D&D 5E So...warlocks?

[EroGaki]

As I've been reading various forums, I've noticed most people agree that the warlock is a beast.

But I'm not seeing that.

Am I missing something about the class? It seems to me that they're magically gimped; they get a tiny handful of spells known, and even less slots. And most of their invocations are 1/day abilities that use one of they're few precious slots.

I understand they always cast at maximum level, and that's neat, but compared to 3.5, they seem much more limited to me.

Can anyone expand on the class, or maybe point out what I'm not seeing?

 

[Mouseferatu]

Well, for one thing, there are lots of cool invocations that don't use slots and/or aren't 1/day.

But most important, as far as the few slots are concerned... You know those recharge on a long or short rest, right?

 

[MortalPlague]

I played a warlock during the playtest, back when their slots didn't recharge on a short rest. The warlock was hopelessly underpowered in that scenario. But with the more frequent recharge, they're right up there in terms of potency.

One of the best pieces of treasure a warlock can get is a pearl of power.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

It's not obvious at first glance, but basically the warlock can choose invocations that pump his melee or his eldritch blast damage and effectiveness high enough that he can keep up with the at-will damage of classes like the fighter, and his spells and other invocations then provide the extra oomph he needs to be viable.

 

[EroGaki]

Well, for one thing, there are lots of cool invocations that don't use slots and/or aren't 1/day.

But most important, as far as the few slots are concerned... You know those recharge on a long or short rest, right?

Okay, those are good points. I count 8 out of the 32 invocations listed are of the 1/day type, so that's a plus. And the fact that warlocks get their spells back after a short rest is a good thing.

But how often are short rests actually happening during a gaming session? Taking an hour several times a days seems time consuming, especially when the bag guys are going to activate the McGuffin at the stroke of midnight, and time is of the essence. The 5e game we've been running has had very few short rests; I think we've had two in the past 5 sessions, because we're constantly running around.

 

[Gargoyle]

Okay, those are good points. I count 8 out of the 32 invocations listed are of the 1/day type, so that's a plus. And the fact that warlocks get their spells back after a short rest is a good thing.

But how often are short rests actually happening during a gaming session? Taking an hour several times a days seems time consuming, especially when the bag guys are going to activate the McGuffin at the stroke of midnight, and time is of the essence. The 5e game we've been running has had very few short rests; I think we've had two in the past 5 sessions, because we're constantly running around.

I think the answer is always going to be "it depends". Some tables don't get a chance to rest, some do. The thing is, if there is a warlock in the group, there will be more incentive to do so when there is the opportunity. Same with other classes that benefit from short rests, though I don't think any other class benefits as much.

 

[ppaladin123]

I think the answer is always going to be "it depends". Some tables don't get a chance to rest, some do. The thing is, if there is a warlock in the group, there will be more incentive to do so when there is the opportunity. Same with other classes that benefit from short rests, though I don't think any other class benefits as much.

The fighter with the maneuvers and the monk (restore ki!) would have similar need. The other classes I think benefit but not as much.

 

[TwoSix]

But how often are short rests actually happening during a gaming session? Taking an hour several times a days seems time consuming, especially when the bag guys are going to activate the McGuffin at the stroke of midnight, and time is of the essence. The 5e game we've been running has had very few short rests; I think we've had two in the past 5 sessions, because we're constantly running around.

I foresee this becoming a big issue of community discussion, especially once the DMG comes out and has house rules for it. It's a pretty big balance concern for classes focused on short rest recharge powers.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

It's not obvious at first glance, but basically the warlock can choose invocations that pump his melee or his eldritch blast damage and effectiveness high enough that he can keep up with the at-will damage of classes like the fighter, and his spells and other invocations then provide the extra oomph he needs to be viable.

Yep. Warlock using EB w/Agonizing Blast and the EB DoaM invocation (assuming the latter made it to the PHB) will be doing some fairly scary at-will damage.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

I foresee this becoming a big issue of community discussion, especially once the DMG comes out and has house rules for it. It's a pretty big balance concern for classes focused on short rest recharge powers.

Simple answer: if the DM isn't giving the group opportunities for an hour rest due to pacing or realism considerations, but feels they would benefit group balance mechanically, just cut a short rest down to ten minutes.