Friday, August 22, 2025

Dark Sun Clerics, Druids, and Templars as Warlock Pacts [5e]

To me, the various “divine” classes in Dark Sun don’t really fit in as “divine”; there are no gods there, only a variety of lesser spirits, elemental powers, and sorcerer-kings. In short, all of these make a LOT of sense as warlocks. As a bit of a project, I wrote them up as such. Each provides a bit of a twist on the standard warlock… clerics alter Eldritch blast (if they take it), druids have immense power in their guarded lands, but no granted powers outside them, and templars gain no granted powers in the usual sense… only an expansion of spells known.

 

Elemental Patrons

 

Pact Boon Modification for Elemental Patrons:

Pact of the Chain: Instead of pseudodragons, imps, quasits, or sprites, those with an elemental patron choose from among smoke (fire or air), steam (fire, air, or water), dust (air, earth, or water), mud (earth or water), or magma (fire or earth) mephits.

 

Earth

Expanded Spells

1 Earth Tremor, Entangle

2 Maximillian's Earthen Grasp, Spike Growth

3 Erupting Earth, Elemental Weapon (acid or bludgeoning)

4 Stone Shape, Stone Skin

5 Wall of Stone, Conjure Elemental

 

Granted Powers

1 Tremorsense. Begins at 10', increasing by 10' at levels 6, 10, and 14. Know the Mold Earth Cantrip as a warlock cantrip. If you take the Eldritch Blast cantrip, it does either bludgeoning or acid damage (chosen when cast), not force.

 

6 Resistance to weapons made of stone or wood. Can Meld Into Stone (as spell) at will.

 

10 When melding into stone, you can now choose up to five willing creatures that you can see within 30 feet of you, provided available stone is large enough to contain all of you.

As a bonus action, you can eject any number of creatures from the vessel.

In addition, anyone (including you) who remains within the stone for at least 10 minutes gains the benefit of finishing a short rest, and anyone can add your proficiency bonus to the number of hit points they regain if they spend any Hit Dice as part of a short rest there. (blatantly borrowed from the Genie patron)

 

14 Earth elemental creatures (elementals, drakes, genies, etc.) must pass a Wisdom saving throw to harm you or include you in area of effects. (per Land Druid, Nature's Sanctuary) Additionally, when firmly planted on earth or stone, you may use your bonus action to recover hit points equal to your proficiency bonus, or dispel one level of exhaustion from yourself. You may use this feature a number of times per short rest equal to your Charisma bonus.

 

Air

Expanded Spells

1 Thunderwave, Fog Cloud

2 Gust of Wind, Warding Wind

3 Call Lightning, Lightning Arrow

4 Storm Sphere, Freedom of Movement

5 Control Winds, Conjure Elemental

 

Granted Powers

1 Know the Gust Cantrip, as Warlock cantrip. If take Eldritch Blast, does Lightning or Thunder damage (chosen at casting), not force. As a reaction, may impose disadvantage on one missile attack from a weapon.

 

6 Constantly affected by Feather Fall spell (self only). Ignores disadvantage for long-range missile fire.

 

10 May assume Gaseous Form (as spell) at will for up to Proficiency Bonus + Charisma bonus minutes per long rest. Must be taken in 1 minute increments.

 

14 Air elemental creatures (elementals, drakes, genies, etc.) must pass a Wisdom saving throw to harm you or include you in area of effects. (per Land Druid, Nature's Sanctuary) Blindsight (when exposed to air) to 60'.

 

Fire

Expanded Spells

1 Burning Hands, Searing Smite

2 Continual Flame, Flame Blade

3 Fireball, Haste

4 Fire Shield, Wall of Fire

5 Flame Strike, Conjure Elemental

 

Granted Powers

1 If take Eldritch Blast, does Fire or Radiant damage (chosen at casting), not force. Knows Control Flames as Warlock Cantrip. Warding Flare per Light Cleric, using Charisma not Wisdom

 

6 Once per long rest, If reduced to 0 HP, can use reaction to instead be reduced to 1 HP, and inflict fire damage equal to half warlock level + charisma bonus to all in 10'. (from Phoenix Sorcerer, UA)

 

10 Resist Fire and Cold Damage.

 

14 Fire elemental creatures (elementals, drakes, genies, etc.) must pass a Wisdom saving throw to harm you or include you in area of effects. (per Land Druid, Nature's Sanctuary) When you expend a spell slot to cast a spell that does fire damage, heal spell slot+ Charisma bonus HP. (from Phoenix sorcerer, UA)

 

Water

Expanded Spells

1 Fog Cloud, Ice Knife

2 Blur, Snilloc's Snowball Swarm

3 Sleet Storm, Water Breathing

4 Control Water, Watery Sphere

5 Cone of Cold, Conjure Elemental

 

Granted Powers

1 If take Eldritch Blast, does cold or bludgeoning damage (choose at casting), not force. Know Shape Water cantrip as Warlock Cantrip. Add Create Water to spells know. May cast Create Water 1 per long rest without spending spell slot.

 

6 Resistance to Cold. Requires half normal water requirement.

 

10 Resistance to Fire. You also gain the ability to defend yourself by momentarily assuming a watery form. As a reaction when you are hit by an attack and take bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage from it, you can reduce that damage by an amount equal to your sorcerer level plus your Charisma score, and then you can move up to 30 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. Once you use this special reaction, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. (from UA Sea Sorcerer)

 

14 Water elemental creatures (elementals, drakes, genies, etc.) must pass a Wisdom saving throw to harm you or include you in area of effects. (per Land Druid, Nature's Sanctuary) Requires no water, cannot drown.

 

 

 

Spirit of the Land Patron (Druids)

 

Spirits of the Land patrons have different bonus spells, depending on terrain, but have similar powers as they increase in level. While druids can seem very powerful, they are somewhat limited by their environment; most of their power is manifest when on their guarded lands.

 

Granted Powers:

 

1 Instead of Warlock spells, those with the Spirit of the Land patron choose their spells known from the Druid list, or from those available to druids of their terrain. On their guarded lands, they ignore difficult terrain and have advantage on Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks.

 

6 While on their Guarded Lands, the Druid requires no food or water. While on their Guarded Lands, they may turn invisible for a number of minutes per short rest equal to their proficiency bonus. This must be taken in one minute intervals. On their Guarded Lands, they may expend a spell slot to use any ritual spell available to druids as a ritual, regardless of whether they know the spell or not, subject to their maximum spell level.

 

10 While on their Guarded Lands, Druids may cast any spell on the Druid spell list, and the list of their bonus spells by terrain, regardless of whether they know that spell or not. This includes the ability to use all druid rituals as ritual magic; they no longer need expend a spell slot for druid rituals while on their guarded lands. At 10th level, a druid's Time of Wandering is done; they must spend half of their time on their guarded lands.

 

14 A druid on their guarded lands no longer needs sleep, and gains all of the benefits of a long rest with only one hour of rest.

 

(Note: I can see you now, and you're saying "WHAT THE HECK?" because these are insanely powerful. They are. If they are on their guarded lands. If not on their guarded lands, the only patron ability they have is "completely replace warlock list with druid list".)

 

Terrain Spells:

Boulder Fields

1st Catapult, Unseen Servant

2nd spider climb, Maximilian's Earthen Grasp

3rd Melf's Minute Meteors, Tiny Servant

4th dimension door, Guardian of Faith

5th hold monster, passwall

 

Forest

1st false life, sleep

2nd spider climb, web

3rd life transferrence, slow

4th Guardian of Faith, greater invisibility

5th Creation, Hold Monster

 

Mountains

1st Armor of Agathys, catapult

2nd Maximilian's Earthen Grasp, spider climb

3rd fly, lightning bolt

4th Guardian of Faith, Storm Sphere

5th far step, passwall

 

Rocky Badlands

1st Catapult, Expeditious Retreat

2nd misty step, web

3rd slow, tiny servant

4th Guardian of Faith, Sickening Radiance

5th Dawn, Mislead

 

Salt Flats

1st color spray, silent image

2nd blindness/deafness, Phantasmal force

3rd fear, wall of sand (salt)

4th Guardian of Faith, Sickening Radiance

5th cloudkill, wall of light

 

Sandy Wastes

1st Burning Hands, Expeditious Retreat

2nd blindness/deafness, blur

3rd Hypnotic Pattern, Wall of Sand

4th Greater Invisibility, Guardian of Faith

5th Dawn, Wall of Light

 

Scrub Plains

1st false life, ray of sickness

2nd invisibility, pyrotechnics

3rd beacon of hope, haste

4th fabricate, guardian of faith

5th dream, Mislead

 

Silt Sea

1st feather fall, sleep

2nd levitate, misty step

3rd fly, stinking cloud

4th Dimension Door, Guardian of Faith

5th Cloudkill, enervation

 

Stony Barrens

1st catapult, sleep

2nd spider climb, Maximilian's Earth Grasp

3rd lightning bolt, slow

4th Guardian of Faith, Storm Sphere

5th hold monster, telekinesis

 

Verdant Belt

1st False Life, Sleep

2nd calm emotions, pyrotechnics

3rd beacon of hope, haste

4th fabricate, guardians of faith

5th dream, hold monster

 

Templars

 

Granted Powers

Templars have two aspects of their granted powers; supernatural and legal. Supernatural gifts are additional spells known (not merely possible selections, but spells known), and vary between sorcerer-monarchs. They are, however, maintained wherever the templar goes; even a templar who leaves their monarch’s service continues with their supernatural powers. The legal powers of a templar are fairly uniform across the city-states, but seldom extend beyond the area controlled by their monarch's city-state. Should a templar leave their monarch’s service, they lose all of their legal powers.

 

Legal Powers:

 

1 A templar can call upon a slave to do whatever he wishes, and pass judgement on a slave. They may enter the house of a free person, and the person has no right to refuse admission. Templars can request soldiers while within the walls of their city; at 1st level, these soldiers will be Guards. Without permission from a superior, they may have a number of soldiers equal to their proficiency bonus, plus one Acolyte as a leader.

 

6 At 6th level, a templar can accuse a freeman of disloyalty (with or without evidence), then pass judgement upon them. They may also access all areas of the palace (including libraries and council chambers). They may call upon the city's treasury, receiving up to 100 gold pieces per point of proficiency bonus and charisma bonus per month with little question. Requested troops are now led by a Cult Fantatic.

 

10 At 10th level, a templar may accuse a noble of disloyalty; they need no evidence of the accusation, but the nobles have ways of retaliating. When requesting soldiers, a 10th level templar's soldiers are now Thugs, led by a Cult Fanatic.

 

14 At 14th level, a templar may pass judgement upon a noble. They may also pardon anyone sentenced by a templar who has not reached 14th level, though they are subject to their pardon being over-ridden by their monarch. When requesting soldiers, the leader is now a Priest.

 

Templars and their Supernatural Powers

Unlike other warlocks, templars do not have additional spells added to their possible choices; rather, their patron provides them with a bonus of specific spells as their granted powers. These bonus powers persist outside the city state, and are considered warlock spells for the templar. At 14th level, as a mark of their favor, they gain an additional invocation.

 

Andropinis, of Balic

 

Balic's templars are technically elected to their positions, but the election is heavily controlled by Andropinis; in practice, a templar of sixth level or higher has nothing to fear from the elections. Lower level templars who fail their elections are stripped of their legal powers, but remain warlocks in Andropinis's service.

 

Granted Spells:

1st: Vicious Mockery, Charm Person

6th: Enthrall, Silt Walk (as water walk)

10th: Charm Monster, Synaptic Static

 

Tectuktitlay, of Draj

 

The Moon Priests of Tectuktitlay (as his templars are known) praise his divinity for the fertility of their lands, and teach fear of his power and wrath. The mud flat on which Draj is built provides it with a great bounty of hemp for ropes and food for export, but also protects the city with its sucking mud.

 

Granted Spells:

1st Toll the Dead, False Life

6th Maximilian's Earthen Grasp, Plant Growth

10th Freedom of Movement, Transmute Rock

 

Lalali-Puy, of Gulg

 

Lalali-Puy is the only sorcerer-monarch who has the popular support of her people. They consider her to own all things within Gulg, including the land and food. Her templars serve as her hands, and their relative rank is determined by the number of necklaces they wear; the lowliest templars wear one necklace, while her closest advisor wears ten. Most templars gain their second necklace at level 2, their third at level 4, a fourth at level 6, their fifth at level 8, a sixth at level 12, and a seventh at level 15. Being awarded an additional necklace by the oba is a great honor.

 

Granted Spells:

1st Druidcraft, Entangle

6th Spike Growth, Plant Growth

10th Fabricate, Tree Stride

 

Nibenay of Nibenay

 

All of Nibenay's Templars are women, rumored to be his wives. The Shadow King himself lives in a walled subcity that no free person may enter, only templars and slaves, appearing only when the rumors of his death reach a fever point, dispelling the rumors and again subduing the populace.

 

Granted Spells

1st Mind Sliver, Arms of Hadar

6th Arcane Lock, Glyph of Warding

10th Evard's Black Tentacles, Wall of Stone

 

Abalach-Re, of Raam

The Great Vizier of Raam lives in a gorgeous palace, protected by an array of defensive breastworks to keep her safe from her restive populace. She claims to be representative of some greater being, but that claim is dismissed by the people of Raam, who show contempt for the very idea, holding her to be weak. Her templars are openly despised, and often assassinated if they step on the toes of nobles.

 

Granted Spells

1st Minor Illusion, Disguise Self

6th Invisibility, Nondetection

10th Confusion, Modify Memory

 

Kalak, of Tyr

Over the last 20 years, Kalak has intensified his obsession with building a massive ziggurat, claiming it will guard against the Dragon. His templars have taken many slaves from the noble houses, and are often armed with steel swords from Tyr's iron mines.

 

Granted Spells

1st Green Flame Blade, Cause Fear

6th Suggestion, Animate Dead

10th Compulsion, Kalak's (Bigby's) Hand

 

Hamanu, of Urik

King Hamanu of Urik is known for his prowess in battle; his armies have never lost while he led them. He trains daily with his own army, and both free and slave warriors are extremely loyal to him. Because of this, his templars are also trained to war; many of his favored templars have the Pact of the Blade, though not all do. Hamanu recognizes the need for logistics and discipline, just a much as he reveres his warriors.

 

Granted Spells

1st Green Flame Blade, Searing Smite

6th Cloud of Daggers, Crusader's Mantle

10th Fire Shield, Hamanu's (Rary's) Telepathic Bond

 

Additional Invocations

 

Beasts of the Land

Prerequisite: Spirit of the Land Patron, 2nd level

Once per day, you may make use of the Druid's Wild Shape ability (PH, p 64) to turn into a beast native to your guarded lands, subject to the other restrictions of wild shape (qv the maximum CR, no flying speed until level 8, etc). The transformation lasts one hour per level, though you may end it as a bonus action.

 

Book of Flesh

Prerequisite: Pact of the Tome

You gain proficiency with tattooist needles. Upon acquiring this invocation, your Book of Shadows is merged into your flesh, rewriting itself as tattoos on your skin, and preventing it from being lost. These tattoos describe what your Book of Shadows contained, and serve as your Book of Shadows until you replace this invocation. These tattoos are not necessarily written in words; they may be pictures appropriate to your patron. All invocations adding abilities to your Book of Shadows will also add these abilities to your Book of Flesh, but must be tattoo'd on your flesh (you may do this yourself, if you have tattooist needles and appropriate ink). Invocations which require names to be written into your Book of Shadows may be replaced with someone touching that tattoo with intent and your consent.

 

Elemental Shield

Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade, Elemental Patron

When you summon your pact weapon, you may also summon a shield as part of the same action. You are proficient with this shield, and it otherwise serves as a pact weapon. If you acquire a magical shield, you may bond it as if it were a magical weapon being bound as a pact blade. Additionally, you may use your reaction to sacrifice your pact shield in order to gain resistance to a single attack that would reduce you to 0 or fewer hit points. Once you have sacrificed your pact shield in this manner, you cannot create or summon a pact shield until you have completed a long rest.

 

Elemental Weapon:

Prerequisites: Pact of the Blade, Elemental Patron

Those with an elemental patron may choose a weapon that does elemental damage; acid (earth or water), cold (air or water), fire (fire), force (earth), lightning (air or fire), poison (water), radiant (fire), or thunder (air or earth). This damage type may be chosen each time the weapon is created, or the weapon may continue to do its normal damage type.

 

Form of the Elements

Prerequisites: Elemental Patron, 7th Level

You may use your action change into the shape of an Elemental Spirit (TCE, p111) of your element once per long rest. This functions as the Druid's Wildshape (PH, p64), save that your statistics become those of the elemental spirit, as if you had summoned an elemental spirit with a spell equal to your spell slot level. The transformation lasts one hour per level, though you may end it as a bonus action.

 

Grace of the Patron

Prerequisites: Elemental Patron

You gain resistance to one form of energy associated with your patron. You may change this resistance to another allowed by your patron upon completing a long rest. You may take this invocation multiple times, each time allowing one more resistance to be maintained.

Air: Cold, Lightning, Thunder

Earth: Acid, Force, Thunder

Fire: Fire, Lightning, Radiance

Water: Acid, Cold, Poison

 

Healer's Touch

As a bonus action, you may touch a willing person. Your touch allows them to spend a Hit Die, adding your proficiency bonus to the number rolled as hit points regained.

 

Master of Forms

Prerequisites: Elemental or Spirit of the Land Patron, Form of the Elements or Beasts of the Land invocation.

You are more adept at changing forms. You may now use your ability to change shape (granted by the previous invocation) as a bonus action, and its use becomes once per short rest. Additionally, while transformed, you may use a bonus action to expend a spell slot, regaining 1d8 HP per your slot level.

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