Hello, I'm Bard. Totally not a Warlock.

[Dappershire]

Looking for Tips and Advise.

I want to play a Warlock (preferably GOO), but I want to convince the other players (and of course, their characters) that I am playing a Bard. I have the DM's permission, so long as I don't derail, snowflake, or partykill, and it wasn't my intention to do any of those. I just like the idea of playing a character that is completely different than what the people I'm playing with think I am.

I have some broad strokes down, but there are obvious hurtles and dead ends. I'd rather just see what the playground can brainstorm from scratch. We're starting at level 5. And we don't discuss before hand what classes we play before the game start (Yes, we could literally be playing 5 Warlocks), so I don't know what they will have.

So what backgrounds, feats, spells, incantations, should I use; to make my Warlock appear to be a Bard to anyone who plays with me?

Priority is getting away with it. Secondary is being actually useful. Power is not necessary.

[McNinja]

Looking for Tips and Advise.

I want to play a Warlock (preferably GOO), but I want to convince the other players (and of course, their characters) that I am playing a Bard. I have the DM's permission, so long as I don't derail, snowflake, or partykill, and it wasn't my intention to do any of those. I just like the idea of playing a character that is completely different than what the people I'm playing with think I am.

I have some broad strokes down, but there are obvious hurtles and dead ends. I'd rather just see what the playground can brainstorm from scratch. We're starting at level 5. And we don't discuss before hand what classes we play before the game start (Yes, we could literally be playing 5 Warlocks), so I don't know what they will have.

So what backgrounds, feats, spells, incantations, should I use; to make my Warlock appear to be a Bard to anyone who plays with me?

Priority is getting away with it. Secondary is being actually useful. Power is not necessary.It probably won't last for long. Bards can heal and use bardic inspiration regularly. At best you could use magic initiate to take vicious mockery and cure wounds. However, any player who knows the bard class even partially would see through it by 2nd or 3rd level.

It seems like deception for deceptions sake, and it would not only be more work than it's worth, but once the characters find out that you've been lying to them for a while they might completely distrust your character, which leads to all sorts of problems.

And that's assuming someone doesn't look at your sheet and say "no, your sheet says warlock."

[Sirdar]

Interesting. Unfortunately, I think it will be very hard to pull off in the long run. You may fool them the first session if you have chosen common Bard/Warlock spells. But after that? How do you solve the problem that you will be the 'Bard' who never give your friends any Bardic Inspiration?

Or do you plan to take some levels in the Bard class to make it believable?

Edit: Ninja'd

[Lombra]

Entertainer background and bring a flute with you? You can totally be a bard as a characterbesides being a warlock as a class. You can roleplay a bard, and that's all it takes to consider yourself a bard. Will your patron be of any relevance roleplaying-wise? You may exchange powers with a phylantropist being that bestowed upon you great artistic talents for example.

Personally I'm a fan of playing a character and not a class, so if you want to be a bard, but don't want to play the bard class, any other class can be refluffed as a bard.

But if you are asking to actually deceive other players because you want to play a warlock that fakes being a bard, you just have to roleplay as a bard ad play an instrument. They may see what you are doing because of the bard features that you are not using, like bardic inspiration for example. It's hard to lie on mechanics written in the book, for example you shouldn't eldritch blast until level 6 to simulate lore bard's magical secrets (unless you want to use magic initiate).

Tomelock is probably best because you can pick bard stuff that will help you deceive your friends.

[Azgeroth]

if your planning to deceive the players, it wont (shouldn't) last past the first session.. for obvious reasons, you don't have bardic inspiration, you have spells/cantrips only warlocks have, and all your spells are cast at a singular level...

however, if your planning to deceive the characters, that's much easier.. as others have said, entertainer background, proficiency in deception/persuasion, every time you use a warlock ability, you simply put it down to the 'magical secrets' aspect of a bard, OOC this is blaitently a lie, IC, its down to the roll.

[Innocent_bystan]

AFB, doesn't the Fey patron give Faerie Fire, which is also a Bard spell? (And, more importantly, is also a good spell)

Do you plan on taking Eldritch Blast? How will you refluff it into a bard-friendly cantrip? You could change it into playing violin as the casting action and the musical notes composed of Force strike the target. Or their spirit slightly disconnects from their body to start dancing, which could serve to explain the 10ft shove if you take that invocation.
Of course, you can always use a crossbow to deal damage.

[Monti]

You can try this:

Play as human with magic initiate/ tiefling from sgac. Get vicious mockery.

Play as support. If UA is allowed you can play as celestial warlock and heal.

As spells: take something in bard/warlock spellist.

[Innocent_bystan]

I'd take the Silent Image Invocation, Bards get Illusion spells and now, so do you. Combined with the Minor Illusion cantrip, you get to do a visual Illusion and a sound Illusion at the same time.

If you don't take Eldritch Blast, I'd take the False Life Invocation, that way you can fake healing yourself. And those 8 hp after every encounter really help with survivability.

[Aett_Thorn]

I think it's usually easier to pass yourself as another caster class when you are actually a Bard, so it might be fun to try to attempt to go the other way. I agree that it is going to be difficult, though, since you won't be using features that you should be in a team setting.

Starting out as a V.Human, you could take the Inspiring Leader feat to give you a bit more team support, and maybe they will not notice that you don't give out Bardic Inspiration ever. Even a one-level dip into Bard will get you that, though, if you ever need to keep faking it.

[Joe the Rat]

Bard the class? You can certainly grab the bard offense as GOO+Tome (Plus a little Guidance - It's like bardic inspriation... sort of). Inspiring Leader (for fake heal/buffering) or Healer (for actual healing) will help cover the fix-up side of things... and you can always forget to hold spell slots for healing, or simply "assume we'd have a healer, so I went for a debuff bard." and "I'm just rationing my spell slots... but we ought to take a short rest right now so we can spend a few hit die and I can play you this totally awesome song of giving you temporary hit points." Obviously Performer will give you the proficiency in instruments, and in Perform that you will need. See if you can get a wand or rod that also happens to be a flute, or take drum, and get a good sturdy wand that doubles as a drumstick.

Alternatively, you could play like you are a not-so-musical Bard - the storytelling/lore-seeking raider-of-tombs-and-lost-arks type Bard. This might draw suspicion from the players, but it will also cover some of your less "bardy" inclinations. On this angle, you might consider one of the Eye invocations (Eldritch for that Detect Magic, or Rune Keeper to cover language proficiency - "Oh! I've got that proficiency!" "You have language proficiency in the Abyssal dialect used only by Orqiths, which has not been used in over 10,000 years?" "Yes. Or no, but let me cast comprehend languages..."

In-world, Bard is essentially "jack-of-all-trades-performer-who-does-magic." A Half-Elf Warlock with Perform and a bagpipe has you covered. If you folks treat classes as in-world constructs (Fighters go to Fighter College), you will need Charlatan to give you the appropriate credentials - your Bard Card or Letter of Letters or whatever. Claim you play the Gong, Temple Drum, and Zulkoon - none of which are practical for adventuring, which is why you use a component pouch.

The Eldritch Blast question Eldritch Blast becomes a major wrinkle in the concept. It's signature warlock, and your go-to for damage. Fortunately, it's also the go-to damage spell for magic initiate on Charisma casters. If you don't take it, you need to wriggle some damage out, or make sure you can adequately support with your strange profile of spells and cantrips. If the new starter spells are available, try to get toll the dead. Alternatively, if you have a feat available, take Magic Initiate: Bard (and get that 1/day "See?! I can totally cast cure wounds!"), and say you're taking Magic Initiate: Warlock for the EB and, oh, Hex or Hellish Rebuke or something. But skip the invocations until the jig is up. That also gives you the space you need to take invocations to support your "really, I'm a bard!" needs.

One more thing: If you make it to 7th, get the Sculptor of Flesh invocation. Because you know what's on the Bard spell list? Polymorph.

As an aside, I've been considering a "fake cleric" Warlock - all of the debuff/curse manipulation/speaking to beings on alternate planes... just not so good on the healing side (without a dip of Bard).

[Theodoxus]

It's hard to say - since the easiest would be a single dip MC into either Bard (duh) or Cleric. Every bard that's ever been in a game I've played or run has been asked to heal. Those who say "I didn't take any healing" are given the side eye at best. Generally, by second level, they're taking a healing spell (or swapping out something they never cast, for a healing spell) - even if it's just for themselves. No one likes running around with 3 hit points and no HD to spend...

But without further assistance as to what Bard means to you, it's just throwing poop at the wall to see what sticks.

[Spore]

You can't trick the players for long. But I don't think there is anything stopping you from fooling with the characters for a longer time since a bard's abilities aren't really defined that closely ingame.

[follacchioso]

I did play a similar concept, but it was a bard who pretended to be a paladin, and in 3.0. It was fun: after several months of campaign, I've decapitated the party's wizard and ran away with the most important artifact, just after the final boss fight.

I recommend you to consider playing a warlock pretending to be a paladin as well. It is much easier to role play, specially a devotion paladin, as you just need to follow the rules describes in the oath. Just be the stick in the mud paladin, and nobody will ever question you.

You may talk with your dm and create a nice back story, such as you are infiltrating in the party because your patron ordered you so.

If the other members discover you, then you can roleplay makiny peace with them. After that, a warlock pretending to be a paladin can actually be very useful tactically - people will believe that you never lie and always work for thr greatet good.

[rbstr]

Starting at level 5 this might actually be a bit easier. You can take tome pact and get Cicious Mockery as one of your cantrips. If you take blade pact you can pretend to be a valor bard. Magical secrets can explain why you know a couple Warlock spells.

You've got a couple problems in class mechanics that are hard to cover up:
Fewer slots - gonna need to figure out a way to look like you can cast more than two spells at a time. You can cover that with some invocations and class features.
Misty Visions for at will Silent Image, the Celestial patron you could use healing light and call it "cure wounds". Fey Presence can be "Charm Person". Armor of Shadows is Mage Armor.

Inspiration - You could take magic initiate to get Bless which kinda covers it, you do get to add it to your spell list so you can recharge it every short rest (but man that gets to be kind of wasting a high level slot!). That also gets you Vicious Mockery. It could also be a half-truth "I took magic initiate to take eldritch blast ;) "



I'd also echo the above, even though I know it's not the direction you wanted initially: the Celestial Patron makes Paladin really easy to fake as Warlock if you wanted to. You've got "lay on hands" the blade pact, the smite invocation. Starting fighter 1 makes it nearly indistinguishable. Say you're a paladin4 warlock1 and it'd be ultra hard to question.
Though, the RP is kinda weird, a celestial patron is probably "good" and so it'd be a be odd to want to lie about that kind of thing I guess. Maybe you want to avoid persecution.

[Vogie]

I would love to play a bladelock and go "I'm going to summon my... lets just say, instrument"
https://cdn6.bigcommerce.com/s-0kvv9/images/stencil/500x659/products/83165/90896/apijwohas__86254.1461306843.jpg?c=2

[lunaticfringe]

In my experience another player is totally gonna start being super suspicious of you for the flimsiest reasons (Metagaming). Requesting Insight checks whenever you speak, Zone of Truthing you, etc. It works Sometimes and when it does it's awesome but Players are generally too Paranoid to let someone lying about Sheet info alone. I wish you luck and much fun.

[NecroDancer]

Remember it's not Eldritch Blast but Sonic Blast.

[Talionis]

This had a lot of what I was going to say. Try to do some illusions. Tomelock helps to pick up cantrips.

Maybe a magic item from DM can help to cover holes



Bard the class? You can certainly grab the bard offense as GOO+Tome (Plus a little Guidance - It's like bardic inspriation... sort of). Inspiring Leader (for fake heal/buffering) or Healer (for actual healing) will help cover the fix-up side of things... and you can always forget to hold spell slots for healing, or simply "assume we'd have a healer, so I went for a debuff bard." and "I'm just rationing my spell slots... but we ought to take a short rest right now so we can spend a few hit die and I can play you this totally awesome song of giving you temporary hit points." Obviously Performer will give you the proficiency in instruments, and in Perform that you will need. See if you can get a wand or rod that also happens to be a flute, or take drum, and get a good sturdy wand that doubles as a drumstick.

Alternatively, you could play like you are a not-so-musical Bard - the storytelling/lore-seeking raider-of-tombs-and-lost-arks type Bard. This might draw suspicion from the players, but it will also cover some of your less "bardy" inclinations. On this angle, you might consider one of the Eye invocations (Eldritch for that Detect Magic, or Rune Keeper to cover language proficiency - "Oh! I've got that proficiency!" "You have language proficiency in the Abyssal dialect used only by Orqiths, which has not been used in over 10,000 years?" "Yes. Or no, but let me cast comprehend languages..."

In-world, Bard is essentially "jack-of-all-trades-performer-who-does-magic." A Half-Elf Warlock with Perform and a bagpipe has you covered. If you folks treat classes as in-world constructs (Fighters go to Fighter College), you will need Charlatan to give you the appropriate credentials - your Bard Card or Letter of Letters or whatever. Claim you play the Gong, Temple Drum, and Zulkoon - none of which are practical for adventuring, which is why you use a component pouch.

The Eldritch Blast question Eldritch Blast becomes a major wrinkle in the concept. It's signature warlock, and your go-to for damage. Fortunately, it's also the go-to damage spell for magic initiate on Charisma casters. If you don't take it, you need to wriggle some damage out, or make sure you can adequately support with your strange profile of spells and cantrips. If the new starter spells are available, try to get toll the dead. Alternatively, if you have a feat available, take Magic Initiate: Bard (and get that 1/day "See?! I can totally cast cure wounds!"), and say you're taking Magic Initiate: Warlock for the EB and, oh, Hex or Hellish Rebuke or something. But skip the invocations until the jig is up. That also gives you the space you need to take invocations to support your "really, I'm a bard!" needs.

One more thing: If you make it to 7th, get the Sculptor of Flesh invocation. Because you know what's on the Bard spell list? Polymorph.

As an aside, I've been considering a "fake cleric" Warlock - all of the debuff/curse manipulation/speaking to beings on alternate planes... just not so good on the healing side (without a dip of Bard).