D&D 5E Help with Warlock concept

Its been an unspeakable number of years, but I'm back playing D&D again. Last edition I played was 3rd (I think) but after college I switched to GURPS and never looked back. A friend recently started up a 5e D&D game and here I am again.

He generated some characters for us and is running us through a module. He's a great GM and I've enjoyed the first session. I'm a Human Warlock Entertainer with an Archfey patron. The concept isn't completely flushed out (I didn't have much time before the session) but I'm essentially an poet/storyteller who acts a lot like Face on the A-team. Lol. My character is approaching 3rd level and I must choose a Pact Boon. After looking at the options I just immediately took to the Blade Pact (as I see many on this forum also have). It's nice since one of our players (a warrior) often cannot make our sessions so having someone who can "stand and fight" is useful. What is frustrating is that the Fiend makes the most sense in the the Blade Pact with nearly all their abilities (Dark One's Blessing, Dark One's Own Luck, and Fiendish Resilience)...

So I want to get some ideas from you geniuses. My goal is to play something I feel is very valuable to the group. I doubt my GM will allow me to change to the Fiend at this stage. The Pact of the Chain is interesting, but beyond using him as a scout and occasionally putting an enemy to sleep, I just don't see much use in a pseudodragon. Initially, the Pact of the Tome seemed really cool, but now I look at it and think it is just a way to become more of a general purpose mage (not a bad thing, just not all that exciting to me). Any exciting ideas/concepts?

Names of powers are largely irrelevant (aka "fluff"). Call the powers whatever you want so long as they are mechanically unchanged; since you know you're getting them from an Archfey. Dark One's Blessing becomes Corelleon's Blessing or whatever.

Also, who says your Archfey has to be Good? There are lots of Unseelie fey who'd be happy to give you power in exchange for Warlock goodies.

Herobizkit said:

Names of powers are largely irrelevant (aka "fluff"). Call the powers whatever you want so long as they are mechanically unchanged; since you know you're getting them from an Archfey. Dark One's Blessing becomes Corelleon's Blessing or whatever.

Also, who says your Archfey has to be Good? There are lots of Unseelie fey who'd be happy to give you power in exchange for Warlock goodies.

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Thanks for the reply, Hero, but I don't think the GM will let me change from the Archfey at this time. I've already used Fey Presence and Sleep (which is a spell only available to the Archfey). It's also clear that my character is of Neutral Good alignment. (Note that I realize a follower of a Fiend can still be good - possibly tricked or what-not.)

The Archfey does have some nice charming and dominate abilities which goes well with an A-team Face character concept (though that concept was more of an effect than a cause).

Perhaps I should ask a few general questions...

1. Is the Sword Pact viable with the ArchFey? Seems like it could be but the loss of Fiendish Resilience at 10th level really hurts.. not to mention Dark One's Blessing. Note that I wouldn't plan on going toe-to-toe with a boss. This would be mainly for your average enemy.
2. Am I missing the usefulness of the Chain Pact?
3. Has anyone found clever use of Tome Pact? Resistance and Guidance are nice to haves as far as cantrips go. Most rituals seem to concern communing with god or nature so they definitely increase my utility as a mage.

Thanks!

Braxwulf said:

Thanks for the reply, Hero, but I don't think the GM will let me change from the Archfey at this time. I've already used Fey Presence and Sleep (which is a spell only available to the Archfey). It's also clear that my character is of Neutral Good alignment. (Note that I realize a follower of a Fiend can still be good - possibly tricked or what-not.)

The Archfey does have some nice charming and dominate abilities which goes well with an A-team Face character concept (though that concept was more of an effect than a cause).

Perhaps I should ask a few general questions...

1. Is the Sword Pact viable with the ArchFey? Seems like it could be but the loss of Fiendish Resilience at 10th level really hurts.. not to mention Dark One's Blessing. Note that I wouldn't plan on going toe-to-toe with a boss. This would be mainly for your average enemy.
2. Am I missing the usefulness of the Chain Pact?
3. Has anyone found clever use of Tome Pact? Resistance and Guidance are nice to haves as far as cantrips go. Most rituals seem to concern communing with god or nature so they definitely increase my utility as a mage.

Thanks!

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Blade pact should work with the fey. You can do plenty of damage with first level spells like hex or arms of hadar. But armor of agathys is also great for melee warlock as it scales in damage and temporary HP (and it does cold damage so there is nothing particularly fiendish about it). And Faerie Fire gives you (and your allies) advantage on attacks...that is a great fey spell for producing damage.


You'd probably want to take hold person and misty step or shatter as your level 2 spells regardless of pact. Hold person paralyzes, which means automatic critical hits!

Later you can pick up fly, greater invisibility (fey) and other neat spells. You do damage s a fey warlock more indirectly than a fireball flinging fiend warlock but you are still quite capable.

ppaladin123 said:

Blade pact should work with the fey. You can do plenty of damage with first level spells like hex or arms of hadar. But armor of agathys is also great for melee warlock as it scales in damage and temporary HP (and it does cold damage so there is nothing particularly fiendish about it). And Faerie Fire gives you (and your allies) advantage on attacks...that is a great fey spell for producing damage.


You'd probably want to take hold person and misty step or shatter as your level 2 spells regardless of pact. Hold person paralyzes, which means automatic critical hits!

Later you can pick up fly, greater invisibility (fey) and other neat spells. You do damage s a fey warlock more indirectly than a fireball flinging fiend warlock but you are still quite capable.

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Nice answer! Thank you. Any clear advantages to the Tome or Chain?

Well the chain pact gives you a sprite or pseudodragon (or imp or quasit) that is kind of useful to have around. A sprite can turn invisible and fly about looking at stuff for you, which is very good for scouting and the dragon has excellent senses. Both have respectable perception scores, probably a lot better than yours, and there's an invocation that lets you see what they can see. They can also deliver touch spells and have attacks. I quite like the sprite's thing that can shoot someone for 1 damage and have them potentially fall asleep. At high level you can cast hold monster at will on some targets, which is potentially quite a big deal.

For me the book is all about the invocation that makes you a ritual caster. This gives you some pretty useful out of combat tricks like identify or water breathing, which you can cast without using up spell slots. Actually one ritual is to make a familiar, though you can't get the four improved ones that a chain guy can. Leomund's tiny hut is handy if you're camping out in the cold and rain!

I suppose pact of the chain with a sprite is the most obvious fit for a fey warlock from a RP perspective and the book perhaps the least, with the blade somewhere in between. You could easily use any of them though.

Any pact will work with any patron; a fey bladelock would be a good gish-type, mixing pact weapon attacks with spells and invocations. My main concern, since you didn't build from the start with blade pact in mind, is whether you have the stats. If you're going to be fighting in melee, you need a high Strength or a high Dexterity, depending on whether you're using a finesse weapon. Otherwise your attacks are going to be frustratingly weak.

Tome and Chain Pacts can do fine with pretty much any stat set as long as you have a high Charisma, but Blade really needs that secondary attack attribute to be good.

Thanks for the responses! Very helpful.

One thing I often consider with a blade-pact warlock is a single level of multiclassed fighter (or two of ranger or paladin, depending on stats and character). A level or two of rogue is also a decent option, especially since it seems your character will make good use of the skill bonuses and extra mobility.