The Parasite

The parasitic warlock is a wielder of strange magic derived from an agreement with an extraplanar entity. This bond required you, the warlock, to offer your body as host to the alien life, in exchange for abilities which you would have otherwise only been able to dream about. You're worried about what this consciousness gets out of this relationship, but you put it out of mind, because ever since you struck your deal, you've felt so... enhanced.

You have made a pact with an entity from an unknown plane of existence, a being whose aims are chaotic neutral. This entity will do anything to survive, including making a deal with other creatures to cohabitate, alter, and enhance another body if it means its own continued existence.

It is my personal recommendation to reskin your spells and flavor your actions to fit a theme of an otherworldly parasite or symbiote. My personal inspirations for this subclass were the aliens from Parasyte: The Maxim (anime) and Venom/Carnage from the Spider-Man comic and movie franchise. 

Please Note.  The expanded spell list for this homebrew contains private content, so they are not linked to the subclass as I originally designed them. I had to publish it this way, in order to make this subclass available to you. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I hope that you enjoy this homebrew, nonetheless. Please feel free to comment about the features you liked and those that weren't quite "up to snuff". —Ishman223

 

Expanded Spell List

The Parasite 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 Parasite Expanded Spells

Bonus Cantrip

Starting at 1st level, you gain the Chill Touch cantrip, and it doesn't count against the number of cantrips that you know. For you, it can be cast with a range of touch. When dealing damage from this spell as a melee spell attack, you may add your charisma modifier (minimum 0) to the damage.

Siphon

Starting at 1st level, when you make a melee weapon or melee spell attack and reduce a hostile creature that is your size or larger to 0 hit points, you restore hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your warlock level (minimum of 1). If the attack roll was a critical hit, you restore up to one expended warlock spell slot.

Adapt

Starting at 6th level, when suffering a damaging magical effect, you learn to emulate it for a limited time. As a reaction, you may make a spellcasting ability check, the DC10 or half of the damage that you suffer, whichever is higher. On a success, you gain the ability to perfectly reproduce the effect one time for the next hour.

When you use this feature, any previously adapted spell or magical effect is lost.

Infect

Starting at 10th level, your patron seeps through your magic to take root in those you affect. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that requires concentration, you gain resistance to all damage dealt by affected creatures as long as they remain under the effect of the spell you are concentrating on.

You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum once).

Desperate Existance

Starting at 14th level, you have connected so strongly with your patron that you merge into a singular being and death cannot easily take you. From the moment you die, up to 3 days, your essence, bonded with your patron, may escape your physical body in the form of a tar-like sentient ichor. You may use the stat block for an Intellect Devourer, but with the following exceptions:

• Your alignment becomes chaotic, if it wasn't already.
• You keep known languages (though you cannot speak), as well as your your bonuses to Wisdom (Perception) and Dexterity (Stealth).
• The Intellect Devourer's Body Thief trait uses a contested Charisma roll instead of Intelligence. A creature may willing give their body to you, effectively killing them as you assimilate into their form.
• When you take a new form, you do not gain any knowledge from your new body's former owner, but you do regain your class features, previous proficiencies, and any non-racial feats. At the time that you take your form, you gain the racial traits (but not feats) of your new body.

 If you are killed again before you can take a new body, you are not able to be revived by any means short of a Wish spell. When you leave a dying form as an ichor, it leaves a visible exit wound on the body.