D&D 5E pact blade question

[pukunui]

In the description of pact blades, it talks about how you can transform a magic weapon into your pact blade and that you can dismiss it into an extradimensional space. It then says "You can't affect an artifact or a sentient weapon in this way."

Is that referring to the act of transforming a magic weapon into a pact blade, or just the part about dismissing it into an extradimensional space? That is, can you not make a sentient weapon your pact blade at all, or can you do it but you must keep it with you at all times?

 

[green_destiny]

Well I'm interpreting it as, you can't make a sentient weapon or artifact as your pact blade at all.
If you think about it you cannot alter a sentient weapon or artifact into a new form which a pact blade is all about.

 

[Paraxis]

I also read it as you can not make a sentient or artifact into a pact blade at all.

 

[green_destiny]

I also read it as you can not make a sentient or artifact into a pact blade at all.

Yes but the good thing is, if you make a magic weapon as your pact weapon, you can "summon/hide" it at will and you can alter its form into any melee weapon. Lots of possibilities.

 

[pukunui]

Thanks guys. That's what I thought. I just thought I'd check, as the wording was a little vague. If they'd said, "You can't make an artifact or a sentient weapon into a pact blade" instead of "You can't affect [one] in this way", it would've been clearer.

 

[Flamestrike]

Ive been reading it as 'no shunting an artifact into extra dimensional space'.

Blackrazor would make for an amazing Pact weapon Elric style.

 

[pukunui]

Ive been reading it as 'no shunting an artifact into extra dimensional space'.

Blackrazor would make for an amazing Pact weapon Elric style.

Ah! A dissenting voice. I will have to see what Jeremy Crawford thinks.

 

[Flamestrike]

Ah! A dissenting voice. I will have to see what Jeremy Crawford thinks.

My feeling was that it was designed to stop Warlocks from sending artifacts (which have a lot of funky rules about destruction) off to a different plane where they cant be reached.

It breaks nothing to allow those weapons to be used as Pact weapons, just not letting the Warlock perma-vanish an Artifact is the intent of the rule methinks.

Blackrazor is clearly modelled on Stormbringer, and Bladelocks clearly have Elric flavor. Would be an awesome combo having a Noble background Human (or Albino Drow) Fiend pact Bladelock wielding Blackrazor.

 

[pukunui]

Sounds good. I've asked Jeremy about it on Twitter. Will let you know what he says if/when he responds.

 

[PnPgamer]

Yes but the good thing is, if you make a magic weapon as your pact weapon, you can "summon/hide" it at will and you can alter its form into any melee weapon. Lots of possibilities.

Really? I've always intrepeted that only the one made out of warlocky energy is shapeable into any weapon. Are you sure that this can be done with bonded magical weapons as well?