Tuesday May 04, 2004

Deep in the reclusive recesses of many thick forests resides the truest arcane savant of nature: the warlock, a quiet but feisty loner living off the land.  He wants nothing more than to be left alone, but often his personal space is violated, and his wrath flares out.  The warlock acquires a signature assortment of spells, mixing divine and arcane energies, by drawing from primordial nature.  He is not flashy; he is sublime, but not tricky.  The warlock is subtle in the subtlest of ways and his magic is deceptive in its primitivism.  Warlocks are naturists, not because they necessarily commune with nature, but because they use nature to increase their own power.  They live humbly in their natural surroundings, quietly impacting whole geographical regions.

Adventures:  The events that bring a warlock to leave his reclusive home are diverse, ranging from wildfire to warfare, but they are never pleasant.  No warlock seeks adventures, so adventuring warlocks are not only rare but also often misunderstood.  They are full of surprises and intrigue, exhibiting an inner calm that many a hero envies.  Not surprisingly, the warlock is crafty and inventive; he’s had to make his own way all his life.  As his peculiar magic is subtle, he often is overlooked as any kind of threat, but those who brush him off may find that he has controlled the minds of everyone in the area to do his bidding.  The warlock who takes the time to fuse completely with society often rises to lofty positions, perhaps even marrying into wealth or power.  Those who receive a solid education sometimes become proficient alchemists or herbalists.

Characteristics:  The warlock as a spellcaster is a mixture of druid and sorcerer, drawing power from the environment, fueled by an inner and innate magical ability.  He’s the wild one, the druidic fighter perhaps, though often he is found alone, drawing power from his environment.  His home might be primitive, little more than sticks and straw, but it contains many of the natural components of his particular brand of spellcraft.  Like the druid, he communes with nature…to a limit.  Unlike the druid, the warlock harvests significantly more from nature to fuel his spells, and sometimes his over-harvesting makes him more nomadic than he’d like to be.  Many are uneducated, unkempt, and at times undressed, often lacking in societal graces, but this in no way implies that they are unintelligent, slovenly or backward.

Alignment:  The primary tenant of a warlock’s alignment is chaos; he lives by the moment, acting upon his sudden impulses.  Some, however, are a little more structured in their daily lives, a result of having casual contact with organized civilization.  As to morals, the warlock usually adheres to his own judgment, tending to do good to all, but certainly capable of great evil if he is greatly wronged.  Many warlocks attempt to maintain neutrality, preferring to stay out of the affairs of others.  Warlocks have a strong tendency to be truly neutral, but can show bias of any kind.

Religion:  Precious few are the warlocks who pay any heed to the established pantheon.  Those who do have been heavily influenced by society.  Some warlocks follow the forces of nature, much as a druid or ranger would, but these are also few.  The warlock is more likely to take wantonly from nature than he is to adore it or bother with preserving it.  No, the vast majority of warlocks follow their own compunctions, using nature as it seems fit, and snubbing the strictures of organized religions.

Races:  Humans and half-elves are most likely to be warlocks, but a great many elves follow this path, especially the wild elves.  A decent number of sylvan, or wood elves may be found embracing the path of the warlock.  The shamans among the orcish and half-orcish races are as likely to be warlocks as clerics of Gruumsh.  The subterranean races of dwarf and gnome are not well suited for this class, and the urbanized halfling also is not a likely candidate.

Other Classes:  Being what he is, the warlock finds immediate company with barbarians and sorcerers.  Druids appreciate his natural ways, but are usually disconcerted by his abuse of nature.  A few disenfranchised druids will side with the warlock’s cause, though, sensing that Nature has abandoned them anyway.  Warlocks most often offend wizards, who think sorcerers are bad enough for their uneducated approach to spellcraft.  Rogues and bards find the warlock amusing; paladins and fighters find him useless, but they respect his subtle magicks.  The ranger views him askance, but is not quite so unforgiving as the others.

Abilities:  Charisma is by far the most important ability for a warlock, for with it he not only fuels the power behind his spells, but he also heightens the chance of success for casting spells normally out of reach for sorcerers of a comparable level.  A good intelligence will help him take full advantage of his small selection of class skills, which are largely based on intelligence for success.  Strength is important for the many scrapes he inevitably will find himself in as he cuts against the grain of society.

Hit Die:  d8

Restrictions/Requirements:  Can multi-class ONLY with druid, sorcerer, or barbarian.  Will not purchase his material components, but must find them in the wild.

Skill Points/Level:  At first level: (2+INT mod) x4 (+4).  Thereafter: 2+INT mod (+1) per level.

Skills:  Concentration, Craft (all, but especially alchemy), Heal, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), Profession, Spellcraft, and Survival.

Starting Gold:  5d4 x 5.

Armor & Weapon Proficiencies:  The warlock is proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor.  However, he has an aversion to wearing or using anything not made from all-natural materials (plant and animal products).  Like the druid, the warlock will not use any weapon or armor made of or including metal or stone. 

The Warlock’s Table

Spells:  As a dabbler in magic, the warlock combines arcane spellcraft with divine (natural) energies to produce a unique assortment of spells.  He casts spells as a sorcerer (using the sorcerer’s per diem chart), but as he dabbles, he gains a partial understanding of the higher level spells, and may try to cast them from this incomplete knowledge.  Doing so requires a greater mental effort, and taxes the warlock's mind.  For each spell level above the level normally afforded a sorcerer, the warlock must spend available spell slots equal to the level of the spell he is trying to cast.  Spells of a level normally available to a sorcerer cost only one spell slot each. 

The Difficulty Class for resisting a warlock’s spell is d20 + the spell level  + the warlock’s CHA/Leadership modifier.  Normally, a spellcaster must have a prime ability equal to 10 + the spell level in order to cast the spell.  This limitation does not apply to the warlock.  He has a base 50% chance (or less, if indicated in the chart) to attempt spells of a level ordinarily too high for his Charisma score.

Spell failure due to missing the % chance to cast indicates an incomplete or incorrect casting because the warlock has not quite mastered the intricacies of the spell he was attempting.  Even if successfully cast previously, the warlock, as a dabbler, is not guaranteed to achieve the same result a second time.  Spell failure for any reason will subject the warlock to a Spell Failure chart (q.v.) for possible varied effects, wild effects, or no effect at all.

Material components for the warlock’s spells must come from the wild.  He will not purchase them from anyone even if readily available or very cheap.  He must have only the purest materials to catalyze his spells, and considers that only he is capable of finding the right selections.

Summon Familiar:  Like the wizard or sorcerer, the warlock begins his adventuring days with a familiar, drawn from the list of familiars available to the other classes.

Brew Potion/Poison:  By nature, the warlock is the consummate brewer, and the smoking cauldron is his trademark.  He can make a potion of any spell he knows as well as potions that have lesser effects, like smoke bombs, love potions, sleeping potions, oils of phosphorescence, and stink bombs.  These “lesser effects” can be just about anything the player can imagine (pending DM approval), but should be no more powerful than a typical zero-level spell, and any that require saving throws will have a DC of 10 + the warlock’s charisma bonus.

The warlock also knows quite a lot about brewing poisons, and uses them without qualm, albeit sparingly and subtly.  The DC for making a poison applies to the warlock, but he also adds his WIS bonus/penalty to his check.  The strength of the resultant poison (DC to save against) is increased by ½ the warlock’s level over the base number.  The warlock can make any poison found in any sourcebook, pending DM approval.

In order to make potions or poisons, the warlock must have the requisite materials—components and a “laboratory.”  The “lab” will likely consist of a huge stone cauldron that he himself chiseled from a rock, a few bowls made from gourds, and some wooden utensils.  The components may often be purchased, but that is anathema to the warlock; he finds his own…and all components will be found lying or living in the wild.  To find the necessary materials for a particular substance, the warlock makes a Survival check against a DC set by the DM to represent location and inherent rarity of the material.  Some are easy to find, others quite difficult.  Warlocks often maintain a collection of materials for both his spells and his potions, minimizing the need for repeat excursions to find his requirements.  The warlock begins play with three potions or poisons that he knows how to brew.

Nature Sense:  A warlock can identify plants and animals (their species and special traits) with perfect accuracy.  He can determine whether water is safe to drink or dangerous (polluted, poisoned, or otherwise unfit for consumption).  He can predict the weather with reasonable accuracy (50% + 10%/level chance for a correct prediction).

Bonus Feat:  The warlock gains bonus feats at 2^nd, 4^th, 8^th, 12^th, 16^th & 20^th levels.  These feats must be chosen from the following: Blind-fight, Combat Casting, Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack), Endurance, Expertise (Improved Trip), Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot (Precise Shot), Run, Toughness, Track, & Weapon Focus.

Woodland Stride:  Starting at 3^rd level, a warlock may move through natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain at his normal speed and without suffering damage or other impairment.  However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion still affect the warlock, but he receives a +4 bonus to his saving throw.

Trackless Step:  At 5^th level, the warlock leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked.

Metamagic Feat:  At 7^th, 11^th, 15^th & 19^th levels, the warlock gains the benefits of a bonus metamagic feat.  He may choose from any for which he meets the prerequisites.

Resist Nature’s Lure:  At 9^th level the warlock gains a +4 bonus to saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey creatures (dryads, nymphs, sprites, etc.)

A Thousand Faces:  After achieving 13^th level, the warlock gains the supernatural ability to change his appearance at will, as if using the spell alter self.

Timeless Body:  At 17^th level, the warlock no longer suffers ability penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged.  Any penalties he may have already suffered, however, remain in place.  Bonuses still accrue, and the warlock still dies of old age when his time is up.