Warlocks who walk this path gain their power from the Ancient Beast. The Ancient Beast is a creature from the Age of Chaos before humans, before the Olympians, and even before the Titans. Some call this creature the Demiurge, others call it Ammutseba. When Zeus became King of the Gods he shattered the Demiurge into a dozen pieces and hid them across the realm. These pieces festered and grew angry. The whispers of the Ancient Beast leak out from their hiding places, granting power to naive warlocks but at what cost?
Ancient Beast Form
Level 3: You transform into a reflection of the Ancient Beast, gaining a terrifying countenance along with the strength and fortitude for battle. As a Bonus Action, you can shape-shift into your Ancient Beast Form gaining the benefits below for 10 minutes or until you end them (no action required). Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.
Armored Hide. While you aren’t wearing any armor, your base Armor Class equals 10 plus your Dexterity and Constitution modifiers. While you’re wearing Light armor, your base Armor Class equals the AC of your armor plus your Dexterity and Constitution modifiers (For example, Leather Armor’s AC is 11 + Dex modifier + Con modifier). You can use a Shield and still gain these benefits.
Preternatural Weaponry. Your body contorts and grows to give you a natural weapon. Your natural weapon can be used to make an Unarmed Strike. If you hit with this Unarmed Strike and deal damage, you can deal Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage (your choice) equal to 1d6 plus your Strength modifier, instead of the normal damage of an Unarmed Strike. The natural weapon has the Finesse property and the Vex mastery property. A feature that allows you to use the mastery property is still required. You can use the natural weapon as a Spellcasting Focus.
Additionally, you can use your Charisma modifier for the attack and damage rolls of your natural weapon instead of using Strength or Dexterity.
Antediluvian Sorcery. When you hit with your natural weapon, you can cast a cantrip as a Bonus Action. The cantrip must target the creature you hit with your natural weapon.
Ancient Beast Spells
Level 3: The magic of your patron ensures you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Warlock level specified in the Ancient Beast Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
| Warlock Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Arcane Vigor, Arms of Hadar, Crown of Madness, False Life, Mind Sliver, Mind Spike |
| 5 | Fly, Hunger of Hadar |
| 7 | Demiurge Unleashed (New Spell!), Evard’s Black Tentacles |
| 9 | Synaptic Static, Tenebrous Fury (New Spell!) |
Warrior of the Forbidden
Level 6: You gain the Extra Attack feature for the Preternatural Weaponry effect of your Ancient Beast Form feature only. With that feature, you can attack twice with the natural weapon instead of once when you take the Attack action on your turn.
Additionally, if you have the Pact of the Blade Invocation, the Preternatural Weaponry effect of your Ancient Beast Form counts as your pact weapon and you count as having Thirsting Blade as a prerequisite for other Invocations.
Death Sight
Level 10: Your eyes turn an unnatural color as you gain enhanced sight. You gain the following benefits:
Darkvision. You gain Darkvision with a range of 60 feet. If you already had Darkvision the range increases by 60 feet.
Arcane Iris. You can see magical auras. If you take a Magic action you can identify the school of magic of an aura and the relative power of the magic (1-3 level, 4-6 level or 7-9 level).
Read the Soul. You always have the speak with dead spell prepared and do not require material components to cast it. You can cast speak with dead once without expending a spell slot, and you must finish a Long Rest before you can cast it in this way again.
Hulking Beast. The natural weapon granted by the Preternatural Weaponry effect of your Ancient Beast Form feature gains the Reach property.
Beast Unchained
Level 14: Your Ancient Beast Form encompasses more of your patron’s true essence. You can remain in your Ancient Beast Form indefinitely. Additionally, you gain the following benefits while in your Ancient Beast Form:
Dominate Strikes. When you hit a creature with the Preternatural Weaponry effect of your Ancient Beast Form, you can push the creature 5 feet away.
Devourer of Souls. When you reduce a creature to 0 Hit Points you can restore 10 hit points to yourself.
New Spells
Demiurge Unleashed – Level 4 Enchantment (Warlock, Sorcerer)
Demiurge Unleashed
Level 4 Enchantment (Warlock, Sorcerer)
Casting Time: Bonus Action, which you take immediately after hitting a target with a melee attack
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: 1 minute
The target takes an extra 3d8 Psychic damage from the attack, and it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or that target can’t take Bonus Actions or Reactions and must roll 1d10 at the start of each of its turns to determine its behavior for that turn, consulting the table below.
| 1d10 | Behavior for the Turn |
|---|---|
| 1 | The target doesn’t take an action, and it uses all its movement to move. Roll 1d4 for the direction: 1, north; 2, east; 3, south; or 4, west. |
| 2–6 | The target doesn’t move or take actions. |
| 7–8 | The target doesn’t move, and it takes the Attack action to make one melee attack against a random creature within reach. If none are within reach, the target takes no action. |
| 9–10 | The target chooses its behavior. |
At the end of each of its turns, an affected target repeats the save, ending the spell on itself on a success.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The extra damage increases by 1d8 for each spell slot level above 4.
Tenebrous Fury – Level 5 Evocation (Sorcerer, Warlock)
Tenebrous Fury
Level 5 Evocation (Sorcerer, Warlock)
Casting Time: Action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Choose any number of creatures within range and choose a Cantrip you known. Cast the Cantrip with each of the creatures as the target. If your chosen Cantrip deals damage, double that damage.
