PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Pact Knight (Fighter Subclass)



Yakk
2020-07-19, 12:04 PM
I wrote this up in another thread in response to someone talking about changing an EK so that it uses pact magic.

It is still very rough, but it looks fun.

Pact Knight
You have made a pact with some power. This power can communicate its demands to you through omens, dreams, rituals and prayer. When you take this pact, your ideals bonds and flaws may change to align with your patrons demands.

When you choose this subclass at 3rd level, you gain the following bonuses:

Pact Magic
You have 1 1st level spell slot, increasing to 2 at level 4.

At level 7 your spell slots become 2nd level. At level 13 they become 3rd level. And at level 19 they become 4th level.

Your spell slots recover whenever you finish a long or short rest.

In addition, you learn 2 Warlock Cantrips, and an additional one at 10th level. You know 2 warlock spells, plus 1 for every 2 (round down) levels in this class (so 3 when you first start down this path at 3rd level). When you gain a level in this class you can swap a spell you know for another warlock spell you have pact knight slots high enough level to cast.

Your Pact can center around a weapon, a book or a chain. Select one when you gain this subclass, and it determines your subclass features at level 3, 7, 10 and 15.

Pact of the Blade
You can summon and dismiss a pact weapon as a bonus action; it takes the form of any simple or martial melee weapon. At the end of any turn when it isn't on your person, it disappears until summoned again. It is magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance. You can use this as a focus for your spells, and perform S components with it. Over a short rest, you can convert a magical melee weapon into your pact weapon.

Pact of the Book
You gain a book of secrets, written in a language of your patron's choice. You gain the ability to read that language even if you cannot speak it. You can cast Warlock spells as rituals if they have the tag, and can transcribe any Warlock spell into your book and use it as a ritual. You gain additional Warlock spells known equal to your charisma bonus.

Pact of the Chain
You gain the find familiar spell. When you cast it, you can select additional familiar types (Pseudodragon, Quasit, or Sprite). Your Familiar gains +2 HP for every fighter class level you have, and has a bonus to its attacks, AC, saving throws and damage equal to your proficiency bonus.

Improved Pact
At 7th level your connection with your pact improves. You gain two Warlock invocations as if you where a level 3 Warlock. In addition you gain another feature based on your Pact:

Pact of the Blade
You can cast the Eldritch Blast cantrip as a melee spell attack when wielding your pact weapon, instead of a ranged spell attack. You may use your weapon's attack stat (strength, or optionally dexterity on a finess weapon) to attack instead of Charisma. If you do so, also add that bonus to damage as well.

Pact of the Book
You can now transcribe any ritual from any class into your book up to 1/2 of your character level, and cast them as a ritual. In addition, once on your turn you may cast a pact knight spell using a pact knight spell slot on a creature you hit with a melee weapon attack (but only on that target). If the spell involves any attack rolls, they automatically hits; if it involves a saving throw, the creature has disadvantage on the save.

Pact of the Chain
You can command your familiar to attack as a bonus action. If your familiar hits, you have advantage on attack rolls on the target until the end of your turn. In addition, when you take your second wind, your familiar is healed as well; if your familiar has been dismissed when you take your second wind, it reforms next to you with full HP.

Life and Death
At 10th level, whenever you reduce a creature to 0 HP with an attack, you gain a benefit depending on your Pact:

Pact of the Blade
You gain temporary HP equal to the creature's HP before it was reduced to 0 HP by the blow, up to a maximum of your level in this class. If you started your turn with these temporary HP, when you hit a creature with your pact weapon on your turn you can sacrifice these temporary HP to deal extra damage equal to the HP sacrificed.

Pact of the Book
The last thoughts and desires of the creature you kill are written in your book. In addition, when this happens, you can sacrifice a HD to regain an pact knight spell slot. You may only do this once before completing a short rest.

Pact of the Chain
As a reaction, your familiar can disappear and animate the creature if within 30' of it. The animated corpse has 1 HP, no legendary actions, cannot cast spells, and gets to act immediately after the current turn, and at the end of that turn it collapses and dies. The familiar then reappears in one of the creature's former squares.

While possessing the creature, the familiar can rip some surface thoughts out of the dying brain, inducing it to say up to 3 words that could help the party (in a language the creature knows that the familiar can pick).

The Ties that Bind
At 15th level, your bond has grown strong. You gain 2 additional invocations as if you where a 7th level warlock, and gain another Pact feature:

Pact of the Blade
Once per turn when your pact weapon deals damage, deal an additional two weapon damage dice. If you ever hold it in your hand, it cannot leave your hand or be dismissed until it draws blood/does damage to a creature, or your hand is removed from your body. If you attempt to throw the weapon at a creature, it only leaves your hand if it would both hit and do damage; otherwise, it stays put.

Pact of the Chain
If you are reduced to 0 HP, so long as it is on the same plane, your familiar will possess your body much like it does your foes. This does not require the familiar's reaction. At the end of the turn it takes you do not die, but are instead left standing with 1 HP. It can do this once before you complete a short rest. While possessing you, it gets to rifle through your thoughts and memories of the past day, slightly than it does on your foes, but need not say anything. It may report back findings to its master.

Pact of the Book
You can scribe the names of your allies in your book of shadows with their blood at the end of a long rest. They must sacrifice a HD as part of this magic, and do not regain it back until their name is no longer in the book. You know the direction, distance, current HP, and plane of anyone who is inscribed in your book of shadows this way, and cast spells that would only target them even if they are not in range or you cannot see them.

Whenever they are reduced to 0 HP, if you expend a reaction and a HD they are instead reduced to 1 HP and healed. Roll the HD they used to be written in the book plus your own HD, and heal them that much. This erases their name from your book.

You can have up to your charisma bonus names (min 1) written in your book in this way at a time, and each person can have their name written at most once.

Second Binding
At 18th level, pick another pact. Gain all of its benefits.

When you use some of this second pacts abilities, your patron gains enhanced access to your body and soul for the rest of the day (see below). First, your patron or its assigned lackey can watch and experience the world through your senses, and second may take control of your body for a single turn that day, performing an action of its choice. While dominated this way, you have advantage on all ability checks and attack rolls, and any saving throws you force have disadvantage. This action is usually in furtherance of its agenda, and so long as you are aligned may not be harmful to your own well being.

If the patron tries to make you do something completely suicidal (jumping off a cliff or similar), you can make a charisma saving throw with both proficiency and advantage against DC 20 to break the link that day. A patron would only consider doing this if you where acting in direct opposition to its desires, as you are a valuable tool at this point.

Pact of the Chain
Your patron gains enhanced access if your familiar possesses your body.

Pact of the Blade
Your patron gains enhanced access if you use the 15th level feature to deal 2 extra dice of weapon damage.

Pact of the Book
Your patron gains enhanced access if you add a name to your book, or use the name in the book to save someone.

Maybe too strong, but I tried to go for super-creepy, yet not "fiend" or "fey" specific.

And yes, blade pacts at 7 do (1d10+str+cha)*2 with a pact dagger if they have agonizing blast. Note that EB-as-melee are melee spell attacks; most weapon feats don't work with it.

The blade pact 10 can be used multiple times per turn.

Blade is about the Pact Weapon. It is superior to the Warlock one, because you are a Fighter.

Chain is about the familiar. It becomes a weapon of combat. The possession stuff is there for creep, and it can even be used out of combat (kill someone who doesn't want to talk, get 3 words out of them).

Book is about enhancing your spellcasting. The level 15 ability is inspired by the UA deathward invocation, but I wanted to make it extra creepy.

redmordred
2020-07-20, 01:18 PM
I don't know if it's balanced or not, but I definitely like what you're going for here.

sandmote
2020-07-20, 07:27 PM
Whenever they are reduced to 0 HP, you can spend a reaction and sacrifice a HD. Roll this HD plus the one they sacrificed to be written in the book: instead of 0 HP, they are reduced to the amount rolled. This erases their name from your book.

I'd have this regain hit points instantly. To avoid confusion if someone is at 1 HP and is then reduced to 0 HP.

Yakk
2020-07-21, 08:48 AM
I'd have this regain hit points instantly. To avoid confusion if someone is at 1 HP and is then reduced to 0 HP.
I am saying they where never reduced to 0 HP; instead, they are set to (both rolled HD) amount.

So if you disintegrate someone in the book, they don't turn to dust.

Sort of like death ward.

I should probably steal that wording. I could have them go to 1 HP, then heal the HD rolled afterwards, might be simpler wording?

sandmote
2020-07-21, 06:39 PM
I am saying they where never reduced to 0 HP; instead, they are set to (both rolled HD) amount.

So if you disintegrate someone in the book, they don't turn to dust.

Sort of like death ward.

I should probably steal that wording. I could have them go to 1 HP, then heal the HD rolled afterwards, might be simpler wording?

Perhaps "if the target would be reduced to 0 hit points, they are instead healed, ending with the number of hit point you have rolled.

That said, does anyone run disintegrate like this?

Or you could delay it a bit by stealing the wording from the Celestial Warlock's 14th level feature:


When you have to make a death saving throw at the start of your turn, you can instead spring back to your feet with a burst of radiant energy.

Yakk
2020-07-22, 07:36 AM
Perhaps "if the target would be reduced to 0 hit points, they are instead healed, ending with the number of hit point you have rolled.

That said, does anyone run disintegrate like this?

Or you could delay it a bit by stealing the wording from the Celestial Warlock's 14th level feature:

Ok, reworded it and a few other things.

I also added a Trojan horse clause to Second Pact. Because it fits the theme, and it was a strong ability.

The 3rd, 7th and 10th level abilities are "free". The 15th level abilities -- self animation when you die, writing your friends names in the book, and two extra damage dice/turn -- have a price.

sandmote
2020-07-23, 07:09 AM
Previously didn't notice:

7th level Chain feature is way too powerful, even with a familiar's to-hit. The familiar can use the help action in addition to this. Specify this uses the familiar's reaction (rather just your bonus action), and have it apply the effects of the Help action to your next attack against the creature hit. That lets the familiar sometimes double its usefulness, rather than on all your attacks. Particularly given you can save Action Surge for the turn your familiar hits.

10th level Chain feature doesn't say who's controlling the animated creature.


I also added a Trojan horse clause to Second Pact. Because it fits the theme, and it was a strong ability.

The 3rd, 7th and 10th level abilities are "free". The 15th level abilities -- self animation when you die, writing your friends names in the book, and two extra damage dice/turn -- have a price.
Its still very strong for an 18th level feature, and the clause is either not going to come up, or lets the DM mess with you way more than they should be able to Control a PC's actions. And unlike a wild magic sorcerer, you are incentivised to help your DM ignore it; and a good DM probably doesn't want to interfere in this manner anyway.

If the 18th level feature isn't too strong to be allowed at your table, fine. But "use this and I get a save or suck ability on you at any time," is only useful for abusing the player. I would suggest explicitly granting only the pact features from particular level, likely the 3rd level feature and either the 7th or 10th. But either leave in the 15th level feature normally or don't allow it.