Base Class: Warlock
Harness The Eldest Emotion: Fear
This pact is made with a being that takes interest in deepest and darkest fears that thinking creatures can be slave to. A pact of this nature would entail causing fear wherever possible, siphoning power from anxiety and terror. This pact could be made with a powerful Quori who feeds on nightmares, a terrifying demon who haunts forgotten hamlets, or even an eldritch being that resides in the dark unknown of mortal psyche. Your reward is that you become a walking nightmare, sowing the seeds of restlessness and reaping the crop of terror.
Level 3: Fearmonger Spells
The magic of your patron ensures you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Warlock level specified in the Fearmonger Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
| Warlock Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Detect Thoughts, Dissonant Whispers, Silence, Sleep |
| 5 | Fear, Major Image |
| 7 | Hallucinatory Terrain, Phantasmal Killer |
| 9 | Dream, Hold Monster |
Level 3: Tip of Anxiety
The early boons of this pact allow you to induce anxiety and fear with ease, whether it is as subtle as a glance or as brazen as a verbal threat. You gain the following benefits:
Unsettling Presence. You gain Proficiency in Intimidation. If you are already proficient in the skill, you can choose a different Warlock Proficiency. You also gain Expertise in Intimidation.
Without Warning. Whenever you cast a Warlock Spell that is an Illusion, you can do so without Verbal, Somatic or Material components. You will still need Material components that are consumed by the spell or that have a cost specified in the spell.
Level 3: Dire Form
When combat becomes a necessity, you prove to be a terror; relentless and unyielding.
As an Action, you can transform and assume a Dire Form. This transformation lasts for 1 minute. While transformed, you gain the following effects:
The Fear They Face: Your Armor Class equals 15 plus your Charisma modifier, unless it is higher.
Dire Strike: Your Unarmed Strikes become amplified. You grow long, ghostly claws that are as sharp as knives. When you make an Unarmed Strike, you can use your Charisma modifier for the Attack and Damage Rolls. In addition, when you use the Grapple or Shove option of your Unarmed Strike, you can use your Charisma modifier instead of your Strength modifier to determine the save DC.
The damage die of your Unarmed Strike becomes 1d8, and the damage type is Psychic or Slashing (your choice per attack). The damage die changes when you reach Warlock levels 5 (1d10), 11 (1d12), and 17 (2d6).
As part of the same Action to transform into your Dire Form, you can take the Attack action using your Unarmed Strike.
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you complete a Short or Long Rest. You can regain a use of this feature when you use Magical Cunning.
Level 6: The Eldest Emotion
Fear has been in the universe since the near beginning; this is a reminder that you forcefully give those who consider themselves “fearless”. You gain the following benefits:
I Am The Nightmare. You are immune to the Frightened condition. While in Dire Form, you can make two Unarmed Strikes as part of the Attack action.
Improved Fear. You can cast Fear as either an Action or a Bonus Action, and you can cast it without using a Spell Slot once per Long Rest. You can regain this free casting if a creature within 10 feet of you that has the Frightened condition is reduced to 0 hit points.
Fear’s Ire. If you target a creature with a Warlock Spell that causes the Frightened condition and the creature either succeeds on the Saving Throw or is immune to the Frightened condition, they suffer Fear’s Ire until the end of your next turn. While affected by Fear’s Ire, the creature’s Speed is reduced by 10ft, and they suffer a penalty to Ability Checks and Attack Rolls equal to 1d4.
Level 10: Living Nightmare
You now seamlessly weave nightmares of the mind into the real world, empowering yourself on the fright it begets. You gain the following benefits:
Dream Invader. When you cast Dream and make yourself the dream messenger, you can cast the spell without consuming a Spell Slot. You can cast the spell in this way once per Long Rest. Additionally, the target creature makes Saving Throws against the effects of this spell at Disadvantage.
Phobic Strikes. While in your Dire Form, your Unarmed Strikes have Advantage on Attack Rolls against creatures who have the Frightened condition or Fear’s Ire.
Nightmare Terrain. You gain the ability to modify the Hallucinatory Terrain spell. You can choose to cast it as a Magic action; if you do, the duration is 1 minute and the area of effect becomes a 60ft cube.
Any creature of your choice within Hallucinatory Terrain (modified or not) must spend 4 feet of movement for every 1 foot it moves, and they take an extra 1d8 of damage when you hit them with your Unarmed Strikes while you are in Dire Form. The damage type is the same as the damage type used for the Unarmed Strike.
Level 14: Fear Itself
Your connection to pure, unfiltered horror is at its peak; you are synonymous with every shudder, cold sweat and screech. You gain the following benefits:
Relentless Nightmare. While in Dire Form, you can make three Unarmed Strikes per Attack action.
Ancient Horror. When you target a creature with a Warlock Spell that inflicts the Frightened condition, the creature rolls the Saving Throws caused by that spell at Disadvantage. Additionally, the application of the Frightened condition ignores immunity, and creatures no longer automatically succeed on the Saving Throw due to having the immunity.
No Escape. On subsequent turns after casting Hallucinatory Terrain, you can use a Bonus Action to move the Cube up to 60ft. Additionally, the extra damage increases from 1d8 to 2d8.
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