Warlock Patron
Beastlord
Some warlocks make their pacts not with fiends or devas but with mighty lords of the wild. A beastlord represents the primal spirit of its kind, embodying a class of beasts on a cosmic level. A beastlord's nature is reflected back by a warlock — a wolf lord's follower might be savage but fiercely loyal, while a cat lord's warlock may be aloof and mysterious. In any case, a beastlord grants powers related to its portfolio, empowering their warlocks with animal might.
A beastlord's interests in mortalkind are inscrutable — maybe more relatable than those of an eldritch power, but not by much. Accordingly, warlocks who follow a beastlord can be unpredictablef, especially as they take on more aspects of their patron's power. As a group, beastlord warlocks don't follow any one alignment or path, though they may have tendencies according to the power to whom they are pacted. Beastlord warlocks similarly rarely come from any one origin. They are more likely to have a wilderness background, but such is by no means guaranteed.
Beastlord Features
| Warlock Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 1st | Expanded Spell List, Feral Swipe |
| 6th | Beastlord's Aspect |
| 10th | Exposing Claw |
| 14th | Beast Pact |
Expanded Spell List
The Beastlord 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.
| Sorcerer Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | befriend beastSDS, speak with natureSDS |
| 3rd | adaptationSDS, summon animal spiritSDS |
| 5th | command beastSDS, conjure beast packSDS |
| 7th | animal transformationSDS, lion's roarS |
| 9th | commune with nature, eagle's wingsS |
Spells marked with SDS were created as part of the Spells That Don't Suck project. Spells marked with S were created by somanyrobots.
What's With All These Weird Spells?
A number of the game's beast-themed spells are deeply underwhelming, so it's essentially mandatory to incorporate Spells That Don't Suck in order to have a halfway decent list of patron spells. The only one that's a direct nerf is changing polymorph into animal transformation. If you hate that, you can grant polymorph instead.
Feral Swipe
At 1st level, you can call upon your patron's power to unleash the attack of a mighty beast. As a bonus action, you can conjure a spectral beast to make a melee spell attack against any target within 30 feet of you. The attack's damge and additional effects are chosen when you gain this feature; any saving throws use your spell save DC. When you gain this feature, select one of the options below for your Feral Swipe:
- Boar. 1d6 + your Charisma modifier piercing damage. On a hit, the target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be pushed back 10 feet.
- Crocodile. 1d10 + your Charisma modifier piercing damage.
- Hawk. 1d6 + your Charisma modifier slashing damage. On a hit, the target can't make opportunity attacks against you until the end of its next turn. The hawk has a 60-foot range instead of the normal 30-foot range.
- Poisonous Snake. 1d4 + your Charisma modifier piercing damage. On a hit, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take an additional 2d6 poison damage.
- Shark. 1d8 + your Charisma modifier piercing damage. This attack is made with advantage if the target is below half its maximum hit points.
- Wolf. 1d8 + your Charisma modifier piercing damage. This attack is made with advantage if one of your allies is within 5 feet of the target.
If there is a beast under your control and within 120 feet of you, you can instead command the beast to make this attack. If the beast hits with your Feral Swipe, it gains temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt.
You can change your selection when you gain a level in this class. You can make this attack a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, regaining all uses after a long rest.
It's suggested that you choose and flavor your features according to your patron's favored beasts; the subclass aims to work for any beastlord, but some combinations make more sense than others. Feral Swipe, in particular, can be a claw, a bite, or a tail-slam (feel free to change its damage type between bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing as appropriate).
Beastlord's Aspect
At 6th level, you begin to take on characteristics of your patron's preferred beasts. You gain one of the following benefits:
- Keen Eyes. You gain darkvision out to 120 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range is increased by 60 feet.
- Tough Hide. Your skin thickens, become knobby and armorlike. You can calculate your armor class as 15 + your Dexterity modifier (maximum 2).
- Uncanny Grace. You take half damage from falls of 30 feet or less, and as a reaction when you attempt a Dexterity saving throw, you can expend one use of your Feral Swipe to make it with advantage.
- Mighty Leap. You can use your Charisma score instead of Strength when calculating your jump distance. If you leap 20 feet or more immediately before making a melee attack, you make the attack with advantage.
You can change your selection when you gain a level in this class.
Endless Swipe
Also at 6th level, you recover 1 use of your Feral Swipe anytime you finish a short rest.
Soft Underbelly
At 10th level, you work in tandem with the bestial spirits your patron offers you. If you damage a creature with an attack or spell on your turn, a Feral Swipe on the same turn deals an additional die of damage.
Beast Pact
At 14th level, you can directly assume a form sacred to your patron. Select one beast of CR 1/4 or lower. You can transform into that beast (using the rules for Druid's Wildshape feature) at will. While in that form, you benefit from all your subclass features, and you can still cast spells using your Pact Magic feature.
Beastlord's Protection
Also at 14th level, your patron takes a vested interest in your safety. When you fall below half your maximum hit points, a spectral beast appears next to you, taking the form of the beast you selected for your Beast Pact. This beast is immune to all damage and occupies no space, always moves to stay within 30 feet of you, and always attacks the closest hostile creature to you within 30 feet. It takes its turns immediately after yours and uses any attack in its stat block, but uses your spell attack modifier to hit. It is able to attack with your Feral Swipe. If you drop to 0 hit points, it will defend you, and can use your Feral Swipe independently on its turns without expending any of its uses.
Your protector disappears after 1 minute. Once it has appeared, it won't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Beastlord Patron quirks
The following are some optional quirks for a player of this subclass to choose from.
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your eyes and pupils change to look like your patron's preferred beast's. |
| 2 | You eat the same diet as your patron's preferred beast. |
| 3 | You file your teeth and nails to points, and bathe only under duress. |
| 4 | When you cast spells, the verbal components sound like animal snarls and howls. |
| 5 | You have antlers now. |
| 6 | Every night, you have an animal dream of running free in the wilds. |
Appendix 1: Invocations
Beastlord's Blessing
Prerequisite: 15th-level warlock
You can cast animal shapes once without expending a spell slot. Once you do so, you can't cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest.
Appendix 2: Spells
Lion's Roar
4st-level evocation
- Classes: Druid, Ranger
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self (30 feet)
- Components: V
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You utter a ferocious roar, intimidating your foes with supernatural ferocity. Each creature of your choice within 30 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it becomes frightened of you. While frightened in this way, your attacks against them have advantage, and it takes 1d6 psychic damage at the start of each of its turns if it can see you. A target can reattempt the saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect on itself.
Eagle's Wings
5th-level transmutation
- Classes: Druid
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S, M (an eagle's feather)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You cause a pair of massive wings to emerge from the shoulders of a willing creature you can see within range. For the duration, the target gains the following benefits:
- It gains a flying speed of 60 feet.
- If it flies 30 feet or more in a straight line on its turn, its next melee attack deals an additional 4d6 damage of the same type.
- As an action, it can beat its wings to produce a powerful gust of wind. All Huge or smaller creatures in a line 30 feet long and 10 feet wide must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and pushed back 15 feet.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you can target one additional creatures for every slot levels above 5th.
Change Log
v0.3
- Added Beastlord's Protection
v0.2
- Reworked Feral Swipe and Exposing Claw
v0.1
- Rough Draft
Credits & References:
- Beastlord Patron created by somanyrobots Discord | Patreon
Spells
- Eagle's Wings and Lion's Roar by somanyrobots
Art
Gruul Beastmaster, by Kimonas Theodossiou © Wizards of the Coast LLC
Background Image Stains
License
© 2025 somanyrobots, CC BY-NC 4.0
Includes spells from Spells That Don't Suck by Omega Ankh and somanyrobots, which is licensed CC-BY and available here.
Fan Content Policy
This work is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
5E SRD Content
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available here.
The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available here.
