What to do with/builds for/ideas for the Celestial Warlock

[Willie the Duck]

So Hexblade (and possibly half-elven Hexblade Bladelock with Devil's Sight invocation, Darkness spell, and Elven Accuracy and SS/GWM feats) is clearly either the best or worst thing XGtE brings to the game, but what about the other archetype, Celestial?

I'm sure plenty of people have poured over it before when it was UA, but I never did, since we don't use UA material in our campaign. What do you do with a celestial warlock, both in terms of build and in terms of ideas? The benefits seem thematically relatively consistent (although if your patron is not a fire-and-light kind of celestial, it might have some thematic mismatch), but make very little sense to me mechanically (why would a warlock, of all classes, be messing around with sacred flame?). The cha damage bonus doesn't make SF comparable to eldritch blast (but enhances green flame blade, so... shillelagh-Tomelock?).

I guess my first character idea is a scholastic cleric of a god of wisdom (Acolyte, Cloistered Scholar, or Sage background and Knowledge domain) who thought they wanted to spend their life studying in the monestary (cleric 1), but instead found the writing of a specific patron saint (patron), and took up down that road, never looking back (rest of career as warlock).

Another option is a wild-eyed see-er of truth (hermit or inheritor background), who never had any churching, but still believes they know their gods plan though direct contact with a god's celestial servant. Perhaps Vuman with moderately armored feat to give the same survivability as the cleric dip.

Anyone else have any ideas on what to do with this warlock type? Thanks in advance!

[jaappleton]

I personally love Celestial. The only thing I dislike is that the lv6 feature is only against a single target, I wish it were more like the Dragon Sorc's.

I see the Celestial as an Alternative Paladin in many ways. It's short rest, not long rest. You can build it so you can Smite if you want with Blade Pact, you have healing, you don't get much armor (But the Moderately Armored feat gets you Medium AND Shield Prof) but you have full spellcasting.

The only thing I really think they missed completely with Celestial is the Chain Pact. I really wish they got access to a more thematic Familiar.

I'm building an Eladrin who made a pact with a Ki-rin right now, actually. Really digging the Celestial.

[RickAllison]

I created a thread recently about my idea for a Pact of the Unicorn, that was a CelesLock with many of its signature spells tied into the imagery of the unicorn. The focus would be a rapier-like twisted horn that would be thrust at opponents during Eldritch Blasts so the attacks would appear as ethereal horns. Guardian of Faith could be in the shape of a unicorn. So on and so forth.

A solar-themed (the angel, not the sun) CelesLock could be useful for Pact of the Blade. With the Improved Pact Weapon and Eldritch Smite, you can fire your very own "Slaying Longbow", though unlike the giant angel you must make a choice between the longbow or the greatsword.

[lunaticfringe]

I dig it. You get Improved Healing Word that doesn't restrict your spell casting and Mass Aid. Those are 2 great features and you're still a Warlock. My first Celestial will probably be a tomelock for more support.

[solidork]

I'm currently playing a Celestial Shillelagh Tomelock 3/Eldritch Knight 5. He was a smuggler until he met his Couatl patron and now works as a magical detective who dabbles in all different kinds of magic. I was mostly interested in picking up a bunch of cantrips and rituals from other classes to pull off a jackdaw magical style, and Celestial provided some supplemental healing and a patron who will be less antagonistic than some.

I'm going to pick up some kind of feat so it still makes sense for me to mix it up in melee with my baseball bat once I get a third EB Ray at 11, but I'm not sure what it will be yet. I'm never going to be a DPR king, but I bring a lot of utility to the table.

[Naanomi]

One of the pre-made characters in the next adventure I’m running at my school will be an Aasimar Celestial Tomelock, should be fun

[Rebonack]

I personally love Celestial. The only thing I dislike is that the lv6 feature is only against a single target, I wish it were more like the Dragon Sorc's.

I see the Celestial as an Alternative Paladin in many ways. It's short rest, not long rest. You can build it so you can Smite if you want with Blade Pact, you have healing, you don't get much armor (But the Moderately Armored feat gets you Medium AND Shield Prof) but you have full spellcasting.

The only thing I really think they missed completely with Celestial is the Chain Pact. I really wish they got access to a more thematic Familiar.

I'm building an Eladrin who made a pact with a Ki-rin right now, actually. Really digging the Celestial.

Well, you get to pick whether your familiar is Celestial, Fiend, or Fae, right? I ended up going with a Celestial Imp and described it as a mini-cherubim. Not the fat flying babies. The things with too many wings and eyes.

[rbstr]

I really like the patron too. You've got a lot of build possibilities. You've got "Alt-Paladin" if you go blade. You've got a blasty-cleric as tome. You have your actual angel on your shoulder as chain.

Whatever you do it has a very "combat medic" feel to me. They can dish out some hurt and keep your guys up in the same turn.
The list gives you revivify and the restoration spells so you cover some important cleric stuff that a paladin wouldn't get until a good bit later.

Pretty much all the general Warlock guidance applies to them. You can tome, blade, or chain as fine as anything else really. The biggest synergy you can find damage wise is probably the tome+shillelagh+greenflame build. Though you could also do that as a non-extra-attack bladelock too. You need dex for AC already after all.
They end up very survivable at higher level between the healing pool, THP and the ability to spring back to life once a day.

[Naanomi]

Well, you get to pick whether your familiar is Celestial, Fiend, or Fae, right? I ended up going with a Celestial Imp and described it as a mini-cherubim. Not the fat flying babies. The things with too many wings and eyes.
Celestial Sprites are basically Coure Eladrin already, and the alignment detection is especially good for a little celestial

[Willie the Duck]

Whatever you do it has a very "combat medic" feel to me. They can dish out some hurt and keep your guys up in the same turn.
The list gives you revivify and the restoration spells so you cover some important cleric stuff that a paladin wouldn't get until a good bit later.

I was noticing how this guy gives you all the spells your support character loses out on by being a Life Cleric 1/Lore Bard X-1 instead of Life Cleric X. Those two can fill a lot of roles. If your warlock is tome and you have enough ritual spells, you can replace cleric and wizard. If you are bladelock cleric and a mid-line combatant. Chain maybe cleric and some bits or ranger or rogue (if your DM facilitates familiar as scout).

[Willie the Duck]

I've built a Cleric 1 (arcana) Warlock 3(tome, celestial). At level 4 I have 12 cantrips (3 cleric, 2 wizard from arcana, 2 warlock, 3 open from tome, and 2 from celestial). I went half-elf because of the skills and charisma, but if I went vuman I could have taken magic initiate at 1st for 2 more. Probably not the most powerful thing I've done, but certainly interesting.

[Thunderbird]

I was thinking today about creating a War Cleric 1/Celestial Bladelock X actually. A bit MAD, but you get Heavy Armor proficiency and Divine Favor as a domain spell.

[SkylarkR6]

Currently running the standard Celestial Tomelock with GFB and Shillelagh. Devils sight, AB, aspect of the moon(super paranoid). Owl Familiar gotten via ritual. I built him with the idea to be an investigator and hunter of demons, devils and their servants(especially locks). Sorta a paranormal investigator type. Flavored his rune covered quarterstaff and was about to give him a reason for the staff by giving him a limp. then realized I had inadvertently made my guy into a Knight of the Word

[alchahest]

It's a perfect fit for a house Jorasco healer.

and with that said I somehow read "celestial warlock" and thought "Divine Soul"