Thursday, October 6, 2016

Celestial Warlocks

Miriam Briggs stood in the center of the road, all too aware of the soldiers standing behind her. As they shifted, she could hear leather creak, the soft scrape of sword against shield.  She wanted to turn and tell them to spread out a bit, that they were packed too close, but there was no time.
The orcs were already approaching, walking forward at a measured pace, their bestial faces grim. They already knew how this fight would go, knew it would end with them sitting by a pile of corpses wiping blood off their blades.
Or maybe not, thought Miriam. Gods willing.
She shut her eyes and reached for the power, felt it flow into her.  Tightening her grip on her silver staff, Miriam drew a breath.  Lowering her staff, she let the light pour through it.  It erupted from the staff’s head, a bolt of lambent force that slammed into one of the approaching orcs.  The eldritch blast knocked him on his back, throwing the orc’s orderly march into disarray.
“Now!” shouted Miriam, raising her staff. “Now! For Gird! For Riverkeep! For Parnival!”
And with that, the Battle of Nunker’s Road began.

Celestial warlocks are a different breed of warlocks. Their patrons are not evil fiends, capricious fey or inscrutable outsiders.  The patron of a celestial warlock is a being from the Higher Planes, an emissary of good. This patron could be an angel or an empyrean, a saint or possibly a demigod. They empower good people to do one thing: spread good in the Material World.  As such, all celestial warlocks are of a good alignment.  Whether they are lawful, neutral or chaotic doesn’t matter.  All that matters is their desire to serve the cause of their patron.  For this service, their celestial patron grants them a portion of their power.
That said, good can be subjective. A celestial warlock of a lawful good alignment might support a king who is taxing his people harshly to pay for a war.  Another celestial warlock in the same kingdom, might be allied with the rebels seeking to overthrow this regime.  Each side thinks they are doing the right thing, the good thing. Who can say that they’re wrong?
Celestial warlocks can be difficult to work with in an adventuring party. They’re going to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences.  In this, they’re like paladins. Indeed, paladins and celestial warlocks get along fairly well. And, like a well-meaning paladin, their good intentions can often put a party through hell.  Sometimes literally.

Otherworldly Patron: The Celestial
You have made a pact with an entity from a higher plane of existence, a being whose aims are noble, if sometimes mysterious.  Such beings are good by nature and will not form pacts with any creature of non-good alignment.

Expanded Spell List
The Celestial 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.

Celestial Expanded Spells
Level 1: Command, Detect Evil and Good
Level 2: Calm Emotions, Zone of Truth
Level 3: Glyph of Warding, Protection from Energy
Level 4: Freedom of Movement, Locate Creature 
Level 5: Planar Binding, Teleportation Circle

Celestial Awareness
The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music iin your ears.  As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces.  Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type of being whose presence you sense, but not its identity.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Luck of the Blessed  
Starting at 6th level, you have advantage whenever you must make a saving throw.

The Fearless Heart
Starting at 10th level, you can’t be frightened while conscious.

Cleansing Touch
Beginning at 14th level, you can use your action to end one spell on yourself or on one willing creature that you touch.
After you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Celestial Warlocks & Pact Boons
At 3rd level, the patron of the celestial warlock bestows a gift upon them for their service, just as other patrons do.  However, the nature of their patron influences the forms some of these pact boons take.
If a celestial warlock takes the Pact of the Chain, the find familiar spell works as usual. When you cast it, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or one of the following special forms: a faerie dragon, a psuedodragon, a sprite or a pixie. A celestial warlock cannot take an imp or quasit as a familiar, because they are considered evil creatures.
The Pact of the Blade and the Pact of the Tome work as usual for celestial warlocks.  However, celestial warlocks do not refer to their tomes as a Book of Shadows, but as a Book of Illumination.  Also, their pact weapons appear to be made of precious metals, often decorated with glittering jewels.

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