[5e] A New Warlock's Kit

[DeKnight]

Hey there everybody!

A little introduction: I'm pretty new to DnD. I have played the Forgotten Realms as a dragonborn paladin as well as a half-elf warlock. (Yeah, at the same time because of the lack of players at the time :p)

If you can extrapolate from the subject of this topic, I need a little help building a warlock or at the least, have an idea of what spells to pick up, preferably to be able to benefit the group as a whole. You can also tell me how to just be outright selfish and be an OP blastlock that let just shells out artillery fire from the backline. Either way is fine.

I have read multiple guides on this site as well as general rules, ideas, and how others view 5e warlocks and it helped me figure out a good idea on how I should sculpt my warlock into a piece of art. I will post links to the guides I asked if necessary.


My Character and its stats to shed a little light on the situation.

Race: Half-Elf, Male.

STR:8
DEX:14
CON:15
INT:10
WIS:12
CHA:17

Trained in Sleight of Hand, Arcana, History, Investigation, Saving Throws (WIS/CHA), Deception, and Intimidation.

I'm a charlatan whose Otherworldly Patron is the Fiend.

My cantrips are Eldritch Blast, Blade Ward (almost completely regret picking that up), and Silent Image (for hitting lv2). My spells include Armor of Agathys and Hellish Rebuke (I'll pick up Hex later... If my DM lets me Hex bunnies and squirrels to hold my Hex before needing to transfer to an actual foe).

Current Eldritch Invocations are Agonizing Blast and Misty Visions.

My party includes a dragonborn paladin, dragonborn fighter, high-elf sorcerer, tiefling cleric, and a halfling rogue.


Ultimately, I need some help planning ahead with my spells as to what would be beneficial and what wouldn't be. I could see how each spell would be beneficial but without personal experience, all my theories and speculations fall flat. If the community would be so kind as to help me out, explaining why certain spells should be picked over others, that would be great because I was thinking of grabbing Suggestion or Cloud of Daggers for my 2nd level spell.

[jkat718]

Here're two guides on how to play a Warlock, taken from the "Guides, Tables, and other useful tools for 5E D&D (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?377491-Guides-Tables-and-other-useful-tools-for-5E-D-amp-D)" thread:
Blade, Book, and Chain - A Warlock Guide by Mephi1234 (http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4133456)
Pact-making 101: A guide to the 5th edition Warlock by Oncoming Storm (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?377591-Eldritch-Might-A-guide-to-the-5th-edition-Warlock)

Also, these (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?371892-List-of-Useful-and-Powerful-Spells) three (http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4139466) threads (http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4139341) review all of the spells available, so that'll include all of the Warlock spells. If you want to figure out which ones those are, I'd recommend donjon's Spell Sorter (donjon.bin.sh/5e/spells/).

[DeKnight]

Here're two guides on how to play a Warlock, taken from the "Guides, Tables, and other useful tools for 5E D&D (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?377491-Guides-Tables-and-other-useful-tools-for-5E-D-amp-D)" thread:
Blade, Book, and Chain - A Warlock Guide by Mephi1234 (http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4133456)
Pact-making 101: A guide to the 5th edition Warlock by Oncoming Storm (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?377591-Eldritch-Might-A-guide-to-the-5th-edition-Warlock)

Also, these (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?371892-List-of-Useful-and-Powerful-Spells) three (http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4139466) threads (http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4139341) review all of the spells available, so that'll include all of the Warlock spells. If you want to figure out which ones those are, I'd recommend donjon's Spell Sorter (donjon.bin.sh/5e/spells/).

Thanks. I'll take a look at them and I have been using Pact-making 101: A guide to the 5th edition Warlock by Oncoming Storm (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?377591-Eldritch-Might-A-guide-to-the-5th-edition-Warlock) as my guide but when it came down to the spells, that section has been empty so that's why I thought I'd ask around for help.

[jkat718]

By the way, what race are you? Have you already started playing with this character, or is what you posted still alterable?

[Osiris]

Current Eldritch Invocations are Agonizing Blast and Misty Visions.

Wait, are you first level? If you are not yet second level, IIRC you don't actually get invocations yet. Invocations are gained at second level.
If not, pardon my mistake :smallredface:

[DeKnight]

By the way, what race are you? Have you already started playing with this character, or is what you posted still alterable?
I'm a Half-Elf. My bad if I didn't post that. I started playing and it's unalterable. The cantrips. I have read that you can drop spells later on, right? 'o.O... Right?!:smalleek:


Wait, are you first level? If you are not yet second level, IIRC you don't actually get invocations yet. Invocations are gained at second level.
If not, pardon my mistake :smallredface:
After the first session, my party was able to acquire enough xp to be lvl2. DM wanted to know what we wanted to get as far as things go for lvl2. He asked me what I wanted my Invocation to be, which were Agonizing Blast and Misty Vision. Let me know if my DM forgot to ask something or not. Sorry about the misunderstanding.

[jkat718]

I'm a Half-Elf. My bad if I didn't post that. I started playing and it's unalterable. The cantrips. I have read that you can drop spells later on, right? 'o.O... Right?!:smalleek:
Unfortunately, RAW says you cannot switch out cantrips, only level 1+ spells. This was actually confirmed to also be RAI here, but many DMs don't know that (so try to slip it by your DM if it's really important! :smalltongue:).


After the first session, my party was able to acquire enough xp to be lvl2. DM wanted to know what we wanted to get as far as things go for lvl2. He asked me what I wanted my Invocation to be, which were Agonizing Blast and Misty Vision. Let me know if my DM forgot to ask something or not. Sorry about the misunderstanding.
No, that makes sense. The thing is, you usually ask for build help before you begin play, so it's a little weird to ask now.

[DeKnight]

Unfortunately, RAW says you cannot switch out cantrips, only level 1+ spells. This was actually confirmed to also be RAI here, but many DMs don't know that (so try to slip it by your DM if it's really important! :smalltongue:).
I'm not so worried about the cantrips so much as the spells which I believe have more effect overall if I didn't have everything in order. If I can later on switch out Hellish Rebuke and pick up Hex which will be beneficial in the long run rather than Hellish Rebuke, which seems way more situational.


No, that makes sense. The thing is, you usually ask for build help before you begin play, so it's a little weird to ask now.
Yeah, I know. It's easier for me to ask questions after experiencing something rather than have the forethought to ask for help beforehand.

[Felvion]

What pact would you make? It matters a lot for the kind of spells you are going to pick.

[DeKnight]

What pact would you make? It matters a lot for the kind of spells you are going to pick.

Well, I was thinking Pact of Tome or Pact of Chain. There is a sorcerer, fighter, cleric, rogue, and an oathbreaker paladin (he already decided on that route when he first heard of it) in my party if that would help.

Why I would pick Tome: I read that it offers spell utility such as being able to cast spells or use abilities from other classes which I thought would be pretty neat and versatile.

Why I would pick Chain: The ability to summon a familiar and use it as a spy while being able to gather information live (with the use of a feat since I went with the Fiend instead of the Great Old One) as well as using familiars situationally.

[Daishain]

IF you will have decent opportunities to copy spells into the Tome (ask the DM to find out), go tome and get the ritual upgrade. You guys don't have a wizard in your party and are missing out on a lot of utility rituals as a result. You can fill the role of a ritual caster even better than a Wizard can with the Tome. Also, one of those rituals can get you a familiar. Not as powerful as the one granted by chain, but still quite useful.

As for cantrips, you've only been in one session. Go ahead and ask your DM to swap something out if you think it was ill considered. Especially if you had not used it during that first session, it shouldn't be too much to ask. And yeah, get rid of Blade Ward if you can, extremely unlikely to be useful. Try Mage Hand or Prestidigitation instead.

[Malifice]

Hey there everybody!

A little introduction: I'm pretty new to DnD. I have played the Forgotten Realms as a dragonborn paladin as well as a half-elf warlock. (Yeah, at the same time because of the lack of players at the time :p)

If you can extrapolate from the subject of this topic, I need a little help building a warlock or at the least, have an idea of what spells to pick up, preferably to be able to benefit the group as a whole. You can also tell me how to just be outright selfish and be an OP blastlock that let just shells out artillery fire from the backline. Either way is fine.

I have read multiple guides on this site as well as general rules, ideas, and how others view 5e warlocks and it helped me figure out a good idea on how I should sculpt my warlock into a piece of art. I will post links to the guides I asked if necessary.


My Character and its stats to shed a little light on the situation.

Race: Half-Elf, Male.

STR:8
DEX:14
CON:15
INT:10
WIS:12
CHA:17

Trained in Sleight of Hand, Arcana, History, Investigation, Saving Throws (WIS/CHA), Deception, and Intimidation.

I'm a charlatan whose Otherworldly Patron is the Fiend.

My cantrips are Eldritch Blast, Blade Ward (almost completely regret picking that up), and Silent Image (for hitting lv2). My spells include Armor of Agathys and Hellish Rebuke (I'll pick up Hex later... If my DM lets me Hex bunnies and squirrels to hold my Hex before needing to transfer to an actual foe).

Current Eldritch Invocations are Agonizing Blast and Misty Visions.

My party includes a dragonborn paladin, dragonborn fighter, high-elf sorcerer, tiefling cleric, and a halfling rogue.


Ultimately, I need some help planning ahead with my spells as to what would be beneficial and what wouldn't be. I could see how each spell would be beneficial but without personal experience, all my theories and speculations fall flat. If the community would be so kind as to help me out, explaining why certain spells should be picked over others, that would be great because I was thinking of grabbing Suggestion or Cloud of Daggers for my 2nd level spell.

You don't need to place Hex on a bunny. After killing a foe under the effects of it you can re hex someone else at any other time during the spells duration.

So you kill a hexed foe, combat ends, you explore the dungeon and trigger another encounter 20 minutes later and (as long as your concentration is still up) you can place a hex on a foe as a bonus action on your turn.

[DeKnight]

IF you will have decent opportunities to copy spells into the Tome (ask the DM to find out), go tome and get the ritual upgrade.
What should I be asking exactly? Do you mean something like "Are we going to be encountering any ritual spell?"


And yeah, get rid of Blade Ward if you can, extremely unlikely to be useful. Try Mage Hand or Prestidigitation instead.
Would you mind explaining your choice? I've seen the use of Prestidigitation back in 4e but I don't think it was used to its fullest. I thinking of Friends... But then again, I might have enough Charisma to make that spell a bit obsolete.

EDIT: Maybe I can make friends of enemies momentarily :D

[DeKnight]

You don't need to place Hex on a bunny. After killing a foe under the effects of it you can re hex someone else at any other time during the spells duration.

So you kill a hexed foe, combat ends, you explore the dungeon and trigger another encounter 20 minutes later and (as long as your concentration is still up) you can place a hex on a foe as a bonus action on your turn.

Yeah, I definitely understand that. I was just using a bunny or something as an example that I can kill something with it and then utilize it sometime in the near future in actual combat.

[Daishain]

What should I be asking exactly? Do you mean something like "Are we going to be encountering any ritual spell?"What the Tome and invocation upgrade pairing grants you is two level 1 ritual spells from any list, and the ability to copy any ritual spell into the tome like a wizard does. It takes a bit of time and money, but is generally quite worth it

In order to make full use of the ability though, you need to be able to get access to a spellbook with desired spells in them and/or scrolls of the same. Scrolls of exactly the spell you want aren't likely to be part of random loot, and the same holds true for spellbooks. The most reliable source of being able to copy the spells you want are going to be merchants selling scrolls, and the occasional friendly wizard willing to let you copy from his book, possibly for a fee. If neither are likely to be in your game, that Tome is likely to remain mostly empty.


Would you mind explaining your choice? I've seen the use of Prestidigitation back in 4e but I don't think it was used to its fullest. I thinking of Friends... But then again, I might have enough Charisma to make that spell a bit obsolete.

EDIT: Maybe I can make friends of enemies momentarily :DThe problem with friends is it makes them hostile to you within at most a minute, making any kind of long term relationship problematic. I will say it does have potential for making enemies of yours fight among each other, but remember that it won't make people do anything significantly out of character. (A guard might look the other way thanks to the spell, but he probably can't be persuaded to stab his buddy out of the blue.)

As for the ones I did mention, Mage Hand is useful for any case where moving things from a distance comes in handy, such as lifting the keys from across the room to bail the party out of a cell. (I will say though that the unseen servant ritual that you might be able to get has a similar effect, although not as convenient to use on the fly)

Prestidigitation is like the traveling mage's swiss army knife. Lots of minor effects and uses, From never bemoaning the lack of your flint and steel to always being able to freshen up for a ball at a moments notice, regardless of how much blood was on one's overcoat beforehand. I once used it for a bait and switch. Created a copy of the macguffin, let our enemies see me stuff it in a pocket and take off. They chased me, while the rest of the party made their escape with the real thing.

[Malifice]

Yeah, I definitely understand that. I was just using a bunny or something as an example that I can kill something with it and then utilize it sometime in the near future in actual combat.

You don't save any time mate. It's a bonus action to cast. You're just eating duration for no reason.

[DeKnight]

As for the ones I did mention, Mage Hand is useful for any case where moving things from a distance comes in handy, such as lifting the keys from across the room to bail the party out of a cell. (I will say though that the unseen servant ritual that you might be able to get has a similar effect, although not as convenient to use on the fly)

Prestidigitation is like the traveling mage's swiss army knife. Lots of minor effects and uses, From never bemoaning the lack of your flint and steel to always being able to freshen up for a ball at a moments notice, regardless of how much blood was on one's overcoat beforehand. I once used it for a bait and switch. Created a copy of the macguffin, let our enemies see me stuff it in a pocket and take off. They chased me, while the rest of the party made their escape with the real thing.

I will definitely consider that. Especially Prestidigitation.

[Garimeth]

Does Hex's damage apply to each bolt of EB?

[Oscredwin]

Does Hex's damage apply to each bolt of EB?

Yes it does.

[DeKnight]

So what would you recommend for second level and third level spells? I was thinking of Darkness or possibly Suggestion at level 2 and Fly or Fireball for level 3. Would those be good picks or should there be more for me to consider?

[Daishain]

Not a big fan of darkness, though others swear by it. Suggestion could be incredibly useful, or nearly useless, it depends on your campaign. The ones that would be at the top of my list for level 2 are hold person, mirror image, misty step, and (as a fiendlock) scorching ray

For L3, fly and fireball are excellent choices. Other possibilities include hypnotic pattern or Hunger of Hadar (the latter especially if one has a means to prevent leaving the area)

[DeKnight]

Not a big fan of darkness, though others swear by it. Suggestion could be incredibly useful, or nearly useless, it depends on your campaign. The ones that would be at the top of my list for level 2 are hold person, mirror image, misty step, and (as a fiendlock) scorching ray.
I guess I'm playing the starting adventure that came from WotC. If that means much.


For L3, fly and fireball are excellent choices. Other possibilities include hypnotic pattern or Hunger of Hadar (the latter especially if one has a means to prevent leaving the area)
I can't have both for Lvl3, can I? *le sigh* I'll go pick up my HM02...

[Daishain]

I guess I'm playing the starting adventure that came from WotC. If that means much.


I can't have both for Lvl3, can I? *le sigh* I'll go pick up my HM02...
Every time you level up in Warlock, you can swap spells out. So yes, you actually can have both. It just requires letting go of something else on the list of spells that you can't imagine doing without...