Otherworldly Patron: The Grim Grotesque
With a penchant for blood and gore so strong that it can even make the most ruthless barbarians retch, those who enter a pact with the Grim Grotesque use the scarring and manipulation of the body as a weapon and method of torture. These individuals are in a parasitic or symbiotic relationship with their patron. Their intentions vary, but most only wish to survive and create more of their kind. Their warlocks are often covered in chemical burns, large goiters, and other scars that they hide from the public. Beings that are capable of granting this power to warlocks include Dwiergus, Lord of Fleshforges, and Neth, the Plane that Lives.
Expanded Spell List
The Grim Grotesque 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.
| Spell Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 1st | inflict wounds, ray of sickness |
| 2nd | alter self, barkskin |
| 3rd | life transference, meld into stone |
| 4th | stoneskin, vitriolic sphere |
| 5th | dominate person, reincarnate |
Gift of the Grotesque
Starting at 1st level, the connection you share with your patron allows you to better scar your foes. Whenever you cast a spell that deals acid or necrotic damage, you add your Charisma modifier to that damage and you have resistance to acid and necrotic damage. Additionally, you know the acid splash and primal savagery cantrips. They count as warlock cantrips for you, but don't count against your number of cantrips known.
Vile Transmigration
Beginning at 6th level, you have become familiar with your own form and can warp corpses to mimic it. When a humanoid creature of your size or larger within 30 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to force the creature's body, or a portion of its body if the creature is larger, to start to morph into a new body that is identical to yours. During this transformation, everything the creature was wearing falls to the ground, unaffected by this feature. The transformation completes at the start of your next turn.
After the transformation is complete, you can use an action to cause your body to melt into a puddle of dissolved, viscous gore and transfer your soul into the new body if you are within 30 feet of it. When you do this, all equipment you are wearing or carrying fades away and immediately reappears on the new body and your current hit points are unaffected. If you do not transfer your soul into this new body within 1 minute of it forming, it turns to ash. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Form Warper
At 10th level, your patron has granted you the power to better manipulate the form of your foes and make it difficult for those foes to change yours. You learn the polymorph spell if you don't know it already. It counts as warlock spell for you, but it doesn't count against your number of spells known. When you cast polymorph on a creature, you can choose to transform the target into an ooze or undead creature. To do this, the new form must be equal to or less than half of the target's challenge rating (or level if it doesn't have a challenge rating, rounded down).
Additionally, when you cast a spell that alters the form of a creature, that creature has disadvantage on the saving throw to resist the spell's effect and you ignore any ability that makes the creature immune to effects and spells that alter its form. When a creature attempts to alter your form, you have advantage on the saving throw to resist the spell's effect.
Twisted Transformation
When you reach 14th level, you can force your body to split and tear apart, becoming an abhorrent monstrosity of flesh and bone that resembles your patron. As a bonus action, you can touch a corpse of a Medium or Small size creature and fuse with it, transforming yourself into a grotesque horror for up to 1 hour. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, die, or end it as a bonus action.
While you are transformed, the following rules apply:
- Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the grotesque horror, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies.
- When you transform, you assume the grotesque horror's hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form.
- While in this form, you cannot speak, use any armor or equipment, or cast spells unless they are from an eldritch invocation. Transforming doesn't break your concentration on a spell you've already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as witch bolt, that you've already cast.
- You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your special senses, such as darkvision.
- Any equipment you are wearing or holding is absorbed into your new form and as no effect until you leave the form.
When you reform at the end of the transformation, you immediately take necrotic damage equal to your level plus twice your Constitution modifier and gain 1 point of exhaustion. You cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Grotesque Horror
Large monstrosity, neutral evil
- Armor Class 13
- Hit Points 58 (5d10 + 30)
- Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 22 (+6) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 7 (-2)
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
- Damage Immunities acid, necrotic
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, frightened
- Senses blindsight 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 10
- Languages understands any one language, but can't speak
- Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Horrific Visage. When a creature within 60 feet of the grotesque horror sees or hears it, it must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the grotesque horror's horrific visage for the next 24 hours.
Immutable Form. The grotesque horror is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Stench. Any creature other than a grotesque horror that starts its turn within 5 feet of the grotesque horror must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the creature's next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the stench of all grotesque horrors for 1 hour.
Actions
Multiattack. The horror makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its slash or slam.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage and 2 (1d4) acid damage.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Slash. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Acid Spray (Recharge 5-6). The grotesque horror regurgitates acid in a 15-foot line. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 17 (3d8 + 4) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Grotesque Horror
When an arcane practitioner experiments with transmutation magic that goes awry or somebody suffers the terrible fate of an ancient curse, they could become a grotesque horror. These creatures represent a foul, perverse representation of the mortal form. Each grotesque horror is different, but many share similarities, such as visibly broken bones, exposed organs, and contorted limbs.
Once a grotesque horror is formed, it becomes a hateful creature that despises all life. It retains very few memories, but it strives to torture and devourer anything that reminds it of what it once was. If it does not feed upon its prey, it will rip apart the body and fuse with it to repair any damage to its already warped form. While they are unintelligent, a grotesque horror still seeks out a way to become a normal person again.
Sleepless. A grotesque horror doesn't require sleep and and can rest while remaining alert. Grotesque horrors are constantly on the move, looking for any form of life to feed upon.
Cranium Crawler
Cranium crawlers get their name from the skulls they wear on their back to protect their soft bodies. They are insect-like parasitic creatures that acquire this skull by burrowing into dead bodies and quickly eating the brain, gaining some basic knowledge, such as language, and a few of the creature's memories. While they can go months without eating, they are always searching for bodies to feed upon.
When their skull breaks, they immediately begin searching for nearby bodies to claim another skull. If a corpse isn't anywhere to be found, it will burrow underground for protection until it senses one. After being possessed by a cranium crawler, the body's other organs begin to undergo a metamorphosis. After 30 days, the organs complete this transformation and the body becomes a hive of new cranium crawlers.
Variant: Cranium Crawler Familiar
When a spellcaster has a vested interest in finding and manipulating cadavers, they might summon a cranium crawler to serve as their familiar, as their innate ability to locate fresh corpses is often helpful. Cranium crawlers are more than willing to follow their summoners, as they always lead them to the flesh they feed on. Such cranium crawlers have the following trait.
Familiar The cranium crawler can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a magic, telepathic bond with that willing companion. While the two are bonded, the companion can sense what the cranium crawler senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. While the cranium crawler is within 10 feet of its companion, the companion shares the cranium crawler's rot scent trait. Any time and for any reason, the cranium crawler can end its service as a familiar, ending the telepathic bond.
Cranium Crawler
Tiny monstrosity, neutral evil
- Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 24 (7d4 + 7)
- Speed 25 ft., burrow 15 ft., climb 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 5 (-3) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 7 (-2) 11 (+0) 10 (+0)
- Skills Stealth +5
- Damage Resistances acid, necrotic
- Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
- Senses blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages Understands the languages of the creature it last possessed, but can't speak
- Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Brittle Armor. When the cranium crawler has less than 1/4 of its hit points remaining, the skull on its back is shattered, reducing its armor class by 2 until it uses its Corpse Conductor action.
Rot Scent. The cranium crawler can pinpoint, by scent, the location of any creature, that is not a construct, ooze, or undead, that has died within the last 7 days within 30 feet of it.
Spider Climb. The cranium crawler can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage and 2 (1d4) acid damage.
Corpse Conductor (1/day). The cranium crawler sheds the skull on its back and burrows into the skull of a dead humanoid creature and controls the body for 3 rounds. The controlled corpse has a speed of 15 feet and can make an unarmed strike as an action using the creature's Strength modifier. At the end of the its 3rd turn controlling the body, the cranium crawler bursts from the head of the corpse with the corpse's skull attached to its back and regains 1d4 hit points.
Paralyzing Light (1/day). The cranium crawler shines a bright light from its eyes that effects a 15-foot cone. All creatures within this area that can also see the light must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or become paralyzed until the end of its next turn.
Eldritch Invocations
At 2nd level, a warlock gains the Eldritch Invocations feature. If an eldritch invocation has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the invocation at the same time as you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.
Arcane Physician
You can cast detect poison and disease at will, without expending a spell slot.
Augmented Minion
Prerequisites: 7th level, Pact of the Chain feature
When you and your familiar are within 30 feet of each other, your familiar gains the following benefits:
- Your familiar's AC is increased by 1.
- Your familiar gains a +2 bonus to two of its skill checks or saving throws of your choice.
- Your familiar gains additional hit points equal to half of your warlock level (rounded down).
- Your familiar has advantage on all saving throws against spells.
Boon of the Living Plane
Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast commune once using a warlock spell slot. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Hemorrhaging Blade of Dwiergus
Prerequisites: 5th level, hex spell or a warlock feature that curses, Pact of the Blade feature
When you hit a creature with your pact weapon that is cursed by your hex spell or by a warlock feature of yours, the creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take damage equal to the weapon's damage die at the start of its next turn.
Impairing Blast
Prerequisite: 5th level, eldritch blast cantrip
When you hit a creature with eldritch blast, you can reduce the target's hit point maximum by an amount equal to the highest rolled damage die until the targeted creature finishes a short or long rest. You can only target one creature with this invocation. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Tome of Anatomical Mysteries
Prerequisite: 5th level, Pact of the Tome feature
When you make a death saving throw, you can add your Constitution modifier to the roll (minimum of 1).
You also gain proficiency with the Medicine and Nature skills.
Unnatural Regeneration
Whenever you regain hit points at the end of a short rest, you can add your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) to the total amount of hit points regained.
Also, if you lose a part of your body, you fully regenerate it in a number of days equal to 10 minus your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1).
Credits
Art: Blood Splatter Drip, public domain
The Ballerina and Spider-Skull by Austen Mengler
Wall of Flesh by Bohrokki
Homebrewery Stains by /u/AeronDrake
Created by /u/Brudduh using GM Binder