Warlock Patron - Levistus (PEACH)

[Lycan999]

I have recently started creating a new warlock subclass for each of the archdukes of hell, and Levistus was the first one I completed so I thought I would share in order to get some feedback. Here it is.



Otherworldly Patron - Levistus, Lord of the Fifth

Expanded Spell List
1st: Disguise Self, Ice Knife
2nd: Misty Step, Suggestion
3rd: Haste, Sleet Storm
4th: Freedom of Movement, Ice Storm
5th: Cone of Cold, Modify Memory

Silver Tongue
At 1st level when you choose this subclass you gain proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills. Furthermore, you are immune to all forms of magic that attempt to determine whether or not you are lying, unless you are aware of the effect and allow it to register as lying you will always register as telling the truth. Finally, you can speak, read, and write Infernal.

Daring Evasion
Your wit and charm often get you in to trouble, but luckily they also often help get you out of trouble. Starting at 1st level when you are targeted by a ranged attack or an opportunity attack by an opponent that you can see you may choose to temporarily add your Charisma modifier to your AC before the success of the attack is determined. This ability only works if you are wearing Light Armor or no armor. You may use this ability a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). You regain all uses of this ability after completing a Short or Long Rest.

Tomb of Levistus
At 6th level you gain the Tomb of Levistus invocation. If you already have Tomb of Levistus you may choose a different invocation. Furthermore, you may now trigger the invocation with either a Reaction or a Bonus Action. When the invocation ends and the ice melts it does so in a blast of frigid air and each creature within 10 ft. of you must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + Charisma modifier + Proficiency bonus). On a failed save they take 2d10 + your Charisma modifier Cold damage, or half as much on a successful save, and have their movement speed reduced to zero until the start of your next turn. Also, the ice of your tomb has Immunity to Cold damage.

Spell Parry
At 10th level when you are targeted by a spell or spell-like ability by a creature that you can see and you are wielding a weapon with you are proficient with you attempt to redirect the effect. After successfully making your saving throw you may use your Reaction to make a weapon attack against the save DC of the spell. Upon a success you completely negate the spell and force the original creature to save against the spell as if they had cast in on them self.

Touch of the Lethe
The chthonic rivers that run through Stygia have the ability to destroy the mind of a mortal creature and leave them a husk of their former selves, and you have gained the ability to channel a small portion of this power. Beginning at 14th level you may infuse a touch or melee attack with dark power, forcing a creature to make a Charisma saving throw (DC 8 + Charisma modifier + Proficiency modifier). On a failed save they are overcome with amnesia, forgetting who they are and their history. They still have all of their skills and abilities and suffer no mechanical consequences, but they forget all prior relationships and become neutral to all creatures and characters and if they were hostile they cease being hostile. They will still defend themselves if acted upon and their fundamental personality and alignment do not change. This affect is permeant, but every day they are entitled to a new saving throw to end the effect. They make the saving throw with Advantage if they are in the presence of a person, place, or object that was previously very important to them. You regain the use of this ability after completing a Short or Long Rest.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I'd probably try and find new spells to replace disguise self, misty step, and suggestion.

Disguise self is covered by the Mask of Many Faces invocation, while misty step and suggestion are both already on the warlock list, so they're not actually expanding it.

Maybe just straight up give them the Beguiling Influence invocation as a bonus invocation for the Silver Tongue feature? Does the ability to lie persist when talking with a Solar (and their Divine Awareness ability)?

The buffed tomb of Levistus might as well have it's movement penalty last until the end of the creature's next turn- it's a heck of a lot easier to keep track of for the DM, though it does open a (possible) window for Legendary movement.

Spell Parry feels weird. On the one hand, it's a powerful effect, giving you effectively unlimited uses of counterspell+. On the other hand, you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get there (need to be holding a weapon, need to succeed on the save, need to use your reaction and need to make an attack roll versus the spell save DC). How does this play when you try to negate a fireball? Does it negate the damage for everyone in the area? If so, it might need to be looked at again. I like the thematic idea, but I'd probably streamline it and power it down slightly.

Ironically enough, your capstone is least useful on other Warlocks. They're not affected mechanically, so they must still have some sort of bond to their patron. For clairity's sake, you should probably drop the line about it being permanent and just keep the bit about being able to make a new saving throw every day.

[Lycan999]

I'd probably try and find new spells to replace disguise self, misty step, and suggestion.

Disguise self is covered by the Mask of Many Faces invocation, while misty step and suggestion are both already on the warlock list, so they're not actually expanding it.

Replacing Disguise Self is a good idea, I wasn't thinking about Mask of Many Faces. The other two I am going to leave in, they are both powerful spells and some of the better 2nd level spells the Warlock has access to so even though they do not expand the list it frees up the character to take more spells. I generally don't think every added spell needs to be from another list.


Maybe just straight up give them the Beguiling Influence invocation as a bonus invocation for the Silver Tongue feature? Does the ability to lie persist when talking with a Solar (and their Divine Awareness ability)?

Just giving Beguiling Influence is also a good idea, I will add that in when I get a chance. Yes, as far as I am aware a Solar is one of the few times the "anti-lie detection" ability would actually come up other than Zone of Truth. Since the patron is an archdevil I would probably rule that a god could ignore it, but a Solar is not quite powerful enough. Still have to deal with its monstrous Insight bonus though.


The buffed tomb of Levistus might as well have it's movement penalty last until the end of the creature's next turn- it's a heck of a lot easier to keep track of for the DM, though it does open a (possible) window for Legendary movement.

Good idea.


Spell Parry feels weird. On the one hand, it's a powerful effect, giving you effectively unlimited uses of counterspell+. On the other hand, you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get there (need to be holding a weapon, need to succeed on the save, need to use your reaction and need to make an attack roll versus the spell save DC). How does this play when you try to negate a fireball? Does it negate the damage for everyone in the area? If so, it might need to be looked at again. I like the thematic idea, but I'd probably streamline it and power it down slightly.

I don't think it is really comparable to Counterspell, Counterspell shuts the spell down from the start where this only becomes an option once you make your save. After that point if you make the attack roll you do negate it completely, essentially being a conditional Evasion/Mettle effect, and then you get to sling it back and possibly effect them. So you have to succeed twice and they have to fail once and can only do it once per turn at the cost of your Reaction, which I think is fair for such a powerful ability. It also specifies only targeted abilities, so no slapping back fireballs. I do need to clean up the language though so it specifies that if you reflect a spell it as if you cast it, using the original caster's spell DC. I'll work on it.


Ironically enough, your capstone is least useful on other Warlocks. They're not affected mechanically, so they must still have some sort of bond to their patron. For clairity's sake, you should probably drop the line about it being permanent and just keep the bit about being able to make a new saving throw every day.

Yes, a warlock would still have all of their powers. If they had met their patron previously they would not recognize them anymore, but it would not effect their class abilities. Fighters could still swing their swords, rogues can still pick locks, wizards can still cast spells. Even clerics would still have their powers and be granted spells, though they would be kind of just aware of some greater power aiding them. They still have their personality and alignment and given that they are a cleric the tenants of their god are probably hard-baked into them so they probably would not change that much in that regard, but they wouldn't remember anyone in their church or religious community. They could even make a Religion check and describe their god and religion to you, possibly even in significant detail, but they would not remember their past association with it. They would just have a nagging feeling in the back of their head and probably realize something funny is going on, but until they make a save they would not remember details even if the situation was explained to them. I will try to rewrite the language when I get a chance, your suggestion is a good one.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Replacing Disguise Self is a good idea, I wasn't thinking about Mask of Many Faces. The other two I am going to leave in, they are both powerful spells and some of the better 2nd level spells the Warlock has access to so even though they do not expand the list it frees up the character to take more spells. I generally don't think every added spell needs to be from another list.

The Warlock's Expanded Spell List works differently than the Cleric's Domain spells or most any other feature that increases your spell list. It notably doesn't give you the spells as free extra spells known (barring house rules). Here's the exact text from the Fiend patron, for example:
The Fiend 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.It doesn't automatically add the spell to your spells known, it just expands your spell list. So by having misty step and suggestion on that list (assuming no house rules, again), you're effectively giving them nothing that level in terms of spells. It's why all warlock subclasses have non-warlock spells as part of their expanded spell list.

So leaving them in doesn't "free up" a character from taking the spells, it just limits how different that they can be from any other warlock.

[sandmote]

The Tomb of Levistus the feature should probably follow this format for the saving throw:

The target must make a Wisdom saving throw, taking 3d8 psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On a failed save, you also always know the target’s location until the spell ends, but only while the two of you are on the same plane of existence.

Otherwise, maybe swap in Detect Thoughts and Snilloc’s Snowball Swarm as 2nd level spells? Immovable Object might make sense as well, given the nature of the archdevil's prison.