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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Warlock Pact: Pact of the Orb [PEACH]



holywhatever
2016-10-10, 12:58 PM
Hey! I've been playing a warlock in a homebrew game with a pact that I made. My GM suggested I post it online somewhere, so here's my attempt. As it is, I'm not sure if it's balanced at all, so critiques are encouraged.

Pact of the Orb:

Action to Summon
60 ft Range
Reaction to Target Ally or Enemy
- Ally: as a reaction to taking damage, Ally may negate damage equal to the Warlock's Charisma modifier.
-Enemy: as a reaction to damaging an enemy that has been targeted with the orb, the attacker may deal additional damage (of the same type that triggered) equal to the Warlock's Charisma Modifier.
Returns the round after line of sight has been broken


Pact of the Orb
Your patron gives you an arcane orb of otherworldly origin. You can use your action to summon the orb, which hovers by your side. As a reaction, you may target an ally or an enemy and the orb then appears by their side. When being dealt damage, as a reaction, an ally may negate damage equal to the Warlock's charisma modifier and return the orb to the Warlock. When an enemy targeted by the orb is dealt damage, the attacking ally may use their reaction to return the orb and deal damage equal to the warlock's charisma modifier to the targeted enemy. The warlock must remain within 60 feet of their target and maintain line of sight or the Orb is returned at the start of the next round.

DracoKnight
2016-10-10, 02:50 PM
This is an interesting Pact for Supportlocks. I would maybe change it to Charisma Modifier + Warlock level in both cases. And you'll probably want Invocations to go along with it.

Lalliman
2016-10-10, 03:50 PM
The benefit of the existing pacts boons, in and of themselves, is very small, so I think Draco's suggestion is too powerful. (Think about it: Chain gives you a weak familiar, Tome gives you three extra cantrips (when you already have the most powerful one), and Blade... pretty much has no benefit on its own.) You could offer Invocations that increase the orb's power.

I do think you can get rid of the reaction cost on the ally's part. The warlock may not, but many classes have things to spend their reactions on already. It's also weird that it can let someone spend their reaction during their own turn. I absolutely don't think it'll be overpowered if you let the ally receive the benefit with no cost on their side.

It does raise the question, can the warlock himself benefit from the defensive effect? Generally speaking, when the rules text says to target an ally, then you yourself are considered a valid target as well.

holywhatever
2016-10-10, 10:26 PM
Wow, wasn't expecting any responses so soon.
This is my first time ever making any sort of homebrew class option, so I'm playing it very cautiously. Here are a few Invocations I came up with when I first started working on the pact.


Orb Mastery:
Prerequisite: 5th Level, Pact of the Orb
As a standard action, you can summon a second orb. Each Orb requires a reaction.

Orb of Decay:
Prerequisite: 5th Level, Pact of the Orb
An enemy targeted with the orb has their movement restricted to half speed.

Orb of Radiance:
Prerequisite: 7th Level, Pact of the Orb
The holder of the Orb is resistant to necrotic and cold damage as they are buffered by Radiant energy. When damaged by a melee attack, as a reaction, the holder may return the orb and deal 4d8 Radiant damage to their attacker.

Harmonic Avoidance:
Prerequisite: 9th Level, Pact of the Orb
When the holder of the Orb is hit with the Blinded, Deafened, Frightened, Intoxicated, Paralyzed, Prone, Restrained or Stun conditions, they may return the orb and ignore the condition. This may only be used once per long rest per target.

Discordant Shift:
Prerequisite: 15th Level, Pact of the Orb
When an enemy targeted by the orb attempts to cast a spell, they must first succeed a concentration check and then a wisdom save both equal to the Warlock's Spell DC. If the target fails, the Warlock may cast that spell as a reaction. The Orb is immediately returned. This may only be used once per long rest.


My GM and I agreed that the charisma modifier would be fine enough for the same reason Lalliman stated.
So far, we've been allowing the Warlock to target herself because it requires another reaction. Ideally, it wouldn't require a reaction from the allies, but again, playing it on the safe side of balancing.

What would you suggest be a fix to the attack aspect regarding an ally using their reaction on their turn? A bonus action instead?

Would it be balanced to offer other possible uses other than the damage reduction for allies or addition damage for enemies outside of invocations?

holywhatever
2016-10-14, 08:35 PM
One possible change I've been thinking about is taking away the option of choosing when the ability is used. The warlock targets a teammate or enemy with the orb, the ability is triggered when the target is dealt damage and is then returned to the Warlock. This way, there won't be a need to use a reaction from anyone other than the Warlock to target. With that, I don't think the Warlock should be able to target themselves with the defensive ability, but I do think there should be a minor bonus of some sort. Maybe a +1 AC bonus that can't be stacked with shields?