D&D (2024) The new Warlock is so much better Thematically

[Corinnguard]

I thought that was the Metamagic feats were for.

Besides, we already have it:
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Good point. I was thinking of the kind of mastery that earns your character some bragging rights. "Well look at what my Magic Missile can do. Top That!"

 

[DEFCON 1]

I could see an option where you devote yourself to the Lords of Hell and at third level, a specific Archdevil takes you under its wing, but I kinda agree you don't make a pact and then at third level decide if it's with Satan, Chululu, or Dracula.

Exactly. The narrative (general) your character has in terms of how, when, and with whom they acquire these powers is not and does not need to be aligned with specific character levels or specific features you acquire. You can make the narrative however you want. Heck... a player could run their Warlock having acquired all these abilities and never know just who it is they got them from. They just know that at some point in their life they swore on their life to something and over time these powers started showing up. And while out-of-game we might know and say the PC has the subclass features of the Great Old One patron... that doesn't mean the player (through the character) ever has to acknowledge it or even make plain that is what their patron actually is.

 

[FrogReaver]

What if there was a Spell Mastery feature for spellcasters instead? Master a low-level spell and get it to do something extra.

Same theft of weapon mastery just a different coat of paint.

 

[Azzy]

I agree with this as well, though it is kind of odd they didn't use the same wording for Clerics, whose domains are delayed to 3rd level. No "choose your god" at 3rd level, as it were.

I'm not fussed about cleric domains coming online at level 3. It's not them choosing their god at that level, it's them deciding to focus on and specialize in one facet of their god's teaching.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I would love to see a (3rd party) minigame where you generate both the backstory of you ended up in a pact, and what the details of the pact are, through a Traveller chargen type system of random rolls.

Maybe not for D&D, where it's considered a sin to ever lock players into any actual choices, but I think it would be fun.

 

[Stormonu]

I'm not fussed about cleric domains coming online at level 3. It's not them choosing their god at that level, it's them deciding to focus on and specialize in one facet of their god's teaching.

It's not the domain aspect that I find amusing. It's that the warlock chooses the patron ("god") at 3rd, but the cleric is choosing their god at 1st. It's just inconsistent. Imagine the cleric being a generic priest, but not choosing which god they worship until 3rd ("Surprise guys, I'm actually an adept of Asmodeus!")

 

[Stormonu]

I would love to see a (3rd party) minigame where you generate both the backstory of you ended up in a pact, and what the details of the pact are, through a Traveller chargen type system of random rolls.

Maybe not for D&D, where it's considered a sin to ever lock players into any actual choices, but I think it would be fun.

You could do a variant, having a table/set of tables for each patron. Probably could be done for each class - "How you became a -" It could possibly replace Backgrounds, giving you skills, ability mods, equipment, quirks, contacts or whatnot. Roll or choose as appropriate, if need be.

 

[Voadam]

It's not the domain aspect that I find amusing. It's that the warlock chooses the patron ("god") at 3rd, but the cleric is choosing their god at 1st. It's just inconsistent. Imagine the cleric being a generic priest, but not choosing which god they worship until 3rd ("Surprise guys, I'm actually an adept of Asmodeus!")

That would kind of tie into the 1e DMG description of the power source for cleric spells where first and second level spells were from knowledge and training in rituals, 3-4 were granted from divine agents of a god, and higher level spells came from the god directly. I can see hitting 5th level and needing to find a patron deity and their servants to get access to the higher power after having mastered the generic initial cleric spellcasting tradition rituals.

 

[Stormonu]

That would kind of tie into the 1e DMG description of the power source for cleric spells where first and second level spells were from knowledge and training in rituals, 3-4 were granted from divine agents of a god, and higher level spells came from the god directly. I can see hitting 5th level and needing to find a patron deity and their servants to get access to the higher power after having mastered the generic initial cleric spellcasting tradition rituals.

It'd be a little on the strange side for us vets of the game, but considering D&D's "pantheons but not", the cleric waiting to choose a deity at 3rd would fit the game somewhat better.

1st level: "I know the rituals and names of the divine and the profane and can call upon them to heal my allies or harm my foes."

3rd level: "After much contemplation and an investiture ceremony at my home temple, I can now officially declare that I am a servant of Zeus above all others!"

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I would love to see a (3rd party) minigame where you generate both the backstory of you ended up in a pact, and what the details of the pact are, through a Traveller chargen type system of random rolls.

Maybe not for D&D, where it's considered a sin to ever lock players into any actual choices, but I think it would be fun.

I mean, aren't you describing something that's explicitly not about choices? But rather the luck of the dice?

I do think a choice-based, non-randomized (or purely optionally randomized, i.e. "choose or roll") deal to determine what your patron was and how/why you got them could be interesting and helpful though, for sure.

Particularly helpful because I think an awful lot of people picking Warlock aren't really thinking about the "pact" aspect of it, and thus that tends to be one of the least-considered elements of their backstory, despite it being a pretty rich mine.