Giegue
2017-05-28, 01:09 PM
One thing I always felt was lacking for Warlocks in 5e was a proper option for being a Necromancer. As the quintessential "Dark Mage" class, it seems like undead minions is something the Warlock should be able to be good at, on par with wizards at least if not better. Yet, wizards never gave us an official option for Warlock Necromancy, so I tried to make my own. It's gone through several versions, and I got some help on reddit...but it's still not totally ready for playtesting yet. I am still unsure of the balance of some of the features and invocations, so I'd like some help balancing this if at all possible before I finally playtest it. Any and all comments and help would be most appreciated. So with out further hesitation..I present the (revised) undead lord patron and it's unique invocations:
Patron: The Undead Lord
http://i.imgur.com/lD5m4G2.png
Your patron is a dark and foul being who holds power over the undead. This is typically a deity or archfiend of undeath like Orcus, though it may also be a powerful undead creature such as an archlich or vampire. However, no matter what form your parton takes they possesses authority over the undead, and in exchange for loyal service impart you with some of that authority. By serving the undead lord you gain mastery over the undead, yet you patron holds the power to call upon you whenever they desire. Most Warlocks of the Undead Lord are expected to serve as clergy in their patron’s church or cult in return for their powers. However, some pacts, particularly those with non-deities, may have more unique, and often times more grim, terms of service.
Patron Spells
The Undead Lord 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:
1st: Ray of Sickness, Sacrifice*
2nd: Gentle Repose, Screams of the Damned*
3rd: Exploding Corpse* Feign Death
4th: Death Ward, Wall of Bone*
5th: Contagion, Graveyard Mists*
Spells marked with a * are from Llama513's Necromancy Spells Document (http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HkW91YLqx).
Rebuke Undead
At 1st level you gain the ability to exert your patron's authority over the undead you encounter. As an action, you call upon your patron's dark power and target any number of undead you can see within 30ft whose total combined CRs do not exceed your Warlock level. The targets then make a Charisma saving throw vs. your Warlock spell save DC. On a successful save, they cannot be targeted by this feature for 24 hours. On a failed save they grovel before you, effectively being knocked prone and incapacitated for 1 minute, or until they take damage. At the end of each round, all undead groveling before you may re-attempt their Charisma save and on a successful save are no longer under this feature's effects. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you complete a short or long rest.
Undead Mastery
At 6th level your patron imparts you with the foul knowledge needed to raise the dead and permanently bind them to your service. As an action, you can cast Animate Dead (Ignoring it's usual casting time of 1 minute.) as a Warlock spell by using a Warlock spell slot. When you cast Animate Dead this way, you can target one additional corpse or bone pile and create one additional Skeleton or Zombie (As applicable). However, when you cast Animate Dead with a Warlock spell slot, the undead it creates remain reanimated for 1 hour (after which they crumble to dust and are unable to be reanimated again.) instead of being reanimated indefinitely, unless you permanently bind them to your service.
By investing an attunement slot, you can make a necromancy spell cast by you that creates undead (such as the Animate Dead spell you gain from this feature or Create Undead.) have a permanent duration. When you do this, you spend 10 minutes conducting a ritual that binds the undead created by that spell to you indefinitely. Upon the ritual's completion, you are considered to be attuned to that spell, as if it was a magic item. As long as you remain attuned to that spell the undead created with it remain animated indefinitely if they would not normally (as-per the normal rules of Animate Dead.), but you can maintain control of those Undead without having to re-cast the attuned spell each day if you would normally. Also, all undead that spell created gain the following additional benefits as long as the spell remains attuned to you:
They add your proficiency bonus to their weapon damage rolls, if they would not already.
They increase their hit point maximums by your Warlock level.
You can invest as many attunement slots to spells as you wish with this feature, attuning a different spell with each slot you spend. At any time you can release an attuned spell, causing all undead animated by it to crumble to dust (and thus leaving them unable to be reanimated again) and freeing up that attunement slot to be used for a magic item or other item or feature that requires attunement.
Corrupted Form
At 10th level you become twisted by your regular exposure to necrotic energies, transforming into something caught between life and undeath. You gain resistance to poison damage and immunity the poisoned condition and effects that would lower you hit point maximum. Additionally, if you would drop to 0 hit points but not die, you can instead drop to 1 hit point. Once you do this, you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest.
Lich Touch
At 14th level you learn how to channel necrotic energies to mimic a Lich’s paralytic touch. As an action, you can make a melee spell attack (using your Warlock spell attack modifier) against one creature. If the attack hits, you deal 3d6 cold damage to the target and it must make a Constitution save vs. your Warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, the target is paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the paralysis effect on itself with a success.
New Invocations
Dominate Undead
Prerequisites: Undead Lord Patron, 5th level
Benefits: You can use your Rebuke Undead feature to seize control of a single undead creature. When you do this, you spend a use of your Rebuke Undead feature and target a single undead creature with a CR lower than your warlock level and force it to make a Charisma saving throw against your Warlock spell save DC. On a successful save, that creature cannot be targeted by this invocation again for 24 hours. On a failed save, that creature obeys your commands to the best of its abilities for 24 hours. Intelligent undead are harder to control this way; each hour that an undead creature with 8 or more intelligence remains under your control, it may re-attempt it’s Charisma save and on a successful save is freed from your control.
Gravelord
Prerequisites: Ability to cast Create Undead as a Mystic Arcanum spell, Dominate Undead Invocation
Benefits: You can cast Create Undead at levels at higher than 6th. To do so, you expend a use of a mystic arcanum spell of the level you wish to cast Create Undead at. When you do this, you cast Create Undead at that level instead of that Mystic Arcanum spell. (So, for example, as a 13th level warlock, you have Create Undead and Finger of Death as your 6th and 7th level mystic arcanum spells respectively. That day, you could cast Create Undead once as a 6th level spell and Finger of Death once as a 7th level spell by expending them normally, or you could cast Create Undead at both 6th and 7th level once each by expending both your 1 use of Create Undead and your 1 use of Finger of Death.)
Bestow Pact Weapon
Prerequisites: Pact of the Blade, Undead Lord Patron
Benefits: When you use your Pact of the Blade feature, you may summon your pact weapon into the hand(s) of an undead creature under your control. As long as that undead creature is wielding your pact weapon, it is treated as being you for your Pact of the Blade feature and the effects of your Eldritch Invocations. Additionally, when an Undead wielding your Pact Weapon hits with it, you can expend a spell slot to have your Pact Weapon deal an extra 2d8 necrotic damage.
Tome of Resurrection
Prerequisites: Pact of the Tome, Undead Lord Patron, 5th level
Benefits: Your book of shadows contains the secrets of resurrection. You add the spell Revivify to your book of shadows. You can use your Warlock spell slots to cast Revivify if you are holding your Book of Shadows, which counts as a spellcasting focus for that spell. At 9th level, you add Raise Dead to your book of shadows, and may cast it in the same way as you can cast Revivify. These spells are Warlock spells for you.
Geist Familiar
Prerequisites: Pact of the Chain, Undead Lord Patron
Benefits: You can use your Pact of the Chain to call a Specter as a familiar in addition to the standard options for your Pact of the Chain. When you use your Pact of the Chain to call a Specter familiar, you may ignore all material components of the Find Familiar spell and cast it with an action instead of as a 10 minute ritual.
Patron: The Undead Lord
http://i.imgur.com/lD5m4G2.png
Your patron is a dark and foul being who holds power over the undead. This is typically a deity or archfiend of undeath like Orcus, though it may also be a powerful undead creature such as an archlich or vampire. However, no matter what form your parton takes they possesses authority over the undead, and in exchange for loyal service impart you with some of that authority. By serving the undead lord you gain mastery over the undead, yet you patron holds the power to call upon you whenever they desire. Most Warlocks of the Undead Lord are expected to serve as clergy in their patron’s church or cult in return for their powers. However, some pacts, particularly those with non-deities, may have more unique, and often times more grim, terms of service.
Patron Spells
The Undead Lord 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:
1st: Ray of Sickness, Sacrifice*
2nd: Gentle Repose, Screams of the Damned*
3rd: Exploding Corpse* Feign Death
4th: Death Ward, Wall of Bone*
5th: Contagion, Graveyard Mists*
Spells marked with a * are from Llama513's Necromancy Spells Document (http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HkW91YLqx).
Rebuke Undead
At 1st level you gain the ability to exert your patron's authority over the undead you encounter. As an action, you call upon your patron's dark power and target any number of undead you can see within 30ft whose total combined CRs do not exceed your Warlock level. The targets then make a Charisma saving throw vs. your Warlock spell save DC. On a successful save, they cannot be targeted by this feature for 24 hours. On a failed save they grovel before you, effectively being knocked prone and incapacitated for 1 minute, or until they take damage. At the end of each round, all undead groveling before you may re-attempt their Charisma save and on a successful save are no longer under this feature's effects. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you complete a short or long rest.
Undead Mastery
At 6th level your patron imparts you with the foul knowledge needed to raise the dead and permanently bind them to your service. As an action, you can cast Animate Dead (Ignoring it's usual casting time of 1 minute.) as a Warlock spell by using a Warlock spell slot. When you cast Animate Dead this way, you can target one additional corpse or bone pile and create one additional Skeleton or Zombie (As applicable). However, when you cast Animate Dead with a Warlock spell slot, the undead it creates remain reanimated for 1 hour (after which they crumble to dust and are unable to be reanimated again.) instead of being reanimated indefinitely, unless you permanently bind them to your service.
By investing an attunement slot, you can make a necromancy spell cast by you that creates undead (such as the Animate Dead spell you gain from this feature or Create Undead.) have a permanent duration. When you do this, you spend 10 minutes conducting a ritual that binds the undead created by that spell to you indefinitely. Upon the ritual's completion, you are considered to be attuned to that spell, as if it was a magic item. As long as you remain attuned to that spell the undead created with it remain animated indefinitely if they would not normally (as-per the normal rules of Animate Dead.), but you can maintain control of those Undead without having to re-cast the attuned spell each day if you would normally. Also, all undead that spell created gain the following additional benefits as long as the spell remains attuned to you:
They add your proficiency bonus to their weapon damage rolls, if they would not already.
They increase their hit point maximums by your Warlock level.
You can invest as many attunement slots to spells as you wish with this feature, attuning a different spell with each slot you spend. At any time you can release an attuned spell, causing all undead animated by it to crumble to dust (and thus leaving them unable to be reanimated again) and freeing up that attunement slot to be used for a magic item or other item or feature that requires attunement.
Corrupted Form
At 10th level you become twisted by your regular exposure to necrotic energies, transforming into something caught between life and undeath. You gain resistance to poison damage and immunity the poisoned condition and effects that would lower you hit point maximum. Additionally, if you would drop to 0 hit points but not die, you can instead drop to 1 hit point. Once you do this, you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest.
Lich Touch
At 14th level you learn how to channel necrotic energies to mimic a Lich’s paralytic touch. As an action, you can make a melee spell attack (using your Warlock spell attack modifier) against one creature. If the attack hits, you deal 3d6 cold damage to the target and it must make a Constitution save vs. your Warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, the target is paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the paralysis effect on itself with a success.
New Invocations
Dominate Undead
Prerequisites: Undead Lord Patron, 5th level
Benefits: You can use your Rebuke Undead feature to seize control of a single undead creature. When you do this, you spend a use of your Rebuke Undead feature and target a single undead creature with a CR lower than your warlock level and force it to make a Charisma saving throw against your Warlock spell save DC. On a successful save, that creature cannot be targeted by this invocation again for 24 hours. On a failed save, that creature obeys your commands to the best of its abilities for 24 hours. Intelligent undead are harder to control this way; each hour that an undead creature with 8 or more intelligence remains under your control, it may re-attempt it’s Charisma save and on a successful save is freed from your control.
Gravelord
Prerequisites: Ability to cast Create Undead as a Mystic Arcanum spell, Dominate Undead Invocation
Benefits: You can cast Create Undead at levels at higher than 6th. To do so, you expend a use of a mystic arcanum spell of the level you wish to cast Create Undead at. When you do this, you cast Create Undead at that level instead of that Mystic Arcanum spell. (So, for example, as a 13th level warlock, you have Create Undead and Finger of Death as your 6th and 7th level mystic arcanum spells respectively. That day, you could cast Create Undead once as a 6th level spell and Finger of Death once as a 7th level spell by expending them normally, or you could cast Create Undead at both 6th and 7th level once each by expending both your 1 use of Create Undead and your 1 use of Finger of Death.)
Bestow Pact Weapon
Prerequisites: Pact of the Blade, Undead Lord Patron
Benefits: When you use your Pact of the Blade feature, you may summon your pact weapon into the hand(s) of an undead creature under your control. As long as that undead creature is wielding your pact weapon, it is treated as being you for your Pact of the Blade feature and the effects of your Eldritch Invocations. Additionally, when an Undead wielding your Pact Weapon hits with it, you can expend a spell slot to have your Pact Weapon deal an extra 2d8 necrotic damage.
Tome of Resurrection
Prerequisites: Pact of the Tome, Undead Lord Patron, 5th level
Benefits: Your book of shadows contains the secrets of resurrection. You add the spell Revivify to your book of shadows. You can use your Warlock spell slots to cast Revivify if you are holding your Book of Shadows, which counts as a spellcasting focus for that spell. At 9th level, you add Raise Dead to your book of shadows, and may cast it in the same way as you can cast Revivify. These spells are Warlock spells for you.
Geist Familiar
Prerequisites: Pact of the Chain, Undead Lord Patron
Benefits: You can use your Pact of the Chain to call a Specter as a familiar in addition to the standard options for your Pact of the Chain. When you use your Pact of the Chain to call a Specter familiar, you may ignore all material components of the Find Familiar spell and cast it with an action instead of as a 10 minute ritual.