The Horror
A horror is a humanoid that, through
horrible dark rituals, has been fused with a fiendish entity in order to create a living weapon.
Unlike normal warlock patrons, the warlock becomes the horror, and the horror is the warlock - The fiendish side is not truly separate from the warlock but has no intelligence of it’s own.
Horror gets more powerful by learning to utilize the fiendish side of the warlock, and getting access to more of its power.
History
Ma’ar was the first horror to walk the land. Created as a desperate experiment by the Holy Theocracy of Olympus to fight off the invasion, he was a weapon unlike any before him, a truly magnificent tool of destruction.
Many were created after him, all around the world. But after the war, he rebelled. Traveling the world, he gathered others like him, freeing them from their shackles and killing their creators who abused them for power.
Their actions drew attention, and the heroes of the world pursued them, believing them to be monsters and fiends. They retreated into an island of the shore of the theocracy that created Ma’ar, hoping to live their lives away from the world, in peace.
But their absence only gave the kingdoms the sense that they could get away with more experiments.
When the volcano in Jaknia erupted, destroying The University, and a girl without a name stepped from the wreckage clad in a storm of fire, Ma’ar went and took her into his house on the island. The world, in fear and indignation, raised their armies and sieged the island, now called The House Of Horrors.
When Ma’ar passed from the world during this 30 years siege, the house decided to cross the line they never imagined they would come near to; turning to the same dark arts that created them, they scoured the occult and the burned remains of research, until the girl without a name found the power they sought. And so it came that the house acquired the power to create more horrors, and to win the war of for their lives.
The armies of the world retreated, and the house was left to its own machinations on the small island off the shore of the theocracy.
And so, it’s story begins.
The Horror Patron
Your body and soul were infused with a fiendish horror through a dark ritual. You become something abnormal, no longer a mere humanoid, but a weapon of mass destruction. You spend every waking moment in eternal battle with your fiendish side, that might retain no intelligence, but influences you in every way imaginable. You were made to destroy, and whether you do so is in your hands only.
Your casting stat is Constitution, and any ability given by the warlock class that refers to your Charisma modifier refers to your Constitution modifier instead.
Your pact boon is locked as "Pact of Transformation".
Horror Features
| Warlock Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 1st | Expanded Spell List, Devastating Strike |
| 6th | Lone Survivor, Unearthly Manifestation |
| 10th | Degenerating Touch |
| 14th | Imploding Infestation |
Expanded spell list
The Power of the Horror 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.
Horror Expanded spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Dissonant Whispers, Ray of Sickness |
| 2nd | Web, Spike Growth |
| 3rd | Fireball, Stinking Cloud |
| 4th | Vitriolic Sphere, Evard's Black Tentacles |
| 5th | Destructive Wave, Contagion |
Devastating Strike
At 1st level, you can use your action to make a Devastating Strike against your opponent, as you are channeling your fiendish side to enhance your body.
Make an unarmed strike against your opponent. You can roll a d8 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike, and still add a modifier to the damage. If your attack hits, you can push the creature up to 15 feet away from you in a straight line.
If you had a running start of at least 10 ft before attempting to hit with this ability, you gain advantage on your attack roll.
Your fiendish side stays more pronounced for a while, granting you a thicker skin and more pronounced muscles. Until the start of your next turn, as long as you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier.
The damage and maximum pushing distance increase as you gain warlock levels, as shown in the Devastating Strike table.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Devastating Strike Table
| Warlock Level | Strike Damage Dice | Distance Pushed |
|---|---|---|
| 5th | 3d8 | Up to 20 feet |
| 11th | 5d8 | Up to 25 feet |
| 17th | 7d8 | Up to 30 feet |
Lone Survivor
At 6th level, if you have no allies within 30ft of you, you become immune to the frightened condition.
Unearthly Manifestation
At 6th level, your abnormal physique is getting more foothold in the world. You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws. Furthermore, your Devastating Strike is now considered a magical attack.
Degenerating Touch
At 10th level, when you hit an opponent with an unarmed strike, you can corrupt him with fiendish energy. If he fails a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC, you can degrade one of his Immunities / Resistances until the end of your next turn. Degraded Immunity becomes a resistance, degraded resistance becomes nothing.
Imploding Infestation
At 14th level, you can utilize your fiendish nature to its utmost potential, spreading carnage and destruction on a whim by spreading the same malice that created you.
When you hit with an unarmed strike
a target that is living (neither undead nor
construct) and is not a fiend, you can transfer
fiendish essence into it that begins to grow.
That creature becomes infected until the end
next turn.
At the end of your next turn, the infected creature can no longer contain the essence and implodes
violently, taking 6d12 necrotic damage and spreading the infection to nearby creatures.
Every creature within 30 ft of the imploding creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or become infected. Also, every creature within 30 ft has their speed halved until the start of your next turn, due to disorientation from the implosion.
Infected creatures thereafter implode violently in a similar manner at the end of your next turn. Subsequent implosions deal one less damage die. (Creatures infected by the first implosion suffer 5d12, infected by the second suffer 4d12 and etc).
An infected creature cannot get infected again for 24 hours. A creature that has made a saving throw against the effect does not make additional saving throws until the end of your next turn.
You are immune to the effects of the implosion and the infection. You can, before activating this feature, choose up to five creatures to extend this immunity to.
Once you use this feature, you have to complete a long rest before you can use it again.
Pact boon
The fiendish transformation caused by the horror patron is represented best with a unique pact boon, the pact of transformation.
Alongside are given invocations that are meant to be fitted well to the lore of the horror and the transformation.
Pact of Transformation
Your body is no longer only mortal, as you begin to exhibit traits of your fiendish aspect manifesting.
Your skin changes color and texture, your body grows and changes.
You may grow horns and juts on your skin, your eyes may glow, you may grow fangs and any other change to your body may happen.
Changes are cosmetic and do not have any mechanical effect beyond changes to your weight and height. Your size may not become larger than Medium, though you may be taller or wider than what is normal for your original race.
You creature type changes to monstrosity.
You gain one Eldritch Invocation with the Pact of Transformation prerequisite.
Variants
If you choose to use this pact in your world and open it to all warlock subclasses, you can change it to fit the actual patron it will be connected to.
For example, an Archfey patron transformation may result in enlarged eyes, a more slight frame and the fey creature type. The Old One patron may make you lose some semblance of humanoid appearance and become an aberration.
Invocations
Burrower
Prerequisite: Pact of Transformation feature, 5th level
As a bonus action on your turn, you can use your unique body to burrow underground and move there, leaving tunnels behind you.
This ability is usable when the ground is either sand, snow, dirt or mud. When underground, you can move freely as if moving through difficult terrain. You are considered hidden to creatures standing on the ground when underground, and spells that cause damage through the ground (ex. Earth tremor) succeed automatically and deal maximum damage.
You can stay underground for as long as you can hold your breath.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Extra Appendages
Prerequisite: Pact of Transformation feature, 9th level
You grow two extra appendages on your body, in a place of your choosing.
The appendages can be tentacles, hands, prehensile tails, or anything else you desire, but will always function the same way.
The appendages can be used to manipulate objects just like your normal hands can, and can be used in combat to attack or grapple.
The appendages do not deal any special type of damage and do not allow you to attack more times than what you would normally be able to.
Abomination's Physique
Prerequisite: Pact of Transformation feature
Your improved physique grants you the Powerful Build trait. Additionally, your movement speed is improved by 10ft, and your jumping distances by 5ft.
Gravity Defied
Prerequisite: Pact of Transformation feature, 5th level
You can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces freely up to your speed, while leaving your hands free. If you finish your turn on a wall, you fall from it. Additionally, you can cast Spider Climb once without expending a spell slot or materials. You regain the ability to do so once you finish a long rest.
Leaper
Prerequisite: Pact of Transformation feature
As a bonus action on your turn, you can leap up to half your speed, getting from point to point without touching the ground. Your movement is too fast to provoke opportunity attacks.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Spiked Carapace
Prerequisite: Pact of Transformation feature, 5th level
Spikes grow out of your skin, and
Credits
Subclass, Pact and Invocation by u/Michato and u/TranscendDental
art
Vessel by ErikShoemaker
Scorpio by hgjart
Untamed Hunger by Will Murai