D&D 5E (2024) Warlock brainstorm

[mellored]

What are some changes you would like to see to the warlock?

 

[mellored]

The biggest change I would make is allowing invocations and spells to be chosen after each long rest (tome can chose after a short rest). This opens up taking more niche options. Could probably reduce the total number at higher level a little bit to compensate.

Go back to 3.5's Eldritch blast, which allows you to chose 1 shape and 1 essence each time you cast it.
At level 1 you start with 2 shapes (line, cone, burst, ray, melee).
At level 2 you start with 2 essence (push, pull, slow, fear, elemental).
That gives 4 different combinations to do in combat(+spells) rather than the same thing every turn.
Higher level shape (friendly burst, wis/con/dex save) and essence (restrained, blind, stun, teleport) can be added at higher levels with patrons or invocations.

Warlock curse is usable at-will, limit 1 target. Expanded with invocations, but should be primarily creepy out of combat stuff.

The subject of your curse is affected by a constant string of bad luck and inopportune events. Spilling their coin purse when trying to barter, sneezing in the middle of an important speech, getting their coat caught on a door latch and tearing a hole right before a date. They have disadvantage on all ability checks.
In addition, nightmares invade the creatues dreams, preventing it from resting. Each day you have the curse on someone, they gain a level of exhaustion, up to a maximum of half your warlocks level.

A number of invocations should scale. Like bestow curse/thief of 5 fates should be cast at higher levels, including extra targets. Or perhaps more often.

Hexblade is what pact of the blade should of always been. So move that to level 3.

 

[Leatherhead]

Eldritch Blast is (mostly) deleted. In it's stead, every subclass gets their own signature blast with much more flavor and potential synergies, and the old invocations that used to boost Eldritch Blast now work on those.

 

[Horwath]

Warlock moved to 2/3 caster, like some classes were in 3.5
that gives new spell levels at class levels: 1,4,7,10,13,16,19(7th level max). Long rest recharge.

EB deals 1dX damage, +1dX on levels 4,7,10,13,16,19. X depending on type of EB

as @mellored mentioned EB should have;

single target ray ranged spell attack, 150ft, 1d8 damage,
5 or 10ft burst at 60ft 1d6 damage, dex save
melee spell attack, 1d12 damage,
15ft cone 1d10 damage, dex save

invocations could add 10 push, pull, half speed speed or similar.

 

[Pauln6]

I think I would like each subclass to get a free invocation to choose from a list of maybe 3 options, themed after their pact. I would like pact themed spells to be on your spell known list, even if they reduce the number of other spells known slightly. I would like warlocks to get to 3 spell slots at lower levels. I would like tome warlocks to have ways to learn a few new spells.

Agonising Blast should amalgamate all your blasts into one blast plus ability modifier.

There should be some invocations to enhance other cantrips.

 

[Minigiant]

I'd give each warlock the choice of eldritch bind, eldritch blast, eldritch gaze, or eldritch slash

 

[Amrûnril]

I'm also in favor of alternatives to Eldrich Blast, though I'd suggest some of those alternatives should be less overtly magical. A lot of the flavor and class design for Warlocks suggest a tendency to be more subtle with their magic use than WIzards or Sorcerers, so they should have some options for their default attack that lean into that.

 

[Dausuul]

Shift more of the class's power into invocations, and add a mechanic to let you sacrifice magic items for extra invocations. (My thinking is that each "purchased invocation" takes up one of your attunement slots, and costs a magic item of rarity proportional to the level of the invocation.)

The idea here is to put some mechanical weight behind the warlock's concept of "bargaining for power."

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

No spellcasting!

• Eldritch blast as an alternate attack feature dealing 1d10 force damage.
• Keep the boon as-is (with the usual buffs to Blade pact)
• Hex as an at-will feature that let the damage of E.B deals scaling damage ala Sneak attack
• More Invocations, make the few Warlock special spells has Invocations instead with the appropriate resets.
• Take Spell Thief from the A.T and give it to the warlock, PB per long rest. You can cast the ''stolen spell'' once.

 

[mellored]

There should be some invocations to enhance other cantrips.

Bad Advice: you gain the guidance cantrip, but it triggers on a success, and gives a penalty

I'd suggest some of those alternatives should be less overtly magical. A lot of the flavor and class design for Warlocks suggest a tendency to be more subtle with their magic use than WIzards or Sorcerers, so they should have some options for their default attack that lean into that.

Conversation Casting: You learn to weave arcane words and gestures into the middle of a seemingly normal conversation. You must be talking and concentrating for at least 1 minute, after which you cast a spell and make a Deception roll. If you succeed against a creatures passive insight, they do not know you cast the spell. Spell effects such as rays or bolts are hidden, but still requires line of sight.
Creatures gain a cumulative +5 bonus to their insight against further spell cast this way until they take a long rest.