D&D 5E Warlock invocations using spell slots

[Falling Icicle]

Yeah, those invocations are terrible. Invocations are what warlocks need to fall back on when they don't want to use a spell slot or don't have any left to use. Making invocations cost a spell slot totally defeats that purpose. They'd work much better if they didn't use a spell slot.

 

[Stalker0]

I'm in general agreement, already consuming my precious invocation slots, don't see a need to burn my encounter spells.

If it was higher than incould normally cast, or i could do it with all of my spell slots than maybe. Else it seems pretty weak

 

[Runny]

I'm house ruling they don't burn slots but are cast at the same level as your existing slots. Anyone see any problem balance wise for this approach?

 

[Stalker0]

I'm house ruling they don't burn slots but are cast at the same level as your existing slots. Anyone see any problem balance wise for this approach?

Nope, I'll probably do the same.

 

[Juriel]

I'm house ruling they don't burn slots but are cast at the same level as your existing slots. Anyone see any problem balance wise for this approach?

None. Invocations are what you need when you don't have spell slots left, so these are just stupid as they stand.

 

[Sadrik]

I think the warlock is perhaps the weakest character class in 5e. It is too dependent upon the DM and the other players to be effective. If they get the short rest after every encounter then they are pretty darn effective. If they do not take the hour downtime then they are very ineffective. Spending slots on some of the invocations is pretty lame because they are basically a way to make a daily spell slot for spell levels 1-5. Rather than through their regular short rest. I would have much preferred to see these spells simply appear on their spell list.

For my own D&D group I can imagine that they would not want to stop and rest for an hour after each encounter (where it was possible). They would want to push on. Hence this class becomes nearly worthless. The limited spell selection, the impossibly lame slots per day, and on and on...

 

[jadrax]

I'm house ruling they don't burn slots but are cast at the same level as your existing slots. Anyone see any problem balance wise for this approach?

Well worst case scenario, at level 20 you could theoretically have eight of these. However, there are only seven.

So that is a daily use of: Bane, Bestow Curse, Compulsion, Confusion, Conjure Elemental, Polymorph and Slow.

These all look pretty good spells to me. On the other hand, a lot of these are Concentration spells so your unlikely to use them all in the same combat.

On the surface, it doesn't really look like having them not consume a warlock spell slot is going to massively change things.

 

[Savage Wombat]

This is one of those rules where I want to ask a game designer why they made it work that way. Maybe there's a reason we're not considering. (Maybe it's a bad reason.)

 

[Juriel]

These all look pretty good spells to me. On the other hand, a lot of these are Concentration spells so your unlikely to use them all in the same combat.

When your unofficial class feature is Hex all day long, Concentration spells have to be really attractive.

 

[Fion]

Would be nice to get an answer from Mearls indeed but his reply would probably be 'leave it up to the DMs' lol.

The more I delve deeply into the PHB the more I see that needs a 4e style Errata. Beastmaster ranger is the biggest but these daily Invocations that no one in their right mind would use unless they care nothing for optimization. I'm no min-maxer but when I saw those I immediately tossed out the idea of using any of them.

I agree with others on here, would have been better to make them a daily use power that isn't tied down to spell slots. I frankly dislike that warlocks have so few slots as it is, even if I get why. Bonus traits that require the use of an already precious slot? Not gonna happen.