Selling your Soul at a Premium: The Warlock's Guide to Power

[Warlush]

So I take it from reading this guide a Yuan-ti pureblood with boon of Chain, Pact of the Fiend makes a pretty sweet Warlock?

I can tell you from experience, this build is not only mechanically strong, it's so much fun. Mask of Many Faces and the Actor feat at lvl 4 ensures that nobody will ever find out you're a snake.

A super familiar is epic scouting and social shenanigans.

Advantage on all saves?!?!?!?!

Poison immunity!!!!!

Recharging THP!!!!!!

It's so much fun.

[BloodBrandy]

As someone who has only been in D&D for about a year and a half and is currently running a warlock, I wish I'd seen this sooner.

Honestly though I expected Plane Shift to be more than just Situational, since you can also use it as an upgraded Banishment. Yeah, it needs both an attack from the caster and a Charisma save from the target, but success means not only are they banished no matter what plane they hail from, but you can pick whatever plane you want to send them to.

Send a Frost Giant to the Elemental Plane of Fire

Send a Fire Elemental to the Plane of Water.

Send a Vampire to the Quasi-elemental Plane of Radiance

or just channel your inner Yu-Gi and banish any problems you have to the ShadowRealmFell

[JakOfAllTirades]

As someone who has only been in D&D for about a year and a half and is currently running a warlock, I wish I'd seen this sooner.

Honestly though I expected Plane Shift to be more than just Situational, since you can also use it as an upgraded Banishment. Yeah, it needs both an attack from the caster and a Charisma save from the target, but success means not only are they banished no matter what plane they hail from, but you can pick whatever plane you want to send them to.

Send a Frost Giant to the Elemental Plane of Fire

Send a Fire Elemental to the Plane of Water.

Send a Vampire to the Quasi-elemental Plane of Radiance

or just channel your inner Yu-Gi and banish any problems you have to the ShadowRealmFell

You can send them to whatever plane for which you just happen to have crafted a 250gp focus. And you need a different one for each plane, so picking any plane you like would be rather expensive and time-consuming.

[MilkmanDanimal]

You can send them to whatever plane for which you just happen to have crafted a 250gp focus. And you need a different one for each plane, so picking any plane you like would be rather expensive and time-consuming.

Yeah, but, at some point, making a single focus for the Abyss would do wonders. It's an encounter-ending spell, and CHA tends to be a weak save, so I'm a pretty big fan of it. Touch is obviously not ideal in terms of range, but it's very much a spell where you just end things. Compared to Power Word: Pain I think it's notably better; that one is a CON save, plus an additional CON save at the end of every turn. The odds of it lasting more than a couple turns once you get to a level where you're casting it doesn't seem great to me.

[BloodBrandy]

You can send them to whatever plane for which you just happen to have crafted a 250gp focus. And you need a different one for each plane, so picking any plane you like would be rather expensive and time-consuming.

Well first, but the time you are casting Plane Shift, 250g probably isn't that bad. And the spell itself says the fork just needs to be attuned to a particular plane, but it doesn't say it needs to be the one you are targeting. It's probably a 'talk to your DM' sort of thing but even if you need a fork for the target plane, it can be a game changer spell if you just have one fork of a particularly inhospitable plane of existence.

This spell, a familiar and the element of surprise can probably end a lot of encounters before they begin without you even needing to be closer than 100ft of the target.

[Fedifensor]

There are some nifty options for Warlocks in the Eberron: Rising from the Last War sourcebook, particularly when you look at the Dragonmark bonus spells. Here’s a few things I’m using for my 4th level Warlock:

Mark of Shadow: An elf with +2 Dex and +1 Cha, the standard features of the main race, plus bonuses to Performance and Stealth, an extra cantrip (Minor Illusion), invisibility 1/day, and several spells added to the warlock spell list.

Double-Bladed Scimitar: Give your bladelock a bonus attack action without spending a feat. If you have a feat slot to spare, Revenant Blade gives you +1 AC, lets you use Dex instead of Str for melee (valuable for non-Hexblade Blade Pact Warlocks, or even Hexblades with a higher Dex that Cha, and is only a “half-feat” (gives +1 Dex)

Low-Level Magic Items: While high-level magic is harder to come by than other D&D settings, low-level magic is commonplace. Supplement your limited number of spell slots by purchasing 1st level spell scrolls at 50 gp each, or create your own (if you have Arcana) for 25 gp using the rules in XGtE. Hex scrolls can be carried in one hand and used as a bonus action at the beginning of a fight, leaving your spell slots to be used for non-concentration spells or Eldritch Smite.

[Neutromancer]

Speaking of the Eberrons, the latest (and now officially published) version of the Changeling can start with +3 Charisma.

[Nocturne73]

@EvilAnagram

Just curious on what your insight would be on Epic Boons for Warlocks?

Thanks in advance!

[Klorox]

Amazing guide, thank you!

[Halavor]

First of all, this is an incredibly useful guide. I wanted to give people a thought: the new circle of dreams Druid squares incredibly nicely, role-playing wise, with the Archfey. In a party which is healing-poor, a three level druid dip can multiclass nicely with warlock, particularly tome, or possibly chain.

The goal of this build isn't a min-max or OP combat build. It's about fun and Flavor. I imagine the progression to be 8 warlock - 3 druid - 9 warlock. The patron can be the guide to both, realistically. After all, as others have noted, the class is a chassis, a mechanical distinction to make the game easier to play, not necessarily a distinction that a given character would make, or that others would.

The guide originally did not like Druid / warlock multiclassed characters, and mechanically, I can see why. But if one has the wisdom to back it up, could be a great flavor character.

[cZak]

I'm just playing my first warlock class and this Guide is a great resource for background
Very admirable for the generic class

But the versatility of the class is so broad, it feels to short change some options
One instance is the casting level of spells. As all spells are at max level, those that don't include an upcast option (Darkness, Mirror image) feel like using a howitzer to light a candle. I'm not sure if a scaling value could be assigned without bloating suggestions into incomprehension tho…

Another thing is a Controller is different from a Melee design
For a Hex/Blade pact, Mirror image is centric to the goal. But for a standback, Repelling blast controller Hunger of Hadar might be more helpful
Again, not sure if a Guide would be bloated with these adjustments, but would be handy

[Optimator]

Excellent guide. Thank you!

[werescythe]

I know this is probably considered necroposting, but I was wondering if this guide might be updated now that Tasha's Cauldron of Everything is out?

[Rebecca-47]

I'm very curious about the "cheeselock" build, I've never heard that term before and can't seem to find it anywhere else.

I've been looking to make a STR-heavy melee warlock, but I'm really not sure how to go about it since I've never played this class before. (Possibly a Paladin multiclass?)

[Greywander]

I've been looking to make a STR-heavy melee warlock, but I'm really not sure how to go about it since I've never played this class before. (Possibly a Paladin multiclass?)

Usually, melee locks go Hexblade so they can be SAD, dumping STR and focusing solely on CHA. If you specifically want to be a STR warlock, then look at some of the other patrons and see what they can offer you. Hexblade is pretty strong, but kind of boring.

You're probably going to be taking Pact of the Blade, as this will give you access to Eldritch Smite, Extra Attack, and adding your CHA mod to damage. A paladin split is also an option; if you go 11 levels in paladin then you don't really need Pact of the Blade, since you already get pretty much everything you'd get from bladepact (although, you can use both Divine Smite and Eldritch Smite on the same attack, for maximum nuking). You could also eschew any form of Extra Attack and instead use Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade.

Either way, you still play much like a paladin, even if you stay full warlock (although EB gives you a very solid ranged option). You get into melee and smite for big damage. Warlock gets much fewer slots, but gets those slots back on a short rest. Double check with the rest of your party to see how many rely on short rests; if they're mostly a long rest party, consider paladin instead, or a paladin-warlock split (commonly called a padlock).

Hmm, you probably want to dip into paladin anyway, specifically starting as a paladin so you can get heavy armor. Otherwise, with just light or medium armor you'd be splitting between STR and DEX. Alternatively, a cleric dip can also get you heavy armor, and can be done after 1st level. You'll already be MAD as a result of needing both STR and CHA, so you won't be able to grab many feats. One feat you might want, though, is Polearm Master, mostly for that BA attack (doesn't work with BB/GFB, though). With either Lifedrinking or Improved Divine Smite, you get to add extra damage to that BA attack as well. Grab a spear or quarterstaff and you can also take the Dueling style and use a shield, for more damage and AC.

[Tiptup357]

Very late to this party, but how would the Undead Warlock rank with this grading system?