Work for the Collective as a 5E D&D Warlock with a Cyberpunk Otherworldly Patron

The power of friendship is a staple in fantasy, science fiction and beyond. Fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaigns often revolve around this concept but why do we see villains and sinister folk employ this theme so little? I was contemplating the nature of millennial plights and the work force in general and my thoughts drifted to the cyberpunk genre and whether 5E D&D could be set in a cyberpunk campaign. (Watching Batman Beyond certainly didn’t have anything to do with my musings either.) I wondered what a cyberpunk setting for 5E D&D might look like and what kinds of unique subclasses might inhabit this space.

The Collective Otherworldly Patron for 5E D&D

The cyberpunk genre often incorporates the concept of megacorporations twisting society into a commercialized dystopia where the line between mortal and machine thins by the day, as technology encroaches upon free consciousness. Notions of corporations really resonated with me and as I thought about it I realized an employment contract with a corporation would probably be very similar to warlocks’ deals with Otherworldly Patrons.

As I indulged this wormhole further I began thinking how many of the Eldritch Invocations could easily be reskinned as technological enhancements. Coupled with the notion of eldritch blast coming from an arm cannon or an Iron Man palm the idea for a cyborg employee with a connection (either technology or magic based) formed in my head. After all, what would a hivemind look like if not tech support or passing off skill rolls to others? It’s all about climbing the corporate ladder and amassing a collective beneath you as you serve the collective above your station.

Expanded Spell List

1st level Collective feature

The Collective 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.

Collective Expanded Spells

• 1st. Command, sanctuary
• 2nd. Aid, enhance ability
• 3rd. Sending, tiny hut
• 4th. Phantasmal killer, private sanctum
• 5th. Geas, teleportation circle

Collective Support

1st level Collective feature

Beginning when you choose this patron at 1st level, you can use a bonus action to grant yourself advantage on your next ability check or saving throw as voices from your collective respond to your call for assistance and guide you through the action. You can use this feature to trigger an additional opportunity to make a failed check, provided you can justify the new attempt. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Contact Gem

6th level Collective feature

Starting when you reach 6th level, you can expend an hour of work and 10 gp to craft a contact gem. Any creature possessing one of your contact gems can use an action to cast sending to you without expending a spell slot. Each gem possesses a number of charges equal to your Charisma modifier and regains all expended charges every 8 hours.

Planar Duplication

10th level Collective feature

When you reach 10th level, you learn a 10-minute ritual to dismiss a magic item of common or uncommon rarity to a demiplane for 24 hours. At the end of the 24-hour period the item returns to your possession and you also receive a duplicate of the item. You can have a number of planar duplicates equal to your proficiency bonus. If you make more planar duplicates one of your current planar duplicates (of your choice) fades from existence.

Tireless Effort

14th level Collective feature

Beginning at 14th level, you no longer need to eat, sleep, drink or breathe to maintain your body. Instead, you need only take 4 hours of light activity to gain the benefits of a long rest.

What do you think?

Do you like this new warlock Otherworldly Patron? What sorts of characters or settings do you envision for this? Let us know by leaving a comment, tweeting @Nerdarchy, or connect with us on Facebook. If you want some sweet new magic items to use your new Planar Duplication feature with then check out our Mage Forge!