Undying Patron Bladelock

[Biffwit]

I was listening to Stan Rogers on my way to work this morning. Something about Witch of the Westmorelands just tickled me. After listening to it on a loop a few times on the bus I decided that I need to make a Bladelock that has the Witch of the Westmorelands as a patron.

Considering that the Witch brings him back to life, I'm flavouring her as an Undying patron.

I figure a knight who forms a pact with the Witch would be a bladelock. I've heard they are notoriously terrible. Especially when, like me, you are not allowed to multi-class (DM houserule).

I'm trying to figure out how to best make one. I'm running into a number of issues:

Action economy: The juicy spells all seem to be action casting time, which means you can't cast and attack.

MAD: I need 3-4 good stats to make the character work.

Squishiness: Warlocks are not front-line fighters. I get that. I'm okay playing a back-up role, but I've got to survive. No heavy armor proficiency and d8 hit-points is making this difficult.

I'm loving the idea of a Aasimar Bladelock but I'm having trouble making it work. Is there something I'm not seeing?

I have access to PHB, Volo's, Xanathar's and Sword Coast Adventure Guide.

[Aett_Thorn]

Well, the lack of being able to multiclass is going to hurt you a lot in this. Undead patron Warlocks get very little that will help them survive in melee, at least until later levels. This will be a bit MAD, since you'll need Cha, Con, and either Str or Dex. I know that you were thinking Aasimar, but considering what you're trying to do, I might actually suggest Mountain Dwarf. You'll have access to Medium Armor (which lessens the need to have Dex be all that high), and you'll get a bump to Str and Con. Your Charisma will be low, but if you're planning on being in Melee, that might not matter as much, and you can focus your ASIs there. You'll also have access to some better weapons at levels 1-2 which might help a bit at that early level.

[Vogie]

It really depends on what you're trying to do. In reality, you'll probably just pick one thing and double down with it. If you're pact of the blade, and not hexblade, your Charisma is just going to suffer. And that's fine!

Your only "required" abilities will be Thirsting Blade at 5 and Lifedrinker at 12(Edit: If you actually have any Charisma, that is. If not, then SKIP!). Everything else is up to you. Some thoughts on different playstyles of Bladelock:
If you are going be in the melee with Strength Weapons, Moderately Armored will almost be a requirement, bumping your swing stat and giving you medium armor access.
If you focus on Dex weapons, and will be in melee, Armor of Shadows should keep you covered.
Since you're certainly not tanking, you can consider doing the famed Darkness/devil's sight combo until you get to Shadows of Moil Level.
You may want to consider be picking up False Life, either through the Extended Spell List or the invocation, but you want to have that added survivability. Even if your primary THP generator is AoA, having Fiendish Vigor in your back pocket could keep you alive after AoA is burned through
If you don't want to focus on armor, you could abuse Expeditious Retreat, giving you the ability to Bonus-Action-Dash, so you can run in, strike, then dash away (you'll likely want the Mobile feat for this). At level 7, you can replace ER with a bonus action teleport by using Hex instead.
You can also be a curse archer (your pact weapon can be a bow as early as 3 with Improved Pact Weapon invocation), you can also rely less on your spells, and can use Hex (the warlock's signature Bonus Action Spell!) just to augment damage. You can also pick up Maddening Hex at 5 to deal PAOE psychic damage through Hex as a bonus action.

[JPicasso]

Could you consider tweaking an EK instead?

Would your DM allow you to take an EK, who gains their magic via witch, instead of study of the arts? This would shift them more to melee mechanically, but sounds like what you're after.
Your responsibility to the witch would be super minimal (no forced pact), but could provide some interesting plot hooks.

Possibly allowing (or restricting) your spell access to the warlock list?

[Connington]

The Witch of the Westmoreland is so clearly a kelpie though, and the knight was only dying, not dead, when she saved him. Fae pact all the way.

[Easy_Lee]

You can skip Thirsting Blade at 5 and Lifedrinker at 12 if you build the character as a Bladesinger-style gish. Choose a blade cantrip or two, take Warcaster or Resilient Con at 4, and use your invocations and spell slots for more options and control. You won't do half the damage of the standard GWM half-elf Hexblade, but you'll do a lot of things that character doesn't without looking like you're trying to be that character.

[Mortis_Elrod]

Gonna agree with Easy Lee here.


In any case pick up improved pact weapon and use a bow.

This makes you Dex based, which will help with your madness. Pick up some useful utility invocations or the blade ones either work.

Just as you stated be aware that a blade lock is inherently squishy. ESmite is great for a glass cannon feel though and if that’s the type of character you want to play you can go full bowlock and blast people from afar. Ignore EB and use your other invos for utility.

If you find yourself in melee you can be fine using your action to switch your bow to a rapier.

[Biffwit]

Well, the lack of being able to multiclass is going to hurt you a lot in this. Undead patron Warlocks get very little that will help them survive in melee, at least until later levels. This will be a bit MAD, since you'll need Cha, Con, and either Str or Dex. I know that you were thinking Aasimar, but considering what you're trying to do, I might actually suggest Mountain Dwarf. You'll have access to Medium Armor (which lessens the need to have Dex be all that high), and you'll get a bump to Str and Con. Your Charisma will be low, but if you're planning on being in Melee, that might not matter as much, and you can focus your ASIs there. You'll also have access to some better weapons at levels 1-2 which might help a bit at that early level.

I'm not tied to the race, though I do like it. I'm open to other racial suggestions.


It really depends on what you're trying to do. In reality, you'll probably just pick one thing and double down with it. If you're pact of the blade, and not hexblade, your Charisma is just going to suffer. And that's fine!

Your only "required" abilities will be Thirsting Blade at 5 and Lifedrinker at 12(Edit: If you actually have any Charisma, that is. If not, then SKIP!). Everything else is up to you. Some thoughts on different playstyles of Bladelock:
If you are going be in the melee with Strength Weapons, Moderately Armored will almost be a requirement, bumping your swing stat and giving you medium armor access.
If you focus on Dex weapons, and will be in melee, Armor of Shadows should keep you covered.
Since you're certainly not tanking, you can consider doing the famed Darkness/devil's sight combo until you get to Shadows of Moil Level.
You may want to consider be picking up False Life, either through the Extended Spell List or the invocation, but you want to have that added survivability. Even if your primary THP generator is AoA, having Fiendish Vigor in your back pocket could keep you alive after AoA is burned through
If you don't want to focus on armor, you could abuse Expeditious Retreat, giving you the ability to Bonus-Action-Dash, so you can run in, strike, then dash away (you'll likely want the Mobile feat for this). At level 7, you can replace ER with a bonus action teleport by using Hex instead.
You can also be a curse archer (your pact weapon can be a bow as early as 3 with Improved Pact Weapon invocation), you can also rely less on your spells, and can use Hex (the warlock's signature Bonus Action Spell!) just to augment damage. You can also pick up Maddening Hex at 5 to deal PAOE psychic damage through Hex as a bonus action.


I'm considering a lot of these. I run into the mad issue over and over. I think I'll have to drop dex as a stat regardless. For range, I can probably just leaning on EB, as it uses Cha.

Undying patron gives false life as a spell.

Edit: I just saw that there's also an invocation that lets you use it at will. Also, would I incur attacks of opportunity by dashing away (because ti isn't disengage)?


Could you consider tweaking an EK instead?

Would your DM allow you to take an EK, who gains their magic via witch, instead of study of the arts? This would shift them more to melee mechanically, but sounds like what you're after.
Your responsibility to the witch would be super minimal (no forced pact), but could provide some interesting plot hooks.

Possibly allowing (or restricting) your spell access to the warlock list?

I've been looking at maybe doing that or a Paladin with just pact-y backstory stuff.


The Witch of the Westmoreland is so clearly a kelpie though, and the knight was only dying, not dead, when she saved him. Fae pact all the way.

I've been considering this as well. I'm on the fence. I do like the Archfey vibe.

[Biffwit]

You can skip Thirsting Blade at 5 and Lifedrinker at 12 if you build the character as a Bladesinger-style gish. Choose a blade cantrip or two, take Warcaster or Resilient Con at 4, and use your invocations and spell slots for more options and control. You won't do half the damage of the standard GWM half-elf Hexblade, but you'll do a lot of things that character doesn't without looking like you're trying to be that character.


Gonna agree with Easy Lee here.


In any case pick up improved pact weapon and use a bow.

This makes you Dex based, which will help with your madness. Pick up some useful utility invocations or the blade ones either work.

Just as you stated be aware that a blade lock is inherently squishy. ESmite is great for a glass cannon feel though and if that’s the type of character you want to play you can go full bowlock and blast people from afar. Ignore EB and use your other invos for utility.

If you find yourself in melee you can be fine using your action to switch your bow to a rapier.

See, I was originally leaning away from this because I almost always prefer to use Dex based combatants. I'm realizing more and more that this is not the character for me to break that trope, and scimitars, shortswords and scimitars give me some versatility in weapon choice.

I'm also wondering now if it would not simply be better for me to re-fluff the Witch of the Westmorelands and become a hexblade. It removes pretty much all my MADness.

[Easy_Lee]

See, I was originally leaning away from this because I almost always prefer to use Dex based combatants. I'm realizing more and more that this is not the character for me to break that trope, and scimitars, shortswords and scimitars give me some versatility in weapon choice.

I'm also wondering now if it would not simply be better for me to re-fluff the Witch of the Westmorelands and become a hexblade. It removes pretty much all my MADness.

That would be better if dealing damage is your goal. No other warlock can surpass the hexblade for damage, particularly melee damage. Note that, due to warlocks having easy access to advantage on attacks, the Hexblade combos very well with Elven Accuracy and Great Weapon Mastery. Half-elf Hexblade with those two feats is standard and perhaps the most powerful melee damage dealer at level 8.

The downside is that this path requires full investment and so you will have fewer invocation options than other warlocks.