Warlock vs Helmed Horror

[HenryWLee1066]

I'm playing a level 5 half-elf GOO chainlock (who's patron is the Raven Queen) right now in a homebrew campaign. I happened to notice my DM has been preparing some notes on Helmed Horrors, and I'm horrified!

I'm about to level to 6, and I wondered whether I ought to MC into Divine Sorcerer to grab some attack spells to which the Horror is not immune (and to also pick up Healing Word).

Have any other warlocks out there found a nice way to deal with this dilemma?

[Lord Ruby34]

You don't have to be the best at every challenge. You can buff your fighter and let them handle the Helmed Horror. Also, you probably shouldn't change your class based on one monster you saw in your DM notes.

[Unoriginal]

Best way to deal with that "dilemma": don't build your character because of one encounter you saw in the DM's notes.

Also tell your DM you saw their notes.

Also bis: as said above, you don't have to be the best for every encounter. Your chainlock and their class features can still help.

[Cicciograna]

I'm playing a level 5 half-elf GOO chainlock (who's patron is the Raven Queen)

I'm confused here. Who's your patron, a GOO or the Raven Queen?

[HenryWLee1066]

I'm confused here. Who's your patron, a GOO or the Raven Queen?

The Raven Queen is my character's patron in game fluff, but I'm using all of the great old one features. The Raven Queen is in game fluff. Sorry if I caused confusion.

[Laird]

I'm playing a level 5 half-elf GOO chainlock (who's patron is the Raven Queen) right now in a homebrew campaign. I happened to notice my DM has been preparing some notes on Helmed Horrors, and I'm horrified!

I'm about to level to 6, and I wondered whether I ought to MC into Divine Sorcerer to grab some attack spells to which the Horror is not immune (and to also pick up Healing Word).

Have any other warlocks out there found a nice way to deal with this dilemma?

Thats some serious OOC metagaming, if that's what you find fun you can MC a 1 level dip in a class whose features counter the one or two helmed horrors your DM may or may not throw at you. This would delay your reaction ability Entropic ward by a level though and it allows you to impose disadvantage on a creature and give your next attack advantage every rest.

Alternatively you can use some of your allies strengths as helmed horrors aren't proficient in athletics to push them down, grapple them then just melee beat down them or use magic weapons/ with advantage every turn.

TL;DR I think it's a bad Idea to MC just to be able to not be weak to one monster in the MM UNLESS you were planning to MC anyways. Your DM may have planned that encounter to challenge you to think outside the box with your Warlock and utilize some other methods instead of the standard EB spam. Plus Helmed Horrors are only Immune to Force, Necrotic and Poison, if you took another attack cantrip like Chill Touch or Firebolt those still effect it.

[HenryWLee1066]

You don't have to be the best at every challenge. You can buff your fighter and let them handle the Helmed Horror. Also, you probably shouldn't change your class based on one monster you saw in your DM notes.

I'm still somewhat new to the game, and I may be overthinking this.

I'm happy to buff & such. The only real buff spell I see that I have is Fly. Is there something I'm missing out of the Warlock's toolkit that would be useful to the party?

I could use my invisible Familiar to grant the help action. Any other suggestions?

[HenryWLee1066]

I appreciate all of your advice. It points in the right direction, I think.

I may pick up hex just so I can affect an ability score to make things easier on my allies.

My DM would do something to push me beyond my comfort zone and make me think more. He's good like that.

[Laird]

I'm still somewhat new to the game, and I may be overthinking this.

I'm happy to buff & such. The only real buff spell I see that I have is Fly. Is there something I'm missing out of the Warlock's toolkit that would be useful to the party?

I could use my invisible Familiar to grant the help action. Any other suggestions?

Buy nets, lots of nets. Give them to your familiar, try to find a way to give your familiar advantage then net the Helmed Horror. On your Familiars turn the Horror is Restrained until it uses an action on its turn to break out of the net.

Restrained:

A restrained creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.
Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature’s Attack rolls have disadvantage.
The creature has disadvantage on Dexterity Saving Throws.

Let the Melee guys have advantage and give your dex save spells a chance to wallop the Horror.

[HenryWLee1066]

I love it. Ok - must think outside of the box.

[Brawnspear]

If you are going to be leveling up before fighting these things, there is also the option of retraining a cantrip you already know, isn't there?

You should have 3 available as a level 6 warlock, what else do you have? Firebolt is always decent, as is shocking grasp if you need to be in melee. Create Bonfire is another good one as it both gives light and deals damage if you need to worry about being able to see. Sadly it does take concentration.

If you know shatter, or shadowblade there's some other damage options for you. Get in there and smack those things around! With shadowblade, you can even dual wield with a dagger if you at a loss of what to do with your bonus actions (though admittedly that is not much extra damage).

[Keravath]

Cantrips - shocking grasp, ray of frost, chill touch give you other damage type options. Your familiar can be used to deliver the touch attack. However, I think the helmed horror has blindsight so invisible familiars may be under a death sentence if they go near while owls still have flyby.

Other than that, you do get one weapon attack. Presumably your dex is 14 or 16 so you could plink away with a light crossbow maybe with hex on top for additional damage.

Multiclassing to sorcerer can be useful for most warlocks but it sounds like you would be doing this just to gain access to the four cantrips and the other damage options this would provide. You also pick up two more first level long rest spell slots.

[MaxWilson]

I'm playing a level 5 half-elf GOO chainlock (who's patron is the Raven Queen) right now in a homebrew campaign. I happened to notice my DM has been preparing some notes on Helmed Horrors, and I'm horrified!

I'm about to level to 6, and I wondered whether I ought to MC into Divine Sorcerer to grab some attack spells to which the Horror is not immune (and to also pick up Healing Word).

Have any other warlocks out there found a nice way to deal with this dilemma?

Booming Blade is nice for other reasons too, might as well pick it up if it's legal. Sometimes it offers better damage than Eldritch Blast anyway.

As others have noted, even if Eldritch Blast is for some reason your only attack cantrip, you can either lean on your fellow PCs (focus on supporting them) or if you prefer self-sufficiency you can just laboriously kill the thing with weapons at half-damage, with the help of your familiar. Or even just run away with Expeditious Retreat--Helmed Horrors are not fast.

[Tetrasodium]

I'm playing a level 5 half-elf GOO chainlock (who's patron is the Raven Queen) right now in a homebrew campaign. I happened to notice my DM has been preparing some notes on Helmed Horrors, and I'm horrified!

I'm about to level to 6, and I wondered whether I ought to MC into Divine Sorcerer to grab some attack spells to which the Horror is not immune (and to also pick up Healing Word).

Have any other warlocks out there found a nice way to deal with this dilemma?

There are twelve classes. eleven of those classes will run into multiple situations where they are at a disadvantage because some/all of their best toys in the toybox aren't going to be good options. The twelfth class is of course going to find themselves there when facing one creature (helmed horror) or in the same antimagic field that cripples most of those other 11 classes... you will be fine learning how the other classes sometimes feel for a change.

[Kane0]

HHs are hard-counters to warlocks, and that's fine because you're part of a team. You can't always have an answer for everything.

Just don't get caught alone. My level 14 warlock once got caught alone in a room full of HHs, was not pleasant.

[HenryWLee1066]

Generally I have accepted the advice to let my party smack the horror down. I'll look for ways to support them.

I'm still interested in divine soul sorcerer for Healing Word and a small bag of cantrips (I have chosen pact of the chain, but I want some more fun tricks), but I'll consider it later, and I won't grab a level of sorcerer in a panic. I appreciate y'all's input. It's reminded me of some important aspects of the game.

[Unoriginal]

Seriously, though, tell the DM you saw their notes.

[Boci]

Seriously, though, tell the DM you saw their notes.

No use making a mountain out of a molehill if it just happens once. The OPs already gone from "helmed horrors, must metagame against it" to "Helmed horrors? Better let my party carry me through this one", which is the important part. Telling the DM has little benefit, and its possible the DM could overreact and change the encounter.

If this happens again then the issue should be re-visited. Then either the OP needs to stop peaking or the DM needs to hide their notes better.

[Snowbluff]

From an optimization standpoint:

1) “When you have the stats,” is certainly valid. If you’re playing with a roll and you nailed 3 18s and can just throw them anywhere.

2) When you have a way to avoid the need. For example, my Storm Sorc Tempest Cleric has a gauntlet of ogre strength to lift his heavy armor and swing his staff of power.

3) when you don’t really need it. A barbarian isn’t MAD because they need Dex and Con to get AC, because they can wear armor and soak damage with their resistances. A Druid/Life Cleric healer doesn’t really need their wis because healing and buffing is largely agnostic to your stats, so you want to dip into something else you’re free to skimp on the Wis requirement.

[Vexacia]

Cantrips - shocking grasp, ray of frost, chill touch give you other damage type options. Your familiar can be used to deliver the touch attack. However, I think the helmed horror has blindsight so invisible familiars may be under a death sentence if they go near while owls still have flyby.

Shocking Grasp and Ray of Frost aren't on the Warlock list.

Chill Touch is Necrotic, which Helmed Horror immunes.

if you desperately want to swap a cantrip to metagame this encounter or encounter set, pick up Frostbite or Lightning Lure.

Other than that, you do get one weapon attack. Presumably your dex is 14 or 16 so you could plink away with a light crossbow maybe with hex on top for additional damage.

this is the best plan that doesn't involve metagaming your build to fit a probably one-session set of encounters. HH still resists piercing, but it's better than dealing literally 0 damage.

other than that, I would probably just rely on Minor Illusions for your at-will "what the hell am I going to do" action. HH's blindsight might get ruled to ignore visual illusions, but auditory illusions might still work perhaps.

there's also the possibility that your DM alters the creature, rendering most or all of this thread questionable or useless. most good DMs do alter creatures from time to time to better suit as a fair challenge to the party, especially if they suspect they have metagaming players *cough cough*.

[Unoriginal]

Telling the DM has little benefit, and its possible the DM could overreact and change the encounter.

So? That's up to the DM to decide.

If a player accidentally read my notes that spoiled what's the next encounter is like, I would be grateful they told me so I can adjust.