No Rituals for Warlocks?

[Generico]

It would make sense for Warlocks to not have ritual casting as a default class feature. Wizards (and now presumably clerics) are learned spell casters, and rituals are magic that must be learned. Warlocks on the other hand have no penchant for learning magic. Their magic is innate and comes to them through their ties to demons or feys.

Things like summoning evil tentacle gods could be done just as easily by making it a daily power.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

It would make sense for Warlocks to not have ritual casting as a default class feature. Wizards (and now presumably clerics) are learned spell casters, and rituals are magic that must be learned. Warlocks on the other hand have no penchant for learning magic. Their magic is innate and comes to them through their ties to demons or feys.

I'm actually betting that wizards are the only class that ALWAYS has Arcana trained (like rogues always have Stealth and Thievery), and that the cleric in the playtest wouldn't have ritual casting if he hadn't decided to train it as one of his optional skills.

Anyway, you're a bit off on the warlock fluff. Their magic is no longer innate like in 3.5; they make specific pacts with demonic/fae/otherworldly powers. Which could be achieved through a ritual, or through some other method... what was the David/Leigh Eddings book where the evil priest started out as a dirt farmer who happened to find an ancient relic of an evil god?

 

[Intrope]

I'm actually betting that wizards are the only class that ALWAYS has Arcana trained (like rogues always have Stealth and Thievery), and that the cleric in the playtest wouldn't have ritual casting if he hadn't decided to train it as one of his optional skills.

Anyway, you're a bit off on the warlock fluff. Their magic is no longer innate like in 3.5; they make specific pacts with demonic/fae/otherworldly powers. Which could be achieved through a ritual, or through some other method... what was the David/Leigh Eddings book where the evil priest started out as a dirt farmer who happened to find an ancient relic of an evil god?

The Elenium (aka the Diamond Throne/Ruby Knight/Sapphire Rose). Otha, dread King of Zemoch, stumbled over a statue of an Elder God while out herding goats and basically become that God's priest/king.

 

[Falling Icicle]

I never considered that it might be tied to the Arcana skill rather than a class. That would actually be a really good way to do it.

 

[DreamChaser]

I'm actually betting that wizards are the only class that ALWAYS has Arcana trained (like rogues always have Stealth and Thievery), and that the cleric in the playtest wouldn't have ritual casting if he hadn't decided to train it as one of his optional skills.

I never considered that it might be tied to the Arcana skill rather than a class. That would actually be a really good way to do it.

Erias the sample cleric has Arcana trained and no feats indicating that he has any bonus skills.

He also has ritual casting. So ti could be that cleric and wizard start with it and others must learn it.

Or it could be a class feature. I'm fine with only those two classes have automatic / easy access to rituals.

DC

 

[Generico]

I'm actually betting that wizards are the only class that ALWAYS has Arcana trained (like rogues always have Stealth and Thievery), and that the cleric in the playtest wouldn't have ritual casting if he hadn't decided to train it as one of his optional skills.

Anyway, you're a bit off on the warlock fluff. Their magic is no longer innate like in 3.5; they make specific pacts with demonic/fae/otherworldly powers. Which could be achieved through a ritual, or through some other method... what was the David/Leigh Eddings book where the evil priest started out as a dirt farmer who happened to find an ancient relic of an evil god?

I'm not going to get into a big argument over the semantics of the word innate, but the point is, Wizards learn to perform magic through study, which is the same way you learn something like a ritual. Warlocks just sort of get their magic. Making a pact with a demon doesn't really require much studying or practice.

 

[Lurker37]

Warlocks just sort of get their magic. Making a pact with a demon doesn't really require much studying or practice.

That depends on how hard it is to safely get the attention of said power in the first place and then strike said pact. We're really guessing at this point.

I believe it has been mentioned that Rituals are learnt through paying gold, not as part of class training per se. But the ability to perform rituals? This is the first we've seen that they even have a prerequisite. And it mentions no class restriction on what rituals those characters can perform.

Then again, maybe the restrictions are in the ritual: "Must use source X", "only followers of Y", "Can be used without meeting requirements, but has chance of backfiring" Could all be notes on Rituals.

Or maybe the notes on rituals on the DDExp characters are outdated.

In the meantime, we have just enough knowledge to be dangerous.