The Orb Bearer (5e Subclass)
Orb Bearer
An Orb Bearer is a Warlock who has devoted himself to a particular evil Outsider and the study of metaphysics. The Orb Bearer need not be evil himself, only be possessed of a single-minded drive towards knowing the unknowable. Once his studies of the metaphysical side of existence have afforded him enough understanding as his patron deems fit. He will be awarded a dark orb with which to channel his arcane powers. This orb becomes the Orb Bearer’s primary weapon.
An Orb Bearer feels most comfortable on the edges of the fray examining the creatures involved. He lurks in the shadows always pursuing more knowledge and the answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.
Creating an Orb Bearer
When making an Orb Bearer consider why your character would decide to devote himself completely to an evil being. Power? Knowledge? Religion? What is worth the price of one’s soul? How did your character come to know his patron? Did his patron come to him? Or did he seek out the outsider himself? In either case, why? Further, what makes someone like your Orb Bearer inclined to take part in an adventure like the one in which you are taking part? Does he hope to learn something new? Confirm knowledge he may already possess?
Dark Orb Boon
Starting at 1st level, you are graced with a horrific nightmare of a blasted landscape and the dark shadow of an enormous bird with serpents for legs. The creature offers him three dark orbs. The one in the mouth of left snake is cold as the grave. The one which sears the flesh like all Nine Hells rest in the mouth of the great bird. And the one in the jaws of the right snake is as a great dynamo.
At 1st level you choose the Orb of Cold, the Orb of Fire, or the Orb of Shock.
The orb is an object that you can control if you have one hand free. It hovers above your open palm and you can use an Attack action to make a melee spell attack which deals 1d6 + your Charisma modifier damage on a hit. The type of damage depends on which orb you chose.
You can use a bonus action to send the orb to a point you can see within 30 feet where it will hover in place, after which you can manually retrieve it or use a bonus action to have it return to you. As long as you remain within 30 feet of the orb and you can see it, you gain the following benefits:
- You can use your action to have the orb remotely make a melee spell attack against a creature you can see.
- You can use the orb as a point of origin for spells that you cast.
If you use your free hand to hold or manipulate another object, your orb floats unharmed to the ground where it must be retrieved manually.
Orb of Cold
This orb is imbued with the deepest cold. Attacks with this orb inflict cold damage.
Expanded Spell List
| Spell Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 1st | Grease, Unseen Servant |
| 2nd | Web, Spiritual Weapon |
| 3rd | Sleet Storm, Speak With The Dead |
| 4th | Ice Storm, Elvard’s Black Tentacles |
| 5th | Cone of Cold, Raise Dead |
Bitter Chill
At level 6, when a creature makes an attack roll against you, you may use your reaction to direct your Orb to emit a blast of absolute cold. The enemy must succeed a strength save or become frozen until their next turn. While frozen, the creature may not take any action and attacks against this creature have advantage. If this creature is struck while frozen, the frozen state immediately ends. You may only use this ability when your Orb is in your hand or within 5 ft of the target creature. Once used, this ability may not be used again until the Orb Bearer has completed a short or long rest.
Diamond Skin
At level 10, your skin grows a fine layer of hard ice crystals. The crystals themselves are nigh invisible to the naked eye, but cause you to sparkle in even dim light giving you a permanent -5 to stealth checks when attempting to hide in anything but complete darkness. The ice crystals provide a +3 to AC and cause your skin you be rough to the touch. Creatures attempting to grapple you take a -1 to their grapple check because of the discomfort gripping your skin causes.
Frozen Heart Hex
At level 14, if you are able to touch a target’s bare skin, you speak the name of your patron and place an icy mark on the flesh. The target must succeed a constitution save or become imbued with a sense of being trapped in a frozen tundra. The target takes ongoing cold damage as if he was indeed unprotected in such a place (extream cold environment). The mark remains on the skin for 24 hours or until it is dispelled by magical means. If the target dies before the mark dissipates, the target rises again as the Orb Bearer’s undead servant. This creature is a Zombie, but has the same stats and ability scores that it did when it died; except it has an Intelligence score of 3. It wields any weapon it wielded in death and wears any armor it wore. The zombie follows the Orb Bearer’s commands but acts individually from him in the initiative order. The zombie remains for 48 hours after death or until it’s HP drops to 0, whereupon it crumbles to ash. Once used, this ability may not be used again until the Orb Bearer has completed a long rest.
Orb of Fire
This orb is imbued with the fury of flame. Attacks with this orb inflict fire damage.
Expanded Spell List
| Spell Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 1st | Burning Hands, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter |
| 2nd | Scorching Ray, Crown of Madness |
| 3rd | Fireball, Stinking Cloud |
| 4th | Wall of Fire, Confusion |
| 5th | Flame Strike, Conjure Elemental (Fire only) |
Choking Ash
At level 6, if a creature successfully deals damage to you, may use your reaction to burst into a heavily obscured cloud of stinging smoke and ash in a 10ft sphere and reappear within 60 ft of your point of origin. The smoke remains until your next turn unless it is dissipated by a moderate breeze. Any creature in the smoke is Blinded until they leave the area or the smoke dissipates. Once used, this ability may not be used again until the Orb Bearer has completed a short or long rest.
Mind Like A Dancing Flame
At level 10, you gain resistance to mind altering effects. If another creature attempts to Charm, Frighten, or put you to sleep, you may make a saving throw equal to your Warlock spell save + your wisdom modifier to resist. Upon a failure you may attempt to resist at the beginning of each turn until you succeed or the spell ends.
Hurl Through Hell
Starting a 14th level, when you hit with an attack you can use this feature to transport the target through the lower planes. The creature disappears and hurtles through a nightmare landscape. At the end of your next turn, the target returns to the space it previously occupied or the nearest unoccupied space. If the target is not a fiend, it takes 10d10 psychic damage as it reels from its horrific experience. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Orb of Shock
This orb is imbued with crackling lightning. Attacks with this orb inflict lightning damage.
Expanded Spell List
| Spell Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 1st | Thunderwave, Longstrider |
| 2nd | Spider Climb, Levitate |
| 3rd | Lightning Bolt, Call Lightning |
| 4th | Greater Invisibility, Dimension Door |
| 5th | Teleportation Circle, Hold Monster |
Stunning Volts
At level 6, if a creature successfully deals damage to you with a melee weapon, you may use your reaction to send a bolt of lightning from yourself down the length of their weapon dealing 2d6 shock damage and paralyzing them until their next turn. Once used, this ability may not be used again until the Orb Bearer has completed a short or long rest.
Static Form
At level 10, your body perpetually crackles with energy causing you to hover 1ft off the ground. You move silently and cannot be perceived via tremorsense. You also get a permanent 5ft boost to your move speed.
Living Weapon
At level 14, if you are struck by any form of magical energy, you take damage as normal and automatically channel that power into your Orb. This energy may be stored for later use as an Orb Charge. Your Orb can hold up to 5 charges which dissipate at the end of a combat encounter. These charges may be used to cast the Shocking Grasp cantrip by you or through the Orb. You may use from 1 to 5 of your accumulated charges to add damage to this spell. For each charge expended, add 1d8 damage to the spell. For example expending 1 charge would result in the spell dealing 1d8 damage. Expending 3 charges results in the spell dealing 3d8 damage. In addition, instead of casting this spell, you may expend all 5 charges at once to recover 1 spell use of your Pact Magic. If you do so, this is the only action you may take this turn.
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