Several months ago I had the idea to make a set of home-brew warlock patrons for D&D. It soon became clear to me that this concept stood out from the others in its weirdness and potential for unique character concepts. As such, I put the other three ideas on the back burner while I fleshed this out a little more. This is the playtest version of this subclass, so please give me feedback if you end up using it!
The Storybook
Your patron is an enigmatic enchanted book of legends and fairy tales. Though its motives and origins are inscrutable, this sentient magical item allows you to call upon the powers of the characters in its pages at the cost of slowly warping your mind and body to fit the archetypes which you embody. These books are rare and unique, and some believe they are all simply extensions of a single entity.
Fairy Tale Aspect
At 1st level, your patron bestows upon you the ability to take on the aspect of a villain from its pages. You determine which storybook villain you wish to embody after you finish a long rest, this choice lasts until you take another long rest.
The Wolf: Fearful Jaws: Under the aspect of the Wolf, your ears grow longer, your teeth become razor-sharp fangs, and you occasionally feel the need to go down on all fours. You can use your sharpened teeth as a bite attack. This is a melee weapon attack with a reach of 5 ft. that does 1d6 piercing damage plus your Charisma modifier.
The Queen: Malicious Rumor: Under the aspect of the Queen, your face becomes slightly more regal and beautiful, but your eyes are dim, reflecting no light. While using this aspect your lies are contagious; if you succeed at a Deception check, the creature which is deceived must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell DC or repeat the deception to the first creature they see which can understand them, using your Deception check result to deceive them. This second creature is not compelled to spread the lie, but may do so if it believes it and would normally do so.
The Giant: Giant’s Reach: Under the aspect of the Giant, your limbs grow longer, increasing your height and reach, and your voice magnifies in volume unless you whisper. You can use spells with a range of “touch” at a range of 10 ft., and you treat all melee weapons as having the reach property.
The Witch: Witch’s Brew: While under the aspect of the Witch, your back becomes hunched, warts grow on your face, and your teeth turn black and crooked. So long as you have access to a cauldron you can spend 1 hour to craft a potion of healing or a vial of basic poison. This creation only retains its potency until your next long rest, and turns to inert sludge after that time. Any attempt to sell the item also results in it turning into sludge. You cannot create another witch’s brew until you take a long or short rest.
Improved Fairy Tale Aspect
At 6th level, your ability to embody the villains of the storybook improves. You gain the following abilities depending on the aspect you are currently under.
The Wolf: Night Stalker: You gain proficiency in Stealth if you are not already proficient. When you hit with your bite attack, you can deal an extra 1d6 points of necrotic damage if you had advantage on the attack roll. You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
The Queen: Jealousy: You gain proficiency in Deception if you are not already proficient. As a reaction when a creature within 30 ft. of you succeeds at a skill check, saving throw, or ability check, you may temporarily substitute that creature’s bonus on that type of check for your own. If the creature is unwilling, they may make a Charisma saving throw against your Warlock spell DC to resist. This effect lasts for a number of minutes equal to your Charisma modifier. Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you take a long or short rest.
The Giant: Thunderous Steps: You gain proficiency in Athletics if you are not already proficient. When in battle, your footsteps shake the ground. All terrain in a 5-foot radius of you is considered difficult terrain to any hostile creature. You can suppress or reactivate this effect as a bonus action. In addition, while Thunderous Steps is active, you can use an action to stomp your foot into the ground, creating a thundering shockwave. This is treated as casting thunderwave at 2nd level. Once you use this stomp, you cannot use it again until you take a long or short rest.
The Witch: Cackle: You gain proficiency in Medicine if you are not already proficient. As a bonus action, you let out a bone-chilling cackle. Any hostile creature that hears you must make a Wisdom saving throw versus your Warlock spell DC. On a failure they take psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier and have disadvantage on all saving throws for 1 round. On a success the creature takes half damage and does not gain disadvantage. You cannot use this feature again until you take a long or short rest.
Greater Fairy Tale Aspect
At 10th level, you are able to take on even greater traits of the characters in your patron’s stories. You gain the following features depending on your current aspect:
The Wolf: Devourer: As a bonus action on the same round that you hit with a bite attack, you can attempt to grapple the target of the bite, using your Warlock spell attack bonus instead of your Athletics modifier. As an action, you can attempt to swallow a grappled target of your size or smaller. You make a bite attack against the target; if the attack hits, the target is swallowed and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the target is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside of you, and it takes acid damage equal to 2d6 + your Charisma modifier at the start of each of your turns. You can have only one creature swallowed at a time. After successfully swallowing a creature, you cannot do so again until you take a long or short rest.
If you take damage equal to or greater than 20% of your maximum hit points on a single turn from the swallowed creature, you must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate the creature, which falls prone in a space within 5 feet of you. If you die, the swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape from the corpse by using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.
The Queen: Magic Mirror: You fashion an enchanted mirror capable of providing you with information. This mirror is one foot across and two feet tall, and has hit points equal to your warlock level. If the mirror is ever destroyed, you can create a new one with one day of work. You can consult the mirror for the answer to a question, receiving results as if you had cast the augury, commune, or divination spell, as chosen by you before the question is asked. The mirror is a projection of your patron, and answers questions accordingly; it has near omniscience regarding affairs on the material plane and those of the fey, but cannot answer most questions regarding higher powers such as celestials, fiends, and deities. Once you ask a question of the mirror, you cannot do so again until you take a long rest.
The Giant: Stone Thrower: You gain the ability to pick up and throw stones and other loose objects with incredible force. For the purposes of this ability, a “stone” is a large, heavy object between two to five feet in diameter. When using this ability, you briefly gain the ability to lift such an object even if you normally could not, but you must throw the stone in the same action as you lift it. A thrown stone is a ranged weapon attack with a range of 80/180 that deals 2d8 points of bludgeoning damage plus your Charisma modifier. A creature struck with a thrown stone must make a Strength saving throw against your warlock spell DC or be knocked prone. You can throw a number of stones equal to your charisma modifier, after which you cannot use this feature until you take a long or short rest.
The Witch: Superior Brew: Your witch’s brew becomes far more potent. When preparing your witch’s brew you can create a potion of superior healing, three potions of healing, an elixir of health, three basic poisons, or a witch’s poison. A witch’s poison can be applied to waepons as a basic poison, or applied through a victim’s food or drink. The target must make a Constitution save against your warlock spell DC or take 3d4 points of poison damage and be poisoned for 1 round.
Blended Archetype
At 14th level, when selecting your aspect, you can choose a second fairy tale archetype to embody. You gain the aspect and improved aspect of this second archetype, but not the greater aspect.
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