Pact of the Ancestral One

The Pact of the Ancestral One is meant to explore a different aspect of the word “spirit” that is often associated with other warlock subclasses. Some paths use revered ancestors, while others concentrate on spiritual animals. Most focus on supernatural beings. The Pact of the Ancestral One puts the focus on spirits as their most common incarnation: ghosts, the souls of the deceased. Death is common in character backstories, and this subclass allows you to center the death of a loved one and bring it forward from the realm of backstory into the mechanics of the game. With this subclass, you can play a child protected by the spirit of their dead parent, a lover haunted by the memory and the undead shade of their partner, a medium seeking to help spirits cross into the afterlife, or something else entirely different.
In terms of abilities, the Pact of the Ancestral One subclass enhances the spell-casting abilities of a warlock with interesting flairs.  These impact the way a warlock fights, and they allow the warlock to switch their tactics depending on the fight. Additionally, abilities expand what they can do outside of combat. The subclass’ capstone abilities is focused on combat utility, allowing you to empower yourself with the abilities of the dead.

Expanded Spell List

Your Ancestor empowers you with certain spells as you grow stronger and gain more power.

SPELL LEVEL	SPELLS
1st	shield of faith, unseen servant
2nd	augury, lesser restoration
3rd	speak with dead, spirit guardians
4th	divination, death ward
5th	legend lore, mass cure wounds

Whispers of the Dead

Your ancestor coexists with you, speaking and commenting on your life. Some of their whispers give hidden knowledge and their voice empowers you.

Starting at 1st level, your ancestor whispers knowledge to you, and warns you of danger. You learn two languages of your choice and gain proficiency in one tool or skill of your choice.

In addition, when you make a saving throw, you can contact your ancestor and allow them to work through you to gain 1d6 to your roll. You can give up control two times, before having to take a long rest. If a long rest isn't taken, you gain 1 exhaustion point every 4 hours, because it takes great effort to push away the influence and control of your ancestor. The number of uses increases to 3 at 5th level, 4 at 9th level, 5 at 13th level, and 6 at 17th level.

Mark of Death

As time passes, you slowly start to become warped by the influence of your ancestor. Their deathly hold in your conscience starts to make you like them. 

Starting at the 3rd level, the dead treat you as one of them. They don't attack you anymore unless commanded or provoked. You also possess +4 dodge bonus against the undead. You may use diplomacy and intimidate on even the non-intelligent and speak to them in the language of the underworld, bypassing their original language. You gain Gentle Repose

You also gain resistance to one of the following: cold, fire, necrotic, or poison. Additionally, because your ancestor lives in your mind, you may use a bonus action on your turn to dispel an effect causing you to be frightened or charmed.

Deathly Resilience

You also gain resistance to one of the following: cold, fire, necrotic, or poison. Additionally, because your ancestor lives in your mind, you may use a bonus action on your turn to dispel an effect causing you to be frightened or charmed.

Hellish Resilience

You also gain resistance to one of the following: cold, fire, necrotic, or poison. Additionally, because your ancestor lives in your mind, you may use a bonus action on your turn to dispel an effect causing you to be frightened or charmed.

Icy Resolve

You also gain resistance to one of the following: cold, fire, necrotic, or poison. Additionally, because your ancestor lives in your mind, you may use a bonus action on your turn to dispel an effect causing you to be frightened or charmed.

Stomach of Bone

You also gain resistance to one of the following: cold, fire, necrotic, or poison. Additionally, because your ancestor lives in your mind, you may use a bonus action on your turn to dispel an effect causing you to be frightened or charmed.

Ancestral Guidance

You learn the guidance cantrip if you do not already know it and it does not count against the number of warlock cantrips known.If you would miss on a spell attack roll or if a creature would successfully save against a spell which you used a spell slot for, you may roll a d20. If you roll a 17 or higher, you recover that spell slot. You may not use this ability again until you complete a long or short rest.

Spirit Walker

At 6th level, your mastery over the domain of death grows, blurring the line between the realms of the living and the dead. You cannot succumb to instant death by massive damage(death over -4), and you only suffer one death saving throw failure when taking damage at 0 hit points, regardless of whether the damage taken is from a critical hit.

Ancestral Guardian

 

You choose 2 spiritual effects when gaining this feature, and gain an additional spirit at level 14. You choose the spirit you wish to be possessed by each time:

 

• Spirit of Ecstasy. While active, your movement increases by 5 feet. Additionally, when you receive damage, you can use your reaction to move up to half your movement speed.

 

• Spirit of Fury. While active, you double all damage, and your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

 

• Spirit of Protection. While active, your AC increases by your constitution modifier, rounding up. Additionally, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw.

 

• Spirit of Resolve. While active, you can’t be put to sleep by magical means, you do not suffer the effects of exhaustion, and you are immune to the following conditions: charmed, paralyzed, frightened, exhausted, and stunned.

 

• Spirit of Sacrifice. While active, if another creature you can see within 60 feet of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to take the damage instead. If you do so, the damage is doubled.

Spirit of Vengeance. While active, if you have taken any damage during the previous round, you make all attacks with advantage.

Spiritual Aura

Starting at 14th level, You generate an invisible aura that your ancestor looks over. As a reaction to you or an ally within a 60ft radius taking damage, you may ask your ancestor to strike back at a creature that had targeted you or an ally. You do not have to see the attacker to activate this ability. That creature must succeed a wisdom saving throw or take 6d10 physic damage, and they become frightened of you for 1 minute. You also gain an Intimidation bonus.

On a successful save, the target takes half damage and the creature is not frightened. You may only use this ability once, and you get the expended use back after a short or long rest.