shortswords. Their armor proficiency is unchanged.
Initially, I'd restricted Frost-Pact to only wearing Cloth or Leather armor, because metal armor plus cold equals suck. However, this only equates to an increase in gold costs in practice, as a Mithral Chain Shirt that was both Githcraft and Feycraft hits an ACP of 0%, removing the primary reason you'd want to avoid just going for that instead. I'd considered putting a more severe issue with wearing metal armor in instead, but the ideas I had would have implications I really didn't want to run with at all. So, I just switched it back to the same armor proficiency as before. The weapon proficiency reduction still remains - reducing them to Simple weapons, plus the shortbow and whip.
This modifies the Warlock’s proficiencies.
Invocations:
As per the normal Warlock, except:
All invocations used by a Frost-Pact Warlock gain the Cold descriptor. This does not change the damage type dealt, if applicable.
These invocations take on visual aspects with a clear cold, ice, and snow thematic as well. Optionally, this may also apply to spells and abilities acquired via other classes, similar to the Spell Thematics feat from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
Under no circumstances may you take an invocation that deals fire damage, nor that modifies your Eldritch Blast to deal fire damage, off of your Frost-Pact Warlock progression. (This means, among other things, that you are flat-out barred from taking a level in Hellfire Warlock.)
Icy Blast: A Frost-Pact Warlock’s most basic attack channels, not raw arcane energy like more typical Warlocks, but raw cold energy. That said, like the eldritch blast, it’s still painful and still often debilitating.
An Icy Blast works similar to the standard eldritch blast, except that it deals cold damage instead of untyped arcane damage. It is not subject to damage reduction or energy resistances besides cold resistance. It is modified by Blast Shape and Eldritch Essence invocations the same way as Eldritch Blast is.
This replaces Eldritch Blast.
Frost-Pact: At 1st level, a Frost-Pact Warlock receives their initial exposure to the energies of the Elemental Plane of Cold, an irrevocable experience. The force of cold is not sapient like a typical Warlock’s sponsors, but its hold on the Warlock’s soul is adapted as the Warlock gains power, forging similar benefits to those achieved from a more standard pact.
Immediately, they begin to benefit from this, gaining a +2 bonus to saves against cold effects.
This replaces a Warlock’s pact choice.
Pact Resilience: At 4th level, a Frost-Pact Warlock’s skin begins to harden and become resistant to damage. They gain damage reduction 1/chaotic.
At 8th level, and every four levels afterwards, the amount of damage reduced by this ability increases by 1.
This modifies a Warlock’s Pact Resilience.
Pact Resistance: At 6th level, the influence of cold on the Warlock evolves further, granting unusual resistance to specific elements. They gain cold resistance 5 and their choice of either fire, acid, or electricity resistance 5.
At 12th level, the immunity to all chosen elements increases to 10; at 18th level, it increases to 20.
This modifies a Warlock’s Pact Resistance.
Ice Technique: At 9th level, a Frost-Pact Warlock develops one of three special techniques to enhance their Icy Blast. They may choose one of the following techniques; once chosen, the choice cannot be changed.
Split Blast: As the ability for T.G. Oskar's Warlock.
Icy Arrows: When wielding a shortbow (and only a shortbow or equivalent weapon), a Frost-Pact Warlock who takes this technique may add an Icy Blast to each arrow, complete with a Blast Shape and an Eldritch Essence. Arrows so charged replace their base damage with the damage of the Eldritch Blast, but benefit from any enhancements placed upon them or the bow as normal, [i]except[i] for Flaming, Firey Burst, or other effects that add fire damage. Attacks are still ranged touch attacks. All arrows fired in one round must use the same Blast Shape and same Eldritch Essence, and Shapes that make an Eldritch Blast into a melee weapon, such as Eldritch Glaive and Eldritch Claw, are not compatible with this technique. This allows a Frost-Pact Warlock to land multiple attacks in one turn as a full-round action. When not applying a Blast Shape in this way, you use the bow's range as if you were firing normal arrows, rather than the range of a standard Icy Blast. You may still use Icy Blast as normal if you don't have a shortbow wielded.
Frost Whip: When wielding a whip (and only a whip or equivalent weapon - explicitly not including whip-daggers), a Frost-Pact Warlock who takes this technique may add an Icy Blast to each strike, complete with a blast shape and an Eldritch Essence. Strikes so charged replace the whip's base damage with the damage of the Eldritch Blast (including changing from nonlethal damage to cold damage), but benefit from any enhancements placed upon the whip as normal, except for Flaming, Firey Burst, or other effects that add fire damage. Strikes so modified will damage a creature through armor. Attacks become melee touch attacks. All strikes used in one round must use the same Blast Shape and same Eldritch Essence, and Shapes that extend an Eldritch Blast's range beyond the range of a standard Eldritch Blast are not compatible with this technique. When not applying a Blast Shape, you use the whip's range as if you were making normal whip strikes, rather than the range of a standard Icy Blast. You may still use an Icy Blast as normal when not wielding a whip, or with your free hand while wielding one.
This selection replaces Split Ray.
So, this here is the big differentiation between standard Oskarlock and the Frost-Pact Warlock. Three options for getting multiple attacks in one turn, each distinct from the other. I'll probably have to write out more and more edge cases over time for this. The key factor that I believe balances this ability - even after reading Oskar's reasons for not doing straight-up iteratives - is simply that Frost-Pact Warlocks can't go into Hellfire Warlock.
And yes, this is the primary reason the Frost-Pact Warlock gets to keep shortbow and whip proficiency.
The prohibition on flame effects is more for thematic consistency than any serious balance concerns.
Pact Culmination: At 20th level, a Frost-Pact Warlock’s nature is altered by the power of cold, making them something closer to a cold elemental than who they once were, branding them and their progeny for eternity. A warlock is forever treated as a cold elemental as well as a member of his own race for the purpose of magic items and magical effects that depend on alignment.
The Frost-Pact Warlock becomes an Elemental with the Cold subtype; she also gains immunity to cold and fire.
---
Frost-Pact Warlock Inovcations
Type-specific Invocations (as listed in Oskar’s post) are mostly off-limits to the Frost-Pact Warlock under normal circumstances; however, the invocations are available specifically to Frost-Pact Warlocks:
Invocations:
Least- diamond dust***
Greater - chilling fog**
Pact Boons:
Least - Devil’s Sight, aquatic adaptation**
Greater - Unnatural Resilience
*New Invocation from Oskar’s Post
**Invocation found in Dragon Magic
*** New invocation found in this post
---
New Invocation
DIAMOND DUST
Least; 2nd
Blinding snow fills the air in an area of your choice, affecting an area as the glitterdust spell, and also dealing 1d4 cold damage to creatures within each round.