BerzerkerUnit
2021-02-07, 10:49 AM
Aloha, here's the development thread for The Collection, a Warlock Patron intended to benefit Talisman uses the way Hexblade works for Pactblade wielders. Inspirations: Restaurant to Another World, BIG, Needful Things, Dolls, Friday the 13th the series, Petshop of Horrors, Monkey's Paw, etc.
This subclass is perhaps one of the most readily breakable I've ever written. The intent is to offer the player a way to make faustian bargains with NPCs, fellow players, etc. As evidenced in an ep of Rick and Morty, if you just tell people the rub, the cursed items are easily abused. If a player looks at this and titters with glee at the option of loading the party up with "free magic items" I'd ban it. At their most generous a PC should look at the collection as a way to offer people help when they need it or work in the occasional morality lesson, encouraging buyers to toss the trinkets in a river when they're done or even offering to buy them back. And if they don't give up the power, that's on them.
The expanded spell list is intended to be a mix of things people typically want these kinds of items for, bravery, cure a disease, curse an enemy, to be BIG, a better warrior, etc.
Speaking of ironic or sudden deaths, I lean heavily on HP is a mix of luck and blood in the body. A sword blow that drops you to 1 hp may have actually missed by such a hair's breadth you see your life flash before your eyes.
So say a creature gets a trinket that makes them brave and tough (Heroism) so they can stand up to their bully. Soon they're using it to ask someone on a date, then to run for mayor. It's great. Then they nearly get run down by a horse, a near miss (but for our purposes we can look at that as HP loss) and then emboldened by the magic they step out into the street and a melon falls off a cart bonks them on the head and puts them in a coma. Most would shrug it off after a nap, but capped at 1 hp, every little thing becomes potentially sudden death. A trip down the stairs, a simple bar room brawl. 1 max hp 2 pts of damage is sudden and instant death. If the death can be Ironic, so much the better but I run NPCs as always assuming a single lucky stab might kill them (unless they’re clearly and wildly superior like giants or dragons and the like and a rain of arrows is incapable of killing them).
Warlock Patron: The Collection
Be it through a lifetime of diligent acquisition or happenstance inheritance, you have come into possession of a collection of trinkets with dark histories. Each one is a story, and in the hands of a being with a strong wish, each has the potential to bring disaster.
Expanded Spell List
1 Cure Wounds, Heroism
2 Enlarge/Reduce, Lesser Restoration
3 Tiny Servant, Haste
4 Death Ward, Leomund's Secret Chest
5 Contagion, Geas
8 Antipathy/Sympathy
Collector's Pride
At 1st level you gain proficiency in History as the storied backgrounds of your collection touch on numerous events in the past. If you are already proficient in History you can double your Proficiency unless you gain such a benefit from another source.
The Collection
At 1st level you acquire a collection of tiny curious trinkets with dark histories. The nature and specific histories of the trinkets are up to you or you can roll on the chart found in the Player's Handbook. You may have a number of trinkets equal to your Charisma score and can replace as many as you like with other tiny objects provided they have mysterious, whimsical, or sinister backgrounds. You can use any of these trinkets as an arcane focus for your Warlock spells.
A number of times per day equal to your Proficiency bonus, when you spend at least one minute selling one of these trinkets to an intelligent creature, you may spend a Warlock Spell Slot and imbue the trinket with a Warlock spell you know with a casting time of one action that does not consume an expensive material component.
If the creature accepts the item they become Charmed by you as long as they retain possession of the item and the trinket becomes a magic item with one charge. You can have a number of such imbued trinkets in existence equal to your proficiency bonus. Any time a Trinket is returned to your Collection it loses its special properties and no longer counts toward your limit of Imbued Trinkets.
The creature may use an action to spend the charge and cast the spell at the level of the spell slot used to create it, using your spellcasting modifier and Spell DC. If the imbued spell was a Cantrip the item uses your Warlock level to determine its effects. If the creature casts the spell again, it reduces its maximum hit points by an amount equal to the level of the spell slot used to imbue the item. If the creature doesn't have enough hit points to pay this cost it remains at or drops to one hit point and instead gains a level of exhaustion. The creature does not know its hit points are reduced in this way unless you tell them and this hit point loss cannot be recovered until the creature rids itself of the object and completes a long rest.
Others familiar with the creature may observe physical or behavioral changes like pale skin or a mad look in their eyes. An Identify Spell reveals the function and specifics of these items normally.
A creature that loses, attempts to cast away, or destroy your trinkets may do so normally, however the trinkets reappear in your collection after your next long rest.
If you choose Pact of the Talisman at 3rd level you can choose any Trinket in your Collection (or even one you have sold) to function as your Talisman and can choose a different item at the end of any short or long rest. While within 100 feet of a creature bearing your Talisman you may target them with spells with a range of Self, cast spells, and make spell attack rolls as if you were in their space instead of your own.
Selling Trinkets to NPCs should not be difficult in most campaigns, however what does the cure for a disease that doesn't involve begging a priest, or the power to curse one's enemy with a foul disease worth? Gold? Sure, but probably not only that. As long as your buyers are carrying one of your Trinkets you can coerce and cajole them for far more than one might think. And if you include discretion (always a must) then you may also have even greater leverage. Giving a wannabe wizard a wand that eldritch blasts his rival in a duel may earn you scholarly agent for life (however long that is if they keep using the wand...).
Collector's Box
At 6th level the magic of your collection infuses whatever you carry it in. This container becomes magically resilient with an AC equal to your spell DC and hit points equal to your Warlock level. It is immune to Psychic and Poison damage. The container can hold any number of tiny items that are part of your collection and the item you want is always on top and prominently displayed when you open the container to sell one.
As an action you can open the container and draw in yourself and a number of willing or surprised creatures within 10 feet equal to your proficiency bonus. A surprised creature can resist with a Charisma saving throw vs your Spell DC. The interior of the container is an extra dimensional space with breathable air and always an appropriate temperature and moisture level to preserve your collection. The interior appears as a 15 ft cube with whatever aesthetic considerations you prefer and your collection arranged as you desire. You can keep up to 500 lbs of other miscellaneous goods in this space, though you must be able to fit them through the door.
Willing creatures and surprised creatures that failed their save appear safe inside the container in spaces of your choosing while a free standing doorway sized for a creature of your race remains in the space you left. This obvious door leads into and out of the shop. It sits on a level surface or mounted into a wall if one is available, otherwise sinking or falling as appropriate. The door is visible from the outside, appearing as you choose but must be a fairly obvious path of ingress though you may place it in difficult to see or reach spaces. It has an AC equal to your spell DC and hit points equal to your warlock level and is immune to Psychic and Poison damage. It can be opened normally. You can remain inside for up to 1 hour or until the door is destroyed at which point all the creatures inside are teleported harmlessly to the nearest empty spaces around the door. The exterior door disappears when destroyed or when you exit the space at which time any creatures remaining inside or most recently added objects in excess of 500 lbs are harmlessly teleported to the nearest empty spaces around the door.
You can open the container in this way once and regain the use of this feature after a long rest. If your container is destroyed your Collection is harmlessly displaced into the nearest empty space. The next container you place at least part of your Collection in becomes a new Collector's box after you complete a long rest.
The interior of the collector’s box is an opportunity to express your character’s inner self. A Kobold might have rough cave walls, a pile in the middle of the floor as a hoard and a rock blocking a cave entrance while a Dwarf may have tidy shelves and pedestals. A halfling might have a small restaurant and bar and offer meals while patrons browse where a Hexblood might have wicker walls under a thatched roof and a door of hanging vines, with all their trinkets hanging in bulbous wicker cages. Go crazy!
Malevolent Memorabilia
At 10th level you can cast Animate Objects on your collection, animating up to 10 tiny objects. These objects are considered magical for the purposes of bypassing damage immunity and resistance. You can cast the spell in this way once and must complete a long rest or expend a warlock spell slot to do so again.
Piece de Resistance
Beginning at 14th level when you use your Collection feature you can choose to expend one of your Mystic Arcanum and Imbue a Trinket with it. You can have only one such Trinket it existence at a time and it counts toward your normal limit of Imbued Trinkets. Each time a creature uses the Trinket to cast the imbued spell after the first it reduces it's maximum hit points by the spell's level and you may use your Reaction to do one of the following:
-Reduce your age by 1 year to a minimum of young adulthood for your race
-Recover a Warlock Spell Slot
-Recover a number of hit points equal to your Warlock level + Proficiency bonus. Hit points beyond your maximum become temporary hit points.
You can perform this Reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all uses after a long rest.
New Invocations
Library of Mystery
Prerequisites: Warlock 5, Collection Patron, Pact of the Tome
Several mysterious tomes can now be found in your Collection. When you imbue one of these books as you would a trinket you can instead have it become a Magical Book or Tome as found in the DM's Guide or Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. This book is not granted a charge by your Collection feature and instead uses the rules presented in its item description. The item can be common or uncommon. At level 11 it can be a rare item, at level 17 it can be a very rare item. If the book is consumed in its use, such as a Manual of Gainful exercise or Golem Manual, you lose the benefit of this Invocation until you gain a warlock level.
Horrific Petshop
Prerequisites: Warlock 7, Collection Patron, Pact of the Chain
Your Collection contains the spawn of several strange creatures or their eggs. You learn the spell Summon Aberration if you don't know it already. When a creature uses a Trinket to cast Summon Aberration, you can share its senses as you would a familiar. Additionally, you can apply the benefits of any Invocation with a Pact of the Chain prerequisite to the Aberration as you would your familiar.
Memento Mori
Prerequistites: Collection Patron, Pact of the Blade
You have acquired a number of fine weapons for your Collection. When you imbue one of these weapons as you would a trinket you can instead have it become a Magical Weapon as described in the DM's Guide or other sources chosen by the DM. This weapon is not granted a charge by your Collection feature and instead uses the rules presented in its item description. The item can be common or uncommon. At level 11 it can be a rare item, at level 17 it can be a very rare item.
Cursed Trinkets
Prerequisites: Collection Patron, Warlock Level 3
Your trinkets always return to the possession of the creature you sold them to. Even if lost, destroyed, or stolen the object reappears in a pocket, backpack, boot, etc. after their next short or long rest. A Trinket's owner can only rid itself of the Trinket by way of Remove Curse or similar magic. Additionally, you always know if part of your Collection comes into the possession of creature other than yourself or the creature you sold it to. You gain a general sense of the creature's nature and location at this time. You may use your reaction to expend a Warlock spell slot and imbue the item with the same or a new spell, allowing the new owner to use the Trinket normally, albeit possibly with unexpected results. The new owner then becomes Charmed by you as long as it retains possession of the item.
Every Child's Favorite Toy
Prequisites: Collection Patron, Eldritch Blast
Your Collection contains a number of Arcane Focuses that seem to sing to those with ill intent. When you Imbue one of these items with the Eldritch Blast Cantrip you can apply any or all of your Invocations that enhance Eldritch Blast.
This subclass is perhaps one of the most readily breakable I've ever written. The intent is to offer the player a way to make faustian bargains with NPCs, fellow players, etc. As evidenced in an ep of Rick and Morty, if you just tell people the rub, the cursed items are easily abused. If a player looks at this and titters with glee at the option of loading the party up with "free magic items" I'd ban it. At their most generous a PC should look at the collection as a way to offer people help when they need it or work in the occasional morality lesson, encouraging buyers to toss the trinkets in a river when they're done or even offering to buy them back. And if they don't give up the power, that's on them.
The expanded spell list is intended to be a mix of things people typically want these kinds of items for, bravery, cure a disease, curse an enemy, to be BIG, a better warrior, etc.
Speaking of ironic or sudden deaths, I lean heavily on HP is a mix of luck and blood in the body. A sword blow that drops you to 1 hp may have actually missed by such a hair's breadth you see your life flash before your eyes.
So say a creature gets a trinket that makes them brave and tough (Heroism) so they can stand up to their bully. Soon they're using it to ask someone on a date, then to run for mayor. It's great. Then they nearly get run down by a horse, a near miss (but for our purposes we can look at that as HP loss) and then emboldened by the magic they step out into the street and a melon falls off a cart bonks them on the head and puts them in a coma. Most would shrug it off after a nap, but capped at 1 hp, every little thing becomes potentially sudden death. A trip down the stairs, a simple bar room brawl. 1 max hp 2 pts of damage is sudden and instant death. If the death can be Ironic, so much the better but I run NPCs as always assuming a single lucky stab might kill them (unless they’re clearly and wildly superior like giants or dragons and the like and a rain of arrows is incapable of killing them).
Warlock Patron: The Collection
Be it through a lifetime of diligent acquisition or happenstance inheritance, you have come into possession of a collection of trinkets with dark histories. Each one is a story, and in the hands of a being with a strong wish, each has the potential to bring disaster.
Expanded Spell List
1 Cure Wounds, Heroism
2 Enlarge/Reduce, Lesser Restoration
3 Tiny Servant, Haste
4 Death Ward, Leomund's Secret Chest
5 Contagion, Geas
8 Antipathy/Sympathy
Collector's Pride
At 1st level you gain proficiency in History as the storied backgrounds of your collection touch on numerous events in the past. If you are already proficient in History you can double your Proficiency unless you gain such a benefit from another source.
The Collection
At 1st level you acquire a collection of tiny curious trinkets with dark histories. The nature and specific histories of the trinkets are up to you or you can roll on the chart found in the Player's Handbook. You may have a number of trinkets equal to your Charisma score and can replace as many as you like with other tiny objects provided they have mysterious, whimsical, or sinister backgrounds. You can use any of these trinkets as an arcane focus for your Warlock spells.
A number of times per day equal to your Proficiency bonus, when you spend at least one minute selling one of these trinkets to an intelligent creature, you may spend a Warlock Spell Slot and imbue the trinket with a Warlock spell you know with a casting time of one action that does not consume an expensive material component.
If the creature accepts the item they become Charmed by you as long as they retain possession of the item and the trinket becomes a magic item with one charge. You can have a number of such imbued trinkets in existence equal to your proficiency bonus. Any time a Trinket is returned to your Collection it loses its special properties and no longer counts toward your limit of Imbued Trinkets.
The creature may use an action to spend the charge and cast the spell at the level of the spell slot used to create it, using your spellcasting modifier and Spell DC. If the imbued spell was a Cantrip the item uses your Warlock level to determine its effects. If the creature casts the spell again, it reduces its maximum hit points by an amount equal to the level of the spell slot used to imbue the item. If the creature doesn't have enough hit points to pay this cost it remains at or drops to one hit point and instead gains a level of exhaustion. The creature does not know its hit points are reduced in this way unless you tell them and this hit point loss cannot be recovered until the creature rids itself of the object and completes a long rest.
Others familiar with the creature may observe physical or behavioral changes like pale skin or a mad look in their eyes. An Identify Spell reveals the function and specifics of these items normally.
A creature that loses, attempts to cast away, or destroy your trinkets may do so normally, however the trinkets reappear in your collection after your next long rest.
If you choose Pact of the Talisman at 3rd level you can choose any Trinket in your Collection (or even one you have sold) to function as your Talisman and can choose a different item at the end of any short or long rest. While within 100 feet of a creature bearing your Talisman you may target them with spells with a range of Self, cast spells, and make spell attack rolls as if you were in their space instead of your own.
Selling Trinkets to NPCs should not be difficult in most campaigns, however what does the cure for a disease that doesn't involve begging a priest, or the power to curse one's enemy with a foul disease worth? Gold? Sure, but probably not only that. As long as your buyers are carrying one of your Trinkets you can coerce and cajole them for far more than one might think. And if you include discretion (always a must) then you may also have even greater leverage. Giving a wannabe wizard a wand that eldritch blasts his rival in a duel may earn you scholarly agent for life (however long that is if they keep using the wand...).
Collector's Box
At 6th level the magic of your collection infuses whatever you carry it in. This container becomes magically resilient with an AC equal to your spell DC and hit points equal to your Warlock level. It is immune to Psychic and Poison damage. The container can hold any number of tiny items that are part of your collection and the item you want is always on top and prominently displayed when you open the container to sell one.
As an action you can open the container and draw in yourself and a number of willing or surprised creatures within 10 feet equal to your proficiency bonus. A surprised creature can resist with a Charisma saving throw vs your Spell DC. The interior of the container is an extra dimensional space with breathable air and always an appropriate temperature and moisture level to preserve your collection. The interior appears as a 15 ft cube with whatever aesthetic considerations you prefer and your collection arranged as you desire. You can keep up to 500 lbs of other miscellaneous goods in this space, though you must be able to fit them through the door.
Willing creatures and surprised creatures that failed their save appear safe inside the container in spaces of your choosing while a free standing doorway sized for a creature of your race remains in the space you left. This obvious door leads into and out of the shop. It sits on a level surface or mounted into a wall if one is available, otherwise sinking or falling as appropriate. The door is visible from the outside, appearing as you choose but must be a fairly obvious path of ingress though you may place it in difficult to see or reach spaces. It has an AC equal to your spell DC and hit points equal to your warlock level and is immune to Psychic and Poison damage. It can be opened normally. You can remain inside for up to 1 hour or until the door is destroyed at which point all the creatures inside are teleported harmlessly to the nearest empty spaces around the door. The exterior door disappears when destroyed or when you exit the space at which time any creatures remaining inside or most recently added objects in excess of 500 lbs are harmlessly teleported to the nearest empty spaces around the door.
You can open the container in this way once and regain the use of this feature after a long rest. If your container is destroyed your Collection is harmlessly displaced into the nearest empty space. The next container you place at least part of your Collection in becomes a new Collector's box after you complete a long rest.
The interior of the collector’s box is an opportunity to express your character’s inner self. A Kobold might have rough cave walls, a pile in the middle of the floor as a hoard and a rock blocking a cave entrance while a Dwarf may have tidy shelves and pedestals. A halfling might have a small restaurant and bar and offer meals while patrons browse where a Hexblood might have wicker walls under a thatched roof and a door of hanging vines, with all their trinkets hanging in bulbous wicker cages. Go crazy!
Malevolent Memorabilia
At 10th level you can cast Animate Objects on your collection, animating up to 10 tiny objects. These objects are considered magical for the purposes of bypassing damage immunity and resistance. You can cast the spell in this way once and must complete a long rest or expend a warlock spell slot to do so again.
Piece de Resistance
Beginning at 14th level when you use your Collection feature you can choose to expend one of your Mystic Arcanum and Imbue a Trinket with it. You can have only one such Trinket it existence at a time and it counts toward your normal limit of Imbued Trinkets. Each time a creature uses the Trinket to cast the imbued spell after the first it reduces it's maximum hit points by the spell's level and you may use your Reaction to do one of the following:
-Reduce your age by 1 year to a minimum of young adulthood for your race
-Recover a Warlock Spell Slot
-Recover a number of hit points equal to your Warlock level + Proficiency bonus. Hit points beyond your maximum become temporary hit points.
You can perform this Reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all uses after a long rest.
New Invocations
Library of Mystery
Prerequisites: Warlock 5, Collection Patron, Pact of the Tome
Several mysterious tomes can now be found in your Collection. When you imbue one of these books as you would a trinket you can instead have it become a Magical Book or Tome as found in the DM's Guide or Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. This book is not granted a charge by your Collection feature and instead uses the rules presented in its item description. The item can be common or uncommon. At level 11 it can be a rare item, at level 17 it can be a very rare item. If the book is consumed in its use, such as a Manual of Gainful exercise or Golem Manual, you lose the benefit of this Invocation until you gain a warlock level.
Horrific Petshop
Prerequisites: Warlock 7, Collection Patron, Pact of the Chain
Your Collection contains the spawn of several strange creatures or their eggs. You learn the spell Summon Aberration if you don't know it already. When a creature uses a Trinket to cast Summon Aberration, you can share its senses as you would a familiar. Additionally, you can apply the benefits of any Invocation with a Pact of the Chain prerequisite to the Aberration as you would your familiar.
Memento Mori
Prerequistites: Collection Patron, Pact of the Blade
You have acquired a number of fine weapons for your Collection. When you imbue one of these weapons as you would a trinket you can instead have it become a Magical Weapon as described in the DM's Guide or other sources chosen by the DM. This weapon is not granted a charge by your Collection feature and instead uses the rules presented in its item description. The item can be common or uncommon. At level 11 it can be a rare item, at level 17 it can be a very rare item.
Cursed Trinkets
Prerequisites: Collection Patron, Warlock Level 3
Your trinkets always return to the possession of the creature you sold them to. Even if lost, destroyed, or stolen the object reappears in a pocket, backpack, boot, etc. after their next short or long rest. A Trinket's owner can only rid itself of the Trinket by way of Remove Curse or similar magic. Additionally, you always know if part of your Collection comes into the possession of creature other than yourself or the creature you sold it to. You gain a general sense of the creature's nature and location at this time. You may use your reaction to expend a Warlock spell slot and imbue the item with the same or a new spell, allowing the new owner to use the Trinket normally, albeit possibly with unexpected results. The new owner then becomes Charmed by you as long as it retains possession of the item.
Every Child's Favorite Toy
Prequisites: Collection Patron, Eldritch Blast
Your Collection contains a number of Arcane Focuses that seem to sing to those with ill intent. When you Imbue one of these items with the Eldritch Blast Cantrip you can apply any or all of your Invocations that enhance Eldritch Blast.