D&D 5E [GUIDE] Pacts, Patrons, and Power, a Warlock guide

[dc_in_sf]

Will you rate the other invocations soon (cloak of flies and the likes)? I really like your work so far btw.

PS : The way Improved Pact Weapon is worded , RaW wise, it seems to me that you should keep it even if you get a magic weapon since it allows the benefits of Eldritch smite and Lifedrinker on the Eldritch Blast cantrip (never once is it worded as "melee weapon hit/attack" ; they all use the idea that you need to hit with the weapon and said weapon is treated as your focus via IPW, hence "hiting with it").

An arcane focus is a substitute for a material component which in of itself is one of possibly three parts to casting a spell. You don't hit someone with your arcane focus when you cast a spell anymore than you hit someone with powdered rhubarb and an adders stomach when you cast Melf's Acid Arrow without a focus. You could just as well argue that you are "hitting" you target with the verbal or somatic components of the spell (*)

If this was intended then you'd have always been able to do it using a quarterstaff as an arcane focus without IPW

Note Eldritch Blast is a VS spell so you don't use an arcane focus when casting it anyway.

(*) the SCAG cantrips are an exception in that the material component is specifically a weapon that you hit someone with.

 

[mellored]

An arcane focus is a substitute for a material component which in of itself is one of possibly three parts to casting a spell. You don't hit someone with your arcane focus when you cast a spell anymore than you hit someone with powdered rhubarb and an adders stomach when you cast Melf's Acid Arrow without a focus. You could just as well argue that you are "hitting" you target with the verbal or somatic components of the spell (*)

That probably applies to lifedrinker and eldrich smite.

But improved pact weapon doesn't mention hitting.
"the weapon gains a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls"

So... maybe?

 

[dc_in_sf]

That probably applies to lifedrinker and eldrich smite.

But improved pact weapon doesn't mention hitting.
"the weapon gains a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls"

So... maybe?

I'd say no

"the weapon gains a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls"

Emphasis mine. You are not attacking with the weapon, you are casting a spell

 

[dc_in_sf]

I'm kind of curious as to the actual benefit of using a shield with a Eldritch Blast based warlock (Hexblade or otherwise).

Early on when you have limited competition for your free hand it would appear useful, but if you pickup any of the fun spell attack/damage enhancers (i.e. most commonly Rod of the Pact Keeper but also Staff of Power or the Magi, Wand of the War Mage) then now you have some issues.

Assuming your most common action is to cast EB, you need a free hand to do so (V,S spell), so you are forced to choose between weilding the shield or the spell attack enhancer. Swapping between the two is non trivial, requiring either your full action (stow, draw) or spreading the swap over two turns which results in either one turn of no items (which would allow an EB cast) or one turn with both (which would block casting EB but may allow casting other spells).

 

[mellored]

I'm kind of curious as to the actual benefit of using a shield with a Eldritch Blast based warlock (Hexblade or otherwise).

Early on when you have limited competition for your free hand it would appear useful, but if you pickup any of the fun spell attack/damage enhancers (i.e. most commonly Rod of the Pact Keeper but also Staff of Power or the Magi, Wand of the War Mage) then now you have some issues.

Assuming your most common action is to cast EB, you need a free hand to do so (V,S spell), so you are forced to choose between weilding the shield or the spell attack enhancer. Swapping between the two is non trivial, requiring either your full action (stow, draw) or spreading the swap over two turns which results in either one turn of no items (which would allow an EB cast) or one turn with both (which would block casting EB but may allow casting other spells).

"A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components—or to hold a spellcasting focus—but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components."
My reading is that you can use somatic components with the same hand holding a focus.

If not. Warcaster.


Edit: Offical answer.
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/sage-advice/rules-spellcasting

"If the same cleric casts cure wounds, (S, V) she needs to put the mace or the shield away, because that spell doesn’t have a material component but does have a somatic component. She’s going to need a free hand to make the spell’s gestures. If she had the War Caster feat, she could ignore this restriction"

So... warcaster.

 

[dc_in_sf]

"A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components—or to hold a spellcasting focus—but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components."
My reading is that you can use somatic components with the same hand holding a focus.

If not. Warcaster.


Edit: Offical answer.
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/sage-advice/rules-spellcasting

"If the same cleric casts cure wounds, (S, V) she needs to put the mace or the shield away, because that spell doesn’t have a material component but does have a somatic component. She’s going to need a free hand to make the spell’s gestures. If she had the War Caster feat, she could ignore this restriction"

So... warcaster.

I can’t imagine there is a single cleric out there that remembers to stow their weapon to cast a V,S spell, so that piece of sage advice has always struck me as really really silly, but it’s the official ruling.

Does boost Warcaster as a feat for hexblades though, as it effectively enables the shield AC as well as all the other benefits


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[mellored]

I can’t imagine there is a single cleric out there that remembers to stow their weapon to cast a V,S spell, so that piece of sage advice has always struck me as really really silly, but it’s the official ruling.

Does boost Warcaster as a feat for hexblades though, as it effectively enables the shield AC as well as all the other benefits


Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

I agree it's pretty stupid.
But it also answers improved pact weapon, since you aren't using it to cast eldrich blast with.

 

[Louis Tétrault]

I always find it weird how this works : less is more!

"Only" Somatic (as in with or without verbal) = Need a free hand
Somatic + Material = can be same hand
Spellcasting focus = replacement for Material = works well for Somatic/Material spell but useless for "Somatic only" (with or without verbal) spells.

So Improved pact weapon doesn't help me cast Eldritch blast (I need my free hand because it's only somatic) but it helps me cast minor illusion... as a focus, it can replace the bit of fleece needed for it or the PETRIFIED EYE OF A NEWT (???) needed for casting Hex... but according to the wording (p.203) it can't replace the undead eyeball in a 150 gold piece gem because that's a cost specific material component ...

RNG-esus that is random !

 

[FullCaster]

I'm not sure if it's already been said, but you should add Thunder Step to the level 3 spells.

 

[mellored]

I'm not sure if it's already been said, but you should add Thunder Step to the level 3 spells.

added