Eldritch Claw/Eldritch Glaive

[Submortimer]

Here are a few invocations I cooked up that are intended to focus on the specific Pact Boons themselves.

Pact Combat (Pre-req: Level 3, Pact of the Blade)
- Your patron provides you some of the skill of ancient fighting masters. Select a Fighting Style from the Following List: Dueling, Two-Weapon Fighting, Great Weapon Master, Defense, Mariner. This fighting style lasts until you take a Long rest, at which point you may select a new Fighting Style. You may only select this invocation once. You may not select or gain the benefit of any fighting style more than once, even if it comes from another source.

Armor of Shadows
- You can summon a suit of shifting, swirling armor of pure force that protects you in combat. While you are not wearing armor or using a shield, your AC becomes 10 + Dex mod + Cha mod.

Eldritch Claw (Pre-req: Level 7, Pact of the Blade)
- You can manifest a ranged cantrip as a melee spell attack, be it an oversized claw, a blade of roiling chaotic energy, or a lashing tentacle. When you cast a cantrip that requires a Ranged Spell Attack, You may instead make a Melee Spell Attack: this requires at least one free hand.

Eldritch Sword (Pre-req: Level 9, Pact of the Blade)
- When you cast a cantrip or make a melee spell attack in a round, if you are wielding a one-handed weapon in you other hand, you may use a bonus action to make an attack with that weapon.

Eldritch Glaive (Pre Req: Level 12, Eldritch Claw)
- When Using Eldritch Claw to manifest a cantrip, for the following round, you may use your reaction to cast the same cantrip against a target that threatens an Opportunity Attack from you. Your reach is considered 10' for this purpose.

Dual Pact (Pre-Req: Level 11)
- You petition your Patron for an additional Pact Boon. You gain the benefits of a pact boon that you do not currently possess.

Legion Blades (Pre-req: Level 4, Pact of the Blade)
- You may create second pact blade and/or bind a second weapon as your pact weapon, and can summon both as a single action. All of the normal rules for TWF apply when weidling your Pact Blades.

Shield of Atropos (Pre-req: Level 4, Pact of the Blade)
- You may create and/or bind a Pact Shield in addition to your Pact Blade. You are proficient with this shield, and you may summon both your shield and your blade as a single action. Your pact shield does not benefit from other invocations that benefit your pact blade.

Vampiric Blade (Pre-req: Level 15, Pact of the Blade)
- Whenever you stike with your pact blade, you gain a number of THP equal to your Cha modifier. THP gained from lifedrinker stack with other sources of THP, and your maximum THP total is equal to twice your Warlock level + your Cha modifier.

Pages of Infinite Madness (Pre-req: Level 11, Pact of the Tome)
- You permanently alter your Mystic Arcanum. At each level you gain the Mystic Arcanum Class feature, you instead gain a spell slot and a spell known of that level. Unlike your Pact Magic slots, these spell slots are restored after a long rest. You may only use these spell slots while your Tome is in your possession.

Book of Vile Darkness (Pre-req: Level 15, Pact of the Tome)
- Your Patron provides you access to a secret wellspring of power. Select another Warlock Patron; you learn and can cast all of the spells from that Patron's expanded Spell list. Additionally, you gain an additional pact magic slot.

Edit: Added a bunch of new invocations

[Scarab112]

Something that was super awesome for warlocks in 3.5e, Eldritch claw, Hasn't seen a comeback yet in 5e. Here's my attempt.

Eldritch Claw - (Pre-req: Level 5) You can manifest your eldritch blast as a melee attack, be it an oversized claw, a blade of roiling chaotic energy, or a lashing tentacle. When you cast the eldritch blast cantrip, you may reduce the range of your blast to 5 ft. If you do, you do not get disadvantage for casting while in melee: this requires at least one free hand. Additionally, if you are wielding a one-handed weapon in you other hand, you may use a bonus action to make an attack with that weapon.

RAI this would still work with War Caster.

Thoughts?

That would probably make the Blade Warlock a much better melee combatant, placing it on a similar level to other more dedicated melee classes. I don't feel as though it would be particularly overpowered either.

[Submortimer]

I have three other thoughts: make it available ONLY bladelocks; increase the level requirement; and make it apply to any ranged cantrip. I kinda like the idea of a warlock that knows firebolt or ray of frost whipping out a sword made of ice or fire and smacking the guy next to him.

[CrusaderJoe]

I have three other thoughts: make it available ONLY bladelocks; increase the level requirement; and make it apply to any ranged cantrip. I kinda like the idea of a warlock that knows firebolt or ray of frost whipping out a sword made of ice or fire and smacking the guy next to him.

I would say get rid of the blade lock's blade feature as given and give them the ability to make warlock ranged cantrips into melee spell cantrips.

That would make me play a blade lock... Well I would make them into Claws... But same idea.

Have no other warlock have access to this. Now the Tome Lock can't step on the Claw-Lock's tows with shillelagh, even at low levels.

I wanna homebrew a Claw-Lock now haha

[Forrestfire]

I feel like this should be pushed to 7th level or higher, to avoid stepping on the Eldritch Knight's toes.

[CrusaderJoe]

I feel like this should be pushed to 7th level or higher, to avoid stepping on the Eldritch Knight's toes.

The EK has nicer things that this bit of toe stepping ain't that bad.

[pibby]

I like the idea of Eldritch Claw but I have a different idea on how to make it, as a boon that is.

Eldritch Claw
You gain the ability to manifest an eldritch weapon with elemental properties as a bonus action. Upon gaining this boon (or upon manifesting it if you DM allows it) choose an element: fire, ice, or lightning. This one-handed melee weapon does 1d8+CHA damage of the element you chose and uses the Warlock's spell attack modifier. You cannot drop this weapon but it can be dismissed at any time. Any Invocations that are available to those with the Pact of the Blade are also available to you as well.

[Submortimer]

I like the idea of Eldritch Claw but I have a different idea on how to make it, as a boon that is.

Eldritch Claw
You gain the ability to manifest an eldritch weapon with elemental properties as a bonus action. Upon gaining this boon (or upon manifesting it if you DM allows it) choose an element: fire, ice, or lightning. This one-handed melee weapon does 1d8+CHA damage of the element you chose and uses the Warlock's spell attack modifier. You cannot drop this weapon but it can be dismissed at any time. Any Invocations that are available to those with the Pact of the Blade are also available to you as well.

While I think that's a cool idea, it draws away from what eldritch claw (And, by extension, Eldritch Glaive (HA! see what i did there? Reach jokes)) was intended to do, that is, use eldritch blast in melee. I think extending it out to other cantrips is a sweet idea, so i'd run with it. My version still has the limitation of needing War Caster if you want to get opportunity attacks, which i think helps balance it a bit.

[Inchoroi]

Something that was super awesome for warlocks in 3.5e, Eldritch claw, Hasn't seen a comeback yet in 5e. Here's my attempt.

Eldritch Claw - (Pre-req: Level 7, Pact of the Blade) You can manifest a ranged cantrip as a melee spell attack, be it an oversized claw, a blade of roiling chaotic energy, or a lashing tentacle. When you cast a cantrip, you may reduce the range of the spell to 5 ft. If you do, you do not get disadvantage for casting while in melee: this requires at least one free hand. Additionally, if you are wielding a one-handed weapon in you other hand, you may use a bonus action to make an attack with that weapon.

Eldritch Glaive - (Pre Req: Level 12, Eldritch Claw) When Using Eldritch Claw to manifest a cantrip, for the following round, you may use your reaction to cast the same cantrip against a target that threatens an Opportunity Attack from you. Your reach is considered 10' for this purpose.

RAI this would still work with War Caster.



Thoughts?

Edit: Added Eldritch glaive. The original version allowed you to make a full attack with 10ft. reach, dealing EB damage on each strike, and the glaive stuck around for the following round so you could get AoOs. This version is essentially a very limited version of War Caster, though it extends your reach by 5 ft. Note that this still does not allow for cheesy usage via Polearm Mastery, nor does it count as a weapon for purposes of Sentinel.

Huh.

I...might just adopt these. I just made an invocation that granted some extra damage based on your pact itself (like psychic damage for GOO pact) on each hit with your blade. Average damage then equaled out to just behind base fighter, minus archetype features (maneuvers, etc). I might use these instead, however, as I like the idea of attacking someone with a blade made of force. It makes my warlock all the more creepy.

Now I need to make a Shadow Pact...

[Kryx]

The first part of Eldritch Claw seems to match the flavor of the feat from Dragon 358:


As a free action, you can form the energy of your eldritch blast into a set of claws extending almost an entire foot from your hands. While your eldritch claws exist you make up to two claw attacks as natural weapons. You are automatically proficient with your eldritch claws. On a successful attack with an eldritch claw, you deal your normal amount of unarmed strike damage plus your eldritch blast damage.

Once you form your eldirtch claws they remain until just before the beginning of your next turn. You cannot use your normal eldritch blast ability while your eldritch claws exist.

But the extra attack as a bonus action makes this invocation deal more damage than a normal lock. Last I saw of the graphs the Lock is consistent damage. Upping that damage from xd10+x*cha to xd10+x*cha PLUS 1d8+str would add another ~8.5-9.5 damage and increase lock to top tier damage at most tiers.

Why add the extra damage from a weapon? It seems like a pretty good choice as is to let a warlock not have disadvantage on an eldritch blast and be able to provoke AoO with it.

[Garimeth]

Something that was super awesome for warlocks in 3.5e, Eldritch claw, Hasn't seen a comeback yet in 5e. Here's my attempt.

Eldritch Claw - (Pre-req: Level 7, Pact of the Blade) You can manifest a ranged cantrip as a melee spell attack, be it an oversized claw, a blade of roiling chaotic energy, or a lashing tentacle. When you cast a cantrip, you may reduce the range of the spell to 5 ft. If you do, you do not get disadvantage for casting while in melee: this requires at least one free hand. Additionally, if you are wielding a one-handed weapon in you other hand, you may use a bonus action to make an attack with that weapon.

Eldritch Glaive - (Pre Req: Level 12, Eldritch Claw) When Using Eldritch Claw to manifest a cantrip, for the following round, you may use your reaction to cast the same cantrip against a target that threatens an Opportunity Attack from you. Your reach is considered 10' for this purpose.

RAI this would still work with War Caster.



Thoughts?

Edit: Added Eldritch glaive. The original version allowed you to make a full attack with 10ft. reach, dealing EB damage on each strike, and the glaive stuck around for the following round so you could get AoOs. This version is essentially a very limited version of War Caster, though it extends your reach by 5 ft. Note that this still does not allow for cheesy usage via Polearm Mastery, nor does it count as a weapon for purposes of Sentinel.

Mort:

Meant to respond to this the other day...

I like it! I do agree that the ability to use a bonus action attack also is a bit much, since that's an extra 1dX+10 (str and CHA) on top of the 4d10+20. Bit much.

Another potential is to maybe do something similar to the power level of flame blade?

[Submortimer]

I might take out the bonus action. I feel like it fits, given that an EK with a level 2 dip in warlock can do this exact thing, but the intent is to give a Bladelock a few more options in melee. that would also make it not strictly better than the alternative 2 greatsword attacks in a round (4d10+20 with 4 attacks, 4d6+20 with two attacks). Those can also be bolstered by GWF, so that 4d6+20 turns into 4d6+40, and much earlier than EC.

[faustin]

Suddenly I´m remembering Vayne from Mana Khemia (note, only the first minute of the video)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfScbz-j8h0

I hope you come up with an improvement similar for the pact of the chain.

[Sicarius Victis]

How does Eldritch Claw interact with EB's multiple attacks? Do you just make one attack for d10+Cha (with AB) for each attack you'd make with EB if you cast it normally? Or is it just a single attack that does xd10+Cha mod (again with AB)? And do these attacks trigger Repelling Blast?

[Submortimer]

How does Eldritch Claw interact with EB's multiple attacks? Do you just make one attack for d10+Cha (with AB) for each attack you'd make with EB if you cast it normally? Or is it just a single attack that does xd10+Cha mod (again with AB)? And do these attacks trigger Repelling Blast?


All Eldritch Claw/Glaive does is replace the Ranged Spell attack(s) with a Melee spell attack(s). The rest of Eldritch Blast's normal effects happen when you hit with it.


Example: If you are level 17 and you use Eldritch Claw with Eldritch Blast, you make 4 melee spell attacks that deal 1d10 damage a piece (+cha if you have agonizing blast, with knockback if you have repelling blast, etc.). If you use it with firebolt, you make one melee spell attack that deals 4d10 fire damage.

[khadgar567]

Dual pact boon is to good to make invocation please made that a feat

[Sicarius Victis]

All Eldritch Claw/Glaive does is replace the Ranged Spell attack(s) with a Melee spell attack(s). The rest of Eldritch Blast's normal effects happen when you hit with it.

So that's cool. Both fun and flavorful. However, I'm not seeing why it still requires you to be at least 7th level to get it. Since now it just lets you use ranged attacks in melee, I'd lower to minimun 5th level instead. By extension, I'd also lower EG's level, maybe putting it at 7th level instead of EC. I mean, it's really just letting you stab someone with an EB. It's not THAT powerful altogether.