Base Class: Warlock
"Ahh, Kos, or some say Kosm... Do you hear our prayers?"
Hidden away in a secret place, far from the prying eyes of the good people of the world, you and your compatriots study and perform heinous rituals at the behest of the Church. There are those they see what your order does as monstrous, but why? Is it such a bad thing to want to commune with those greater than ourselves? Is that not the whole point? The methods, while extreme, are effective! Behold, the dream you and your fellow scholars have manifested. Behold, the nightmares that lie within...
Inspired by the Bloodborne videogame by Fromsoftware
Level 3: Mensis Scholar's Tools
As a member of the School of Mensis, you have access to a variety of tools that make you a living nightmare.
Upon your embarkment of your journeys into the unknown, you are given your choice of the following Trick Weapons. Choose one to start with. You may choose one additional Trick Weapon at Warlock Levels 4 and 5, or at your DM's discretion.
Trick Weapons
| Church Pick | Standard: One-Handed Shortsword - 1d6 Piercing | Transformed: Two-Handed War Pick - 1d8 Piercing | Standard Weapon Properties: Finesse, Light | Transformed Weapon Properties: Reach | Weapon Mastery: Sap |
| Tonitrus | Standard: One-Handed Morningstar - 1d8 Bludgeoning | Transformed: One-Handed Electrified Morningstar - 1d6 Bludgeoning + 1d4 Lightning | Standard Weapon Properties: Versatile (1d10) | Transformed Weapon Properties: Re-juice | Weapon Mastery: Vex |
| Threaded Cane | Standard: One-Handed Quarterstaff - 1d6 Bludgeoning | Transformed: One-Handed Whip - 1d4 Slashing | Standard Weapon Properties: Versatile (1d8) | Transformed Weapon Properties: Finesse, Reach | Weapon Mastery: Slow |
Trick Weapons have two different forms: Standard and Transformed. You can change between the two as a Bonus Action on your turn. Trick Weapons with the "Light" Weapon Property can make the second attack with the same weapon instead of another. You are Proficient with the Trick Weapon you choose and can choose it as one of the Weapon Masteries you know per Long Rest. The Weapon Mastery works on both the Standard and Transformed forms of the Trick Weapon.
Scholar's Off-Hand Item
You also choose one of the following Off-Hand items. The item is held in your off hand as long as the weapon in your main hand is One-handed. Again, you can choose another at Warlock Levels 4 and 5, or at your DM's discretion. See the explanation of the Weapon Properties below the chart. You are Proficient with the item you choose and can choose it as one of the Weapon Masteries you know per Long Rest.
| Loch Shield | One-Handed Small Shield | Quicksilver Bullet Cost: 1 per Activation | Range: Self | Weapon Properties: +1 AC, Resist Elements | Weapon Mastery: N/A |
| Flamesprayer | One-Handed Flamethrower - 2d6 Fire | Quicksilver Bullet Cost: 2 per Shot | Range: 5ft. | Weapon Properties: Fire Spread, Parry | Weapon Mastery: Graze |
| Repeating Pistol | One-Handed Pistol - 2d6 Piercing | Quicksilver Bullet Cost: 2 per Shot | Range: 15/30ft. | Weapon Properties: Double Shot, Parry | Weapon Mastery: Slow |
Quicksilver Bullets
You have a number of Quicksilver Bullets equal to your Proficiency Bonus. You regain all spent Quicksilver Bullets every time you complete a Short Rest. However, you may gain two additional Quicksilver Bullets by expending 1/4th of your Total Hit Points (Rounded Down). These "Blood Bullets" deal the the Hunter's Firearm's normal damage with -2 penalty and last until you complete a Long Rest. You can produce these "Blood Bullets" once per Long Rest.
Weapon Properties
Re-juice - After making a successful hit with the Tonitrus in its Transformed state, you must use your Bonus Action to re-juice the electricity in the weapon to use the Transformed state again. Otherwise, it will deal its Standard state damage.
Resist Elements - As a Reaction to being attacked, you can expend one of your Quicksilver Bullets to reduce the damage dealt by Cold, Fire, or Lightning damage by 5. If a "Blood Bullet" is used, the damage is reduced by 3.
Parry - When a creature makes an Attack on you, you can use your Reaction to fire your Hunter's Firearm at them. Make a Ranged Attack on the attacking creature with Advantage. If the Attack hits, it deals half the Hunter's Firearm's damage and adds +2 to your AC, possibly allowing the Attack to miss. You must have an adequate number of Quicksilver Bullets available to use this Weapon Property. If a "Blood Bullet" was used for the Parry, add the -2 penalty to the halved damage. Even if no damage is dealt, you still gain the +2 AC bonus. The AC Bonus only applies to the attack you Parry and is lost immediately after.
Fire Spread - When the Flamesprayer is fired, the Quicksilver Bullets are melted in the device and spread out in front of you in a fiery Cone. Any creatures standing to the immediate left or right of the targeted creature can be hit with the weapon's damage without the need to roll an Attack against them. Roll your Attack against the target creature and on a hit choose an additional creature in range of the spread. After you roll the damage, you can choose to deal 1/4 of the damage (Rounded Down) to the second targeted creature with the rest hitting the main target.
Double Shot - The weapon fires two Quicksilver Bullets at one time for 1d6 Piercing each. This is already calculated into the weapon's damage (2d6 Piercing).
Level 3: Mensis Spells
When you reach a Warlock level specified in the Mensis Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
| Warlock Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | False Life, Dissonant Whispers, Expeditious Retreat, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter |
| 5 | Animate Dead, Hunger of Hadar |
| 7 | Confusion, Evard's Black Tentacles |
| 9 | Modify Memory, Commune |
Level 3: Mensis Cage
You have the helmet of your order locked around your head: The Mensis Cage. This long, hexagonal cage focuses your thoughts and allows you to better commune with the greater minds of the cosmos.
The Mensis Cage can be used as a Magic Action on your turn and has one charge per Long Rest that allows you to manifest one of two powerful abilities: Augur of Ebrietas or A Call Beyond. Whenever you use one of these abilities, your charge is expended. However, you can use your "Magical Cunning" Warlock Class Feature to replenish the charge instead of Spell Slots, if you so wish. The DC for saves is the same as your Spell Save DC.
Augur of Ebrietas: A mass of tentacles from a place beyond what is known erupt out your outstretched hand and push creatures away from you with great force. Any creatures within a 10ft. Cone in front of you must succeed a Strength saving throw. On fail, as long as the creature is Large Size or smaller, they are pushed back 15ft. and take 2d6 Force damage. On success, the creature is not pushed and takes half damage.
A Call Beyond: You reach to the sky and rip open a tear in the cosmos, showering the area around you with bolts of cosmic fire. Any creatures within a 10ft. Emanation around you must succeed a Dexterity saving throw. On fail, the creatures take 3d8 of your choice of either Psychic, Radiant, or Fire damage. On success, the creatures take no damage.
Level 6: Madman's Knowledge
Sometimes madness is a necessary part of understanding greatness.
You have the skull of a madman whose mind was graced with greater knowledge on you at all times. It can be used as a Spellcasting focus, but also as a means of enhancing your Mensis Scholar abilities.
You can use the Madman's Knowledge with a Mensis Scholar ability once per Short Rest and only have to proclaim you are doing so before making an action that is enhanced by it. You embrace the lessons the skull speaks in your mind and gain the bonus associated with the ability used.
Augur of Ebrietas: Additional 5ft. of Cone range as well as an additional 1d6 of Force damage.
A Call Beyond: Additional 5ft. of Emanation range as well as an additional 1d8 of the chosen damage type.
Spell Casting: You can cast one of your Mensis Scholar spells without using a spell slot.
Level 10: Nightmare Walker
You and your comrades made contact with a Great One and through the power of your collective minds, a Nightmare for Them to inhabit. You have rekindled communication with the Great One and can now freely visit the Nightmare in your dreams.
Every time you take a Long Rest, your mind is transported to the Nightmare of Mensis. While your mind is here, your body reacts to the world as it would normally while resting. In the Nightmare, there are a variety of locations you can visit that, when interacted with, give you a boon in the Waking World until your next Long rest. You can only interact with one location per visit to the Nightmare.
Cathedral of Spiders: Visiting the Cathedral of Spiders grants you the ability to summon a spider companion in the Waking World. As a Bonus Action, you ring a Sinister Bell that resonates with a spider from the Nightmare. The spider will be summoned and only listens to your commands, attacking on your Initiative. It lasts until it dies, is disbanded by you as a Free Action, or until you complete a Long Rest. The spider can be used as a mount as long as you are no larger than Medium Size. It uses the Giant Spider stat block found in the Monster Manual.
Brain of Mensis: Visiting the amalgam representation of you and your comrade's minds, the Brain of Mensis, grants you a single casting of Synaptic Static per Long Rest without expending a Spell Slot. After which, it counts as one of your Mensis Scholar spells until you return to the Nightmare.
Lecture Hall: Visiting the Lecture Hall changes your body on a physical level. Your flesh becomes more malleable and squishy and you gain Resistance to your choice of Slashing, Bludgeoning, or Piercing damage until you return to the Nightmare.
Amygdala's Chamber: Visiting the envoy to the Great Ones, Amygdala, grants you an additional use of Madman's Knowledge per Short Rest.
Level 14: Great One's Wisdom
Your mind is more receptive to the broader truths of the cosmos and you are made more powerful for it.
Your Madman's Knowledge is upgraded and provides the following bonuses to your Mensis Scholar abilities when used:
Augur of Ebrietas: Range of the Cone is increased to 30ft. and its Force damage increases by 4d6.
A Call Beyond: Range of the Emanation is increased to 30ft. and the chosen damage type increases by 2d8.
Spell Casting: You can cast two of your Mensis Scholar spells without using a spell slot. Once you've used this ability for a spell, the next spell you cast won't expend a spell slot. This does not work for Mystic Arcanum spells.
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