D&D 5E Adapting the Warlock Chassis for other Classes

Check out D&D 4E. That's literally where the warlock class design was lifted from. 4E at-wills became 5E cantrips. 4E encounter powers became 5E short-rest spell slots. 4E daily powers became 5E long-rest spell slots. There are dozens and dozens of classes to pick apart and port over.
1 Hr "short" rest is not really a short rest, so you cannot call short rest spells Encounter powers as you cannot count on short rest after every battle.
 

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Warlock is "the best" chassis for a class for one reason only, Invocations, that is it.

Why Invocations? because they give you more level of customization to you character that other classes desperately need.

Invocations might not be extra feats completely, but they are pretty close to it, in fact they are priced as a full feat thanks to Tasha's, so you can just give warlocks a feat whenever they can take an Invocation. Honestly they are more close to half feats, some are even lower than that, but Tasha's priced them as full feats.
 

Warlock is "the best" chassis for a class for one reason only, Invocations, that is it.

Why Invocations? because they give you more level of customization to you character that other classes desperately need.

Invocations might not be extra feats completely, but they are pretty close to it, in fact they are priced as a full feat thanks to Tasha's, so you can just give warlocks a feat whenever they can take an Invocation. Honestly they are more close to half feats, some are even lower than that, but Tasha's priced them as full feats.
It's intended as an inefficiency cost. Actually taking Warlock levels gives you way more invocations, but you pay for it with, y'know, not getting levels in something else. Taking Eldritch Adept is much more efficient, but consequently more limited. Likewise, spending one of your Invocations on (to use the 5.5e term) "Lessons of the First Ones" is a way to pick up a feat...but it can only be a feat of relatively restrained scope, not just any old feat.

Getting two invocations for the price of one feat would be far too little. Getting one invocation is, yes, probably too weak--but it's hard to see what else it might give. A short-rest spell slot would be too powerful, and Warlocks have stronger cantrips, so eldritch blast kinda nixes that as an option. Other than invocations, there isn't much left to the class.

I will, however, argue that Invocations are not the only reason, though they are the biggest. The other reason is, as you might expect, short-rest resources. You have to economize, but not so much that you're pinching pennies. That's an engaging mechanical space.
 

It's intended as an inefficiency cost. Actually taking Warlock levels gives you way more invocations, but you pay for it with, y'know, not getting levels in something else. Taking Eldritch Adept is much more efficient, but consequently more limited. Likewise, spending one of your Invocations on (to use the 5.5e term) "Lessons of the First Ones" is a way to pick up a feat...but it can only be a feat of relatively restrained scope, not just any old feat.

Getting two invocations for the price of one feat would be far too little. Getting one invocation is, yes, probably too weak--but it's hard to see what else it might give. A short-rest spell slot would be too powerful, and Warlocks have stronger cantrips, so eldritch blast kinda nixes that as an option. Other than invocations, there isn't much left to the class.

I will, however, argue that Invocations are not the only reason, though they are the biggest. The other reason is, as you might expect, short-rest resources. You have to economize, but not so much that you're pinching pennies. That's an engaging mechanical space.
I agree that you must pick your invocations carefully to get your money(gold) worth.

Getting Beguiling influence, Eyes of the runekeeper or any invocation that gives option to use 1st level or 2nd level spell with a cost of a spell slot is usually a bad option.

But getting Cha bonus on every EB, extra attacks, extra Cha damage on weapon attacks, smites, pushing and pulling effects for EB are all worth invocation slots
 

As I said: I think the other classes have plenty of choices... but that's just my view.

Feel free to disagree with it all you want, it makes no difference to me, my game, or my views on it. I find plenty of choices I get to make and my character (even of the same subclass) feel very different to me.
I really wonder how 1 choice per character is "plenty of choice".
DnD would REALLY benefit from new development direction. They simply the fun out of things, yet add in soo much pointless complication (see the waste dump that is a bastion).
 


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