Quellian-dyrae
2013-05-15, 06:06 PM
Design Notes and Goals:
This is meant to be a higher-powered version of the warlock, one that can serve as an effective ranged striker by dealing reliable at-will damage and debuffs, with some good utility thrown in. It plays up the notion of the warlock drawing on the power of a greater entity, adding a few ways of quantifying the nature of the pact.
It also greatly expands the possible Invocations by tying them directly to spells. This is kinda the mechanical "point" of the class, a bit of an experiment; is it possible, with some tweaks and limitations, to use spells as a list of capabilities that could be available at-will. So of course, any commentary on that end (including any obvious abuses I missed) is particularly welcome.
I did try and get fairly iconic effects that had previously been unique warlock invocations into the class features so those didn't get left by the wayside. Likewise, keeping everything at-will on the warlock's end (and maintaining balance around that) is an important goal.
Warlock
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Warlocks have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma is the most important ability score for a Warlock, governing almost all of their powers. Constitution is always useful to improve durability, and more martially inclined warlocks may wish to consider Strength and Dexterity as well.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Starting Age: As bard.
Starting Gold: As rogue.
Class Skills
The Warlock's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana, Religion, Planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (N/A), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
The Warlock
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecial
1st
+0
+0
+0
+2Devotion, Invocations (1st), Eldritch Blast, Patron's Blessing (Skill).
2nd
+1
+0
+0
+3Channel Blast.
3rd
+2
+1
+1
+3
4th
+3
+1
+1
+4Patron's Blessing (Protection).
5th
+3
+1
+1
+4Invocations (2nd).
6th
+4
+2
+2
+5Shape Blast.
7th
+5
+2
+2
+5
8th
+6
+2
+2
+6Patron's Blessing (Mobility).
9th
+6
+3
+3
+6Invocations (3rd).
10th
+7
+3
+3
+7Persistent Blast.
11th
+8
+3
+3
+7
12th
+9
+4
+4
+8Patron's Blessing (Preservation).
13th
+9
+4
+4
+8Invocations (4th).
14th
+10
+4
+4
+9Selective Blast.
15th
+11
+5
+5
+9
16th
+12
+5
+5
+10Patron's Blessing (Immortality).
17th
+12
+5
+5
+10Invocations (5th).
18th
+13
+6
+6
+11Scaled Blast.
19th
+14
+6
+6
+11
20th
+15
+6
+6
+12Ascension.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Warlocks are proficient with simple weapons and light armor, but not with shields.
Devotion: Warlocks are expected to develop their powers - their patrons expect some degree of a return on their investment, after all. They don't tend to favor dabblers. A multiclassed warlock treats its Charisma modifier as capped by its class level for all purposes relating to its class features.
Invocations (Sp): As a warlock, you are granted the ability to wield a number of magical abilities by your patron, tapping directly into your patron's power to channel them. Collectively, these abilities are called Invocations.
Gaining Invocations
Warlocks have a very limited selection of Invocations. You begin with a number of 0-level Invocations equal to your Charisma Modifier, plus one first-level Invocation. At every odd level past first, you gain an additional Invocation of up to the highest level you can gain, as indicated on Table: The Warlock. Each time you gain a class level, you may exchange one of your Invocations for another Invocation of the same level.
Additionally, you have a single bonus Invocation of the highest level you can gain. Whenever you gain a new level of invocations, this migrates up to the next highest level.
Choosing Invocations
You may choose Invocations from the Wizard, Cleric, and Druid spell lists. If a spell appears on multiple lists, use whichever is more beneficial. You may not choose spells that have a casting time of less than one standard action or greater than one full round. You may not choose spells that have expensive material components, expensive focus components, unique or priceless components, or XP costs. You may not choose spells that conjure, create, or transform objects and have an Instantaneous duration.
You may not choose spells that increase your basic stat calculations (BAB, HD, Skill Points per level, or Saving Throw progressions).
Polymorph Invocations must use the Pathfinder Polymorph rules.
If you choose a Summon Monster, Summon Nature's Ally, or similar spell as an Invocation, it must be placed in your migrating bonus slot. However, it functions as the relevant summon spell of half your class level, rounded up (at 19th level, this allows you to summon 1d3 creatures from the 9th level list, or 1d4+1 creatures of a lower list).
Converting Invocations
Some spells have special rules when converted to Invocations.
Any spell that causes detrimental effects allows a saving throw to resist. If a save was not previously allowed, the save used should best represent the nature of the spell (spells that affect the physiology should be Fortitude, spells that affect the mind Will, spells that create some tangible effect over an area Reflex, etc). If the spell normally allows a touch attack and not a save, the target may choose to either roll the newly allowed save or force you to make a touch attack, but it doesn't gain both defenses. Detrimental effects that could apply to characters outside the immediate area of the spell (such as a cloud blocking vision or a wall blocking passage) are not subject to this rule. If the spell creates an effect that affects an area for a duration (such as most fog spells), and a save is not normally allowed, a successful save only resists the effect for the first round of the spell's duration. Thereafter, if the target has not left the area, or if new characters later enter the area, normal effects apply with no further save.
A successful saving throw against an Invocation allows the character to completely ignore the effect, even if the spell normally causes half or partial effect on a successful save. A character who succeeds three saving throws in a row against an Invocation becomes immune to that Invocation from that warlock for 24 hours.
Only one instance of an Invocation may be in effect at any given time. If the Invocation is used again, the previous instance's duration immediately expires (instantaneous Invocations, obviously, are not subject to this limitation, and the effects of spells that can last beyond their normal duration, such as a Stinking Cloud's nausea, still do so). Invocations that have Targets, cause primarily detrimental effects, and do not provide the caster with ongoing control or influence over the target, are also exempt from this rule.
Invocations with a duration of one round per level or more may be maintained constantly upon yourself if desired (this counts as the single allowed instance of the Invocation).
Invocations that provide healing instead grant the target temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last for one hour and do not stack with each other. Once the hour is up, any temporary hit points that remain are converted to actual hit point healing. If the target receives actual healing while it has these temporary hit points remaining, each point of healing can also convert one temporary hit point to an additional point of healing. This effect is not recursive.
Using Invocations
Using an Invocation is an action with the normal casting time of the spell. Invocations are spell-like abilities and follow all normal rules for such. They may be used at will. For situations where an Invocation's spell level is relevant, you may consider its spell level to be either its normal level, or one-half your class level, rounded up, whichever is most beneficial. The save DC for an Invocation is 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier. Your caster level is equal to your class level.
If the spell an Invocation is based on normally uses its components directly in its function (for example, it turns the component into the effect of the spell, or the choice of component impacts the spell's results), you must provide the component when using the Invocation.
Eldritch Blast (Sp): Most warlocks use their limited Invocations for tactical, support, and utility magic. For directly attacking their foes, they can simply draw upon their patron's power and unleash it in blasts of energy. Using an Eldritch Blast is a standard action that affects a single target in Medium range, dealing 1d6 damage per odd-numbered class level, plus additional damage equal to your Charisma modifier. The blast deals one additional point of damage per die at 6th level and every five levels thereafter. The target receives a saving throw, DC 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier to negate the effect.
Different warlocks can command different energy types. Different types of energy are subject to different resistances, target different saving throws, and have different special effects, as follows. You may choose which energy type you can use upon gaining your first warlock level. You may select additional energy types at the cost of a 0-level Invocation each, but you may only use one energy type at a time.
In addition to direct offensive blasts of energy, you can also create minor displays, such as a fire warlock invoking a spark to light a candle, or a cold warlock chilling a drink. You may likewise reduce the damage of an energy invocation by lowering the dice you roll and/or refraining from adding your Charisma modifier to the damage.
Any time you use a spell, invocation, or other ability that deals energy damage, you may convert the energy to your chosen type. This may change the saving throw allowed by the effect (if any), and adds the special effect of your energy invocation to any targets who fail the save. If no save is allowed, the target receives one to avoid any non-damage special effects.
If you deal energy damage multiple times per round to the same target, it only receives the special effects once.
Fire (Ref/Fire): Deal additional damage equal to either your class level or your Charisma modifier.
Cold (Fort/Cold): Target Slowed for one round.
Electricity (Ref/Electricity): Target Staggered for one round.
Acid (Ref/Acid): Target takes additional damage at the start of your turn for next three rounds equal to either your class level or Charisma modifier.
Sonic (Fort/Sonic): Attack ignores hardness and deals full damage to objects.
Force (Fort/Force): Attack can affect ethereal and incorporeal creatures without a miss chance.
Positive (Will/Positive): Living allies receive temporary hit points instead of damage, following the rules for healing Invocations. Living foes still take damage. Undead always take damage, and receive extra damage equal to either your class level or Charisma modifier.
Negative (Will/Negative): Undead targets do not receive damage. They either receive temporary hit points, following the rules for healing Invocations, or are Rebuked for the rest of the encounter if they fail their save. Undead may add their Turn Resistance to this save, and three successful saves in a row renders that undead immune for 24 hours.
Water (Fort/Physical - Bludgeoning): Target knocked prone.
Wind (Ref/Physical - Slashing): Target knocked back 5' per two points it fails its save by.
Earth (Fort/Physical - Piercing): Target immobilized (unable to move from its current space, but still able to act) for one round.
Light (Ref/Fire): Target loses all Concealment for one round if it fails its save, and is also Blinded if sensitive to light, and takes maximum damage if vulnerable to sunlight.
Dark (Ref/Cold): Target Blinded for one round.
Holy (Will/Physical - Good Aligned): Attack deals +2 damage per level against Evil creatures and Undead, maximum damage against Evil Outsiders and Evil Undead.
Unholy (Will/Physical - Evil Aligned): Attack deals +2 damage per level against Good creatures and Fey, maximum damage against Good Outsiders and Good Fey.
Axiomatic (Will/Physical - Lawful Aligned): Attack deals +2 damage per level against Chaotic creatures and Aberrations, maximum damage against Chaotic Outsiders and Chaotic Aberrations.
Anarchic (Will/Physical - Chaotic Aligned): Attack deals +2 damage per level against Lawful creatures and Constructs, maximum damage against Lawful Outsiders and Lawful Constructs.
Telekinetic (Fort/Physical - Magic): Make free Combat Maneuver against target, substituting your caster level for your BAB, your Charisma modifier for your Strength modifier, and your base Will save modifier for your Size modifier.
Telepathic (Will/Mind Affecting): You can target effects with this energy type with either line of sight or line of effect, you do not need both (though you do need to know what it is you are targeting if you can't see it).
Poison (Fort/Poison): Target takes damage to chosen ability score equal to half your Charisma modifier.
Arcane (Ref/Untyped): Target loses its Spell Resistance until the end of your next turn.
Patron's Blessing (Su): At its most basic, a warlock's pact is a spiritual link. The warlock draws upon the nigh-limitless ambient power of its patron to power its magic, and in return the patron siphons a constant tithe of energy from the warlock's spirit. While this tithe isn't enough to harm or hinder the warlock, receiving such from several warlocks adds up to a substantial energy reserve for more powerful effects.
It is, thus, in a patron's best interest for its warlocks to live and grow in power. Many patrons, however, want more from their warlocks, and offer blessings in return for an agreement. This agreement often takes the form of a certain code of conduct, devised by the player with DM approval, providing a general outlook the warlock should maintain, an alignment it should remain within one step of, and a few specific things it shouldn't do or should do at every reasonable opportunity.
As long as the warlock adheres to the terms, it receives blessings from its patron. If the warlock breaks its oath, it loses the blessing for as long as it continues acting in opposition to the oath, and for twenty-four hours thereafter.
Blessing of Skill
A first level warlock is a minor investment, but the potential is there. The patron shares some small portion of its own prodigious knowledge and power, granting one of the following blessings:
Combat: You substitute your Charisma modifier for your Strength or Dexterity modifier on attack rolls, and add your Charisma modifier to all weapon damage rolls. You also gain an Armor bonus to AC equal to your Charisma modifier (naturally, this bonus does not stack with other armor bonuses - including from Bracers of Armor and similar effects - but can stack with armor enhancement bonuses, and doesn't actually prohibit wearing armor). Unlike normal armor, this bonus does apply to your touch AC. These effects do not stack with any other abilities that add an ability modifier to damage rolls or AC.
Body: You may add your Charisma modifier to all Strength and Dexterity checks, skill checks based on those ability scores, and miscellaneous opposed checks based on those ability scores.
Mind: You may add your Charisma modifier to all Intelligence and Wisdom checks, skill checks based on those ability scores, and miscellaneous opposed checks based on those ability scores.
Soul: You may add your Charisma modifier to all Constitution and Charisma checks, skill checks based on those ability scores, and miscellaneous opposed checks based on those ability scores.
Blessing of Protection
A fourth level warlock has proven that it has some value, and is worth protecting. You receives one of the following abilities:
Backlash: You are surrounded by a harmful aura. Any time you take damage, the aura backlashes on the attacker as long as it is within Close range, dealing damage of the same type as your Eldritch Blast (but without the special effects) equal to half your (Charisma modifier plus class level).
Damage Reduction: You gain Damage Reduction equal to half your (Charisma modifier plus class level). Choose a special material (silver, cold iron, or adamantine) and an alignment opposed to your own (lawful, chaotic, good, or evil; a neutral character may choose any). Weapons with either of those qualities bypass the DR.
Fast Healing: You gain Fast Healing equal to half your (Charisma modifier plus class level), as long as you are below half your normal hit points.
Luck of the Favored: All attacks and targeted spells used against you have a 20% miss chance. This does not stack with other forms of miss chance or effects (such as mirror image) that might cause an attack to miss.
Magic Resistance: You gain five points of Energy Resistance per point of your Charisma modifier, divided among Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, and Sonic damage as you choose. You also gain SR equal to your Charisma modifier + your class level.
Patron's Grace: You add your Charisma modifier to a single type of saving throw (Fortitude, Reflex, or Will). You may change the save as a full-round action.
Resilience: Each round, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier plus your class level. These do not stack, they simply refresh every round.
Blessing of Mobility
An eighth level warlock has proved its value, and may even be occasionally contacted by its patron or its patron's followers and allies for assistance. To improve this, the warlock is blessed with a special mode of movement.
Burrowing: You gain a Burrow speed equal to your base land speed, and Tremorsense out to 10' per point of your Charisma modifier. You may Burrow through loose earth, or any solid material with a Hardness less than or equal to your Charisma modifier. You may choose whether or not you leave a tunnel while burrowing.
Flight: You gain a Fly speed equal to twice your base land speed, with Perfect maneuverability. You may manifest wings of a type appropriate to your patron as part of this blessing.
Phasing: You may concentrate to become Incorporeal. While incorporeal, you have a Fly speed equal to your base land speed with Perfect maneuverability.
Teleportation: Any movement you take may be made as teleportation, allowing you to move in any direction, circumvent difficult terrain, and avoid attacks of opportunity. As a standard action, you may teleport up to Medium range. As a full-round action, you may teleport up to Medium range and leave behind an Area or Effect Invocation you know, centered on your previous location. You must have line of effect to any location you teleport to with this ability.
Travel: You double your base land speed, gain a Climb and Swim speed equal to your full land speed, no longer need to eat, sleep, or breathe, and may act while climbing, swimming, and balancing as if on stable ground.
Blessing of Preservation
A twelfth level warlock is a valuable asset to any patron. It may violate its pact once per week without penalty, and its Blessing of Protection is improved:
Backlash: Your backlash damage is increased by one-third the damage done to you.
Damage Reduction: Your DR now requires weapons with both chosen qualities to bypass. Further, you take half damage from all nonmagical weapons.
Fast Healing: Your fast healing now works even if you are above half your normal hit points. Additionally, every time you take damage, you instantly heal a number of hit points equal to half your fast healing, up to a maximum amount of healing equal to the damage taken. If you have fast healing, regeneration, or other constant healing effects from other sources, they add to this total.
Luck of the Favored: Attacks and targeted spells that miss due to your miss chance are redirected at a target of your choice within their normal range.
Patron's Grace: Your Patron's Grace now applies to all of your saving throws. Alternately, you can still apply it to a single saving throw at a time; when doing so, if you succeed the save, you suffer no effects, even if a successful save would normally result in a reduced or partial effect. Changing from all saves to a single save is a full-round action, as is changing saves.
Resilience: Each encounter, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to half your normal hit point total. These temporary hit points don't stack across multiple encounters, but do stack with the per-round temporary hit points from your basic Resilience (which are lost first).
Blessing of Immortality
A sixteenth level warlock is too valuable to lose, and its patron works to makes it nigh-impossible to kill. You no longer age or receive ability modifiers for aging, and you gain one of the benefits listed below. You may also violate your pact once per week per two points of your Charisma modifier without penalty.
Cohesive Swarm: At will as a standard action, or as an immediate action when brought below 0 hit points, you can disperse into a swarm. By default, this is a swarm of Fine or Diminutive Flying creatures. Your swarm attack deals damage as if from your Eldritch Blast, but your class level is reduced to one-third normal for this purpose. If the swarm is Tiny or non-flying, this changes to one-half normal. If the swarm is both Tiny and non-flying, it becomes two-thirds normal. Your Distraction DC is the same as your Eldritch Blast DC, and targets who are distracted sustain any special effects from your Eldritch Blast (those who are not distracted may ignore the special effects unless they wish to be affected by them).
If you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points as a swarm (or become a swarm upon reaching 0 or fewer hit points), your swarm body disperses. Over the course of one hour per hit point you are below 0, the swarm regathers, and eventually reforms your body. By default, you reform at the location you dispersed, but you still have sufficient control over the myriad creatures that make up your swarm to reform elsewhere if you wish. This adds the travel time to reach that location to the time it takes to recover.
An area attack that reduces you to -10 hit points kills you by annihilating your swarm. While in swarm form, you may only use your standard action each round for movement, but your abilities are otherwise unrestricted. Your equipment provides no material benefits while in swarm form, but magical bonuses remain effective.
Construct Body: Your mind and soul have been removed from your fragile flesh and placed in a durable construct of metal. You gain the Construct type and all attendant benefits. You also gain Hardness equal to your Charisma modifier, and you may use half your Charisma modifier in any place that you would normally use your Constitution modifier. However, your Hit Dice do not change and you do not get bonus hit points from your size.
Disembody: Your mind and soul are freed of your flesh. You gain the Undead type and subtype. You may perform a one-hour ritual to imbue an unattended object with the Ghost Touch property whenever you wear or hold it. You also gain an Incorporeal Touch attack that causes damage and effects as your Eldritch Blast, but using a touch attack rather than a save. You may also use half your Charisma modifier in any place that you would normally use your Constitution modifier. However, your Hit Dice do not change.
[i]Regeneration: You gain Regeneration equal to twice your Charisma modifier, overcome by a single alignment opposed to your own (neutral Warlocks may choose any one alignment.
Rejuvenation: You gain a Phylactery like that of a lich, restoring you to life if you die following the same rules. In addition, your killer is immediately struck by a chosen Invocation, or other at-will Spell-like or Supernatural ability you possess, and takes a penalty on its save to resist it equal to half your Charisma modifier. While you are dead, your soul resides in your Phylactery; you cannot move under your own power, but you possess Blindsight out to 10' per class level and can use your Invocations and other powers normally.
Soul Swap: When killed, you can attempt to swap souls with your killer as an immediate action. The target must make a Will save, DC 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier. If it succeeds, you die normally. If it fails, you swap souls at the last moment; it inhabits your body and dies, and you possess its body following the rules for a Magic Jar spell. Your possession of the new body is permanent. However, you gain any racial Hit Dice or Level Adjustment appropriate to your new body, with an additional Level Adjustment of +1 per full six points its base physical ability scores exceeded your own. For each ECL you are above where you should be from XP, you suffer one negative level, which never results in level loss but cannot be removed except by earning enough XP to properly earn your new ECL. You also cannot gain additional class levels until you have earned enough XP to have removed all the negative levels.
If you lose ECL as the result of a Soul Swap, you may take additional class levels to make up the difference.
Transcendance: You transcend your mortal state, gaining the Outsider type, the Native subtype (but you don't need to breathe, eat, or sleep), alignment subtypes corresponding to your own alignment, and a subtype for a chosen kind of Outsider (such as Angel, Demon, Modron, etc). You receive all the benefits of the Outsider type and the chosen subtypes. You gain Energy Gestalt as a bonus feat, keyed to the energy type of your alignment subtype (if you have two alignment subtypes, you choose which you gain the feat for).
Undead Body: Your body dies, but your soul lives on. You gain the Undead type with all attendant benefits, and once per round when you deal damage with an Eldritch Blast, you may heal yourself one-third the damage done. You may also use half your Charisma modifier in any place that you would normally use your Constitution modifier. However, your Hit Dice do not change.
Eldritch Channel (Sp): Starting at second level, if you are wielding a magic weapon, you can cast the energy through the weapon, basically firing it from the weapon rather than from your hand. This adds the weapon's enhancement bonus to your Charisma modifier for purposes of the blast. Additionally, weapon enchantments that improve the weapon's attacks, such as Flaming, Ghost Touch, or Wounding, can apply to your blast. Enchantments that involve actual attack resolution (such as Speed, Vorpal, and Brilliant Energy) cannot improve Eldritch Blasts. If your weapon deals damage of a certain energy type, you may change the type of energy you invoke to that type.
Shape Blast (Sp): A sixth level warlock may shape its Eldritch Blasts to affect a larger area. Invoking a shaped blast is a one-round action rather than a standard action, but the blast is targeted upon completion, not at the start. Your Eldritch Blast affects an area as if you had applied the Shape Spell metamagic feat to it.
Persistent Blast (Sp): Starting at tenth level, you can persist a Shaped Blast over an area. You may only have one Persistent Blast active at a time, and it lasts until you end it or it is dispelled by an outside force. Anyone who begins its turn within the area of the blast, or who enters the area of the blast, sustains the full damage of the blast automatically, and must make a save or sustain the special effects of the blast.
Selective Blast (Sp): At fourteenth level, your control over your Eldritch Blast is perfect. Your Shaped Blasts only affect those in the area you wish to affect. A Persistent Blast is only selective on the first round of its existence; thereafter, you must concentrate to make it selective for another round, or it affects all within normally.
Scaled Blast (Sp): At eighteenth level, you gain the ability to Eldritch Blast blasts of tremendous size and power. For each additional round spent invoking the blast, you double the affected area, increase the damage by your Charisma modifier, and increase the save DC by 1. You may spend a maximum number of rounds on a blast no greater than your Charisma modifier. Scaling a blast renders you fatigued for one minute per round spent. If you are already fatigued, you instead become exhausted. If you are already exhausted, you fall unconscious.
Ascension (Su): As a twentieth level warlock, you are your own master, a respected ally and partner of your patron. You are freed of your Oath's restrictions (but still receive all the benefits of your Patron's Blessings), and gain a new, powerful Invocation, which may be of a spell with a maximum level of up to one-third your class level, rounded up. You may change this invocation whenever you gain a warlock level.
Epic Warlocks: An epic warlock's caster level and Eldritch Blast damage continues to increase every level. At 21st level, the warlock can gain sixth level Invocations, and it adds another level of Invocations every four levels thereafter. It gains new Invocations following its normal pattern. At 22nd level, and every four levels thereafter, the warlock gains a bonus epic feat. At 24th level, and every four levels thereafter, the warlock gains another Patron's Blessing, choosing a new option from a blessing set it has already received.
Alternate Class Features (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15244086#post15244086)
This is meant to be a higher-powered version of the warlock, one that can serve as an effective ranged striker by dealing reliable at-will damage and debuffs, with some good utility thrown in. It plays up the notion of the warlock drawing on the power of a greater entity, adding a few ways of quantifying the nature of the pact.
It also greatly expands the possible Invocations by tying them directly to spells. This is kinda the mechanical "point" of the class, a bit of an experiment; is it possible, with some tweaks and limitations, to use spells as a list of capabilities that could be available at-will. So of course, any commentary on that end (including any obvious abuses I missed) is particularly welcome.
I did try and get fairly iconic effects that had previously been unique warlock invocations into the class features so those didn't get left by the wayside. Likewise, keeping everything at-will on the warlock's end (and maintaining balance around that) is an important goal.
Warlock
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Warlocks have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma is the most important ability score for a Warlock, governing almost all of their powers. Constitution is always useful to improve durability, and more martially inclined warlocks may wish to consider Strength and Dexterity as well.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Starting Age: As bard.
Starting Gold: As rogue.
Class Skills
The Warlock's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana, Religion, Planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (N/A), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
The Warlock
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecial
1st
+0
+0
+0
+2Devotion, Invocations (1st), Eldritch Blast, Patron's Blessing (Skill).
2nd
+1
+0
+0
+3Channel Blast.
3rd
+2
+1
+1
+3
4th
+3
+1
+1
+4Patron's Blessing (Protection).
5th
+3
+1
+1
+4Invocations (2nd).
6th
+4
+2
+2
+5Shape Blast.
7th
+5
+2
+2
+5
8th
+6
+2
+2
+6Patron's Blessing (Mobility).
9th
+6
+3
+3
+6Invocations (3rd).
10th
+7
+3
+3
+7Persistent Blast.
11th
+8
+3
+3
+7
12th
+9
+4
+4
+8Patron's Blessing (Preservation).
13th
+9
+4
+4
+8Invocations (4th).
14th
+10
+4
+4
+9Selective Blast.
15th
+11
+5
+5
+9
16th
+12
+5
+5
+10Patron's Blessing (Immortality).
17th
+12
+5
+5
+10Invocations (5th).
18th
+13
+6
+6
+11Scaled Blast.
19th
+14
+6
+6
+11
20th
+15
+6
+6
+12Ascension.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Warlocks are proficient with simple weapons and light armor, but not with shields.
Devotion: Warlocks are expected to develop their powers - their patrons expect some degree of a return on their investment, after all. They don't tend to favor dabblers. A multiclassed warlock treats its Charisma modifier as capped by its class level for all purposes relating to its class features.
Invocations (Sp): As a warlock, you are granted the ability to wield a number of magical abilities by your patron, tapping directly into your patron's power to channel them. Collectively, these abilities are called Invocations.
Gaining Invocations
Warlocks have a very limited selection of Invocations. You begin with a number of 0-level Invocations equal to your Charisma Modifier, plus one first-level Invocation. At every odd level past first, you gain an additional Invocation of up to the highest level you can gain, as indicated on Table: The Warlock. Each time you gain a class level, you may exchange one of your Invocations for another Invocation of the same level.
Additionally, you have a single bonus Invocation of the highest level you can gain. Whenever you gain a new level of invocations, this migrates up to the next highest level.
Choosing Invocations
You may choose Invocations from the Wizard, Cleric, and Druid spell lists. If a spell appears on multiple lists, use whichever is more beneficial. You may not choose spells that have a casting time of less than one standard action or greater than one full round. You may not choose spells that have expensive material components, expensive focus components, unique or priceless components, or XP costs. You may not choose spells that conjure, create, or transform objects and have an Instantaneous duration.
You may not choose spells that increase your basic stat calculations (BAB, HD, Skill Points per level, or Saving Throw progressions).
Polymorph Invocations must use the Pathfinder Polymorph rules.
If you choose a Summon Monster, Summon Nature's Ally, or similar spell as an Invocation, it must be placed in your migrating bonus slot. However, it functions as the relevant summon spell of half your class level, rounded up (at 19th level, this allows you to summon 1d3 creatures from the 9th level list, or 1d4+1 creatures of a lower list).
Converting Invocations
Some spells have special rules when converted to Invocations.
Any spell that causes detrimental effects allows a saving throw to resist. If a save was not previously allowed, the save used should best represent the nature of the spell (spells that affect the physiology should be Fortitude, spells that affect the mind Will, spells that create some tangible effect over an area Reflex, etc). If the spell normally allows a touch attack and not a save, the target may choose to either roll the newly allowed save or force you to make a touch attack, but it doesn't gain both defenses. Detrimental effects that could apply to characters outside the immediate area of the spell (such as a cloud blocking vision or a wall blocking passage) are not subject to this rule. If the spell creates an effect that affects an area for a duration (such as most fog spells), and a save is not normally allowed, a successful save only resists the effect for the first round of the spell's duration. Thereafter, if the target has not left the area, or if new characters later enter the area, normal effects apply with no further save.
A successful saving throw against an Invocation allows the character to completely ignore the effect, even if the spell normally causes half or partial effect on a successful save. A character who succeeds three saving throws in a row against an Invocation becomes immune to that Invocation from that warlock for 24 hours.
Only one instance of an Invocation may be in effect at any given time. If the Invocation is used again, the previous instance's duration immediately expires (instantaneous Invocations, obviously, are not subject to this limitation, and the effects of spells that can last beyond their normal duration, such as a Stinking Cloud's nausea, still do so). Invocations that have Targets, cause primarily detrimental effects, and do not provide the caster with ongoing control or influence over the target, are also exempt from this rule.
Invocations with a duration of one round per level or more may be maintained constantly upon yourself if desired (this counts as the single allowed instance of the Invocation).
Invocations that provide healing instead grant the target temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last for one hour and do not stack with each other. Once the hour is up, any temporary hit points that remain are converted to actual hit point healing. If the target receives actual healing while it has these temporary hit points remaining, each point of healing can also convert one temporary hit point to an additional point of healing. This effect is not recursive.
Using Invocations
Using an Invocation is an action with the normal casting time of the spell. Invocations are spell-like abilities and follow all normal rules for such. They may be used at will. For situations where an Invocation's spell level is relevant, you may consider its spell level to be either its normal level, or one-half your class level, rounded up, whichever is most beneficial. The save DC for an Invocation is 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier. Your caster level is equal to your class level.
If the spell an Invocation is based on normally uses its components directly in its function (for example, it turns the component into the effect of the spell, or the choice of component impacts the spell's results), you must provide the component when using the Invocation.
Eldritch Blast (Sp): Most warlocks use their limited Invocations for tactical, support, and utility magic. For directly attacking their foes, they can simply draw upon their patron's power and unleash it in blasts of energy. Using an Eldritch Blast is a standard action that affects a single target in Medium range, dealing 1d6 damage per odd-numbered class level, plus additional damage equal to your Charisma modifier. The blast deals one additional point of damage per die at 6th level and every five levels thereafter. The target receives a saving throw, DC 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier to negate the effect.
Different warlocks can command different energy types. Different types of energy are subject to different resistances, target different saving throws, and have different special effects, as follows. You may choose which energy type you can use upon gaining your first warlock level. You may select additional energy types at the cost of a 0-level Invocation each, but you may only use one energy type at a time.
In addition to direct offensive blasts of energy, you can also create minor displays, such as a fire warlock invoking a spark to light a candle, or a cold warlock chilling a drink. You may likewise reduce the damage of an energy invocation by lowering the dice you roll and/or refraining from adding your Charisma modifier to the damage.
Any time you use a spell, invocation, or other ability that deals energy damage, you may convert the energy to your chosen type. This may change the saving throw allowed by the effect (if any), and adds the special effect of your energy invocation to any targets who fail the save. If no save is allowed, the target receives one to avoid any non-damage special effects.
If you deal energy damage multiple times per round to the same target, it only receives the special effects once.
Fire (Ref/Fire): Deal additional damage equal to either your class level or your Charisma modifier.
Cold (Fort/Cold): Target Slowed for one round.
Electricity (Ref/Electricity): Target Staggered for one round.
Acid (Ref/Acid): Target takes additional damage at the start of your turn for next three rounds equal to either your class level or Charisma modifier.
Sonic (Fort/Sonic): Attack ignores hardness and deals full damage to objects.
Force (Fort/Force): Attack can affect ethereal and incorporeal creatures without a miss chance.
Positive (Will/Positive): Living allies receive temporary hit points instead of damage, following the rules for healing Invocations. Living foes still take damage. Undead always take damage, and receive extra damage equal to either your class level or Charisma modifier.
Negative (Will/Negative): Undead targets do not receive damage. They either receive temporary hit points, following the rules for healing Invocations, or are Rebuked for the rest of the encounter if they fail their save. Undead may add their Turn Resistance to this save, and three successful saves in a row renders that undead immune for 24 hours.
Water (Fort/Physical - Bludgeoning): Target knocked prone.
Wind (Ref/Physical - Slashing): Target knocked back 5' per two points it fails its save by.
Earth (Fort/Physical - Piercing): Target immobilized (unable to move from its current space, but still able to act) for one round.
Light (Ref/Fire): Target loses all Concealment for one round if it fails its save, and is also Blinded if sensitive to light, and takes maximum damage if vulnerable to sunlight.
Dark (Ref/Cold): Target Blinded for one round.
Holy (Will/Physical - Good Aligned): Attack deals +2 damage per level against Evil creatures and Undead, maximum damage against Evil Outsiders and Evil Undead.
Unholy (Will/Physical - Evil Aligned): Attack deals +2 damage per level against Good creatures and Fey, maximum damage against Good Outsiders and Good Fey.
Axiomatic (Will/Physical - Lawful Aligned): Attack deals +2 damage per level against Chaotic creatures and Aberrations, maximum damage against Chaotic Outsiders and Chaotic Aberrations.
Anarchic (Will/Physical - Chaotic Aligned): Attack deals +2 damage per level against Lawful creatures and Constructs, maximum damage against Lawful Outsiders and Lawful Constructs.
Telekinetic (Fort/Physical - Magic): Make free Combat Maneuver against target, substituting your caster level for your BAB, your Charisma modifier for your Strength modifier, and your base Will save modifier for your Size modifier.
Telepathic (Will/Mind Affecting): You can target effects with this energy type with either line of sight or line of effect, you do not need both (though you do need to know what it is you are targeting if you can't see it).
Poison (Fort/Poison): Target takes damage to chosen ability score equal to half your Charisma modifier.
Arcane (Ref/Untyped): Target loses its Spell Resistance until the end of your next turn.
Patron's Blessing (Su): At its most basic, a warlock's pact is a spiritual link. The warlock draws upon the nigh-limitless ambient power of its patron to power its magic, and in return the patron siphons a constant tithe of energy from the warlock's spirit. While this tithe isn't enough to harm or hinder the warlock, receiving such from several warlocks adds up to a substantial energy reserve for more powerful effects.
It is, thus, in a patron's best interest for its warlocks to live and grow in power. Many patrons, however, want more from their warlocks, and offer blessings in return for an agreement. This agreement often takes the form of a certain code of conduct, devised by the player with DM approval, providing a general outlook the warlock should maintain, an alignment it should remain within one step of, and a few specific things it shouldn't do or should do at every reasonable opportunity.
As long as the warlock adheres to the terms, it receives blessings from its patron. If the warlock breaks its oath, it loses the blessing for as long as it continues acting in opposition to the oath, and for twenty-four hours thereafter.
Blessing of Skill
A first level warlock is a minor investment, but the potential is there. The patron shares some small portion of its own prodigious knowledge and power, granting one of the following blessings:
Combat: You substitute your Charisma modifier for your Strength or Dexterity modifier on attack rolls, and add your Charisma modifier to all weapon damage rolls. You also gain an Armor bonus to AC equal to your Charisma modifier (naturally, this bonus does not stack with other armor bonuses - including from Bracers of Armor and similar effects - but can stack with armor enhancement bonuses, and doesn't actually prohibit wearing armor). Unlike normal armor, this bonus does apply to your touch AC. These effects do not stack with any other abilities that add an ability modifier to damage rolls or AC.
Body: You may add your Charisma modifier to all Strength and Dexterity checks, skill checks based on those ability scores, and miscellaneous opposed checks based on those ability scores.
Mind: You may add your Charisma modifier to all Intelligence and Wisdom checks, skill checks based on those ability scores, and miscellaneous opposed checks based on those ability scores.
Soul: You may add your Charisma modifier to all Constitution and Charisma checks, skill checks based on those ability scores, and miscellaneous opposed checks based on those ability scores.
Blessing of Protection
A fourth level warlock has proven that it has some value, and is worth protecting. You receives one of the following abilities:
Backlash: You are surrounded by a harmful aura. Any time you take damage, the aura backlashes on the attacker as long as it is within Close range, dealing damage of the same type as your Eldritch Blast (but without the special effects) equal to half your (Charisma modifier plus class level).
Damage Reduction: You gain Damage Reduction equal to half your (Charisma modifier plus class level). Choose a special material (silver, cold iron, or adamantine) and an alignment opposed to your own (lawful, chaotic, good, or evil; a neutral character may choose any). Weapons with either of those qualities bypass the DR.
Fast Healing: You gain Fast Healing equal to half your (Charisma modifier plus class level), as long as you are below half your normal hit points.
Luck of the Favored: All attacks and targeted spells used against you have a 20% miss chance. This does not stack with other forms of miss chance or effects (such as mirror image) that might cause an attack to miss.
Magic Resistance: You gain five points of Energy Resistance per point of your Charisma modifier, divided among Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, and Sonic damage as you choose. You also gain SR equal to your Charisma modifier + your class level.
Patron's Grace: You add your Charisma modifier to a single type of saving throw (Fortitude, Reflex, or Will). You may change the save as a full-round action.
Resilience: Each round, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier plus your class level. These do not stack, they simply refresh every round.
Blessing of Mobility
An eighth level warlock has proved its value, and may even be occasionally contacted by its patron or its patron's followers and allies for assistance. To improve this, the warlock is blessed with a special mode of movement.
Burrowing: You gain a Burrow speed equal to your base land speed, and Tremorsense out to 10' per point of your Charisma modifier. You may Burrow through loose earth, or any solid material with a Hardness less than or equal to your Charisma modifier. You may choose whether or not you leave a tunnel while burrowing.
Flight: You gain a Fly speed equal to twice your base land speed, with Perfect maneuverability. You may manifest wings of a type appropriate to your patron as part of this blessing.
Phasing: You may concentrate to become Incorporeal. While incorporeal, you have a Fly speed equal to your base land speed with Perfect maneuverability.
Teleportation: Any movement you take may be made as teleportation, allowing you to move in any direction, circumvent difficult terrain, and avoid attacks of opportunity. As a standard action, you may teleport up to Medium range. As a full-round action, you may teleport up to Medium range and leave behind an Area or Effect Invocation you know, centered on your previous location. You must have line of effect to any location you teleport to with this ability.
Travel: You double your base land speed, gain a Climb and Swim speed equal to your full land speed, no longer need to eat, sleep, or breathe, and may act while climbing, swimming, and balancing as if on stable ground.
Blessing of Preservation
A twelfth level warlock is a valuable asset to any patron. It may violate its pact once per week without penalty, and its Blessing of Protection is improved:
Backlash: Your backlash damage is increased by one-third the damage done to you.
Damage Reduction: Your DR now requires weapons with both chosen qualities to bypass. Further, you take half damage from all nonmagical weapons.
Fast Healing: Your fast healing now works even if you are above half your normal hit points. Additionally, every time you take damage, you instantly heal a number of hit points equal to half your fast healing, up to a maximum amount of healing equal to the damage taken. If you have fast healing, regeneration, or other constant healing effects from other sources, they add to this total.
Luck of the Favored: Attacks and targeted spells that miss due to your miss chance are redirected at a target of your choice within their normal range.
Patron's Grace: Your Patron's Grace now applies to all of your saving throws. Alternately, you can still apply it to a single saving throw at a time; when doing so, if you succeed the save, you suffer no effects, even if a successful save would normally result in a reduced or partial effect. Changing from all saves to a single save is a full-round action, as is changing saves.
Resilience: Each encounter, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to half your normal hit point total. These temporary hit points don't stack across multiple encounters, but do stack with the per-round temporary hit points from your basic Resilience (which are lost first).
Blessing of Immortality
A sixteenth level warlock is too valuable to lose, and its patron works to makes it nigh-impossible to kill. You no longer age or receive ability modifiers for aging, and you gain one of the benefits listed below. You may also violate your pact once per week per two points of your Charisma modifier without penalty.
Cohesive Swarm: At will as a standard action, or as an immediate action when brought below 0 hit points, you can disperse into a swarm. By default, this is a swarm of Fine or Diminutive Flying creatures. Your swarm attack deals damage as if from your Eldritch Blast, but your class level is reduced to one-third normal for this purpose. If the swarm is Tiny or non-flying, this changes to one-half normal. If the swarm is both Tiny and non-flying, it becomes two-thirds normal. Your Distraction DC is the same as your Eldritch Blast DC, and targets who are distracted sustain any special effects from your Eldritch Blast (those who are not distracted may ignore the special effects unless they wish to be affected by them).
If you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points as a swarm (or become a swarm upon reaching 0 or fewer hit points), your swarm body disperses. Over the course of one hour per hit point you are below 0, the swarm regathers, and eventually reforms your body. By default, you reform at the location you dispersed, but you still have sufficient control over the myriad creatures that make up your swarm to reform elsewhere if you wish. This adds the travel time to reach that location to the time it takes to recover.
An area attack that reduces you to -10 hit points kills you by annihilating your swarm. While in swarm form, you may only use your standard action each round for movement, but your abilities are otherwise unrestricted. Your equipment provides no material benefits while in swarm form, but magical bonuses remain effective.
Construct Body: Your mind and soul have been removed from your fragile flesh and placed in a durable construct of metal. You gain the Construct type and all attendant benefits. You also gain Hardness equal to your Charisma modifier, and you may use half your Charisma modifier in any place that you would normally use your Constitution modifier. However, your Hit Dice do not change and you do not get bonus hit points from your size.
Disembody: Your mind and soul are freed of your flesh. You gain the Undead type and subtype. You may perform a one-hour ritual to imbue an unattended object with the Ghost Touch property whenever you wear or hold it. You also gain an Incorporeal Touch attack that causes damage and effects as your Eldritch Blast, but using a touch attack rather than a save. You may also use half your Charisma modifier in any place that you would normally use your Constitution modifier. However, your Hit Dice do not change.
[i]Regeneration: You gain Regeneration equal to twice your Charisma modifier, overcome by a single alignment opposed to your own (neutral Warlocks may choose any one alignment.
Rejuvenation: You gain a Phylactery like that of a lich, restoring you to life if you die following the same rules. In addition, your killer is immediately struck by a chosen Invocation, or other at-will Spell-like or Supernatural ability you possess, and takes a penalty on its save to resist it equal to half your Charisma modifier. While you are dead, your soul resides in your Phylactery; you cannot move under your own power, but you possess Blindsight out to 10' per class level and can use your Invocations and other powers normally.
Soul Swap: When killed, you can attempt to swap souls with your killer as an immediate action. The target must make a Will save, DC 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier. If it succeeds, you die normally. If it fails, you swap souls at the last moment; it inhabits your body and dies, and you possess its body following the rules for a Magic Jar spell. Your possession of the new body is permanent. However, you gain any racial Hit Dice or Level Adjustment appropriate to your new body, with an additional Level Adjustment of +1 per full six points its base physical ability scores exceeded your own. For each ECL you are above where you should be from XP, you suffer one negative level, which never results in level loss but cannot be removed except by earning enough XP to properly earn your new ECL. You also cannot gain additional class levels until you have earned enough XP to have removed all the negative levels.
If you lose ECL as the result of a Soul Swap, you may take additional class levels to make up the difference.
Transcendance: You transcend your mortal state, gaining the Outsider type, the Native subtype (but you don't need to breathe, eat, or sleep), alignment subtypes corresponding to your own alignment, and a subtype for a chosen kind of Outsider (such as Angel, Demon, Modron, etc). You receive all the benefits of the Outsider type and the chosen subtypes. You gain Energy Gestalt as a bonus feat, keyed to the energy type of your alignment subtype (if you have two alignment subtypes, you choose which you gain the feat for).
Undead Body: Your body dies, but your soul lives on. You gain the Undead type with all attendant benefits, and once per round when you deal damage with an Eldritch Blast, you may heal yourself one-third the damage done. You may also use half your Charisma modifier in any place that you would normally use your Constitution modifier. However, your Hit Dice do not change.
Eldritch Channel (Sp): Starting at second level, if you are wielding a magic weapon, you can cast the energy through the weapon, basically firing it from the weapon rather than from your hand. This adds the weapon's enhancement bonus to your Charisma modifier for purposes of the blast. Additionally, weapon enchantments that improve the weapon's attacks, such as Flaming, Ghost Touch, or Wounding, can apply to your blast. Enchantments that involve actual attack resolution (such as Speed, Vorpal, and Brilliant Energy) cannot improve Eldritch Blasts. If your weapon deals damage of a certain energy type, you may change the type of energy you invoke to that type.
Shape Blast (Sp): A sixth level warlock may shape its Eldritch Blasts to affect a larger area. Invoking a shaped blast is a one-round action rather than a standard action, but the blast is targeted upon completion, not at the start. Your Eldritch Blast affects an area as if you had applied the Shape Spell metamagic feat to it.
Persistent Blast (Sp): Starting at tenth level, you can persist a Shaped Blast over an area. You may only have one Persistent Blast active at a time, and it lasts until you end it or it is dispelled by an outside force. Anyone who begins its turn within the area of the blast, or who enters the area of the blast, sustains the full damage of the blast automatically, and must make a save or sustain the special effects of the blast.
Selective Blast (Sp): At fourteenth level, your control over your Eldritch Blast is perfect. Your Shaped Blasts only affect those in the area you wish to affect. A Persistent Blast is only selective on the first round of its existence; thereafter, you must concentrate to make it selective for another round, or it affects all within normally.
Scaled Blast (Sp): At eighteenth level, you gain the ability to Eldritch Blast blasts of tremendous size and power. For each additional round spent invoking the blast, you double the affected area, increase the damage by your Charisma modifier, and increase the save DC by 1. You may spend a maximum number of rounds on a blast no greater than your Charisma modifier. Scaling a blast renders you fatigued for one minute per round spent. If you are already fatigued, you instead become exhausted. If you are already exhausted, you fall unconscious.
Ascension (Su): As a twentieth level warlock, you are your own master, a respected ally and partner of your patron. You are freed of your Oath's restrictions (but still receive all the benefits of your Patron's Blessings), and gain a new, powerful Invocation, which may be of a spell with a maximum level of up to one-third your class level, rounded up. You may change this invocation whenever you gain a warlock level.
Epic Warlocks: An epic warlock's caster level and Eldritch Blast damage continues to increase every level. At 21st level, the warlock can gain sixth level Invocations, and it adds another level of Invocations every four levels thereafter. It gains new Invocations following its normal pattern. At 22nd level, and every four levels thereafter, the warlock gains a bonus epic feat. At 24th level, and every four levels thereafter, the warlock gains another Patron's Blessing, choosing a new option from a blessing set it has already received.
Alternate Class Features (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15244086#post15244086)