This article is part of a series for both the April 2020 RPG Blog Carnival and the 2020 Blogging A to Z Challenge.

We know almost nothing about Cabralin. According to Roreca, it is a peaceful plane with «lots of rolling hills and fields». But we also know that this plane was visited by the planeswalker Davriel Cane, the protagonist of the novella «Children of the Nameless». You’ll see, Davriel is very special, even for a planeswalker: A Worldsoul Entity is hiding in Davriel’s mind, promising him unlimited power if he surrenders control. It heals Davriel’s wounds. It also possibly provided Davriel with his spark. The Entity normally wanted him to draw upon it, use it for its true purpose — as a vast reservoir to power his spells. With the Entity, he could make his abilities last weeks under constant use. As it was, spells he stole from the minds of others usually faded a few hours after he first employed them. Some lasted longer, and others vanished after a few minutes, particularly if he’d been holding them for a while before their first use.

It is unclear whether Davriel had the spark of his own. It is possible that his planewalking powers are granted by the Entity.

«Hum… I have some fine print to obfuscate.»

For your campaign

Besides holding a Worldsoul within, Davriel is also a master negotiator and bargainer. Used to work around the fine print with contracts in his days as an accountant, now he has signed several smaller contracts with lesser demons, structuring them in such a way to align the demons’ interests with his own, bargaining for very favorable conditions to him. For example, a demon he sold his soul to can only reclaim it if guesses correctly the item he was thinking about when signing the contract… and the demon has only one guess per day until the day Davriel dies. This has turn the demon into some sort of guardian to Davriel, as he doesn’t want him to die before he can guess the secret item in question.

New Warlock Pact: Axiomatic Pact

Submitting to a powerful demon can have some advantages, but usually comes to a high price you may not want to pay. So you’ve decided to take advantage of the fine print with different pacts with different lesser outsiders dedicated to law and order (goor or evil). This will give you some measure of arcane power but leave you to decide what to do with it as long as you also comply with the exact accuracies of your contract. In the same vein, most of your powers rely on your ability to make others follow the rules: your rules.

• Special Requirement: Lawful alignment

Expanded Spell List

As an Axiomatic Warlock, you can choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a new warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

1. command
2. hold person
3. counterspell
4. dominate person
5. geas

Axiomatic Presence

Starting at 1st level, you gain advantage against effects that would impose the charmed condition on you. Spells that you cast that would impose the charmed condition are not subject to be dispelled counterspell or dispel magic, but are still subject to effects that prevent the use of magic, such as antimagic field.

Binding Contract

Beginning at 10th level, when you cast a spell that would cause a creature to be charmed or is from this subclass’s expanded spell list, saving throws against those spells have disadvantage. From now on, you are immune to being charmed.

Axiomatic Field

At 14th level, as lond as you’re conscious and concentrating on it (which means you can’t concentrate on a spell simultaneously), you are surrounded by an aura of axiomatic order with a 30-foot radius. Everyone in the area will feel a sense of order and obedience. If a creature does something you might deem unlawful or unjustified they will feel compelled to hesitate. You are unaffected by this feature, as you can justify your actions; but are expected to act within your alignment.

Mechanically this translates into the ability to use a reaction in order to impose disadvantage on rolls to a creature that is in the aura and that you can see until the end of its next turn. Ultimately, it is up to you (and your DM) to determine what is an unlawful act but below you can find some examples:

• Everyone must be given the opportunity to defend themselves: Attacks during a surprise round of combat, attacking an incapacitated or dying creature or from a hidden/stealth position, including from being invisible or disguised.
• Property must be respected: Performing any ability/skill check to steal objects, break and enter into a home, or other clearly criminal act.

Have your players ever made a pact with an otherwordly entity without being a warlock? Did that have unfortunate consequences for them?