Wicked Warlock Patron: The Cult

# Wicked Warlock Patron: The Cult

Tireless efforts and peerless ambition; the untimely demise of the former cult leader; coincidence, happenstance, or luck. The Cult cares not how you came to lead them. The only thing that matters now is you. You are their guiding voice. Their sheath. Their dagger.

You have made a pact with The Cult, and its followers—your followers—are everywhere. They work in secret, never revealing themselves—even to each other. Nobody knows which guard, merchant or adventurer may be one of your cultists. One would be foolish to try and find out.

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> ##### Forenote
> 
> This warlock patron was designed to be used with *Giffyglyph's Darker Dungeons* and *Wicked Warlock* supplements for Dungeons & Dragons 5e.
>
> If you're looking for a version more suitable for a standard Dungeons & Dragons 5e experience, you'll find it here. The differences are subtle but impactful.
>
> Enjoy!
>
>                                                              *\- Raspilicious*

#### (1) Demands

The Cult draws power from the link between its cultists and is always hungry for more. As all good cultists do, you must play your part to sate this hunger. It is for the greater good.

- **Gather Information.** Hidden knowledge, ancient lore, and whispered secrets often reveal deep fonts of power. Seek them out and acquire them for The Cult.
- **Keep to the Shadows.** Many people don't yet understand the serenity that The Cult can offer. Many will try to break you. They won't be able to if they don't know who you are.
- **Assimilate, Sacrifice, Grow.** Welcome the willing into The Cult with open arms. Sway them into sacrifice with the promise of power. The Cult will flourish beautifully.

#### (1) Patron Spells
You gain access to the following pact spells.

| Warlock Level  | Spells |
|:-------------:|:------|
|  1st  | *Bane, Bless* |
|  3rd  | *Calm Emotions, Silence* |
|  5th  | *Beacon of Hope, Tiny Servant* |
|  7th  | *Compulsion, Confusion* |
|  9th  | *Circle of Power, Geas* |

#### (1) Silver Tongue

You have advantage on Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks when interacting with a creature that hasn't met you before.

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#### (1) Cultists

As the leader of The Cult, you have a circle of cultists whom you can draw power from at a moment's notice. They are represented by a Cultists die—a cascading die that can be *upgraded* or *downgraded* to the next larger or smaller size in the following cascading chain:

The size of your Cultists die represents the magnitude of how many cultists follow your deeds, the influence The Cult has on the world, and how much power you are able to siphon from your cultists at a moment's notice.

**Rolling High & Low.** When you roll your Cultists die, your roll is considered **high** if the result is one of the highest two numbers on the die or **low** if the result is a 1 or a 2. All other results are considered normal.

**Assimilation & Sacrifice.** Your Cultists die is upgraded to the next larger size when a feature tells you to **assimilate** new cultists. Conversely, it is downgraded to the next smaller size when a feature tells you to **sacrifice** some cultists. Your Cultists die starts as a d4, and cannot be upgraded above a d12 or downgraded below a d4.

**Sigil Conduit.** All cultists are marked with The Cult's unique, arcane sigil. This sigil is a conduit that allows each cultist to share their power with one another—willingly or otherwise. Describe the sigil, where it marks your form, and what the initiation ritual was to receive it.

**Cult Rituals.** During a long rest in a town, you may sneak away from your companions to perform an Assimilation or Sacrificial ritual. Choose which ritual you want to perform, roll your Cultists die, then refer to the table below to see what happens.

| Roll Result | Assimilation Ritual | Sacrificial Ritual |
|:-------|:------------:|:-----------:|
| High   | Assimilate new cultists | Gain eldritch power |
| Low    | Townsfolk become wary | Sacrifice cultists |

If you gained eldritch power, you gain two effects from the Enhance Ability spell (*PHB*, page 237). Otherwise, if your roll was neither high nor low, you gain one effect. These effects replace any other similar effects and last for 24 hours.

There are only so many people you can assimilate in one town, but people tend to forget with time. Once you have assimilated cultists in a town, you cannot do so again until you leave that town for a while. Your DM will say how long.

> ##### You've Betrayed Our Trust... For Now
> 
> Talk with your DM about how townsfolk might react to you when they are wary. Perhaps they will change their prices, mistrust your actions, act fearful toward you, or become quick to alert guards when you're nearby.

<div class='footnote'>WICKED WARLOCK PATRON: THE CULT<br>DD EDITION | RASPILICIOUS</div>

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#### (2) Patron Invocations

Add the following invocations to your list of Eldritch Invocation options.

##### ♦ Mind's Eye

You can sense a creature's intent. You gain proficiency in the Insight and Perception skills.

##### ♦ Fluctuating Energy

After you finish a short or long rest, swap one of your saving throw proficiencies for another random one.

##### ♦ Arcane Strike
*Requires at least d6 Cultists*

You can expend a spell slot to roll your Cultists die and make a melee spell attack. On a hit, the target takes damage equal to the roll result + your spellcasting modifier. If your roll result is low, **sacrifice** some cultists.

##### ♦ Your Life is Mine
*Requires at least d8 Cultists*

You can roll your Cultists die to gain twice the roll result in temporary hit points, **sacrificing** some cultists in the process. You can't do this again until you finish a long rest.

##### ♦ Fortress of Flesh
*Requires at least d10 Cultists*

You can burn a hit die to roll your Cultists die and raise your AC by the result until the start of your next turn. If your roll is low, **sacrifice** some cultists. You can't do this again until you finish a long rest.

##### ♦ The Power of Many
*Requires d12 Cultists*

You can roll your Cultists die to cast any spell you know and have prepared without burning a hit die or spending a spell slot. If your roll is high or low, perform **two sacrifices**.

#### (2) Strange Mask

You realise that you have a strange mask in your possession. It is branded with The Cult's sigil but you can't quite recall ever picking it up or where it came from.

#### (6) The Strength and Power of Flesh
*Requires at least d10 Cultists*

As an action, you can **sacrifice** some cultists to perform a Cult Ritual. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

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#### (10) I'm Not Me... You Are
*Requires d12 Cultists*

When you are killed, you didn't die—it was one of your cultists. Which one of you is even the real you any more?

Roll your Cultists die one time to determine how much of an impact this death has on The Cult.

|  d12  | Impact on The Cult |
|:-----:|:------------|
|  1-4  | Huge. **Sacrifice** until your die is a **d4**. |
|  5-6  | Significant. **Sacrifice** until your die is a **d6**. |
|  7-8  | Moderate. **Sacrifice** until your die is a **d8**. |
|  9-10 | Minimal. **Sacrifice** until your die is a **d10**. |
| 11-12 | None. The Cult is strong. |

Swap one of your language or skill proficiencies for a new one, then change one superficial, physical aspect about your character (such as your eye, hair, or skin colour, the size of your nose, your stature, a scar on your face, and so on).

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When your party gets back to town, "you" may rejoin them.

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### Change Log
- v1.0 -- Initial version.
- v1.1 -- Improved the grammar in a few places; added forenote.

### Credits

**Written by** *[Raspilicious](https://reddit.com/user/raspilicious)*.

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**Art:** *[Dark Priest](https://www.deviantart.com/akmal656/art/Dark-Priest-60745253)* by akmal656.

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**Thanks** to *Giffyglyph*, *LexRaine*, *JetrayDM*, *Zieryk*, *SageDa Mage*, and *Anthoux* for their help with creating this patron.

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**Special thanks** to *Giffyglyph* for creating *Darker Dungeons*, the *Class Compendium*, and the *Wicked Warlock*.

<div class='footnote'>WICKED WARLOCK PATRON: THE CULT<br>DD EDITION | RASPILICIOUS</div>
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