D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook reveal: "New Warlock"

"The character builder's paradise".

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We last saw the Warlock in Playtest 7, with a lot of features from 2014 restored from the previous version. Still, a lot of questions (for me) remain: here's my list from before the video ran:

Spoiler

• Will the three pacts still be invocations, and will it be possible to get all of them by level 2? (I hope not). Yes.
• If they are invocations, will people still believe they are getting more invocations than thry had in 2014? Yes.
• What will the Pact of the Chain special creature options be? (We've seen the Sphinx of Wonder previewed already.) Is there still going to be a (M-sized) skeleton option? YES!
• Will Pact of the Tome still have the lame rewritten Ritual Caster rules, of only two 1st level rituals, and never any more? (I hope not). No answer, but I doubt it's been changed.
• Is it conceivable that anyone would not take Pact of the Blade as one of their Invocations? (Doubt it.) No answer. They did not talk about whether later invocations will give Extra attack, or other concerns here.
• Will anyone be able to take Eldritch Blast? "Warlock Specific"

(Happily, many of these questions were indeed answered in the video!).
I think warlock really benefits from having the subclasses come at level 3: you can "dabble" in the occult without selling your soul until level 3 (though admittedly, the wording of the fluff text does not require you to sell your soul).

OVERVIEW

• Invocations at 1, Magical Cunning at 2 (as in PT7)
• Crawford claims we will get more eldritch invocations. Assuming the table's as in PT7, this is a bit of a fudge: there's one for a pact at level 5 (no gain) and one extra, at level 5, and for most it will go, I feel, to another pact). Yes there's more flexibility.
• Main choices are Pact Boons. "This is a big deal" -- "it is a juicy choice" they say, and Crawford makes it clear you can get them all "over time". "Over time", though, is by level 2. To me this is too much too early.
• NEW: all pact boons at level 1 now.
• NEW: "More Spooky critter options" for Pact of the Chain, speaking to Patron types. Complete list: Slaad tadpole. Skeleton, Imp, Pseudodragon, Quasit, Sprite (Fey), Sphinx of Wonder (Celestial), Venomous Snake. All will be in the PHB.
• Spellcasting has been enhanced: more invocations work with warlock spells. Now they don't just affect Eldritch Blast (which is warlock-specific -- not clear how that's mechanized, though). You can have Ray of Frost with Repelling Blast.
• NEW: Lessons of the First Ones only lets you take an Origin Feat.
• Contact Patron at 9, Mystic Arcanum at 11+, expanded spell list (though not as big as sorcerer).
• All subclasses get an expanded spell list.

SUBCLASSES

ARCHFEY - "a teleportation fantasia"

• Gameplay was not living up to the flavour. Going "all-in" on Teleportation.
• Additional effects occur whenever you cast the spell, not just the free casting from Steps of the Fey. (Refreshing step and Taunting Step confirmed, as in PT7 apparently).
• Beguiling Defenses, causing psychic damage
• Bewitching magic at 14 as in PT7 -- "ridiculous in all the best ways".

CELESTIAL

• NEW: from expanded class spell list. Summon Celestial on spell list.
• NEW: Guiding Bolt, Cure wounds and Aid (Aid was not on PT7 list) on subclass list
• You can be "a hired hitman from the gods"
• NEW: Searing Radiance at 14 now can apply to an ally.

FIEND

• Magical weapons no longer pass your damage resitance (in reference to Fiendish Resilience at 10?)
• "tankiness" seen in BG3 is also here: Dark One's Blessing seems completely rewritten, as it was described in the Design Note of the PT7.

GREAT OLD ONE

• NEW: Summon Aberration might be a version of the Mind Flayer (an option in the Summon Abberation spell)
• when you do damage, you can do psychic.
• Psychic Spells for enchantment/illusion without Verbal/Somatic (but you still need Material); damage may be Psychic. Clairvoyant Combatant can be a battle of wills (focusing damage to one target -- a nod to AD&D psionic battles). Eldritch Hex also as in PT7.

 

[Distracted DM]

It'd be real nice if customizability was a core design goal for the flagship product of an entire industry about playing a character you make up with your imagination.

5e seems REALLY customizable though- everything post- 2e has been pretty customizable.

If you want GURPS or other stuff where it's completely freeform without classes and you pick and choose from everything ... I doubt that's gonna be a thing since it ditches a lot of DnD IP identity stuff. You need a homebrew not-class like the "Adventurer" or a different game.

 

[Horwath]

5e seems REALLY customizable though- everything post- 2e has been pretty customizable.

If you want GURPS or other stuff where it's completely freeform without classes and you pick and choose from everything ... I doubt that's gonna be a thing since it ditches a lot of DnD IP identity stuff. You need a homebrew not-class like the "Adventurer" or a different game.

3.5E fighter and wizard were pretty customizable.

just feats to take over levels(and spells for wizards)

 

[Weiley31]

Warlocks break the rules

Plus, Warlocks LITERALLY "game the system" to basically gets their powers.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Plus, Warlocks LITERALLY "game the system" to basically gets their powers.

And Rogues are thieves, yet they're not stealing extra attacks or smites or beast companion...

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Monsters getting a bit of a lift won't make too much of a difference- running Kobold Press and A5E monsters with 5e characters, it can be tough to challenge them properly sometimes.. Yeah, making 5e characters better is pretty unnecessary

Rats.

Well, overwhelming odds you have to outmaneuver has worked as a challenge at times. I know not every fight has to be to the death either…

I just don’t understand the need for more glitz when PCs are already curb stomping monsters…I guess it’s going it with more flair or something

 

[Aldarc]

Plus, Warlocks LITERALLY "game the system" to basically gets their powers.

Warlocks LITERALLY level up with experience points to get their powers.

 

[Staffan]

Rats.

Well, overwhelming odds you have to outmaneuver has worked as a challenge at times. I know not every fight has to be to the death either…

I just don’t understand the need for more glitz when PCs are already curb stomping monsters…I guess it’s going it with more flair or something

They mentioned that they hadn't changed the CR of any monsters, but they did change some of them to better match their CR. That sounds like an admission that 2014 monsters were, in many cases, underpowered and will be getting a boost.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

They mentioned that they hadn't changed the CR of any monsters, but they did change some of them to better match their CR. That sounds like an admission that 2014 monsters were, in many cases, underpowered and will be getting a boost.

I saw/heard that. Fingers crossed. As a player I want to be pushed…I want to overcome danger with my overflowing bag of abilities!!!

 

[Remathilis]

That's specifically a class feature, so no grabbing it with the magic initiate spell.

I recommend reading the paladin thread. It's a spell on the paladin spell list.

 

[GarrettKP]

Easy to fix. Eldritch Adept says "If the invocation has a prerequisite of any kind, you can choose that invocation only if you're a warlock who meets the prerequisite." All you need is "prerequisite: warlock level 1" on that pact invocations and EA won't be able to poach them.

That likely would mean there’s 2-3 choices for the Eldritch Adept feat and no more. Then what’s the point of having the feat at all?

Honestly people picking the three Pacts as a feat isn’t a big deal. Pact of the Blade is only giving them a Charisma based weapon, which only Paladin and maybe Bard cares about. They don’t get extra attack with it or the ability to layer it with other blade improvements.

Pact of the Chain gives you a slightly enhanced familiar that still can’t attack or do much in the way of combat. At best you’re getting the reaction ability of the Sphinx which is just a twice a day guidance, essentially.

Pact of the Tome is the best option, and even then it’s only marginally better than taking Magic Initiate at level 1. Delaying any form of ASI boost for 3 Cantrips and 2 ritual spells isn’t game breaking, and plenty of people will instead want to drift toward stuff like Fey Touched.

We need to see the full list of level 1 Invocations but the Pacts alone aren’t enough to make everyone want to dip Warlock or take the feat, especially if every big boon for those invocations got level locked behind prerequisites.