New Warlock patron: Great Machine (D&D 5e)

   While most warlocks serve capricious masters, these warlocks have bound themselves to a force for knowledge, rationality, and science. In some societies, this may be a creation of the most powerful arcanists. However, even these devices come to express themselves in manners similar to Great Machines known elsewhere. It is assumed by most that this entity is a greater spirit or minor god from the plane of Mechanus. It is possible that they are unknown types of truly mighty modrons acting in a manner similar to other outsiders; providing power for their own ends. Regardless of its actual nature, this patron describes itself as a computing machine with vast repositories of knowledge located within the folds of time and space. Its vast knowledge and perspective, along with its utter dispassion, renders its true designs inscrutable to its supplicants.
   However unknowable its objectives may be, and whether its professed intentions are believed, it seems strongly bound by structure and order. Several formal and repeatable processes for petitioning to become a warlock of the Great Machine have been documented. Many are connected with places or artifacts associated with this patron or its servants, as might be expected. The most common are processes of initiation by an existing warlock. As a result, warlocks of the Great Machine have occasionally established enclaves, schools, and even cults, depending on their various approaches to their patron.
   Warlocks sworn to the Great Machine nearly always take the Pact of the Tome. The most common form for this boon appears to be little more than a featureless tablet of slick, unnatural material hinged together with another plate whose inner surface is covered with odd, mechanical buttons. Under the manipulations of its owner, the blank inner surface can be made to show nearly infinite pages worth of information. Still stranger tomes have been granted, however, including simple slates that appear similar in effect to the blank half of the tome and small crystals which project the information into the space above them.
   Occasionally a warlock will instead receive the Pact of the Chain. Such familiars are strange, obviously artificial creatures. Their outer coverings are made from the same sort of slick, unnatural material as tomes so often are, and through the gaps metal, mechanical components can be seen. Despite their appearance, these creatures are not treated as constructs as their complexity exceeds what is apparent and their mechanical systems effectively replicate many biological systems. Frequently creatures summoned or produced by the magic of the Great Machine have this appearance.

Great Machine Patron Summary
1st; Expanded Spell list, Technomancer, Arcane Sight
6th; Clockwork Universe
10th; Wheels within Wheels
14th; Dust in the Gears

Character Options; With Spell and Sword

A collection of cantrips and feats to bring more magic to the arcane adventurer's life...

New Arcane Tradition: Battlemage

A rare tradition, battlemages are instructed in the use of arms and armor so that they can engage in close quarters combat while wielding their arcane powers. Sometimes considered a dwarven answer to the Bladesinger, these armed and armored wizards seek out combat and bend their magic to empowering attacks against their foes.

New Arcane Tradition: War Wizard

Trained to be living siege engines and weapons of mass devastation, War Wizards have developed skills to lay waste to vast tracts of a battlefield. Unlike other combat-focused spellcasters, such as bladesingers, battlemages, or even eldritch knights, warlocks, and sorcerers, War Wizards spend no particular time training in close combat. Instead they rely on their spells to devastate their foes from afar. They achieve this through the application of metamagic, twisting the arcane forces at their command to greater potential. While this tool is similar to that used by Sorcerers, its expression by these weavers of devastation is far more formulaic in its development and use.

Full Circle

When I started this blog I made a challenge to myself; post for a year. The goal, of course, was to maintain as long as possible. But a year seemed like a reasonable minimum. A standard by which I could say I had succeeded. As August comes to a close, we come to the end of that year. I'd like to continue, but life marches on.

Over the year I've been doing this other things have developed. Both D&D and Numenera, the systems in which I am most prolific and proficient, have established avenues for people like me to publish work online and earn some return on our effort. More importantly, however, my "real" professional life (which I'm not quite ready to abandon to do this full time) has reached a point where I have to invest more of my free time in going back to school.

The result of that last is that I need to shift my focus. Unfortunately, one of the costs looks to be this blog. While I expect I'll be back from time to time with a particular idea or when I need to let off steam, I also anticipate the avenues provided by the Wizards of the Coast and Monte Cook Games will draw more of my efforts. But, there will always be a few things that don't really fit on those channels; small rewrites of rules in those systems not big enough to stand on their own, or other games like the World of Darkness, Warhammer 40k, and Continuum.

So... this isn't goodbye. Just I'll see you around.

Until things, again, come full circle.

Primordial Patrons; Invocations and Feats (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks

Previous: The Unquenchable Flame

Primordial Patrons; The Unquenchable Flame (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks

Previous: The Unyielding Stone

The most common warlock of flame is a shock troop in the legions of the mightiest of Efrit, though favored scions and servants might be granted power to act as emissaries and agents. The powers of fire are as capricious as those of air and as unforgiving as those of fire. The result are servants left to dance along the edge of a razor on bare feet, knowing one false move will see them spent as fuel for the all-consuming flames. But those who burn half as long shine twice as bright.

Blades are by far the most common pact gift, granted to the warriors of the burning legions. Familiars are less common, many being vulnerable to the hungry fire, though the pact of the chain can grant a Fire Elemental Wisp in addition to its other possibilities. The least common pact is the tome, vulnerable in nearly all its forms to destruction, though a few warlock are granted eternal flames. While these appear to be stones or crystals subject to a continual flame spell, the fire burns perpetually hot and nearly unquenchable.  Often kept in lanterns and other specially constructed containers, those who peer deeply into these mystical repositories can see arcane figures and formulae dancing in their depths. Tantalizing and tempting those who would reach in to turn the page.

Primordial Patrons; The Unyielding Stone (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks

Previous: The Unending Sea

Servants of the primordial powers of earth tend to be solid and stable, as enduring and patient as the masters to which they are bound. While earth gensai, dwarves, and other dwellers beneath the earth are most likely to gain their eye, their attention can be drawn by acts of great stone or metalcraft, patience, or endurance. Among the primordial beings, the powers earth are most likely to directly test those they have claimed, seeking to forge, refine, and temper them to their greatest value.

Of the elemental pacts, those of earth are by far the most likely to receive a pact tome. These may be grimoires with steel covers and pages of tin worked to the consistency of silk. Alternately, they could be stone tablets, usually small plates of slate or crystal. Regardless, they require special skill and tools to carve, and the warlock receives this instruction and equipment with the tome. They gain proficiency with an appropriate set of artisan’s tools (such as a jewler’s kit for grimoire of finely wrought metal or mason’s tools for stone tablets). A few of these tomes monolithic; slabs hewn from the living earth or great pylons of geology. Such “tomes” may require superhuman strength and heavy equipment, to move, if such movement is even possible. If this is the case, the monolithic tome grants you its benefits if you are within a number of feet equal to your level squared. Moreover, at will you may meld with these structures as if you were using the spell meld into stone and may cast the spell Alarm as if it were a ritual while within this area.

Able combatants by virtue of their enhanced endurance, if you receive a pact blade it will almost always be a hammer or weapon with the heavy or two handed qualities. Familiars are generally creatures such as lizards, snakes, rats, spiders, or weasels, though those who benefit from the pact of the chain can instead call upon an Earth Elemental Wisp.

Primordial Patrons; The Unending Sea (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks
Previous: The Unbounded Sky

Of the primordial patrons, the unending sea may be the most welcoming and forgiving, its warlocks are, certainly, the most varied. Most such warlocks come from seafarers or aquatic races, with water gensai having significant representation. The most notable warlocks of the unending sea are those who are malleable, changeable, and adaptable; taking whatever form the situation demands. In peace they are tranquil as still waters and in combat rushing like the raging storm. They can be stoic, with unfathomable depths and hidden undercurrents, or they can be as transparent as a mountain lake.

Familiars are common among waterlocks, though they are found most frequently with those who already live in aquatic or simi-aqatic environments as they generally taking the forms of crabs, frogs (toads), octopus, fish (quippers), sea horses. Meanwhile, those who receive the pact of the chain may gain water elemental wisps.

The most common pact blades for warlocks of the unending sea are those that can be wielded underwater without issue, dagger, javelin, shortsword, spear, and trident, though nets and whips are not uncommon choices. Tomes are generally traditional in form, with covers of mother of pearl or made from shells of giant clams and pages of seaweed or kelp. A few receive great pearls, enchanted to show arcane knowledge to those who peer into the depths of these milky orbs.

Primordial Patrons; The Unbounded Sky (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks

Servants of the primordial powers of air tend to be wild and freewheeling, even flighty. Air gensai and creatures with natural flying abilities are among the most likely to gain the approval and patronage, but such powers are always on the lookout for worthy pieces in their games and weapons against their hated terran foes. While some servants of the air choose to wield lightning and thunder, all feel the call of the free wind and sky.

Warlocks who receive a pact blade often use light or finesse weapons. If they sacrifice a cantrip slot they may, instead, use a ranged weapon. If these weapons use ammunition they provide a limitless supply, while thrown weapons may be recovered from up to 100 feet away as a bonus action once per turn or a reaction. Those with familiars generally choose flying creatures such as bats, hawks, owls, ravens. Those who benefit from the pact of the chain can instead call upon an Air Elemental Wisp. These free-wheeling and fast moving warlocks are rarely given tomes, and the rare ones that are given are often unusual in form, such as a set of streamer-like scrolls or a cape made of ribbon-like pages.