D&D 5E So...warlocks?
Well, it lasts until you lose concentration. Hex is pretty important to a warlock's damage, but unless you spend a feat or two on improving your concentration saves, I wouldn't expect Hex to last longer than one or two fights on average, even if it has a max duration of 24 hours.
It kinda feels like Resilient and/or War Caster are a feat tax for warlocks.
TheGorramBatman
First Post
FTFY.
Frankly, I'm OK with that. These feats are solid and each provide advantages outside of just being "concentration feat tax." Advantage to Con saves is awesome, there are some really killer effects that require Con saves. Using spells for opportunity attacks is pretty situational, but at least makes opportunity attacks worthwhile for full casters.
If it wasn't for these two feats, there would be very little reason for Wizards/Warlocks/Sorcerer to consider feats at all, especially at low level.
Not all Con saves, only "Constitution saving throws that you make to maintain concentration on a spell when you take damage."
Sorcerers already have Con save proficiency, actually. Not that they couldn't get any use out of a different Resilient.
Warlocks have a very strong feat option in Moderately Armored. Typically it means +4 AC, +5 once you have enough gold for half plate. That alone might do almost as much for concentration (by taking fewer hits) as Resilient, but it depends a lot on what kinds of enemies you're facing.
The combination of having a strong, competing feat choice and also having an iconic spell (Hex) that you'd like to sustain through several fights in a row makes concentration seem like a rougher mechanic for warlocks than for other casters.
I think it would have made sense for warlocks to have proficiency in Constitution saves rather than Wisdom (really, are warlocks known for being wise?), but I'm pretty happy with the class overall. My only other quibble (that comes to mind) is that their power level is so strongly dependent on the frequency of short rests that it could cause friction in campaign pacing. They certainly needed the upgrade from the alpha PHB where they only recovered spells after a long rest, but I'm not sure that tying the recovery to a short rest was the best solution.
TheGorramBatman
First Post
You're right. I mistyped. I meant proficiency (that sentence referred to Resilient, the other to War Caster).
Then disregard Sorcerers and add Cleric, Bard, and Paladin to the list instead.
ppaladin123
Adventurer
Yeah....resilient for wisdom save proficiency....because there is nothing more terrifying than a dominated caster lobbing fireballs at his friends!
TheGorramBatman
First Post
I do agree that Constitution makes more sense for Warlocks, though I tend to think of them from a Fiend perspective. Wisdom prof, specifically for resisting mind effects, is a bit more fitting for GOO and Fey Warlocks. Now that I really think about it, it would have been cool to tie the save proficiencies (and maybe even skill proficiencies) to patron choice.
I don't really feel that the feat choices are competing, rather that they're complimentary. A character certainly doesn't need both right away (maybe ever. I'd have to see how practical high level play in action rather than theory).
Though this concentration discussion is mostly tied to Hex. While Hex is certainly something the Warlock would like to have up, it's a bonus action to cast in the first place so the situation could certainly be worse--
--Poor Vengeance Paladins having to keep up Hex-only-different (hunter's mark) while explicitly in melee for example.
TheGorramBatman
First Post
OK.
How do Temporary Hit Points and Concentration interact?
Concentration explicitly states that you make a concentration check when taking damage.
The Temporary Hit Point section seems to imply that temp HP act as a buffer which protects from damage.
"for example if you have 5 temporary hit points and take 7 damage, you lose the temporary hit points and then take 2 damage"
if you have 10 temporary hit points and take 7 damage, do you make a concentration check?
My interpretation is no.
If this is the case, then the concentration issue might not be quite as big as it is being made out to be and Armor of Agythys or Dark One's Blessing might be really awesome.
How do Temporary Hit Points and Concentration interact?
Concentration explicitly states that you make a concentration check when taking damage.
The Temporary Hit Point section seems to imply that temp HP act as a buffer which protects from damage.
"for example if you have 5 temporary hit points and take 7 damage, you lose the temporary hit points and then take 2 damage"
if you have 10 temporary hit points and take 7 damage, do you make a concentration check?
My interpretation is no.
If this is the case, then the concentration issue might not be quite as big as it is being made out to be and Armor of Agythys or Dark One's Blessing might be really awesome.
I thought about that, too, but I think the rules are pretty clear. The section on temporary hit points says "When you have temporary hit points and take damage, the temporary hit points are lost first." You take damage in order to lose the temporary hit points, and taking damage is what causes the concentration check.
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