Multiclass spell slots + warlock

[borg286]

I get that a bard/warlock can cast his bard spells in his warlock spell slots and vise versa. The question is how these slots refresh. How is this balanced with the other non-spell-slot resources other casters bring to a multiclassed character?

[Chambers]

Your Warlock spell slots refresh after a short rest. Whether you used those Warlock spell slots to cast a Warlock spell or a Bard spell doesn't matter. The Bard spell slots refresh after a long rest, as per the Bard's Spellcasting feature. That's how I'm reading it.

[Chaosvii7]

Your Warlock spell slots refresh after a short rest. Whether you used those Warlock spell slots to cast a Warlock spell or a Bard spell doesn't matter. The Bard spell slots refresh after a long rest, as per the Bard's Spellcasting feature. That's how I'm reading it.

Generally correct, but it's worth pointing out that while every other caster class adds at least a fraction of their level to determine multiclass spell slots, Warlocks do not at all. That means that if your build were something like Bard 12/Warlock 8, you'd be considered a 12th level spellcaster for determining your spell slots on the chart, and then have 8 levels worth of Pact Magic slots to use.

Essentially, a multiclass Warlock/Spellcaster trades a fuller selection of spell slots for Warlock class features.

...It seems like they almost knew the Warlock was going to be powerful.

[borg286]

I guess I missed this omission in the spell slot section of multiclassing. That changes things.

[Yuki Akuma]

Unless you have two classes with the Spellcasting class ability, you don't use the chart. A Bard 12/Warlock 8 gets his spell slots per day from the Bard class table.


I guess I missed this omission in the spell slot section of multiclassing. That changes things.

There's no omission.

You have two class abilities that let you cast spells. You track them separately.

'Spellcasting' grants you spell slots of multiple different levels, based on your class level or combined levels in Spellcasting classes. These spell slots recharge after a long rest.

'Pact Magic' grants you spell slots of the highest spell level you can cast as a Warlock. These spell slots recharge after a short or long rest.

[tatsuyashiba]

Follow up question - what level are the Warlock Pact Magic spell slots that recover?

E.g. Warlock 2 / Sorcerer 11. During a short rest can I recover 2 level 6 spell slots (highest spell level for Sorcerer), or only 2 level 1 slots (indicated by "Slot Level" for Warlock level 2)?

I think it's the latter - based on the "Spell Slots" description for Warlock in PHB page 107. "The Warlock table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level."

[LeonBH]

Follow up question - what level are the Warlock Pact Magic spell slots that recover?

E.g. Warlock 2 / Sorcerer 11. During a short rest can I recover 2 level 6 spell slots (highest spell level for Sorcerer), or only 2 level 1 slots (indicated by "Slot Level" for Warlock level 2)?

I think it's the latter - based on the "Spell Slots" description for Warlock in PHB page 107. "The Warlock table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level."

It's the latter.

[Vogie]

Essentially, a multiclass Warlock/Spellcaster trades a fuller selection of spell slots for Warlock class features.

...It seems like they almost knew the Warlock was going to be powerful.

And it's worth noting that all of the warlock class features & invocations specifically call out Warlock Spell Slots as something that can be sacrificed to do something interesting.

[XmonkTad]

There is no way to abuse the fact that warlock spell slots recharge on a short rest by multiclassing with a spellcaster. None at all.

[pdegan2814]

Follow up question - what level are the Warlock Pact Magic spell slots that recover?

E.g. Warlock 2 / Sorcerer 11. During a short rest can I recover 2 level 6 spell slots (highest spell level for Sorcerer), or only 2 level 1 slots (indicated by "Slot Level" for Warlock level 2)?

I think it's the latter - based on the "Spell Slots" description for Warlock in PHB page 107. "The Warlock table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level."

Pact Magic spell slots are a feature of your Warlock class, and their level is based on your Warlock level as shown on p106 of the PHB

[LeonBH]

There is no way to abuse the fact that warlock spell slots recharge on a short rest by multiclassing with a spellcaster. None at all.

It's funny because your signature is a Coffee Drow.

[Theodoxus]

If I'm a Life Cleric 1/Celestial Warlock 5 with a 13 Wis and 18 Cha, and I have Healing Word on my cleric list, I can use a Warlock slot to cast it, which would be 3rd level - but because it's a warlock slot, I use Cha to cast it, so it would be 3d4+4 (cha)+5 (Disciple of Life) for a total of 3d4+9? Or, because it's a cleric only spell, I have to use Wis to cast it, even with a warlock slot, so it'd be 3d4+1 (wis)+5 (disciple of life) for 3d4+6

Not a huge difference, but it does actually influence my starting stats on the character.

[tieren]

If I'm a Life Cleric 1/Celestial Warlock 5 with a 13 Wis and 18 Cha, and I have Healing Word on my cleric list, I can use a Warlock slot to cast it, which would be 3rd level - but because it's a warlock slot, I use Cha to cast it, so it would be 3d4+4 (cha)+5 (Disciple of Life) for a total of 3d4+9? Or, because it's a cleric only spell, I have to use Wis to cast it, even with a warlock slot, so it'd be 3d4+1 (wis)+5 (disciple of life) for 3d4+6

Not a huge difference, but it does actually influence my starting stats on the character.

Slot doesn't matter, look at your spellcasting feature for cleric, it tells you to use Wisdom as your casting stat thats what you do.

[LeonBH]

If I'm a Life Cleric 1/Celestial Warlock 5 with a 13 Wis and 18 Cha, and I have Healing Word on my cleric list, I can use a Warlock slot to cast it, which would be 3rd level - but because it's a warlock slot, I use Cha to cast it, so it would be 3d4+4 (cha)+5 (Disciple of Life) for a total of 3d4+9? Or, because it's a cleric only spell, I have to use Wis to cast it, even with a warlock slot, so it'd be 3d4+1 (wis)+5 (disciple of life) for 3d4+6

Not a huge difference, but it does actually influence my starting stats on the character.

When you cast Healing Word, you're casting that as a Cleric and not a Warlock. Therefore, you use your Wisdom - your Cleric casting stat - to power that spell. Even if you used a Warlock spell slot, you will use your Wisdom modifier, because it's not the source of the spell slot that's important.

[Dos246]

When you cast Healing Word, you're casting that as a Cleric and not a Warlock. Therefore, you use your Wisdom - your Cleric casting stat - to power that spell. Even if you used a Warlock spell slot, you will use your Wisdom modifier, because it's not the source of the spell slot that's important.

I'm not certain that's accurate, the spell description says "....regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier." Since you are a warlock that would mean Charisma, I wasn't aware your spell casting ability modifier swapped depending on what spell you cast?

[Millstone85]

I'm not certain that's accurate, the spell description says "....regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier." Since you are a warlock that would mean Charisma, I wasn't aware your spell casting ability modifier swapped depending on what spell you cast?You are a warlock and a cleric. You have two spellcasting abilities. Which one you use depends on which class you acquired the spell through.

[LeonBH]

I'm not certain that's accurate, the spell description says "....regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier." Since you are a warlock that would mean Charisma, I wasn't aware your spell casting ability modifier swapped depending on what spell you cast?

It changes depending on how you learned the spell. If you are a Cleric/Warlock, you must keep two spell lists. One is for your Warlock spells, and all those spells use your Charisma modifier. The other is for your Cleric spells, and all those spells use your Wisdom modifier. The two spell lists never interact.

Since a Warlock/Cleric will get Healing Word from the Cleric spell list, it's a Cleric spell and not a Warlock spell. So it's cast using Wisdom.

[Dos246]

Make sense I reckon, what if however you learned cure wounds (yes I know bards already have access to this but for sake of argument) through say a bard's magical secrets. In that case you would still use your spellcasting modifier (Cha) since you never actually took in levels in cleric correct?

[LeonBH]

Make sense I reckon, what if however you learned cure wounds (yes I know bards already have access to this but for sake of argument) through say a bard's magical secrets. In that case you would still use your spellcasting modifier (Cha) since you never actually took in levels in cleric correct?

Yes, any spell you learn via Magical Secrets is considered a Bard spell for you, so its casting stat is Charisma.

Incidentally, if you were both a Bard and a Cleric, and you prepared Cure Wounds through Cleric and also learned it through Bard, you get to choose whether to use Charisma or Wisdom on the spell.