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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next The Undying Patron: Revised (PEACH)



Vogie
2019-03-13, 11:01 AM
The Undying Patron
(based on the subclass originally published in Sword Coast Adventurers' Guide)

Expanded Spell List
The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you



Spell Level
Spells


1st
False Life, Ray of Sickness


2nd
Blindness/Deafness, Silence


3rd
Feign Death, Erupting Earth


4th
Locate Creature, Death Ward


5th
Contagion, Antilife Shell


Bonus Cantrip
You learn the Spare the Dying cantrip, which counts as a warlock cantrip for you, but doesn't count against your number of cantrips known. For you, it has a range of 30 feet, and you can cast it as a bonus action.

Among the Dead
Starting at 1st level, you are marked with death. You have advantage on saving throws against any disease. When you would normally take lightning damage from a spell of 1st level or higher cast by a hostile creature, you can use your reaction to instead regain hit points equal to a third of the lightning damage you would have taken (rounded down).
Additionally, if an undead targets you directly with an attack or a harmful spell that is not an AoE that happens to include you, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or forfeit targeting someone instead of you, potentially wasting the attack or spell. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. An undead is also immune to this effect for 24 hours if you target it with an attack or a harmful spell.

Defy Death
Starting at 6th level,you can regain hit points equal to 1d8 + twice your Constitution modifier (minimum of 2 hit points) when you succeed on a death saving throw or when you stabilize a creature with spare the dying. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
In addition, you gain a benefit, depending on your chosen boon:

Tome - You can place a corpse's hand or similar appendage on your Book of Shadows and ask one question aloud. After 1 minute, the answer appears written in blood in your book. The answer is provided by the dead creature's spirit to the best of its knowledge and is translated into a language of your choice. You must use this ability within 1 minute of a creature's death, and a given creature can only be asked one question in this manner
Blade - You can choose to make your pact weapon deal necrotic damage instead of its normal type. In addition, once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with your Pact Weapon, you can reduce that creature's speed by 10 feet until the end of your next turn.
Chain - When a humanoind dies within 5 feet of your familiar, it can magically capture its image using its reaction. It retains this shadow for 1 week or until used. When your familiar uses its shapechanger feature, you can command it to use the shadow. When you do so, it polymorphs into the dead person, but healthy and alive, but its statistics remain the same. This disguise lasts for 1 hour or until you end it as a bonus action

Undying Nature
Beginning at 10th level, you can hold your breath indefinitely, and you don't require food, water, or sleep, although you still require rest to reduce exhaustion and still benefit from finishing short and long rests. You age at a slower rate. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year, and you are immune to being magically aged.
In addition, when another creature attempts to deal necrotic damage to you, you can use your reaction to attempt to turn half of that damage back on that creature.

Indestructible Life
When you reach 14th level, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d8 + your warlock level. If you have temporary hit points, you absorb those into your hit points. Additionally, if you put a severed body part in place when you use this feature, the part attaches to you.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Notes:

The SCAG Undying patron is woefully underpowered, but a really cool premise. I've updated it, increased the power level slightly. The Undying is more a nod to things like Swamp Thing, The Wretched from the White Wolf TTRPG Promethean: The Created, and the Stitchers from Innistrad (I wanted it to be separate from the Animate Dead-focused Soulless patron (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?572227-The-Soulless-Patron-Necromancer-Warlock-Subclass-based-on-M-tG-s-Liliana-Vess&p=23461044), who is more of a Ghoulcaller).
The Expanded Spell list is largely unchanged. I added Antilife Shell, Locate Creature and Erupting Earth. I removed Speak with Dead from the Expanded spell list due to its availability of the at-will invocation and the Tome ability for Defy Death
The Spare the Dying is still a cool connection, so I moved it into it's own sub-feature, like Celestial Patron did. I also gave it the enhanced version of StD that Grave Clerics have.
I added a Flesh Golem-esque Lightning absorption feature at level 1. They're ALLIIIIIIIIVE. I've edited it a bit after feedback. It's gotten a little out of hand, but at least it requires lightning spells, so lightning damage weapons and lightning cantrips won't trigger it.
The first half of the Defy Death feature is 90% the same, but I doubled the impact of Constitution modifier. The Tome and Blade options in the second half is based on invocations - Lance of Lethargy (but for weapon attacks, instead of EB) and Chronicle of the Raven Queen UA. The Chain is a based on the Whisper Bard's ability, but augmenting the familiar's Shapechange feature. Ah, the Hijinks that will ensue.
Undying Nature was fine but dull, so I used added the redirection feature from Archfey to make you effectively have "absorb elements" for necrotic damage only
Indestructible Life is also largely unchanged, with the ability to absorb THP into HP (False Life is now Real Life?) and I made some subtle changes to the body part modifier. While most people will just enjoy putting their arm back on, that opens up the possibility to swap out body parts, at allowed by the DM.


Please let me know what you think!

Great Dragon
2019-03-14, 03:48 AM
I like this.

The only thing that I see a problem with (mostly as a DM) is the absorb Lightning ability at level one.

The main Question that I think most people will have is - does the PC have to make a Dex Save to see if they take half the normal damage from the spell, which in turn is halved by this ability?

Making the PC take the Save would balance it (IMO) so that the PC is not just running around trying to get hit by lightning effects all the time - or blasting themselves - or having another spellcaster in the party blast them for 'free healing'.

Vogie
2019-03-14, 06:37 AM
I like this.

The only thing that I see a problem with (mostly as a DM) is the absorb Lightning ability at level one.

The main Question that I think most people will have is - does the PC have to make a Dex Save to see if they take half the normal damage from the spell, which in turn is halved by this ability?

Making the PC take the Save would balance it (IMO) so that the PC is not just running around trying to get hit by lightning effects all the time - or blasting themselves - or having another spellcaster in the party blast them for 'free healing'.

That's a good point... Witch Bolt could be a single-target Healing Spirit (1d6 healing each round for 10 rounds) for them. I don't know if that's a 100% terrible thing, though - as the person casting witch bolt literally can't do anything else. And, on top of all that, they wasted a prepared slot on Witch Bolt, of all things!

I don't mind it being the one subclass that tells your wizard "Don't wait until I get out of range, just zap them".

However, I do think it could be better. I like your "half, then half" idea - it reminds me of the Redemption Paladin.

Great Dragon
2019-03-14, 07:09 AM
I don't mind it being the one subclass that tells your wizard "Don't wait until I get out of range, just zap them".

It's this that will most likely get the most abuse - especially at Higher Levels.
Especially when everyone knows that this happens and plan for it and the Rules Lawyer will say that they can just "Choose to Fail the Save" for the most 'healing'.

If there is a PC in the Group that can Heal, it makes it seem like this Warlock PC thumbs their nose at them.

Which is why I would say that they can't "Auto-fail" for this ability to work, and thus have to take the 'half, than half' risk. I'd do the same for any Element-based healing Creature.

Against those Rule Lawyer, Power Gamers, Munchkins, and Murder-hobos
- I'd even go so far as to say that a Natural 1 (and the Auto-fail attempt) caused them to actually take full Element (Lightning here) Damage!

Does this mean that I'm against those types of Players?
Yes, a little. The game isn't supposed to be to see how much the Player can twist the Rules to get Power, or "Break The DM's Game". But then, the DM isn't supposed to be the 'Kill the PCs' with said rules, either. I suppose that if doing this was the Point of the Game, and stated as such from Session Zero - it would be interesting and fun.

But, usually - it's the New Players that are being cheated, in both these cases.

Vogie
2019-03-14, 10:13 AM
It's this that will most likely get the most abuse - especially at Higher Levels.
Especially when everyone knows that this happens and plan for it and the Rules Lawyer will say that they can just "Choose to Fail the Save" for the most 'healing'.

If there is a PC in the Group that can Heal, it makes it seem like this Warlock PC thumbs their nose at them.

Which is why I would say that they can't "Auto-fail" for this ability to work, and thus have to take the 'half, than half' risk. I'd do the same for any Element-based healing Creature.

Against those Rule Lawyer, Power Gamers, Munchkins, and Murder-hobos
- I'd even go so far as to say that a Natural 1 (and the Auto-fail attempt) caused them to actually take full Element (Lightning here) Damage!

Does this mean that I'm against those types of Players?
Yes, a little. The game isn't supposed to be to see how much the Player can twist the Rules to get Power, or "Break The DM's Game". But then, the DM isn't supposed to be the 'Kill the PCs' with said rules, either. I suppose that if doing this was the Point of the Game, and stated as such from Session Zero - it would be interesting and fun.

But, usually - it's the New Players that are being cheated, in both these cases.

In that case, I'll streamline it more, but make it for hostile creatures only.

I know that my DMs have always had smart monsters, and I've played my monsters as smart - They'll definitely notice if one of their abilities is healing one of their targets, and change tactics.

Great Dragon
2019-03-14, 10:18 PM
In that case, I'll streamline it more, but make it for hostile creatures only.

I know that my DMs have always had smart monsters, and I've played my monsters as smart - They'll definitely notice if one of their abilities is healing one of their targets, and change tactics.

Well, I suppose that would work.
And the smart monsters (Int 8+) changing tactics is good.

I just wanted to point out the possible abuse; and maybe the DM allows the Healing from other Character Lightning spells, but the PC always takes the chance for half, than half healing. But, if they fail, and not roll a 1, they still get the most healing possible, being only half damage rolled.

Well, I hope that I helped.