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

[Atticon]

For a tomelock, would Primal Savagery be as good as Toll the Dead as an alternative to Shillelagh + Booming Blade/Green-flame Blade?
I'd like to have a melee range option to complement Eldritch Blast, but not willing to waste two cantrip slots on it.

[Crgaston]

I’m a fan of shocking grasp for this. It’s less damage, but the debuff is nice as it can be used to get OUT of melee and still make an Attack. Also, Advantage vs metal armored foes.

[Master O'Laughs]

Quick question for a chain-lock. I have voice of the chain master invocation. Does it require an action every turn to keep seeing through my imps eyes (RAW)?

The wording of the find familiar spell seems to make it seem so but unsure what the general consensus is. My thought was if it does not, I could use it as a source of dark vision and cast eldritch blast using its eyes.

[leogobsin]

Quick question for a chain-lock. I have voice of the chain master invocation. Does it require an action every turn to keep seeing through my imps eyes (RAW)?

The wording of the find familiar spell seems to make it seem so but unsure what the general consensus is. My thought was if it does not, I could use it as a source of dark vision and cast eldritch blast using its eyes.

My understanding is that Voice of the Chain Master only removes the range restriction of seeing through your familiar's eyes, it otherwise still works exactly as described in the spell description.

[Master O'Laughs]

My understanding is that Voice of the Chain Master only removes the range restriction of seeing through your familiar's eyes, it otherwise still works exactly as described in the spell description.

Darn, still really neat and great for scouting but a wise game design point to prevent darkvision during combat if you do not already have it.

[Nero200]

I'm building a pure Tomelock: GOO and playing him from level one, and I managed to get a rather beneficial bonus from the GM.

He's letting my use my Variant Human Feat on a homebrew feat, Extra Invocations.

It basically lets me take two Eldritch Invocations at level 1, on the condition that they don't interact/stack with any other Invocation or spell.
Ie: I can't take any of the ones that effect Eldritch Blast or that have more Invocations that build on them.

I'm currently leaning toward Eldritch Sight and Misty Visions for the utility aspect, plus the fact that I am playing him as an asylum escapee. (Think Lovecraft, muttering, thinking he's hearing voices, which might actually be his patron.)

Do those seem like good uses, or would there be something more useful?

EDIT: The reason for my indecision is mostly that with the level limits on most of the Invocations, I can't take them yet, or they have something that builds on them.
It's also unlikely I'll be allowed to change these later on, since it is sort of GM-Boon, so I don't want to take something that will easily be replaced by spells or items.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

I'm currently leaning toward Eldritch Sight and Misty Visions for the utility aspect, plus the fact that I am playing him as an asylum escapee. (Think Lovecraft, muttering, thinking he's hearing voices, which might actually be his patron.)

Do those seem like good uses, or would there be something more useful?

When you say they don't interact with other invocations, does that mean something like Mask of Many Faces + Beguiling Influence is discouraged because of the synergy between disguise self and Deception? Or is it just about eldritch blast?

In the right game, Mask + Beguiling is really good. If you don't expect to have a bunch of social opportunities, maybe look at Devil's Sight - darkvision would be pretty powerful in an escape.

[EvilAnagram]

Eldritch Sight and Misty Visions are both excellent utility invocations. I think they're great gets at level 1.

[Nero200]

When you say they don't interact with other invocations, does that mean something like Mask of Many Faces + Beguiling Influence is discouraged because of the synergy between disguise self and Deception? Or is it just about eldritch blast?

In the right game, Mask + Beguiling is really good. If you don't expect to have a bunch of social opportunities, maybe look at Devil's Sight - darkvision would be pretty powerful in an escape.

Explicitly interact. He basically doesn't want me using these extra Invocations to get a head start on a tree of abilities, or to stack more than a normal Warlock would be able to onto one ability.

Synergy is fine, the Devil's Sight + Darkness was one I was looking at, and does seem useful.
Social ones are a good use of the extra's, but I'm playing an asylum escapee who is more than slightly crazy. I'm not planning on being the face, we have a Rogue handling that side of things.

Eldritch Sight and Misty Visions are both excellent utility invocations. I think they're great gets at level 1.

Thanks. I'll probably go for them, or swap Eldritch Sight out for Dark Vision. Waiting to see if the 3rd member of the party is going Wizard Divination or Illusionist.

I think I prefer Eldritch Sight thematically, but I also want to survive long enough to get my Tome. :P

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Explicitly interact. He basically doesn't want me using these extra Invocations to get a head start on a tree of abilities, or to stack more than a normal Warlock would be able to onto one ability.

Synergy is fine, the Devil's Sight + Darkness was one I was looking at, and does seem useful.
Social ones are a good use of the extra's, but I'm playing an asylum escapee who is more than slightly crazy. I'm not planning on being the face, we have a Rogue handling that side of things.

I was kind of thinking that your slightly crazy guy, with the power of his patron, believes and can make others believe his delusions. You're not casting disguise self; you're actually so convinced you're someone else that your body unconsciously appears that way. Maybe Mask of Many Faces and Misty Visions both to support that idea of a crazy person projecting his delusions to everyone in the room.

Really though, I think two invocations for one ASI is very strong, and any two of the five we've mentioned already will work. So ultimately it's just about picking the two that most closely hew to your vision of the character.

[Zalabim]

Blink: Random teleportation is fun, and it's useful when enemies have you surrounded. That said, a 50% chance of nothing happening is not exactly great, and this uses the same slot as Misty Step.

Blink: This is a crazy spell. Its benefits are only hampered by its randomness.

I didn't see this mentioned before. I don't see any particular reason for these ratings to be different in this way.

[Eragon123]

I didn't see this mentioned before. I don't see any particular reason for these ratings to be different in this way.

Well, it could be the Patrons associated with it. Fey locks tend to be a bit squishier so having a guaranteed out is very important.

Hexblades can throw down a bit more so its not the end of the world if they don't disappear. Especially if they still have armor of hexes.

[EvilAnagram]

Well, it could be the Patrons associated with it. Fey locks tend to be a bit squishier so having a guaranteed out is very important.

Hexblades can throw down a bit more so its not the end of the world if they don't disappear. Especially if they still have armor of hexes.

I should make it more clear that this is the reason. The hex blade does not suffer as much when it fails to go off.

[JakOfAllTirades]

I think the original description of Blink under the Archfey spells largely misses the point. "Random teleportation" is almost a ribbon compared to the main effect of the spell: there's a 50% chance your character will be impossible to target from the end of his turn to the beginning of his next. This is actually similar to Mirror Image, but it has the potential to negate a lot more than three hits. On average it'll work for five turns per casting, although admittedly most combats don't last that long. Like Mirror Image, it require no concentration, and no material components. And both spells have a degree of uncertainty. Blink should be rated slightly higher for the Archfey, IMHO, considering Mirror Image gets a sky blue rating. Blink is in fact Mirror Image on steroids.

[Zalabim]

This is just my opinion right now (but I am working on something more substantial) but I think Mirror Image and Blink should be just black for everybody. I don't think either spell has enough benefit to be worth its cost for a warlock, most of the time.

[JakOfAllTirades]

This is just my opinion right now (but I am working on something more substantial) but I think Mirror Image and Blink should be just black for everybody. I don't think either spell has enough benefit to be worth its cost for a warlock, most of the time.

I agree Mirror Image probably shouldn't be sky blue. It's great in fights with bosses and against a small number of high-CR creatures that do a lot of damage. In those situations, it's likely to stop three attacks that would otherwise do lots of HP. Against hordes of small creatures, it tends to take three low-value hits in rapid succession and fizzle out in one round, wasting a spell slot. In other words, its usefulness should be considered situational.

[Nocturne73]

New here, and love the guide!

I noticed that Bewitching Whispers is missing from the Eldritch Invocations section. Just wanted to give you a heads-up.

Thanks for all the work you put into these guides!

[EvilAnagram]

I think clarifying my feelings on Mirror Image and Blink is worthwhile.

To address Jack, Mirror Image is rated highly because a leader with a few minions or a single big nasty seems much more common to me than a swarm of minor creatures, making it a frequently useful spell to cast just before combat. I think it's worth downgrading in light of the limited spell slots and lack of upcasting potential, though. Armor of Agathys can be a lot better for the spell level.

Blink is less useful for a Warlock than I would normally rate it because it doesn't upcast and has a relatively high rate of failure to activate. With so few spell slots, it's not worth burning one on something that might not go off. The chance of failure is mitigated by the armor of the Hexblade, so I'm willing to bump it closer to what I would normally rate it, but I'm not willing to recommend it as the go-to defense.

I'm adding Bewitching Whispers to the guide, thank your Nocturne. It's red because it seems less useful the more I look at it and still requires you to use a spell slot. I probably wouldn't rate it that highly if it was just on the spell list, and I'm certainly not going to advise that anyone spend an invocation to take it.

[JakOfAllTirades]

I think clarifying my feelings on Mirror Image and Blink is worthwhile.

To address Jack, Mirror Image is rated highly because a leader with a few minions or a single big nasty seems much more common to me than a swarm of minor creatures, making it a frequently useful spell to cast just before combat. I think it's worth downgrading in light of the limited spell slots and lack of upcasting potential, though. Armor of Agathys can be a lot better for the spell level.

Blink is less useful for a Warlock than I would normally rate it because it doesn't upcast and has a relatively high rate of failure to activate. With so few spell slots, it's not worth burning one on something that might not go off. The chance of failure is mitigated by the armor of the Hexblade, so I'm willing to bump it closer to what I would normally rate it, but I'm not willing to recommend it as the go-to defense.

I'm adding Bewitching Whispers to the guide, thank your Nocturne. It's red because it seems less useful the more I look at it and still requires you to use a spell slot. I probably wouldn't rate it that highly if it was just on the spell list, and I'm certainly not going to advise that anyone spend an invocation to take it.

Thanks for posting this, EvilAnagram.

One more question, regarding Plane Shift, currently rated purple. I noticed that in addition to providing planar travel for one's self and allies, this spell can also be used to permanently banish a hostile creature to another plane with a melee spell attack, if it fails a Charisma save. It's the only spell I've seen that requires both an attack and a save, but it's an extremely powerful effect. The victim must find their own way home.

Is this effect included in the rating of Plane Shift? Or should its rating be raised to reflect this usage?

[Nocturne73]

You are most welcome, EvilAnagram. Your guides are invaluable, and I appreciate the work that goes into them!

Thanks for posting this, EvilAnagram.

One more question, regarding Plane Shift, currently rated purple. I noticed that in addition to providing planar travel for one's self and allies, this spell can also be used to permanently banish a hostile creature to another plane with a melee spell attack, if it fails a Charisma save. It's the only spell I've seen that requires both an attack and a save, but it's an extremely powerful effect. The victim must find their own way home.

Is this effect included in the rating of Plane Shift? Or should its rating be raised to reflect this usage?

I find that Plane Shift could be extremely useful if I want to get rid of an extremely powerful recurring villain by getting a hold of a tuning fork for the casting that will send them to the Tarterian Depths of Carceri. A DM's optional rule on pg. 63 of the DMG can almost guarantee you won't be seeing that adversary for a very long time...the option being that it is a Prison Plane, with magical efforts to leave it by any spell other than a Wish will simply fail...mentioning that portals and gates to that plane become one-way only, and secret ways out are hidden and well guarded...leaving them to find some other way out on their own.

[JakOfAllTirades]

You are most welcome, EvilAnagram. Your guides are invaluable, and I appreciate the work that goes into them!



I find that Plane Shift could be extremely useful if I want to get rid of an extremely powerful recurring villain by getting a hold of a tuning fork for the casting that will send them to the Tarterian Depths of Carceri. A DM's optional rule on pg. 63 of the DMG can almost guarantee you won't be seeing that adversary for a very long time...the option being that it is a Prison Plane, with magical efforts to leave it by any spell other than a Wish will simply fail...mentioning that portals and gates to that plane become one-way only, and secret ways out are hidden and well guarded...leaving them to find some other way out on their own.

Thanks for that. I'll look into that lore a little deeper to see if it works in my current campaign setting.

[EvilAnagram]

Thanks for posting this, EvilAnagram.

One more question, regarding Plane Shift, currently rated purple. I noticed that in addition to providing planar travel for one's self and allies, this spell can also be used to permanently banish a hostile creature to another plane with a melee spell attack, if it fails a Charisma save. It's the only spell I've seen that requires both an attack and a save, but it's an extremely powerful effect. The victim must find their own way home.

Is this effect included in the rating of Plane Shift? Or should its rating be raised to reflect this usage?

This is reflected in its rating. It's similar to Power Word Kill in its effect (removes enemy from combat at a fairly high cost), but is double-gated to carry out and puts the caster directly into danger. (Ray of Sickness also requires an attack and a save, btw)

Also, it's less effective in that you are either wasting the spell on something you could take care of normally, or you're putting off the inevitable because they're going to come back at an inopportune time.

Sure, you could think of interesting things to do with it, but it's not going to be a workhorse.

[JakOfAllTirades]

This is reflected in its rating. It's similar to Power Word Kill in its effect (removes enemy from combat at a fairly high cost), but is double-gated to carry out and puts the caster directly into danger. (Ray of Sickness also requires an attack and a save, btw)

Also, it's less effective in that you are either wasting the spell on something you could take care of normally, or you're putting off the inevitable because they're going to come back at an inopportune time.

Sure, you could think of interesting things to do with it, but it's not going to be a workhorse.

Warlocks get so few spells, I tend to place a little extra value on any spell with more than one function. However, I don't disagree with any of the above WRT Plane Shift.

[werescythe]

You know what annoys me about the Pact of the Undying, the fact that it doesn't allow you to reanimate dead and the only other way you can is with the Dense Macabre spell... At lvl 9.

Honestly they should have replaced one of the weaker lvl 3 spells that you get from the expanded spell list with Animate Dead.

But then again maybe I'm just weird.

[Arkhios]

You know what annoys me about the Pact of the Undying, the fact that it doesn't allow you to reanimate dead and the only other way you can is with the Dense Macabre spell... At lvl 9.

Honestly they should have replaced one of the weaker lvl 3 spells that you get from the expanded spell list with Animate Dead.

But then again maybe I'm just weird.

Apparently you have a bit different expectations of what the patron stands for.

Warlocks who have made a pact with an undying patron are not neccessarily necromancers themselves by default. If you want a necromancer, play a wizard.
If you want necromancer with armor proficiency, be a mountain dwarf, multiclass, or take a feat or two.

[Ezekiel_2517]

On a lighter note. I do disagree with sleep being useless on higher levels.
Our group adopted some kids because one of our players insisted on saving some urchins. Sleep is an effective way to make them shut up in critical situations

[Zaltman]

Another thanks for the commitment and open minded dialogue. 5e newbie, but I was wondering if you took into account the concentration requirement on the Eldritch Invocations ratings? Given their few spell slots, Warlock casters seem to be all about concentration tradeoffs between Hex, Invocations and Cantrips. At 5th level you can Hex all day, but you break concentration if use Eldritch Sight, Misty Visions or cast a cantrip like Guidance (tomelock). This makes the Invocation choices extra difficult for the Warlock that wants to focus on versatility and not just DPR. It might be helpful to add “(concentration)” to the Invocations that require it like you have with the other casting elements of the class.

Since Hexblade Warlocks can use shields, Should Shield Master be upgraded from red? While shove is unlikely to be useful given the low priority for strength, the damage reduction for spells still seems pretty sweet. Would appreciate your POV on value of a low strength Hexblade (not blade pact) taking this feat.

[KyleG]

Hey,

So i created a character who was scholar, thru a series of events of injustice makes a pact and becomes a HexBlade warlock hell bent on revenge.
Any suggestions for his stats if thru racial or points he will start on 14 for intelligence?
I imagine his vengeance being carried out in a more rogue like manner (dex) behind closed doors but in the mainstream he is a skirmisher.
He is either going to end up with 14 dex / 15 cons or the other way round?

And that i think is going to depend on what the plan is at the first ASI.
All of the below work for the concept but any clear winner for level 4?

• +2 to ability that starts 14 or
• Resiliant if starting with 15 in Con + proficiency
• Elven Accuracy if Dex starts at 15 + super advantage.
• Or Dual Weilder for the equivalent AC increase and additional damage

The other idea to throw out there is...Can a melee focussed HexBlade start at level one with only 12 Chr and still end up viable along the way. This build would start with either 16/14 or 15/15 in Dex/Con.

[werescythe]

So I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a Pact of the Chain Warlock. I had this idea for a character where her cat familiar is her patron.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

[JakOfAllTirades]

So I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a Pact of the Chain Warlock. I had this idea for a character where her cat familiar is her patron.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Talk to your DM. If they're okay with having your Patron adventuring with you, it's fine. Most Patrons don't pal around with their 3rd-level minions, however. It's more likely that your Patron speaks to you through your familiar on a regular basis, your familiar is impersonating your Patron, or maybe (if you want to roleplay a slightly cracked character) you just think your familiar is your Patron. All of these options make for excellent campaign/roleplaying material. But whatever you decide, you should definetely run it past your DM first.