D&D 5E L&L November 4th Warlock Design

[variant]

I disagree with those who say that divine pacts shouldn't be an option. There is a difference between a worshiper and someone who simply makes a contract with a deity. I think the chosen in Forgotten Realms could be a type of Warlock.

 

[Tovec]

I have a better compromise zero sparkling, but vampires get to be in the sun when strong enough.

Actually, I kind of like that. I only worry that most vampires the PCs are going to encounter aren't going to have that vulnerability. I'm sure it could work though, I like this idea as some kind of way to level up vamps.

I disagree with those who say that divine pacts shouldn't be an option. There is a difference between a worshiper and someone who simply makes a contract with a deity. I think the chosen in Forgotten Realms could be a type of Warlock.

This was my first thought too, but I wonder how much what you're describing is what old schoolers think of clerics in the first place? So far we have seemed to agree that pact making warlocks should be up the whims of their pact--er? Yet, that is a lot of what I hear when people describe 1e and 2e play with a cleric - with all the duties and responsibilities of their god.

I think there is still room for pact making with gods, but more in a vestige/inhabiting your body kind of way as opposed to a "making a deal" way. I don't know, need more information to come up with something good.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I disagree with those who say that divine pacts shouldn't be an option. There is a difference between a worshiper and someone who simply makes a contract with a deity. I think the chosen in Forgotten Realms could be a type of Warlock.

This was my first thought too, but I wonder how much what you're describing is what old schoolers think of clerics in the first place? So far we have seemed to agree that pact making warlocks should be up the whims of their pact--er? Yet, that is a lot of what I hear when people describe 1e and 2e play with a cleric - with all the duties and responsibilities of their god.

I think there is still room for pact making with gods, but more in a vestige/inhabiting your body kind of way as opposed to a "making a deal" way. I don't know, need more information to come up with something good.

Dovetailing with what I said about the similarity between Warlock pacts & Paladin Codes, I could see this working very well. In a sense, that would make the PHB Paladin a particular kind of LG Blade (is that the martial version?) Warlock.

 

[MarkB]

I disagree with those who say that divine pacts shouldn't be an option. There is a difference between a worshiper and someone who simply makes a contract with a deity. I think the chosen in Forgotten Realms could be a type of Warlock.

I like this thinking. In a recent Epic-level campaign, our party were set to work on a quest by the Raven Queen. My character didn't worship her, but at the conclusion of the mission he made an arrangement with her to help guard a portion of the Shadowfell in concert with her operatives, which tied into his Epic Destiny.

That more pragmatic type of arrangement with a deity doesn't represent the sort of deep faith a Cleric has, and the Warlock might be one good way of representing it.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I like the taking on aspects of your Vestige from the 3rd Ed Binder class.

This was one of my favorite things about the 3e binder, and it's part of why the 4e vestige warlock never really hit that juice for me. The cool thing was that when you took on the vestige, that defined your powers and your traits. In order to replicate that mechanically, it would be like a warlock who, at the beginning of each day, could choose which pact they would be manifesting that particular day. "Oh, today I'm going to use the fey magic"/"Well, Monday calls for shadowy entities of death"/"Ah, a white dragon, I bet my devils will be useful in that battle!"

But I think that this makes the 3e binder better as a "classless system" character, honestly.

What I really want to see is the patron demanding something of the PC in order for the PC to have these powers.

It'd be kind of cool if this was integrated into your most powerful spells. So that the devil is all like, "Sure, you can use me for the little things as much as you like. And if you really want to see what I can do...if you need a bit more help...well, just ask..." And then the ask is like "I am going to eat the souls of everything you kill with this magic, you know."

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

This was one of my favorite things about the 3e binder, and it's part of why the 4e vestige warlock never really hit that juice for me. The cool thing was that when you took on the vestige, that defined your powers and your traits. In order to replicate that mechanically, it would be like a warlock who, at the beginning of each day, could choose which pact they would be manifesting that particular day. "Oh, today I'm going to use the fey magic"/"Well, Monday calls for shadowy entities of death"/"Ah, a white dragon, I bet my devils will be useful in that battle!"

But I think that this makes the 3e binder better as a "classless system" character, honestly.

Or, lifting a page from Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed, make a Warlock type who works like the Oathsworn- or John Consantine from DC Comics. Such a variant would have major or minor pacts of limited duration with many entities.