The Fates

You have a fascination with time and the ways of destiny. You have become a practiced tarot reader and can use these readings to cast magic in unique and interesting ways, although you may not always be able to predict it.

I created this subclass to be used with the official D&D tarot card set, but it should be easy enough to set the tarot cards for each spell if you are using a modified set. This is a very rough pass that hasn't been play tested at all, but I hope the flavor and abilities lead to some fun gameplay. I had a lot of fun making this!

Tarot Spellcasting

The fates have blessed you with the power to determine destinies.

At first level, you gain a list of 22 tarot spells which you can cast without using a spell slot a number of times per day equal to a quarter of your warlock level rounded up. To cast these spells you must give a 5 card spread tarot reading using a full deck of Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana determine which spells you can cast while using this ability and the Minor Arcana determine modifiers you can use on those spells. If you only draw Minor Arcana, you can choose any spell from the list that you have a spell slot to cast. If you draw only Major Arcana, you can choose any spell from the list regardless of level. If you draw a Major Arcana associated with a spell you are unable to cast, treat this as an option to cast either Chaos Bolt OR Augury.

Tarot Spellcasting Modifiers

Suit	Modifier	If the card drawn was a king
Strength (Swords)	Cast the spell one spell slot level higher	2 levels higher instead
Intelligence (Wands)	Change the damage type of a spell to that of another spell you know	Change to any damage type
Wisdom (Cups)	Double the range of the spell (If touch, range is now 10 feet)	Triple the range of a spell
Charisma (Pentacles)	Ignore the Verbal or Somatic Components of a spell	Ignore material components

 

The first 11 Tarot spells and their associated Major Arcana are given in the table below. The other 11 are given upon your choice of fate.

Tarot Casting Spells

Level	Spells	Associated Card
1	Healing Word	The Heirophant
1	Bless	The Star
1	Chromatic Orb	The World
2	Blur	The Fool
2	Enhance Ability	The Wheel of Fortune
3	Bestow Curse	The Hanged Man
3	Fireball	The Sun
4	Blight	Death
4	Confusion	The Devil
5	Modify Memory	The Moon
5	Commune	Temperance

Choice of Fates

At 1st level, you have chosen an aspect of the fates to focus on, either the past, present, or future. The past gains ancient knowledge, but loses some of their grasp upon the future. The present gains a cursed deck to help them affect the present. The future gains a greater ability to impact what is to come. Each has their own half of the Tarot Spellcasting list. You can combine this half with the list given in the Tarot Spellcasting feature description to get the full list of 20 Tarot spells.

Future

You have been given the power to read and influence the future.

The other half of your Tarot Spell list is as follows:

Level	Spells	Associated Card
1	Gift of Alacrity	The Chariot
1	Guiding Bolt	The Lovers
1	Silvery Barbs	The Hermit
1	Shield	The Tower
2	Fortune's Favor	Justice
3	Beacon of Hope	The High Priestess
3	Counterspell	The Magician
4	Death Ward	Judgement
4	Storm Sphere	Strength
5	Telekinesis	The Empress
5	Temporal Shunt	The Emperor

Past

You have developed a close connection to the past and have become obsessed with it giving you forbidden knowledge and secrets as well as an immutable, unbendable will. However, this search for past knowledge has left you with less grasp over the present and future.

The other half of your Tarot Spell List is as follows:

Level	Spells	Associated Card
1	Chaos Bolt	The Chariot
1	Detect Magic	The Hermit
1	Bane	The Tower
2	Borrowed Knowledge	The Lovers
2	Immovable Object	Strength
3	Intellect Fortress	The High Priestess
3	Hunger of Hadar	Justice
4	Evard's Black Tentacles	Judgement
4	Otiluke's Resilient Sphere	The Magician
5	Hold Monster	The Empress
5	Enervation	The Emperor

Present

You have been granted the power to sway the present by the fates.

The other half of your Tarot Spell List is as follows:

Level	Spells	Associated Roll
1	Hail of Thorns	2
1	Shield of Faith	4
1	Ensnaring Strike
2	Blindness/Deafness	The Lovers
2	Kinetic Jaunt	The Empress
3	Haste	The Chariot
3	Lightning Arrow	Justice
4	Greater Invisibility	The Magician
4	Stoneskin	The Emperor
5	Steel Wind Strike	Strength
5	Far Step	The High Priestess

Gift of Fate

Upon expressing your devotion to them at 1st level, the fates give you one of three gifts depending on which aspect of the fates you choose to invest in: Past, Present, or Future.

Chaotic Knowledge

The past is a great well of information that cannot be controlled.

You gain a single eldritch invocation which does not count against your total number of invocations known. However, none of your invocations are set. Each morning, you must do a Tarot reading with a spread of cards equal to the number of invocations you can learn + your proficiency modifier. If you draw a Minor Arcana you may then choose which invocations you would like for the day based on which you pulled from the chart below. You do not need to fulfill the level or pact prerequisites for each invocation, but if an invocation requires an item from a specific pact or spell a spell to be known, you must have the item or spell to choose that option. For each Major Arcana you draw, you may choose any invocation from the list which you meet the prerequisites for.

Card Pulled	Invocation	Card Pulled	Invocation
Ace of Strength (Swords)	Eldritch Spear	Ace of Wisdom (Cups)	Devil's Sight
2 of Strength	Agonizing Blast	2 of Wisdom	Beast Speech
3 of Strength	Repelling Blast	3 of Wisdom	Fiendish Vigor
4 of Strength	Grasp of Hadar	4 of Wisdom	Misty Visions
5 of Strength	Lance of Lethargy	5 of Wisdom	Dreadful Word
6 of Strength	Additional Blast (gain an extra beam when using Eldritch Blast)	6 of Wisdom	Bond of the Talisman
7 of Strength	Eldritch Smite	7 of Wisdom	Sign of Ill Omen
8 of Strength	Gift of the Depths	8 of Wisdom	Aspect of the Moon
9 of Strength	Lifedrinker	9 of Wisdom	Ghostly Gaze
10 of Strength	Improved Pact Weapon	10 of Wisdom	Gift of the Ever-Living Ones
Page of Strength	Otherworldly Leap	Page of Wisdom	Undying Servitude
Knight of Strength	Tomb of Levistus	Knight of Wisdom	Investment of the Chain Master
Queen of Strength	Gift of the Protectors	Queen of Wisdom	Sculptor of Flesh
King of Strength	Thirsting Blade	King of Wisdom	Visions of Distant Realms
Ace of Intelligence (Wands)	Eyes of the Rune Keeper	Ace of Charisma (Pentacles)	Cloak of Flies
2 of Intelligence	Armor of Shadows	2 of Charisma	Beguiling Influence
3 of Intelligence	Eldritch Sight	3 of Charisma	Gaze of Two Minds
4 of Intelligence	Voice of the Chain Master	4 of Charisma	One with Shadows
5 of Intelligence	Eyes of the Rune Keeper	5 of Charisma	Thief of Five Fates
6 of Intelligence	Eldritch Mind	6 of Charisma	Mask of Many Faces
7 of Intelligence	Protection of the Talisman	7 of Charisma	Trickster's Escape
8 of Intelligence	Rebuke of the Talisman	8 of Charisma	Maddening Hex
9 of Intelligence	Mire the Mind	9 of Charisma	Relentless Hex
10 of Intelligence	Book of Ancient Secrets	10 of Charisma	Whispers of the Grave
Page of Intelligence	Ascendant Step	Page of Charisma	Bewitching Whispers
Knight of Intelligence	Minions of Chaos	Knight of Charisma	Far Scribe
Queen of Intelligence	Shroud of Shadow	Queen of Charisma	Master of Myriad Forms
King of Intelligence	Witch Sight	King of Charisma	Chains of Caceri

Curse of the Cards

Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to place a baleful curse on someone. As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target is cursed for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse ends, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the cursed target. The bonus equals your proficiency bonus.

• Any attack roll you make against the cursed target is a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.

• If the cursed target dies, you may attack another creature within your deck's range of the deceased target with your cursed cards.

You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest

 

Additionally, you acquire the training necessary to effectively use your cursed tarot deck. You gain proficiency with shields and weapons with the ranged or thrown property.

The influence of your patron also allows you to mystically channel your will through your cards. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can focus on one weapon one weapon that you are proficient with and that has the thrown or ranged property. Your cursed deck gains the properties of that weapon and can be used as a throwing weapon with the range and damage die of the weapon you focused on. When you attack with your cards, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest.

Fateful Influence

You gain the ability to influence your Tarot readings more. Instead of making a reading when you use your Tarot Spellcasting feature, you make your readings at the beginning of the day and can choose when to use each spell throughout the day without the use of a spell slot.

Thread of Time

At 6th level, you have advanced your devotion to the thread of time enough to gain another magical benefit. Choose from any of the three options below: Past, Present, or Future

Bend the Future

You gain the ability to manipulate the future to your will. You gain a number of fate dice equal to your proficiency bonus that recharge on a long rest.

Whenever a creature you can see within 30 feet of you is about to make an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, you can use your reaction to expend a fate dice and roll a d6 to add the number rolled to the total.

Present Action (Extra Attack)

You channel the magic of the fate of the present to slow time and enable to push your attacks further.

You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Additionally, your Curse of the Cards ability to imbue your cards with the power of a ranged or thrown weapon now can last indefinitely.

Secrets of the Past

You harness the forgotten knowledge of the past to enhance your spellcasting. Concentration spells cast with your Tarot Spellcasting feature are not dispelled when another concentration spell is cast. Although, any concentration spells currently active can still be lost if a concentration check is failed.

You also gain advantage on Constitution saving throws made to hold concentration on a spell.

Tarot Spellcasting Master

You have gained a mastery in the ways of casting spells through the fates.

Starting at 10th level, whenever you use the Tarot Spellcasting feature to cast a spell, you can choose to draw a second reading and choose either reading to cast your spell with.

Master of the Thread

You have become a master of manipulating the thread of fate through your devotion.

At 14th level, you get to choose a final gift from the fates.

Bright Future

You can now weave the future in your favor regardless of the situation.

Whenever you make an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can spend one fate die to roll an additional d20. You can choose to spend one of your fate die after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined. You choose which of the d20s is used for the attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.

You can also spend one fate die when an attack roll is made against you. Roll a d20 and then choose whether the attack uses the attacker's roll or yours.

If more than one creature spends a fate die or uses another ability to influence the outcome of a roll in this way, the points cancel each other out; no additional dice are rolled.

You can use your fate die in this way a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Here and Now

You have learned to keep your thoughts in the present. You can now extend that to other people.

You may use an attack action to make 4 ranged attacks against any number of targets with your cursed deck. You must choose all 5 targets before rolling to hit. Each hit deals damage as normal from your deck. Additionally, any creatures who are hit by an attack become paralyzed as time slows to a stop for them. These creatures can make an Intelligence saving throw at the end of each of their turns to attempt to escape their paralysis.

You can use this ability again once you have finished a long rest.

Regrets of the Past

You point at a creature within range and say its name whether you know it or not. The creature is forced to relive all of its worst regrets from the past in an instant. The creature must make a Charisma saving throw. If the creature fails, it takes 10d10 psychic damage and is stunned. It can make another saving throw at the end of each of its turns to attempt to break the stun. If the creature succeeds it takes half the damage and is not stunned.