D&D (2024) The new warlock (Packet 7)

[Amrûnril]

While the ability to use CHA for weapon attacks certainly makes more sense as part of the blade pact than as a patron ability, I think it's worth noting that continuing to attack with physical ability scores also seems like a viable strategy. A blade-lock attacking with DEX and using most of their spell slots on Hex and Eldritch smite is free to treat CHA as a secondary or tertiary score, the same way most Paladins and Rangers do with their casting stats.

As in most cases of unorthodox weapon-using builds, DEX works much better than STR, since the former contributes to AC automatically, while the latter requires a hard to obtain armor proficiency. If heavy armor training were made more readily available through an invocation or background feat, I think it would do a lot to facilitate diversity in Warlock builds.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

While the ability to use CHA for weapon attacks certainly makes more sense as part of the blade pact than as a patron ability, I think it's worth noting that continuing to attack with physical ability scores also seems like a viable strategy. A blade-lock attacking with DEX and using most of their spell slots on Hex and Eldritch smite is free to treat CHA as a secondary or tertiary score, the same way most Paladins and Rangers do with their casting stats.

As in most cases of unorthodox weapon-using builds, DEX works much better than STR, since the former contributes to AC automatically, while the latter requires a hard to obtain armor proficiency. If heavy armor training were made more readily available through an invocation or background feat, I think it would do a lot to facilitate diversity in Warlock builds.

Since lvl 2+ Warlocks can take Feats thru an Invocation, one could take Medium armored to get medium armor + shield in addition to their blade pact.

Focus you slots on Eldritch smite and spells that dont require CHA:
Armor of Agathys
Hex
Shadow Blade
Misty Steps
Mirror Image
Darkness
Spirit Shroud
Shadow of Moil
Soul Cage
etc...

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Honestly I'm mostly happy with the new Warlock although I'd like a few changes to Pact of the Chain invocation to remove the level prequiste and to clarify if you change the creature type of the new forms like Imp, or do they keep their creature type unlike cats, ravens, spiders, rats, etc...

 

[Kurotowa]

Since lvl 2+ Warlocks can take Feats thru an Invocation, one could take Medium armored to get medium armor + shield in addition to their blade pact.

You're a bit behind the times. There's only two armor feats in the One D&D version of the game. There's Lightly Armored, which can be taken as the free 1st level feat and includes medium armor and shields. And there's Heavily Armored, which can't be taken until 4th level and gives heavy armor training and a +1 in Str or Con. Also you can't take Heavily Armored with the invocation, because the invocation doesn't let you take feat with prereqs and "Must be 4th level" is a prereq.

So yes, in theory you could do a Str focused Bladelock build that doesn't attack with Cha and picks up both armor feats. But at that point, why not just play a Paladin? It's the other side of the coin of "Why multiclass dip Bladelock if playing straight Bladelock is no longer a trash choice?"

 

[ProfessorDetective]

I'm less concerned with how they're implemented mechanically and more with the loss of narrative flair. I have a warlock character concept whose backstory and "inciting incident" for making their pact is essentially sacrificing something of themselves in exchange for knowledge of runes and writing, Odin-style, which I'd planned to represent through Eyes of the Rune Keeper - their entire reason for the making the pact (or at least one major aspect of it) was to gain the ability to read anything at any time.

Now that ability is locked behind a spell cast. One which (cast time, components, duration, and/or spell slot aside) is more versatile than simply being able to read any writing, to be sure, since it also covers spoken language, but is far less narratively evocative.

Yeah, I have a Detective Warlock on file because ALL of those are pretty good for a PI in Waterdeep, as was everything the Pact of the Tome's cantrips and rituals could bring in.

 

[ProfessorDetective]

Now all I need is a draconic subclass for warlock...

Honestly, yeah. Ancient Dragons would definitely fit the mold for a patron. Surprised that wasn't in Fizbin's...

 

[ProfessorDetective]

People have posted so many ways around this, such as have feats that give class levels in another class but only the features, and so on. Multiclassing is not the only way to achieve what you want.

I've wanted that for Unarmored Defense for a while, specifically for the Sorcerer. I'm already pumping CON, especially since I have proficiency.

 

[Horwath]

Not all character concepts map 100% to a single class/subclass, and in game character arcs can very much alter a PC's trajectory in ways their initial class/subclass choice may not support.

more feat slots, give more feats that mimic class abilities.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Honestly, yeah. Ancient Dragons would definitely fit the mold for a patron. Surprised that wasn't in Fizbin's...

My tinfoil hat theory is that they're afraid that a draconic warlock will demonstrate how pointless sorcerer's existence is, so they will never make one for that reason.

 

[DEFCON 1]

My tinfoil hat theory is that they're afraid that a draconic warlock will demonstrate how pointless sorcerer's existence is, so they will never make one for that reason.

That's a big issue between Sorcerers, Warlocks, and certain Species... they all can overlap in story and narrative to the point where it becomes messy and eventually silly.

Draconic blood in your ancestry, draconic body type, or make a deal with a dragon to gain draconic magic. You could have three ways to accomplish relatively the same thing. Heck, we could throw in a Cleric that worships a draconic deity too for that matter, and I'm sure there's probably been someone who designed a paladin Oath Of The Dragon as well.

Or like in 4E when you could be a vampire (dhampyr) via your race, or a vampire via your class. So you could be vampiric bard or an elven vampire, or even a vampire vampire! A double vampire! Just like the dragonborn draconic sorcerer is a double dragon (heh heh).

At a certain point we players all just needs to relax about this stuff because WotC and/or other designers/companies will eventually give us 10 different ways to skin the same cat. So if any individual DM needs/wants some sort of cohesion to their game's identity or format for this kind of stuff... they have to just world-build it themselves, rather than expecting WotC to do it. If a DM thinks having a Cleric, a Divine Soul Sorcerer, and a Celestial Warlock are pointless overlap... they just have to remove the ones they don't like from the game-- not get persnickety that WotC refuses to make those changes for them.