warlock 6th level mystic arcanum help needed

[Rentirith]

Hi all,

I have recently level up to 11 and need some help with what mystic arcanum to pick. I am fully a celestial tome warlock with a 20 in charisma and no magic items (its a very magic item light campaign). My current spell list is:



cantrips:

eldritch blast
sacred flame
light
druidcraft
greenflame blade
shillelagh
friends
minor illusion
guidance


1st level:

detect poison and disease
find familiar
identify
purify food and drink


2nd level:

flaming sphere
mirror image
misty step


3rd level:

counterspell
fly
hypnotic pattern


4th level:

dimension door
wall of fire


5th level:

dream
synaptic static
hold monster


Invocations:

devil sight
misty visions
agonizing blast
Book of ancient whispers
mask of many faces



In my party we have an inquisitive rogue, a devotion paladin/storm sorc, and an arcana cleric/ranger. We recently lost our zealot barbarian/battlemaster fighter because of real life. Stupid real life.

currently I function as more of an emergency in-combat healer with consistent damage output with Eldritch blast and sacred flame. outside of combat, I *try* to be sort of a light mage, throwing illusions around to either convey knowledge or help us out of trouble, though this fails more often than not due to my own shenanigans :smallfrown:.

I am stuck on the problem of my mystic arcanum for 6th level. The ones I am thinking of are:

Arcane Gate: This is one my DM recommended to me. He said he is willing to change the spell so that the other portal is no longer bound to the ground, so this does open up some dr. strange style nonsense. It would also give the team a good way of getting out of trouble, and let me sort of function as a sniper, stepping in and out of the portal to safety. However, he did say he would be enforcing the part about not being able to see through the portal, so theoretically we will be teleporting blind.

Conjure Fey: We have recently had lots of combats where at least one of us goes down, and with me being an off-tank (14 ac, but an effective max hp of 103, currently the highest of our group) I would rather there be another combatant on the field, at the very least to just soak up some hits. The Annis Hag and Mammoth look fun and open up some good roleplaying potential (The adventures have been very planar themed) but I am worried about the loss of concentration and the creature turning against us.

Mental Prison: This one is right up my alley with all the illusion spells, and it's a doozy as well. great minimum damage, excellent maximum damage, and being restrained while it lasts, all on an intelligence save?! This is great! Except, that if the target is immune to charm, then the spell fails completely. And we are level 11, likely preparing to go against things that are immune to charm (though this is just speculation rather than based on evidence). My DM wouldn't put us up against things immune to charm only to spite me, but I still want to make a sound choice.


The very last one I'm considering is Eyebite, and even then not so much. I know it is a pretty strong spell with its versatility, but my warlock is more of a jedi, not a sith, right? I just wouldn't be able to justify taking this spell, even with major reflavoring.

If anyone has any input on this choice based on optimization, roleplay, experience or otherwise I would be more than happy to hear it.

[Joe the Rat]

As a point of interest, one of your Eyebite options is "SLEEEEEP!". Still seems very Jedi.

Arcane Gate will have a lot of wizard-style utility - you can (1/day) move the gang in a hurry.

Similarly, conjure fey gets you some minions - scouts and messengers, alt casters, and dreaded roleplay potential.

If you are dealing with element-focused opponents and spend more time in close than not, the Investitures might be worth a look.

[Theaitetos]

Well, your party is pretty heavy on spellcasters, so it also matters what spells they have ready.

From a diversity point of view, Conjure Fey is the best, since nobody else in your party can learn this spell. However, it cannot be upcast with a higher-level spell slot as a warlock and you would be stuck forever with the CR6 Fey.

Also, which spells are you already concentrating on frequently in battle? Hex, Bless, …? Taking a Mystic Arcanum with concentration is a steep cost. The reasonable concentration spells are: Conjure Fey, Eyebite, Mental Prison, and Investiture of XYZ.

Mass Suggestion is a powerful non-concentration spell, lasting 24 hours. However, you said you are wary about uncharmable enemies, so it would not be good for your campaign.

I therefore recommend one spell that I like very much: Scatter :smallsmile:
You said you might take Arcane Gate to bring the group to safety. Scatter can do that too, though there's pro and con:
con: The range is more limited with 120+30 feet instead of 500 feet.
pro: Scatter doesn't use concentration.
pro: Enemies can't follow you (while the Arcane Gate would be opened).
pro: None of your party members have to walk to the Gate.
pro: You can move unconscious/dead party members to safety.

Apart from this defensive retreat option, Scatter offers several offensive options:
1) Position your entire party optimally at the beginning of combat: weak caster surrounded? move him out! your tank out of range? move him in! ranger wants sneaky shots? move him unto an elevated position in shadows/with cover.
2) Completely redraw the enemy's positioning: melees kicked back 120 feet, spellcasters moved right behind your party.
3) Combine 1+2! You can move up to 5 creatures – friend or foe! – with one cast of the spell.
4) Combine with other spells, especially AoE: For example you can cast a ringed Wall of Fire (on your spell list) and then move the enemies inside. Also works well on spells with small AoE range (e.g. Flame Strike). Extremely powerful combined with spells like Forcecage (possible level 7 Arcanum, or Arcana Cleric spell), as you can then add any "murder" AoE like Sickening Radiance to kill everything inside.