Warlocks and spell points?

[Laserlight]

Does it break anything for a warlock to be able to sell his slots for spell points and buy lower level slots with SP, just like sorcs do?

I play a Darkness hexblade, but Darkness doesn't benefit from using a higher slot; I have Shield, but who uses a level 3 or 4 slot just for Shield? So I'm thinking about asking my DM for spell points. I won't be stepping on our sorc's toes (we don't have one), but I want to be sure that it won't cause headaches for the DM.

[Easy_Lee]

A warlock who has equivalent spell points instead of spell slots is strictly more powerful. That said, the warlock spell slot progression is weird, so I wish they'd done it this way to begin with and balanced accordingly.

[DeTess]

Does it break anything for a warlock to be able to sell his slots for spell points and buy lower level slots with SP, just like sorcs do?

I play a Darkness hexblade, but Darkness doesn't benefit from using a higher slot; I have Shield, but who uses a level 3 or 4 slot just for Shield? So I'm thinking about asking my DM for spell points. I won't be stepping on our sorc's toes (we don't have one), but I want to be sure that it won't cause headaches for the DM.

It probably won't really break anything, provided of course that the spell points all disappear on a short rest. In this particular case, it might be easier and less unbalancing to ask for an invocation that gives a couple of castings of shield per short rest, though.

[Kryx]

That said, the warlock spell slot progression is weird, so I wish they'd done it this way to begin with and balanced accordingly.
The gap between 2nd and 11st level has been incredibly unfun for my groups.

That is the main reason I decided to rework the Warlock with spell points - check out my houserules in my signature if you're interested.

[Easy_Lee]

The gap between 2nd and 11st level has been incredibly unfun for my groups.

That is the main reason I decided to rework the Warlock with spell points - check out my houserules in my signature if you're interested.

I might simplify it to 1.5*Level, but that works. Then again, I prefer warlocks to be more about their invocation choices than their spells, so I might give them more invocations and just set spell points equal to their level. But that's a matter of taste.

[jaappleton]

I've done this.

I played a few Hexblades that used short rest spell points. So at Warlock 5, I have 10 spell points per short rest.

It makes a world of difference. The class is immensely more fun this way, you aren't agonizing over possibly spending a 3rd level spell slot (and one of your ONLY two spell slots per short rest) on Shield, y'know?

I highly, highly, highly recommend it.

[Rebonack]

I'm playing a GOO Warlock right now using the spellpoint variant and I can say without reservation that it makes the class feel far less arbitrarily punishing to play. As written, Warlock dings you every time you pick a spell that has no upcast effect. Darkness is great, but casting Darkness from a 4th or 5th level spell slot is not so great. Even the signature level 3 Warlock spell, Hunger of Hadar, doesn't upcast. It doesn't break anything, it just makes the class flow more naturally. It's without a doubt more powerful, you can use your spells more efficiently, but being able to get off one extra casting of Hex because someone knocked you out of concentration isn't going to implode a campaign.

We've been calling the Warlock's spell-casting resource 'Nightmare Fuel' to distinguish it from the mechanically slightly different Spellpoint system.

[Kane0]

It's pretty much a straight upgrade, but not gamebreaking. The biggest benefit is that it makes spells that don't upcast more efficient.

[Tanarii]

It's more powerful for sure. Quite a lot more powerful. But that's not necessarily the same as broken. Personally I think Warlocks are plenty powerful enough, but that's because I assume the average adventuring day will give the opportunity for two short rests. Or more. If your campaign gives only one a day on average, the boost from SP variant for Warlocks would probably balance that out nicely.

[Citan]

A warlock who has equivalent spell points instead of spell slots is strictly more powerful.
THIS.
With that said, it doesn't mean it will be TOO powerful either.
Honestly I think it will be completely fine, unless you are getting more short rests than usual (for example because your whole party is composed of "short-rest" characters like Monk, Battlemaster, Tempest Cleric*, Lore Bard**)...

In any other case, as long as you and DM trust each other that you can properly manage the SP without cheating (whether on purpose or just making mistakes) there should be no problem. The DM has the short rest as an adjustement variable in worst case, and otherwise, you are just a glorified short-rest Sorcerer with a very different spell selection.

* My opinion is that someone who chooses Tempest domain does so for the sheer fun of obliterating enemies with a maximized AOE, so he would certainly want as many short rests as possible. ;) Same could be told for most Domains in general, but I think some stress this more (like Knowledge if he has to be the skillmonkey of the party).

** Lore Bard's Cutting Words is one of the most powerful "teamwork defense" ability of the whole game, and it recharges on a short rest. Plus other nice abilities of Bard that recharge on short rest, and potential Inspiring Leader which fits mechanically and thematically. So one would probably like the chance to take as many short rests as possible.

[Regulas]

The main problem with spell points is that you become something far closer to a sorcerer then a Warlock.

One of the issues that Warlock's have is that they were designed so that Invocations would replace your low level spells, only between tax invocations, weak invocations and the lack of other invocations you just don't tend to get to use invocations in this way.

What I would do is either
A: create invocations for some of the low level spells you want rather then SP. E.g. "once per short rest you can cast darkness without expending a spell slot" you can see through this magical darkness (though you don't otherwise gain devil's sight). While also removing tax invocations (like extra attack), so you have the bandwidth to take these.

Or B: Give yourself low level slots. E.g. at 5th level you get one 1st level slot (2nd at 7, 3rd at 9th) at 9th level you also get a second of these low levels lots. They max out at 3rd level but you may get more slots. Now you have the ability to cast low level spells without wasting 4/5th level slots but you still feel like a warlock.