Base Class: Warlock
Humanoids fear what they don't understand. It is the natural way of the world. We innovate and create to bring understanding to the outside world, fearful of it's chaos and disarray. It would be so simple if everything worked as efficiently and as organized as possible, correct? What if people could eschew their flawed emotions and logic, and instead submit to an algorithmic machine that could calculate everything with perfect accuracy? For warlocks that made pacts with beings of mechanical order, all-powerful constructs, or technology beyond their understanding, they deal with this question daily. Your patron might be Primus from the plane of law Mechanus, a Marut, or even just a warforged archmage. Regardless, your powers lie in the absolute power and law of steel and gears, and allow you to go well beyond your mortal limits. Commanding a small squadron of cogwork companions, your patron ensures that you always win the numbers battle with absolute order. With deeper connections to your patron, they might grant you near-divine insight on ancient history or inform you the correct way to pick locks. The most devoted of warlocks have been fabled to become part machine themselves, sacrificing their humanity to their deity-like patron. Of course, no machine is entirely perfect, but to your mortal understanding, you couldn't tell the difference.
"Ever since I witnessed the frailty of my flesh, I craved the strength and certainty of steel." - Northak Ethalhiem, Notable warlock of Primus
Expanded Spell List
The Machine 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.
Machine Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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1st |
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2nd |
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3rd |
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4th |
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5th |
Eldritch Drones
Starting at 1st level, as an action you can summon a number of tiny sized magical clockwork drones equal to your proficiency bonus in unoccupied spaces within 5ft of you.
Once you create these drones, you can't do so again until you finish a short rest. You can have a maximum number of drones equal to your proficiency bonus, and any drones created past your maximum crumble to dust and are destroyed.
These drones are magical objects that have an AC of 18 and a number of hit points equal to your warlock level. The drones are immune to poison damage and psychic damage. If a drone is forced to make an ability check or a saving throw, treat all its ability scores as 10(+0). If the mending spell is cast on a drone, they regain 1d6 hit points. These drones disappear if they are reduced to 0 hit points.
When you create these drones, you determine its appearance and how it flies. On each of your turns, you can take a bonus action to cause all of your drones to activate if you are within 60ft of it. As a part of the same bonus action, you can direct each drone to fly up to 15 feet to an unoccupied space. When you activate your drones you may choose one of the following activities that they perform.
Drone Activation Types
| Activation | activation effects |
|---|---|
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Support |
Your drone provides helpful assistance. One willing creature of your choice within 30ft of a drone adds a 1d4 to their next attack roll, skill check, or saving throw. This bonus is not cumulative and lasts until the end of the creature's next turn. |
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Distract |
Your drone buzzes around the enemy, distracting them. One creature of your choice within 30ft of a drone suffers from a 1d4 penalty to their attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. This bonus is not cumulative and lasts until the end of the creature's next turn. |
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Attack |
All of your drones fire on one target. Choose one creature within 120ft of your drones. Each drone in range simultaneously fires a small unerring jolts of electricity, dealing 1d4 lightning damage. This dart is treated as the spell Magic Missile for the purposes of the spell Shield, and other effects. |
Machine Learning
At 6th level when you are forced to make a skill check, you may prompt your patron to grant you dubious information about the topic, potentially allowing you to succeed without any skill whatsoever. When you are forced to make a skill check, you may use your reaction and roll a 1d20 instead, on an 11 through 20, you automatically succeed the check regardless of your bonuses, proficiencies, or know-how. If you roll a 10 or lower then you are given false information and automatically fail the check instead. You may use this reaction once per long rest. You must announce you are using this reaction before you make the skill check.
Your patron may not be able to grant you guidance on certain tasks (DM’s discretion) if this is the case then your reaction is wasted, however the use of the ability is not consumed.
Bot Network
Starting at 10th level your command over your drone army strengthens. When you use your bonus action to cause a drone to Support or Distract a creature, you can cause all drones under your command to Support or Distract (the same as the original activation) a single creature within 5ft of them. Additionally your drones deal an additional +1 damage when you use your bonus action to command them to attack.
Soul of the Machine
Starting at 14th level, your body is completely in tune with your mechanical patron. You do not need to sleep, eat, drink, or breathe. You cannot be aged naturally or magically and are immune to psychic and poison damage. Additionally, when a creature ends their turn within 5ft of a drone, you may choose to give the creature 3d4 temporary hit points, or cause the creature to take 3d4 lightning damage.
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