Justin Fike
First Post
The Warlock is one of the most flavorful classes in 5e. On the surface it appears to offer many options for customizing a unique character. However once you take a closer look at its mechanics you realize that the class has a small list of optimal choices, and a lot of less than effective traps for the unwary. Therefore, at my table I’ve implemented the following changes to RaW, and my Warlock player has never been happier. Her Warlock feels like a much more distinct and unique character, and has an easier time contributing to the party throughout the session without overshadowing anyone.
Houserule Goals:
Patrons:
Invocation Spells:
Blade Pact:
Houserule Goals:
- Make Patron choice have a stronger influence on a character's play style.
- Make Blade Pact viable without outright requiring multiclassing.
- Fix the Invocation spell options.
- Slightly reduce reliance on short rests, to address the problem of Warlocks being either OP spell spammers or boring cantrip users depending on the frequency of what ultimately should be a story-focused mechanic (when and how often the party can take a rest).
Patrons:
- All patron spells are added to spells known at appropriate levels.
- The patron spell lists are fairly well balanced, and include a number of flavorful spells that are rarely picked on their own but which can add a lot to the flavor of the Warlock. Being able to occasionally cast Clairvoyance or Dominate Beast is hardly game breaking, but helps the Warlock feel distinct due to their patron choice.
- The Warlock gains a Patron spell slot at 1st level. This slot is of the same level as your Pact Magic slots, increasing when they do, but can only be used to cast a spell from your patron's list. You gain a new patron slot at 11th level. Patron slots refresh on a long rest.
- Again, the patron lists generally contain effective, flavorful spells. Gaining one long rest spell option drawn from that list is hardly game breaking, but helps take a little pressure off of the need for short rests, and ensures that the Warlock is consistently casting spells from his patron's list.
Invocation Spells:
- All spells gained through devoting an invocation to acquire it, such as Bewitching Whispers, can now be cast one per long rest without expending a warlock spell slot.
- Everyone agrees that the Invocation gained spell options are horrible, mostly because it makes no sense to devoting one of your limited, powerful Invocations to simply gaining the option to burn one of your limited spell slots once per long rest. Keeping the long rest restriction maintains the balance factor, but allowing the Warlock to cast the spell without expending a slot suddenly makes many of these invocations attractive options for players that want to expand their spell casting options rather than spending Invocations on other utility focused options.
Blade Pact:
- When choosing the Pact of the Blade at 3rd level the warlock gains proficiency with medium armor
- When wielding their pact weapon they may use their Charisma instead of either Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls.
- At 6th level they gain the Extra Attack feature.
- Pact of the Blade Warlocks CANNOT select the agonizing blast invocation.
- Do a quick Google search for advice on building a Bladelock, and you'll find that most suggestions begin with “start as a Fighter at level 1, then...” The Fighter's armor proficiencies, fighting style, and other benefits go a long way towards making the Warlock a workable melee character. While this might work for some character concepts, many players would prefer to simply play a Warlock, and shouldn't be penalized for not wanting to multiclass.
- Medium armor is a moderate but helpful AC increase.
- The ability to use CHA for attack and damage already exists with a little juggling to gain the shillelagh cantrip. This helps to reduce MAD, but not eliminate it. A Bladelock still needs a decent Dex for all the usual reasons, and a solid Con score.
- The Bladelock is literally the only melee character in the PHB forced to expend resources to gain Extra Attack. Even bards can get it automatically by choosing their melee path. This is fixed by granting it automatically at 6th level, matching the Valor Bard. This frees up an invocation for one of the new combat options listed below.
- Removing the option to add agonizing blast to EB offsets some of these advantages. EB still remains a reasonable choice as a ranged replacement, and Repelling Blast can still give it some control utility if desired, but now Blade pact focuses on enabling reasonable but not Fighter level melee combat instead of ranged blasting.
- Do a quick Google search for advice on building a Bladelock, and you'll find that most suggestions begin with “start as a Fighter at level 1, then...” The Fighter's armor proficiencies, fighting style, and other benefits go a long way towards making the Warlock a workable melee character. While this might work for some character concepts, many players would prefer to simply play a Warlock, and shouldn't be penalized for not wanting to multiclass.
- New Invocations:
- Pact Combat (Pre-req: Level 3, Pact of the Blade)
- Your patron provides you some of the skill of ancient fighting masters. Select a Fighting Style from the Following List: Dueling, Two-Weapon Fighting, Great Weapon Master, Defense. This fighting style lasts until you take a Long rest, at which point you may select a new Fighting Style. You may only select this invocation once. You may not select or gain the benefit of any fighting style more than once, even if it comes from another source.
- Eldritch Strike (Pre-req: Level 5, Pact of the Blade, have not already chosen Eldritch Shield)
- You can briefly shape raw eldritch power into a blade of force. When you make an attack with a melee weapon in one hand while wielding nothing in the other, you can make a second attack as a bonus action. This attack deals 1d4+Cha damage.
- Eldritch Shield (Pre-req: Level 5, Pact of the Blade, have not already chosen Eldritch Strike)
- You wrap yourself in a protective eldritch ward. When you wield a melee weapon in on hand while wielding nothing in the other, you gain a +2 to AC.
- Pact Combat (Pre-req: Level 3, Pact of the Blade)
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