Millstone85
2016-03-08, 12:43 PM
I have recently reached the conclusion that I prefer the luck of the cards to the luck of the dice. That "here is what you have been dealt, now make a plan" feeling to the "make a plan and pray" one. But of course, D&D is heavy on the latter. And that's especially true with the wild magic origin for sorcerers.
Here, I came up with an otherworldly patron for warlocks that is more my brand of chance.
The Snarl
Your patron was created or corrupted in a great magical catastrophy. This being might be an embodiment of the defiling of Athas or a sharn touched by the Spellplague. Even if the world appears to have healed from the cataclysm, your patron remains like a tear in the fabric of magic and the planes. The power you obtain from your pact often shows considerable randomness, making you a much different warlock from one day to the next.
Expanded Spell List
The Snarl lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Snarl Expanded Spells
1st chromatic orb, entangle
2nd flame blade, Nystul's magic aura
3rd blink, protection from energy
4th Evard's black tentacles, fabricate
5th contagion, reincarnate
Variable Aura
Starting at 1st level, whenever you finish a long rest, you must roll a d4 to determine which 1st level Otherworldly Patron feature applies to you until you finish another long rest.
1 - Fey Presence
2 - Dark One's Blessing
3 - Awakened Mind
4 - your choice of the above
Boon Maelstrom
Starting at 6th level, whenever you finish a long rest, you must roll a d4 to determine which of the following effects occurs.
1 - Item Familiar: Your pact weapon or Book of Shadows comes to life, as if you had cast animate objects on it. This happens even if the object is magic, and your pact weapon no longer disappears as a result of being more than 5 feet away from you. This effect does not require your concentration and it lasts until you finish another long rest.
2 - Symbiotic Weapon: While your Pact of the Chain familiar is inside its pocket dimension or your Book of Shadows is on your person, you grow claws, fangs, spines, horns, or a different natural weapon of your choice. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, as appropriate to the natural weapon you chose, and you are proficient with your unarmed strikes. Finally, the natural weapon is magic and you use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls you make using it. This effect lasts until you finish another long rest.
3 - Erudite Companion: Choose three cantrips from any class's spell list (the three needn’t be from the same list). While your Pact of the Chain familiar is inside its pocket dimension or your pact weapon is on your person, you can cast those cantrips at will. They don't count against your number of cantrips known. If they don't appear on the warlock spell list, they are nonetheless warlock spells for you. This effect lasts until you finish another long rest.
4 - your choice of the above
If an effect refers only to things you do not possess, such as a Pact of the Chain familiar and a pact weapon when you have a Book of Shadows, you gain no benefit from Boon Maelstrom until you finish another long rest.
Protecting Tides
Starting at 10th level, whenever you finish a long rest, you must roll a d4 to determine which 10th level Otherworldly Patron feature applies to you until you finish another long rest.
1 - Beguiling Defenses
2 - Fiendish Resilience
3 - Thought Shield
4 - your choice of the above
Taste of Limbo
Starting at 14th level, whenever you finish a long rest, you must roll a d4 to determine which 14th level Otherworldly Patron feature applies to you until you finish another long rest.
1 - Dark Delirium
2 - Hurl Through Hell
3 - Create Thrall
4 - your choice of the above
The effects of Create Thrall persist even after you roll a different 14th level Otherworldly Patron feature, but they cease when you use this other feature.
It needs a better name. Or maybe not, as this is the OotS website after all.
Do you think it is balanced? I don't see any killer combo between otherworldly patron features. Spell selection is difficult for warlocks, because of the different spell slot economy. The 6th level is where I went a bit crazy.
Yes, I know about The Undying from SCAG, and I voluntarily left it out. The 1st level feature loses of its value in campaigns that do not regularly have you fight the undead. As for the 10th level feature, I don't want anyone to keep track of the days when they aged at a 1/10 rate and the days when they aged normally.
Here, I came up with an otherworldly patron for warlocks that is more my brand of chance.
The Snarl
Your patron was created or corrupted in a great magical catastrophy. This being might be an embodiment of the defiling of Athas or a sharn touched by the Spellplague. Even if the world appears to have healed from the cataclysm, your patron remains like a tear in the fabric of magic and the planes. The power you obtain from your pact often shows considerable randomness, making you a much different warlock from one day to the next.
Expanded Spell List
The Snarl lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Snarl Expanded Spells
1st chromatic orb, entangle
2nd flame blade, Nystul's magic aura
3rd blink, protection from energy
4th Evard's black tentacles, fabricate
5th contagion, reincarnate
Variable Aura
Starting at 1st level, whenever you finish a long rest, you must roll a d4 to determine which 1st level Otherworldly Patron feature applies to you until you finish another long rest.
1 - Fey Presence
2 - Dark One's Blessing
3 - Awakened Mind
4 - your choice of the above
Boon Maelstrom
Starting at 6th level, whenever you finish a long rest, you must roll a d4 to determine which of the following effects occurs.
1 - Item Familiar: Your pact weapon or Book of Shadows comes to life, as if you had cast animate objects on it. This happens even if the object is magic, and your pact weapon no longer disappears as a result of being more than 5 feet away from you. This effect does not require your concentration and it lasts until you finish another long rest.
2 - Symbiotic Weapon: While your Pact of the Chain familiar is inside its pocket dimension or your Book of Shadows is on your person, you grow claws, fangs, spines, horns, or a different natural weapon of your choice. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, as appropriate to the natural weapon you chose, and you are proficient with your unarmed strikes. Finally, the natural weapon is magic and you use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls you make using it. This effect lasts until you finish another long rest.
3 - Erudite Companion: Choose three cantrips from any class's spell list (the three needn’t be from the same list). While your Pact of the Chain familiar is inside its pocket dimension or your pact weapon is on your person, you can cast those cantrips at will. They don't count against your number of cantrips known. If they don't appear on the warlock spell list, they are nonetheless warlock spells for you. This effect lasts until you finish another long rest.
4 - your choice of the above
If an effect refers only to things you do not possess, such as a Pact of the Chain familiar and a pact weapon when you have a Book of Shadows, you gain no benefit from Boon Maelstrom until you finish another long rest.
Protecting Tides
Starting at 10th level, whenever you finish a long rest, you must roll a d4 to determine which 10th level Otherworldly Patron feature applies to you until you finish another long rest.
1 - Beguiling Defenses
2 - Fiendish Resilience
3 - Thought Shield
4 - your choice of the above
Taste of Limbo
Starting at 14th level, whenever you finish a long rest, you must roll a d4 to determine which 14th level Otherworldly Patron feature applies to you until you finish another long rest.
1 - Dark Delirium
2 - Hurl Through Hell
3 - Create Thrall
4 - your choice of the above
The effects of Create Thrall persist even after you roll a different 14th level Otherworldly Patron feature, but they cease when you use this other feature.
It needs a better name. Or maybe not, as this is the OotS website after all.
Do you think it is balanced? I don't see any killer combo between otherworldly patron features. Spell selection is difficult for warlocks, because of the different spell slot economy. The 6th level is where I went a bit crazy.
Yes, I know about The Undying from SCAG, and I voluntarily left it out. The 1st level feature loses of its value in campaigns that do not regularly have you fight the undead. As for the 10th level feature, I don't want anyone to keep track of the days when they aged at a 1/10 rate and the days when they aged normally.