D&D 5E How to fix "once (per long rest) using a warlock spell slot"?

[Sword of Spirit]

Okay, nobody likes this.

It feels underpowered compared to other invocation options. If I recall correctly, the justification given for the once per long rest limitation was to prevent spamming spells that would be problematic if you could do them repeatedly with short rests. Here are the relevant spells: compulsion, confusion, conjure elemental, slow, polymorph, bestow curse, bane. I can't see how any of those would be problematic, with the possible exceptions of conjure elemental and polymorph, and I don't even think those should be problems. Am I missing something obvious there?

There is at least one benefit of the phrasing--since you use a warlock spell slot it is automatically leveled. But that is small consolation for such a limitation. A couple of solutions I've thought of would be to either just add the spell to your spell list, or let you use it 1/long rest without spending a spell slot (but at the level of your spell slots). I'm not sure I'm completely happy with either of those. I'm sure there are others that can be thought up.

Does anyone have any suggestions that work well for you, or reasonable explanation for why this mechanic should stay as-is?

 

[The Crimson Binome]

My preferred solution would be to make it once per long rest without spending a spell slot, but I've never seen anyone even remotely interested in them, so we never got around to house ruling.

I mean, at high levels, warlocks have plenty of once-per-long-rest-without-spending-a-spell-slot spells. Giving them the option to add a few more would be fairly consistent, at least.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I've always wondered if magical features such as these would be better served by being re-written so as to not be "spells". In other words, write up how these features work using the invocation name and not referencing back to the spell, and have the mechanics written up in a different format than your standard spell block? That way it really becomes its own magical thing, and not just another spell (even if the mechanics are the same?)

I understand why they use the spell system for these things (ease-of-use, ease-of-understanding)... but it does take away a bit of the flavor. If you could psychically befuddle someone once per long rest as a magical feature, would that feel different than just being able to cast the confusion spell?

 

[Salthorae]

It is an interesting point.

I basically gloss over all of those Invocations because I'm not willing to waste such a precious resource as an Invocation on something I can only do 1/long rest.

OTOH spamming most of them can be problematic, especially the Elemental and Polymorph.

Then you have the "at-will" Invocations with disguise self, false life, silent image, & speak with animals. Those are all relatively "low-combat impact" spells though vs. any of the spells that are "using a slot 1/long rest".

I'm not sure if those spell options to me are even interesting enough to warrant an invocation for "1/LR at highest slot level".

If I want to conjure elementals, I'm not playing a Warlock. The only ones I can kind of see are compulsion or polymorph on an Archfey Pact Warlock just for the "mischievousness of the fey" theme.

Hypothetical - what if we said that they were instead "Twice per long rest by spending a spell slot you can cast XYZ"?

So it still takes that spell slot resource, but you can do it much more often, and it still doesn't seem like spam would be an issue.

I might be inclined at 5th level to take bane for instance if I could do it twice/long rest, at least for a couple of levels

 

[Esker]

I think the biggest issue with these invocations is that they use a spell slot, which you have so few of to start with, not that they are limited to 1 / long rest. As it is, the only one I'd remotely consider taking is Sculptor of Flesh, just because Polymorph is so good. I'd like to see these phrased something like, "You know the X spell. You can cast it once at its lowest level without expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to cast the spell in this way when you finish a long rest." In other words, make them work like Magic Initiate when you pick from your own class list.

That way you can use your slots on these spells if you want, but you also get an extra daily casting that doesn't compete with your regular warlock spells (the latter being like a lower-level Mystic Arcana).

Too strong? I don't think so, but the way to tell would be whether you'd feel like these invocations become auto-picks with this rewording. I mean, seven uses of Polymorph per day at level 7 would be strong, but it would also mean you're not casting anything else; and you can still only use it on one character at a time. Is that that much better than six Banishments or Greater Invisibilities (for a Feylock), plus the choice of a different invocation?

 

[Krachek]

I see there an opening for a DM to offer a boon to a warlock player.
Your patron seem to be please, you can use this invocation, for now...

 

[Dausuul]

I would just go with "Once per long rest, you can cast X without expending a spell slot." There are a couple like that in Xanathar's (Gift of the Depths, Trickster's Escape).

 

[FrogReaver]

Put the spell on the Warlock's spells known.

 

[Asmerv]

I'm in favor of these invocations letting you cast the spell 1/LR without using a spell slot, because:
1) It mimics mystic arcanum so it feels consistent
2) Allows Warlocks a bit of Nova flexibility for adventuring days that are 1 big combat and done
3) Feels good enough to be picked but not an automatic choice

 

[Hawk Diesel]

For me, it depends on the spell/invocation. If the spell is a more problematic one that would harm the game if it could be spammed using warlock spell slots, I alter the invocation to be able to be cast at its base level once per long rest. If it is one that would not be so problematic, the invocation adds the spell to your warlock's known spells without counting against the warlock's normal number of spells known.