So, I want to create a Warlock pc for the first time. I've looked over the class in the PHB, read some comments on the forums, and looked at the pertinent Unearthed Arcana. I'm not a power gamer or min/maxer, and my preference is not to multi-class, even if it means I don't max out my potential damage output. I do expect to contribute some offense, though, as this seems to be at least part of the point of the class.
Any suggestions? What spells/cantrips/pacts/invocations have you liked/disliked? Thanks in advance for your input!
Between the Hexblade Patron and the SCAG cantrips, any Pact Boon can be a melee warlock, which is cool, because I prefer the Tome.
If you want to be a spell blaster, there is nothing quite like Eldritch Blast. Agonizing Blast adds your Charisma mod to damage, Eldritch Spear increases the range to that of a longbow, more or less, and Punishing Blast (IIRC) lets you push targets 10ft.
Since you aren't a powergaming min/maxer like some of us, I don't recommend strongly focusing on boost EB, though. I'd say half or fewer of your Invocations should be focused on making Eldritch Blast more powerful. Instead, check out all the other ones, that do all kinds of more interesting things. I've played Warlocks without Agonizing Blast, and it's fine. I did take the other two I mentioned, and the push added more the party, IMO, than 4 more damage per attack would have. Some people will cry for my blood for saying that, though.
If you want a Warlock that summons and binds, check out the That Old Black Magic UA article, and look at not only the chain warlock, but also the Raven Queen Patron. And the Hexblade, actually, because it lets you animate your shadow. But the Raven Queen is centered on giving you a pet raven with magic powers.
Decide what the backstory of your pact is. Are you a Faustian bargainer? A ritual binder? A magical thief in over your head? The protégé of an Archfey?
Don't be afraid to reflavor things, but talk to your DM/group, as some DnD nerds
hate reflavoring, and treat it as the exact same thing as homebrewing mechanical rules options.
For examples of what you can do with a warlock and some different flavor:
[sblock]I have a Warlock, Tome, Fey, who is a Satyr ritualist that uses ritual magic to bind otherworldly beings to to her will. Some of her spells are simply rituals that don't take long, or can be prepped ahead of time and then activated through a trinket, like Hex, while others are things where she has an arrangement with some minor being, and can call on it to create an effect, like with most of her conjurations.
She has no "Patron", as such, but she does have a strong RP bond with her mentor. I'm thinking about switching to Raven Queen pact, with some additional reflavoring, bc her mentor sends her messages and stuff with owls, and it's easy enough to reflavor a raven to an owl, and to explain that she has gained a greater understanding of the magic her mentor uses to control these owls, and has bound one of her own.
Which will be nice, because I have long wished that the Pact Boons could be doubled up by spending invocations or something, because the character really ought to have a pet, but the ritual stuff of the Tome lock just works too well, and it's mechanically my favorite pact boon.
I had another character who was kindof similar to her, but was a male human. He was more of a theif-explorer who had found a few items of power in his adventures, and cobbled together some usable magic out of them, and picked up various tricks and shortcuts, and had a habit of playing with forces he should know better than to play with. Sort of a John Constantine meets Indiana Jones character.
But the straight Warlock flavor can be fun, too.
I would strongly recommend detailing the exact nature of the patron and pact. If you are going Fey, check out the 4e Lady of The White Well, if you can find it online. It's a good example, story wise, of a specific patron. Nothing wrong with being more vague, but I'd at least pick something like "The Council of WInter" or "The Summer Court".
For Great Old Ones, if you don't dig the cthulu stuff so much, check out the flavor of the 4e Star Pact warlock. there is tons of it, and it shouldn't be too hard to find online. It isn't totally divorced from the cthulu style story, but I definitely prefer it to the basic story elements of the Great Old Ones in 5e. [/sblock]
The Invocations that give you use of a spell are the only way for you to get that spell without multiclassing, and they do increase you general spellcasting potential, so they are worth looking at.
Invocations like Armor of Shadows, which give you a spell at will, can be very useful. Mage armor lasts long enough that the at will part isn't that great, until you take into account how few spell slots you get.
Some effectively give you an inherent magical ability, like letting you cast Jump at will, or read all languages, or gain darkvision out to 120 feet. Those will depend on the campaign, how strong they are. I'd say pick ones that stand out to you. If you end up not liking them as much in play, you can change one out when you level.
Take more than a casual look at spells that last multiple hours. If you cast one, and keep it up, and take a short rest, it doesn't end just because you took a short rest, which means that you gain the spell slot back and the spell keeps going. this is balanced by the fact that you can only Concentrate on one spell at a time. Your DM might nix this, but they really shouldn't. It's RAW, and seems to be RAI, and it isn't overpowered at all, but there is a whole thread arguing about it, so...your mileage may vary.
Know right now that your Cantrips are the meat of the class. You will cantrip a lot. You can use invocations to reduce this by gaining "daily" spells, but no matter what you are going to only have a handful of spell slots between short rests. IME, that's plenty
most adventuring days, but not all.
But the class is very fun, even when you are out of slots.
I just think there should be fun, evocative, ways to regain spell slots without resting, a few times per day. something ritualistic and appropriate to your patron. idk, that is a tangent, anyway.
