Esker
Hero
Currently playing a level 4 human Feylock (Tome Pact), mostly focused on deception/control magic. I'm in a large party with a zealot barbarian, shadow monk, battlemaster archer, swashbuckler rogue, and one other caster who does a mix of utility and healing/buffing (currently wild sorcerer 2 / life cleric 1 / bard 1; so, loaded with cantrips and 1st level spells). I'm the only one with any real AoE capability (currently Faerie Fire for longer fights and Shatter for mooks; will definitely be grabbing Hypnotic Pattern next level). Current loadout (rolled stats):
Stats: 10 STR, 18 DEX, 18 CON (incl. +1 from Resilient), 15 INT, 11 WIS, 18 CHA.
Invocations: Mask of Many Faces, Book of Ancient Secrets
Cantrips: Disguise Self (MoMF), Eldritch Blast, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Friends, Guidance, Toll the Dead
Spells: Faerie Fire, Hold Person, Invisibility, Phantasmal Force, Shatter
Rituals: Find Familiar, Comprehend Languages
Feats: Alert, Resilient (CON)
Looking ahead, level 5 obviously offers a lot: I'll take Agonizing blast, switching from my light crossbow to eldritch blast as the go-to at-will option; Hypnotic Pattern is big, and invisibility and hold person gain a target. But after that I'm not seeing a huge benefit in the near term to higher level warlock stuff. Misty Escape isn't bad, since I'm fairly squishy, and more invocations is always nice (probably looking at Ghostly Gaze followed by Whispers of the Grave), but there's not that much of great interest for 4th level spells. 5th level choices are better (Synaptic Static, Seeming), and 11th level is again big (Mass Suggestion, a third spell slot). So instead of staying with warlock after 5th level, I'm thinking that taking at least a few sorcerer levels could be fun.
Sorcerer 1 (Divine Soul[Chaotic]): 4 cantrips (thinking thaumaturgy, mold earth, shape water, word of radiance), Shield, Absorb Elements, Bane, 2 1st level spell slots
Sorcerer 2: Command, 4 total 1st level spell slots (factoring in Font of Magic)
Sorcerer 3: Spiritual Weapon, Web, Subtle Spell, Heightened Spell, 2 2nd level spell slots
This gives me some improved self-defense with Shield and Absorb Elements, adds some fun utility in the form of cantrips and (eventually) the ability to mess with NPCs outside of combat without anyone knowing what I'm doing (Subtle Spell), and helps avoid the big letdown of casting a single target control spell that does nothing because the target saved (Heightened Spell). After that I'd probably go back to Warlock, though I'd leave that open until I get there and see how it's feeling.
I think that for at least levels 6-8 this would be better than continuing in Warlock. At level 9 it's a little less clear: upcast Banishment is pretty nice; synaptic static is nice; two more invocations are nice; but I think I still lean toward a bit of metamagic and some lower level slots. I think where I'd really feel it is level 11, at which point I'd still be capped at 4th level spells, with two slots per short rest, instead of having three 5th level slots and Mass Suggestion 1/day. Of course, I don't even know if we'll get to that level (it's very much a play-it-by-ear campaign).
Thoughts?
Stats: 10 STR, 18 DEX, 18 CON (incl. +1 from Resilient), 15 INT, 11 WIS, 18 CHA.
Invocations: Mask of Many Faces, Book of Ancient Secrets
Cantrips: Disguise Self (MoMF), Eldritch Blast, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Friends, Guidance, Toll the Dead
Spells: Faerie Fire, Hold Person, Invisibility, Phantasmal Force, Shatter
Rituals: Find Familiar, Comprehend Languages
Feats: Alert, Resilient (CON)
Looking ahead, level 5 obviously offers a lot: I'll take Agonizing blast, switching from my light crossbow to eldritch blast as the go-to at-will option; Hypnotic Pattern is big, and invisibility and hold person gain a target. But after that I'm not seeing a huge benefit in the near term to higher level warlock stuff. Misty Escape isn't bad, since I'm fairly squishy, and more invocations is always nice (probably looking at Ghostly Gaze followed by Whispers of the Grave), but there's not that much of great interest for 4th level spells. 5th level choices are better (Synaptic Static, Seeming), and 11th level is again big (Mass Suggestion, a third spell slot). So instead of staying with warlock after 5th level, I'm thinking that taking at least a few sorcerer levels could be fun.
Sorcerer 1 (Divine Soul[Chaotic]): 4 cantrips (thinking thaumaturgy, mold earth, shape water, word of radiance), Shield, Absorb Elements, Bane, 2 1st level spell slots
Sorcerer 2: Command, 4 total 1st level spell slots (factoring in Font of Magic)
Sorcerer 3: Spiritual Weapon, Web, Subtle Spell, Heightened Spell, 2 2nd level spell slots
This gives me some improved self-defense with Shield and Absorb Elements, adds some fun utility in the form of cantrips and (eventually) the ability to mess with NPCs outside of combat without anyone knowing what I'm doing (Subtle Spell), and helps avoid the big letdown of casting a single target control spell that does nothing because the target saved (Heightened Spell). After that I'd probably go back to Warlock, though I'd leave that open until I get there and see how it's feeling.
I think that for at least levels 6-8 this would be better than continuing in Warlock. At level 9 it's a little less clear: upcast Banishment is pretty nice; synaptic static is nice; two more invocations are nice; but I think I still lean toward a bit of metamagic and some lower level slots. I think where I'd really feel it is level 11, at which point I'd still be capped at 4th level spells, with two slots per short rest, instead of having three 5th level slots and Mass Suggestion 1/day. Of course, I don't even know if we'll get to that level (it's very much a play-it-by-ear campaign).
Thoughts?
