The The Archivist Class for Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Fifth Edition (5e)

Base Class: Warlock

In every library there is a book that has never been read, a section that has never been seen, and a hallway that leads to nowhere – yet, you have managed to read that tome of unspoken secrets, find that shelf of unholy blasphemies, and step beyond the dead-end corridor into the Accursed Archive, where you have become bound to the nightmare-inducing writings within. Demonology, blood magic, and the summoning of things from beyond are among the most mundane of topics here, but draw the eye and call to the hand nonetheless. By some malignant intelligence that selects only the most desperate, the most ambitious, and the most willing to sacrifice, the Accursed Archive collects souls to do its ruinous work: to share the terrible truths that reside upon its endless shelves, and bring chaos and upheaval to the outside world through the disclosure of these forgotten secrets.

Traits of the Archivist:

When creating a warlock or after spending time researching in the Archive, consider adding one or more of the following traits to your character.

You always hold books as far away from you as possible.
You're uncomfortable in open spaces.
You compulsively hush other people.
You're convinced your shadow is alive and plotting against you. You may be correct.
You can't stand to see others handle books in your presence and take them away immediately.
You curse quietly when you think others aren't listening.
You constantly chant a single phrase under your breath in a language you don't understand.
You avoid looking people in the eyes.
Whenever you hear a secret, you write it down.
You keep a record of the events of each day and store it within a tome you allow no others to see.
An eye has grown on the back of one of your hands. You can't see from it, but something can.
Your skin becomes pale like parchment.
Thick black veins run through your arms and legs. Occasionally, they twitch.
Blood placed on your skin appears to form runic sigils. You're not certain what they mean.
Your tears are black like ink and stain heavily.
Your tongue becomes black and eerily long.
Your irises become red with black veins running through them. Sometimes others can see the veins from words.
Your posture degrades and your back stoops heavily.
Your hands are always stained with ink.
Scars you can't explain appear and vanish at random.

Expanded Spell List

The Accursed Archive 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.

Accursed Archive Expanded Spells

Spell Level	Spells
1st	detect evil and good, inflict wounds
2nd	accursed wish, dark secret
3rd	blackened heart, blasphemy
4th	black tentacles, forbidden obelisk
5th	dispel evil and good, legend lore

Tainted Knowledge (Part One)

At 1st level, you have feasted your eyes upon the books of the Archive, and your mind has both withered and grown. Choose two of the following: Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses a chosen skill if you are proficient in that skill, and you gain proficiency in any one skill of your choosing.

You can use an action to enter the Accursed Archive along with up to ten willing companions of your choosing that you can see. Time does not pass outside the Archive while you are within, and you cannot rest, recover hit points, or maintain concentration while inside. When you choose to depart, you and your companions return instantly to the point from which you entered.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Arcana

History

Nature

Religion

Tainted Knowledge (Part Two)

You gain proficiency in any one skill of your choosing.

Written in Blood

At 6th level, you’ve learned to read your servants and adversaries as easily as the scrolls located within the darkest places of the Accursed Archive and can twist them to serve your cruel whims.

As an action, touch a creature within reach. The target must make a Charisma saving throw with a DC equal to your warlock spell save DC. If they fail, they are paralyzed until the end of your next turn, and their flesh peels back into the pages of a book bound underneath their skin. The words within describe who they are and what they have done, and you can read up to six different sentences from them, prioritizing details you wish to learn. While the creature is paralyzed, you have advantage on Charisma and Intelligence checks relating to the creature and it has disadvantage on Charisma and Wisdom checks.

Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Vile Heresies

At 10th level, you uncover secrets that could shatter the balance of the heavens and hells. Choose any spell of 4th level or lower that is not a cantrip. You can cast this spell once using a warlock spell slot.

Once you do so, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Whenever you are within the Archive, you can exchange this spell for a different one, but cannot use it until you finish a long rest. Whenever you cast your chosen spell, you gain immunity to the frightened condition. This immunity lasts until you finish a short or long rest.

Unspeakable Truths

At 14th level, you discover the real purpose of the Accursed Archive – the spread of information that will bring ruin to the world. As an action, you can share an unspeakable truth with all creatures that can hear you within 60 feet of you. All hostile creatures who can hear and understand your words must make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. If they fail, they are driven mad and suffer confusion as though affected by the confusion spell for one minute. They can repeat this saving throw each time they suffer damage, ending the effect on a success.

When you do this, choose up to four creatures within 60 feet of you that you can see. These creatures are infused with dark power that distorts the fabric of reality. Choose one spell you can cast of 2nd level or lower that inflicts damage and has a casting time of one action or bonus action. Each infused creature can use their reaction to cast this spell immediately without using verbal, somatic, or material components. Charisma is their spellcasting modifier for this spell.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest

Archivist Eldritch Invocations

DnD Beyond will not allow me to publish this subclass unless the features are only provided at certain levels (1, 6, 10, and 14). However, invocations are provided at different levels (2,5,7,9,12,15, and 18). I have set this feature to level 1 to allow the easiest and soonest access to these invocations roughly when you would normally, but please follow all prerequisites for your invocations and level.

DnD Beyond doesn't like homebrew invocations. Here are invocations specific to the Archivist. If you pick one of these invocations, do not pick an invocation from the standard DnD Beyond options, so as to prevent you from having more than you should. Also, because of how the wacky subclass system works, I cannot add a certain Warlock Pacts (Blade, Tome, Chain, etc) as a prerequisite for these invocations, so please read the descriptions to make sure it is an invocation you can use.

Butcher's Quill

Prerequisite: Accursed Archive Patron, Pact of the Blade feature

Using your Pact of the Blade feature, you can create a weapon wrapped in raven feathers and the hide of abominations that drips and bleeds black ink. When you hit a creature with this weapon, you can cast a single 1st level spell you know with a casting time of one bonus action without expending a spell slot. Once you cast a spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Curse of Carasphyx

Prerequisite: Accursed Archive Patron

Your flesh grows corrupt in appearance but is imbued with terrible might. While you are not wearing armor or using a shield, you can choose to have your AC equal 10 + your Strength modifier + your Charisma modifier.

Scribe's Adjunct

Prerequisite: Accursed Archive Patron, Pact of the Chain feature

While you have a record-hunter as your familiar, it gains additional maximum hit points equal to your warlock level and you gain the ability to cast the mending cantrip.

Tenebrous Blast

Prerequisite: Accursed Archive Patron, 7th Level

When you deal damage with a cantrip or hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can use a bonus action to unleash a shadowy blast of malevolent power. Choose one target of the cantrip or attack. The chosen creature suffers disadvantage on attack rolls targeting lightly obscured creatures until the end of their next turn.

The Archivist's Journal

Prerequisite: Accursed Archive Patron, Pact of the Tome feature

You gain advantage on saving throws while within the Archive. Whenever you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that deals damage, you can use your bonus action to cause one target of the spell to become vulnerable to the first instance of damage from a single type, rolled randomly on the table below. If the creature has resistance to the damage type, this resistance is ignored and vulnerability is applied instead. If the spell you cast deals that damage type, roll until you get a different result.

Once you use this bonus action, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.