Otherworldly Patron: Lord of Rot

A Warlock's patron usually rules over interplanar affairs, yet some turn to more domestic occurences. The Lord of Rot is focused not on soul nor mind but body. The Lord of Rot gains power from decay, as insectoid and worm servants transfer the nutrients and energy to the Lord of Rot. Warlocks who make pacts with the Lord of Rot are known for defiling graveyards, as a fresh kill is of less interest to the Lord of Rot.

The Lord of Rot can be any being of that domain, be it a fallen fey, a powerful worm that walks, or god of death, demon of rot or disease such as Baalzebul or Zuggtmoy. The Lord of Rot always has control over decay and cares about nothing more than satiating itself with the bodies of rotting dead.

Lord of Rot Features

Warlock Level Features 1st Expanded Spell List, One With Rot, Withering Force 6th Skittering Reproach 10th Disease Riddled 14th Spreader of Decay

Lord of Rot Expanded Spells

The Lord of Rot 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.

Spell Level Spells 1st detect poison and disease, ray of sickness 2nd melf's acid arrow, protection from poison 3rd feign death, stinking cloud 4th giant insect, vitriolic sphere 5th contagion, insect plague

One With Rot

Your patron gifts you the ability to connect to the lost souls of rotting bodies. Starting at 1st level, you can cast speak with dead once without expending a spell slot. You may only cast this spell on a target that has died at least a week earlier and they only can tell you about the last hour before their death. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until after a short or long rest.

Withering Force

Your patron believes that with death comes rot, and will assist you in speeding up the process. Starting at 1st level, whenever you deal damage with a spell of 1st level or higher, you may add an additional 1d4 Necrotic damage. This feature increases to 2d4 at level 7, 3d4 at level 12, and 4d4 at level 17.

Skittering Reproach

Starting at 6th level, when you take damage from a melee weapon attack, you may have centipedes and cockroaches crawl out of the wound and swarm the attacker. That creature

must make a constitution saving throw. On a failure, they are poisoned for 1 minute and take 2d4 piercing damage as the insects bite their flesh. On a success, they take half as much damage and are not poisoned. Either way, they cannot take reactions until the end of their next turn as they beat the insects off their skin. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until after a short or long rest.

Disease Riddled

Starting at 10th level, you are immune to disease. Whenever you would be infected by a disease, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier. These temporary hit points last until depleted.

When a creature depletes your temporary hit points, they become infected with the diseases that you gained the temporary hit points from.

Spreader of Decay

Starting at 14th level, you start to spread new diseases. Whenever you deal damage to a creature, you may have that creature make a Constitution Saving Throw. On a failure, they are infected with a disease of your choice from the following:

Heart Rot: Whenever the infected creature takes damage, they make a Constitution Saving Throw. On a failure, their maximum hit points are reduced by that much until cured.

Mind Worms: Whenever the infected creature targets you with a harmful spell or attack, they must make a Wisdom Saving Throw. On a failure, they target themselves instead.

Blood Plague: Whenever the infected creature would be healed, they must make a Constitution Saving Throw. On a failure, they take that much damage instead.

Once you infect a creature with a disease, you may not infect another until after a long rest.

A Pact of Decay While killing an enemy enables rot, the Lord of Rot is not interested in a fresh sacrifice. Returning to bodies about a week after death, once they start rotting, should satisfy your patron's pact.

Eldritch Invocations

Absorb Rotted Essence

Prerequisite: 7th level, Lord of Rot patron

You may touch a corpse that has died at least a week earlier and gain any resistances it had in life for 8 hours.

Eldritch Decay

Prerequisite: 6th level, Lord of Rot patron, eldritch blast cantrip

When you deal damage with eldritch blast, the target must make a Constitution Saving Throw. On a failure, their maximum hit points are reduced by the damage taken until they complete a long rest.