Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 CoyotesChild Aug 23, 2014 12:25:43	I like the idea of the Warlock as someone who has entered into a mutually beneficial pact with some entity. However, I am not as fond of the existing three options listed in the PHB. (At least, not in relation to my overall play style...) With that in mind, I am planning on designing some alternate benefactor/patron ideas.   The problem is maintaining game balance in relation to the other pacts (which I feel are not the most balanced to begin with). The pact gifts (level 1, 6, 10, and 14 powers) are not clear cut in power level, particularly in relation to each other. (The Archfey power creates an intense illusion but it's a very short charm ability and doesn't do much in itself, the same level for the Fiend sends someone through Hell and potentially can kill most normals or low level PCs, and the same level for the Great Old One pretty much enslaves someone for life.)   So, here is the first attempt at an alternate option for a Warlock Pact... I would appreciate feedback.   Patron - Trickster Spirit      Your patron is one of the trickster spirits of lore. Their goals, if they can be said to have any, are as varied as the tricksters themselves. For all of them, however, the traits of cunning, quick wits, persuasion, deception, and misdirection are more respected and used than might of arm or heart. Some seek harmless or malicious mischief for their own brand of fun, others may seek power by strength of wit, and others may use their tricks and guile to teach lessons to others. Examples of these spirits may include Coyote, Ti Malice, Raven, Hermes, Anansi, or even the fey Puck (should he find such a pact amusing).   Expanded Spell List      The Trickster Spirit lets you choose from an expanded list of spells then you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you:      Spell Level      Spells                 1st           Disguise Self, Silent Image                 2nd          Alter Self, Nystul’s Magic Aura                 3rd           Blink, Nondetection                 4th           Confusion, Polymorph                 5th           Mislead, Modify Memory Pact Bestowments: Inconspicuous Identity At 1st level the warlock’s benefactor grants the ability to become completely inconspicuous for up to a minute. While people will see you, their mind will be deceived into disregarding you as being not worth registering or remembering. You simply become an innocuous background feature to either everyone, or simply those hostile to you as you so choose, unless they succeed at a Wisdom save against the warlock’s spell save DC. This effect immediately ends if you attack someone or cast a spell. After using this feature you can’t use it again until you take a short or long rest.   Trickster’s Fortune On reaching 6th level, the Trickster Spirit bestows some of its luck upon you. In this case, it is its talent for escaping relatively unscathed from danger by the luck that protects fools and tricksters. You can select one saving throw to benefit from this ability. On a failed save the damage from the effect, be it magical or mundane in origin, is halved or it is negated completely on a successful save. You must declare the use of this skill before the save is rolled. After manifesting this ability, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.   Unnaturally Crafty At 10th level the warlock gains a portion of their benefactor’s talent for deception and persuasion. You gain a +4 bonus on any skill roll directly related to investigating or executing any type of con or bluff, or resisting one in return, even if you do not have proficiency in the required skill. This can include the following examples: a bluff to intimidate someone to back down from a fight, perceiving someone’s motivations or a change in their mood that might affect the success of a con, distracting an opponent into believing someone’s attacking them from behind, investigating someone’s habits or the layout of a location to help in a con, eavesdropping on a conversation to set a background for a deception, or persuading a merchant or innkeeper to give you a discount or something for free. This bonus does not apply to casting spells unless the spell description states that a skill roll can improve its success. It also does not improve any skill roll where wits (Wis), cunning (Int), and charm (Cha) are not the key elements (i.e., it will not help you succeed at strong-arm intimidation, to research the history of a city for academic reasons, or to track someone through the woods).   Old Friends When the warlock reaches 14th level your ability to persuade and deceive has reached the point at which you can convince an individual with whom you share a common language that you are old friends on very good terms unless they succeed at a Wisdom save vs. your Warlock spell DC. This effect lasts for one week, takes at least one minute of conversation during which the warlock “reminds” the individual of their friendship, and if not reinforced simply fades without the after effect common to a charm spell (it is simply seen as a friendship that has passed rather than being perceived as having been charmed). You can have as many deceptive friendships at any given time as you have a Charisma bonus (min of 1). Over time and at the DMs discretion, a real friendship may develop from a beguilement of this sort. The individual will behave as a good friend, but one with their own will and common sense. They will not do anything for you they would not normally do for any other close friend. A Dispel Magic cast on the individual specifically against this effect (a charm) will end the effect but the individual will not believe they have been charmed unless otherwise convinced. If the warlock directly and visibly attacks one of these friends, the effect ends and the individual reacts with a sense of anger and betrayal.     Pact Boon Descriptions Pact of the Chain - Your familiar is most likely to be an animal known for its cleverness (e.g., a coyote, crow/raven, fox, monkey, cat). Clearly supernatural creatures, though possible, are much less likely than with other pacts because it is easier for a more normal seeming familiar to deceive others as to its true nature.   Pact of the Blade - A blade granted by a Trickster Spirit may appear more primitive in nature, or it might even seem to be constantly shifting in its appearance as from moment to moment it changes between styles of the chosen type of weapon. (A pact blade dagger may appear as a stiletto one moment, a hunting blade the next, then a laurel leaf blade when viewed again, but always as some style of dagger.) Pact of the Tome - In fitting with the deceptive nature of a Trickster Spirit, the tome will likely look like an innocuous book, or it may even not be a book at all. A pouch of flat sticks each with a series of symbols, a necklace with a medallion made up of rune covered disks that reveal their “pages” when aligned in different combinations, or perhaps a medium to large belt buckle with bumps, ridges, and grooves with the text being revealed much in the manner of braille and pages depending on which direction one passes the fingers across the surface.     **NOTES** The powers are intended to be oriented around luck, personal charm (persuasiveness rather than enchantment), and deception. The Pact Gifts and the expanded spell list attempt to reflect this.   The Blink spell in the expanded list is intended to aid both in quick escapes, and in the ability to confuse enemies as to where one will appear next or from what direction you will strike.   Polymorph is in the expanded spell list because changing one's shape (or sometimes that of another) is a standard bit in the trickster lore of most folklore, and therefore is very appropriate thematically.   The level 14 gift "Old Friends" is, as it is written, less potent than the thrall creation ability granted by the Great Old One pact. Yes, you can charm more people and the effects (usually) fade harmlessly... but the duration of the effect is significantly shorter (one week rather than lifetime enslavement) unless reinforced until an actual friendship might develop. Unlike the complete obedience of a thrall, the friends gained from this ability have free will and initiative, you simply alter how the individual both perceives and remembers you.
#2 Whir Aug 23, 2014 13:46:26	It looks okay to me.