D&D 5E 5e PHB Warlock Pact Blade Rules aren’t Clearly Stated - What is Your Interpretation

[Dausuul]

What do you mean by "You can do it every round if you feel like it. Don't know why you would, though."? Do you mean dismiss it?

Again, I don't have my PHB in front of me right now, but my recollection is that you can keep re-summoning your pact weapon all day long if you really want to. Each time you do, it disappears from wherever it was and appears in your hand.

Bladelocks are a really interesting subclass. I spent some time tinkering with them last night and again this morning. A dip in fighter before starting warlock looks very helpful, mainly for the fighting style, but also to get you proficiency with martial weapons (if you're dual wielding--auto proficiency with your pact weapon doesn't help with your off-hand weapon) or heavy armor and shields (if you're sword-and-boarding or fighting with a great weapon). If you want to go straight warlock, then either Two-Weapon Fighting or Moderately Armored/Heavily Armored are must-have feats. If you want to make a "dark paladin" type, bladelock with a dash of fighter seems like the way to go.

 

[Gadget]

I'm really not seeing the 'unclear' here in the quoted rules. So far what I've seen seems pretty strait forward and clear. FB, you seem to be reading some things into the rules that, quite frankly, aren't there. Using the 'feature' again requires understanding what the 'feature' in question is: summoning the Pact Blade. How anyone would interpret this to mean wielding the summoned weapon causes it to disappear is a little baffling to me. Furthermore, just spelling out that you cannot use this feature to duel wield would not prevent you from summoning up a batch for your friends now would it? This is why very proscriptive, spell-out-all-the-corner-cases rules tend to break down after a while. Furthermore, as others have tried to point out, just because you summon the blade to your empty hand (singular) there is nothing in the rules quoted to prevent you from wielding the summoned weapon with both hands if appropriate. I don't see the confusion here unless one subscribes to the belief that two handed weapons are too cumbersome to be even held in one hand, and even that is not something that derives from the RAW (as far as I know, I don't have the PHB).

 

[Boarstorm]

poorly worded rule

You keep typing this phrase.

I don't agree with its use for two reasons:
1) I don't feel it's accurate; and
2) It's a little inflammatory, honestly.

I can see where it may have (and obviously did) cause you some confusion, but I think the bulk of readers probably understood what was meant. As was said upthread, "You're overthinking it." The PHB is written in a conversational style, which certainly has its foibles (just look at the confusion regarding stealth), but the intent is to provide players with everyday kind of explanations and let the rest fall to common sense and/or DM rulings.

Personally, I prefer this approach over 4Es rigorous keywords and rules explanations. Others like the clarity it offered. I won't get into the tired arguments over "DM empowerment" here, I just wanted to say that I don't believe the rule is poorly worded and explain why I feel that way. I may have gotten off track a bit.

 

[Uchawi]

Its pretty clear to me from reading the text with some emphasis on keys words.

1. The warlock uses an action to create a pact weapon in an empty hand.
2. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it.
3. You are proficient with it while you wield it.
4. It disappears if it is 5 feet way for 1 minute, or you use the feature again (create it), or you dismiss it, or you die.

There is even a provision to convert a magical weapon to a pact weapon.

 

[Nellisir]

What do you mean by "You can do it every round if you feel like it. Don't know why you would, though."? Do you mean dismiss it?

He's answering your question about when CAN you use this feature (summoning a pact weapon) again. The answer is:

"You can summon a pact weapon any time you have an action. Summoning a pact weapon dismisses your previous pact weapon if it has not already been dismissed."

Action 1: Summon pact weapon.
Action 2: Throw pact weapon.
Action 3: Summon pact weapon.
Action 4: Throw pact weapon.
Action 5: Summon pact weapon.
Action 6: Throw pact weapon.
Action 7: Summon pact weapon.
Action 8: Throw pact weapon.
Action 9: Summon pact weapon.
Action 10: Throw pact weapon.

Repeat ad infinitum.

 

[the Jester]

Thanks for your insight! I'm having trouble quoting this so Ill try it this way for now just to finish your thought

To quote multiple posts, click the little icon to the right of the "Reply with Quote" on the bottom right of those posts. Then when you click "Reply to Thread", all of those posts will be inserted into your post and you can edit down from there.

It's their wording of: "It also disappears if you use this feature again" that leaves me hanging for better wording because it sounds like if you try to take another swing then poof it's gone because you are trying to "use this feature again" I assumed with the same weapon.

Attacking with the weapon isn't using the feature again; manifesting it is using it again. So you can manifest the weapon and then use it all day long until you dismiss it or whatever causes it to vanish.

So you're saying even though the weapons table says you have to use it two-handed to attack, you can still hold one (I'd think some would be too heavy for a puny Warlock : ) you could still hope to pierce an opponent if they run into a polearm balanced on end on the ground under your armpit at an angle ala Prince Oberon in Game of Thrones (well before got cocky and had his head squashed like a watermelon : )

No, you summon it in one hand and then start wielding it with both.

 

[pkt77242]

Again, I don't have my PHB in front of me right now, but my recollection is that you can keep re-summoning your pact weapon all day long if you really want to. Each time you do, it disappears from wherever it was and appears in your hand.

Bladelocks are a really interesting subclass. I spent some time tinkering with them last night and again this morning. A dip in fighter before starting warlock looks very helpful, mainly for the fighting style, but also to get you proficiency with martial weapons (if you're dual wielding--auto proficiency with your pact weapon doesn't help with your off-hand weapon) or heavy armor and shields (if you're sword-and-boarding or fighting with a great weapon). If you want to go straight warlock, then either Two-Weapon Fighting or Moderately Armored/Heavily Armored are must-have feats. If you want to make a "dark paladin" type, bladelock with a dash of fighter seems like the way to go.

An Oath of Vengeance Paladin who after a level or two is struggling to fulfill his oath and gets approached by X (fey, fiend, etc) to help him fulfill his Oath but he needs to do Y for them. Paladin/Warlock here I come.

 

[Joe Liker]

You don't have to use an action to put your second hand on (or take it off of) a weapon held in the other hand. So even thinking about how many hands you summon it in is irrelevant.

These rules are not unclear or unfinished, not by a long shot. They're not even open to interpretation. When they say melee weapon, they mean any melee weapon. There's no need to specify that it's unrestricted. The meaning of "feature" is something you need to get used to if you're going to understand any of the classes, not just this one.

And I forget who I'm replying to here, but it's the question of whether a thrown weapon still counts as a melee weapon. The answer is yes. If it's listed as a melee weapon, it always counts as a melee weapon, even if you are using it to make a ranged attack.

 

[Dausuul]

An Oath of Vengeance Paladin who after a level or two is struggling to fulfill his oath and gets approached by X (fey, fiend, etc) to help him fulfill his Oath but he needs to do Y for them. Paladin/Warlock here I come.

That is a truly awesome concept.

 

[Fire Brand]

An Oath of Vengeance Paladin who after a level or two is struggling to fulfill his oath and gets approached by X (fey, fiend, etc) to help him fulfill his Oath but he needs to do Y for them. Paladin/Warlock here I come.

Yeah that's a great combination of mechanics, desire to play a multi-class Warlock and RPG backgrounds that 5e is designed to encourage I think. And succinct to develop during gameplay. Mine have to be convaluted : )