D&D 5E What if Warlocks were the only spellcasters?

[Umbran]

I think you'll find that typical adventure design principles may run into issues, in that Warlocks are not really geared for utility/buff casting, and very quickly have to fall back on cantrips.

Moreover, I think the theme might not turn out as powerful as you might think. The Warlock's cool comes from the basic setup that most people do "acceptable" stuff, but the warlock chooses to do something outside the norm, and often of questionable wisdom, to get power.

But, if that becomes normal, where there's a warlock on every block, that's less cool. If everyone is edgy, the window of what seems edgy shifts to suit.

It also has societal implications that ought to be considered. If you've made a pact with some other being, that implies that being has an agenda they are going to push through you. Now you have potentially a lot of these beigns pushing agendas more directly than gods typically do with their clerics. The implications for society and politics are substantial.

 

[HammerMan]

To be honest I wish all classes were warlock...

okay not really but built on the frame work... You get 1 bonus skill, then 2 (later 3 and i think 4) short rest recharge abilities at maxish power, you have a series of at will abilities (cantrips) and mini class specific feats (invocation) that you can use to customize with more at wills, modifying at wills or giving more flexibility with those two short rest abilities... then 2 sub classes 1 at 1st level, and 1 at 3rd that you can mix and match... at higher levels you do get some earth shaking game changing abilities but they are chosen once and 1/long rest each.

 

[TwoSix]

How I would redo warlock for a warlock as the only caster game.

-Change hit die to a d6.
-Remove eldtrich blast. Invocations for EB now impact any warlock cantrip.
-Choose spells from the druid, sorcerer, and warlock lists.
-Magical Secrets (as bard), gaining one spell at 6th, 10th, 14th.
-Pact magic slots down to 1/SR, but scales to 9th. (Yes, breaking the rule that 6th+ level spells are only on long rests, but I'm crazy.)
-No mystic arcanum.
-Gain half caster progression in addition to magic slots. (Access to low level utility spell slots.)
-Spells known progression increased to level+1, not counting Magical Secrets. (2 at 1st, 21 at 20th)
-No invocations gained. Invocations can be taken as spells known instead. (Each invocation costs one spells known.)
-Inovcations that grant spells (like Bewitching Whispers and Dreadful Word), grant one casting per LR for free. The spells are not counted as a spells known.

 

[HammerMan]

How I would redo warlock for a warlock as the only caster game.

-Change hit die to a d6.

I can see it

-Remove eldtrich blast. Invocations for EB now impact any warlock cantrip.

not bad, but question incomeing

-Choose spells from the druid, sorcerer, and warlock lists.

does this include cantrips? because a fey pact with thorn whip sounds great (and good berry) I might say Bard over sorcerer, but not bad.

-Magical Secrets (as bard), gaining one spell at 6th, 10th, 14th.

yup great add, and make it work on any list even those of classes not in the game

-Pact magic slots down to 1/SR, but scales to 9th. (Yes, breaking the rule that 6th+ level spells are only on long rests, but I'm crazy.)

nope nope nope... do not like...

-No mystic arcanum.

see above... these two go together, I think the level 1-5 spells being 2/sr for most of the game and 3-4/sr at high end then higher level spells 1/day preset no up casting to them and no swapping them is a big sell for me.

-Gain half caster progression in addition to magic slots. (Access to low level utility spell slots.)

nope... too much, but maybe starting at 3rd level gain 1 mana/sorcerery pt per level (so 0-18 over 20 levels) that can make lower level spell slots but are daily mixed with able to pick up meta magic as invocations, and have the Tasha's optional use of them.

-Spells known progression increased to level+1, not counting Magical Secrets. (2 at 1st, 21 at 20th)

a bit much but not bad

-No invocations gained. Invocations can be taken as spells known instead. (Each invocation costs one spells known.)

nope...nope nope those again are a big deal

-Inovcations that grant spells (like Bewitching Whispers and Dreadful Word), grant one casting per LR for free. The spells are not counted as a spells known.

nope... but this goes with above.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I mean, you definitely can do that. But a lot of people like mechanical differentiation that then feeds into a broader narrative distinction. (I know having the "board game" part impact the story is one of your pet peeves, but a lot of people don't necessarily separate the two as readily.)

Even with reskinning, a warlock with a "nature" pact will feel different than a druid, despite their thematic overlap.

I'm not exactly sure then what your point is heading towards then? I think I must be missing what you are emphasizing in how you're thinking about this?

Are you saying that you'd think it'd be fine to run the game and have a setting where the only caster class is the warlock, but the reason it's the only one is because it is already thematically about making pacts and thus there is no refluffing necessary? But other than that, the game's magical level or societal impact is not really any different than any other generic fantasy world?

 

[TwoSix]

does this include cantrips? because a fey pact with thorn whip sounds great (and good berry) I might say Bard over sorcerer, but not bad.

Yep, includes cantrips. I'm also thinking of giving them Potent Cantrips (like the sidekick spellcaster) at level 2.

Bard for sorcerer I like, more utility, and they'll need the right patron or magical secret for blasting.

see above... these two go together, I think the level 1-5 spells being 2/sr for most of the game and 3-4/sr at high end then higher level spells 1/day preset no up casting to them and no swapping them is a big sell for me.

nope... too much, but maybe starting at 3rd level gain 1 mana/sorcerery pt per level (so 0-18 over 20 levels) that can make lower level spell slots but are daily mixed with able to pick up meta magic as invocations, and have the Tasha's optional use of them.

I like the combination of having low-level utility spells, and then one big boom available when you really need it. That feels like a fantasy caster to me. You can take invocations if you want a deeper repository of big spells, or just focus on broadening utility.

 

[TwoSix]

Are you saying that you'd think it'd be fine to run the game and have a setting where the only caster class is the warlock, but the reason it's the only one is because it is already thematically about making pacts and thus there is no refluffing necessary? But other than that, the game's magical level or societal impact is not really any different than any other generic fantasy world?

Pretty much, yes. I think there would be a different narrative around magic in a game where all magic is based on making pacts, but it doesn't need specifically to be a rare magic narrative or where any caster is viewed with awe and/or trepidation. I mean, you could totally do an alt-Eberron where the common ritual magic is bonding minor spirits into devices to do work.

But I also feel changing the mechanical expression of the game (via restricting and modifying classes, for example) can help impart the feel of a changed narrative better than simply reskinning can, which is something you may not agree with.

 

[Islayre d'Argolh]

And with no healing magic, adventurers would probably be rarer.

Celestial Warlock, Mercy Monk, Thief Rogue with the Healer feat, Charisma based Battlemaster Fighter with the Inspiring leader feat...

There is alternatives

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

How I would redo warlock for a warlock as the only caster game.

-Change hit die to a d6.
-Remove eldtrich blast. Invocations for EB now impact any warlock cantrip.
-Choose spells from the druid, sorcerer, and warlock lists.
-Magical Secrets (as bard), gaining one spell at 6th, 10th, 14th.
-Pact magic slots down to 1/SR, but scales to 9th. (Yes, breaking the rule that 6th+ level spells are only on long rests, but I'm crazy.)
-No mystic arcanum.
-Gain half caster progression in addition to magic slots. (Access to low level utility spell slots.)
-Spells known progression increased to level+1, not counting Magical Secrets. (2 at 1st, 21 at 20th)
-No invocations gained. Invocations can be taken as spells known instead. (Each invocation costs one spells known.)
-Inovcations that grant spells (like Bewitching Whispers and Dreadful Word), grant one casting per LR for free. The spells are not counted as a spells known.

yes.

But instead of Arcanums or Magical secrets, I'd let them have a class feature similar to the AT's that lets you steal a spell from a target X per day and cast it for free once and then usable with your slots until your next long rest.

 

[HammerMan]

I like the combination of having low-level utility spells, and then one big boom available when you really need it. That feels like a fantasy caster to me. You can take invocations if you want a deeper repository of big spells, or just focus on broadening utility.

tbh a rogue Arcane Trick, and/or a fighter Eldritch knight that replaced there casting stuff with warlock stuff feels most like the stories I have read... most have the lone mage (or one in a small group around him) that focuses as much on wit and skill and luck as magic, and can still fight okay...but has some big boom or bust spells too... the ones that don't fall into that are mentor figures better represented as an NPC with a couple HD and a couple of big boom or bust spells... both having ritual caster.