D&D 5E So...warlocks?

[Imaro]

I was under the impression that you could pick any type of weapon as your pact weapon and be proficient with it. You aren't proficient with a non-pact greatsword, but you are with the one you summon.
I don't have the PHB here with me, but I thought the language was you can create any weapon in your free hand and you are proficient with it, not "you can create any weapon you are proficient with."

This is how I read it as well...

Edit: Also I planned on playing a Weapon-lock with Dex as my primary ability score and Mage Armor as one of my invocations... if I use a finesse weapon (rapier) I think this will make a decent melee character without the dips into other classes or feat expenditures. Or am I missing something obvious?

 

[yakuba]

This is how I read it as well...

Edit: Also I planned on playing a Weapon-lock with Dex as my primary ability score and Mage Armor as one of my invocations... if I use a finesse weapon (rapier) I think this will make a decent melee character without the dips into other classes or feat expenditures. Or am I missing something obvious?

I've been working on this character myself. It seems very similar overall to the Ranger. Not quite as much AC or melee damage as the fighter and paladin, but more utility and versatility. The Fiend is definitely the best patron, for a pact lock.

Also keep a close eye on your spell list. I feel it's best to avoid Concentration spells. Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke (Burning Hand and Fireball for the Fiend) are all good spells.

You said you wanted to avoid feat investment. If you want to make regular use of Concentration spells, War Caster becomes pretty mandatory as your first feat and some investment in Constitution would be advised.

 

[EroGaki]

By the way, does anyone know if 5E will have Pearls of Power? If so, my future warlock character will hunt for, steal, buy, trade, and barter all of them.

 

[Mirtek]

Or am I missing something obvious?

The problem is that this way your melee is actually worse than just using eldritch blast, even with Lifedrinker. You basically need three attacks per round to be as effective as if you were blasting the enemies instead.

I also wanted to do your concept first, since I am a big fan of the swordmage and that concept is the swordmage reborn in 5e (Eldritch Knight doesn't come even close), but you would basically be fighting below your true capacity this way.

 

[Xerkxes]

The problem is that this way your melee is actually worse than just using eldritch blast, even with Lifedrinker. You basically need three attacks per round to be as effective as if you were blasting the enemies instead.

I also wanted to do your concept first, since I am a big fan of the swordmage and that concept is the swordmage reborn in 5e (Eldritch Knight doesn't come even close), but you would basically be fighting below your true capacity this way.

Unless you take feats, isn't the pact blade still useful?

You'd be suffering disadvantage firing them off in melee, and using your action to disengage so you could attack using Eldritch Blast next turn doesn't guarantee the would be target doesn't just follow you.
Also, while there's no guarantee for magic items, optional rewards at the DM's discretion and not expectations, but wouldn't a magic pact weapon come closer to being better? I know in the starter set there was at least one item that could do 1d6 extra damage. I remember some doing up to +3 or 2d6 in playtest stuff.

And.. Iunno, I just don't find the other options that useful either.

 

[Imaro]

The problem is that this way your melee is actually worse than just using eldritch blast, even with Lifedrinker. You basically need three attacks per round to be as effective as if you were blasting the enemies instead.

I'm trying to understand where the 3 attacks to be as effective is coming from, could you expound on that?

Honestly I'm not sure the base melee for the Warlock should be as good or better than eldritch blast (without using invocation and feat support) since cantrips are one of a warlocks class features and all of the pact features seem to be abilities that are in addition to the main warlock stuff, and thus where he should be spending the lion share of his feats/invocations. I was, in my example, mainly looking for a way to create a competent baseline pact-blade warlock (attk bonus wise and AC wise) and I think that the Dex/finesse build does that. Though I am still open to others thoughts on why not.

 

[Dausuul]

I'm trying to understand where the 3 attacks to be as effective is coming from, could you expound on that?

Rapier with 20 Dex, 20 Cha, Thirsting Blade, and Lifedrinker: 1d8+10 damage twice per round. Average damage: 29 x (chance to hit).
Eldritch blast with 20 Cha and Agonizing Blast: 1d10+5 damage three times per round. Average damage: 31.5 x (chance to hit).

Moreover, 20 Dex/20 Cha is very hard to reach unless you rolled stats and got lucky.

 

[TwoSix]

If your character design is a melee based warlock, which probably includes feat expenditures, multiclass dips into Fighter, Paladin, or Cleric, and a focus on Strength or Dexterity, than the pact blade supports that choice, and is almost certainly the best choice of the three pacts.

if your character design is a caster-based warlock, which is pretty much a straight warlock with a Charisma focus, then eldritch blast is your attack option of choice, and the pact blade is probably your worst choice of the three pacts.

Not so hard, really.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Unless you take feats, isn't the pact blade still useful?

You'd be suffering disadvantage firing them off in melee

That's why you pick cantrips like Vicious Mockery (or from memory Poison Breath) that force the enemy to make a save rather than you taking a ranged attack. Much lower investment. Poison Breath will only do about 20 damage (3d12) at level 11, but you only need it as a backup weapon.

And I for one find three cantrips from any list to be a serious advantage. Guidance alone is excellent.

 

[jadrax]

It's also worth bearing in mind you are likely to find way more magic weapons than magic doodads that increase Eldritch blast.