Undead Patron
Subclass of Warlock
UA2024-Horror Subclasses p. 8
- Level
- 3
Description
Defy Death for Profane Power
You've made a pact with a creature that defies the cycle of life and death: a powerful lich, vampire, or other entity of undeath. Having once been mortal themselves, these ancient patrons 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.
Design Note: Undead Patron: Here are the main updates in this subclass since its appearance in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft:
- Undead Spells (formerly Expanded Spell List) now gives you a list of always prepared spells.
- Grave Touched now allows your spells and attacks to ignore Resistance to Necrotic damage.
- Necrotic Husk no longer requires a Reaction to use its secondary feature, and it restores you to a number of Hit Points equal to 10 times your Charisma modifier.
- Superior Dread is a new feature that improves your Form of Dread, allowing you to fly, regain Hit Points, and improve your spellcasting.
Traits
Form of Dread Nivel 3
As a Bonus Action, you transform into an avatar of your patron's dreadful power, gaining the benefits below for 1 minute, until you have the Incapacitated condition, or until you end the form (no action required). You can transform a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Facsimile of Life. You gain Temporary Hit Points equal to 1d10 plus your Warlock level.
Frightful Avatar. You have Immunity to the Frightened condition. Additionally, once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can force it to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the target has the Frightened condition until the end of your next turn.
Undead Spells Nivel 3
The magic of your patron ensures you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Warlock level specified in the Undead Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
Undead Spells:
| Warlock Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Blindness/Deafness, False Life, Phantasmal Force, Ray of Sickness |
| 5 | Speak with Dead, Vampiric Touch |
| 7 | Death Ward, Phantasmal Killer |
| 9 | Antilife Shell, Cloudkill |
Grave Touched Nivel 6
Your patron's powers have a profound effect on your body and magic, granting you the following benefits.
Arcane Necrosis. Whenever you cast a spell or hit a creature with an attack roll and deal Necrotic damage, the damage dealt ignores Resistance to Necrotic damage. Additionally, once per turn when you cast a spell that deals damage while using your Form of Dread, you can change that spell's damage type to Necrotic.
Undead Endurance. You don't gain Exhaustion levels from dehydration, malnutrition, or suffocation. In addition, you don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep.
Necrotic Husk Nivel 10
Your connection to undeath now saturates your body. You gain the following benefits.
Necrotic Resilience. You have Resistance to Necrotic damage. While using your Form of Dread, you have Immunity to Necrotic damage.
Unholy Resuscitation. If you drop to 0 Hit Points and don't die outright, you can cause your body to erupt with deathly energy. Each creature of your choice in a 30-foot Emanation originating from you makes a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC, taking Necrotic damage equal to 2d10 plus your Warlock level on a failure or half as much damage on a success. Your Hit Points then change to 10 times your Charisma modifier (minimum of 10 Hit Points), and you gain 1 Exhaustion level. Once you use this benefit, you can't use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.
Superior Dread Nivel 14
Your Form of Dread improves, granting you the following benefits while you are using it.
Flight. You have a Fly Speed equal to your Speed and can hover.
Profane Casting. Whenever you cast a Warlock spell from the Conjuration or Necromancy school, you cast it without any Verbal, Somatic, or Material components, except Material components that are consumed by the spell or that have a cost specified in the spell.
Vitality Siphon. Once per turn when you deal Necrotic damage to a creature, you regain Hit Points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 Hit Point).