D&D (2024) Warlock brainstorm

[CleverNickName]

I know Toll the Dead is thematic - but it's also almost useless to your average warlock thanks to Eldritch Blast being multi-target. And in 5e an At Will Stun is a little much.

I'm just spitballing here; I wrote that in 10 minutes off the top of my head.

The goal wasn't to "make an alternative to Eldritch Blast" with these invocations. (That's just a different way of saying "power creep" if you want my opinion.) But if you wanted multi-target, and didn't want to step on the monk's toes, you could rewrite it:

Toll of Doom
Prerequisite: Pact of the Bell
When you cast toll the dead, you can target one additional creature.

 

[Neonchameleon]

The goal wasn't to "make an alternative to Eldritch Blast" with these invocations. (That's just a different way of saying "power creep" if you want my opinion.)

I'm going to disagree; three of the pacts provide significant power and utility (and the fourth has an entire pact to fix it); if the main thing that a pact boon gives you is a cantrip then, as you're investing more resources, it needs to be better than EB

 

[CleverNickName]

I'm going to disagree; three of the pacts provide significant power and utility (and the fourth has an entire pact to fix it); if the main thing that a pact boon gives you is a cantrip then, as you're investing more resources, it needs to be better than EB

(Well to be fair, the main thing that this pact boon gives you is an extra Invocation. The bonus cantrip is just a flavorful icing on the cake.)

As for "needs to be better than EB," there's nothing wrong with that approach; an Eldritch Blaster is the classic warlock build, because it's the most powerful cantrip (damage-wise) in the game. If you run a high-power, high-magic campaign, your approach would fit right in. Toll the Dead, Firebolt, Chill Touch, all of the cantrips could be boosted up to EB's level.

But I run a swashbuckling, low-magic campaign...so I'd rather pull EB back, not boost everything else up.

All that to say: grab that Pact of the Bell that I wrote, and the Invocations too, and make them your own. We're all brainstorming here in this thread; I'd love to see what you come up with. I'm sure lots of folks would prefer your approach to mine.

 

[mellored]

Toll the Dead, Firebolt, Chill Touch, all of the cantrips could be boosted up to EB's level.

Or just adjust Eldritch blast to have those effects.
I.e.
1d12 if the target is already damaged
Fire damage.
can't regain hit points.

 

[CleverNickName]

Honest opinion: if I were frustrated with warlocks constantly choosing eldritch blast and then optimizing it with invocations (I'm not), I would just remove eldritch blast from the game and replace it with another cantrip of the player's choice.

Ray of frost, for example. Replace every mention of eldritch blast with ray of frost and you would get some pretty cool combos:

Spoiler: What if Ray of Frost

Agonizing Frost​

When you cast ray of frost, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.​

​

Bells of Winter​

When you cast ray of frost, it's range is 300 feet.​

​

Repelling Frost​

When you hit a creature with ray of frost, you can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.​

​

Grasp of Frost​

Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with your ray of frost cantrip, you can move that creature in a straight line 10 feet closer to yourself.​

​

Frost of Lethargy​

Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with your ray of frost cantrip, you can reduce that creature's speed by an additional 10 feet until the end of your next turn.​

​

Kiss of Levistus​

When you hit a creature with your ray of frost cantrip, you can cast cone of cold as a bonus action using a warlock spell slot. The spell's area of effect must include the creature you hit with your ray of frost.​

​

Raven Queen's Blessing​

When you score a critical hit with your ray of frost cantrip, pick yourself or an ally you can see within 30 feet of you. The chosen creature can immediately expend a Hit Die to regain hit points equal to the roll + the creature's Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point)​

​

But like I said, I'm not all that bothered by warlocks constantly casting eldritch blast. (Not any more than I am with clerics who spam guidance, at any rate.) But now I've opened Pandora's Box and I can't stop thinking about this Cantrip Swap house-rule.

Spoiler: What If Toll the Dead

Agonizing Bell​

When you cast toll the dead, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.​

​

Amplified Tone​

When you cast toll the dead, it's range is 300 feet.​

​

Repelling Tone​

When you deal damage to a creature with toll the dead, you can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.​

​

Grasping Bells​

When you deal damage to a creature with your toll the dead cantrip, you can move that creature in a straight line 10 feet closer to yourself.​

​

Tone of Lethargy​

When you deal damage to a creature with your toll the dead cantrip, you can reduce that creature's speed by 10 feet until the end of your next turn.​

​

Kiss of Mephisto​

When you deal damage to a creature with your toll the dead cantrip, you can cast fireball as a bonus action using a warlock spell slot. The spell's area of effect must be centered on the creature you damaged with your toll the dead cantrip.​

​

Raven Queen's Blessing​

When you deal damage to a creature with your toll the dead cantrip, pick yourself or an ally you can see within 30 feet of you. The chosen creature can immediately expend a Hit Die to regain hit points equal to the roll + the creature's Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point)​

 

[CreamCloud0]

We're all brainstorming here in this thread; I'd love to see what you come up with. I'm sure lots of folks would prefer your approach to mine.

Pact of the Runestone

When you take this pact your patron provides you with a mystic runestone, while this runestone is in your possession:
-you gain one extra eldritch invocation.
-you may swap out one eldritch invocation for another that you meet the requirements for whenever you have a long rest.

If you lose your runestone, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous runestone. The runestone turns to ash when you die.

Pact of the runestone eldritch invocation
Rune of generosity: if you know any invocations that allow you to cast a spell specifically on yourself or has a range of self you may cast those spells on another creature with a range of touch.
Rune of repetition: if you know any invocations that allow you to cast a spell once per long rest either by requiring expending a spell slot or not, you may cast those spells once/once more per long rest at their lowest level without expending a spell slot.
Rune of knowledge: you learn one spell of a level you can cast from any spell list, it is considered a warlock spell for you, you may swap your known spell for another when levelling up.
Rune of bestowing: you may create a smaller copy of your runestone to give to another person to give them access to one of your invocations, you cannot use the bestowed invocation until the lesser rune is returned or destroyed, you may destroy the lesser rune at any time or distance at will, if the invocation usually requires a warlock spell slot it can be cast once without requiring one at the same frequency the invocation usually allows the warlock to use the spell, bestowing an invocation that requires a specific spell or ability does not also bestow that spell or ability.

 

[Clint_L]

If we accept that Eldritch Blast is going to be the main engine of the class, then choice can come from giving Eldritch Blast a variety of flavours that can be picked from each round. It's still going to be much more limited than what other casters can do, but will give the players a little more agency on their turn in combat. I think one of the reasons that Hexblade is so popular is because it gives an alternative to just using Eldritch Blast.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Pact of the Chalice​

Your patron gives you a chalice or cup that can aid in the healing of yourself or others.

If you lose, break, or shatter the chalice, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to reform the chalice in your hands. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous chalice. If you shatter the chalice you can not perform this ritual until after completing a long rest. The chalice shatters when you die.

The chalice has two functions:

• You can fill the chalice as a standard action by spending either one hit die or five hit points from either yourself or another willing or helpless sapient creature. You can fill the chalice a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus
• If the chalice is full it can be drunk either by the holder or an adjacent willing or unconscious creature as a bonus action spent by the holder. When drunk the drinker either recovers hit points equal to twice your warlock level or is affected as by a Lesser Restoration spell.

Chalice Invocations​

The Vessel Breaks
Prerequisite: Pact of the Chalice
You may shatter the chalice in order to cast the spell Revivify with no other components. If you shatter the chalice it is broken and you may not cast the ritual to receive a replacement chalice until after a long rest.

Sympathetic Magic
Prerequisite: Pact of the Chalice, Level 7
You can cast Control Water once without spending a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so after a long rest. In addition you add Control Water to your spells known.

The Cup Runneth Over
Prerequisite: Pact of the Chalice, Level 11
Once per long rest you may cast the spell Soul Cage using the Chalice as your focus. In addition to the normal functions of Soul Cage you may exploit the trapped soul to refill the chalice.

 

[Amrûnril]

I'm not sure what a good generic name for this would be, but one interesting possibility for a warlock pact would be one that grants expertise with a set of artisans tools and enables the warlock to store or transmit spells in items created with those tools. Potion-making would be one obvious direction to take this, but it could also facilitate effects like casting Charm Person through a letter.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Pact of the Body​

Your Patron gives you something that closely resembles your ideal body.

You may substitute Strength for Charisma or vise-versa on ability checks, saving throws, attack rolls (including for spells), damage rolls, and spell save DCs.

In addition when not wearing armour or using a shield your AC is equal to 10 + Dex + either Str or Cha.

Body Invocations​

Whims of Fashion
Prerequisite: Pact of the Body
Whenever you take a short or long rest you can alter your body as per the Alter Self spell.

Living Weapon
Prerequisite: Pact of the Body,
Your unarmed attacks are considered light weapons that do 1d8 damage. Invocations that affect Eldritch Blast also affect your fists.

Bodily Perfection
Prerequisite: Pact of the Body, Level 7
You may substitute either Strength or Charisma for Dexterity or vise-versa on ability checks, saving throws, attack rolls (including for spells), damage rolls, and spell save DCs. In addition you may base your lifting capacity on charisma, and you may choose to make your AC equal to 10 + Cha + Str.

Unscarred Body
Prerequisite: Pact of the Body, Level 15
Your body pulls itself together, rejecting all scars and impurities. At the start of each of your turns, you regain five hit points if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points. In addition while you have more than half your hit points left you are immune to poison and disease.

This one I'm considering making more martial