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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next The Coven: A Warlock Subclass



schm0
2021-04-20, 09:28 AM
The Coven

You have made a bargain with a powerful hag or coven of hags, entering into their service as a minion in exchange for power. Hags do not enter into bargains unless they can use that bond to bring about the downfall of another, especially the virtuous. The magic a hag wields is both strange and powerful, and the methods the hag may use to this end are no different. As part of your pact, you may be asked to work directly towards this goal or bring about change unforeseen ways. Example patrons might include Baba Yaga, Glurinda, Malagard, Igglwiv, or the Daughters of Sora Kell.

Expanded Spell List

The Coven 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.



Spell Level
Expanded Spells


1
bane, Tasha's caustic brew*


2
augury, locate object


3
clairvoyance, stinking cloud


4
locate creature, vitriolic sphere


5
creation, legend lore



* - appears in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Corruption's Curse

Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to place a corrupting curse on someone. As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target is cursed for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse ends, you target receives the following effects:

If the target attempts to make a save against a spell or similar magic effect, your spell DC is increased by 1.

The target has disadvantage on ability checks that use Charisma.
The physical appearance of the target changes to something hideous and ugly. For example, boils or scabs may appear on the surface of their skin, hair turns white and falls out, or teeth rot and blacken.
This feature has no effect on fey creatures. You can't use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.



Witches Cauldron

At 1st level, your introduction to witchcraft allows you to concoct elixirs, potions and even poisonous maladies. Pick two tools from the following: alchemist's supplies, herbalism kit or poisoner's kit. You gain proficiency with the chosen tools.

Over the course of an hour you imbue a cauldron or similar container with strange and powerful magic. The container has an AC of 16, 30 hit points, and is immune to poison or psychic damage. The container can replace the need for several tools, and at any time can substitute for alchemist's supplies, herbalism kit or a poisoner's kit. If this object is destroyed, you can perform a ritual to magically conjure an identical cauldron or similar container over the course of an hour.

Wicked Ride

At 6th level, you gain a magical form of transportation. You can transform one mundane object no greater than 5 feet cube, such as a cauldron or dragon skull, into a vehicle by performing a special ritual. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. Upon completion of the ritual the object begins to hover above the ground and gains a flying speed of 40 feet. It can carry up to 400 pounds, but its flying speed is halved while carrying over 200 pounds. As an action, you can speak a command word and the vehicle is transformed into a glass marble or similar trinket. Conversely, you can use an action to speak another command word to restore the trinket to its former shape and function.

Corruption Grows Within

At 6th level, your power to corrupt grows more powerful. If the target cursed by your Corruption's Curse makes a save against your spell save DC, you can use your reaction to force them to make the save again. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the save succeeds or fails.

Beyond the Veil

Starting at 10th level, you know the scrying spell, and this spell doesn't count against your spells known. When you cast this spell, you may bend your strange magic to twist time and fate to see more than the typical diviner. When casting the spell in this way, you may also describe a previous time period in addition to a creature or location, such as "on her sixteenth birthday" or "when the last person died in this room". The nature of what is revealed by the spell is determined by the DM, but the visions and sounds you see are vague, foggy or muffled. In addition, when you cast the spell in this way the duration is reduced to 1 minute.

The Power of Three

At 14th level, you gain an eerie insight into the mysterious nature of the weave. Pick three spells from the warlock spell list no greater than 5th level from the divination, enchantment or illusion schools. The chosen spells don't count against the number of warlock spells you know. You may cast each of these spells once without expending a spell slot. If the spell allows you to cast at a higher level, you cast the spell as if you were expending a 5th level spell slot. You regain the ability to cast each of these spells using this feature when you finish a long rest.

Recommended eldritch invocations:

Appearances

Mask of Many Faces, Sculptor of Flesh, Master of Myriad Forms - Witches and hags are known to hide their true appearances from all but their kin. You are no different.

Curses

Sign of Ill Omen, Maddening Hex - Curses are bread and butter for witches, and most prefer to watch their victims suffer from a distance.

Revealing and Prophecy

Witch Sight, Whispers of the Grave, Visions of Distant Realms - Reaching beyond the material plane is something witches do quite often... for a price.

Any and all feedback or constructive criticism is welcome. One of the things I am most open to is the 10th level feature. I wanted to create something that played into the crystal ball/scrying/fortune-telling aspect of witches and hags without making it too powerful. Open to suggestions for a thematic replacement.

BenevolentEvil
2021-04-24, 08:52 AM
You should probably carefully evaluate the expanded spell list. Some of those spells last a long time or have utility that makes them slightly abusable with warlocks getting spell slots back on a short rest. The design document that WotC put out many years ago for creating new class options says this about warlock spell lists:

"The warlock spell list was carefully cultivated to avoid including spells that might become annoying if cast too often at the table. If you want to grant a warlock access to a new spell, but are concerned that its frequent casting could be disruptive to the game, consider creating an eldritch invocation that enables the use of the same magic on a more limited basis (by requiring a rest between uses, for instance)."

schm0
2021-06-08, 10:50 AM
Do you have a specific spell in mind here?

TriciaOso
2021-06-08, 10:57 AM
Creation is an obvious one.

TriciaOso
2021-06-08, 01:26 PM
That said this is a great idea for a subclass and a definite missing option for Warlocks, especially with the new Hexblood lineage!

Segev
2021-06-08, 02:31 PM
I'm not entirely sure why Witch's Cauldron is worth using. Why not just have the tools it replaces? What does it do that they can't?

Old Harry MTX
2021-06-09, 03:14 AM
I'm not entirely sure why Witch's Cauldron is worth using. Why not just have the tools it replaces? What does it do that they can't?

I second this.

However, I really like the idea of this subclass, the only thing I think is missing is the ability to create and use a Hag Eye, even if I don't know which mechanic or effect to give it...

TriciaOso
2021-06-09, 08:22 AM
Perhaps it could replace the Witch's Cauldron, and be a mechanism for gating some of the more powerful divination spells instead of adding them to the spell list. If it had, say, proficiency charges per day, and burned one charge per spell level of the divination?

The alternative that comes to mind is tying it to the Trinket pact, but I don't think unique combinations of pact+patron are really a done thing... could be handled through a magic item I suppose, that you only take once you form your pact. Pact of the Trinket is widely agreed to suck, so adding a little zazz to it might be fair.

Segev
2021-06-09, 10:12 AM
Thinking on it more, at a minimum the Witch's Cauldron should not only substitute for the three tool kits (alchemist's supplies, herbalism kit, poisoner's kit), but should grant proficiency to the warlock in them. Expertise if the warlock is already proficient. Maybe even just grant expertise, period. Allow it to serve as a focus for augury, and let the warlock cast it as a ritual regardless of the warlock's level. Remove it from the expanded spell list and replace it with something else, maybe locate animals or plants. I would also allow the Cauldron to serve as the focus for scrying gained at 10th level, possibly requiring it to use that spell.

As somebody mentioned a Hag Eye being a nice thing to add for flavor, make your Hag Eye something you can brew up in the cauldron using an eye plucked while still moist with life. The Hag Eye is tied to the cauldron that created it, and as long as the cauldron is used as a focus for a divination spell, the Hag Eye is always considered in range and anything bearing it automatically fails any saving throws against such spells.

schm0
2021-06-19, 08:03 PM
Sorry for the delay, I had only one reply for the longest time and didn't bother to check back! Happy to see the feedback.


Creation is an obvious one.

I don't really see the problem with casting creation twice per short rest. Is there some sort of crazy overpowered usage of this spell that I'm not seeing?


I second this.

However, I really like the idea of this subclass, the only thing I think is missing is the ability to create and use a Hag Eye, even if I don't know which mechanic or effect to give it...

I have some flavor text regarding the coven granting one to the player on a DM basis. I didn't want to force the idea, because the player or DM might not want the coven to have such a direct connection with the player. To me it makes no sense for the player to create it, since it requires a coven of witches to create it.


Perhaps it could replace the Witch's Cauldron, and be a mechanism for gating some of the more powerful divination spells instead of adding them to the spell list. If it had, say, proficiency charges per day, and burned one charge per spell level of the divination?

The alternative that comes to mind is tying it to the Trinket pact, but I don't think unique combinations of pact+patron are really a done thing... could be handled through a magic item I suppose, that you only take once you form your pact. Pact of the Trinket is widely agreed to suck, so adding a little zazz to it might be fair.

I wholly support the combination of a hag's eye and Pact of the Trinket, but I'd prefer not to make the mistake of Hexblade and have this be "the Pact of the Trinket class" via special enhancements. I (want to) love all of my warlock children equally! I would very much be interested in creating new invocations to that effect.


Thinking on it more, at a minimum the Witch's Cauldron should not only substitute for the three tool kits (alchemist's supplies, herbalism kit, poisoner's kit), but should grant proficiency to the warlock in them. Expertise if the warlock is already proficient. Maybe even just grant expertise, period. Allow it to serve as a focus for augury, and let the warlock cast it as a ritual regardless of the warlock's level. Remove it from the expanded spell list and replace it with something else, maybe locate animals or plants. I would also allow the Cauldron to serve as the focus for scrying gained at 10th level, possibly requiring it to use that spell.

The warlock does get proficiency in two of the three tools, but I don't think a third would be out of the question. With the lack of any formal definition as to what herbalism and alchemy encompass I think it's basically a wash (I allow both to craft potions at my table, for instance) but the primary reason I did it was to allow the player some choice. I definitely think expertise is a step too far for level 1. Artificer gets this at level 6, and I think a similar delay might be better here. Not a bad idea, though. Definitely on board with the cauldron as a focus for scrying, very flavorful!

Kuulvheysoon
2021-06-20, 09:12 AM
I'd dispute adding bane to the expanded list purely based on the fact that bane 1/day (using a spell slot) is an Eldritch Invocation.

Is it a terrible invocation? Yes. Does that change the fact that it exists? Also no.

Segev
2021-06-20, 03:16 PM
I'd dispute adding bane to the expanded list purely based on the fact that bane 1/day (using a spell slot) is an Eldritch Invocation.

Is it a terrible invocation? Yes. Does that change the fact that it exists? Also no.

Eh, obsoleting a terrible Invocation isn't a problem, to my mind.