The Parasite

A whisper in your mind. A hunger in your veins. The bargain you struck was not sealed in ink or blood, but in flesh. Something alien has taken root within you—a slithering intellect that reshapes your body and feeds on your spirit. It promises power, purpose, and perfect symbiosis. If you can endure its touch.

Warlocks bound to the Parasite are living hosts to entities that exist somewhere between life and thought—star-born infections, aberrant hive-minds, or forgotten gods that breed within mortal flesh. Their gifts twist sinew and bone, erode the barrier between self and other, and grant dominion over the bodies and wills of others.

To serve the Parasite is to abandon the idea of solitude. Its whispers never stop. Its hunger never fades. And every time you reach for its power, you feel it pulse—not in your mind, but beneath your skin.

Expanded Spell List

The Parasite 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.

Parasite Expanded Spells

Spell Level	Spells
1st	command, inflict wounds
2nd	alter self, calm emotions
3rd	nondetection, speak with dead
4th	black tentacles, confusion
5th	dominate person, telekinesis

Invasive Cognition

Beginning at 1st level, like a parasite probing its host, your touch allows you to sense the inner workings of body and mind. While you are touching a creature, you have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation), Wisdom (Insight), and Wisdom (Medicine) checks made against it.

Parasitic Infestation

Also at 1st level, you can infest the bodies of others with your patron’s vile influence. When you use your action to cast a warlock spell using a Pact Magic slot, you can use your bonus action to choose one of the spell’s targets and infest it with a transient eldritch parasite. Alternatively, you can use your bonus action to touch and infest a willing target. You can only have a single creature infested with a parasite at a time. If you attempt to infest a second target, the first parasite immediately dies. Once a creature has been infested, it remains as such for a number of hours equal to your proficiency bonus, until you are killed, or until you choose to kill the parasite (requires no action by you). Spells such as remove curse, lesser restoration, and greater restoration can end this effect early, killing the parasite. While a creature is infested, you gain the following benefits:

• When the infested creature deals damage to you or one of your allies, you can cause it to suffer necrotic damage or psychic damage (your choice) equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). A creature can only take this damage once per turn.
• You can cast any of your warlock spells as if you were standing in the infested creature’s space, but must use your own senses.
• While the infested creature is within 1 mile of you, you always know the direction to it and you can communicate with each other telepathically. You don't need to share a language with it for it to understand your telepathic utterances, or vice versa, but the infested creature must be able to understand at least one language.

At 10th level, you can have up to two creatures infested with an eldritch parasite at a time.

Of Two Minds

At 6th level, your mind and that of your patron’s work in harmony. Becoming incapacitated does not cause you to lose concentration on your warlock spells. In addition, when you fail a Wisdom or Intelligence saving throw, or a Constitution saving throw made to maintain concentration on a spell, you can use your reaction to succeed instead.

You can use this feature once per short- or long rest.

Subtle Control

At 10th level, you can use eldritch magic to weaken and strengthen the victims of your patron. When an infested creature makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw while within 1 mile of you, you can use your reaction to impose advantage or disadvantage on the roll.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier per long rest.

Flesh Puppet

At 14th level, you can seize full control of the creatures you infest. As an action, you can cast the dominate monster spell at 8th-level, targeting a creature affected by your Parasitic Infestation feature. You do not need to see the target to cast the spell in this way, and the range increases to 1 mile. Additionally, the spell’s duration becomes the same as the duration of your Parasitic Infestation feature. When the spell ends, the parasitic larva inside the target dies.