The House (5e Subclass)

The House

Warlock Subclass

You’ve made a pact with a figure who moves in the shadows, an enigmatic being who controls the outcome of every wager—yet leaves room for chaos. This patron, a master of both order and randomness, bestows upon you a portion of their volatile power. But heed their warning, for in the end, the odds are always stacked in their favor: To remember that "The House always wins."

Describing the Pact

A Part of Their Free Will: The Warlock relinquishes a portion of their personal agency. The patron will use them as a pawn in a greater game, manipulating the Warlock's actions through subtle nudges or direct interventions. The patron may demand the Warlock make difficult decisions, with consequences that ripple through their life. A Debt to Be Repaid: The House demands a debt of fortune to be repaid at some point in the future. This could come in the form of a dangerous task (e.g., causing someone’s downfall, ensuring a critical event occurs), or it could simply be a reckoning when the Warlock must make a critical choice, potentially sacrificing others or themselves. A Tithe of Luck: The Warlock may also have to offer a bit of their luck whenever the patron desires—sacrificing a lucky outcome of their own in exchange for power, or perhaps cursing themselves to suffer ill fate on occasion to balance the patron’s influence.

Delivering on the Pact:

Sacrificial Acts: From time to time, the Warlock may be compelled to act on behalf of the patron. These acts may not always be morally aligned with the Warlock’s values. The House requires the Warlock to fulfill tasks that shape fate’s outcome, such as ensuring a victory for one side or an unfortunate accident befalls someone. Playing the Odds: The Warlock must gamble with fate—perhaps at the cost of others. A choice might present itself: allow fate to play out naturally or risk everything by altering it in a way that aligns with the patron’s desires. Fate’s Twist: The patron can twist the Warlock’s fate at any time. Flawed luck may lead to misfortune—such as failing a saving throw, suffering bad rolls on attacks, or experiencing a mishap due to overconfidence. But, in return, the Warlock’s magic can ensure that when their luck aligns, it is exceptionally powerful.

Pact Conditions and Flavor:

• “The House Always Wins”: The Warlock may never fully escape the web of fate. The patron is always watching, and even their most victorious moments may eventually become part of the patron’s game—the victory will always come at a cost.
• A Moment of Reckoning: As a major plotline or personal goal, the Warlock may eventually face a critical choice—a moment of reckoning where they can either sacrifice someone or reap a catastrophic price for their refusal. This could be a culmination of their pact where the patron seeks to collect on the debt owed.
• The Luck of the Deal: The Warlock’s success and failure are always tied to a sense of fateful randomness—when things seem to go perfectly, there might always be a twist that complicates their life. They must balance chaos with order in every decision.

Expanded Spell List

The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

Spell Level	Spells
1st	Bane, Chaos Bolt
2nd	Fortune's Favor, Mirror Image
3rd	Counterspell, Blink
4th	Confusion, Greater Invisibility
5th	Mislead, Wall of Force

House Edge

At 1st level, you gain abilities that let you manipulate the odds in your favor.

• Lucky Draw: When you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can roll a d6 and add it to the result. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses on a long rest.
• Stacked Deck: When a creature within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can use your reaction to impose advantage or disadvantage on the roll. You can use this feature once per short or long rest.

Marked Fate

Starting at 6th level, your patron ensures fate tilts in your favor.

• Cheater’s Reversal: When a creature within 30 feet of you scores a critical hit, you can use your reaction to negate the crit, turning it into a normal hit. Instead, you gain a House Die (a d6) that you can roll and add to an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw within the next minute.
• Loaded Dice: Whenever you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can roll a second d20. You must use the second roll, even if it’s worse. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once) per long rest.

High Stakes

At 10th level, you learn to take bold risks with reality itself.

• Double or Nothing: When you cast a spell requiring concentration, you may roll a d20. On an 11 or higher, you don’t need to concentrate on the spell for its full duration. On a 10 or lower, the spell fails, but you regain the spell slot spent on it. You can use this once per long rest.
• Fortune’s Favor: When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll 1d10 for every 10 damage you take (rounded down). Each die reduces the damage by the amount rolled. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

All or Nothing

At 14th level, you can challenge fate with a deadly gamble.

Gambler’s Ultimatum: As an action, you force a creature within 60 feet to bet its fate. The target must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC.

• On a failure: The target is cursed for 1 minute, suffering disadvantage on all d20 rolls. If they die while cursed, you regain all expended warlock spell slots.
• On a success: You suffer disadvantage on all d20 rolls for 1 minute instead. If you drop to 0 HP during this time, the curse is transferred to the target, who then automatically fails all saving throws until the effect ends.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

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