Variant Warlock

by aisudesu

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Variant Warlock
Become a Host of an Eldritch Being and Harness Otherworldly Power!

The Warlock

With a pseudodragon curled on his
shoulder, a young elf in golden robes
smiles warmly, weaving a magical charm
into his honeyed words and bending the
palace sentinel to his will.

As flames spring to life in her hands,
a wizened human whispers the secret
name of her demonic patron, infusing
her spell with fiendish magic.

Shifting his gaze between a battered
tome and the odd alignment of the stars
overhead, a wild-eyed tiefling chants the
mystic ritual that will open a doorway to a
distant world.

Warlocks are seekers of the knowledge that lies
hidden in the fabric of the multiverse. Through pacts
made with mysterious beings of supernatural power, warlocks unlock magical effects both subtle and spectacular. Drawing on the ancient knowledge of beings such as fey nobles, demons, devils, hags, and alien entities of the Far Realm, warlocks piece together arcane secrets to bolster their own power.

Sworn and Beholden

A warlock is defined by a pact with an otherworldly being. Sometimes the relationship between warlock and patron is like that of a cleric and a deity, though the beings that serve as patrons for warlocks are not gods. A warlock might lead a cult dedicated to a demon prince, an archdevil, or an utterly alien entity—beings not typically served by clerics. More often, though, the arrangement is similar to that between a master and an apprentice. The warlock learns and grows in power, at the cost of occasional services performed on the patron’s behalf.

Delvers into Secrets

Warlocks are driven by an insatiable need for knowledge and power, which compels them into their pacts and shapes their lives. This thirst drives warlocks into their pacts and shapes their later careers as well.

Stories of warlocks binding themselves to fiends are widely known. But many warlocks serve patrons that are not fiendish. Sometimes a traveler in the wilds comes to a strangely beautiful tower, meets its fey lord or lady, and stumbles into a pact without being fully aware of it. And sometimes, while poring over tomes of forbidden lore, a brilliant but crazed student’s mind is opened to realities beyond the material world and to the alien beings that dwell in the outer void.

Once a pact is made, a warlock’s thirst for knowledge and power can’t be slaked with mere study and research. No one makes a pact with such a mighty patron if he or she doesn’t intend to use the power thus gained. Rather, the vast majority of warlocks spend their days in active pursuit of their goals, which typically means some kind of adventuring. Furthermore, the demands of their patrons drive warlocks toward adventure.

Creating a Warlock

As you make your warlock character, spend some time thinking about your patron and the obligations that your pact imposes upon you. What led you to make the pact, and how did you make contact with your patron? Were you seduced into summoning a devil, or did you seek out the ritual that would allow you to make contact with an alien elder god? Did you search for your patron, or did your patron find and choose you? Do you chafe under the obligations of your pact or serve joyfully in anticipation of the rewards promised to you?

What kind of relationship do you have with your patron? Is it friendly, antagonistic, uneasy, or romantic? How important does your patron consider you to be? What part do you play in your patron’s plans? Do you know other servants of your patron?

How does your patron communicate with you? If you have a familiar, it might occasionally speak with your patron’s voice. Some warlocks find messages from their patrons etched on trees, mingled among tea leaves, or adrift in the clouds — messages that only the warlock can see. Other warlocks converse with their patrons in dreams or waking visions, or deal only with intermediaries.

Optional Rule: Multiclassing

If your group uses the optional multiclassing rule in the Player’s Handbook, here’s what you need to know if you choose warlock as one of your classes.

Ability Score Minimum. As a multiclass character, you must have at least a Charisma score of 13 to take a level in this class, or to take a level in another class if you are already a warlock.

Proficiencies Gained. If warlock isn’t your initial class, here are the proficiencies you gain when you take your first level as a warlock: Light armor, simple weapons

The Warlock
Level ‎ ‎ PB ‎ ‎ ‎ Features Cantrips
Known		 Spells
Known		 Spell
Points		 Spell
Limit		 Invocations
Known
1st +2 Otherworldly Patron, Pact Magic 2 2 2 1st —
2nd +2 Eldritch Invocations 2 2 4 1st 2
3rd +2 Pact Boon 2 3 6 2nd 2
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 3 6 2nd 2
5th +3 — 3 4 10 3rd 3
6th +3 Otherworldly Patron Feature 3 4 10 3rd 3
7th +3 — 3 5 12 4th 4
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 3 5 12 4th 4
9th +4 — 3 6 14 5th 5
10th +4 Otherworldly Patron Feature 4 6 14 5th 5
11th +4 Mystic Arcanum (6th level) 4 7 21 5th 5
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 4 7 21 5th 6
13th +5 Mystic Arcanum (7th level) 4 8 21 5th 6
14th +5 Otherworldly Patron Feature 4 8 21 5th 6
15th +5 Mystic Arcanum (8th level) 4 9 21 5th 7
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 4 9 21 5th 7
17th +6 Mystic Arcanum (9th level) 4 10 28 5th 7
18th +6 Master of Invocations 4 10 28 5th 8
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 4 11 28 5th 8
20th +6 Eldritch Master 4 11 28 5th 8

Class Features

Hit Points

  • Hit Dice: 1d8 per level
  • Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
  • Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per warlock level after 1st

Proficiencies

  • Armor: Light armor
  • Weapons: Simple weapons
  • Tools: None
  • Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
  • Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment:

  • (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
  • (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
  • (a) a scholar's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack
  • Leather armor, any simple weapon, and two daggers

Quick Build

You can make a warlock quickly by using these suggestions. First, make Charisma your highest ability score followed by Constitution. Second, choose the charlatan background. Third, choose the eldritch blast and chill touch cantrips, along with the spells charm person and witch bolt.

Otherworldly Patron

At 1st level, choose an Otherworldly Patron to strike a deal with. Each choice is detailed at the end of the class details.

Your choice grants you features at 1st level, and again when you reach 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Patron Spells

Each Otherworldly Patron has a list of Patron Spells that you learn at the warlock levels noted in your Patron's description. Your Patron Spells count as warlock spells for you, but they do not count against your total number of Spells Known.

Pact Magic

You learn to form spells through the power of your patron and the knowledge of your own arcane research. The warlock spell list is included at the end of this class.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you learn two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. When you reach certain warlock levels, you learn additional cantrips, as indicated in the Cantrips Known column of the Warlock table.

Spell Limit

Your warlock level limits the amount of power you can draw from your patron and knowledge. This limit is shown in the Spell Limit column of the Warlock Table. For example, as a 5th level warlock, you are limited to casting warlock spells of 3rd-level or lower.

Spell Points

The Warlock table shows how many Spell Points you have to the warlock spells you know 1st-level and higher. To cast a warlock spell, you must spend the amount of Spell Points indicated in the table below. You regain all of your expended Spell Points each time you finish a short or long rest.

For example, as a 3rd level warlock, you can cast the spell witch bolt at 2nd-level by spending 3 Spell Points.

Spell Level Point Cost
Cantrip 0
1st 2
2nd 3
Spell Level Point Cost
3rd 5
4th 6
5th 7

Spells Known of 1st-level and Higher

At 1st level, you learn two 1st-level spells of your choice from the warlock spell list. Refer to the Spells Known column of the Warlock table to see when you learn additional warlock spells. Each spell you learn must be of a level equal to your Spell Limit or lower. For instance, when you reach 3rd level, you can learn one new warlock spell of 1st or 2nd-level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the warlock spells you know and replace it with another spell from the warlock spell list, which also must be of a level equal to your Spell Limit or lower.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells, so you use Charisma when a spell refers to your spellcasting ability, when setting the saving throw DC for a spell, or when you make a spell attack roll for one of your warlock spells.

Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +

your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus +

your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells.

Eldritch Invocations

You have unearthed Eldritch Invocations, fragments of forbidden knowledge that imbue you with an abiding magical ability. At 2nd level, you learn two eldritch invocations of your choice from the list of Eldritch Invocations at the end of this class description.

As you gain warlock levels, you learn additional Eldritch Invocations, as shown in the Incoations Known column of the Warlock table. Whenever you gain a warlock level, you can choose one of the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation that you could learn at that level.

Pact Boon

At 3rd level, your otherwordly patron bestows upon you a gift for your loyal service. You gain one of the following boons:

Pact of The Blade

You Patron bestows upon you a bonded weapon, called your Pact Weapon.

If your hand is empty, you can use your action to summon your Pact Weapon to it. Each time you summon your Pact Weapon, you choose the form, which can be that of any melee weapon you are proficient with.

When you attack with your Pact Weapon, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls.

Your Pact Weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from your for 1 minute, if you use this feature again, if you dismiss it (no action required), or if you die.

You can bond one magic weapon as your Pact Weapon by performing a 1-hour ritual while you hold the magic weapon.

Once bonded, you can use your action to shunt it into an extradimensional space, or summon it to your hand. You cannot bond to artifacts or sentient weapons, and you can only have one Pact Weapon at a time.

Pact of The Chain

Your Patron bestows upon you a bonded familiar.

You learn the find familliar spell and you can cast it as a ritual. It counts as a warlock spell for you, but doesn't count against your total number of Spells Known.

When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or one of the following special forms: imp, pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite.

Additionally, any familliar you summon is granted a shard of your eldritch power and is gains the following benefits:

  • Your familiar's hit point maximum increases by a number of hit points equal to your warlock level
  • As a bonus action, you can command your familiar to take the Attack action
  • Your familiar can use your proficiency bonus, in place of its own, such as for attacks and skills

Pact of The Tome

Your Patron bestows upon you a grimoire called the Book of Shadows.

Choose one of the following classes: bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, or wizard. You learn two cantrips and two 1st-level spells from that class's spell list, which don't count towards your total number of Spells Known.

Whenever you learn a warlock spell, you can choose to learn a spell from the warlock spell list or your chosen class's spell list. If a spell you know does not appear in the warlock spell list, it must be written within your Book of Shadows, and you can cast it as normal while you have the book on your person. If your book is lost or destroyed, you can only cast spells which appear on the warlock spell list.

If a spell you know doesn't appear on the warlock spell list, it is nonetheless a warlock spell for you.

Your book has an AC of 10 and 10 hit points. If it is destroyed or lost, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony where you entreat your patron for a replacement Book of Shadows. This can be done during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous book. The book turns to ash when you die.

Pact of The Talisman

Your patron bestows upon you a guiding talisman.

As an action, choose a creature within 60 feet. The target gains your talisman for 1 hour, and can add a d4 to ability checks and saving throws it makes within the duration. The talisman disappears from the target once it is used an amount of times equal to your proficiency bonus or the duration ends. Once the talisman disappears, it is recalled to your hand or to a place of your choice on your person.

If you attempt to apply your talisman to a new target while it is already targeting a creature, it disappears from the previous target and appears on the new target.

While your talisman is on your person, you can add a d4 to ability checks and saving throws you make a number of times per short or long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.

You must finish a long rest before the same creature can receive your talisman again.

Your talisman has an AC of 10 and 10 hit points. If it is destroyed or lost, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony where you entreat your patron for a replacement Talisman. This can be done during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous talisman. The talisman turns to ash when you die.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Mystic Arcanum

At 11th level, your patron bestows upon you greater magic power called an Arcanum. Choose one warlock spell of 6th-level or lower to be your Arcanum spell. You can cast this spell once, at 6th-level, without expending Spell Points. Once you cast that Mystic Arcanum spell, you must complete a long rest before you can cast it again.

Your Mystic Arcanum doesn't count against your number of Spells Known. If you select a spell of 5th-level or lower to upcast as your Arcanum spell, it must also be a spell you know in order to cast it with Spell Points.

When you gain a warlock level, you can replace one of your Mystic Arcanums with another spell of your choice.

As you gain levels, your patron bestows upon you even more powerful Mystic Arcanum spells, as shown in the Warlock table: a 7th-level spell at 13th level, a 8th-level spell at 15th level, and a 9th-level spell at 17th level. You can cast each Mystic Arcanum spell once per long rest.

Master of Invocations

You have mastered the study of Eldritch Invocations through your study of occult lore. By 18th level, whenever you complete a long rest, you can replace one invocation you know with another invocation you could learn at that level.

Eldritch Master

At 20th level, you can draw on your inner reserve of mystical power and entreat your patron to restore your magical energy. For 1 minute, you can focus your mind and entreat your patron for aid, regaining all your expended Spell Points. Once you regain spell points with this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.

Additionally, when you finish a short rest, you regain your 6th-level and 7th-level Mystic Arcanums.

Otherworldly Patrons

Each warlock is endowed with the eldritch power of an otherworldly patron, earning it through their loyal service and deeds. Choose the otherworldly patron which you have struck a bargain with. Choose from The Archfey, Celestial, Fathomless, Fiend, Great Old One, Hexblade, or Undead.

The Archfey

Your patron is a lord or lady of the fey, a creature of legend who holds secrets that were forgotten before the mortal races were born. This being's motivations are often inscrutable, and sometimes whimsical, and might involve a striving for greater magical power or the settling of age-old grudges.

Beings of this sort include the Prince of Frost; the Queen of Air and Darkness, ruler of the Gloaming Court; Titania of the Summer Court; her consort Oberon, the Green Lord; Hyrsam, the Prince of Fools; and ancient hags.

Patron of the Fey

Starting at 1st level, your patron's connection to the feywild bestows upon you the gifts of the fey. You gain proficiency in one of the following skills: Deception, Intimidation, Nature, or Persuasion. You also learn either the Druidcraft or Friends cantrip.

Your chosen cantrip counts as warlock cantrip for you, but it doesn't count towards the number of Cantrips Known.

Patron Spells

You gain patron spells at the levels listed.

Warlock Level Spells
1st faerie fire, sleep
3rd calm emotions, phantasmal force
5th blink, plant growth
7th dominate beast, greater invisibility
9th dominate person, seeming

Fey Presence

When you enter into your Pact at 1st level, your Patron gives you the ability to revel the whimsy and terror of the Fey. As an action, you can force creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they are charmed or frightened (your choice) of you and cannot target you with opportunity attacks until the end of your next turn.

Once you use this feature to charm or frighten a target, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Misty Escape

Starting at 6th level, you can vanish in a puff of mist in response to harm. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to turn invisible and teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. You remain invisible until the start of your next turn or until you attack or cast a spell.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Beguiling Defenses

Beginning at 10th level, your patron teaches you how to turn the mind-affecting magic of your enemies against them. You are immune to the charmed condition.

Moreover, when a creature attempts to charm you, you can force it to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it is charmed by your for 1 minute, or until it takes any damage.

Dark Delirium

Starting at 14th level, you can plunge a creature into an illusory realm. As an action, you can force a creature within 60 feet that can hear you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it believes that it has been transported to the realm of your Archfey Patron, and cannot discern friend from foe for 1 minute. On each turn, it must use its action to make a weapon attack against a random target within its reach

The creature can repeat this Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending this effect on a success.

Once you use this feature you must finish a long rest before you use it again. When you have no uses left, you can expend 7 Spell Points to use this feature again.

The Celestial

Your patron is a powerful being of the Upper Planes. You have bound yourself to an ancient empyrean, solar, ki-rin, unicorn, or other entity that resides in the planes of everlasting bliss. Your pact with that being allows you to experience the barest touch of the holy light that illuminates the multiverse.

Being connected to such power can cause changes to your behavior and beliefs. You might find yourself driven to annihilate the undead, to defeat fiends, and to protect the innocent. At times, you might long for the celestial realm of your patron, a desire to reside in that paradise forever.

Patron of Radiance

Starting at 1st level, your patron's connection to the heavens bestows upon you the gifts of radiance. You gain proficiency in the Religion skill, and you learn two of the following cantrips: guidance, light, or sacred flame.

The cantrips you learn count as warlock cantrips for you, but they don't count towards the number of Cantrips Known.

Patron Spells

You gain patron spells at the levels listed.

Warlock Level Spells
1st cure wounds, guiding bolt
3rd flaming sphere, lesser restoration
5th daylight, revivify
7th guardian of faith, wall of fire
9th flame strike, greater restoration

Healing Light

At 1st level, you gain the ability to channel celestial energy to heal wounds. You have a pool of d6s that you spend to fuel this healing. The number of dice in the pool equals 1 + your warlock level.

As a bonus action, you can heal one creature you can see within 60 feet of you, spending dice from the pool. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of one die). Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total.

Your pool of healing regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.

Radiant Soul

Starting at 6th level, your link to the Celestial allows you to serve as a conduit for radiant energy. You have resistance to radiant damage, and when you cast a spell that deals radiant or fire damage, you add your Charisma modifier to one radiant or fire damage roll of that spell against one of its targets.

Celestial Resistance

Starting at 10th level, you gain temporary hit points whenever you finish a short or long rest. These temporary hit points equal your warlock level + your Charisma modifier. Additionally, choose up to five creatures you can see at the end of the rest. Those creatures each gain temporary hit points equal to half your warlock level + your Charisma modifier.

Searing Vengeance

Starting at 14th level, the radiant energy you channel allows you to resist death. 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. You regain hit points equal to half your hit point maximum, and then you stand up if you so choose. Each creature of your choice that is within 30 feet of you takes radiant damage equal to 2d8 + your Charisma modifier, and is blinded until the end of the current turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

The Fathomless

You have plunged into a pact with the deeps. An entity of the ocean, the Elemental Plane of Water, or another otherworldly sea now allows you to draw on its thalassic power. Is it merely using you to learn about terrestrial realms, or does it want you to open cosmic floodgates and drown the world?

Entities of the deep that might empower a warlock include krakens, ancient water elementals, godlike hallucinations dreamed into being by kuo-toa, merfolk demigods, and sea hag covens.

Patron of the Sea

Starting at 1st level, your patron's connection to the depths bestows upon you the gifts of the sea. You gain proficiency in the Navigator's tools.

Additionally, you gain a swimming speed of 40 feet, and you can breath underwater.

Patron Spells

You gain patron spells at the levels listed.

Warlock Level Spells
1st create or destroy water, thunderwave
3rd gust of wind, silence
5th lightning bolt, sleet storm
7th control water, summon elemental
9th bigby's hand (tentacle), cone of cold

Tentacle of the Deep

At 1st level, you can magically summon a spectral tentacle that strikes at your foes. As a bonus action, you create a 10-foot-long tentacle at a point you can see within 60 feet of you. The tentacle lasts for 1 minute or until you use this feature to create another tentacle.

When you create the tentacle, you can make a melee spell attack against one creature within 10 feet of it. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 cold damage, and its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. When you reach 10th level in this class, the damage increases to 2d8.

As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the tentacle up to 30 feet and repeat the attack .

You can summon the tentacle a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Oceanic Soul

At 6th level, you are now even more at home in the depths. You gain resistance to cold damage. In addition, when you are fully submerged, any creature that is also fully submerged can understand your speech, and you can understand theirs.

Guardian Coil

At 6th level, your Tentacle of the Deeps can defend you and others, interposing itself between them and harm. When you or a creature you can see takes damage while within 10 feet of the tentacle, you can use your reaction to choose one of those creatures and reduce the damage to that creature by 1d8. When you reach 10th level in this class, the damage reduced by the tentacle increases to 2d8.

Grasping Tentacles

Starting at 10th level, you learn the spell Black Tentacles. It counts as a warlock spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of spells you know. You can also cast it once without using a spell slot, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Whenever you cast this spell, your patron's magic bolsters you, granting you a number of temporary hit points equal to your warlock level. Moreover, damage can't break your concentration on this spell.

Fathomless Plunge

When you reach 14th level, you can magically open temporary conduits to watery destinations. As an action, you can teleport yourself and up to five other willing creatures that you can see within 30 feet of you. Amid a whirl of tentacles, you all vanish and then reappear up to 1 mile away in a body of water you've seen (pond size or larger) or within 30 feet of it, each of you appearing in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of the others.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

The Fiend

You have made a pact with a fiend from the lower planes of existence, a being whose aims are evil, even if you strive against those aims. Such beings desire the corruption or destruction of all things, ultimately including you.

Fiends powerful enough to forge a pact include demon lords such as Demogorgon, Orcus, Fraz'Urb-luu, and Baphomet; archdevils such as Asmodeus, Dispater, Mephistopheles, and Belial; pit fiends and balors that are especially mighty; and ultroloths as well as other lords of the yugoloths.

Patron of Nine Hells

Starting at 1st level, your patron's connection to the lower planes bestows upon you the gifts of the nine hells. You gain proficiency in either the Deception or Intimidation skill.

Additionally, you can emit the presence of your patron. To spells or other such effects that would detect your creature type, you appear as a fiend. You can choose to reserve this presence as an action, reverting your detected creature type to normal.

Patron Spells

You gain patron spells at the levels listed.

Warlock Level Spells
1st burning hands, command
3rd blindness / deafness, scorching ray
5th fireball, stinking cloud
7th fire shield, wall of fire
9th flame strike, hallow

Dark One's Blessing

Also at 1st level, your patron gifts you the ability to siphon life after death. When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your warlock level (minimum of 1).

Twisted Fate

Beginning at 6th level, you can call upon your patron to twist fate in your favor. When you make an ability check or saving throw, you can add a d8 to the roll. You can do so after seeing the initial roll but before any of the roll's effects occur.

You can use this feature twice, and you regain all expended uses once you complete a short or long rest. You can use this feature three times between rests once you reach 14th level in this class.

Fiendish Resilience

At 10th level, your patron bestows upon you otherworldly resilience. When you finish a short or long rest, choose a damage type. You gain resistance to that damage type until you choose another one with this feature. Damage from magical weapons or silver weapons ignores this resistance.

Hurl Through Hell

Starting at 14th level, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can use this feature to instantly transport the target through the lower planes. The creature disappears and hurtles through a nightmare landscape.

At the end of your next turn, the target returns to the space it previously occupied, or the nearest unoccupied space. If the target is not a fiend, it takes 10d10 psychic damage as it reels from its horrific experience.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

The Great Old One

Your patron is a mysterious entity whose nature is utterly foreign to the fabric of reality. It might come from the Far Realm, the space beyond reality, or it could be one of the elder gods known only in legends. Its motives are beyond mortal comprehension, and its knowledge is so immense and ancient that even the greatest libraries pale in comparison to the vast secrets it holds. The Great Old One might be unaware of your existence or entirely indifferent to you, but the secrets you have learned allow you to draw your magic from it.

Patron of Knowledge

Starting at 1st level, some of the knowledge that your patron holds is gifted to you. You gain proficiency in both the Arcana and History skills. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of these proficiencies.

Patron Spells

You gain patron spells at the levels listed.

Warlock Level Spells
1st dissonant whispers, hideous laughter
3rd detect thoughts, phantasmal force
5th clairvoyance, sending
7th dominate beast, black tentacles
9th dominate person, telekinesis

Awakened Mind

When you enter your Pact at 1st level, the hidden potential of your mind is unlocked. You can telepathically speak to any creature you can see within 30 feet of you. You don't need to share a language, but the creature must be able to speak at least one language in order to understand you and respond. You can only communicate with one creature at a time with this feature.

The range of your telepathy increases as you gain levels in this class, to 60 feet at 6th level and to 120 feet at 14th level.

Additionally, you learn the mage hand cantrip, but it doesn't count towards your number of Cantrips Known. When you cast mage hand, you don't need to provide verbal or somatic components, and your mage hand is invisible.

Psychic Ward

At 6th level, your psychic strength allows you to ward off attacks. You gain resistance to psychic damage.

Also, when a creature that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to roll a d4 and add it to your Armor Class against the triggering attack.

Unfathomable Mind

Starting at 10th level, your immense knowledge becomes unfathomable and untraceable. Your mind can't be read by telepathy or other means, unless you allow it. You are also hidden from Divination magic and you can't be targeted by such magic or perceived through magical Scrying Sensors.

Occult Gift

Also at 10th level, your patron bestows upon you a gift of occult knowledge. You learn one additional Eldritch Invocation of your choice and your number of Invocations Known increases by 1. You must follow all normal rules for learning this invocation such as level and pact requirements.

The Hexblade

You have made your pact with a mysterious entity from the Shadowfell – a force that manifests in sentient magic weapons carved from the stuff of shadow. The mighty sword Blackrazor is the most notable of these weapons, which have been spread across the multiverse over the ages. The shadowy force behind these weapons can offer power to warlocks who form pacts with it. Many hexblade warlocks create weapons that emulate those formed in the Shadowfell. Others forgo such arms, content to weave the dark magic of that plane into their spellcasting.

Patron Spells

You gain patron spells at the levels listed.

Warlock Level Spells
1st shield, wrathful smite
3rd blur, branding smite
5th blink, elemental weapon
7th phantasmal killer, staggering smite
9th banishing smite, cone of cold

Patron of the Shadows

At 1st level, you acquire the training necessary to effectively arm yourself for battle. You gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons. You also become proficient in one of the following skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, or Stealth.

Hexblade's Curse

Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to place a baleful 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 gain the following benefits:

  • You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the cursed target. The bonus equals your proficiency bonus.
  • Any attack roll you make against the cursed target is a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.
  • If the cursed target dies, you gain temporary hit points equal to your warlock level + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 hit point).

Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Accursed Vigor

Starting at 6th level, when you reduce a humanoid to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to cause its spirit to invigorate you, gaining temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your warlock level. While you have these temporary hit points, you gain the following benefits:

  • Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
  • You gain resistance to bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage from nonmagical attacks.
  • You gain a +2 bonus to your Armor Class.

Armor of Hexes

At 10th level, your hex grows more powerful. If the target cursed by your Hexblade’s Curse hits you with an attack roll, you can use your reaction to roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, the attack instead misses you, unless it was a critical hit.

Master of Hexes

Starting at 14th level, you can spread your Hexblade's Curse from a slain creature to another creature. When the creature cursed by your Hexblade's Curse dies, you can apply the curse to a different creature you can see within 30 feet of you, provided you aren't incapacitated. When you apply the curse in this way, you don't regain hit points from the death of the previously cursed creature.

The Undead

You've made a pact with a deathless being, a creature that defies the cycle and life and death, forsaking its mortal shell so it might eternally pursue its unfathomable ambitions. For such beings, time and morality are fleeting things, the concerns of those for whom grains of sand still rush through life's hourglass. Having once been mortal themselves, these ancient undead know firsthand the paths of ambition and the routes past the doors of death. They eagerly share this profane knowledge, along with other secrets, with those who work their will among the living.

Patron of Death

Starting at 1st level, your patron's connection to death creates a ward between you and the afterlife. When making a death saving throw, you can add a d4 to the result.

Patron Spells

You gain patron spells at the levels listed.

Warlock Level Spells
1st bane, false life
3rd blindness / deafness, phantasmal force
5th phantom steed, speak with dead
7th death ward, greater invisibility
9th antilife shell, cloudkill

Form of Dread

At 1st level, you manifest an aspect of your patron’s dreadful power. As a bonus action, you transform for 1 minute. You gain the following benefits while transformed:

  • You gain temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your warlock level.
  • Once during each of your turns, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can force it to make a Wisdom saving throw, and if the saving throw fails, the target is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
  • You are immune to the frightened condition.

You can transform a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

The appearance of your Form of Dread reflects some aspect of your patron. For example, your form could be a shroud of shadows forming the crown and robes of your lich patron, or your body might glow with glyphs from ancient funerary rites and be surrounded by desert winds, suggesting your mummy patron.

Grave Touched

At 6th level, your patron’s powers have a profound effect on your body and magic. You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.

In addition, once during each of your turns, when you hit a creature with an attack and roll damage against the creature, you can replace the damage type with necrotic damage. While in your Form of Dread, you can roll one additional die when determining the necrotic damage the target takes.

Necrotic Husk

At 10th level, Your connection to undeath and necrotic energy now saturates your body. You have resistance to necrotic damage. If you are transformed using your Form of Dread, you instead become immune to necrotic damage.

In addition, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to drop to 1 hit point instead and cause your body to erupt with deathly energy. Each creature of your choice that is within 30 feet of you takes necrotic damage equal to 1d8 + your warlock level. Once you use this reaction, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Spirit Projection

At 14th level, your spirit can become untethered from your physical form. As an action, you can project your spirit from your body. The body you leave behind is unconscious and in a state of suspended animation.

Your spirit resembles your mortal form in almost every way, replicating game statistics but not your possessions. Any damage or other effects that apply to your spirit or physical body affects the other. Your spirit can remain outside your body for up to 1 hour or until your concentration is broken (as if concentrating on a spell). When your projection ends, your spirit returns to your body or your body magically teleports to your spirit’s space (your choice).

While projecting your spirit, you gain the following benefits:

  • Your spirit and body gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
  • When you cast a spell of the conjuration or necromancy school, the spell doesn’t require verbal or somatic components or material components that lack a gold cost.
  • You have a flying speed equal to your walking speed and can hover. You can move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, but you take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside a creature or an object.
  • While you are using your Form of Dread, once during each of your turns when you deal necrotic damage to a creature, you regain hit points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.

Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Eldritch Invocations

Below are the Invocations available to warlocks. If an eldritch invocation has prerequisites, you can learn the invocation at the same time that you meet its prerequisites.

Agonizing Blast

Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip
When you cast eldritch blast, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.

Armor of Shadows

You can cast mage armor on yourself at will, without expending spell points or material components.

Agonizing Blast

Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast levitate on yourself at will, without expending spell points or material components.

Aspect of the Moon

Prerequisite: Pact of the Tome feature
You no longer need to sleep and can't be forced to sleep by any means. To gain the benefits of a long rest, you can spend all 8 hours doing light activity, such as reading your Book of Shadows and keeping watch.

Beast Speech

You can cast speak with animals at will, without expending spell points.

Beguiling Influence

When you make a Deception or Persuasion skill check, you can treat a d20 roll of 7 or lower as an 8.

Bewitching Whispers

Prerequisite: 7th level
You can cast compulsion once using warlock spell points. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Bond of the Talisman

Prerequisite: 12th level
While someone else is wearing your talisman, you can use your action to teleport to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the them, provided the two of you are on the same plane of existence. The wearer of your talisman can do the same thing, using their action to teleport to you. This teleportation can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and all expended uses are restored when you finish a long rest.

Bond of Ancient Secrets

Prerequisite: Pact of the Tome feature
You can now inscribe magical rituals in your Book of Shadows. Choose two 1st-level spells that have the ritual tag from any class's spell list (the two needn't be from the same list). The spells appear in the book and don't count against the number of spells you know. With your Book of Shadows in hand, you can cast the chosen spells as rituals. You can't cast the spells except as rituals, unless you've learned them by some other means. You can also cast a warlock spell you know as a ritual if it has the ritual tag.

On your adventures, you can add other ritual spells to your Book of Shadows. When you find such a spell, you can add it to the book if the spell's level is equal to or less than half your warlock level (rounded up) and if you can spare the time to transcribe the spell. For each level of the spell, the transcription process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp for the rare inks needed to inscribe it.

Chains of Carceri

Prerequisite: 15th level, Pact of the Chain feature
You can cast hold monster at will – targeting a celestial, fiend, or elemental – without expending spell points or material components. You must finish a long rest before you can use this invocation on the same creature again.

Cloak of Flies

Prerequisite: 5th level
As a bonus action, you can surround yourself with a magical aura that looks like buzzing flies. The aura extends 5 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. It lasts until you're incapacitated or you dismiss it as a bonus action.

The aura grants you advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks but disadvantage on all other Charisma checks. Any other creature that starts its turn in the aura takes poison damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 0 damage).

Once you use this invocation, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Devil's Sight

You can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.

Dreadful Word

Prerequisite: 7th level
You can cast confusion once using warlock spell points. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Eldritch Armor(UA)

Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade feature As an action, you can touch a suit of armor that isn't being worn or carried by anyone and instantly don it, provided you aren't wearing armor already. You are proficient with this suit of armor until it's removed.

Eldritch Mind

You have advantage on Constitution saving throws that you make to maintain your concentration on a spell.

Eldritch Sight

You can cast detect magic at will, without expending spell points or material components.

Eldritch Smite

Prerequisite: 5th level
Once per turn when you hit a creature with your pact weapon, you can expend a spell point to deal an extra 2d8 force damage to the target, plus another 1d8 for each additional spell points you expend, to a maximum of 5d8.

Eldritch Spear

Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip
When you cast eldritch blast, its range is 300 feet.

Eyes of the Rune Keeper

You can read all writing.

Far Scribe

Prerequisite: 5th level, Pact of the Tome feature
A new page appears in your Book of Shadows. With your permission, a creature can use its action to write its name on that page, which can contain a number of names equal to your proficiency bonus.

You can cast the sending spell, targeting a creature whose name is on the page, without using a spell slot and without using material components. To do so, you must write the message on the page. The target hears the message in their mind, and if the target replies, their message appears on the page, rather than in your mind. The writing disappears after 1 minute.

As an action, you can magically erase a name on the page by touching it.

Fiendish Vigor

You can cast false life on yourself at will as a 1st-level spell, without expending spell points or material components.

Gaze of Two Minds

You can use your action to touch a willing humanoid and perceive through its senses until the end of your next turn. As long as the creature is on the same plane of existence as you, you can use your action on subsequent turns to maintain this connection, extending the duration until the end of your next turn. While perceiving through the other creature's senses, you benefit from any special senses possessed by that creature, and you are blinded and deafened to your own surroundings.

Ghostly gaze

Prerequisite: 7th level
As an action, you gain the ability to see through solid objects to a range of 30 feet. Within that range, you have darkvision if you don't already have it. This special sight lasts for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). During that time, you perceive objects as ghostly, transparent images.

Once you use this invocation, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Gift of the Ever-Living Ones

Prerequisite: 5th level, Pact of the Chain feature
While your familliar is within 120 feet of you, treat any dice rolled to determine how many hit points you regain as having rolled their maximum value.

Grasp of Hadar

Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip
Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with your eldritch blast, you can move that creature in a straight line 10 feet closer to yourself.

Improved Pact Weapon

Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade feature
You can use your Pact Weapon as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells, and it counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Also, your Pact Weapon gains a +1 to attack and damage rolls, unless it is a magic weapon that already has a bonus to those rolls. Once you reach 9th level in this class, the bonus increases to +2, and again at 15th level to +3.

In addition to being a melee weapon, your Pact Weapon can also be a firearm or ranged weapon with which you are proficient.

Lance of Lethargy

Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip
Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with your eldritch blast, you can reduce that creature's speed by 10 feet until the end of your next turn.

Lifedrinker

Prerequisite: 12th level, Pact of the Blade feature
When you hit a creature with your pact weapon, the creature takes extra necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

Maddening Hex

Prerequisite: 5th level, hex spell or a warlock feature that curses, such as Hexblade's Curse or Sign of Ill Omen
As a bonus action, you cause a psychic disturbance around the cursed target. When you do so, you deal psychic damage to the target and each creature of your choice within 5 feet of it. The psychic damage equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

Mask of Many Faces

You can cast disguise self at will, without expending spell points.

Master of Myriad Forms

Prerequisite: 15th level
You can cast alter self at will, without expending spell points.

Minions of Chaos

Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast conjure elemental once using warlock spell points. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Mire the Mind

Prerequisite: 5th level
You can cast slow once using warlock spell points. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Misty Visions

You can cast silent image at will, without expending spell points or material components.

One with Shadows

Prerequisite: 5th level
When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible until you move or take an action or a reaction.

Otherworldly Leap

Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast jump at will, without expending a spell points.

Primordial Hex(HB)

Prerequisite: 5th level, hex spell or a warlock feature that curses, such as Hexblade's Curse or Sign of Ill Omen
As a bonus action, you can cause the cursed target to take damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). This damage can be acid, cold, fire, or lightning, which you choose each time you use this invocation.

Rebuke of the Talisman

Prerequisite: Pact of the Talisman feature
When the wearer of your talisman is hit by an attacker you can see within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to deal psychic damage to the attacker equal to your proficiency bonus and push it up to 10 feet away from the talisman's wearer.

Relentless Hex

Prerequisite: 7th level, hex spell or a warlock feature that curses, such as Hexblade's Curse or Sign of Ill Omen
Your curse creates a temporary bond between you and your target. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see within 5 feet of the target cursed by your hex spell or by a warlock feature of yours, such as Hexblade's Curse and Sign of Ill Omen. To teleport in this way, you must be able to see the cursed target.

Repelling Blast

Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip
When you hit a creature with eldritch blast, you can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.

Sculptor of Flesh

Prerequisite: 7th level
You can cast polymorph once using warlock spell points. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Shroud of Shadow

Prerequisite: 15th level
You can cast invisibility at will, without expending a spell slot.

Sign of Ill Omen

Prerequisite: 5th level
You can cast bestow curse once using warlock spell points. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Thief of Five Fates

You can cast bane once using warlock spell points. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Thirsting Blade

Prerequisite: 5th level, Pact of the Blade feature
You can attack with your pact weapon twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Tomb of Levistus

Prerequisite: 5th level
As a reaction when you take damage, you can entomb yourself in ice, which melts away at the end of your next turn. You gain 10 temporary hit points per warlock level, which take as much of the triggering damage as possible. Immediately after you take the damage, you gain vulnerability to fire damage, your speed is reduced to 0, and you are incapacitated. These effects, including any remaining temporary hit points, all end when the ice melts.

Once you use this invocation, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Trickster's Escape

Prerequisite: 7th level
You can cast freedom of movement once on yourself without expending spell points. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Undying Servitude

Prerequisite: 5th level
You can cast animate dead without using spell points. Once you do so, you can't cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest.

Visions of Distant Realms

Prerequisite: 15th level
You can cast arcane eye at will, without expending spell points.

Voice of the Chain Master

Prerequisite: Pact of the Chain feature
You can communicate telepathically with your familiar and perceive through your familiar's senses as long as you are on the same plane of existence. Additionally, while perceiving through your familiar's senses, you can also speak through your familiar in your own voice, even if your familiar is normally incapable of speech.

Whispers of the Grave

Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast speak with dead at will, without expending spell points.

Witch Sight

Prerequisite: 15th level
You can see the true form of any shapechanger or creature concealed by illusion or transmutation magic while the creature is within 30 feet of you and within line of sight.

Credits

Art (Cover): Jorge Jacinto: Eldritch God (Link)
Art (Page 2): Aimee Lynette: Witch (Link)
Art (Page 4): Emilio Grasso: Grand Armillary (Link)
Art (Page 5): Magdalena Płoszkiewicz: Moonlight magic (Link)
Art (Page 6): Quantzz: Feywild Liaison (Link)
Art (Page 7): LudvikSKP: Healer (Link)
Art (Page 8): Andy Walsh: The Sunken Temple of Cthulhu (Link)
Art (Page 9): Anna Podedworna: Queen of Pain Arcana (Link)
Art (Page 10): Liang xing: Grimoire-Fanatic-Chantelle (Link)
Art (Page 11): Terraform Studios: Speed Sketch (Link)
Art (Page 12): KILART (choe, heonhwa): Herald of the Dreadhorde (Link)

Warlock Spell List

hen you learn a warlock spell, consult the list below. It is organized by spell level, not character level.

Cantrips (0 Level)

blade ward
booming blade
chill touch
create bonfire
eldritch blast
friends
frostbite
green-flame blade
infestation
lightning lure
mage hand
magic stone
mind sliver
minor illusion
poison spray
prestidigitation
sword burst
thunderclap
toll the dead
true strike

1st Level

armor of agathys
arms of hadar
cause fear
charm person
comprehend languages
distort value
expeditious retreat
hellish rebuke
hex


illusory script
protection from evil and good
unseen servant
witch bolt

2nd Level

borrowed knowledge
cloud of daggers
crown of madness
darkness
earthbind
enthrall
flock of familiars
hold person
invisibility
mind spike
mirror image
misty step
ray of enfeeblement
shadow blade
shatter
spider climb
suggestion

3rd Level

counterspell
dispel magic
enemies abound
fear
fly
gaseous form
hunger of hadar


hypnotic pattern
incite greed
intellect fortress
magic circle
major image
remove curse
spirit shroud
summon fey
summon lesser demons
summon shadowspawn
summon undead
thunder step
tongues
vampiric touch

4th Level

banishment
blight
charm monster
dimension door
elemental bane
speedy courier
hallucinatory terrain
psychic lance
shadow of moil
sickening radiance
summon abberation
summon greater demon

5th Level

contact other plane
dense macabre
dream
enervation
far step
hold monster
infernal calling
mislead
negative energy flood
planar binding
scrying
synaptic static
teleportation circle
wall of light

6th Level

arcane gate
circle of death
conjure fey
create undead
eyebite
flesh to stone
investiture of flame
investiture of ice
investiture of stone
investiture of wind
mass suggestion


mental prison
scatter
soul cage
summon fiend
otherworldly guise
true seeing

7th Level

crown of stars
dream of the blue veil
etherealness
finger of death
forcecage
planeshift
power word: pain

8th Level

demiplane
dominate monster
feeblemind
glibness
maddening darkness
power word: stun

9th Level

astral projection
blade of disaster
foresight
imprisonment
power word: kill
psychic scream
shapechange
true polymorph
weird

Changelog

The Warlock: Recrafted V2.0

  • Pact Magic > removed Spell Slots and replaced with custom Spell Points feature
  • Pact Boon > Pact of the Blade > clarified that only one weapon can be bonded as a Pact Weapon at a time
  • Pact Boon > Pact of the Blade > damage dealt by a Pact Weapon is no longer considered magical damage
  • Pact Boon > Pact of the Blade > can now use Charisma for attack and damage rolls rather than Strength or Dexterity
  • Pact Boon > Pact of the Chain > any familiar you summon through the find familiar spell is granted additional hit points and can use your proficiency bonus in place of its own
  • Pact Boon > Pact of the Chain > you can command your familiar as a bonus action rather than forgoing one of your attacks and having your familiar use its reaction to attack
  • Pact Boon > Pact of the Tome > you choose a spellcasting class to learn two 1st-level spells and two cantrips from, rather than three cantrips from any spellcasting class
  • Pact Boon > Pact of the Tome > you can replace warlock spells you know with spells from your previously chosen spellcasting class, which can be freely casted while your Book of Shadows is on your person
  • Pact Boon > Pact of the Talisman > you now grant your talisman to certain creatures, which can each use it a set number of times, rather than having a total number of uses to grant between all creatures using it
  • Pact Boon > Pact of the Talisman > the wearer can now add a d4 to saving throws it makes in addition to ability checks it makes
  • Mystic Arcanum > spells lower than the arcanum's level can be chosen as that level's arcanum, upcasting the spell to the used arcanum's level
  • Mystic Arcanum > arcanums can be changed for another spell of the same level when gaining a warlock level
  • Master of Invocations > feature added; can exchange one invocation for another at the end of a long rest
  • Eldritch Master > you also regain your 6th-level and 7th-level arcanums once you finish a short rest
  • Subclasses > added additional feature for all subclasses which grants a small bonus within the theme of that patron
  • The Fiend > Twisted Fate > gain an additional use which scales with levels but reduce die size
  • The Great Old One > Awakened Mind > telepathy range scales with levels and you learn mage hand which appears invisible
  • The Great Old One > Psychic Ward > gain resistance to psychic damage and can gain an AC bonus, rather than imposing disadvantage
  • The Great Old One > Occult Gift > new feature
  • The Great Old One > Mind Link > additional use to the feature
  • The Hexblade > Accursed Vigor > gain bonuses upon death of a foe rather than a controller ghoul
  • The Hexblade > Armor of Hexes > reduce effectiveness of this feature, reduce chances of missing from 50% to 30% and critical hits ignore such a feature
  • Invocations and Spells > Too many changes to note

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