The Parasite

Otherworldly Patron
Comments from the Finger: IT’S OUR 200TH POST! This has been on my todo list since the early days of the blog. Hope you guys like it.

The Parasite

Most warlocks make pacts with dead gods and foreign, intangible spirits, and therefore always have cause to doubt their patron’s veracity. By contrast, you have assurance of your patron’s power, for it dwells within you. And not in a metaphorical sense; your patron literally lives inside of you. Others would call your patron a parasite, and you merely a host, but you know the truth.
     Your patron is a rare, powerful creature, perhaps the last of its kind. It is foreign to this world or incredibly ancient, and to remain healthy, it must take up residence inside a host. In compensation, it offers immense power and eldritch secrets to the creature that carries it. You took this creature’s bargain willingly, accepted the creature’s power, and invited its voice into your head.

Parasite Expanded Spells

Leeching Strike
At 1st level, your patron has taught you to feed off of others, just as it feeds off of you. Once per turn, when you deal damage with a melee weapon attack, you gain temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt, rounded down, up to a maximum of your warlock level.

Agitate Magic
Starting at 6th level, you can use your bonus action to call upon your parasite to disrupt foreign magic around you. For up to 1 minute, you have resistance to damage you take from spells and advantage on saving throws against them. During this time, you take irreducible and unavoidable 1d8 damage at the beginning of your turn, as your patron feeds on you to fuel the effect. You can end this effect early on your turn, but you take an immediate 10 damage.

Host’s Resilience 
At 10th level, your patron shares some of its vitality with you. When you roll initiative, you gain 10 temporary hit points which remain for up to 1 minute.

Transfer Host 
By 14th level, you can use your action to transfer your parasite patron to another host within your reach. For 1 minute, at the beginning of each of its turns, the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target is paralyzed until the end of its turn, and takes 25 points of irreducible damage. Constructs, elementals, and undead automatically succeed this saving throw.
      While your parasite is outside your body, you are left with only remnants of your magical abilities, and cannot cast spells of 1st level or higher, nor can you use any powers or abilities offered by this patron.
     At the end of this duration, or when the new host is reduced to 0 hit points, your parasite is ejected from the hosts body, and lands in a space adjacent to the creature. While without a host, the parasite has AC 10 and 10 hit points. If it is reduced to 0 hit points, the parasite is gravely injured, and you will be unable to cast spells of 1st level or higher until you complete a long rest with it inside your body. You can reabsorb your parasite as a bonus action.
     If you transfer your parasite to a host whose challenge rating is greater than your level, there is a 50% chance, at the DM’s discretion, it will choose to remain with its new host. If this is the case, it imposes no negatives on the target, and will only return if the host is reduced to 0 hit points.
     After using this ability, you must complete a long rest before using it again.

Changelog: 7/25/16: Transfer Host: Parasite will only abandon you at DM’s discretion
8/4/16: Leeching Strike: Capped at your warlock level