D&D (2024) Is Magical Cunning enough? (Warlock P7)

[Charlaquin]

Another solutions would be equal to the Fighter Short Rest. Give them more Spellslots up Front, but ony 1 back per Short Rest. That would retain the Warlock Feeling, but make it less dependend.

You know, I think that idea has a lot of merit. I like that. They should test that.

I suggested exactly this in one of the many heated threads after the half-caster warlock was first tested. A lot of people seemed to like it then too. This seems to satisfy both the Pact Magic lovers and the Pact Magic haters, so I think it’s a great option.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

I like Magical Cunning. I just think it needs more uses before having to take a Long Rest.

Is it too powerful if it was only ever 1 Pact Spell slot, and the ability to use the ritual recharged with every Short Rest? This gives you extra 1 Pact spell slot per short rest, but rather than increase the total Pact Spell slots overall, increasing your alpha strike ability, your recovery is slowed because it occurs between fights.

Assume you are a level 10 warlock, starting with 2 5th-level Pact Spell slots at the beginning of your day.

1. Cast 2 Pact Spells. (2 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
2. Use 1-minute ritual to get 1 Pact Spell slot back.
3. Cast 1 Pact Spell before your first Short Rest. (3 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
4. First Short Rest, get 2 Pact Spell slots back and recharge the ritual.
5. Cast 2 Pact Spells. (5 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
6. Use 1-minute ritual to get 1 Pact Spell slot back.
7. Cast 1 Pact Spell before your second Short Rest. (6 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
8. Second Short Rest, get 2 Pact Spell slots back and recharge the ritual.
9. Cast 2 Pact Spells. (8 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
10. Use 1-minute ritual to get 1 Pact Spell slot back.
11. Cast 1 Pact Spell before your next Rest. (9 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
12. Decide to take a Third Short Rest or your Long Rest, depending on how your day is going.

With this change, you would have gotten 3 extra Pact Spell slots throughout the day (instead of 1), but would need smaller breaks to get them. Is that too fiddly?

This also means they would have to do something different for the Eldritch Master capstone ability. Maybe Magical Cunning can restore all your Pact Spell slots once per long rest, but not every time you use Magical Cunning?

 

[Charlaquin]

Is it too powerful if it was only ever 1 Pact Spell slot, and the ability to use the ritual recharged with every Short Rest? This gives you extra 1 Pact spell slot per short rest, but rather than increase the total Pact Spell slots overall, increasing your alpha strike ability, your recovery is slowed because it occurs between fights.

Assume you are a level 10 warlock, starting with 2 5th-level Pact Spell slots at the beginning of your day.

1. Cast 2 Pact Spells. (2 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
2. Use 1-minute ritual to get 1 Pact Spell slot back.
3. Cast 1 Pact Spell before your first Short Rest. (3 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
4. First Short Rest, get 2 Pact Spell slots back and recharge the ritual.
5. Cast 2 Pact Spells. (5 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
6. Use 1-minute ritual to get 1 Pact Spell slot back.
7. Cast 1 Pact Spell before your second Short Rest. (6 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
8. Second Short Rest, get 2 Pact Spell slots back and recharge the ritual.
9. Cast 2 Pact Spells. (8 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
10. Use 1-minute ritual to get 1 Pact Spell slot back.
11. Cast 1 Pact Spell before your next Rest. (9 Pact Spells cast today so far.)
12. Decide to take a Third Short Rest or your Long Rest, depending on how your day is going.

With this change, you would have gotten 3 extra Pact Spell slots throughout the day (instead of 1), but would need smaller breaks to get them. Is that too fiddly?

This also means they would have to do something different for the Eldritch Master capstone ability. Maybe Magical Cunning can restore all your Pact Spell slots once per long rest, but not every time you use Magical Cunning?

Something tells me a +0 Rod of the Pact Keeper that regains its ability on a short rest instead of long may be a bit strong for a 2nd level feature.

 

[TwoSix]

Is it too powerful if it was only ever 1 Pact Spell slot, and the ability to use the ritual recharged with every Short Rest? This gives you extra 1 Pact spell slot per short rest, but rather than increase the total Pact Spell slots overall, increasing your alpha strike ability, your recovery is slowed because it occurs between fights.

I don't know if trying to balance the short rest dependent class by giving them even more dependency on taking short rests is really the right approach.

That being said, there's definitely potential to giving the warlock more overall slots, but less nova potential by making those slots available as a recharge, not on top.

Just as a hypothetical, what if Warlocks only had one max-level slot at a time, but Magical Cunning was usable 5 times per long rest as a 1 min ritual? 6 max slots per day, but only ever one per combat/strenuous encounter.

 

[DavyGreenwind]

My own homebrew solution to short rests is that I have expanded the definition of short rests. Basically, any hour in which no combat occurs counts as a short rest as long as the party is not on some kind of death march, or jungle/arctic trek.

 

[Charlaquin]

Just as a hypothetical, what if Warlocks only had one max-level slot at a time, but Magical Cunning was usable 5 times per long rest as a 1 min ritual? 6 max slots per day, but only ever one per combat/strenuous encounter.

I would hate that.

I absolutely, unequivocally, DO NOT want to manage my warlock’s spells over the course of a whole adventuring day. Period.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

I wonder if something like this might be better for the warlock.

Levels 1-5 : 2 spell slots
Levels 6-10 : 3 spell slots
Levels 11-15 : 4 spell slots
Level 16-20 : 5 spell slots

Magical Cunning - You perform an esoteric rite for 1 minute to gain one of the following effects.

• You regain up to half of your spell slot total (round up).
• (Insert a boon of some sort so those that don’t need the spell slot regimen can still gain a use of this feature).

You can use this feature twice, and regain all expenses uses when you finish a Long Rest.

 

[Charlaquin]

I wonder if something like this might be better for the warlock.

Levels 1-5 : 2 spell slots
Levels 6-10 : 3 spell slots
Levels 11-15 : 4 spell slots
Level 16-20 : 5 spell slots

Magical Cunning - You perform an esoteric rite for 1 minute to gain one of the following effects.

• You regain up to half of your spell slot total (round up).
• (Insert a boon of some sort so those that don’t need the spell slot regimen can still gain a use of this feature).

You can use this feature twice, and regain all expenses uses when you finish a Long Rest.

I mean… It would certainly be good… Probably too good.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

I mean… It would certainly be good… Probably too good.

That’s understandable, and I can’t say I’m the best at designing something balanced myself.

I just want a good compromise that can make both sides happy (or as happy as possible, can’t truly please everyone after all). It’s even why I think if Magic Cunning is beefed up, that it also needs to give something else as an option to those who don’t need those extra spell slots because they do play in games with a more generous handing out of short rests. That way it isn’t a wasted ability for them.

 

[Charlaquin]

That’s understandable, and I can’t say I’m the best at designing something balanced myself.

I just want a good compromise that can make both sides happy (or as happy as possible, can’t truly please everyone after all). It’s even why I think if Magic Cunning is beefed up, that it also needs to give something else as an option to those who don’t need those extra spell slots because they do play in games with a more generous handing out of short rests. That way it isn’t a wasted ability for them.

Well, as someone who is used to being able to get short rests when I need them, I don’t think Magical Cunning would be a wasted ability for me. Another spell slot per day will still be plenty valuable (it’s basically a +0 Rod of the Pact Keeper, which is great!). I think the problem is just that it doesn’t really address the reason the folks who want more spells want them. They want to feel like they can use spells on little utility things without wasting them. They don’t want to have to commit all of their limited resources to nova damage to keep up. They want some low-level slots they can toss around casually.