Pact of the Barbed Kiss

Warlock Patron

Some Warlocks serve gods of death, fire, or dreams. You? You bent the knee to something more intoxicating. The entity behind the Barbed Kiss is a divine tyrant of love and lust, obsession and jealousy, devotion and humiliation. She demands total control — and rewards her chosen with the power to command bodies and hearts alike.

Warlocks bound by this pact thrive in social conflict and physical confrontation. They wield whips and words with equal cruelty, turn pain into pleasure, and sow desire and dread in every interaction. Their magic restrains and charms with barbed efficiency, and their dominion intensifies the more their prey struggles.

Expanded Spell List

Danger Arousal

Level 3 Feature 

You are immune to the charmed condition. You've turned seduction into a weapon and pain into pleasure.

• You gain proficiency with whips and flails, which count as pact weapons for you.

• Shameful Glare. When you damage a creature, you may use a bonus action to impose disadvantage on its next attack roll or saving throw until the end of your next turn.

• Likes the Pain. At the start of your turn, if a creature damaged you with a spell or ability since your last turn, your first spell or ability that targets that creature gains advantage on its attack roll, or imposes disadvantage on its saving throw (your choice).

Thorns and Punishment

Level 6 Feature

Your mastery of control blossoms. Your restraints bite harder, and your aura can captivate even the defiant.

• When a creature is hit by your pact weapon or restrained by one of your spells or abilities, it has disadvantage on saving throws against your enchantment spells until the end of your next turn.

• The saving throw DC for your spells that cause the charmed or restrained conditions increases by half your proficiency bonus (rounded down).

• Aura of Allure. As a bonus action, you may release a 5-foot radius aura of intoxicating presence. Each creature of your choice within the aura must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you until the start of your next turn. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

• Leash the Disobedient. When a creature restrained by your spell or ability ends its turn more than 15 feet away from you, you may use your reaction to lash it with a barbed spectral chain. It takes 1d8 force damage and its movement is reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.

Submission Specialist

Level 10 Feature

Your pain is a resource, and your presence is a prison.

• Reward the Pain. At the start of your turn, if you took damage since the end of your last turn, you regain hit points and gain temporary hit points, each equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

• You gain proficiency in Deception, Persuasion, and Insight if you don't already have them. Choose one of these skills in which you're proficient — you gain expertise in it.

• Circle of Control. Once per short rest, you can unleash a detonation of bolas and spectral chains in a sphere centered on you (radius = 5 ft × your proficiency bonus). Each creature of your choice within the area must make a Strength saving throw:

  • On a failure, the creature takes 1d4 × your proficiency bonus force damage and is restrained for 1 minute, or another creature uses an action to end the effect, or it rerolls and succeeds a Strength saving throw at the end of its turn.

  • On a success, the creature takes half damage and has its movement speed halved within the area for 1 minute.

Master's Voice

Level 14 Feature

Your will echoes like a divine command. You are not obeyed — you are worshiped.

• Echo of Hurt. When you take the Attack action and hit a creature with your pact weapon, you may make an additional attack against the same creature as a bonus action.

• Failure to Obey. Whenever a creature fails a saving throw to become restrained by one of your effects or fails to escape such a restraint, it takes 2d6 psychic damage.

• Transfer the Leash. When a charmed creature dies, choose one:

  • Regain a warlock spell slot of 3rd level or lower.

  • Force another creature within 30 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the original charm transfers to that creature, and the duration refreshes.

• Word of Absolute Dominance. Once per short rest, you may use an action to issue a single, undeniable command. Each creature of your choice within a sphere centered on you (radius = 5 ft × your proficiency bonus) must make a Wisdom saving throw or be affected as if by the Command spell. This version:

  • Requires no components or concentration.

  • Affects all creatures simultaneously with the same command.