Variant: Intelligence Warlock
When creating a Warlock, you might feel like Intelligence as a primary attribute fits your character better than Charisma. Maybe you study pieces of occult eldritch lore left behind by a Great Old One who doesn't even know you exist. Or, your power comes from a well put together contract with a Fiend, pitting your wits against theirs. Or maybe you just saw that tweet by Jeremy Crawford saying that Warlocks in 5e were actually supposed to be Intelligence casters but the team ended up relenting before the most traditionalist fans. At your DM's discretion, you can use the optional adjustments to the Warlock class features presented here to spice up a bit your next character.
Class Features
All the features mentioned in this document replace the same-named features from their respective source. If the source isn't mentioned, the feature comes from the Player's Handbook. New features are properly pointed out.
Multiclassing
You must have an Intelligence score of 13 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this variant class.
Proficiencies
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Intelligence
Pact Magic
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells, so you use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a warlock spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus +
Eldritch Invocations
Agonizing Blast
Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip
When you cast eldritch blast, add your Intelligence modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.
Cloak of Flies
Prerequisite: 5th level
From Xanathar's Guide to Everything
As a bonus action, you can surround yourself with a magical aura that looks like buzzing flies. The aura extends 5 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. It lasts until you're incapacitated or you dismiss it as a bonus action.
The aura allows you to use Intelligence instead of Charisma in your Intimidation checks under all circumstances, and it grants you advantage on said checks but disadvantage on all Charisma checks. Any other creature that starts its turn in the aura takes poison damage equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 0 damage).
Once you use this invocation, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Forgotten Lore
New, Intelligence equivalent to Beguiling Influence
You gain proficiency in the Arcana, Medicine, and Religion skills.
Lifedrinker
Prerequisite: 12th level, Pact of the Blade feature
When you hit a creature with your pact weapon, the creature takes extra damage equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1).
Maddening Hex
Prerequisite: 5th level, hex spell or a warlock feature that curses
From Xanathar's Guide to Everything
As a bonus action, if you can see the target cursed by your hex spell or by a warlock feature of yours, such as Hexblade's Curse or Sign of Ill Omen, and the target is within 30 feet of you, you can cause a psychic disturbance around it. When you do so, you deal psychic damage to the cursed target and each creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of it. The psychic damage equals your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1 damage).
Otherwordly Patrons
The Celestial
From Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Healing Light
At 1st level, you gain the ability to channel celestial energy to heal wounds. You have a pool of d6s that you spend to fuel this healing. The number of dice in the pool equals 1 + your warlock level.
As a bonus action, you can heal one creature you can see within 60 feet of you, spending dice from the pool. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once equals your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one die). Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total.
Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.
Radiant Soul
Starting at 6th level, your link to the Celestial allows you to serve as a conduit for radiant energy. You have resistance to radiant damage, and when you cast a spell that deals radiant
or fire damage, you add your Intelligence modifier to one radiant or fire damage roll of that spell against one of its targets.
Celestial Resistance
Starting at 10th level, you gain temporary hit points whenever you finish a short or long rest. These temporary hit points equal your warlock level + your Charisma modifier. Additionally, choose up to five creatures you can see at the end of the rest. Those creatures each gain temporary hit points equal to half your warlock level + your Intelligence modifier.
Searing Vengeance
Starting at 14th level, the radiant energy you channel allows you to resist death. When you have to make a death saving throw at the start of your turn, you can instead spring back to your feet with a burst of radiant energy. You regain hit points equal to half your hit point maximum, and then you stand up if you so choose. Each creature of your choice that is within 30 feet of you takes radiant damage equal to 2d8 + your Intelligence modifier, and is blinded until the end of the current turn.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
The Fiend
Dark One's Blessing
Starting at 1st level, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier + your warlock level (minimum of 1).
The Hexblade
From Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Hexblade's Curse
Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to place a baleful curse on someone. As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target is cursed for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse ends, you gain the following benefits:
-
You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the cursed target. The bonus equals your proficiency bonus.
-
Any attack roll you make against the cursed target is a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.
-
If the cursed target dies, you regain hit points equal to your warlock level + your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1 hit point).
You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
Hex Warrior
At 1st level, you acquire the training necessary to effectively arm yourself for battle. You gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.
The influence of your patron also allows you to mystically channel your will through a particular weapon. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch one weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks the two-handed property. When you attack with that weapon, you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest. If you later gain the Pact of the Blade feature, this benefit extends to every pact weapon you conjure with that feature, no matter the weapon's type.
Accursed Specter
Starting at 6th level, you can curse the soul of a person you slay, temporarily binding it in your service. When you slay a humanoid, you can cause its spirit to rise from its corpse as a specter. When the specter appears, it gains temporary hit points equal to half your warlock level. Roll initiative for the specter, which has its own turns. It obeys your verbal commands, and it gains a special bonus to its attack rolls equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +0).
The specter remains in your service until the end of your next long rest, at which point it vanishes to the afterlife.
Once you bind a specter with this feature, you can't use the feature again until you finish a long rest.