D&D 5E [GUIDE] Blade, Book, and Chain: the Warlock Guide

Dasem · Mar 27, 2016

A few questions :

Do Mystic Arcanum spells count against your total number of Spells known?

Is it just me, or is there a serious lack of blasty-AoE spells aside from Fiend Patron? Most spells on the Warlock list, while overall pretty good, lack any "Hit multiple targets with damage". The only spell I see is Shatter, but that's only a 10ft radius and doesn't scale terribly well.

pdegan2814 · Mar 28, 2016

Dasem said:
A few questions :

Do Mystic Arcanum spells count against your total number of Spells known?

I don't believe so, no. They can't be cast like your normal 1st through 5th level spells, they don't use spell slots, etc. "Mystic Arcanum" is basically a different type of ability than the Warlock's normal spellcasting.

Is it just me, or is there a serious lack of blasty-AoE spells aside from Fiend Patron? Most spells on the Warlock list, while overall pretty good, lack any "Hit multiple targets with damage". The only spell I see is Shatter, but that's only a 10ft radius and doesn't scale terribly well.

It's true, the Warlock doesn't have as much in the way of big AoE spells, the class isn't really meant to be the party's blaster. There are a few AoE spells, though several of them are more focused on the area surrounding the Warlock(Arms Of Hadar, Thunderclap, Sword Burst, etc). You can get Circle Of Death as one of your Mystic Arcana. It does less damage than a Fireball, but it has a HUGE radius. The Warlock trades some of those blasty-type spells that the Wizard & Sorcerer can use and has a pretty limited selection of spells in general, in exchange for things like the Invocations & Patron features, not to mention arguably the strongest attack cantrip in the game, Eldtritch Blast. Plus they get proficiency in Light Armor which neither the Sorcerer nor Wizard come with, and their Hit Dice are d8's instead of the d6's for the Sorcerer & Wizard.

Dasem · Mar 28, 2016

I thoroughly enjoy the Warlock, both in crunch and flavor. Working with my DM for a Variant spell list of the Undying Light patron, trying to sneak Spirit Guardians and Destructive Wave onto there. Hopefully he'll allow it.

Z. H. Darkstar · Apr 2, 2016

Where's the rule that allows familiars to share Magic Resistance? I've scoured through all of the books and found no such rule.

Dasem · Apr 2, 2016

Z. H. Darkstar said:
Where's the rule that allows familiars to share Magic Resistance? I've scoured through all of the books and found no such rule.

Page 69 of the Monster Manual.

Guest 6801328 · Apr 4, 2016

Dasem said:
Page 69 of the Monster Manual.

I believe the accepted interpretation is that you don't get the MR by casting Find Familiar or being a Chain Lock; it only works if through RP and a benevolent DM the creature willingly becomes your familiar. (Which also means you can't just re-summon him for 100gp if he dies.)

Z. H. Darkstar · Apr 7, 2016

Elfcrusher said:
I believe the accepted interpretation is that you don't get the MR by casting Find Familiar or being a Chain Lock; it only works if through RP and a benevolent DM the creature willingly becomes your familiar. (Which also means you can't just re-summon him for 100gp if he dies.)

Also, since this is using a variant rule not found in the PHB, the guide's line of thinking will never work in an AL game.

I think that the guide needs to be updated to reflect this misinterpretation of the rules. Imp Familiar != Imp familiar. The former is a creature variant with no defined rules of player acquisition, while the latter is an option for the Find Familiar spell that only Chainlocks have access to. Guides should be written as if playing a vanilla game of 5e by RAW. RAI can be included within a guide, but should be relegated to side notes that have explicit warnings about expecting table variation.

Otterscrubber · Apr 27, 2017

Excellent post OP, you put some work in on that one

Not sure I agree with vampiric touch though. I've always loved the flavor of that spell, but seems pretty useless most of the time, especially for a 3rd level slot when compared to other options at 3rd level. I've always felt that spell was for suckers.

Huntsman57 · May 9, 2017

The problem I see with Ascendant Step is simply that as a Warlock, so many abilities compete for your concentration. Does Ascendant Step not require you to use concentration unlike the actual Levitation spell, or do I have to cancel my Hex, Darkness, Improved Invisibility, Polymorph, etc to float into the sky? Overall doesn't seem worth it unless it's just being used as a utility to get to a higher elevation. In combat I might as well just stay on the ground unless I'm fighting in some niche spot where the enemy can both see through magical darkness or invisibility, but has no ranged attacks.

Todd Klein · Jun 21, 2017

I'd definitely challenge Witch Bolt being rated red. By level 9, that's 5d12 per round to the target for a minute. No save. For rolling one spell attack. Red?