The Dark Seldarine (5e Subclass)
The Dark Seldarine (Drow Pantheon Patron)[edit]
Warlock Subclass
When it comes to making pacts of power in exchange for loyalty, there are few beings that do it better than Lolth, Spider Queen and goddess of the Drow. She is a harsh patron, intolerant of failure (just ask a Drider) and unwavering in her demands. But the power she has to offer is considerable.
Lolth, however, is not alone among the deities of the Drow. There are those loyal to her: Keptolo, her consort; Kiaransalee, the Mad Goddess; and Selvetarm, the Spider Who Waits. There are also those that oppose the Spider Queen: Ghaunadaur, Lord of Slimes; Malyk, the Dark Mage and his sister/lover Zinzerena; and Lolth’s own offspring, Eilistraee and Vhaeraun. It is a young pantheon, as pantheons go, but they hold immense power and fury for those willing to agree to their terms.
Yes, most of these deities have clerics and acolytes, but the relationship between a patron and their warlock is different. A warlock might act in the interest of their patron…or not. They might be following the patron’s directives…or not. The loyalty of a warlock is deniable, and sometimes deniability has value.
To make a pact with any of the Dark Seldarine is to embrace the power of Lolth, directly or obliquely. Thus do the Warlocks of the Dark Seldarine (sometimes called “Spider-Men” or “Spider-Women”, or more collectively, “Web Heads”) all exhibit powers, spells, and abilities related to spiders.
Extended Spell List[edit]
Your union with the dark elven deity allows you to select spells from an expanded spell list. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | sleep, alarm |
| 2nd | (see below) |
| 3rd | blink, slow |
| 4th | confusion, freedom of movement |
| 5th | insect plague, cloudkill |
Additionally, at first level, you learn either the spider climb or web spell. You can cast it once per day, regaining that casting when you finish a long rest. When you reach 3rd level, you learn the other of those two spells, also with one slot-free casting. These are warlock spells for you but don’t count against your number of spells known. You can also cast these spells with slots of 2nd level or higher.
Venomous[edit]
Also at 1st level, when you make your pact with your Dark Seldarine, you begin to add a little venom to your blows. Once on your turn when you deal damage, add 1d4 poison damage. If the d4 rolls a 1, the target is poisoned until the start of your next turn.
You also have resistance to poison damage and advantage on saves against becoming poisoned.
Web Slinger[edit]
At 6th level, the spider essence within you begins to creep into your cantrips. It does this in three ways.
- When you hit an enemy with eldritch blast on your turn, you can replace the damage die of one of the blasts with a strong web. (Any damage bonuses still apply, potentially including your Venomous feature.) The target must make a strength saving throw or be restrained until the start of your next turn or until they use their action or bonus action to make a successful strength save. (Yes, they can use both to attempt saves if they choose to.) If the target takes more than 5 damage while in the web, they are no longer restrained.
- When you use a cantrip that requires a saving throw, you also force them to make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. If they fail that save (whether they fail the other or not), they are poisoned until the start of your next turn.
- When you use any other damage cantrip, you can sacrifice one of the damage dice to include a light web in the casting. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or be grappled for 1d4 rounds, until the target uses its action to escape the web (no save required), or until the they take damage.
The Power of Eight[edit]
At 10th level, the number 8 becomes incredibly significant to you.
- Poison damage from your Venomous feature becomes a d8. If you roll an 8 on that die, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become paralyzed until the end of your next turn.
- You gain a pool of 8 points to add to d20 rolls. When you fail any d20 roll, you can add points from this pool to turn the failure into a success. You can use this as often as you wish until all 8 points have been allocated. This pool is replenished when you finish a long rest.
Manifest Arachnid[edit]
At 14th level, you gain the ability to transform into an eight-limbed version of yourself for 10 minutes. Four extra limbs (or whatever number is needed to total 8) burst from your back and arch to the ground. You choose the appearance of your extra limbs (hairy, bony, ethereal, etc.) These extra limbs offer the following benefits:
- Increase your speed by 10 feet.
- Gain +2 to your dexterity modifier.
- You have the benefits of the spider climb spell and the web walker ability (you ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing, including the web spell).
- You can cast the web spell at will without concentration or spell slots. (If you cast a new web, the old one vanishes.)
- You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.
These benefits last the 10 minute duration or until you are incapacitated. Once you do this, you must finish a long rest before transforming again.
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