A new Nulock for 1D&D [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

View Full Version : A new Nulock for 1D&D

BerzerkerUnit

2023-05-07, 03:16 PM

animorte

2023-05-07, 03:49 PM

While we're not necessarily in agreement on the UA rendition, I've always enjoyed your homebrew and creative mind in general. What better way to express your thoughts than through what you do best?

I like the basic ideas you already have going, pulling from pre-existing subclasses that kind of make more sense with the Warlock anyway. For one example, Eldritch Knight always being a martial pseudo-Wizard has always bothered me. Why use the word "Eldritch" unless it's relative to the Elritch Master itself, the Warlock?

Anyway, that aside... From your creation, I would like to see invocations that legitimately offer your Warlock some creative options to advance their combat in various spectrums. They are, after all, the build-a-bear class. Things that represent martial prowess vs summoning prowess vs casting prowess, but never all of them at once. If you're going to be exceptionally good at one thing, there needs to be a trade-off.

BerzerkerUnit

2023-05-07, 11:15 PM

Warlock
Across the multiverse, Warlock is an epithet hurled at wielders of poorly understood arcane powers. Some small numbers may live unknown and apart as ascetics or hermits while others are feared for their power and the action they take in service of mysterious entities. A community may tolerate a Warlock, but few would welcome them into their home.

Warlocks have a difficult relationship to traditions. As a Warlock you gather power as a child gathers shells by the sea, pursuing whatever catches your eye, casting it aside when it's lost your interest. At the heart of your pursuit is some goal for which no price is too high. The nature of the sacrifice is different for each. You may offer your soul or other precious things to mysterious entities, others may forswear family and friends to pursue mastery of themselves, and some may find their craft all consuming, perpetually questing for exotic reagents in pursuit of a perfection known only to the gods.

The Powers you master are categorized as Lesser, Greater, and Mystic Arcanum, Infusions, Invocations, and Esoterica. Lesser and Greater Arcanum are spells. The Arcanum replicate spells cast by wizards and sorcerers, however Lesser Arcanum are more potent than the common cantrips of such Mages, while Greater Arcanum grant the capacity to cast a single potent spell, or a less potent spell several times. Infusions allow you to create a variety of magical items and equipment which you can use or pass on to others. Invocations are unique powers drawn from Entities with which you've made a pact. Esoterica are mysterious powers drawn from an absolute sense of self.

The interplay between these different Powers is dependent on the Warlock. Someone knowing an Infusion to craft a yew wand with a sapphire tip to hurl lightning could unwittingly breathe in the sapphire dust, get a splinter of yew stuck in their palm and discover Lesser or Greater Arcanum granting them the ability to hurl lightning from their hand as well. Another Warlock may perform a service for a Blue Greatwyrm and be gifted the right to summon a measure of its breath as a similar Arcanum. A Pact with an Eldritch being could tear open the 3rd eye of a Warlock granting the Awakened Mind esoterica. This haphazard method of acquiring power makes apprenticeships difficult at best and notion of formalized schooling impossible.

While this pursuit of power can appear chaotic, Warlocks themselves are not necessarily so. Some are single minded in their pursuits, reliably and methodically working their way toward the same goal, while others may progress in fits and starts as they quest for introductions to ever more powerful beings, or steal misunderstood lore, even accepting multiple curses with opposing effects to master various Arcana or Esoterica.

A Warlock's Path
Early in a Warlock's career they will find that one path is tread more easily than others and Powers obtained through such pursuits will yield greater results. It is by no means a mandate to limit themselves to that path and those that so narrowly pursue it to its end will find they have more potential that will only be unlocked through more diverse studies.

Warlock
d8 HD
8+con mod @ 1st level
medium armor, simple weapons
Skills: 2 from Animal Handling, Athletics, Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Nature, Religion, Persuasion, and Survival
Saves: Wis/Cha

Level
Proficiency
Feature
Power Level

1
+2
Spellcasting, Two Powers
1

2
+2
Two Powers
1

3
+2
Path Feature
2

4
+2
Feat
2

5
+3
Two Powers
3

6
+3
Path Feature
3

7
+3
Two Powers
4

8
+3
Feat
4

9
+4
Two Powers
5

10
+4
Path Feature
5

11
+4
Two Powers
6

12
+4
Feat
6

13
+5
One Power
7

14
+5
Path Feature
7

15
+5
One Power
8

16
+5
Feat
8

17
+6
One Power
9

18
+6
Exacta
9

19
+6
Feat
9

20
+6
Epic Boon
9

Spellcasting
Beginning at 1st level you master the Eldritch Blast Lesser Arcanum and choose whether you use your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as your Spellcasting Ability. Once this choice is made it cannot be changed. Future powers acquired through this class that refer to your Spellcasting ability will use the Ability score chosen with this feature.

Powers
Additionally, at 1st level you master 2 additional Powers from the Lesser or Greater Arcanum, Infusions, Invocations, or Esoterica for which you meet the prerequisites. You gain a number of additional Powers as you gain levels in the Warlock class as detailed on the Warlock class table. Each time you gain a level in this class you can replace a power you know with a different Power for which you meet the prerequisite.

Path
At 3rd level you discover a path to power that you find particularly easy to navigate. Choose the Pact Maker, Psion, or Artisan Path. You gain additional Path features at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Feats
At 4th level you gain a feat for which you meet the prerequisites. You gain additional feats at levels 8, 12, 16, and 19.

Exacta
At 18th level your versatility is nearly unlimited and you are able to draw out a power for nearly any occasion. As an action you can change one Power you know for another Power with the same or lower level prerequisite. You regain the use of this feature after a short or long rest.

Epic Boon
At 20th level you gain an Epic Boon Feat such as the Boon of Fate.

A Path is a specific means of acquiring power for which you have a talent.

As an Artisan you are particularly adept in the use of Infusions.

Bonus Proficiencies
At 3rd level you may choose 3 Artisan's Tool Proficiencies or 2 such proficiencies and Poisoner's Kit proficiency

Endless Innovation
At 3rd level you can choose any Infusion you meet the prerequisites for. Additionally, when you choose an Infusion you gain all the listed Schemas instead of 2.

Recycle and Reuse
At 6th level you can reclaim the power in one of your Infusions as an action returning it to its mundane state and immediately use it to empower a different item with another schema you acquired with the same Power. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence bonus.

High Efficiency Models
At 10th level you can now attune to 4 magic items instead of 3. Further, you learn to create items that require less power for effect. After a long rest you can choose one of your Infusions and create 2 of the schemas it contains instead of one. If these items require attunement, they can be attuned in 1 minute instead of 1 hour.

Aegistic Panoply
At 14th level and beyond you gain a +1 bonus to saving throws for each magic item you have attuned.

As a Pact Maker you move through the world with the backing of powerful entities that grant you exceptional powers when you're willing to pay the price.

Pact Boon
At 3rd level, you are gifted a boon as part of a Pact you have made. You learn the Pact Blade, Pact Familiar, or Pact Tome Lesser Arcanum. You can offer a 1d4 blood sacrifice to cast the chosen spell as a Bonus Action once. You regain the ability to cast the spell in this way when you roll initiative.

Invoker Extraordinaire
Beginning at 6th level, you reduce the hit point reduction of your Blood Sacrifices and the gold cost of your tithes by half (minimum 1).

Patron's Wisdom
At 10th level you can reach across the planar boundaries and cosmic distances to confer with your Patron on some matter important to you. You learn the Contact Other Plane Greater Arcanum. You can use this feature to cast the spell once without expending a use of the Arcanum and regain the ability to do so when you complete a long rest. You automatically succeed on the saving throw when you cast the spell in this way.

Before All Others
At 14th level you gain immunity to the Charmed and Frightened conditions. When an ally within 30 feet is Charmed or Frightened you can use this feature as a reaction to manifest an ephemeral vision of your favored Patron in a 30 ft radius sphere centered on you. Creatures you choose in the sphere are rendered Immune to the Charmed and Frightened conditions for 1 minute as the awe inspiring vision of your patron lingers in their minds, drowning out such influences.

As a Psion you have an incontestable knowledge of self from which you draw power to change the world. Your inner world and dreamscape can give birth to fantastical powers that allow you to achieve superhuman skill, crush the minds of foes, exert your will on object's like the hands of a titan, and meddle with destiny.

Essentient
Beginning at 3rd level, you gain the Awakened Mind Esoterica if you don't have it already. Additionally, your psi dice recover more quickly than the less adept. When you recover Psi Dice as a bonus action, you recover a number of dice equal to your spellcasting ability.

Phantasm
At 6th level and beyond, when you hit a creature with your eldritch blast or a melee attack you can spend a psi die and deal additional psychic damage equal to the result.

Master Psychokinetic
Beginning at 10th level, your Mage Hand cantrip as well as any Arcanum that lists a weight limit have their weight limits multiplied by 10.

Prophetic Dreams
At 14th level and beyond, your 3rd eye opens widely during rest. When you complete a short or long rest you foresee a likely chain of events. You can follow the current of destiny until you reach a pivotal event or moment you wish to change. When a creature you can see within 30 ft succeeds or fails on a d20 test you can use your reaction to reroll the test with advantage or disadvantage and choose the result you prefer. When you do, you are dazed the following turn as you exerted yourself in some manner to interfere with fate. You can use this reaction once after which each use inflicts a level of exhaustion. You regain the ability to use this feature safely when you complete a short or long rest.

Powers

Arcanum are Arcane spells granted by patrons, channeled through items and reagents, or drawn from one's dreams. Lesser Arcanum are collections of cantrips or enhanced cantrips. All Cantrips granted by a Lesser Arcanum improve with your level as normal for Cantrips.

Greater Arcanum replicate spells of 1st to 5th level. All Greater Arcanum improve as you gain levels in this class. If the spell the Greater Arcanum grants is less than the level your Greater Arcanum provides, you decide if the spell they grant will be upcast or grant an additional casting each time they improve. For example: If you take Magic Missile as a Greater Arcanum at 1st level, when you reach 3rd level you can choose to cast Magic Missile once as a 2nd level spell, or cast it twice as a 1st level spell. At 5th level you could choose to cast it twice as a 2nd level spell, or 3 times as a 1st level spell, and so on.

Class Level- Spell Level provided by Greater Arcanum
1________________1st
3________________2nd
5________________3rd
7________________4th
9________________5th

Mystic Arcanum replicate spells of 6th to 9th level. You can have one Mystic Arcanum of each level. You can forego choosing a spell of a particular level to instead upcast or have multiple castings of a lower level spell. For example, you could use your 9th level Mystic Arcanum to cast Create Undead as if you'd used a 9th level spell slot. Alternatively, you could choose to cast Create Undead as a 6th level spell 4 times.

Eldritch Blast
You learn the Eldritch Blast Cantrip. Beginning at 2nd level you add your spellcasting ability to damage rolls for this spell. You fire an additional blast at Warlock levels 5, 11, and 17.

Flame Soul
You learn the Firebolt, Create Bonfire, and Control Flames Cantrips. A creature damaged by one the spells listed here suffers additional fire damage equal to your proficiency at the end of their next turn unless a creature uses an action to put them out.

Heart of Ice
You learn the Ray of Frost, Cold Snap, and Shape Water Cantrips. A creature damaged by one of the spells listed here suffers additional damage equal to your proficiency bonus if it takes bludgeoning damage before the end of its next turn.

Titanborn
You learn the Magic Stone and Shape Earth Cantrips. A creature damaged by one of your magic stones has its speed reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.

Stormborn
You learn the Shocking Grasp, Thunderclap.

Big Bad Wolf
You learn the Gust Cantrip. Your Gust can affect a creature of any size. When a creature fails a save against your Gust Cantrip or your Gust of Wind Greater Arcanum, they have disadvantage on subsequent saves against either effect.

Trashwright
You learn the Mending Cantrip. Starting at 2nd level you can cast this spell as an action, but the mending takes one minute to complete. If the object is moved or touched during this time, the mending fails.

Reaper
You learn the Chill Touch and Toll the Dead cantrips. Starting at 2nd level, when you target a creature with either of these cantrips, you can target a 2nd creature within 5 feet of the first.

The Sight
You learn the Guidance and Resilience Cantrips. A creature benefiting from either of these Cantrips can use their reaction to roll the d4 twice and choose the higher result.

Infusions are techniques to infuse magic into objects and create temporary magic items. Each Infusion provides a collection of 3 or more Schemas. When you choose an Infusion you choose to learn 2 of the listed schemas. At the end of a long rest you can create one Schema from each Infusion you know by touching an item appropriate to is purpose. Items created with Infusion remain magical until you choose to create a different schema from that Infusion. For example: You could create a Repeating Crossbow. The repeating crossbow will retain its magical properties until you choose to create a different schema from the Boltcaster Infusion.

Reagents and Costs.
Some Schemas list a cost associated with the acquisition of necessary reagents. It is assumed that you devote a measure of downtime to foraging or shopping for such things and for bookkeeping purposes, simply deduct the gold cost from your current wealth when you create the item.

Boltcaster
Choose 2 from
Repeating Shot (as book)
Piercer (Requires 5th level, short Range for the crossbow is a line that can hit up to 2 targets, 2 attacks, one damage roll)
Arbalest (shoot stones or iron shot, damage is d4 bludgeoning but all ammo is Walloping)

Blade Soul
Choose 2 from
Improved Blade +1 attack or +2 damage.
Flashing Blade (as the weapon that blinds from book)
Bloodhound (adds Vex property to slashing weapon)

Armorer
Choose 2 from
Repelling Shield (as book)
Returning Shield (shield can be thrown 10/30 as returning d6 bludgeoning weapon)
Shield Wall (25gp, requires 12th, 1/day drop shield as an action to create Wall of Iron, if not destroyed, action to recover

Monstrous Potions
Choose 2 from
Dragon's Breath (requires 3rd)
Basilisk Bile (25gp, requires 5th, cure petrification)
Glowing Spider Venom (10gp, requires 3rd, grants spider climb for 1 hour, end early to cast Web 1x)

Invigorating Potions
Choose 2 from
Healing Potions

Invocations are gifts granted by Patrons. Some of these gifts grant persistent benefits like Devil's Sight while others are more limited use. Many Invocations will offer a Blood Sacrifice or Tithe option that allows them to be employed more often but requiring you to make the appropriate sacrifice of health or wealth.

Esoterica are powers born of the mind. Conjuring up dreams, allowing your emotions to run wild and empower your physical form, even manifesting astral bodies that fight in your stead.

noob

2023-05-08, 01:27 AM

I like the basic ideas you already have going, pulling from pre-existing subclasses that kind of make more sense with the Warlock anyway. For one example, Eldritch Knight always being a martial pseudo-Wizard has always bothered me. Why use the word "Eldritch" unless it's relative to the Elritch Master itself, the Warlock?

That is because a subclass is a prestige class, 5e sneaked early access prestige classes as the default and just obligated players to have prestige classes because prestige classes did not have as much success as they excepted (this is in order to encourage the sales of additional manuals: usually WOTC placed a few prcs in each manual to encourage players to get them (else only gms would care about manuals if there was no player specific content in the manuals), this does works better if players are literally obligated to get a prestige class).
A significant number of subclasses corresponds to older prestige classes, eldritch knight is named after an old prestige class that progresses both fighting prowess and casting that preceded the creation of warlocks.
The fact subclassses are prestige classes is also why wotc did toy around at some point with subclasses that are common between classes (because some old prcs used to be meant for multiple different entries) even if people considered the idea kind of pointless it makes sense if you are wotc and that you know subclasses are just mandatory prestige classes with easier entry conditions.

Yakk

2023-05-08, 08:56 AM

So I’ve made no secret of thinking the half casting nulock for 1D&D is not to my taste. I’m very specifically asking we not relitigate it here

Instead, I had an idea for a warlock to be reclassified as “magic but not wizardry/sorcery/divine/primal in origin.”

This doesn’t mean no spells, it means powers and features from sources “poorly understood” be they patrons, items fashioned, or Psionic powers etc.

My ultra alpha draft is 20 levels of cantrips and Eldritch Invocations mixed with infusions and mystic arcanum (as the current UA but with a boost).

So for spells, when you take mystic arcanum, you pick a spell and can cast it once at a level based on the level you took the invocation, or, a number of times based on the difference between the spell’s level and the level you took the invocation.
Using level here is going to get you burned. Classes have levels, characters have levels, spells have levels, and now mystic arcanum have levels?

So if you use a 5th level mystic arcanum to learn fire ball, you can cast it 3x a day. 1+the difference I. Spell and arcanum level.
Nobody is going to understand this without extensive documentation. "The level you took the mystic arcanum" is both the class, character and now a new mystic arcanum level?

And you meant the last it looks like.

Now the Invocations are free choice, so you can start with a spells or infusions or other stuff.

The current boon cantrips are all on the class list but you get another one every 4 levels, so by 12th level you have them all, but the one you started with will have more invocations backing it up.
I think you should avoid any case of choices where "you have them all" happens.

Also, respec is a standard thing in 1D&D. So "the earlier ones have more invocations" isn't how it rolls; a level 20 PC shouldn't have to be built level by level to be understood (as best possible). You should be able to take the pool of resources you have at level 5, 10 or 20 and pick stuff to fill in the slots and get a valid PC. Exceptions should be as limited as you can make it.

...

Yours appears to be a build-a-bear class. Ie, one where every feature is "pick from a list".

I might suggest an alternative to build-a-bear that fits the Warlock theme. Tie your abilities to the class theme more directly.

Warlocks would make more pacts, possibly with the same patron but possibly with different ones, as they gain levels. Each pact gives them abilities, and maybe imposes some (usually nominal or flavour based) cost.

A classic cost that is very pro-adventure is the reaping of souls. When you are near someone who dies partly by your hands you can reap their soul. You gain a short-term boon (based on the pact), and you have paid down the daily debt on the pact (and hence get a power recharge the next (long?) rest).

The soul has to be sufficiently powerful (so no bag-of-rats), but foes whose CR sums to 1/2 of your level or above are more than sufficient (even the twisted soul-fragments that animate undead, the spiderwebs of the high fey, the void of the aberrations and the vitae of elemental beings and constructs qualify). Maybe swap soul for vitae?

4 tiers of pact:
Bargain
Covenant
Treaty
Entente

Each with at least one lesser power, a greater power and an arcanum. (You get to pick each if there is more than 1 on offer)

A possible advancement:

L1: Bargain, Lesser power
L2: 2nd Bargain
L3: BargainGreater Power
L4: Bargain Arcanum
L5: Convenant
L6: 2nd Covenant
L7: Covenant Greater Power
L8: Convenant Arcanum
L9: Treaty
L10: Treaty 2nd Lesser Power
L11: 2nd Treaty
L12: Treaty Greater Power
L13: Treaty 2nd Greater Power
L14: Treaty Arcanum
L15: Entente
L16: Entente 2nd Lesser Power
L17: Entente Greater Power
L18: Entente Arcanum
L19: Sovereign

Now your Warlock makes deals not just in the backstory, but as part of the character progression.

You start off with one Bargain. You get a 2nd at level 2. This is akin to a discount on Candy from some greater power.

At level 5, you can now make a more powerful deal - a Covenant. This is less of a throw-away thing for your patron.

At level 9, your pacts are now Treaty. You are a power in your own right, even if weak next to your patron.

At level 15 your pacts are Entente - you actually have power to threaten the patrons you are making deals with, and the pacts reflect this.

At level 19 you become Sovereign - you are able to power your own pacts, at least to some degree, from the power you have siphoned off your patrons.

BerzerkerUnit

2023-05-08, 08:56 PM

Using level here is going to get you burned. Classes have levels, characters have levels, spells have levels, and now mystic arcanum have levels?

Nobody is going to understand this without extensive documentation. "The level you took the mystic arcanum" is both the class, character and now a new mystic arcanum level?

And you meant the last it looks like.

I think you should avoid any case of choices where "you have them all" happens.

Also, respec is a standard thing in 1D&D. So "the earlier ones have more invocations" isn't how it rolls; a level 20 PC shouldn't have to be built level by level to be understood (as best possible). You should be able to take the pool of resources you have at level 5, 10 or 20 and pick stuff to fill in the slots and get a valid PC. Exceptions should be as limited as you can make it.

...

Yours appears to be a build-a-bear class. Ie, one where every feature is "pick from a list".

I might suggest an alternative to build-a-bear that fits the Warlock theme. Tie your abilities to the class theme more directly.

Warlocks would make more pacts, possibly with the same patron but possibly with different ones, as they gain levels. Each pact gives them abilities, and maybe imposes some (usually nominal or flavour based) cost.

A classic cost that is very pro-adventure is the reaping of souls. When you are near someone who dies partly by your hands you can reap their soul. You gain a short-term boon (based on the pact), and you have paid down the daily debt on the pact (and hence get a power recharge the next (long?) rest).

The soul has to be sufficiently powerful (so no bag-of-rats), but foes whose CR sums to 1/2 of your level or above are more than sufficient (even the twisted soul-fragments that animate undead, the spiderwebs of the high fey, the void of the aberrations and the vitae of elemental beings and constructs qualify). Maybe swap soul for vitae?

4 tiers of pact:
Bargain
Covenant
Treaty
Entente

Each with at least one lesser power, a greater power and an arcanum. (You get to pick each if there is more than 1 on offer)

A possible advancement:

L1: Bargain, Lesser power
L2: 2nd Bargain
L3: BargainGreater Power
L4: Bargain Arcanum
L5: Convenant
L6: 2nd Covenant
L7: Covenant Greater Power
L8: Convenant Arcanum
L9: Treaty
L10: Treaty 2nd Lesser Power
L11: 2nd Treaty
L12: Treaty Greater Power
L13: Treaty 2nd Greater Power
L14: Treaty Arcanum
L15: Entente
L16: Entente 2nd Lesser Power
L17: Entente Greater Power
L18: Entente Arcanum
L19: Sovereign

Now your Warlock makes deals not just in the backstory, but as part of the character progression.

You start off with one Bargain. You get a 2nd at level 2. This is akin to a discount on Candy from some greater power.

At level 5, you can now make a more powerful deal - a Covenant. This is less of a throw-away thing for your patron.

At level 9, your pacts are now Treaty. You are a power in your own right, even if weak next to your patron.

At level 15 your pacts are Entente - you actually have power to threaten the patrons you are making deals with, and the pacts reflect this.

At level 19 you become Sovereign - you are able to power your own pacts, at least to some degree, from the power you have siphoned off your patrons.

I appreciate your contribution though yours is an effort to rethink existing warlock rather than accept the core concept I'm putting forward.

I was also pretty clear that Arcanum were just spells, so spell levels will be the same as they always were. And Invocations and Infusions already have level prerequisites, so they'll be the same as they already are in those respects. I absolutely understand where the confusion comes from since I started with a post that was a pitch with pre-alpha build brainstorming, so I hope you'll come back when post 2 has a testable finished version.