D&D 5E (2024) One Year On. Warlocks How to Build Them?

[Zardnaar]

So as the title says. I have seen a celestial bladelock in play. But the player had a good weapon and used 5.0 material to pick up racial armor and spirit shroud.

Personally I lean towards controller.

Bladelock is to reliant on 5.0 material and multiclassing seems almost required for armor proficiency.

Pact of chain scales poorly later but theres some interesting things to do. Probably transition towards something else later.

Pact of Tome. First ones great utility but there's not really enough to build around it later.

Pact of the Nothing loading up on origin feats seems fine as well.

So overall I like the class a lot. Best designed class probably. Falls off power wise vs other primary casters later (which is probably a good thing). Front loaded early on makes it appealing.

 

[mellored]

Zone (Cloud of daggers, Hunger of Hadar) + Repelling Blast.
Plus the occasional AoE (Synaptic Static) and oras control (Hypotic Patter). And a chunk of utility (Suggestion, Fly).

Best with allies that can also push or slow (weapon mastery, elemental monk) and have their own zones (druid, web). Which is much easier in 2024 with Weapon Mastery.

 

[Zardnaar]

Zone (Cloud of daggers, Hunger of Hadar) + Repelling Blast.
Plus the occasional AoE (Synaptic Static) and oras control (Hypotic Patter). And a chunk of utility (Suggestion, Fly).

Best with allies that can also push or slow (weapon mastery, elemental monk) and have their own zones (druid, web). Which is much easier in 2024 with Weapon Mastery.

I want to see that build in play.

Seen elements of it but not full execution.

 

[ECMO3]

So as the title says. I have seen a celestial bladelock in play. But the player had a good weapon and used 5.0 material to pick up racial armor and spirit shroud.

Personally I lean towards controller.

Bladelock is to reliant on 5.0 material and multiclassing seems almost required for armor proficiency.

Pact of chain scales poorly later but theres some interesting things to do. Probably transition towards something else later.

Pact of Tome. First ones great utility but there's not really enough to build around it later.

Pact of the Nothing loading up on origin feats seems fine as well.

So overall I like the class a lot. Best designed class probably. Falls off power wise vs other primary casters later (which is probably a good thing). Front loaded early on makes it appealing.

If you are limiting yourself to single class I think the best (as in most fun) way to build them is going with a max dexterity Gish using Green Flame Blade with Agonizing Blast and Pact of Blade.

Here is how I would do it on point buy:

Tiefling (for Darkness and Flames of Phelethegos)

S13 D17 C12 I8 W8 CH16

Tiefling, Spellfire Spark
Level 1 Evocation: Pact of Chain
Level 2 Invocation: Delete Pact of Chain, Fiendish Resilience, Agonizing Green Flame Blade, Pact of Blade
Level 3: Celestial
Level 4: Weapon Master Dex 18
Level 5: Lessons of First Ones(tough), Devil's Sight
Level 7: Eldritch Smite
Level 8: Flames of Phelethegos, Charisma 17
Level 9: One with Shadows
Level 12: Spellfire Adept Charisma 18, Lifedrinker
Level 15: Shroud of Shadow
Level 16: Charisma 20
Level 18: Witches Sight
Level 19: Boon of Combat Prowess, Dex 19.

I think that would be fun.

If you can't use anything at all from 2014 then use Truestrike instead of Green Flame Blade and move Spellfire Adept feat up to level 8 and make your level 12 and 16 feats an ASI (getting 20 Dex at level 19)

 

[mellored]

I want to see that build in play.

Seen elements of it but not full execution.

Played one in 2014, worked well until the DM changed that most battles stated with us being surrounded from all directions.

Haven't tried it in 2024.


Another one i want to try,
Changing
Warlock Pact of the Chain + Druid 2 = free summon familiar. Send out Sphynx's multiple times a day.
GOO Warlock 3 + Mind Sliver + Mask of Many Faces= pretend to be someone else and secretly deal damage (also EB + Agonizing Blast as backup)
Warlock 5 + Gaze of two minds + Imp familiar = remote silent damage that can be cast multiple times (also Suggestion)
+ one with shadow

 

[Mephista]

I'm doing a sorta-tiefling* blade fiend warlock, no mc. I rely on AoA and Flame Shield for my defenses, and go ham with a great blade. Lucky, Warcaster and +2 CHA for feats. Level 8. Pact of the blade, thirsting blade, Otherworldly Leap, Pact of the Chain, Investment of the Chain, Gaze of Two Minds.

So far, the THP and thorns has scaled well enough that going melee isn't an issue. No one really wants to attack the flaming ice devil.

I really want that new Lorwyn Hex origin feat, though. Looks super cool and I think it might be worth swapping out an investment just to try it out for a bit.


* Got custom species spell options that let me swap out HR for mage armor, but otherwise basic infernal tiefer.

 

[Distracted DM]

One player that I had did Warlock 16/Paladin 2, for a super-smite build. It was pretty gross with how much damage it could do, especially with expanded crits, and he had a lot of get-out-of-jails, but he was also using some 5e14 source materials for stuff like cloud giant not-misty step. He also tried to get advantage as often as possible to max crit possibilities for greater smiting, and that included their invocation that allows them to always be invisible so he'd start every fight invis.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

since the Eberron book came out you could see how many dragonmarks you can have on one character.