Those who bargain with demons for forbidden power. Varlocks gain magical abilities through pacts with otherworldly entities, at a terrible price.
Hit Die
D6Class Features
The Pact
Your power comes from a demon or dark entity. This connection grants power but may demand... sacrifices.Weapon Mastery
Varlock weapon mastery is highly limited. Select one from: Staff, Dagger, Sickle, Shield, Sling, Wand.The selected weapon begins at Weapon Mastery rank 2. When wielding it, the Varlock gains +1 to hit and increases the weapon's base damage step by 1. Each time the Varlock ranks Weapon Mastery, these bonuses increase.
If Shield is selected, the Varlock gains +1 to deflects when using a shield.
The weapons not selected from the Varlock list are proficient. These attacks have no penalty and deal normal damage. The Varlock is untrained with any other weapon. Untrained weapon attacks are at -1 to hit and provoke reaction.
| Training Category | Weapons | Attack Modifier | Damage | Other |
| Trained | One selected from Staff, Dagger, Sickle, Shield, Sling, Wand | +1 to hit | Base damage step +1 | Starts with Weapon Mastery rank 2 |
| Proficient | The unselected Varlock weapon options | No penalty | Normal damage | None |
| Untrained | All other weapons | -1 to hit | Normal damage | Provokes reaction |
Free Weapon Mastery
On levels 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, 23, 25, 28, 30, 33, and 35, Varlocks gain a free Weapon Master ability or rank, and may select one additional weapon from the Varlock weapon-training list to become trained in.This free increase may rank up an existing weapon mastery, provided the Varlock meets the requirements and has not just gained or already levelled that same mastery on that level. If no existing weapon mastery is ranked, the Varlock gains a new weapon mastery at rank 1.
| Level | Free Weapon Mastery / Rank | Additional Trained Weapon |
| 3 | Yes | Optional |
| 5 | Yes | Optional |
| 8 | Yes | Optional |
| 10 | Yes | Optional |
| 13 | Yes | Optional |
| 15 | Yes | Optional |
| 18 | Yes | Optional |
| 20 | Yes | Optional |
| 23 | Yes | Optional |
| 25 | Yes | Optional |
| 28 | Yes | Optional |
| 30 | Yes | Optional |
| 33 | Yes | Optional |
| 35 | Yes | Optional |
Armour Proficiency
Varlocks are not proficient in any armour.Check Bonuses
On 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels, the Varlock can allocate 1 additional bonus to a check. This cannot be allocated to their best check, and cannot be allocated to a check they have already improved.Taint
At 9th level, if the Varlock is killed, the creature that strikes the killing blow must make a MAG check or gain D20 taint.Bloodline
Choose one sorcerous bloodline. Once chosen, this cannot be altered. The Varlock gains powers from their bloodline at 1st, 7th, 13th, and 19th levels.| Bloodline | Powers and Themes |
| Abomination | Spit acid (D6, range 30'), long limbs (2 square reach), strange anatomy (50% ignore wound), spell resistance (SR4). |
| Arcane | Sense magic, attune additional item, +1 MAG check, 1st level Maegester spell, additional 1st-9th Maegester spell, and may choose a Maegester spell up to half cursed level instead of learning an incantation. |
| Blood of the Coven | Seek others with Blood of the Coven as sisters and brothers. Powers undefined: prophecy, potions. |
| Cursed | Horrible visage, claws as daggers, long life, hag's eye, nightmare speak (sending). |
| Elemental | Summon element, resist energy, freezes but does not die, revives if thawed. |
| Fey | Living hair movement, Briarstep, sidestep invisibility, uncanny laugh as a Mage spell. |
| Golem | +2 fatigue, 2 MR, craft small golem, craft large golem. |
| Goo | +2 HP, twist features for disguise, +2 wound threshold, criticals reduced 1 level. |
| Hive | Insects do not bite or sting unless attacked first, porous body grants AR +1 vs piercing, body hosts a swarm with attack, grab, infestation, puppeteering, swarm burst, and survival themes. |
| Mythica | Swallowing a creature's tooth allows speaking with their voice, eyes become magic items, brew potions, prophecy brews, odd flying item such as broom or cauldron of flying. |
| Netherdemon | See in the dark and claws, resistance, scales, universal linguistics through verbal telepathy. |
| Serpentine | Fangs, speak with reptiles, snake nest host, fascinate/enrapture. |
| Undeadkin | D4/D6/D8 HP progression, half food and water required, +2 CON checks, no longer sleeps. |
| Unfathomable | Dehydration themes, double breath holding, sea lord swimming, short range telepathy, pressure bubble, revives from drowning once exposed to air. |
| Eldritch | Spend 1 strain to draw power and blast it from the hand like a wand, bonus wand training, patron link, summon shade image of patron. |
| Verminous | Undefined. |
Cursed Charms
At 6th level, Cursed Varlocks can create charms. Each charm has a cost, such as HP or fatigue, that cannot be recovered until the charm is used and destroyed. A Varlock can maintain one charm at a time, two charms at 12th level, and three charms at 18th level. Only one of each charm can be maintained.| Charm | Cost | Effect |
| Drain Magic Charm | 3 HP | The first spell cast against you drains to nothing. Affects spells up to your level. |
| Healing Charm | 1 fatigue level | As an action, place over an injury to heal 1 wound and D6+1 HP. |
| Soulcloth Charm | Permanent fatigue level | Enchants a robe or cloak. When a higher-HD creature dies within 10', its spectral face appears in the robe and you gain 1 HP, up to your HD, maximum 9 HP. These HP are lost last; when lost, the souls are released. |
| Skullcandle Charm | 1 round of strain | A sentient skull with a black tallow candle that sheds reverse light: dark on you, dim at 10', shadowy to 20', bright at 30', then sudden dark. |
| Last Gasp Charm | 1 HP | Captures the last breath of the recently departed. Release it to hear final words, or drink it to gain some prowess of the deceased for a short time. |
| Catgut Charm | Distracted condition | Requires catgut and iron splinters or pins. Deals D6 damage when swallowed, then reduces bleed by 1 each round. |
| Crown of Horns | 1 MV | Worn skullcap or horned skull. If reduced to 0 HP, it can shatter to reduce damage by D6 HP. At 12th level a gem may be embedded without counting as attuned. At 18th level, the Varlock can see through the gem as though by torchlight. |
| Book of the Flayed | Time | A book bound in a slain opponent's skin and inked in blood. Takes 64 hours of writing, but only 2 hours per day can be written safely; each additional hour costs 1 fatigue level. When complete, it enhances one ritual and then burns. |
Incantations
Varlocks gain one new incantation when they level, of up to their new level.Incantations are the Varlock's magic type. To use an incantation or other magic, the Varlock must make an awry D20 roll. This is modified by armour, shields, the specific incantation, and other effects. If the roll is a 1 or 2, the magic goes awry. The Varlock may force the incantation to take effect at the cost of 1 HP; otherwise the spell fails.
After an awry result, roll a MAG check. On success, the Varlock contains the awry magic with no further effect. On failure, the power goes out of control; roll D6 and advance on the awry track. The character may change or suffer a permanent effect. Powerful Varlocks can often be identified by how physically altered they have become. Severe awry effects may still cause the incantation to fail.
Incantations have verbal and somatic components. The Varlock may choose to eschew the verbal component, the somatic component, or both, but each missing component increases the awry chance by 3. Some abilities can mitigate this.
Varlocks may gain an additional incantation per level by choosing to gain a curse. Roll once on the curse chart using dice appropriate to the level just gained and the curses available. The curse is gained at the same level as the incantation chosen. New curses may be created with GM approval.
Varlocks may also learn one additional incantation from a cursed magical item they have attuned to. Each cursed item has at least one specific incantation attached. If the Varlock is forced to make a check when their life is endangered, they may choose an additional incantation from that item. This can only be done once per cursed item.
Some magic requires the target to already have a prior condition, disease, curse, or incantation, such as Blood Blisters or Hellfire Pact.
A Hex lasts 6 rounds.
Level Progression
| Level | HP | Abilities | Total Ranks | XP | Deflect | CON | AGL | MAG | WIL | SDF | LIF |
| 1 | D4 | 5 | 5 | 20 | +1 | +1 | +0 | +1 | +1 | +1 | |
| 2 | D6 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 20 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 |
| 3 | D4 | 6 | 7 | 55 | 20 | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +2 |
| 4 | D6 | 6 | 9 | 110 | 20 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 |
| 5 | D4 | 6 | 9 | 170 | 20 | +3 | +3 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +3 |
| 6 | D6 | 7 | 11 | 236 | 20 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +3 |
| 7 | D4 | 7 | 12 | 302 | 20 | +4 | +4 | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 |
| 8 | D6 | 7 | 12 | 368 | 19 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 |
| 9 | D4 | 8 | 14 | 434 | 19 | +5 | +5 | +4 | +5 | +5 | +5 |
| 10 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 500 | 19 | +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 |
| 11 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 566 | 19 | +6 | +6 | +5 | +6 | +6 | +6 |
| 12 | 1 | 9 | 18 | 632 | 19 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 |
| 13 | 1 | 9 | 19 | 698 | 19 | +7 | +7 | +6 | +7 | +7 | +7 |
| 14 | 1 | 9 | 19 | 764 | 19 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 |
| 15 | 1 | 10 | 21 | 830 | 19 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 |
| 16 | 1 | 10 | 23 | 896 | 18 | +8 | +8 | +7 | +8 | +8 | +8 |
| 17 | 1 | 10 | 21 | 962 | 18 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 |
| 18 | 1 | 11 | 23 | 1028 | 18 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 |
| 19 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 1094 | 18 | +9 | +9 | +8 | +9 | +9 | +9 |
| 20 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 1160 | 18 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +9 |
| 21 | 1 | 12 | 26 | 1226 | 18 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +9 |
| 22 | 1 | 12 | 27 | 1292 | 18 | +10 | +10 | +9 | +10 | +10 | +10 |
| 23 | 1 | 12 | 27 | 1358 | 18 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 |
| 24 | 1 | 13 | 29 | 1424 | 17 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 |
| 25 | 1 | 13 | 30 | 1490 | 17 | +11 | +11 | +10 | +11 | +11 | +11 |
| 26 | 1 | 13 | 30 | 1556 | 17 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 |
| 27 | 1 | 14 | 32 | 1622 | 17 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 |
| 28 | 1 | 14 | 33 | 1688 | 17 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 |
| 29 | 1 | 14 | 33 | 1754 | 17 | +12 | +12 | +11 | +12 | +12 | +12 |
| 30 | 1 | 15 | 35 | 1820 | 17 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 |
| 31 | 1 | 15 | 36 | 1886 | 17 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 |
| 32 | 1 | 15 | 36 | 1952 | 16 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 |
| 33 | 1 | 16 | 38 | 2018 | 16 | +13 | +13 | +12 | +13 | +13 | +13 |
| 34 | 1 | 16 | 39 | 2084 | 16 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 |
| 35 | 1 | 16 | 39 | 2150 | 16 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 |
| 36 | 1 | 17 | 41 | 2216 | 16 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 |
Class Skills
Varlocks learn incantations instead of class skills. Choose one new Varlock incantation each level, up to the new level gained.