You can easily have a warlock with a demon pact instead of a devil pact.
I found one on the internet but have to find back where.
Explanation of why demon pact could be used by Warlock
For my 5th Ed conversion, I see wizards as choosing preserving or defiling each time with game benefits from long term choices. This is still pretty raw up to tweaking before I start running my DS campaign for 5E:
⢠Sanctity: Every Wizard has a Sanctity score from -10 to 10 but starts as 0. -10 means the wizard is a full-fledged defiler and has advantage on Intimidate skill rolls. +10 means the character is a full-fledged preserver and has advantage on Animal Handling skills. A wizard may lose Sanctity by defiling. A wizard may gain Sanctity by performing the Rite of Blood and other activities. Occasionally, situations may arise where a wizard may lose or gain sanctity outside of the reasons mentioned. Typically, a wizard may only gain or lose one Sanctity point per Long Rest. I may expand on this further for additional benefits beyond +10/-10
⢠Rite of Blood (this was actually mentioned in the original Wandererâs Journal but not fleshed out): This ritual enables a wizard to partially or wholly restore an area of defilement. To do so, a Wizard takes half of their total Hit Points in damage as they literally bleed on the ground. After this, they sped ten minutes slowly drawing the energy from the plant life outside the defilement in an unharmful way. At the conclusion, a circle with a radius of the Wizards level in feet from the location of the Wizard is restored to vitality, grass sprouts from the ground (it is non magical and will die without water), and the Wizard gains a Sancity point. This rite may be redone after a Long Rest
⢠Power Drawing: In order to cast a spell, a wizard must draw power from the land to do so. The more lush an area is, the easier it is to draw power. A wizard may store half his/her Wizard level in spell power levels at a time.
⢠Defiling/Preserving Table (didnât paste well), but basically, you draw power equal to half your Wizard level in Spell levels. The time it takes to do this varies on terrain and whether you are preserving or defiling (defiling is quicker), and finally a defiling radius should the Wizard defile based on terrain.
o Each subsequent drawing of power doubles the time as does the defilement radius expand. This is due to having to draw from further and further away. If a wizard moves to an area outside the original area, the time to draw is reset to the base
o Defiling also causes damage to Plant and Elemental creatures if in the defilement radius. A Plant or Elemental takes 1d10 damage per level of spell power drawn. Normal plants are destroyed.
o A defiler can continue to draw power from the ground as long as he wishes, expanding the radius. Additional power can be drawn for additional spells and the radius will expand accordingly. I think of this as a high that some defilers will do just because they are addicts.
I need to at some point sit down and note all the ideas I have for defiling magic and the wizards of Athas. So far, I have three concepts, from a simple (core mechanic that enables you to defile) to a complex (distinct classes, with their own subclasses).
In reply to the original poster:
I play and run D&D using simplified rules. For my Dark Sun setting, I have consolidated all (arcane) spell casters into one class - mages.
On Athas, it is known that magic uses life energy to manifest its effects. This energy is drawn from living plants, animals, creatures, and beings, the amount of which is controlled by the spell caster. From the history commonly understood by most inhabitants of Athas, the use of magic is explained as being the primary cause of why Athas has become the arid and desolate planet that it is. Mages and the use of (arcane) magic is, at best, taboo and held with the highest suspicion and detestation in the wilds, while decreed forbidden by the sorcerer-kings and punishable by death in the city-states.
Suffice to say, (arcane) magic is not looked upon favorably in nearly all reaches of Athas. Those who learn and study the intricacies of using magical energy remain in hiding, performing the use of such misunderstood power only in extreme circumstances, or when its use is warranted to relieve the suffering or pain of another.
Magic is naturally unbalanced - it cannot simply be harnessed and used as one desires, although mages are able to control the means in which they draw the energy from life to fuel their spells.
Defiling magic desecrates life and pulls an unrestrained amount of energy from any life source in the immediate area, including the caster. This energy draw gives the spell its ability to produce its effect, but does so at a cost to the caster. The caster who uses defiling magic must roll a CON save to reduce the amount of damage caused to themselves in allowing defiling magic to surge through their body and thus draw from their own life energy. A successful save still causes 1d4 damage per spell level to the caster, while a failed save results in 1d8 damage per spell level to the caster.
The other effects of life defiling magic is that it causes plants to wither, turn black or grey, and turn into an ash-like substance; it frightens small animals and causes large animals to become unnerved, while also causing creatures and beings to become momentarily light-headed or nauseous.
Casting a defiling spell also costs double the spell slot.
In contrast to defiling magic is preserving magic, which draws only minor amounts of energy from many different life sources in order for the spellsâ effects to not cause anyone or anything calculable damage. The caster who attempts to cast a spell by preserving life does so with Disadvantage. If the preserving magic attack succeeds, the spellâs full effect occurs without cost of extra spell slots, or damage to the caster.
In short, all mages cast the same (arcane) spells, but they do so through either defiling or preserving magic; it becomes a choice at the moment of casting. Defiling magic causes damage to the caster and costs double spell slots; preserving magic spares the caster self-inflicted damage or spell slots, but attacks at a Disadvantage, or with a penalty.
Iâve spent a lot of time thinking about how to approach this conversion in a pair of Dark Sun 5e campaigns that Iâm running! There are a lot of ways you could go about it, as mentioned above. Ultimately, I want my 5e games to allow for some wizard traditions, and have the following goals for defiling rules (preserving I intend to open as a later option, as learning about preserving magic is going to be a significant part of the story):
Simple to play at the table, using the spirit of 5e mechanics
Empowered Defiling is a choice the characters make to empower their spells, with meaningful consequences, and built in mechanics for addiction.
Regular spellcasting is, by default, defiling to a small extent â but can be handled narratively and situationally rather than by introducing additional tables for terrain types. The main reason for this is to stick to the faster-paced, narrative style of 5e mechanics. As much as I personally love the crunch of 2e, most of my players prefer the faster/lighter play of 5e, as that whatâs they are most familiar with.
To that end, the plan is to eventually unveil defiling/preserving feats that allow for greater control over magic â but to allow empowered/addictive defiling to be a choice any arcane spellcasters (not just wizards) can make immediately at level one. So here is what I went with for base defiling rules:
When a character casts an arcane spell, they may choose to defile an area centered on them that is equal to 5 feet per spell level (minimum of 1). Any plantlife in the defiled area withers, and fertile soil is turned ashen. If there is not an adequate amount of plantlife in the defiled area, all creatures within the area must make a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 necrotic damage per level of the spell cast . If no creatures fail their saving throw, the spell fails. Defiling allows the caster to do one of the following:
- Cast a spell without paying its material component costs
- Cast a spell with a +2 bonus to attack rolls and Spell Save DC
- Cast a spell at as though it were one level higher than the spell slot spent
- Cast a spell (up to 5th level) and immediately regain the spell slot spent to cast it
After defiling, the caster receives a +1 bonus to ability checks (cumulative up to +3). That bonus is reduced by 1 per hour, and when it ends the caster gains a level of exhaustion (magical withdrawal).
For what itâs worth, my simple approach is: defiling allows you to cast spells without consuming spell slots; instead, you destroy plant life around you in a radius similar to that described in the original & updated AD&D settings books. The radius from which you can draw power increases as a function of your highest available spell level (at the moment Iâm going with 2x), so that you can potentially defile to cast 2â3 of your highest level spells before you run out of available plant life (thus sacrificing your ability to cast lesser spells).
There are a few reasons for this fairly simplistic approach:
Defiler vs. Preserver shouldnât be an option chosen during character creation or at 2nd/3rd level, etc. The preservers donât learn a different type of magicâthey simply exercise a level of self-control and caution that defilers typically do not.
It should always be possible for a preserver to fall to defiling, and for a defiler to find redemption. Using different classes or preset items such as a faster spell-level progression makes it difficult to move between defiling and preserving, making these types of character evolution difficult if not impossible to perform.
Getting a re-roll on an existing spell as in 4e isnât tempting. The faster level progression of 2e is moderately tempting, but isnât a thing in 5e, and falls foul of rule 2 above (e.g. a level 10 preserver becomes a defilerâdo they retcon their abilities? Gain new spell levels?). In 3e, defiling lengthens the casting time of a spell in return for a +1 bonus to caster level. While helpful, this isnât tempting except in quite particular circumstances (if I was a level higher, Iâd do 6d6 damage instead of 5d6).
To match the idea that defiling is the lazy option, it shouldnât take more effort, it should take less. That rules out the 3e mechanic of increasing spell casting time. If we take the 2e revised rulebookâs idea of wizards fetching and storing their power at dawn, then defiling would be drawing energy at the time the spell is cast, true. But that shouldnât take a noticeable amount of extra time: the defiler isnât being careful, theyâre reaching down, grabbing, and pulling with all their might, paying little attention to the amount theyâre gathering. Itâs a quick, almost reflexive actionâthey open their palm to the ground and cast the spell, acting as a conduit between the ground and the spell effect. The fact that they can do it quickly is a benefit of defiling, making it more tempting.
As a corollary to rule 4, it might be worth saying that preservers need do take additional time to cast their spells, as they are consciously monitoring the power theyâre drawing as a discrete mental task.
A friend of mine played a Templar in a 4e game, and used arcane defiling in the middle of Urik. That character drew a lot of attention. The sorcerer-kings donât tolerate other defilers, and will hunt them down. This means that over-using the great powers given by the no-spell-slots rule for defilers will certainly land them in trouble; players will have to be careful to choose the right time for using this ability.
Overall, these rules have rather worked out well. My main intention was to make preservers really think hard about the defiling option, and Iâve seen that happen. Iâve seen characters grow by developing conflicts between preservers and defilers on the same team. One spellcaster takes care to arrange their spell slots for an upcoming battle, and another just throws out high-level spells one after the other, bam-bam-bam. Itâs fantastic to see.
I like what you are saying here. Presently, my thought is to simply lengthen the casting time of a Preserver spell by one round to allow for the careful drawing of power, OR the Preserver can opt to use more of their will/focus in the form of a higher level spell slot to cast the same round. Thatâs it. Of course, my campaign is set in a Dark Sun future where Defilers are openly hunted around all the free cities, so there are heavy social consequences for crossing that line.
Iâve been thinking something along the same lines recently, after re-reading Amber Enchantress. In that book, any time Sadira defiles it notes that she takes more time to pull more energy, so I was actually thinking that the times would be reversedâone bonus action to draw just enough energy, a full action to defile. At some point, you would become better at defiling and be able to pull in lots of energy in just a bonus action.
I´m planning to use a small dark sun one shot (that means one sesion only, or maybe two if needed) in my campaign, as the main campaign is in the green days before the cataclism
i plan to start all characters as preservers, instead of a confusing rule, i just use the following, when a character is near death (1/3 hitpoints or less) is tempted to save his or her life by using defiler magic, to reflect this a character roll a concentration check (the DC is the same as the spell cast), if he or she fails , he or she defile, and need to perform the blood rite (a painful ritual) in 24 hours or asume the taint
In addition, if a character defiles is subject to the ire of most people, who kills defilers on sight
And a character can opt to call for a defiling at any time
i choose to use wizards and other arcane oriented clases as preservers, sorcerers as defilers and warlocks as templars, so when a player defile can use a metamagic only avaliable to sorcerers as a bonus
Only patrons avaliable are the sorcerer kings, but i am considering adding the black -who somewhat mirrors the shadowfell and the grey - who somewhat mirrors the feywild, even in athas there are no feys - but in that case that magic are ALSO forbidden by the sorcerers kings
In addition i plan to use an INCAN themed sorcerer king, instead of the already known sorcerer kings, i gather SERIOUSly info of the andean mythos (not mezoamerican ones) and will post them later