The Machine
Your patron is an incomprehensible machine that wields both intelligence and incredible power over reality. This device may have been created through mortal design, only to far exceed its intended capabilities; or it may have been the instrument of a higher power, preserving order since the birth of the multiverse. The motives of these constructs are often inscrutable, either through deliberate manipulation or a bizarre protocol of communication; nonetheless, their ultimate goals range from carrying out the original directives of their creators to achieving the insane fantasies of a rogue artificial intelligence.
Expanded Spell List
The Machine 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.
Machine Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | grease, shield |
| 2nd | heat metal, knock |
| 3rd | lightning bolt, sending |
| 4th | fabricate, stoneskin |
| 5th | creation, telekinesis |
Mechanical Arcana
Beginning at 1st level, you know the mending and shocking grasp cantrips, which do not count against your known cantrips and are considered warlock spells for you.
Warped Reality
Also at 1st level, you can briefly bend and contract space between you and a target you can see within 60 feet as part of an attack. This unexpected strike grants you advantage on your attack roll and also grants shorter ranged attacks a range of 60 feet, including melee attacks.
You can also use this feature to pick up an object, perform the Use Object action, or perform a touch spell on a willing creature within this range. You can't pick up an object that weighs more than 10 pounds.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Forged Body
Starting at 6th level, you become your master's canvas, declaring the perfection of artifice over flesh. Your body begins to show subtle signs of sculpted or mechanical alteration and you can rapidly modify the artificial composition of your body. As a reaction to taking damage, you can halve the damage that you take. You gain two uses of this feature, which are regained after finishing a short or long rest.
In addition, if you are dismembered, you or another creature need only cast the mending cantrip to reattach the missing limb, as long as it is done within 2 days of it being severed.
Steel Resolve
Starting at 10th level, your patron's logic-driven rigour teaches you to compartmentalise your thoughts and emotions. You are immune to the frightened condition.
In addition, when you are forced to make a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on a spell, you can choose to automatically succeed after seeing your initial roll but before any of the roll’s effects occur. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
The Maker's Monolith
Starting at 14th level, you can summon an imposing column of stone or steel as an action; raising a 3 foot wide and 15 foot tall monument in an adjacent space.
This nigh invincible monolith acts as a conduit for your patron's power into this realm; you can shape reality as you please within 20 feet of this obelisk, spending 10 minutes forming any simple structures or objects made of basic metal, wood or stone, or altering terrain. Any formed structures or items removed from this radius will disintegrate after 1 minute. In addition, you are able to teleport to the base of the monolith as a bonus action as long as you are within 5 miles of it, and its area of influence is under the effect of the alarm spell, telepathically alerting you if a creature approaches. Once you teleport to the monolith, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
This effect is active as long as you maintain concentration, as if concentrating on a spell. If you concentrate for one hour, this effect becomes permanent until you raise another monolith, then it will recede into the ground and all surrounding changes are reversed to their original state. Once you raise a monolith, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Credits
- Written by /u/PeanutJayGee
- Homebrewery style rules from /u/SwordMeow
- Transparent statblock style from /u/Rain-Junkie
Art
Power Core
Jose Borges (https://pinterest.com/pin/572590540099287366) (https://www.artstation.com/joseborges)
The Order
JoseOchoaArt (http://joseochoaart.deviantart.com/art/The-Order-471165441)
Quirks
The behaviour of the warlock of a Machine patron is not often directly influenced by their benefactor, but serving a being so alien to the thoughts and emotions of most living creatures tends to have lingering effects. The following quirks for a Machine patron warlock are made to give a little flavour to one who has made a pact with constructs of immense power.
Machine Warlock Quirks
| d8 | Quirks |
|---|---|
| 1 | You are obsessed with the form and function of all objects, particularly ones with moving parts. |
| 2 | You have an overbearing contempt for any tradition that defies logical reasoning. |
| 3 | You find it difficult to convey subtle emotion. |
| 4 | You are irritated when a less optimal approach to a particular issue is taken. |
| 5 | Your movements are always methodical and deliberate unless you make an extra effort to appear natural. |
| 6 | Your face appears unnervingly perfect, similar to a porcelain mask. |
| 7 | You often ignore social convention in the face of logic. |
| 8 | Everything must be ordered, everything must be in place. That book should be in the shelf, that mop should be next to the bucket... |
Your Pact Boon
The following are suggestions for the appearance and style of your pact boon as a warlock of the Machine.
Pact of the Chain. Machine patrons place great value on surveillance and accumulating meaningful knowledge; while most minions are capable of performing these tasks, the sentinel drone has the methodical intelligence and faculties to see these duties executed with great efficiency.
Pact of the Blade. Your pact weapon may appear extremely utilitarian, with straight edges giving no room for artistic flourish on dull chrome metal; however small veins reveal a bluish energy pulsing within. Alternatively your weapon could be a complex amalgamation of clockwork machinery, taking the desired shape through ingenious mechanics.
Pact of the Tome. Your Book of Shadows may take the form of an ancient tome of forgotten designs, with rituals detailed in exact and engineered precision; or it may be a heavy coded log, containing dense machine language only you or your master could understand.
Pact of the Talisman. Your talisman may take the shape of a corroded pocket watch, an enigmatic mechanical cube, or an ornamental socket key.
Pact of the Chain Familiar
The following familiar is provided as an additional choice for warlocks who have chosen the Pact of the Chain.
Sentinel Drone
Sentinel drones are small hovering automatons created with self-awareness to aid in their duties as guardians and scouts. These constructs vary widely in shape and design, and may be powered by sources ranging from imbued magic to complex machinery and technology.
Sentinel Drone
Tiny construct, lawful neutral
- Armor Class 15 (natural armour)
- Hit Points 18 (4d4 + 8)
- Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 7 (-2) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 6 (-2)
- Skills Investigation +7, Perception +6
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned, prone
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
- Languages understands the same languages as its master but can't speak
- Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Immaculate Memory. The sentinel drone can recall a specific creature or object that it has seen or heard before with almost perfect accuracy, even among those of a similar type or appearance.
Klaxon. The sentinel drone can ring a bell or siren as a bonus action, varying in volume that can be heard up to 400 feet away, acting as an alarm or signal for other creatures.
Projection. The sentinel drone can beam images of its thoughts and memories anywhere within 60 feet to communicate with other creatures.
It can also cast the minor illusion spell at will with a range of 60 feet and a spell DC of 13.
Searchlight. The sentinel drone can begin emitting light as if casting the light cantrip on itself as a bonus action.
Actions
Flarebolt. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage, and the target creature is illuminated as if affected by the light cantrip; the creature can spend an action removing any bolts from its body to end this effect. This attack does not have disadvantage if an enemy is within 5 feet.
Eldritch Invocations
The following invocations have been added as additions for the Machine patron.
Cold Calculation
Prerequisites: The Machine patron
If you are not surprised at the beginning of combat, you can add half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to your initiative check. You also gain proficiency in the Investigation skill and tinker's tools.
Forged Fist
Prerequisite: The Machine patron, Pact of the Blade feature
You can transmute your fists into steel using your Pact of the Blade feature. Your hands are made of segmented metal plates that flex and bend in smooth motion. Your unarmed strikes have the finesse property and deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage, and you gain a +1 AC bonus while you have at least one hand free and are not holding a shield or two handed weapon. While under this effect, you can treat your unarmed strikes as your pact weapon.
When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike while this is active, you can choose to deal an extra 1d8 force damage and knock them back 20 feet. Once you use this empowered strike, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Gift of the Maker
Prerequisites: The Machine patron, 9th level
You can cast the animate objects spell once using a warlock spell slot. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Seal of Primus
Prerequisite: The Machine patron, Pact of the Talisman feature
Your talisman can be placed on any non-magical device no larger than a 10 foot cube as a bonus action and cause the mechanism to open, activate, jam or otherwise fail to function as long as the device is not locked and you are on the same plane of existence. You can also choose to affect the device at a later time as another bonus action.
A jammed mechanism can be forced open or into operation with a DC 15 Strength check, or by casting dispel magic or knock upon it, ending the effect. This effect will also end if the talisman is removed from the object, or used to cast a spell. You can't use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest if the effect was ended by a creature other than yourself.
The Master's Designs
Prerequisites: The Machine patron, Pact of the Tome feature, 5th level
Your Book of Shadows contains pages that shift and change to represent the designs of any mechanism (ranging widely, from doors to clocks) or construct that you encounter. You can study a construct or mechanism for 1 minute while you hold your Book of Shadows, at the end of this period you will know the following (where applicable):
- Movement speed
- Strength, Dexterity and Constitution ability scores.
- Damage resistances, vulnerabilities and/or hardness
- The rough difficulty to unlock or operate a mechanism (how this is described is at the DM's discretion).
If you study a device for 10 minutes, you gain advantage on any tinker's tools or Intelligence checks made with regards to this device.
