D&D 5E The warlock is a "better" wizard than a wizard

[Ancalagon]

What fantasy characters are you comparing him to? The most famous would be Merlin or Gandalf I suppose. I don't see the Warlock as stacking up next to them.

well, this guy to start:

We are NOT taking the wizard by MattRhodesArt on DeviantArt

www.deviantart.com

(I encourage you to enlarge the image and take some time to look a it, lots of details)

 

[Charlaquin]

I'm a bit hesitant to do that myself, because while the warlock is easier to play than a wizard, it has lots of dials and levers and moving parts. It's easier to make a bad warlock, or a boring one.

I think lots of moving parts is a good thing, so long as it’s easy to play. A new player can always ask a more experienced one for advice if they don’t know what to pick, and I think the biggest risk of making a “boring” warlock is just following the obvious Eldritch Blast build, which results in a character that’s no more boring than a bow-using Fighter.

 

[Steampunkette]

I think lots of moving parts is a good thing, so long as it’s easy to play. A new player can always ask a more experienced one for advice if they don’t know what to pick, and I think the biggest risk of making a “boring” warlock is just following the obvious Eldritch Blast build, which results in a character that’s no more boring than a bow-using Fighter.

That is SO UNFAIR!

The Bow-Using-Fighter can't blast people around the battlefield, or drag them closer, or slow them down...

Even a boring Eldritch Blast Spamming Warlock has lots of cool stuff they can do without even getting into their subclass or other class features. Fighter has to be a Battlemaster to even -kind- of do that stuff.

 

[Seramus]

Invocations are Plug N Play, so they are generally not hard for new players (that I've noticed).
I DO wish there were Invocations for different cantrips.
I ALSO wish Blade Pact had more features baked in (Invocation for Extra Attack? Really?)

 

[Charlaquin]

That is SO UNFAIR!

The Bow-Using-Fighter can't blast people around the battlefield, or drag them closer, or slow them down...

Even a boring Eldritch Blast Spamming Warlock has lots of cool stuff they can do without even getting into their subclass or other class features. Fighter has to be a Battlemaster to even -kind- of do that stuff.

That’s why I said “no more boring than.” I suppose “less boring than” would have been a more straightforward way to word it though.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I think, If

I ALSO wish Blade Pact had more features baked in (Invocation for Extra Attack? Really?)

I think it should be the same Extra attack as the new Bladesinger.

 

[Steampunkette]

That’s why I said “no more boring than.” I suppose “less boring than” would have been a more straightforward way to word it though.

I was just playing at being outraged for comedic effect. It doesn't always translate in text. Sorry!

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

If I was to play a Basic 5e with only the 4 core classes, this is exactly how I'd create the ''wizard''.

That and having the cleric choose their domain which only affect their extra spell lists and their special Channel Divinity. The archetypes would be HOW you ''cleric'': warpriest, exorcist, miracle worker, spirit talker etc

So you could be a warpriest of the nature domain, or an exorcist with the forge domain, whatever!

 

[Charlaquin]

If I was to play a Basic 5e with only the 4 core classes, this is exactly how I'd create the ''wizard''.

That and having the cleric choose their domain which only affect their extra spell lists and their special Channel Divinity. The archetypes would be HOW you ''cleric'': warpriest, exorcist, miracle worker, spirit talker etc

So you could be a warpriest of the nature domain, or an exorcist with the forge domain, whatever!

You could get a lot of mileage out of doing this sort of two-tiered subclass model, giving everyone one choice at 1st level and one at 3rd. Patron and Boon for warlocks, Domain and Specialty for clerics, Tradition and School for wizards, Fighting Style and… something… for fighters…

 

[CleverNickName]

Now you've got me thinking about adapting the warlock "Pact Boon" feature for use with the wizard class. Call it an "Arcane Boon" or something, and give it to wizards at 3rd level.

Arcane Boon
At 3rd Level, you unlock special insight into a particular form of arcane magic, concentrated upon a single object or creature. You gain one of the following features of your choice.

Spoiler: Wizard of the Chain

Your gift of arcane insight focuses upon a single creature, which you bind to your service. You learn the Find Familiar spell if you have not learned it already. When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or one of the following special forms: imp, pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite. Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to allow your familiar to make one attack with its Reaction.

Your familiar is more cunning than a typical familiar. Its default form can be a reflection of your school of magic or your arcane guild. In the world of Harry Potter, for example, students of House Slytherin typically have vipers for familiars.

Spoiler: Wizard of the Staff

Your arcane insight focuses upon a wooden staff. You can use your action to conjure a quarterstaff in your empty hand. You can wield the staff as a melee weapon, and use it as an arcane focus for casting your wizard spells. This weapon counts as magical for the Purpose of overcoming Resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Your staff disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, dismiss it (no action required), or if you die.

You can transform one magical staff into your conjured staff by performing a special ritual while you hold it. You perform this ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. You can then dismiss the staff, shunting it into an extradiensional space, and it appears whenever you conjure your staff thereafter. You can’t affect an artifact or a sentient staff in this way. The staff ceases being your conjured staff if you die, if you perform the 1-hour ritual on a different staff, or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it. The staff appears at your feet if it is in the extradimensional space when the bond breaks.

Spoiler: Wizard of the Tome

Your spellbook grows in power, and you gain special insight over written spells. When you gain this feature, choose three cantrips from any class spell list (they needn't be from the same list). While your spellbook is on your person, you can cast these cantrips at will and they don't count against your number of cantrips known. They are wizard spells for you, even if they don't appear on the wizard spell list.

If you ever lose your spellbook, you can fabricate a replacement using a special ritual. This ritual can be performed during a short or Long Rest, and it destroys the previous book. The book turns to ash when you die.

Or whatever. I'll have to tinker around with this a bit. It's certainly better than dipping three levels of warlock just to get a fancy book. Thanks for the idea!