Discord of Many Things: A friendly community of folks playing D&D 5e, and aiming to be better GMs and players in all aspects of the game. We are found at Discord.gg/JSArr5p.
/r/UnearthedArcana: A catalog for homebrew rules, weapons, scenarios, monsters, or anything else you can think of. We are found at /r/UnearthedArcana.
The Hive
Through circumstances desperate or sinister, you have found yourself sworn into the service of the swarms of a hivemind or perhaps an alien entity that presides over them. Through your benefactor's guidance, you have learned to weave the discordant voices of thousands into the will of one mind, and use this power to sow chaos in your wake on the battlefield.
The intentions of these cunning and enigmatic yet beastial beings are incredibly difficult to glean, even for one with such a unique bond as yourself. Their directives may range from instinctual to frighteningly intelligent; their motives unfathomably deep or horrifyingly base.
Expanded Spell List
The Hive 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.
Hive Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | detect poison and disease, ray of sickness |
| 2nd | blindness/deafness, web |
| 3rd | plant growth, stinking cloud |
| 4th | dominate beast, Evard’s black tentacles |
| 5th | contagion, insect plague |
Skittering Scourge
Beginning at 1st level, you know the infestation cantrip, which does not count against your known cantrips.
In addition, when a creature fails its saving throw against this spell, you can choose the direction they move in instead of rolling a die, and you can also choose diagonal movements.
Children of the Swarm
Also at 1st level, you can summon the young of your hive to feed on your fallen enemies. When you slay a creature, you can cause a ravenous cloud of insects to erupt from its body as a reaction. Any hostile creature that begins their turn or moves within 5 feet of the target corpse suffers magical piercing damage equal to your Charisma modifier + half your warlock level (minimum of 1).
The swarm will disperse after 1 minute, or if the target corpse is destroyed, revived, raised as an undead creature or if you use this feature again on another slain creature. This feature can't be used on any creature that is not made of organic matter, such as constructs and elementals.
Relentless Instinct
Starting at 6th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing medium or heavy armour.
In addition, you can use your reaction to become immune to the grappled, restrained, stunned or paralyzed conditions, or become unaffected by difficult terrain, until the start of your next turn, when you would be subjected to one of these effects.
Once you use your reaction in this way, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Queen's Chosen
Starting at 10th level, you have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
In addition, you can send a surge of insects forth at a creature within 10 feet of you as a bonus action, dealing magical piercing damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). This affected creature can't make opportunity attacks until the end of your turn.
You can use this distracting swarm twice, and regain these uses when you finish a short or long rest.
One of Many
Starting at 14th level, you can discorporate into a swarm as a bonus action. You can spend up to 1 minute in this form however the time spent does not need to be contiguous. You regain all expended time in this form when you finish a long rest. This effect is similar to the gaseous form spell except it does not require concentration or any components, your flight speed is 60 feet, and you can freely discard this form without using an action.
You can also choose to unleash a second massive swarm as an action when you discard this form. Every hostile creature within 15 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failed saving throw a creature suffers 4d10 magical piercing damage and takes half damage on a success.
This area is considered difficult terrain and heavily obscured only for hostile creatures until the end of your next turn. Once you use this surging swarm, you can't do so again until you have finished a long rest.
Credits
- Written by /u/PeanutJayGee
- Special thanks to the Discord of Many Things for review and feedback.
Art
Necrophage Hive Concept
Discord of Many Things - Discord.gg/JSArr5p
Quirks
Warlocks of a Hive patron are often regarded as frightening individuals who spend much of their time living amongst creatures others would consider vermin. This stigma is often well justified, as they commonly exhibit disturbing behaviours imparted by the influence of the hive.
Hive Warlock Quirks
| d8 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You have an unnerving reflexive twitch. |
| 2 | You tend to attract insects regardless of your state of hygiene. |
| 3 | If one looks closely, the surface of your eyes appear segmented. |
| 4 | Your skin is covered in stings, bite marks and scars. |
| 5 | You often get the urge to collect large amounts of flowers. |
| 6 | You often find yourself distracted, observing the behaviour of insects. |
| 7 | You are disappointed that you don't find rotting meat palatable, as it smells delightful. |
| 8 | Every now and then, a bug will fly out of your mouth while you are talking. This is perfectly normal. |
You Pact Boon
The following are suggestions for the appearance and style of your pact boon as a warlock of the Hive.
Pact of the Chain. Rather than assuming the form of another creature, the Hive patron prefers to send minions from their own number to aid their supplicants. Able to run down and track prey with frightening efficiency, the hive warrior is greatly favoured for scouting over long distances.
Pact of the Blade. Your pact weapon may take on a living appearance, slowly pulsing with sickening vigour; or it may appear as weapon adorned with insectoid ornamentation, which occasionally crawl along its surface.
Pact of the Tome. Your Book of Shadows appears as a book of entomological illustrations; or a stained tome bound with sinew and chitin.
Pact of the Talisman. Your talisman may be a fragment of petrified honeycomb, a large mandible or an insect preserved in amber.
Pact of the Chain Familiar
The following familiar is provided as an additional choice for warlocks who have chosen the Pact of the Chain.
Hive Warrior
The hive warrior is a massive flying insect bred to protect and fight for their swarm. They are significantly more intelligent than their lesser brethren, aiding them in devising simple harassment tactics, laying ambushes, and relentlessly tracking their prey.
Hive Warrior
tiny beast, unaligned
- Armor Class 14
- Hit Points 13 (3d4 + 6)
- Speed 10 ft., burrow 5 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 9 (-1) 18 (+4) 15 (+2) 5 (-3) 16 (+3) 5 (-3)
- Skills Perception +5, Stealth +6, Survival +5
- Damage Resistances poison
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 10 ft. (only when burrowed), passive Perception 15
- Languages one language known by its master
- Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Fickle Flight: If the hive warrior moves 30 feet or more on its turn, ranged attacks against it are made with disadvantage until the beginning of its next turn.
Menace. The hive warrior can use a bonus action to force a Large or smaller creature within 5 feet to succeed a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened by it until the end of their next turn. On a successful save the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. This save is made with disadvantage if the hive warrior has attacked the creature on the same turn.
Putrefying Saliva. The hive warrior can spend 10 minutes to rapidly accelerate the decomposition of the corpse of a Large or smaller creature, leaving nothing behind. This does not work with constructs or elementals.
Skirmisher Instinct. The hive warrior can take the Disengage action as a bonus action.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) piercing damage, and 2 (1d4) poison damage.
Discord of Many Things - Discord.gg/JSArr5p
Eldritch Invocations
The following invocations have been added as additions for the Hive patron. Your DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign if these invocations are also appropriate for another warlock patron.
Bloated Servants
Prerequisites: The Hive patron, 7th level
You can cast the giant insect spell once using a warlock spell slot. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Crawling Chorus
Prerequisite: The Hive Patron
You can add your Charisma modifier to the damage dealt when you cast infestation and its range is doubled. In addition, you can move a creature up to 10 feet when they fail their saving throw against this spell.
Million Whispers
Prerequisite: The Hive patron, Pact of the Tome feature, 9th level
You can perform a 10 minute ritual while holding your Book of Shadows to commune with all insects within 3 miles. This effect is similar to the commune with nature spell, however a group of insects will also lead you along the shortest path to one location of your choice, and you gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) checks while you remain within 30 feet of this guiding insect swarm.
Queen's Sting
Prerequisite: The Hive patron, Pact of the Blade feature
Your pact weapon develops a sickly sheen of venom along its surface. When you score a critical hit with your pact weapon the target creature suffers an additional 1d8 poison damage and is poisoned until the end of your next turn.
You can also forgo an attack to force your pact weapon into the ground, causing a massive stinger to burst forth in a 5 foot space within 60 feet. Any creature within 5 feet of this stinger must make a Constitution saving throw against your warlock spell save DC as it emits a sickening miasma of venom. A creature takes 4d6 in poison damage and is poisoned until the end of your next turn on a failed save, or takes half as much damage on a successful one.
Once you use this stinger strike, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Tarsal Grip
Prerequisite: The Hive Patron, 5th level
You become naturally adept at climbing. You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill and a climb speed equal to your movement speed.
Warrior's Grace
Prerequisites: The Hive patron, Pact of the Talisman feature, 5th level
Once each turn, any creature carrying your talisman can move up to half its movement speed for free after they reduce another creature to 0 hit points. In addition, the creature holding your talisman is always under the effect of the feather fall spell.
