[Divus]

Preface
- First off, I would like to say that despite the effort I am putting into this suggestion, I do not expect it to be used.
I would be overjoyed if it served as some kind of inspiration for a similar class.
But I know Dev very much runs his own show and he does it well; I am only making this post elaborate out of personal compulsion.

The Warlock class is intended as a suggestion for a truly 'forbidden' school of magic.
Its nature, when in use, is very clear and understandably taboo to use anywhere.

However, subtlety is somewhat possible and the magic is powerful, causing it to tempt prospective mages.
The class suggestion is also intended for Huggessoa worshipers, as his domain is blood, the core of Warlock magic.

Huggessoa has had cults of player worshipers for years now and I believe a class catering to them would be beneficial to the game in every measure.
I hope you will derive pleasure from reading the theoretical class' contents if naught else.

Definition
- The Warlock is a pseudo-intermediary of Curate and Mage, akin to Spellthief and Demon Hunter.
Warlocks descended from a forbidden school of magic deemed anathema by the Mercalan church.
Their magic runs counter to Mercana by its very nature-

Warlocks objectify life and invert its sanctity to utilize Blood rites.
Blood rites are potent Huggessoan-domain spells that consume the focus in blood to produce unusually powerful effects.
Any desire a Warlock is willing to bleed for is often possible with these dark rites.

But, you get what you pay for, and the price is often dear; Blood rites can cost a Warlock dearly, sometimes killing their caster before their intended victim.
The rites truly demand their user's life essence as their toll.

(Unlocked by winning a battle as a KO'd Mage or Priest class of CL 20+)

Mechanics
Class Weapons: Daggers & Tomes
Class Stats: -5 FAI, -3 SAN.

Purpose: Provides high-burst and potent gimmick spells. Minor buffs/debuffs available as HP-consuming toggles.
Summary: Utilizes totally Darkness-based damage. Powerful spells available that don't require invocations. However, Warlock spells are all Blood rites, which consume the user's HP as well as their FP to cast- and sometimes in large measure.
Pros:
+ High, quick burst.
+ Not reliant on weapon scaling.
+ Able to purge debuffs by losing HP.
+ Subverts Curate-class buffs.
+ Few stats needed.
Cons
- Doesn't scale well with items.
- Necessary to spend much HP on spells.
- Countered severely by Darkness resistance.
- Weapons only good for spellpower, not scaled attack.
- Lacks mobility and is weak against mobile enemies.


Spells

BLOODLETTING
The dreadful art of sanguinary casting used by Warlocks.

BLOODY LANCE Sacrifices a voluminous sum of the user's own blood to conjure a pitch-black lance of blood possessed by evil force. This dark lance is thrown forward at an enemy within 4 tiles by unseen force, and will severely damage a single enemy depending on the blood price paid. BLOODY LANCE deals this lost health as heavy darkness damage.
1: Cost 4M, 20FP 10% Current HP. 170% Health paid dealt as darkness damage
2: Cost 4M, 23FP, 14% Current HP. 195% Health paid dealt as darkness damage
3: Cost 4M, 26FP, 18% Current HP. 220% Health paid dealt as darkness damage
4: Range +1
5: Momentum cost -1

GORE SALVO Projects the user's own ill-enchanted blood to shoot foes and afflict their own lifeblood. Fires flesh bullets across a 3-5 reverse Crescent AoE zone that has fixed range at 2 tiles in front of the user.
1: Cost 3M, 12 FP, 12 HP. 180% Darkness ATK
2: Cost 3M, 6FP, 18 HP. 220% Darkness ATK
3: Cost 3M, 0FP, 24 HP. 260% Darkness ATK
4: Cost 3M, 30 HP. 300% Darkness ATK
5: Cost 3M, 34 HP. 340% Darkness ATK

MALEFICE Sheds the user's blood as a medium to project otherworldly pain on an enemy's life force directly, within a range of Rank*2. This damage is small- but bypasses Darkness resistance.
1: Cost 3M, 15FP, 5HP, 100% Darkness ATK
2: Cost 3M, 10FP, 10HP, 115% Darkness ATK
3: Cost 3M, 0FP, 15HP, 130% Darkness ATK
4: Cost 3M, 20HP, 145% Darkness ATK
5: Cost 3M, 30HP, 160% Darkness ATK

MOURNING
A frightful craft of sickly Blood Rites that especially endanger their users in exchange for tantalizing powers.

BECKONING OF WOE Rank B Invocation. Offers the user's own blood and spirit to beckon a terrible calamity that will rampage across the battlefield. If the Invocation succeeds- the caster's HP is set to 1, and they will receive 3 random wounds. However, a swarm of Horrors ripped from astral space will tear apart the battlefield in a flurry of gore, aberrant talons and terrifying magical appendages, dealing extreme damage to everyone else in the battle... even the caster's own allies.
1: Cost 6M, 100FP. 200% Darkness ATK + Health paid by user.
2: Cost 6M, 100FP. 250% Darkness ATK + Health paid by user.
3: Cost 6M, 100FP. 300% Darkness ATK + Health paid by user.
4: Cost 6M, 100FP. 350% Darkness ATK + Health paid by user.
5: Cost 6M, 100FP. 400% Darkness ATK + Health paid by user.

ARCHFIEND'S CROSS Brings down a horridly bent crucifix on a single tile within 5 range. An enemy struck by the crucifix is knocked onto a random adjacent tile, but will only take 1 damage from the impact. The horrid crucifix emits a 3x3 aura of languishing and dread, weakening the spirits of foes and sapping their resistance to evil forces. The crucifix will stand for 2 rounds before crumbling and fading from this world as shadow-cinders. The bent cross' debuff lasts 1 round.
1: Cost 3M, 10% User's max HP. Enemies lose all darkness resistance, retaliation and absorption in the crucifix's aura.
2: Lowers cost to 8% of user's max HP.
3: Extends crucifix aura to a 4x4 square AoE centered around it.
4: Lowers momentum cost to 2.
5: Debuff duration +1.

DIRE OFFERING Rank D Invocation. Through the ritual shedding of their own blood, the caster imbues themselves with a terrifying boon of unholy magic, causing all Darkness-based damage they deal to become irresistible. In addition, the user will absorb Darkness-based damage for the duration, countering Darkness retaliation. Darkness ATK increases by Rank*5 as well. However- the price of the ritual is half the user's remaining life, and inflicts them with -50% Light resistance during the buff's duration as well. Lasts 3 rounds.
1: Cost 6M.
2: Duration +1.
3: Light resistance to -25% (From -50%)

SHEDDING OF MORTALITY Afflicts the user with a 'Bloodcurse' effect that acts as both a buff and debuff. While they have cursed themselves, the caster loses 10% of their maximum health as damage at the start of each round. This effect can bring the user's HP below 0 and potentially kill them. However, while active, Bloodcurse causes all offensive Warlock spells to heal the user for 20% of the darkness damage that they deal. Lasts 2 rounds.
1: Cost 3M.
2: Duration +1.
3: Lifesteal raised to 30%.

DESECRATION
Inversion of Mercalan rites and boons used to defile once-good things to the Warlock's benefit.

ECHOES OF PERDITION: Spreads the corruption and rotted Focus of the Warlock where they walk; this is a toggle spell that causes the Warlock to transform any nearby beneficial tiles nearby to 'Wasteland' tiles. Wasteland tiles are areas of space where blood has been spewed into astral space, and on them, all healing effects received are reduced by half by a perpetual famine. Standing on a Wasteland tile at the start of a round will also extend the duration of any 'Fear' effects the subject is suffering, and will raise the debuff's LVL by +5. Transforms any tiles that have buff effects within 3 tiles of the Warlock, but costs them 5HP each time they turn a beneficial tile into a Wasteland.
1: Acquire skill
2: Range extended to 4 tiles
3: Equpping this skill does not consume a slot

SPOILING GLOOM: Can only be used if a 'Mist' spell is in play. The Warlock beckons unseen evil into the mist by corrupting it with their blood, which spreads through it to blanket the battlefield in sanguine fog. This terrible mist favors no-one and lowers the Dark RES of all enemies in it by -10. The bloody fog lasts only 2 rounds, but during this time, no new 'Mist' spells can be successfully cast either.
1: Cost 3M, 40FP, 5% Maximum HP.
2: Duration +1
3: Equpping this skill does not consume a slot

MASS BLASPHEMY: Rank D Invocation. Upon casting, inflicts a debuff on everyone in the battle that causes Curate-class healing effects to harm rather than heal. Prayer cannot be used and Devotion is negated while active. In addition, casting a buff on someone will also cause them to receive a random status debuff, such as 'Poison' or 'Fear' of equal LVL to the buff. Lasts 3 rounds.
1: Cost 6M, 60 FP, 60 HP.
2: Mercalan Domain spells cost +10 more Focus.
3: Enemies suffer -20 Light ATK.

DIABOLISM
The temptations of blood magic and how it condemns its users to evil.

HATRED: Actualized force of a Warlock's unchained ambitions, deep avarice and hungry malevolence. As a Warlock grows in power- their life force weakens, and nature turns against them, but their powers become severely dangerous. At Rank 5, grants +10% Darkness resistance.
1: VIT -2. Adds +5 power to Warlock spells.
2: VIT -4. Adds +10 power to Warlock spells.
3: VIT -6. Adds +15 power to Warlock spells.
4: VIT -8. Adds +20 power to Warlock spells.
5: VIT -10 Adds +25 power to Warlock spells.

ANATHEMA: Warlocks who live long enough to understand the dark lore eventually exude its dreadful secrets, releasing an aura of hope-ablating dread. Lowers the FAI and SAN of adjacent enemies. At Rank 5, lowers Light ATK of enemies by -10.
1: -4 FAI/SAN
2: -8 FAI/SAN
3: -12 FAI/SAN

RITUAL ARTS: The necessity of bleeding is unique to the forbidden magic of blood sacrifice and offerings to evil; the ritual blades a Warlock employs inevitably become possessed with power and ill-will, bound to their terrible purpose. Grants 'Spelledge' to any Dagger the Warlock has equipped in their main-hand, and improves the usage of Warlock-class spells while using a dagger.
1: Acquire skill
2: Warlock spells cost 25% less FP with a Dagger in their main-hand.
3: Equipping this skill does not consume a skill slot.

BLITHE NIHILITY: Some who choose the path of bloodied magic and woeful sacrifice attune so heavily to the powers of blood that they can expel rival magic through it- pouring out the hexes and toxins of their enemies by giving up their lifeblood.
1: Toggle; purge any debuff you receive, but at a cost of HP = Debuff LVL x 2.
2: Equipping this skill does not consume a skill slot.

[Exxy]

I could see a few slight-tweaks being needed for a few things but overall I think the concept has merit (I may be slightly bias; I've always loved HP-related classes that either power-up with lower HP or give more damage in exchange for HP loss).

[Lolzytripd]

I feel instead of flat hp costs that percent of current hp costs might be better.

[Snake]

Cons
- Burst isn't as high as Evoker's.
Anything isn't as high as Evoker.

- Weaker as a fight goes on.
Spooky scary Ghosts.

Sarcasms away! That class would be interesting, too bad Glykins would excel at it, if the costs don't boil down to percentages.

[Divus]

The Warlock concept has been heavily updated!
This is about all I'm willing to do for the spell tree.

It is indeed "incomplete" in that it's not quite as large as most class'... this is intentional, as I would like the community to suggest spells and imagine what would go best there.

The numbers, just like the spells themselves, are also purely conceptual; I don't pretend to assume they're balanced, as I'm new to Sigrogana's meta entirely. But they're just there so there's at least something to tell you how hard they hit.

I changed, reworked and abandoned a lot of original concepts; I did not want this class to be too similar to any other, and I underestimated how nuanced Sigrogana's classes are. The current product took me some days of brainstorming, research on the game's classes and watching a lot of PvP as well as PvE to get a 'feel' for how it all interacts.

What I witnessed helped me to make what I believe is a much more nuanced incarnation of the original Warlock idea.
Some summaries of what I tried to include:
- Usage of Daggers as casting tools; this opens the way into many main and sub-class options, such as a Void Assassin / Warlock.
- Both % and flat HP costs for Warlock spells. The most relevant or impactful spells cost %Max HP, or large %Current HP.
- Structuring of Warlocks partly as a counter to buff-heavy users and 'mist' spells, though it costs a solid 10~ skill points to go this route.

I understand some things in the concept are probably a little broken, but I ask for full feedback as well as inspired ideas for the theoretical concept.