For Warlocks thinking of taking Fiend Patron

[Degwerks]

Our latest encounter in our campaign really allowed the Dark One's Blessing (temp hp's) from the Fiend Patron to really show its worth.

I had previously killed an archer gaining some temp hps, was then attacked by another who took those thp's almost away, I dropped him with eldritch blast & refreshed my thp's again.

Next round was about to start & reinforcements ran in, I had a melee target swinging at me now who practically wiped out my temp hps again, I used an upcasted Hellish Rebuke to almost drop him. Then a 2nd combatant wades through an AoE attack by a party member to flank me. I was thinking "oh crap" about this time, as 2 of our ranged players plus me were now in melee with 2-3 foes each & our melee guys also. My new opponent rolls low on his attack & damage but wipes my temp pool out and does 9 real damage to me. My turn comes up & any where I move puts me in new melee foes attack zones. All the enemies and players have taken considerable damage but me.

As I'm looking for a way out, my DM gives me a note saying an enemy spellcaster is facing us and I recognize the casting of Fireball. Due to my Devils Sight giving me 120ft darkvision, more than the party had and trying to find a safe exit, he allowed my passive perception to notice the spellcaster. I used my action to cast Armor of Agathys, moved on purpose to provoke attacks from my 2 foes & 1 more. The enemies originally facing me die from hitting the Armor spell I had on, depleting my temp hps & ending the spell, but I gained new temp hps from the last original foe dying from it. The 3rd foe I provoked an attack from hit me but didn't do much damage to the pool of thps. I used my free casting of my racial tiefling Hellish Rebuke spell to finish him off giving a fresh pool of thps again! Then the wizard guy drops his fireball on us, foes & allies all are in the area. I make my save & take 1/4 damage due to fire resistance. My pool of temp hps is gone again plus I took 1 real point of damage.

Everyone is hurting badly, the fireball wiped out most of our enemies but 2. I had shouted a warning of the spellcaster and general location before hand though. Our archer fighter took a Second Wind & closed the distance to him and fired off a couple shots, i used repelling blast to knock the guy into an underground lagoon and our barbarian charged him and luckily he had haste on to get there and proceeded to drown him. Combat now over and I'm only down 10 hps. Everyone else is single digits but the barabarian and begging for a long rest.

I never had the temp hit points refresh so fast and in just the right time that they were needed before. Really made me feel like my Warlock was radiating power.

Fiend Patron is seriously worth it. Especially when you have paladin in your group who never heals anyone during combat like we have.

[Gastronomie]

Dark One's Blessing is certainly useful, but the fact Fiendlocks get Command, Fireball, and Wall of Fire as patron spells make them good-enough options with those alone.

Like, you know, Casting Command on 5 targets. I CAME

Or throwing Fireballs around the battlefield without fear of running out of spell slots. I CAME

Or like, surrounding the enemies with Wall of Fire, and after they dash of out of it in a hurry, proceeding to shoot them back in again with Repelling Blast. I CAMEEEEEEEE

[JakOfAllTirades]

Dark One's Blessing is certainly useful, but the fact Fiendlocks get Command, Fireball, and Wall of Fire as patron spells make them good-enough options with those alone.

Like, you know, Casting Command on 5 targets. I CAME

Or throwing Fireballs around the battlefield without fear of running out of spell slots. I CAME

Or like, surrounding the enemies with Wall of Fire, and after they dash of out of it in a hurry, proceeding to shoot them back in again with Repelling Blast. I CAMEEEEEEEE

Explain to me, how is it you cast Fireball "without running out of spell slots" exactly?

[Belac93]

Explain to me, how is it you cast Fireball "without running out of spell slots" exactly?

I think Gastronomie means in the long run. Warlocks are great for going Nova, because you can just take a short rest.

Other spellcasters are better at being really powerful in a single combat; they can cast no cantrips for the entire fight if they want, just spells. However, warlocks can do a lesser version of this after every short rest. So, not only can you cast 2 fireballs, you can do it every fight.

[Mellack]

You can only throw two fireballs every fight if you can rest after every fight. Standard seems to be getting to rest about every other fight. I fully agree that getting two spells every rest is great, but you still have to do some conserving because rests are not always available.

[MaxWilson]

You can only throw two fireballs every fight if you can rest after every fight. Standard seems to be getting to rest about every other fight. I fully agree that getting two spells every rest is great, but you still have to do some conserving because rests are not always available.

It's a question of group playstyle. If the DM sets overall constraints on pace (e.g. you have twenty-four hours before the dungeon floods) but lets you manage yourself within those limits (subject to random encounters, etc.) then you can pretty much short-rest whenever you want to, especially if your party is stealthy (Pass Without Trace) or can Rope Trick. This makes Moon Druids, Monks and Warlocks very happy.

In short, not everyone plays D&D with the same assumptions you're using. There is no "standard".

-Max

[eastmabl]

I think Gastronomie means in the long run. Warlocks are great for going Nova, because you can just take a short rest.

Other spellcasters are better at being really powerful in a single combat; they can cast no cantrips for the entire fight if they want, just spells. However, warlocks can do a lesser version of this after every short rest. So, not only can you cast 2 fireballs, you can do it every fight.

Or he has a DM who doesn't have a lot of encounters per day such that players can short rest after every fight.

On the recommended adventuring day of 6-8 encounters and 1-2 short rests, I bet you that there wouldn't be such a coming endorsement.

[JakOfAllTirades]

It seems the experience of playing a Warlock depends a great deal on the style of the GM. (But we knew that.)

My last Warlock character was out of spell slots in about half of our encounters until I got past the 2-spell per short rest limit at 11th level. Acquiring a Rod of the Pact Keeper also helped. And I wouldn't even think of using an instantaneous spell like Fireball; that's the fastest way to use up spell slots! All my spells lasted for the duration of the combat, or I wasn't having them. Even then, I had to ration those spell slots as if I'd never get another. Probably because if I screwed up, I wouldn't get another....

[GlenSmash!]

Fiend Patron is seriously worth it. Especially when you have paladin in your group who never heals anyone during combat like we have.

If I played with a paladin that was doing in combat heals (unless it was for a PC with 0hp) I would probably pull some of my hair out. But that's just how in combat healing works in 5e.

Nice write up of your Warlock. Fiend is definitely the coolest (hottest?) pact to me. If I ever get tired of Martials and want to play a spell caster, it will probably be Fiend Bladelock.

[Gastronomie]

Or he has a DM who doesn't have a lot of encounters per day such that players can short rest after every fight.

On the recommended adventuring day of 6-8 encounters and 1-2 short rests, I bet you that there wouldn't be such a coming endorsement.Yeah, I actually haven't played in a single game where you do 6-8 encounters per day. I mean, do you guys have that many encounters? It's probably a matter of playstyle, as well as how I play mostly online and not at the table (online sessions take more time, meaning too many combats can slow down the pace of the game), but it's difficult to imagine for me.

The fact I love Warlocks probably has to do a lot with how we take short rests in-between every approx. two fights.

[Sigreid]

It seems the experience of playing a Warlock depends a great deal on the style of the GM. (But we knew that.)

My last Warlock character was out of spell slots in about half of our encounters until I got past the 2-spell per short rest limit at 11th level. Acquiring a Rod of the Pact Keeper also helped. And I wouldn't even think of using an instantaneous spell like Fireball; that's the fastest way to use up spell slots! All my spells lasted for the duration of the combat, or I wasn't having them. Even then, I had to ration those spell slots as if I'd never get another. Probably because if I screwed up, I wouldn't get another....

To be fair, if you drop a fireball in the right place at the right time that is the rest of the fight. Especially if high enough that you're effectively upcasting it to a level 5 slot.

[Malifice]

As long as youre getting a short rest every 2 or so encounters, 'locks are awesome.

They work best on longer adventuring days. They dont have the nova potential of the full casters, but have much better staying power over the journey.

[R.Shackleford]

In short, not everyone plays D&D with the same assumptions you're using. There is no "standard".

-Max

Actually there is a standard. You can deviate from it but that doesnt mean there isnt a standard.

The game assumes you fight X fights and take Y short rests per Long Rest.