Warlock Patron: The Psion
Your patron is a powerful psionic being, capable of reaching across long distances with their mind. You have made a pact with an aboleth overseer, githzerai anarch, an illithid elder brain, or other entity with a strong psionic ability and, most likely, a domineering personality. This being has recognized your latent psionic ability and awakened it within you, perhaps for a purpose that you do not immediately understand.
Your awakened mental capabilities can manifest themselves in a number of ways. The ability to focus your energy into psychic weapons might give you an increased sense of duty to strike down tyrants or perhaps to become one yourself. Your power to create invisible barriers can protect the innocent or imprison them. All the while, your patron watches from behind the scenes, dangling the tempting promise of even more psionic power in exchange for your service to their mysterious cause.
Extended Spell List
| Class Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | magnify gravity, shield |
| 2nd | immovable object, mind thrust |
| 3rd | psychic defense, pulse wave |
| 4th | intellect fortress, phantasmal killer |
| 5th | detect sentience, psychic burst |
Expanded mind
At 1st level, your psionic abilities begin to mature and your patron grants you some simple power to use without limits. You can read, write, and speak the language of your patron. You also gain the Mind Sliver cantrip.
Psionic talent
At 1st level, You harbor a wellspring of psionic power within yourself, an energy that ebbs and flows as you channel it in various ways. This power is represented by your Psionic Talent die, the starting size of which is a d6. Psionic Talent Options. You can use your Psionic Talent die in the following ways:
• Force Field. Your psionic ability can help deflect an incoming attack. Roll the psionic talent die. You can use your reaction to add your die result to your armor class against a single incoming attack. You can’t do so again until you finish a long or short rest.
• Mind Over Matter. As a bonus action, you can mentally move a loose object weighing up to 500 pounds that you can see within 60 feet for a number of rounds equal to the number you roll on your psionic talent die. The object moves in any direction you choose, up to 20 feet, and remains suspended there for the duration or until you move it again. When the effect ends, the object sinks gently to the ground.
Changing the Die’s Size. If you roll the highest number on your Psionic Talent die, it decreases by one die size after the roll. This represents you burning through your psionic energy. For example, if the die is a d6 and you roll a 6, it becomes a d4. If it’s a d4 and you roll a 4, it becomes unusable until you finish a long rest. Conversely, if you roll a 1 on your Psionic Talent die, it increases by one die size after the roll, up to its starting size. This represents you conserving psionic energy for later use. For example, if you roll a 1 on a d4, the die then becomes a d6. Whenever you finish a long rest, your Psionic Talent die resets to its starting size. When you reach certain levels in this class, the starting size of your Psionic Talent die increases: at 5th level (d8), 11th level (d10), and 17th level (d12).
Psi Replenishment. As a bonus action, you can calm your mind for a moment and restore your Psionic Talent die to its starting size. You then can’t use Psi Replenishment again until you finish a long rest.
Versatile Invocation
At 6th level, you can apply your psionic ability to your eldritch invocations. When you use an eldritch invocation that consumes a spell slot or requires a long or short rest to recharge, you can immediately use your reaction to roll your psionic talent die. Pick a new eldritch invocation to replace the one you just used. This replacement lasts for a number or rounds equal to the result you rolled and then reverts to the original invocation.
Psionic fortitude
At 10th level, you have learned to defend your mind against psychic assault. You have resistance to psychic damage. You can include your proficiency bonus when you make a saving throw against psionic effects or effects that inflict psychic damage.
Psionic sacrifice
At 14th level, you can sacrifice your life force in exchange for continued spellcasting ability. When you cast a spell, you can roll your psionic talent die. You take psychic damage equal to the number you rolled (ignoring resistance). If the number you roll equals or exceeds the level of the spell being cast, then your psionic talent die decreases by one die size and your spell slot is not consumed.
Pact Boon: Pact of Dreams
Your patron communicates with you through lucid dreams where you cross the boundaries of time and space to meet them on their terms. Much of your power manifests itself while you are in an unconscious state.
While you are unconscious:
• You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.
• You do not automatically end concentration unless you choose to as long as you have one or more hit points.
• You can perceive through the senses of any willing creature within 100 feet of you. You cannot communicate with the creature or take any actions.
• You can will yourself to wake as long as you have one or more hit points.
• When you finish a short rest spending the entire time sleeping, you can recharge one eldritch invocation that would normally require a long rest. When you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
You also gain one additional eldrtich invocation, which must have a prerequisite of the Pact of Dreams.
Eldritch Invocations
Crippling Hex. Prerequisite: 9th level, hex spell or a warlock feature that curses. The link you create with your hex is a conduit for your psionic powers. As a bonus action, you can focus your psychic energy against a target cursed by your hex spell or by a warlock feature of yours, such as Hexblade's Curse or Sign of Ill Omen. Roll your psionic talent die. The target must make an Intelligence saving throw with a DC of 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your psionic talent die roll result. On a failed saving throw, the target takes psychic damage equal to your psionic talent die roll and is stunned until the end of your next turn. On a successful saving throw, the target takes half as much damage and is not stunned.
Indomitable Will. Prerequisite: Pact of Dreams feature. You can apply your Charisma modifier to your roll when you make an Intelligence saving throw. You can’t do so again until you finish a long or short rest.
Mind of the Aboleth. Prerequisite: 9th level, Pact of Dreams feature. As an action, you can cause one creature charmed by you to take 10 (3d6) psychic damage. The charmed condition ends and you regain hit points equal to the damage the creature takes.
Psionic Blast. When you cast eldritch blast, you can use your mental power to focus the spell into a single blast of psionic energy. The spell deals psychic damage. Roll your psionic die and add the result to your attack roll.
Shankar's Unseen Prison. Prerequisite: 7th level. You can cast wall of force once using a warlock spell slot. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Thousand Searching Eyes. Prerequisite: 7th level. You can cast locate creature once using a warlock spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Within the Realm of Dreams. Prerequisite: 5th level, Pact of Dreams feature. You can cast catnap once using a warlock spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
New spells
Psychic Defense
3rd-level abjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
While you are wearing no armor and wielding no shield, your armor class includes your Charisma modifier, up to the level of the spell.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, your armor class includes your Charisma modifier up to +5
Detect Sentience
5th-level divination
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You can sense the presence and location of any creature within 100 feet of you that has an Intelligence of 3 or higher, regardless of interposing barriers, unless the creature is protected by a mind blank spell.
Psychic Burst
5th-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (30 ft sphere)
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous
You emit psychic energy in a 30-foot radius sphere. Each creature in that area must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take 22 (4d8 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned 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.
Homebrew work in progress
Design Mission Statement
The primary three-point aesthetic of this subclass consists of: features related to inflicting and receiving psychic damage, telekinesis / force barriers, and use of the psionic talent die. The secondary priority is to keep the aspects of this subclass distinct from the lore-related Great Old One warlock by either eschewing telepathy and mind control, or at least doing so in a unique way.