D&D (2024) The new warlock (Packet 7)

[Tales and Chronicles]

Cannot wait to play an Arch Fey Pact of the Blade. Finally the gish concept I've been dreaming of.

I've a Satyr Fey Blade-lock ready to go for a future campaign and I cant wait to try this new version.

Here comes Solan Deepcairn, housecarl of the Star Court in service of Sezmemul, the Thin White Duke, Lord of the Star Dust Ziggurat, the True Named Goblin King!

 

[Weiley31]

I don't think even a level dip is required if one wants Pact of the Blade, there's that feat Eldritch Adept that lets you gain a Eldritch Invocation if you have either spellcasting or pact magic.

Oh even better! Goodbye to all STR Paladins. You are made fools by this Feat.

Now EVERYBODY can pull a Hexblade.

 

[Charlaquin]

Hmm, one level dip for EB (no longer tied to warlock level), a short rest spell and an invocation, then take 19 levels of sorcerer. Sign me up. Coffeelocks are back and better than ever!

#featurenotbug

True coffeelock requires Aspect of the Moon, which doesn’t appear here, but is still available via backwards compatibility unless banned by the DM.

 

[Charlaquin]

I will admit, "trap option" or no, I am sad to see Invocations like Eyes of the Rune Keeper just rolled into bog standard ritual casting.

I liked being able to have that kind of utility spell active on demand without needing the necessarily to dedicate a full ritual casting to it - especially EotRK, which was essentially active full time and entirely non-magical.

I’ll certainly be saying this come survey time.

 

[Charlaquin]

Am I blind or are all the "you can now cast spell X using your warlock spell slot" invocations gone now?

They are gone, yeah. In the previous iteration they collectively got replaced by Mystic-Arcanum-as-Invocation. They seem not to have been brought back despite Mystic Arcanum returning to being a class feature. They were all pretty terrible, but I do think it would be nice to have a catch-all “choose a Warlock spell of a level you can cast. You can cast that spell once without expending a spell slot and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest” invocation you can take multiple times would be nice.

 

[Minigiant]

Oh even better! Goodbye to all STR Paladins. You are made fools by this Feat.

4e Chaladins return with a vengeance.

 

[Charlaquin]

4e Chaladins return with a vengeance.

Chaladins looking to use a two-hander will still need to invest a 13 into strength though, thanks to the change to the Heavy property.

 

[niklinna]

Posting before reading thread!

This is the first time a (more-or-less 2014-style) warlock has looked remotely interesting to me. They ditched a lot of cool stuff from the prior playtest version, but there's also enough polish that cleans up a lot that made me say "nope" before.

Particularly interesting:

• Unless I'm grossly misreading, pacts are invocations, so you can have multiple pacts. I'm not sure how wise it would be to do that, but it opens up a lot of fun build options.
• Many of the old Eldritch Blast-enhancing invocations now work with any cantrip that does damage. A small but very nice touch, even though Eldritch Blast probably(?) remains the damage cantrip of choice.
• The old core patrons all look cool. Before I didn't like any of them; now I like them all! (The concept of the Celestial patron isn't my cuppa though.) I might even like these new core patrons more than any of the splatbook patrons.

(It isn't possible to change invocations on leveling up, right? I looked for and didn't find text to that effect.)

The text on multiclassing still mentions the flexible spellcasting stat, which is clearly an oversight, but it had my hopes up before I had my hopes dashed seeing that you're stuck with Charisma. Oh, well.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Big changes to the Warlock.

• I'll start by saying that I really like choosing the patron only at level 3. In-story, that's so much better than selling your soul with a 1-level dip. It takes time to become desirable to a patron, and it's okay to flirt with Deep Sekrets.
• At the same time, I'm sorry for the changes to the Pact boons. I really liked the possibility of multiple casting stats, and they had a tight design. I think there are problems with what they've done, however:
• The design notes observe that "Over time" you'll be able to choose more than one pact. Over time, in this case, means by level 2, at which point a Warlock can have an cranked familiar, a blade they wield with their good looks, and a ritual book. I've no objection by letting a second pact boon be taken by level 5-7, but level 2 for all three seems to me too much too soon.
• Invocations: Otherworldy leap is now at level 2, where it has always belonged. Really sorry to see EotRK, Eldritch Sight and Beast Speech gone. It was nice to have them "always on" -- it helped make a unique character.
• Additional familiars! Now a halfling Warlock can be carried around riding the shoulders of its pet skeleton. I would do this ALL THE TIME. Serioulsy, a medium-sized familiar is sort of cool. (weird that this is the only pact requiring level 2; I get why, but it points to some of the discomfort of the change they've made).
• Agonizing blast can apply to any one cantrip. Neat.
• Eldritch Spear has always seemed ridiculous, and now the +(levelx30) range makes it clear why that's so.
• Pact of the Tome gives a level 1 spell slot to a class that doesn't have levelled slots. I see that it's for the sake of the rituals, but it feels very ungainly, at a first read.
• Investment of the Chain Master is awesome. My skeleton piggyback now has a fly speed!
• The GOO patron has some psionic feel, which is nice if limited. The level 3 ability Psychic spells is going to be fun to role-play. Create Thrall mainstreams the summon X spells, which the promo video said were all going to be incorporated into the new PHB (will the Conjure X spells be kept?)

 

[Scribe]

Was there any commentary in the video about losing Int/Wis locks?