New Magic Items; Honoring the Ancients (D&D 5e)

Honorarium of the Ancients

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)

The resting place of an honored hero of a community, an Honorarium is often a sarcophagus or throne, but may be any place where you can physically sit or lay down.

When you occupy the Honorarium and activate it as an action, you cause yourself to enter a cataleptic state that is indistinguishable from death. You appear dead to all outward inspection and to spells used to determine your status. You can’t move (your move speed is 0) or use reactions, and may only take a limited number of actions as described below. You have resistance to all damage except psychic damage. While in this state you also cease aging and disease and poison have no effect until you end your use of this ability.

Even though you cannot move, and your eyes are often closed, while you are in this state you can see and hear, having full awareness of your surroundings as if you could look around. You can also perceive and communicate with the spirits of others in this state which you can see. However, the only actions you can take are to end this effect or attempting to possess a humanoid’s body. You can attempt to possess any humanoid within 100 feet of your body that you can see (creatures warded by a protection from evil and good or magic circle spells can’t be possessed). The target must make a Charisma saving throw against your spellcasting DC, though they may choose to fail this saving throw, such as if this is used on willing descendant attempting to channel your wisdom and advice for the community.

On a failure, your soul moves into the target’s body and the target’s soul becomes trapped within your body. Your original body is incapacitated with a speed of 0. On a success, the target resists your efforts to possess it, and you can’t attempt to possess it again for 24 hours. Once you possess a creature’s body, you control it. Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the creature though you retain your alignment and your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You retain the benefit of your own class features. If the target has any class levels, you can’t use any of its class features.

While possessing a body, you can use your action to return from the host body to your own if it is within 100 feet of you, returning the host creature’s soul to its body. If the host body dies while you’re in it, the creature dies, and you must make a Charisma saving throw against your own spellcasting DC. On a success, you return to your own body if it is within 100 feet of you. Otherwise, you die. If your body is more than 100 feet away from you, or if your body is dead when you attempt to return to it, you die. If another creature’s soul is in your body when it is destroyed, the creature’s soul returns to its body if the body is alive and within 100 feet. Otherwise, that creature dies.

After you end this effect you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

Altar of the Ancients

Wondrous item, Artifact

This small device serves as the focus of a legacy, providing a bawn for the souls of these honored ancestors and a source of power for warlocks which serve them. The Altar creates a 50 foot radius area of effect. Souls under the influence of Honorarium of Ancients, the warlock pact ability Ascension of the Spirit, or a Magic Jar spell within this area both benefit and further empower the altar.

                For each soul container in the altar’s area of effect the radius is increased by 10 feet. If containers are removed, whether through being moved by others, destruction, or reanimation, this can lead to a collapse of the area. Souls native to these containers (not those which have been imprisoned through their own bodies being possessed) become able to move their consciousness about within the area of effect. They are able to perceive their surroundings wherever they travel in this area, and can communicate with one another, but cannot physically interact with the physical world or one another. They also gain the ability to use the cantrip mage hand in this area.

                Warlocks of the Ancestor pact swear on an Altar of the Ancients, and draw their power through it. The maximum level of an active warlock is the number of ancestral souls subject to the altar. Consequently, the destruction of an altar or the disturbance of their ancestors can have a significant impact on a warlock.

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As always, I have to know how things work and where they come from. I like the concept of ancestor worshipping warlocks, and they create an interesting and different twist on the warlock class. But I immediately hear a player asking the question how they start their own lineage. When it comes to this sort of magical effect there are numerous possible answers, but it’s useful to have one to start with. It also helps spin off different ideas. For example a warlock of a young lineage might have a strong reason for multiclassing because they don’t have enough ancestors, or a direct attack on their ancestors might put their power as a warlock at direct risk. Maybe they can rely on a powerful ancestor, such as the one who founded the lineage, to be available, but they risk their power by doing so.  Meanwhile, a truly ancient lineage might have hundreds or thousands of ancestors in catacombs beneath a village which the dead wander as freely as the living.