Base Class: Warlock
Black and White. Smoke is the middle ground that obscures both. The Smoke Devil is a being that believes there is no such thing as black and white, believing in a corrupt sense of Justice cloaked in a cloudy grey. Some people can't learn and can't become a better person, which is where you must clean the filth. Forgiveness can't be trusted, as filth doesn't learn- it just repeats what it does again and again. How many times must someone be punished before they learn? Death is the only solution to this filth. This ideology is shared between the Smoke Devil and the pact bearer itself, as senseless killing is a disgusting black that holds no balance repelling the Smoke Devil.
The Spades are heralds of the Smoke Devil, carrying out it's corrupt sense of justice. A Spade must follow the following Pact Ordeals to uphold their status as a Spade, with severe punishment being dealt if a Spade is foolish enough to upset the Smoke Devil.
Ashen Gavel. Killing someone of near or higher intelligence as yourself indulges the Ashen Gavel. If the creature was killed without reason, the Ashen Gavel will incinerate your body based on how pure they were with the Smoke Devil using their death to observe their sins. If they bore extreme sins such as exploiting the weak, committing extreme criminal acts, or similar, you will remain unharmed and satisfy the Smoke Devil for whom you have killed. A creature who attacks a Spade who didn't provoke such is considered an extreme sin. Killing animals such as sheep or what not does not trigger the Ashen Gavel, as they are lower species whose intelligence is lower than yours. Essentially, no unlawful killing of similar or higher intelligence beings.
Corrupt Justice. Once per week, you must seek out a sinner and kill them to please the Smoke Devil. Going a week without killing a sinner will incur extreme punishment to yourself. They must trigger the Ashen Gavel AND must satisfy the Smoke Devil to satisfy this part of your Pact.
Blind Arbiter. You can't ignore the most extreme acts of sin, such as ****, Abuse, Manslaughter, and similar extreme sins that occur in front of you. You must seal their death. Ignoring this will incur extreme punishment from the Smoke Devil. You will know if someone bears this extreme sin that holds an inexcusable act behind it when they emit a black smokey aura from them that you can only see. You won't see this smoke on them and this part of the pact won't be active if they have a just reason for their murder for example, such as a man getting revenge and murdering someone who murder someone close to them. Despite so, this doesn't mean they are clean of sin.
Expanded Spell List
The Spade lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
The Spade Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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1st |
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2nd |
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3rd |
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4th |
hallucinatory terrain, dimensional door |
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5th |
Dusk & Dawn
Starting at 1st level, a ghastly manifestation appears behind you when you will for it to after taking a huff of smoke. This takes the form of two smoke like serpents that wraps around your body and looks over you. One takes on a white smoke like appearance while the other takes on a black smoke like appearance, each with an extra eye housing a red pupil that shines brightly when preparing to kill. It isn't a separate creature, but rather a manifestation of the pact you made with the Smoke Devil itself into a physical form. It shares your will and acts almost like an extension of your body. Your arcane focus must be some tool capable of producing smoke in order to summon the serpents. They dissipate if you go unconscious, will it away, or if not holding your arcane focus. While the serpent is manifested, you gain the following benefits:
Faded Senses. You gain 10 feet of blindsight. This blindsight extends inside the area of any spell you cast. For example, anything inside the 'Fog Cloud' spell you cast, you can sense with Blindsight regardless of your distance from the fog cloud spell. You don't receive penalties towards attacking creatures inside your spells that might have an effect that would obscure you from seeing them.
Smoke Veil. You may spread a smoke like veil to one creature you contact with as an Action. On doing so, they can't have their sight obscured or disabled in any way from your spells, they succeed any spell save and ignore any negative effects impose when succeeding the save the spell may impose. You can only spread this smoke veil to a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus, and doing so to another over the max will move the smoke veil to the new creature for the last one it was spread to. It lasts for 1 hour or if the serpents dissipate.
Twin Fang. As an Action, you may use Twin Fang. This requires an open hand, making the symbol of two fangs with a curled index and middle finger. You do this as if its a ranged spell attack. Your attack modifier is your CHA mod plus your proficiency bonus. On landing the attack, it does 2d4 + CHA Mod Piercing damage. If you made this attack on a creature within your Blindsight range, you may force them to also make a WIS saving throw against your spell save DC. If they fail the save, you gain advantage on Intimidation checks against them for 1 minute and they are unable to use the Dash action on their next turn. The range of this spell is either 15 feet within line of sight, OR a creature is within your blindsight range (regardless of distance or if something is blocking line of sight.) (Damage increases by +1d4 at Lv.6, 10, and 14.)
Mental Scale. Maintaining Dusk and Dawn even while they are not active requires a level head making you Vulnerable to Psychic damage regardless if they are active or not.
Serpentine Siphoning
You start to understand Dusk & Dawn further, noticing that they are able to draw out various aspects into their fangs to further suit your needs of devastating your victims. Furthermore, you start to resonate with the smoke that constantly surrounds you- the toxic qualities of it along with it starting to develop into something more. The gain the following benefits and abilities at Level 6:
Serpent Bolt. Utilizing the energy drawn out from your Warlock Pact Slots (or Spell Slots), you may use Twin Fang as a bonus action this turn after casting a leveled spell that used a Warlock Spell slot. This can be done as long as you haven't moved after casting the spell. You can still move after using Twin Fang.
Ring of Smoke. With a cooldown of 1 minute, you may exhale a ring of smoke at a creature within 60 feet as an Action. Act as if you casted the 'Fog Cloud' 1st level spell directly on them at level 1. This doesn't expend a spell slot. You can maintain concentration on up to 2 spells at a time, as long as one of them is the 'Fog Cloud' spell. You don't make concentration saving throws to maintain your Fog Cloud spells, unless its a damage type you are vulnerable to in which you make with disadvantage.
Culling Fang. When you are to use Twin Fang, you may choose to use Culling Fang instead. This works similarly, except the damage becomes Poison damage and ignores resistance. In addition, the effects imposed on failing the save instead Poison the target for 1 minute. If you or an ally kills a creature that is poisoned by Culling Fang, you may regain an expended Warlock Spell Slot, regain use of Culling Fang, or regain use of a Fang attack trait that recharges on a short rest. Culling Fang has two uses, and requires a short rest to recharge both uses.
Elite Spade
Your growth in channeling the Smoke Devil is surpassing other Spades, truly peaking the interest of the Smoke Devil itself seeing you as one of its top arbiters. It values so, rewarding you with even more accessibility to it's pact. Tampering further with the new abilities granted to you, your understanding of Dusk and Dawn has evolved further along with unlocking another Fang attack.
Vex Fang. In place of using Twin Fang, you may instead use Vex Fang. This functions similarly to twin fang, but has a few changes. Instead of targeting only one creature, it can target up to a max of 4 different targets as long as they are within range. Its damage type becomes Psychic. This doesn't impose a spell save and can only be used on creatures within blindsight range. The only make one attack roll that targets each foe, rather than an attack roll for each target. Same goes for damage.
Punishment Fang. You can use Punishment Fang in place of Twin Fang. This works similarly to twin fang, with a few changes. Punishment Fang does Necrotic damage and the dice that are rolled for its damage are changed. Depending on how many allies (including yourself) the target attacked and did damage to between your turn and their last turn, the damage dice increase by 1 category up to a max of d12. (d4 > d6 > d8 > d10 > d12.) If they fail the saving throw imposed, the next form of healing they are given within 1 minute is negated fully. This fang can only be used once per short rest. If the fang doesn't do damage, the charge isn't used.
Ashen Coffin. You hold an interdimensional plane layered within your smoke similar to a bag of holding. When you kill a creature with a Fang attack, you may teleport their body inside this dimension to be held as a Reaction. Only one creature can be stored in here at a time. Within this plane, time doesn't pass. Only corpses can be stored in here. You can use an action to dispense the corpse out of this plane in front of you.
Liberation
Finally at Level 14, you have reached the pinnacle of being a Spade for the Smoke Devil. You are freed from the chains that restrained your full power as a truth walker. You are invaluable to the Smoke Devil and they don't hide the worth that you bring them. You are given the gift of being able to liberate your mortal limits to channel an unbelievable burst of the Smoke Devil's will throughout one of three different forms in which you may choose. Of course, breaking these bounds create immense whiplash on your body so be careful of what you do. You may do one of the following per short rest.
Judgement Fang. As a reaction right after landing a Fang attack and dealing damage, you may unleash Judgement Fang. This works similarly to Twin Fang, but with a few differences. You don't make an attack roll nor force a saving throw- all you do is simply roll for damage. This damage is unavoidable and can only be blocked by a wish spell or any spell capable of blocking magic missile, such as the Shield spell (must be casted at a level equal to your warlock level halved, rounded up, and to a max of level 9.) If this doesn't do lethal damage but would do lethal damage if the damage dealt was tripled, then the damage is tripled. If Judgement Fang doesn't kill the target, you take force damage equal to half the damage you dealt ignoring temp HP, resistances, and immunities.
Balancing Act. As a reaction when you take lethal damage, you may invoke the Balancing Act. You may half the damage dealt to you immediately after knowing the damage from the DM. If it ends up not killing you, you gain Temp HP equal to the total amount you negated. This temporary HP lasts for 1 minute and as long as its active, a 5th level fog cloud is casted directly on you which requires your concentration to maintain. Using this reaction breaks all concentration with any spells you have active. If Balancing Act is used a 2nd time or more before your next long rest, you receive no benefits beyond halving the damage and a curse of varying power is place on your character determined by the DM.
Revelation. When you deal lethal damage to a creature with a Fang attack, you may as a reaction ask up to 3 questions about the creature and what they remember before their death. Your answer to the question is absolute as long as they remember it and they will speak the truth no matter what. Immediately after, you may either put their corpse in your Ashen Coffin if its empty OR make the corpse emit a mass of smoke that prevents any form of resurrection or necromancy used on the corpse for a full year.
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