Warlock Patron: The Collection Pls PEACH

[BerzerkerUnit]

Aloha Friends!

My DM approved this for playtest in an upcoming Netherdeep game. I would appreciate a deep dive into any possible degenerate recursive loops. I've tried to close as many as I can. I know there are some that will say the ability to hand off concentration buffs is too good. Pls know that it's been considered and I disagree on logistical grounds, pls see the notes at the bottom.

The Collection
You have inherited or otherwise acquired a collection of various items with dark histories. Such items grant power to those willing to pay the price.
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rickandmorty/images/4/42/Mr.Needful.png/revision/latest?cb=20140328185948
Expanded Spell List
1 Cure Wounds, Heroism
2 Enlarge/Reduce, Lesser Restoration
3 Plant Growth, Haste
4 Death Ward, Secret Chest
5 Contagion, Geas

Pride of the Collector
You become proficient in History. If already proficient you may double your proficiency bonus unless you receive such a benefit from another source.

Collector's Box
At 1st level you acquire a container of tiny or small size in which is stored a number of trinkets equal to your Level + Proficiency bonus. This container has an AC of 18 and hit points equal to your warlock level. It is immune to psychic and poison damage.
The items within have dark histories which sometimes involve an ironic twist. You can use any of these trinkets as a focus for your warlock spells. As an action you can expend a Warlock spell slot as you give one of these trinkets to another creature. Expending a spell slot in this way imbues the trinket with a warlock spell you know and 1 charge.
The recipient can use an action to cast the spell from the trinket using your spell attack modifier or saving throw DC as if cast with a spell slot of your warlock spell slot level.
The recipient cannot rid itself of the object until you accept its return, they receive the effect of a Remove Curse spell, or they die. In any case the lost or destroyed trinkets are returned to your Collection when you complete a long rest.
You can have a number of imbued Trinkets in existence equal to your Proficiency bonus. If you Imbue another trinket, the oldest loses any charge and returns to your Collection after your next long rest.
If your Collector's Box is destroyed you can perform a 1 hour ritual on a similar item as part of a short rest or long to create another.
If you choose the Pact of the Talisman at 3rd level you can choose any Trinket to function as your Talisman. You can choose a new Trinket at the end of any short or long rest.

Shop of Horrors
Beginning at 6th level you can use your action to open your Collector's Box in such a way that it creates a doorway into an extradimensional space. The doorway can be any shape or color, appearing as a misty gate, tunnel into darkness, or an inviting door with window dressing and signage. The door has the same statistics as your Collector's Box. If the door is destroyed, it returns to the form of your Collector's Box. It appears on a surface within 10 feet, sized appropriately for you, . It can be set into a wall or floor or be freestanding. Entry is only possible from one side.
The extradimensional space inside is a 15 ft cube. It looks like a shop decorated to your tastes which prominently displays your Collection. It always retains a breathable atmosphere and ideal climate for maintaining your Collection. Pressure does not equalize when the door is opened. Other objects and equipment can be stored in this space provided they can fit through the door and do not exceed 15 feet in any dimension, and remain arranged as you leave them.
The door remains where it was opened until you use an action to return it to the form of your Collector's Box. You can open your Collector's Box in this way once and must complete a long rest before doing so again.
If the door returns to the form of your Collector's Box, any creatures inside are harmlessly ejected to the nearest empty spaces.

Malevolent Memorabilia
At 10th level you can cast Animate Objects on your Trinkets from your Collection animating up to 10 of the tiny objects. While animated the trinkets assume a whimsical or sinister air and are considered magical for the purposes of overcoming damage resistances and immunity. You can cast the spell in this way once and must complete a long rest or expend a warlock spell slot to do so again.

Piece de Resistance
At 14th level you can use an action to expend a use of one of your Mystic Arcanum as you give a trinket in your collection to another creature. That creature can use an action to expend the charge and cast the spell using your spell attack bonus or saving throw DC. You can only have one such item in existence at a time.

Invocations

Needful Things
Prerequisite: Collection Patron
The recipient of one of your trinkets can continue to cast the imbued spell from the trinket by reducing their maximum hit points by two times your Proficiency Bonus. These reductions to maximum hit points end when the creature completes a long rest after ridding themselves of the trinket.

Horrific Pet Shop
Prerequisites: Collection Patron, Pact of the Chain
Your Collection now includes strange eggs your familiar produces. When giving one of these eggs to another creature, you can choose to instead imbue it with the Find Familiar or Summon Beast spell.

Memento Mori
Prerequisites: Collection Patron, Pact of the Blade
Your collection now includes a number of weapons. When you give one of these weapons to another creature you can instead imbue it with any invocations you know with Pact of the Blade as a prerequisite.

Library of Mystery
Prerequisites: Collection Patron, Pact of the Tome
Several Mysterious Tomes can now be found in your Collection. When you give one of these tomes to another creature, instead of imbuing it with a warlock spell, they will instead discover a spell scroll for any wizard spell of a level equal to or less than your Warlock spell slot level. These scrolls can be used by any creature that can read a language. You must complete a long rest before another scroll can be found in this way.

Hag's Gift
Prerequisites: Collection Patron, Pact of the Talisman
When you give another creature your Talisman as an imbued trinket, you can target that creature with any warlock spell you know, including those with a target of Self, as long as you are both on the same plane.
-Alright, my logistical argument for extra Concentration Buffs being not a big deal
1. Handing the item to a Melee PC (the ones that need the most buffs) is suboptimal since they're most likely to get concentration broken.
2. Handing the item to a caster PC is suboptimal bc they probably have their own concentration spell.
3. That leaves ranged martial PCs, not guaranteed to be in the party, and might also have their own concentration to worry about (arcane tricksters, Rangers, etc). Not to mention the host of races that might be casting an innate spell.
4. The warlock spell list isn't overflowing with buffs to begin with (though I'll note there are some bangers).
5. This is still limited by proficiency bonus and spell slots which means you're not really getting any extra castings out of this, but rather being able to stock pile a little more in line with other casters. Downside here is your fellow PCs have to use their actions to cast your spells, but the thrust of the subclass is "giving others what they want" so hopefully you're offering something they'd want to do anyway.
6. No one will argue this subclass front loads like Hexblade or Genie. Since those are "a standard" being some of the most played and fun, I don't think something like this can be as readily misused.

-Why no "Dark Price?"
1. Have you ever seen "The Good Witch?" You can choose to be like the Good Witch.
2. I added the Needful Things invocation to cover that, but really, I didn't want the player to get too bogged down in trying to manage some pyramid scheme. If the trinkets are used for evil they should be the tell tale heart kind of curse (constantly reappearing to remind the recipient what they've done). If they're used for good then the recipient should probably want to return them so they can "pay it forward" or "share their power." Or you can split the difference and have the trinket be a constant temptation, always popping up and reminding the recipient they could come back for a recharge, just 1 more hit to really be somebody again.

-Why Plant Growth?
I wanted to publish it on DnDBeyond and Tiny Servant isn't open source. I really wanted mischievous/murderous dolls to come on line sooner, but I guess I'll have to wait until 10th. Plant Growth stepped in because I figured most DND games take place in largely agrarian societies and one of the most common things a person would ask would be "oh boy oh boy, I wish my crops would grow." I'll never understand why Druids aren't controlling the world (eh, wizards probably).

-Shop of Horrors is better than Genie Vessel for resting.
Maybe, but it can't be picked up and carried and is a little harder to hide if you're trying to hide it in a dungeon.

Pls let me know if there are any other questions!

[Loek]

First off, about publishing on DnDbeyond. While I've never done so, I've seen plenty of links to the non-open source spells. They just create a link to the "you don't have this, purchase this book" as far as I know. So I'd recommend re-adding tiny servant instead of plant growth.

Speaking of the Expanded Spell List, it seems a bit random. Those spells not associated with tiny objects are pretty much just a list of "cool boosts/useful heals". Unless I'm missing something thematically?

Then the Shop of Horrors. The things that can be abused here is mostly the free and near indestructible bag of holding (nothing gets lost when it gets destroyed, at least, not that's mentioned here).
combined this with creative use of the "it can look like anything". That basically means I can make it look like the wall I'm setting it against. Or like a mirror. Or such, giving either: A) a near unfindable entrance to hide in, or B) a non-illusion "instant cover" spell. (Though the once per long rest will curb this kind of abuse)


Then, the elephant in the room, Collector's Box.
Yes, your rational makes sense, in certain kinds of ways. But there's still a bunch of issues with it.

First off, when you take some time to prepare, you can have up to proficiency amount of these hanging around. Plus your own spell slots. So while the total amount of casts per short rest remain the same. This does create a certain nova potential with preparation. (Especially if that other creature is your familiar, servant, follower) (Also, no limit on the amount of trinkets a single creature can receive?)

Secondly, you mention how the Warlock class doesn't have that many great buffs, but then with the Extended list, you add quite a few shiny new ones.

Thirdly, that melee fighter might be more prone to getting hit (and thus having to make Concentration rolls), but they also tend to have higher CON scores. Which helps a little. Also, how about them dropping a darkness to disengage/run away. Not all (concentration) spells are necessarily for continuing a fight. Think giving the Fighter/Rogue/Monk the option to cast dispel magic or counterspell.

Fourthly, even for that other caster. The option to cast something outside of their class (healing for a wizard for example) can drastically boost their options.

But in the end, it all boils down to "with some preparation (usually about 2/3 hours), the party will have extra spells to burn, tricks to use, options to exploit", which is quite a massive boost.



All in all, this really feels like a fun NPC gimmick. Someone that charges for these free tricks (much like NPC artificer would). (Not to mention the "nope, no more trinket for you" action, which isn't in the class, but should be for an NPC version)


Possible solution, question mark?
I think it might work, if you make it so that the invested spell slot doesn't "recharge" for the warlock until the trinket is used (or you do recharge the spell slot and that "breaks" the trinket). This becomes even more relevant for the Mystic Arcanum. This way, sure, it might be your familiar, or the monk, or the archer, that does the concentrating. And yes, you sort of can have multiple concentrations going. But in return you lose flexibility of what spells can be cast at that point in time. And who can initiate that casting.


Finally, a quick note on the hexblade. Just because it is very powerful and thus played a lot, does not mean that the rest should be that powerful as well. That way lies powercreep. My advise would be to instead look at the "fun, playable, but not the most powerful/weakest" and aim for that level.

[BerzerkerUnit]

First off, about publishing on DnDbeyond...
Speaking of the Expanded Spell List, it seems a bit random. Those spells not associated with tiny objects are pretty much just a list of "cool boosts/useful heals". Unless I'm missing something thematically?
Aloha,

Thank you so much for your feedback!

Here, you are missing some classic trope elements from films like Needful Things, BIG, The Monkey's Paw, and some other media like Goosebumps, Sword of the Valiant, etc. The idea of going into a curio shop or meeting a witch or gypsy and getting a widget that grants some desire has been done a lot. Charm Person is already on the Warlock list, but that would be a top tier choice (for the "love potion") as well. I considered Enhance Ability but I think it's better represented with the other spells like Heroism, Enlarge/Reduce, and Haste. At the top end we have Secret Chest which is there so you can hide your box on the ethereal plane, Contagion and Geas for your blighting and enforcing servitude (common in stories with hag types).


Then the Shop of Horrors. The things that can be abused here is mostly the free and near indestructible bag of holding (nothing gets lost when it gets destroyed, at least, not that's mentioned here).
combined this with creative use of the "it can look like anything". That basically means I can make it look like the wall I'm setting it against. Or like a mirror. Or such, giving either: A) a near unfindable entrance to hide in, or B) a non-illusion "instant cover" spell. (Though the once per long rest will curb this kind of abuse)

Indestructible. It has HP equal to your Warlock level. If it's destroyed you carry the trinkets in your pockets until you replace it, but you can't recover the lost or destroyed trinkets until its replaced.

Nothing is lost when a bag of holding is destroyed either, though in the bag's case the stuff is dumped out. The whole Astral Plane thing is only if you put one in another extradimensional space. If the door is destroyed you have to wait until the following day to create it again.

While "any shape or color" and "sized for you" can be interpreted as camouflaged and reduced to tiny size by a halfling warlock using reduce on themselves, the intent is that it creates an entrance that matches the aesthetics of the shop. The 27 Treasures of Agdanxos being designed to look like a dragon's hoard might have an entrance that looks like a cave mouth (essentially, the door is open). Granny Nightwish's Curiosities might have a door like a portal of silver mist or look like a mushroom ring.

I could add text making it explicit, but hiding the door should be possible by placing it among a bunch of others, but it's a door. I guess interpreting it as a "secret door" is possible, but that's a DM ruling.


Then, the elephant in the room, Collector's Box.
Yes, your rational makes sense, in certain kinds of ways. But there's still a bunch of issues with it.

First off, when you take some time to prepare, you can have up to proficiency amount of these hanging around. Plus your own spell slots. So while the total amount of casts per short rest remain the same. This does create a certain nova potential with preparation. (Especially if that other creature is your familiar, servant, follower) (Also, no limit on the amount of trinkets a single creature can receive?)

One of the foremost frustrations I've had as a warlock player and that I've seen cited on line is the lack of spell slots. Particularly at high levels when the number of short rests can be quite limited, warlock players feel shafted. This doesn't exactly abate that. The feature says "give another creature" and "the recipient can cast" so the warlock on their own can only benefit if others accept their gifts and opt to make use of them. Unlike an artificer that can pile things on themselves, this can't. I can see maybe a Chainlock's familiar getting some mileage, but like always, once you send the familiar into combat as a threat, it's a short lived resource.

Though now that I think of it, it does present the option to make your familiar a more competent threat. An imp that can wield a tiny pact weapon, a pseudodragon that has Armor of Agathys... I don't think those are breaking anything though. I've spoken to the DM about it, we'll play it by ear.


Secondly, you mention how the Warlock class doesn't have that many great buffs, but then with the Extended list, you add quite a few shiny new ones.

Heroism, Enlarge, Haste, Death Ward. at level 7 you could have the party stack them all on the barbarian in round 1. That would be pretty interesting, or let the Barb AoA themself. But that would also be the entire party working together and exhausting all the prep you're able to do at that point. I don't think of that as a nova. If anything it's bringing the party together and passing the star power onto another player.


Thirdly, that melee fighter might be more prone to getting hit (and thus having to make Concentration rolls), but they also tend to have higher CON scores. Which helps a little. Also, how about them dropping a darkness to disengage/run away. Not all (concentration) spells are necessarily for continuing a fight. Think giving the Fighter/Rogue/Monk the option to cast dispel magic or counterspell.

Notably, counterspell wouldn't work because it's clear the creature uses their action to cast the spell. A DM might rule they can ready the spell, but then they're giving up their turn to maybe counter. That's action economy loss, and that's bad.


Fourthly, even for that other caster. The option to cast something outside of their class (healing for a wizard for example) can drastically boost their options.

Ehh, I'm not sure. For healing, it's not boosting it much beyond the chance to use a really good potion. At 9th level+ Cure wounds would be less effective than a potion of supreme healing on average. Casting a spell outside one's class doesn't create the kind of problematic synergies you see at 5th level spells and below. And again, they're only coming from this expanded spell list and the warlock list, and only the ones the PC in question knows. I can't think of too many things I'd be worried about a party getting an extra cast of but if you have another example I'm all eyes.


But in the end, it all boils down to "with some preparation (usually about 2/3 hours), the party will have extra spells to burn, tricks to use, options to exploit", which is quite a massive boost.

It is a healthy boost, but I think you summed up why I don't think it's an issue: The Party will have them, not the warlock. It's more power, but it's power that is shared (or sold or bartered for).


Possible solution, question mark?
I think it might work, if you make it so that the invested spell slot doesn't "recharge" for the warlock until the trinket is used (or you do recharge the spell slot and that "breaks" the trinket). This becomes even more relevant for the Mystic Arcanum. This way, sure, it might be your familiar, or the monk, or the archer, that does the concentrating. And yes, you sort of can have multiple concentrations going. But in return you lose flexibility of what spells can be cast at that point in time. And who can initiate that casting.

I can't say I agree with the notion an appropriate fix for something I don't think will be problematic is "do less magic" which is what committed spell slots would be. As I mention above, warlocks get painfully few slots for the entirety of their careers. Making the core feature of the subclass precasting spells in the hopes other creatures will be able to cast them later is downright unfair. But I do appreciate that you made the effort to consider a possible solution, thanks!


Finally, a quick note on the hexblade. Just because it is very powerful and thus played a lot, does not mean that the rest should be that powerful as well. That way lies powercreep. My advise would be to instead look at the "fun, playable, but not the most powerful/weakest" and aim for that level.

I noted above, I don't think this is as powerful as those Patrons. It requires more prep and coordination with other party members. It's level 1 feature doesn't effectively scale or synergize with other classes. Its utility spells and buffs fill a niche warlocks haven't reached into yet, which is good, but with the exception of haste I don't see them on optimization builds, they just might take the pressure off a cleric or druid (or the party wallet).

Thank you so much again for your feedback!

[Loek]

Limited spell slots for warlocks are indeed a pain, but it is very much the system that the class is created/balanced around. If I remember correctly, when the party takes 2 short rests per day (yes, I know, not overly common), they tend to chug right along with the other casters (with a notable exception around the 7-10 range, if memory serves). And even beyond that, it's still a resource that get's replenished far easier (short rest) and is backed up with lots of other utilities (be it from their pact, their patron, their invocations or their eldritch blast).



That aside, let's take a look at a potential Collector Warlock. I'll pick level 9, because of reasons (it's when they get their max level spell slots, it's in their "meh I suck" level range, the proficiency bonus just got to 4, it's the level my main PC is at right now... lots of good reasons). We'll take a very extreme party, 4 full casters and this warlock.

Without the collection, the party has the following amount of level 5 spells:

4 per long rest for the 4 full casters
2 per short rest, from the warlock


Now, our brave party is aware their are probably going to fight the big bad tomorrow, so they'll prepare (all trinkets created) and won't spend their big spells before that fight.
Due to the collector warlock's boost, they now have the following level 5 spells to cast at the big bad:

4 from the full casters
4 from the full casters from the trinkets
2 from the warlock

That's a 66% increase in their biggest bang for the buck type spells. That's 2 full rounds of everyone casting a level 5 spell at the poor big bad.
(And if you include familiars, that'd be 9 5th level spells first round of combat, with your second 5th level the round after)

And yes, you can argue that it's cool, and not the warlock power gaming, but giving the party more power... but it's very much unbalancing towards the NPCs/DM instead.

I personally still think that some kind of investment is needed from the warlock to make this balanced. Maybe the system I suggested before, but also give them 1 (at low levels) or 2 (around level 9 maybe) trinkets they can create without "semi-permanently" investing their spell slots into. (I'd still say that for Mystic Arcanums it should always be a matter of only coming back to the warlock when used/by removing the charge from the trinket)



Finally, something that can be either fluff or rules. I think there needs to be a good reason for the warlock to hand out their trinkets. And some kind of downside for the creatures accepting/using them. (If made into rules, this is also something that can bring more balance to the whole). Something like "when the creature accepts the trinket, it gets a something something debuff until it cast the spell" and "when it casts the spell, for the next turn something something and the warlock gets something something boost".

This way the receiving creature doesn't get a freeby. The warlock has a mechanical reason to do this (other than, more power, *insert evil laughter*). This would add to the whole "beware the gifts of strangers" and "Doomed if I do, doomed if I don't, can't get rid of it unless mr creepy accepts it" vibe.



PS: as for the indestructibly bag of holding, what I meant is that whatever you stuff in there will remain in there, with no chance for outside forces to get to it unless you open that door.

[faustin]

First off, about publishing on DnDbeyond.


Possible solution, question mark?
I think it might work, if you make it so that the invested spell slot doesn't "recharge" for the warlock until the trinket is used (or you do recharge the spell slot and that "breaks" the trinket). This becomes even more relevant for the Mystic Arcanum. This way, sure, it might be your familiar, or the monk, or the archer, that does the concentrating. And yes, you sort of can have multiple concentrations going. But in return you lose flexibility of what spells can be cast at that point in time. And who can initiate that casting.



It may be a workable idea, if using the spell point system for the warlock of D&D Advanced 5th Edition.

[BerzerkerUnit]

Limited spell slots for warlocks are indeed a pain, but it is very much the system that the class is created/balanced around. If I remember correctly, when the party takes 2 short rests per day (yes, I know, not overly common), they tend to chug right along with the other casters (with a notable exception around the 7-10 range, if memory serves). And even beyond that, it's still a resource that get's replenished far easier (short rest) and is backed up with lots of other utilities (be it from their pact, their patron, their invocations or their eldritch blast).

Again, thank you so much for your feedback. I've watched a lot of DND youtube and I think it's fair to say some of the larger channels (treantmonk, dungeon dudes, nerdarchy, DMLair) have some measure of consensus that 2 short rests a day isn't realistic. It seems most groups steer toward 1 short rest or 1 significant combat encounter per day at the higher levels. So balancing around 2 per day means they aren't well balanced. I believe there are probably some DM's that allow rest tricking, coffee-lock builds, etc, but I've never met one in person and never stumbled into one's table at the various conventions and gaming stores I've frequented since 5e's launch.

(side note: I balance for 3 and run with a house rule of "no more than 3, 2 of which are 10 minute breaks and one is a 1 hour lunch" and I still think straight warlock players get a short straw)

As for utilities in the form of invocations, by level 10 you have 5, but really it's 4 because you probably took Agonizing Blast, if you're blasting you may have even less bc you want repelling etc. Some are evergreen and universal (Mask of Many Faces) others have very little use and some I've never seen in play (the one that gives 2 Cha skill proficiencies, most of the 1/day castings with a spell slot, the polymorph one being the exception). But even assuming an amazing suite of invocations, that 2 slot limit for those 10 levels is just not great. It doesn't feel balanced and outside white room number crunching for DPR that factors in how great EBlast/hex or spirit shroud is vs other caster cantrips/martial options, it isn't balanced.


That aside, let's take a look at a potential Collector Warlock. I'll pick level 9, because of reasons (it's when they get their max level spell slots, it's in their "meh I suck" level range, the proficiency bonus just got to 4, it's the level my main PC is at right now... lots of good reasons). We'll take a very extreme party, 4 full casters and this warlock.

Without the collection, the party has the following amount of level 5 spells:

4 per long rest for the 4 full casters
2 per short rest, from the warlock


Now, our brave party is aware their are probably going to fight the big bad tomorrow, so they'll prepare (all trinkets created) and won't spend their big spells before that fight.
Due to the collector warlock's boost, they now have the following level 5 spells to cast at the big bad:

4 from the full casters
4 from the full casters from the trinkets
2 from the warlock

That's a 66% increase in their biggest bang for the buck type spells. That's 2 full rounds of everyone casting a level 5 spell at the poor big bad.
(And if you include familiars, that'd be 9 5th level spells first round of combat, with your second 5th level the round after)

And yes, you can argue that it's cool, and not the warlock power gaming, but giving the party more power... but it's very much unbalancing towards the NPCs/DM instead.

Emphasis mine. That really doesn't feel like much of an argument, the DM has infinite resources. If he can account for a Scribes wizard that cranks out scrolls, he can account for this. And while yes, scrolls have a monetary cost, scroll making isn't all scribes gets at 2, this is all the warlock gets at 1, well that and a history expertise.

And let's look at what some of those 5th level combat options are: Synaptic static (fireball damage with a nonstacking debuff for a 5th level slot if the warlock knows it), Contagion (a no questions awesome debuff, but you only need one to land bc it also doesn't stack), Hold Monster (I guess raining 5 hold monsters is a way to try and cheese through legendary resistances, but they also don't stack and aren't great if you don't have martials to take advantage of the paralysis right away since if it failed once it will probably break out the following turn). From there we have wall of light, more mediocre damage and a wall that doesn't block anything but LOS.

And you can't drop nine spells in round one. If your DM is allowing followers and NPC allies into the mix, this isn't blowing up the table. In fact, if I were the DM I'd be glad they had better things to do than whatever NPC action they normally take (+3 to hit with a crossbow? Why waste the time?)
In general, the best you'd manage would be maybe 6 unless the other casters have all prepped a real minion spell (conjure elemental, Summon Draconic spirit or the like) and you have to assume the other casters don't have better spells they'd rather cast. Round 1 your wizard probably wants to wall of force the boss or some of the minions in the room or drop bigby's hand, a sorcerer has better damage options than synaptic static for the slot level, and when throwing damage bigger earlier means a faster end to the fight. So I really don't see the nova potential here you're concerned with.

All of this assumes that you have the prep time, spell choices, and less likely, unused slots to conveniently run the allotment. I know my games rarely work out so conveniently for the players unless I'm about to send them into an exceptionally deadly encounter and then something like this is good.


I personally still think that some kind of investment is needed from the warlock to make this balanced. Maybe the system I suggested before, but also give them 1 (at low levels) or 2 (around level 9 maybe) trinkets they can create without "semi-permanently" investing their spell slots into. (I'd still say that for Mystic Arcanums it should always be a matter of only coming back to the warlock when used/by removing the charge from the trinket)

The defaults for these kinds of features is proficiency bonus. This is limited by proficiency bonus and the slots you have to spend. I'll be starting the campaign next week though, so I'll definitely come back with a playtest report then.


Finally, something that can be either fluff or rules. I think there needs to be a good reason for the warlock to hand out their trinkets. And some kind of downside for the creatures accepting/using them. (If made into rules, this is also something that can bring more balance to the whole). Something like "when the creature accepts the trinket, it gets a something something debuff until it cast the spell" and "when it casts the spell, for the next turn something something and the warlock gets something something boost".

This way the receiving creature doesn't get a freeby. The warlock has a mechanical reason to do this (other than, more power, *insert evil laughter*). This would add to the whole "beware the gifts of strangers" and "Doomed if I do, doomed if I don't, can't get rid of it unless mr creepy accepts it" vibe.

In my previous response I noted the variety of RP/fluff ways to represent the curse of the item, but the reason for the warlock to pass the trinkets around is up to the warlock in question. Some of the invocations are designed to better deal with those things. Hag's gift is great if you collect souls since you could soul cage them from anywhere (eldritch blast them too, though you'd have disadvantage if you couldn't see them). Needful Things is good if you're trying to send them to an early grave.

But ultimately, making money is an easy motivator, as is the acquisition of other trinkets or adding to the grim lore of the ones you have. Or maybe even trying to break the curses on the trinkets by having them be used for good as a way to banish wicked karma from the world.


PS: as for the indestructibly bag of holding, what I meant is that whatever you stuff in there will remain in there, with no chance for outside forces to get to it unless you open that door.

I've run a lot of DND and played even more. I have never had a DM have a creature try to slash or destroy a bag of holding to... make the party have to make a sled to drag their stuff around. And stuff in the bag can't be stolen by a pick pocket that doesn't manage to take the whole bag.

RAW, nothing says the door can be locked on its own. You could buy a lock, or use arcane lock, or the alarm spell, but once the door is set, anyone can walk in.
And technically, anyone can planeshift into the store if they have access to that spell. I guess if you have a real nuke you want to put away, putting it in the store and then never opening the box that way isn't the worst way to deal with it, but you can't lock a creature in it... Actually, wording might need to be tightened there. Whenever the door becomes the box, creatures inside are dumped out. Good catch.

Compare this to the Genie Vessel which allows near automatic magical surprise ambushes, near perfect escapes, near perfect dungeon navigation etc.


It may be a workable idea, if using the spell point system for the warlock of D&D Advanced 5th Edition.

Thank you for your feed back as well. I'm not familiar with the MP system other than the one provided in the DMG which I'm not a huge fan of.