The Mad God Maraaq’ (5e Subclass)
The Mad God Maraaq’[edit]
Warlock Subclass
Warlocks who forge this pact are followers of Maraaq', an eldritch entity from the Far Realm that is slowly gaining influence over the material plane, being worshiped as a god of madness and revelations. These warlocks double as preachers, spreading the mad god word and influence, as they believe they contain secrets for a bigger true, that only can be seen through the lenses of insanity. For this, they use two tools granted by their mad god: its language and its brood. The language of maraaq' is maddening and chaotic, and is a great tool to drive another creature to madness. The brood of maraaq', the biotic, are its spawn, cosmic parasites that slowly warp the bodies and minds of its host, allowing them to receive Maraaq's blessings.
- Expanded Spell List
The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | command, tasha's hideous laughter |
| 2nd | crown of madness, detect thoughts |
| 3rd | clairvoyance, sending |
| 4th | compulsion, confusion |
| 5th | commune, dominate person |
- Herald of Maraaq’
Maraaq’ has chosen you as its vessel, tasking you with spreading its influence throughout the material realm. When you chose this origin, your perception of reality is gradually warped. You roll on the Indefinite Madness table when you gain this feature at 1st-level, and again at 6th, 10th and 14th level.
In addition, you learn the ancient eldritch language of Maraaq’ , becoming its voice on the material plane. You know Elder Speech, the secret language created by the First Herald, upon its contact with Maraaq’. You can speak the language and use it to secretly communicate with other chosen of the mad god. You and others who know this language automatically spot such a message.
- Lesser Biotic
At 1st level, you are gifted with the presence of biotics, spawns of the mad god. Biotics appear as leech-sized worms that crawl out of your hand, and must be applied to the bare skin of a creature. The biotic burrows its way into the skin of the host, causing a rash to develop on the area where it burrowed. You start by having a young spawn, the lesser biotic. The lesser biotic occupies the same space and you, is a tiny aberration, and has a number of hit points equal to 5 x your warlock level. The biotic dies if you die when it is no longer in contact with a living humanoid.
If the lesser biotic is always destroyed, you can summon another using your bonus action. You can touch a creature, turning that creature the biotic host, which gives the host the following properties:
- The host has the ability to understand, read, and speak Elder Speech, but can only do so while within 60 feet of you.
- You can send brief and incoherent hallucinations or emotions to any host target of your choice as long as you and the host are in the same plane. You can also see through the host's eyes and sense with its senses, up to a range of 60 feet.
- The host is able to use the biotic to regain hit points, using an action. The host regains 1d4 hit points, and must wait a short or long rest before using this property again.
A unwilling target of the biotic can make a Constitution saving throw to avoid becoming a host. The host can be removed using a remove curse or greater restoration spell. You have a number of biotics equal to your proficiency bonus.
- Maddening Speech
At 6th level, you can cause creatures that don't know Elder Speech can be driven to insanity with the revelations about the warped god of madness. On your turn, without using an action, you can start to speak in Elder Speech. Each creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of you and can hear the Elder Speech must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature can't take reactions until the start of its next turn and rolls a d8 to determine what it does during its turn. On a 1 to 4, the creature does nothing. On a 5 or 6, the creature takes no action or bonus action and uses all its movement to move in a randomly determined direction. On a 7 or 8, the creature makes a melee attack against a randomly determined creature within its reach or does nothing if it can't make such an attack. After succeeding or failing this check, the same creature can't be affected by Elder Speech again for the next 24 hours.
In addition, you can speak, read and write in Deep Speech.
- Warped Mind
At 10th level, you embrace the true madness of the mad god, making your mind tortuous and inescrutable. You don't suffer any of the negative effects from short term and long term madness. You also have advantage on saving throws against effects that would detect your thoughts or otherwise read your mind, and resistance to psychic damage.
- Greater Biotic
When you reach the 14th level, the Lesser Biotic becomes strong enough for the Herald to exert more control over the host. If a creature has been host of a lesser biotic for 30 days or more, the host is prompted with the option to surrender to Maraaq’s influence. The host loses all positive emotional inclinations, their motivation instead supplanted by the drive to further Maraaq’ cause, being freed from doubt, anxiety, and connections from anyone outside the cult, and are inversely conscripted into the cult and can no longer willfully act against it. If they accept, the host’s Lesser Biotic evolves into a Greater Biotic. When the host chooses to further evolve their Elder Biotic, the host is affected in the following manners:
- Hosts of Greater Biotes gain the ability to understand, read, and speak Elder Speech regardless of their distance from the Herald.
- Hosts are able to cast Alter Self at will. The effect of Alter Self is limited to Natural Weapons.
- The host is always under the effects of calm emotions, as if it were in its area of effect.
- You can cast any spell from the enchantment school on the biotic host, regardless of distance (as long as both are in the same plane), and without the need of seeing the target.
Once you create a greater biotic, you can conjure a new Lesser Biotic.
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