The Pooka

A powerful fey spirit has either made you their frequent source of amusement or taken a sympathetic interest in your personal plight. Intentional or not, a pact has been made with this strange entity and only time will tell if the boons outweigh the costs of bargaining with this capricious spirit. Unlike other pact-making entities, Pooka often prefer to be more hands-on and influential with their pact sworn, popping in and out of the warlock's presence as the whim takes them and speaking frequently with their charge for the sake of amusement, to offer advice (potentially good or bad), or sometimes even to warn of some coming portent or event. 

The Pooka is an adept shapechanger and can appear in any humanoid or beast form at will. While the range of forms a Pooka can take is effectively boundless, they typically have one beast form and one humanoid form (that typically shares one or more features of that beast form) that they prefer to use regularly.  Regardless of its current form, it will always understand and be capable of speaking Sylvan, Common, and one primary racial language the warlock knows.

The Pooka is an incorporeal spirit and is invisible to everyone but the warlock it has made its pact with. Likewise, only the warlock can hear the Pooka, even when it speaks (which can be quite unsettling to those overhearing the seemingly one-sided conversation). Any attempts to see or locate the Pooka using See Invisibility or similar spells is ineffective. A creature using the True Seeing spell or who has the True Sight feature can see the general shape and location of the Pooka but is unable to discern any exact details. The Pooka is immune to area effects and cannot be targeted with weapons or spells, however, circles of protection that target the Pooka's moral nature (usually matching the warlock's) and force effects such as walls can limit the Pooka's limited ability to interact with and influence the environment (see below).

Expanded Spell List

The Pooka 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 Pooka Expanded Spell List

Level 1     hideous laughter, speak with animals 

Level 2     animal messenger, find steed

Level 3     conjure animals, spirit guardians

Level 4     confusion, phantasmal killer

Level 5     animate objects, mislead

 

 

Pooka's Presence

Starting at 1st level, the Pooka interacts with the warlock's environment in subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, ways when it is in the warlock's presence.

The Pooka can affect small environmental changes within a limited range of the warlock. The effects the Pooka can use are similar in nature to the druidcraft, mage hand (invisible type), and unseen servant spells, with the range extending 30 feet at first level and an additional 5 ft per warlock level after that. Unlike an unseen servant, the Pooka definitely has a mind of its own and considers any requests the warlock makes as a polite suggestion or personal favor. Depending on the Pooka's personality or personal quirks, any number of other tasks may happen without the warlock's request or awareness, so it behooves the warlock to stay on the Pooka's good side or risk unpleasant reprisals from the capricious spirit.

Pooka Strike The Pooka may also demonstrate a possessive or protective streak regarding its pact sworn warlock. As a bonus action on the warlock's turn, the Pooka may make a melee spell attack using the warlock's melee spell attack bonus. The Pooka punches, claws, bites, or uses whatever natural weapons its current form has and deals 1d6 psychic damage to the target on a successful hit. This damage increases by 1d6 at 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6). On a successful attack, the damaged target shows wounds appropriate to the type of melee attack the Pooka made. The target is considered flanked until the end of the round if the warlock (and only the warlock until level 10) makes a melee attack after the Pooka does damage.

Pooka Token

At level 1, your patron gifts you a token item that connects you to the pooka’s power even when it is not present. The token is a Tiny object that you choose, and you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells. Example tokens include a ring, a gem stone, a claw or tooth from an animal the pooka takes the form of, a toy or stuffed animal, or any other simple object the pooka would deem appropriate to represent the pact.

The token item's AC equals your spell save DC. Its hit points equal your warlock level plus your proficiency bonus, and it is immune to poison and psychic damage.

If the token item is destroyed or you lose it, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and the previous token is destroyed if it still exists. The token vanishes in a burst of shimmering dust when you die.

While you are touching or wearing the token item, you may choose two of the following skills to treat as bonus class skills that you are proficient in:  Animal Handling, Deception, History, Nature, Stealth, or Survival.

While you are touching or wearing the token item you also gain mage hand as a bonus cantrip.

Pooka's Perspective

At 6th level, your patron offers you certain perks associated with its preferred animal form.

Pooka's Locomotion

As a standard action you gain a movement method inspired by the Pooka's preferred animal form (choose one: burrow, climb, fly, swim).  Your speed with this movement type is equal to your walking speed. While this movement type is being used, your body takes on the physical traits that allow the Pooka's animal form to move in this way: clawed hands to burrow,; textured or sticky hands and feet to climb; wings of a matching style to the Pooka's animal form to fly;  fins, gills, and webbed feet and hands to swim. These physical modifications do not provide any form of natural weapon or combat bonus, but they may interfere with the effective use of your existing weapons and equipment. You may dismiss these physical changes as a standard action, reverting to your natural form, but you also lose access to the movement method the physical changes provide. Conversely, if the Pooka's preferred animal form is ground based, you may increase your base speed to 40 (armor penalties still apply) or whatever the Pooka's animal form base land speed is, whichever is better.

Pooka's Insight

The Pooka can also clue you in to things in your environment that you might have missed. Once per Charisma Bonus, you may apply advantage to an investigation, nature, perception, or survival check. You regain all of your uses of this ability after a short or long rest.

Pooka's Vision

You gain Darkvision out to 60 ft if you do not already have it from another source.

Pooka's Prerogative

At 10th level, once per long rest, you can choose a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus plus your Charisma modifier who are within 30 feet of you. Until the next sunrise, those creatures are able to see and hear the Pooka clearly in whatever form it is currently in (assuming it is present at the time). This does not guarantee that the Pooka will regard them favorably or agree to help them in any way. It also does not affect the creatures' ability to influence, attack, or otherwise interact with the Pooka in a way the Pooka does not allow. The creature's ability to see and hear the Pooka ends at the next sunrise, and the creature retains only the dimmest memory of the Pooka's existence (any information gained or benefits received from interacting with the Pooka remain, the creature just doesn't seem to recall where the assistance came from). A creature that leaves the 30-foot range around the warlock also loses the ability to see or hear the Pooka but regains the benefits of Pooka's Prerogative when coming back into range of the effect (with no memory loss regarding the Pooka in the meantime).

Allies within 30 feet of you may now gain the benefit of the flanking bonus from Pooka's Presence to attack a creature that the Pooka has successfully hit with Pooka's Strike until the end of the current round. You may also use one of your charges of Pooka's Insight to give an ally within 30 feet of you advantage on an investigation, nature, perception, or survival skill check. These charges are restored after a short or long rest as if you had used the benefit yourself.

The Pooka also becomes more invested in preserving your well-being as well as the well-being of your friends and allies. As a Reaction, the Pooka may use it's Pooka Strike ability to attack a creature that damages you or an ally within 30 feet of you that can still see the Pooka. The flanking bonus from Pooka Strike is not applied when used as a Reaction in this way.

Pooka's Prodigy

At 14th level the Pooka gives you access to two of its most prized abilities: Invisibility and Shapeshifting

Pooka's Path

You gain Greater Invisibility as a bonus known spell that does not count against your total number of warlock spells known. You may also use Greater Invisibility once per short or long rest as a spell-like ability.

 Pooka Shape

Choose a single animal form - a beast of size Large or smaller, with a CR no higher than half your warlock level. The animal must be one that you have seen before. (Animals your Pooka Patron has taken the form of count as being seen for this choice.) Once you choose this form it cannot be changed again until you gain a level in warlock, at which time you take on the benefits of the new chosen form and loose the benefits of the previous chosen form.

This chosen beast form becomes your signature Pooka Shape and your character gains the shapechanger subtype.

As a standard action you can take on the form of your signature animal. You can stay in your Pooka shape for a number of hours equal to half your warlock level (rounded down). You automatically revert to your normal form at the end of that time. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. Each use of this transformation uses a minimum of one hour from your total available time regardless of how long you were actually in your Pooka shape (reverting to normal does not count as a transformation for this purpose). The number of available hours to use for this transformation reset after a Long Rest.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them.
• When you transform, you assume the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious
• You can’t cast spells, and your ability to take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast. Unlike a druid's wild shape, the warlock retains the ability to speak in Pooka Shape, though certain physical traits like tusks, oversized fangs, or the lack of a typical tongue may impede the clarity of your speech.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as Darkvision unless your new form also has that sense.
• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Mark of the Pooka

This signature animal leaves a noticeable mark on your natural form in any number of possible ways including stripes, spots, or scales on your skin, animal like eyes, the appearance of a tail, or even ears shaped and positioned like your signature animal. These changes are entirely cosmetic in nature. They may start off minor and become progressively more pronounced. They may remain barely noticeable and remain your little secret. They might appear in all their bestial glory after the first time you revert back to your natural form, as if something went horribly wrong in the process. It's entirely up to you and the DM to decide.