Warlocks = evil?

[Spinachcat]

Help me with this one:

Based on the info so far, Warlocks draw their power from evil sources. They cast stuff like Soul Ruin which sounds all sorts of evil magic.

How can this class be most any alignnment?

How can this class play nice-nice with a good-aligned character in the party?

To me, the infernal power sourcing sounds too limiting. I like the idea of a planar empowered spellcaster who could choose the infernal planes for power, but the Warlock appears to be the new assassin...aka, the PC class that never fit well with any party back in 1e.

Your thoughts?

 

[Xethreau]

All sources will probably be a bit on the 'dark' side, but one could make a reasonable argument that "Stars," "Spirits," and "Fae" could be patrons of a good warlock.

 

[bgaesop]

Am I the only one who's always disliked warlocks? They strike me as the most boring, gothy idea for a class that doesn't really add anything that a Wizard doesn't already have, and they do it in the most annoying ways possible. I'm rather disappointed they're going to be in the core 4e PHB. I've got nothing against them existing in an extra book the way they do now, and I have no problems with other people wanting them to be updated to 4e, but I won't have them in my games and I don't want them in the generic world.

Of course, they could update them and make them much more interesting and I'll end up loving them, but they'd have to change them rather dramatically for that.

 

[The Shadow]

All sources will probably be a bit on the 'dark' side, but one could make a reasonable argument that "Stars," "Spirits," and "Fae" could be patrons of a good warlock.

I dunno. "Stars and the darkness between them" sounds an awful lot like a reference to the Old Ones. I'm thinking a Far Realms vibe for that one.

 

[frankthedm]

Yes, warlocks are damnably dark. But remember. they get to chose how to use the power for thier own ends. A cleric of Asmodeous get power to further Asmodeous's ends, the feind dealing warlock makes a deal for powers he uses to his OWN ends.

I dunno. "Stars and the darkness between them" sounds an awful lot like a reference to the Old Ones. I'm thinking a Far Realms vibe for that one.

The Far Realm provides the kind of threat that gets Good and Evil paladins teaming up to stop. I think that buries the needle on the dark scale.

 

[Xethreau]

Yes, warlocks are damnably dark. But remember. they get to chose how to use the power for thier own ends. A cleric of Asmodeous get power to further Asmodeous's ends, the feind dealing warlock makes a deal for powers he uses to his OWN ends. The Far Realm provides the kind of threat that gets Good and Evil paladins teaming up to stop.

Too true!

 

[Atlatl Jones]

I dunno. "Stars and the darkness between them" sounds an awful lot like a reference to the Old Ones. I'm thinking a Far Realms vibe for that one.

And/or binder vestiges.

It may also be possible to create a character like John Constantine, who uses black magic for essentially good causes. Or redeemed formerly-dark people like Angel, or Faust for that matter.

 

[kennew142]

Am I the only one who's always disliked warlocks? They strike me as the most boring, gothy idea for a class that doesn't really add anything that a Wizard doesn't already have, and they do it in the most annoying ways possible. I'm rather disappointed they're going to be in the core 4e PHB. I've got nothing against them existing in an extra book the way they do now, and I have no problems with other people wanting them to be updated to 4e, but I won't have them in my games and I don't want them in the generic world.

Of course, they could update them and make them much more interesting and I'll end up loving them, but they'd have to change them rather dramatically for that.

I doubt you're the only one. That said, I find warlocks to be one of the more interesting things to come out of D&D in the last two editions. I'm looking forward to incorporating them from the ground up in my next homebrew campaign. (They're currently an add-on, since the mechanic came out long after my current campaign was designed).

If you don't want to have them in your games, by all means ban them. I've had to ban things in my games since I first started D&D (1980). I don't like gnomes (Dragonlance ruined them for me), halflings (too much like hobbits, and I don't run LOTR based games), half-orcs (no interspecies reproduction in my games), no half-eves (see half-orcs), etc....

I suspect that market research showed warlocks to be very popular, which is why they will be in PHB1. Furthermore, the mechanics of the class are one of the fundamentals for 4e.

 

[Lord Fyre]

Well, given the actual definition of "Warlock" in the real world (Oathbreaker), I suspect that it will have a kind of Evil bent.

 

[WayneLigon]

Based on the info so far, Warlocks draw their power from evil sources. They cast stuff like Soul Ruin which sounds all sorts of evil magic.

How can this class be most any alignnment?

Depends on the final write-up. Soul Ruin might sound like evil magic but unless it has an [Evil] descriptor (which it sounds like nothing will in 4E), the spell itself isn't evil. Despite it's name, it might be no worse than casting Trap the Soul on someone. Or frying their skin and flesh off with acid or fire.