Warlock

Warlock Patron: The Azhra

"The Titans were not slain. They were unbound. And sometimes, their echoes whisper promises of power that shatter more than just the mind, leaving you as a living scar of their chaos, a testament to the price of forbidden might." — A former Azhra cultist, his skin warped, muttering prophecies of ruin, his eyes burning with unnatural light.

You have forged a pact with an azhra, a corrupt elemental horror born of the Titans’ shattered essence. These beings are not gods, but primordial echoes of chaos, each a twisted reflection of one of the six elements that constitute the very fabric of Novendragos. Whether seduced by forbidden knowledge, cursed by ancestral sin, or chosen as a vessel, your soul now bears the indelible mark of the Unbound Flame, the Drowned Maw, the Stone That Hungers, or another such entity. Wielding the Azhra's power is a perilous gamble; its raw, corrupting influence can leave its mark on your body and mind, and draw the terrifying attention of other azhra princes or the vigilant Dragon Overlords.

Azhra warlocks are rare, often feared, and sometimes hunted. Their very existence is a living testament to the dangers of the Dragonfall Crisis and the untamed power of the world. Some desperate or power-hungry factions (perhaps remnants of shunyadim cults, or desperate elements within Gadorak) might secretly cultivate them for their raw, destructive power, but always at immense risk, for the Azhra's influence is never truly controlled.

Core Warlock Traits

Starting Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• Leather armor, two daggers, and a holy symbol

The Azhra Patron Features

Expanded Spell List

The Azhra grant you access to spells that reflect their elemental corruption. Choose one of the six corrupted elements when you gain this feature. You can change your chosen element when you gain a warlock level.

Corrupted Element (1st Level)

Your patron’s shattered essence flows through you. When you cast a spell that deals damage, you can change its damage type to match your chosen corrupted element. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest. This transformation is a visible, unsettling distortion of light or energy around the spell.

Additionally, when you deal damage of your chosen corrupted element’s type, you can cause one of the following effects (your choice, once per turn). This effect often manifests as a subtle, unsettling distortion of light, a faint acrid smell, or a brief, chilling stillness in the air.

• Ashen Flame: The target ignites, taking 1d4 fire damage at the start of its next turn.
• Drowned Maw: The target’s speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.
• Hungering Earth: The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be knocked prone.
• Howling Rift: The target is pushed 10 feet in a direction of your choice.
• Whispering Hollow: You gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).
• Broken Halo: The target has disadvantage on its next attack roll.

Elemental Aberration (6th Level)

Your body begins to mutate under the azhra’s influence. You gain resistance to your corrupted element’s damage type.

Additionally, as a bonus action, you can manifest a visible, unsettling mutation (e.g., molten eyes, pulsating gills, crystalline skin, writhing shadow tendrils) for 1 minute. While active:

• You gain a climbing, swimming, or burrowing speed (chosen based on your element at level 6; e.g., Flame=climb, Tides=swim, Stone=burrow, Gale=climb, Void=burrow, Radiance=climb) equal to your walking speed.
• You have advantage on Intimidation checks.

You can use this feature once per short or long rest.

Unstable Channeling (6th Level)

The raw, chaotic power of your Azhra patron is difficult to contain, and its influence subtly corrupts your form. Whenever you cast a warlock spell of 1st level or higher, you must succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC = 10 + the spell's level) or suffer one of the effects from the Azhra Backlash Table (d6). This backlash reflects the unpredictable nature of the Azhra's power and the inherent risk of wielding it.

• Azhra Backlash Table (d6)
• 1: Corrupting Surge. You take 2d6 psychic damage.
• 2: Reality Flicker. You are blinded until the end of your next turn.
• 3: Unbound Echo. You are frightened of the nearest hostile creature until the end of your next turn.
• 4: Planar Static. You have disadvantage on your next attack roll or ability check.
• 5: Minor Aberration. Your skin temporarily takes on a sickly hue, or a small, unsettling mutation appears (e.g., a non-functional eye, a patch of scales). You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks until you finish a short or long rest.
• 6: Whispers of Chaos. You hear faint, unsettling whispers in your mind. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks until you finish a short or long rest.

Corruption Score: Each time you fail a saving throw against Unstable Channeling, your Corruption Score increases by 1. Your Corruption Score resets to 0 after you finish a long rest. When your Corruption Score reaches 3, you gain 1 level of exhaustion. When it reaches 5, you gain a second level of exhaustion. When it reaches 7, you gain a third level of exhaustion. These exhaustion levels persist until removed by a greater restoration spell or by a quest to appease your patron (DM's discretion).

Unraveling Touch (10th Level)

You can unravel the structure of matter and mind. When you hit a creature with a spell or weapon attack, you can force it to make a Constitution saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, it suffers one of the following effects (your choice). This feature can be used once per short or long rest.

• Disintegration Pulse: It takes an additional 4d6 damage of your corrupted element’s type.
• Mental Collapse: It is stunned until the end of its next turn. This option has no effect on constructs or creatures with an Intelligence score of 3 or less.
• Elemental Rupture: It loses resistance to your corrupted element’s damage type (if it had any) for 1 minute, and cannot gain resistance to that type during this time. Additionally, for the duration, you deal an extra 1d6 damage of your corrupted element's type when you hit it with an attack or spell. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Avatar of Ruin (14th Level)

You become a living conduit of your azhra patron’s raw will, briefly taking on a terrifying corrupted form. As an action, you can unleash your Corrupted Form for 1 minute. Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. For the duration:

• You gain immunity to your corrupted element’s damage type.
• When you cast a spell that deals damage of that type, you can choose to maximize one damage die per spell.
• Creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you take damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1) of your element’s type at the start of their turn.
• You can move through difficult terrain and magical barriers as if they were not there.
• After this feature ends, you must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or gain 1 level of exhaustion, as the immense influx of primordial corruption strains your mortal form. If you fail this save by 5 or more, you also suffer a permanent scar (e.g., a patch of corrupted skin, an eye that glows faintly with unnatural light, or a voice that echoes with a guttural resonance) and you attract the attention of a powerful azhra prince (DM's discretion), who may seek to claim your power or use you as a vessel.

Warlock Spell List

Warlocks choose their spells from the standard Warlock spell list, in addition to the Expanded Spell List granted by this patron.

Design Notes

This subclass is deeply tied to the azhra, offering a corruptive, elemental, and monstrous flavor. It’s ideal for warlocks who are cursed, tempted, or transformed by ancient Titan-spawned horrors. The six-element structure keeps it aligned with Novendragos’s cosmology while making it flexible and flavorful, explicitly infusing the inherent risk and unpredictable consequence of wielding raw primordial power.