Most warlock patrons are otherworldly entities, demigods, or esoteric creatures of legend. The Undead, introduced in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, offers a gothic horror flair to the list. This is an ancient being that death has no power over, such as Azalin, Lord Soth, and even Strahd von Zarovich himself. A warlock with this patron can take on a terrifying form, destroy and recreate their body, and even project their spirit.

Undead Warlock features

• Expanded Spell List: At 1st level, the warlock can begin choosing from an expanded list of spells themed around undeath. False Life, Phantom Steed, and Death Ward are strong contenders, providing a cushion of hit points, increased mobility, and a failsafe, respectively. Antilife Shell is also thematically appropriate for keeping living creatures from getting into melee range (though that includes party members, as well).

Undead Expanded Spells

• Form of Dread: Another 1st-level feature, Form of Dread allows you to take on a fearsome appearance for 1 minute as a bonus action. This transformation grants temporary hit points, immunity to the frightened condition, and the ability to frighten a foe when you hit it with an attack (assuming they fail a Wisdom saving throw). You can transform a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You have a lot of flexibility in your appearance upon using Form of Dread, though it should be reminiscent of your patron. Imagine changing from a human to a ghastly skeleton akin to Marvel's Ghost Rider!
• Grave Touched: This 6th-level feature has a few perks. First, you no longer need to eat, drink, or breathe. (Better start placing bets on who can hold their breath the longest.) Furthermore, when you hit with an attack roll and roll damage, you can change the damage type to necrotic. If you're in your Form of Dread, you also get an additional damage die when determining the necrotic damage your target takes.
• Necrotic Husk: Granted at 10th level, Necrotic Husk gives you resistance to necrotic damage. If you are in your Form of Dread, this is kicked up to immunity to necrotic damage. But here's the fun part: When you're reduced to 0 hit points, you can cause your body to explode! If you do, each creature within 30 feet of you takes necrotic damage equal to 2d10 + your level. You can then horrify everyone in your adventuring party as you emerge from your remains with 1 hit point, 1 level of exhaustion, and all of your gear. Once you revive yourself in this way, you can't do so again until you finish 1d4 long rests. This ability reminds me of the supernatural healing factor possessed by gritty comic book heroes like Deadpool, Spawn, and Wolverine, but dare I say, more explosive?
• Spirit Projection: At 14th level, you can project your spirit for 1 hour as an Action, leaving behind your bothersome husk of a body. When you do, you gain a flying speed and can pass through objects. You also gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and you can cast spells of the conjuration and necromancy schools without requiring verbal, somatic, or material components that lack a gold cost. As a nice bonus, once per turn, you can regain hit points equal to half the necrotic damage you deal while in Form of Dread. The downsides to this feature are that it requires concentration and can only be used once per long rest.

Pros

The Undead patron offers as much flavor as function, and is a solid alternative to the Hexblade patron for melee-orientated warlocks. Combined with the Pact of the Blade, Form of Dread and Grave Touched can turn you into a resilient necrotic damage dealer who frightens enemies. If you enjoy the simple pleasure of casting Eldritch Blast from the backline, though, you'll still benefit from the subclass' features. Don't forget that the damage from Grave Touched stacks with Hex.

Necrotic Husk scores bonus points for simply how cool it is to imagine exploding in a wave of energy, and the feature is a great last resort when the tides of battle have turned against you. Spirit Projection, meanwhile, has many flexible applications. Not only can it make you tanky on the battlefield, but you can also use this feature for scouting missions or to assassinate enemies in the dead of night.

Cons

Thematically, the Undead patron runs close to the Undying patron from the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. Both offer many of the same spells and ultimately create a warlock who doesn’t need to eat, drink, or sleep. While the Undead patron offers more features for player characters who want to enter melee combat, the Undying focuses on stabilizing companions and combatting the undead. 

The Undead leans heavily into dealing necrotic damage, which can be a major downside depending on the enemies you face across your adventure. There's no shortage of creatures who are resistant or immune to necrotic damage. You also need to be careful with Mortal Husk, as the effect hits allies as well as enemies. 

Meet Shakan, the warlock pledged to Acererak

The gaunt-faced warlock hacked away at the jungle vines with a sickle, an expression of grim disgust in his eyes. Once again, the lich had compelled him to come to a godforsaken corner of the globe to run a series of tests on yet another trap-infested labyrinth. How many poor wretches were going to die this time, their bodies skewered on spikes or smashed to bits by pulverizing rods that he had to foolproof?

For a moment, memories of a past life penetrated the warlock’s brain, and he was reminded of a time before his existence had become intertwined with that of an undead megalomaniac.

Then the warlock emerged into a clearing and saw the catacombs entrance. A shimmering portal appeared on the door and a skeletal figure strode out, making the memories disappear as quickly as they had come.

“Hello once again, Shakan,” Acererak cackled. “Let’s get to work, shall we?”

Shakan Kain is a human whose patron is the notorious lich Acererak, constructor of the Tomb of the Nine Gods found in the Tomb of Annihilation adventure. An architect-turned-adventurer, Shakan and a group of friends dared to delve into one of Acererak’s dungeons on a quest for magical weapons to defend their village, which was under attack by zombies. Unfortunately, nearly all of the party died in the trap-laden catacombs. Shakan only survived due to his intimate knowledge of construction.

In the dungeon’s final room, the devastated adventurer came face to face with Acererak. Impressed by Shakan's ability to circumvent traps, Acererak offered him a deal. Shakan would have all the magic required to save his village, but in return, he would have to foolproof the traps in the lich’s future dungeons. Not wishing to die in vain, Shakan agreed, and a piece of his soul was bound to Acererak. Brimming with power, Shakan destroyed the undead in his village only to be shunned by his people, who were horrified by his choice to barter with a lich. Shakan was soon exiled.

He now travels the world, improving the traps he finds in the lich’s tombs. Shakan is riddled with guilt at the thought of causing harm to others through his work, and he hates Acererak for making him a glorified custodian. Shakan hopes to one day destroy his master’s phylactery. Yet, he is still bitter for having been exiled for doing what he felt was right and necessary.

Playing Shakan

Shakan Kain is a lawful evil warlock with the Guild Artisan background. His highest ability scores are Charisma and Constitution. His Wisdom is also above average, while his Strength is below average. As a variant human, Shakan took the Prodigy feat at 1st level. He has proficiency and Expertise in the following skills and tools:

• Carpenter's Tools
• Deception
• Insight
• Investigation (Expertise)
• Perception
• Persuasion
• Stealth
• Thieves' Tools

In combat, Shakan relies on his Form of Dread, which makes his face appear as a demilich. When combined with Grave Touched, this form boosts the damage of his Eldritch Blast and Hex spells.

Shakan’s other spells all come in handy while navigating Acererak’s death chambers. Eldritch Invocations like Armor of Shadows and Fiendish Vigor let him cast False Life and Mage Armor at will. The spells Blade Ward, Misty Step, and Spider Climb, plus the Spirit Projection feature, are useful ways of resisting damage and quickly maneuvering around a dungeon. Necrotic Husk can preserve Shakan’s life in a pinch, such as if a deadly ceiling sickle or spiked floor takes him down.

When Shakan needs further assistance to foolproof a trap, he either summons an Unseen Servant or calls upon his Pact of the Chain familiar, an unpleasant quasit named Vilius who frequently taunts the warlock for being a lapdog.

Shakan Kain’s name refers to Chakan the Forever Man, an obscure undead comic book character, and the austere pulp hero Solomon Kane. A grim combination of the two, Shakan can be a thorn in the side of any party navigating Acererak’s dungeons, though he could potentially be redeemed.

Strike fear into your enemy's heart

Whether you hope to create a tortured soul like Shakan or a madcap mage who simply enjoys exploding in the midst of battle, the Undead is a chilling patron choice. For spell-slingers who dare to defy death, look no further.

Jeremy Blum (@PixelGrotto) is a journalist, gaming blogger, comic book aficionado, and fan of all forms of storytelling who rolled his first polyhedral dice while living in Hong Kong in 2017. Since then, he's never looked back and loves roleplaying games for the chance to tell the tales that have been swirling in his head since childhood.