Level 11: The Wizard: I just got my sixth level spell slot! The Warlock: I just got my sixth level Mystic Arcanum, and another Pact slot! The Monk: I just got the ability to cancel disadvantage by spending two ki.
18:35 it’s important to know that now that Tasha’s Cauldron has come out, Warlocks now have the option to swap out Mystic Arcanum at ASI improvement levels. Heck yea!
There is one thing about Mystic Arcanum which is a big positive over spell slots, and that's to do with the way the Simulacrum spell is worded. Simulacrum states that the duplicate it creates cannot regain spell slots, but since neither your Pact Magic slots nor your Mystic Arcanum are spell slots, a Simulacrum Warlock can regain all of their magic abilities in the same way a normal Warlock can, which is not true of any other class.
Pact Magic is spell slots, they are just arranged differently. Mystic Arcanum, however, isn't, I agree. Though it doesn't matter because no sane DM would allow you this.
While this wouldn't work based on the sage advice, and even without it I doubt many DMs would let it fly, warlocks can have a wide range of at will abilities through their evocations that may make them a better candidate for the spell.
Good point about warlocks being able to take more situational spells. The class is interesting in that it can be built to fulfill a wide variety of roles. One build I've been wanting to try is the "eye" warlock, taking every invocation having to do with sight (Devil's Sight, Eldritch Sight, Ghostly Gaze, Witch Sight, etc.), possibly with a few levels in Rogue: Inquisitor and definitely including the Observant feat. The goal would be to create a character who notices absolutely everything, though I imagine it might frustrate the DM.
Also, eyebite. My idea for the LockEyes is to have them be blind initially, but with the invocations allowing them to see at all. Devil’s sight allowing them to see in darkness when before they couldn’t see at all. Eldritch sight lets them become keenly aware of the presence of magic, against a background unimpeded by the normal sight. Each new invocation enhancing their perceptions. Pact of the chain gets you a familiar to see with, and there is another invocation that lets you see through another willing person’s senses.
Another way to enhance this build would be to take the Raven Queen (UA) patron, because one of their abilities is givong you +4 to all perception checks
@@gamecavalier3230 EK and AT cap out at 4th level spells with traditional spell slots, Warlock has Slots of a Level akin to a halfcaster, with a limited selection of "High end magic", so can cast upto 9th level spells like full casters, so they are not really partial casters, they are full Spellcasters that are driven by coffee breaks and catnaps instead of a full nights rest.
@@gamecavalier3230 Ah, I misunderstood your comment, sorry (not a native speaker), now I get it, that you meant "EK and AT are 1/3 casters", as an addition to my list.
While the warlock is my personal favorite class in the game, i have to complain that I wish mystic arcanums had some sort of advantage over regular spell slots like pact magic does. They dont have to be necessarily equal, but i kind of wish they did something with them so they wouldn’t be a direct downgrade
As much as I lean to agree, when you consider a mundane archer is only getting the extra attack at 11 and 17, getting the extra attack, pact slot, and a high level spell seems enough, even if it is only a mystic arcanum.
I think a 2 level dip in Warlock (hexblade) for any of the CHA based spellcasters is worth it, even at higher level. Sure, you lose a 6th and a 7th level slot and you are 1 level behind, but you gain 3 spells known (which are 1st level but could be useful your entire campaign : Shield, Hex, Armor of Agathys), 2 1st level slots that you can recover on short rests (so you can use Absorb Element/ Shield / Hex 4-6 more times per day), 2 cantrips (one of which is the best offensive cantrip in the game), 2 invocations (most likely Agonizing Blast and ?? - Repelling Blast, Devil's sight, etc) and you get access to Medium Armor and shield AND you can attack (if you ever need it) with your CHA...these benefits are going to be useful throughout your campaign. The Shield spell is so strong that even at high level it is still useful. A sorcerer with a 2 level hexblade dip with a non magical Half-Plate and a Shield (AC : 19) can get its AC to 24 for an entire round pretty much any time it is required. Even a paladin with a 2lvl hexblade can make a powerful build.
Yeah Hexblade Divine Soul is my favorite build to play. I wouldn’t say it’s objectively more powerful than straight sorcerer, but it’s extremely versatile and can fill almost every combat roll with the right spells.
Probably the most helpful thing I've seen on Warlocks (this and the others in the series so far). I've liked them but kinda struggled to make sense of them.
I like that you brought up the inherent circumstantiality of a Warlock's chosen spells, because it’s one of my favorite things about the class. It allows you to make a very thematic build without worrying about wasting your spells known. Whereas on any given day a Wizard might need to weigh the advantages of picking one spell over another of the same level (Gaseous Form vs. Spider Climb, for example), a Warlock can easily take both because you don’t typically deviate from the same few spells. I suppose that could also be seen as a downside by players who are used to employing a wider variety of spells, but it’s like you said, when a Warlock breaks out a different spell, it’s a big deal.
I'm playing a Hexblade who behaves pretty much like a fighter. For spells I have my core combat spells, and for the rest I'm looking at non-combat, situational spells, like Comprehend Languages, or Remove Curse; things that it might be useful to do role-playing in a situation when I don't necessarily expect to be husbanding slots.
Idk i played both a high level cleric with a giant variety of spells and a high level warlock. Gotta be honest, with 3 spellslots, rod of the pact keeper to refresh a slot, mystic arcanums, racials (tiefling) and feat spells (Fey touched) i barely used up all my spell resources each day
I'm playing a celestial warlock now, and your point about taking situational spells in the lower levels really hit home and solidified the spells i just decided on for my level up, and even encouraged me to very seriously consider choosing Remove Curse when I get it next level. There have been a few mentions of hexes and curses in the game, so I think it might sit in my spell list until I get greater resto because it's a situational spell that could make that "warlock is breaking out a new spell" gameplay come out. It's also something that doesn't get plucked a lot outside of NPCs or clerics (which we don't have), so it might be a fun thing to plop into the game and see how the DM and other players respond.
12:40 Also non combat spells such as scrying are awesome with warlocks. Because you have one or two go to spells for combat, lets call them hold person and hypnotic pattern. But you usually will get to make short rest before heading into trouble which means you can waste all the spells you want on things like scrying or if you can get a decent intelligence score or proficiency in intelligence saves contact other plane is probably even more useful.
really phenomenal take on the warlock. One of the most dismissed and misunderstood characters in DnD. Lots of great insight here to help everyone play and view this class.
I want to get pedantic here, for fun: if we define “Full Caster” as “Multiclassing in this class gives you 1 caster level per class level” then Warlocks are not full casters. They’re technically not casters at all! Which I think is a really cool way that mechanics and flavor mesh; the Warlock themself (race ignored) is generally entirely mundane, and their magic is 100% gifted/borrowed. That’s obviously only one way to define “full caster,” but it just kinda /feels/ right to me you know?
Multiclassing with warlocks is weird. Because of how vital full casters’ spell slots are it can be hard to justify the dip for them. Conversely characters who don’t rely on magic can often benefit from a few levels of warlock to get a bit of variety in their base kit. The most famous example is the infamous Hexadin but depending on what your trying to build a lot of martial characters will enjoy the dip.
For full caster level of spells known/prepared is much more important than actual spell slots. So if you want to go full spellcasting, any multiclassing would be a bad idea, not only warlock.
I think Hexblade in particular gives enough goodies that it can justify the delayed progression, especially in combat heavy campaigns with a lot of encounters, or with DMs that regularly target casters.
They way is was explained to me you have primary spell casters (Wizard, Cleric, Druid Sorcerer, Bard), then secondary spell casters (Paladin, Ranger, Artificer), then tertiary spell casters (Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster), and then the Warlock as it's in own class. It's not worse or better, just different :)
Shield is one of those spells that I've never taken on a Hexblade for that reason. When I'm looking at two spell slots, it's hard to justify casting shield. Now if I can get a rod of absorption on a warlock that changes so much. Now I can cast those lower lvl spells freely. It really changes how the class can play, and with the rod of absorption having finite uses I find it to be a really cool item to reward to a warlock player.
Reaction Spells in General are hard to justify on pure warlocks, but shield on the hexblade spell lsit is one of the many reasons they are so awesome to multiclass. Getting Shield on a Paladin is kinda insane, same with fighters, that actually can gain a lot of 2 levels of hexbalde dip with hex and curse. (if they can justify the 13 cha)
Dipping 2 levels of warlock for Sorlock is great at high levels, but that particular build doesn't care about pact magic or mystic arcanum at all. It's looking for Eldritch Blast and Agonizing Blast and a metric butt-ton of sorcery points for quickened spell. Plus, you still get your 9th level spell, just at 19 instead of 17. Hexblade/Draconic Ancestry is a good combo for extra tankyness to that build. At level 16+ the character has innate flying, probably 100+ hit points, armor class in the 19-20 range (before casting Shield), and the ability to unleash 6-8 eldritch blasts per turn in most combats. But at this point, you're more of a sorcerer with a few warlock abilities than a full Sorlock.
I tried a half-Drow Sorlock once. Many lasers from his minigun-esque cane. Pew Pew Pew. Edit: He also managed to subtley charm the CR 10 boss into explaining the plot. No suspicion at all and it made the next part easier. As Fyrid steps boldly into the Cathedral, cane ringing with each step on the marble tiles. The gluttonous man standing at the pulpit calls out to the assembled townfolk "My children, the heathens that have desecrated our lands have revealed themselves!" he points angrily towards Fyrid and his cohorts "we must rise u..." The High priest caught eyes with Fyrid and he could feel his silvered words wriggling into his brain "We are not the villainss you sspeak of. Why don't we go to your chamberss and ssee if we can't figure out how best to help thesse fine folk?" The priest felt his hand twitching slightly as he clutched the pulpit but couldn't figure out why the sinister looking butler wasn't suggesting something completely reasonable "uuh... Brother Korden, Please take over the sermon, these fine people are here to help us. We'll be in my chambers if you need us" They proceeded to interrogate the priest and figured out the Undead plague was of the churches design to keep the flock in line and to line their coffers from protective blessings against the hordes.
@@davidbycroft I've played a pretty similar character, just with a normal drow so I could long rest in 4 hours and perform 4 short rests after that, while the rest of the party is still resting.
@@davidbycroft yeah, that was the point of the build but then I realized that not only it makes the dm pretty mad, it is also pretty boring to lead an army. So I returned to my original playstyle (eldritch blast minigun) but if we'll continue the campaign someday (we stopped playing because of Corona) and if we ever reach level 17 when the wizards get wish, it would be pretty interesting to turn 100 skeletons into animals with animal shapes (I think that was the spells name).
So, it sounds like: -you want versatility and circumstantial spells for your pact slots -mystic arcana picks need to be spells that you would be able to use every day My short list would be the ones below, but I am excited to hear your take on these spells in the upcoming videos. My consideration has been about the potential to use spells whether in combat, for exploration, or for social encounters. Spells that stand out in this regard I think would include mass suggestion. For the 7th level spells I feel like you have to decide on what your party needs more of - planeshift is available to many other casters, and is probably not the best for a warlock, unless you are the primary caster in your group. 6: Mass suggestion (combat or utility), Soul cage (circumstantial but very good), true seeing (utility buff, exploration, potentially circumstantial, depending on the campaign) 7: forcecage (control) or crown of stars (damage), maybe planeshift dep. on party composition 8: demiplane or glibness (utility, social) 9: foresight or true polymorph, wish for the new genie warlock (combat & utility, social)
Insanely informative; I watched a WebDM vid recently (although the vid was from over a year ago) and they mentioned you. I was like “oh sh-!!” Literally one of the Great Masters right here
I personally love Conjure Fey as 6th level mystic arcanum because of the sheer versatility it gives them. You got stealth, healing, lower spells that might not be worth the 5th level slot, situational spells like scrying and legend lore, and, of course, pure damage selections. List of good Cr0-cr6 beasts/fey: Alseid(lesser restoration and cure wounds), Dowhar(detect thoughts), Dryads(entangle, goodberry, *pass without trace*), dusk hags(*legend lore, scrying*, hypnotic pattern), and endelyn moon grave(*polymorph*), forlarren(interestingly has *heal* and heat metal), Enormous Tentacle(honestly hilarious - Cthulhu anyone?), Hag of the Fetid Gaze(*Otto’s dance*, slow, suggestion, dominate person), hobgoblin devastator(*fireball and lightning bolt*), Isolde(grants magic resistance to Allies in 10ft AoE and has 3x command), Naiad(phantasmal force/fly/hypnotic pattern), pixie(polymorph, fly), variant satyr, siren(*greater invisibility*, self polymorph),
With the release of Tasha's I can see Warlocks fitting a summoner role decently well with gaining the addition of new summons and planar binding, they can stretch the impact their limited pact slots have on a battle. The Genie Warlock in particular seems well suited both thematically and mechanically for this. I would love to see a build on this.
I don't know why it took me so long to think of it, but I have an idea for improving fighters. In 4E they had martial practices which were open to anyone given the time and gold, so I would essentially like to give fighters the equivalent of ritual casting, but for martial arts and special skills. I was thinking of reskinning some 4E powers to make special moves a bit like the warlocks invocations. What do you guys think?
Half-elf Hexblade 2/Bard 18 (College of Eloquence) is one of my favorite builds in 5th edition. More skills than you know what to do with (9), and hexblade solves two major deficiencies of the bard (light armor proficiency and lack of a sold ranged attack).
I don't like taking more than one level of anything for a character that's supposed to be a primary caster, especially if those levels don't even give me more spell slots. Being two levels behind on goodies like Fear or Polymorph or Animate Objects is just straight-up awful. Yes, it becomes less of a concern in T4, but no one plays T4.
I just did a similar build in a house game, but if I redid it I would have been a drow and not classic half-elf. I did an elven accuracy X lore/3 hexblade, where I took a house rule pact (Pact of the Vexillum) and mostly used the pact slots for Eldritch Blast+darkness+devil's sight+ elven acc combo. Started at level 3 (2 lore/1 hex), we've been leveling pretty slowly and we are currently at level 7 (4 lore/3 hex), my character is really nice right now, I really wanted a more rounded character, medium armour with a shield casting shield under a magical darkness firing empowered eldritch blasts while waiting for times later to use cutting words. Allies even if they can't see through magical darkness can find it useful against enemies fighting with advantage or enemy spellcasters, luckily in my campaign out of a party of 7, 3 are ranged warlocks (different subclass or crossbow smite build). Just rambling now.
Two things, there are reasons to take additional attack cantrips other than EB, if they are Saving Throw based, such as Toll the Dead, helps for situations where the target has cover or very high AC. The other is Warlocks have real issues with big fights, as you pointed out they have at MOST 3 spells for a combat, it doesn't matter if they can get them back on a short rest, for that fight they have at most 3.
wizards with warlocks in your party, or vice verse, please know that catnap exists and they can be moved during it. also bags you can breath in bags of holding allow you to breath in them for 10 minutes before beginning to suffocate, meaning that just a brief period of time outside of the bag before entering it will allow the warlock to wake up before they begin suffocating. Also also, warforgeds don't need to breath.
For a video that didn't really say anything I didn't already know, you sure gave me a lot to think about lol. Some things just need to be said out loud to really hit home I guess. My current 14-2 sorlock is taking a break and probably returning for the end of the campaign at around level 18 or so, and I think I have a good story reason to ditch one or both of the warlock levels if I want to. Considering I don't expect the game to quite reach 20 either, it definitely seems like something to consider because of how expensive those dips feel in later levels when your friends are throwing 9th level spells. Food for thought definitely.
I think you should have touched on the Rod of the Pact Keeper. To me every warlock should have at least a +1 rod just for the spell slot, even if they don't carry it in battle as a melee, eldritch smite in combat, then use the rod to get your spell back out of combat. At the very least have one until you find/buy more useful to your build attument items. And as a caster warlock you have have a +3. For a EB sorlock with war caster I don't see not to have the Pact Rod and Wand of the War Mage as there bonus stacks on warlock spells.
I'd love to see what kinds of things you would do in a gestalt game, it's the default way of play at my table and all the gms have gotten really good at running it; and gestalt builds might make for an interesting one off video
I'm playing an artificer who dips into warlock 2 levels right now for the evocations and the spell slots that replenish. It's more for roleplay reasons so I'm fine with that I care more about rp than I do about maximizing power.
With the Tasha’s leaks I’m very exited to hear your thoughts on the “multiclass lite” feats coming soon! Since the UA I’ve been planning/playing a lot of sorc 2 dips using Metamagic Adept to twin spells and quicken a save/suck after mind sliver and it’s pretty choice. Feels like the buff/debuff version of the blaster’s 2 level warlock dip, but it can also be used on martial casters to push dpr with quickened melee cantrips. Wayy off topic but this is your most recent vid 😅
Ramschat Metamagic Adept effectively replaces 3rd level sorc! You technically don’t need any sorc levels, but Sorc 2 gives you con saves, subclass abilities, 4 sorc points total, and font of magic to refresh them
got a 20 level hexblade 15 hexblade 5 blade bard And its amazing ... the shield spell with the bard spell slots. the bardic menuver great for raising the AC of the meisly warlock Bards with their access to Aid "UA and soon tasha hopefully" casting aid with a pact slot and then casting Armor of agathys now that's 45 extra hp and a homebrew spell that let me transfer spell slots now my regret is waiting until level 15 to multi class ... and struggling between giving up level 8 spell and the witch sight invocation ad getting 6th level and getting extra attack making shadow blade actually compete with pact weapon
You are still the only UA-cam channel I watch where the audio doesn't line up with the video. I will watch everything you post because the content is so good but I still get this problem with your videos. The audio is about a quarter of a second off at best but sometimes it gets worse as it goes. I don't know why, but I always go watch some other videos to make sure it isn't on my side. EDIT: when I downloaded the video, the audio was fine, so I'm thinking that somehow my computer/UA-cam account just doesn't like your channel as much as I do. Hopefully I can figure it out.
Warlocks should be heavy ritual casters. If their spell list is already hyper situational and slot restricted, then it makes sense mechanically amd thematically for them to fill those slots with situational spells that don't use slots. Wizards and Druids being able to do it makes sense, because the nature of their careers. Sorcerers make less sense to me.
@@TreantmonksTemple ... don’t bother. Level 6: Mass Suggestion, Level 7: Forcecage (maybe Crown of Stars), Level 8: sucks ... but I guess Demiplane or maybe Maddening Darkness (if you’ve got Devils Sight), Level 9: Foresight or True Polymorph. Boom, video done. Only thing that needs to be considered: “is this a spell I can see myself casting once a day, everyday.” Imprisonment for example ... cool spell, but you might cast it once per year, not once per day. Great video.
@@rossfryer3902 Level 8: Glibness. While the combat applications are kind of lost on a warlock due to limited spellslots (glibness works on counterspell and dispell magic rolls, yes this is awesome on a bard) you are still the biggest smooth talker on the planet for an hour, and in one hour you can talk your way out of a lot of situations. Also Feeblemind. While this is way way more situational, lvl 8 Arcana are so weak that this might be worth it IF you have a wizard in the party that can folow that up with a maze.
@@TainakaRicchan ... you’re right, those are great choices, especially in a more social campaign. I was being a little facetious earlier. In my current campaign, I’m playing a GOO-lock who took two levels of Rogue to get expertise in Persuasion and Deception ... meaning I would be adding a +15 modifier to that 15 charisma roll with Glibness (a guaranteed 30 roll). I can see that coming in handy, especially with the person I charmed with create thrall. Want to super-charge this ... take the Actor feat and Mask of Many Faces Invocation. Now you can literally impersonate anyone while rolling 30s against their investigation checks.
I personally see warlocks as half casters who have a few high level spell tricks. Even gaining lvl 9 spells they still have half the "spell slots" as full casters at 6th and up, and they only get to select one spell of each level from 6th and up.
Hey Treantmonk I really enjoy your videos very informative and have helped me on my builds. I had a question could you make a (Control Freak) build like strictly Wizard preferably illusionist that would be awesome thanks man and keep up the good work
Warlock is a Full Caster in regards to the Full/Half/Third Caster concept, but I don't think that answers the real question about how Warlocks play. I think the real divide to be discussing is the "Caster/Martial" divide, in which Warlocks fall much more into the Martial camp. If you think about it, a "Caster" (Wizard/Cleric/Druid/Bard/Sorcerer) is a class that is expected to do something different every round. You get many different options of spells to use in any given encounter, and in the average 3-4 rounds of combat you will usually be casting 3-4 different spells. A "Martial" (Fighter/Barbarian/Paladin/Ranger/Rogue/Monk), on the other hand, will probably do the same thing each round of combat: attack action every turn. Half/Third casters might throw in one spell per combat, and some of these can add in special effects like Smite and Stunning Fist, but it's still going to be the same basic action every turn of every combat. Of these two groups, Warlock clearly fits into the second (at least until late levels). Your spells are as powerful as Full Casters, but you still are likely only casting one spell per combat before falling back on your primary action for the rest (Eldritch Blast or Pact Weapon Attack).
If you put armor on a warlock, then yes it plays much more closer to a half caster gish than a full caster, but with superior spells. As far as optimal party niche goes, I think secondary caster + secondary DPR suits warlocks best.
One thing you kind of touched on, but didn't make it a real bullet point, is chosing spells specifically for their ability to upcast effectively. My favorite example is Charm Person... 1hr, no concentration, no friendly fire. Many good spells do not upcast at all, so I really like the ones that do so effectively.
I've thought this as well, but I wonder if this is really the way to look at it. Maybe instead of thinking of warlocks as getting free upcasting, we should think of warlocks as losing out on the ability to cast without upcasting (as TM implies here). When choosing spells known you still need to compare the upcasted spell to a higher level spell. I think upcasting may be a secondary concern for a warlock, only really relevant when better high level spell options are unavailable or you haven't had the chance to switch out a lower level spell yet. Maybe sorcerers are really the masters of upcasting since they can create spell slots higher than the spells they know.
@@pacman7654 if you look for a problem, you can always find one. The same is also true of solutions. I choose the latter. Armor of Agatha, Charm Person, Hold Person, Fly, Banishment, Charm Monster, Summon Greater Demon all upcast very effectively. I'm glad you found the problem you were wanting. I found a solution. We both got what we were looking for.
@@ChristnThms I looked over the spell list and indeed there are several spells that fall into the "no higher level option available" category. I like your list and would add Cloud of Daggers to it as well. Some might want to replace it with Hunger of Hadar and Sickening Radiance but CoD is unique in giving no saving throw for any of its effects.
What are your thoughts on a 2 warlock 18 bard build? Is the delay of magical secrets and spell slot progression worth the armor and shield of the hex blade + eldritch blast combined with agonizing blast?
Warlock and Bard make an obvious combo. I did a Hex/Swords PC and found it fantastic. As I mention in the video, if you get to level 11+, that's when it starts to hurt, and keeps hurting to 18. Levels 19-20 it's great again.
I think warlock bard is best played either as a secondary caster/gish, or in a party of all multiclassed characters. It really depends on the party niche you’re trying to fill.
If your class is in the list of those given by the feat then yes, you can. The only full caster not on that list is Artificer, and they have another feat (Artificer Initiate) that is probably more appropriate for that class anyway.
You missed one little thing about Warlock Spells known and the Mystic Arcanum. For levels where you get a new Mystic Arcanum, the Warlock leveling table also shows that you get one more spell known, but that spell is seperate from you Mystic Arcanum. So you get your 6th level Mystic Arcanum at lvl 11 *AND* you get a lvl 1-5 Warlock spell known
@@antongrigoryev6381 Because spells known is suposed to be the weakness of sorcerers. They don't know know the spells they are inherent abilities and thus powerful but rather limited.
@@adamkaris Metamagics aren't spells. I'm not saying like Sorcerers are weak, I'm just saying they know the least spells, and it's the fact. I mean, the only ones who know fewer spells are Rangers and half-casters.
Why isn't there a warlock subclasses where your patron is a Muse? They're not strictly good or evil they just want you at your most creative so they can bask in/feed off of your genius.
Warlocks are children of the Matrix, yea the movie. At certain levels their patron gifts them knowledge of incredible arcane power that takes wizards and other classes years to learn. In the Matrix, if Trinity needs to fly a helicopter, she gets the knowledge downloaded to her avatar in the Matrix. She knows and can operate a helicopter with proficiency! Warlocks get a similar deal with their Patron. Their limits are the disadvantage of their overpowering nature. I think if any class dips Warlock, that character loses a great deal of their freedom in exchange for gifts given at level up. It's not about alignment, forming a pact with a otherworldly being is servitude.
I think that you underestimate how good chill touch is. again trolls oh hey mister troll no Regen for you, oh hey mister any undead have disadvantage to hit, oh hey mister regenerating undead, get disadvantage to hit me and you can't regenerate.
I think of warlock as the only 3/4 caster that get neat invocations & aren't as mushy as wizards/sorcerers. Warlocks want to be everything but at a price?
Not Chris, but I think I would allow to extend the normal "retrain" you get on level up to the Arcana (with the exception that you can not change the spell level of course)
I find that the warlock needs something to balance out their spell casting. No other caster is so tied to GM or party whim. Every other class' CORE power level is tied to strict mechanics not subject to whim. The whim is short rests. How many short rest per long rests. how a DM and party adjudicate this, as it isn't completely party choice or DM choice, determines the very core of how powerful a warlock is and it needs some love to compensate for this. A DM that designs few but larger combats will often push players to burst combat, A GM that does many smaller encounters encourages sustained combat and a party can discuss among themselves about rests with many classes pushing for 1 short rest between long rests. I feel that warlocks already being a weaker caster needs to be reevaluated in its core power level and i think the way to achieve this is to give the warlock more invocations, many more. The disparity between crap invocations and must have invocations is such that so many invocations will NEVER be picked because the warlock just can't afford to give up really great invocations because you are already extremely behind the curve in spell casting. Warlocks should have enough innovations that they can afford to take a cast once per long rest spell invocation. Give warlocks more at will spells that are utility based to help lengthen the weirdness of their magic to all other casters. I wouldn't think getting twice as many invocations would be out of order as there are so many minor abilities and spells that could be made into an invocation. And if you take a page from 3rd edition and scaled invocations to 3 to 4 different power levels you could control the power gain from that many invocations.
2 spell slots per short rest until 11th level? That's a loooong way. 3 spell slots until 17th level (plus 1-4 higher spell slots per day)? That's an even looooooonger time. 4 spell slots at level 17-20 (plus 4 higher spells per day)? Nah, it's not a primary caster, I'm playing one right now, believe me. I don't dislike the warlock I'm playing but it's definitely not a full spellcaster.
Level 11:
The Wizard: I just got my sixth level spell slot!
The Warlock: I just got my sixth level Mystic Arcanum, and another Pact slot!
The Monk: I just got the ability to cancel disadvantage by spending two ki.
18:35 it’s important to know that now that Tasha’s Cauldron has come out, Warlocks now have the option to swap out Mystic Arcanum at ASI improvement levels. Heck yea!
Yes, a very good change IMO.
There is one thing about Mystic Arcanum which is a big positive over spell slots, and that's to do with the way the Simulacrum spell is worded. Simulacrum states that the duplicate it creates cannot regain spell slots, but since neither your Pact Magic slots nor your Mystic Arcanum are spell slots, a Simulacrum Warlock can regain all of their magic abilities in the same way a normal Warlock can, which is not true of any other class.
Pact Magic is spell slots, they are just arranged differently. Mystic Arcanum, however, isn't, I agree.
Though it doesn't matter because no sane DM would allow you this.
I think the RAI of Simulacrum doesn't allow any regain feature...
@@antongrigoryev6381 Exactly this. Loopholes in rules mean nothing if a DM would never allow it anyway.
@@JanLopezPlanas There is a Sage advice that states excatly that, that a Simulacrum is unable to regain any feature it expends.
While this wouldn't work based on the sage advice, and even without it I doubt many DMs would let it fly, warlocks can have a wide range of at will abilities through their evocations that may make them a better candidate for the spell.
Good point about warlocks being able to take more situational spells. The class is interesting in that it can be built to fulfill a wide variety of roles. One build I've been wanting to try is the "eye" warlock, taking every invocation having to do with sight (Devil's Sight, Eldritch Sight, Ghostly Gaze, Witch Sight, etc.), possibly with a few levels in Rogue: Inquisitor and definitely including the Observant feat. The goal would be to create a character who notices absolutely everything, though I imagine it might frustrate the DM.
Maybe make them deaf, so you can still fail non-vision perception things lol
Also, eyebite.
My idea for the LockEyes is to have them be blind initially, but with the invocations allowing them to see at all. Devil’s sight allowing them to see in darkness when before they couldn’t see at all.
Eldritch sight lets them become keenly aware of the presence of magic, against a background unimpeded by the normal sight.
Each new invocation enhancing their perceptions. Pact of the chain gets you a familiar to see with, and there is another invocation that lets you see through another willing person’s senses.
Another way to enhance this build would be to take the Raven Queen (UA) patron, because one of their abilities is givong you +4 to all perception checks
@@zarx5849 That's a good one. People, myself included, always forget about Raven Queen.
@@stranger6822 I mean, probably because its Unearthed Arcana, atm. I dont think many DMs would allow it for that reason.
My only wish is more than one Treantmonk video a week
Great stuff as always
try casting wish on it. Good luck.
Maybe if you cast Simulacrum on him he could cause he does a lot of editing and writing on them.
@@leodouskyron5671 unseen servant should also do the trick.
I always say, there are Full casters, half casters, non-caster and the weird caster (Warlock) ;)
Was literally just about to say this
@@gamecavalier3230 Those are subclasses
I've always used "alternate caster" when introducing it to new players, after a discussion of the differences between full and half casters.
@@gamecavalier3230 EK and AT cap out at 4th level spells with traditional spell slots, Warlock has Slots of a Level akin to a halfcaster, with a limited selection of "High end magic", so can cast upto 9th level spells like full casters, so they are not really partial casters, they are full Spellcasters that are driven by coffee breaks and catnaps instead of a full nights rest.
@@gamecavalier3230 Ah, I misunderstood your comment, sorry (not a native speaker), now I get it, that you meant "EK and AT are 1/3 casters", as an addition to my list.
While the warlock is my personal favorite class in the game, i have to complain that I wish mystic arcanums had some sort of advantage over regular spell slots like pact magic does. They dont have to be necessarily equal, but i kind of wish they did something with them so they wouldn’t be a direct downgrade
As much as I lean to agree, when you consider a mundane archer is only getting the extra attack at 11 and 17, getting the extra attack, pact slot, and a high level spell seems enough, even if it is only a mystic arcanum.
This is the best info on Warlocks. Impressive! I have a player that absolutely needs to see this.
I think a 2 level dip in Warlock (hexblade) for any of the CHA based spellcasters is worth it, even at higher level. Sure, you lose a 6th and a 7th level slot and you are 1 level behind, but you gain 3 spells known (which are 1st level but could be useful your entire campaign : Shield, Hex, Armor of Agathys), 2 1st level slots that you can recover on short rests (so you can use Absorb Element/ Shield / Hex 4-6 more times per day), 2 cantrips (one of which is the best offensive cantrip in the game), 2 invocations (most likely Agonizing Blast and ?? - Repelling Blast, Devil's sight, etc) and you get access to Medium Armor and shield AND you can attack (if you ever need it) with your CHA...these benefits are going to be useful throughout your campaign. The Shield spell is so strong that even at high level it is still useful. A sorcerer with a 2 level hexblade dip with a non magical Half-Plate and a Shield (AC : 19) can get its AC to 24 for an entire round pretty much any time it is required. Even a paladin with a 2lvl hexblade can make a powerful build.
Yeah Hexblade Divine Soul is my favorite build to play. I wouldn’t say it’s objectively more powerful than straight sorcerer, but it’s extremely versatile and can fill almost every combat roll with the right spells.
Probably the most helpful thing I've seen on Warlocks (this and the others in the series so far). I've liked them but kinda struggled to make sense of them.
I like that you brought up the inherent circumstantiality of a Warlock's chosen spells, because it’s one of my favorite things about the class. It allows you to make a very thematic build without worrying about wasting your spells known. Whereas on any given day a Wizard might need to weigh the advantages of picking one spell over another of the same level (Gaseous Form vs. Spider Climb, for example), a Warlock can easily take both because you don’t typically deviate from the same few spells. I suppose that could also be seen as a downside by players who are used to employing a wider variety of spells, but it’s like you said, when a Warlock breaks out a different spell, it’s a big deal.
I'm playing a Hexblade who behaves pretty much like a fighter. For spells I have my core combat spells, and for the rest I'm looking at non-combat, situational spells, like Comprehend Languages, or Remove Curse; things that it might be useful to do role-playing in a situation when I don't necessarily expect to be husbanding slots.
Idk i played both a high level cleric with a giant variety of spells and a high level warlock. Gotta be honest, with 3 spellslots, rod of the pact keeper to refresh a slot, mystic arcanums, racials (tiefling) and feat spells (Fey touched) i barely used up all my spell resources each day
I'm playing a celestial warlock now, and your point about taking situational spells in the lower levels really hit home and solidified the spells i just decided on for my level up, and even encouraged me to very seriously consider choosing Remove Curse when I get it next level. There have been a few mentions of hexes and curses in the game, so I think it might sit in my spell list until I get greater resto because it's a situational spell that could make that "warlock is breaking out a new spell" gameplay come out. It's also something that doesn't get plucked a lot outside of NPCs or clerics (which we don't have), so it might be a fun thing to plop into the game and see how the DM and other players respond.
12:40 Also non combat spells such as scrying are awesome with warlocks. Because you have one or two go to spells for combat, lets call them hold person and hypnotic pattern. But you usually will get to make short rest before heading into trouble which means you can waste all the spells you want on things like scrying or if you can get a decent intelligence score or proficiency in intelligence saves contact other plane is probably even more useful.
Great vid, good explanation as usual, keep up the good stuff
I never thought about warlocks like this! Awesome video! Great job! Thanks for your time and dedication!
really phenomenal take on the warlock. One of the most dismissed and misunderstood characters in DnD. Lots of great insight here to help everyone play and view this class.
I want to get pedantic here, for fun: if we define “Full Caster” as “Multiclassing in this class gives you 1 caster level per class level” then Warlocks are not full casters. They’re technically not casters at all! Which I think is a really cool way that mechanics and flavor mesh; the Warlock themself (race ignored) is generally entirely mundane, and their magic is 100% gifted/borrowed. That’s obviously only one way to define “full caster,” but it just kinda /feels/ right to me you know?
Personally, I prefer the "spells level up every other level" definition, but maybe that's just me.
Multiclassing with warlocks is weird. Because of how vital full casters’ spell slots are it can be hard to justify the dip for them. Conversely characters who don’t rely on magic can often benefit from a few levels of warlock to get a bit of variety in their base kit. The most famous example is the infamous Hexadin but depending on what your trying to build a lot of martial characters will enjoy the dip.
For full caster level of spells known/prepared is much more important than actual spell slots. So if you want to go full spellcasting, any multiclassing would be a bad idea, not only warlock.
I think Hexblade in particular gives enough goodies that it can justify the delayed progression, especially in combat heavy campaigns with a lot of encounters, or with DMs that regularly target casters.
They way is was explained to me you have primary spell casters (Wizard, Cleric, Druid Sorcerer, Bard), then secondary spell casters (Paladin, Ranger, Artificer), then tertiary spell casters (Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster), and then the Warlock as it's in own class. It's not worse or better, just different :)
Warlock plays somewhere in between primary and secondary casters.
Wow instant sub. Just started playing a warlock and this is so helpful. Love the signoff btw, dnd is for everyone!
Shield is one of those spells that I've never taken on a Hexblade for that reason. When I'm looking at two spell slots, it's hard to justify casting shield.
Now if I can get a rod of absorption on a warlock that changes so much. Now I can cast those lower lvl spells freely. It really changes how the class can play, and with the rod of absorption having finite uses I find it to be a really cool item to reward to a warlock player.
Reaction Spells in General are hard to justify on pure warlocks, but shield on the hexblade spell lsit is one of the many reasons they are so awesome to multiclass. Getting Shield on a Paladin is kinda insane, same with fighters, that actually can gain a lot of 2 levels of hexbalde dip with hex and curse. (if they can justify the 13 cha)
Also worth keeping shield if you dip bard.
I just wanted to note that with Tasha's released, there's now an option to switch out one Mystic Arcanum on level-up
Dipping 2 levels of warlock for Sorlock is great at high levels, but that particular build doesn't care about pact magic or mystic arcanum at all. It's looking for Eldritch Blast and Agonizing Blast and a metric butt-ton of sorcery points for quickened spell. Plus, you still get your 9th level spell, just at 19 instead of 17. Hexblade/Draconic Ancestry is a good combo for extra tankyness to that build. At level 16+ the character has innate flying, probably 100+ hit points, armor class in the 19-20 range (before casting Shield), and the ability to unleash 6-8 eldritch blasts per turn in most combats. But at this point, you're more of a sorcerer with a few warlock abilities than a full Sorlock.
I tried a half-Drow Sorlock once. Many lasers from his minigun-esque cane. Pew Pew Pew.
Edit: He also managed to subtley charm the CR 10 boss into explaining the plot. No suspicion at all and it made the next part easier.
As Fyrid steps boldly into the Cathedral, cane ringing with each step on the marble tiles. The gluttonous man standing at the pulpit calls out to the assembled townfolk "My children, the heathens that have desecrated our lands have revealed themselves!" he points angrily towards Fyrid and his cohorts "we must rise u..."
The High priest caught eyes with Fyrid and he could feel his silvered words wriggling into his brain "We are not the villainss you sspeak of. Why don't we go to your chamberss and ssee if we can't figure out how best to help thesse fine folk?"
The priest felt his hand twitching slightly as he clutched the pulpit but couldn't figure out why the sinister looking butler wasn't suggesting something completely reasonable "uuh... Brother Korden, Please take over the sermon, these fine people are here to help us. We'll be in my chambers if you need us"
They proceeded to interrogate the priest and figured out the Undead plague was of the churches design to keep the flock in line and to line their coffers from protective blessings against the hordes.
@@davidbycroft I played mine like an AC-130: fly in a circle, reduce eveything in that circle to a fine pink paste. 😉
@@davidbycroft I've played a pretty similar character, just with a normal drow so I could long rest in 4 hours and perform 4 short rests after that, while the rest of the party is still resting.
@@luiswi I've heard that's a good way to quickly raise an undead army. :)
@@davidbycroft yeah, that was the point of the build but then I realized that not only it makes the dm pretty mad, it is also pretty boring to lead an army. So I returned to my original playstyle (eldritch blast minigun) but if we'll continue the campaign someday (we stopped playing because of Corona) and if we ever reach level 17 when the wizards get wish, it would be pretty interesting to turn 100 skeletons into animals with animal shapes (I think that was the spells name).
So, it sounds like:
-you want versatility and circumstantial spells for your pact slots
-mystic arcana picks need to be spells that you would be able to use every day
My short list would be the ones below, but I am excited to hear your take on these spells in the upcoming videos. My consideration has been about the potential to use spells whether in combat, for exploration, or for social encounters. Spells that stand out in this regard I think would include mass suggestion. For the 7th level spells I feel like you have to decide on what your party needs more of - planeshift is available to many other casters, and is probably not the best for a warlock, unless you are the primary caster in your group.
6: Mass suggestion (combat or utility), Soul cage (circumstantial but very good), true seeing (utility buff, exploration, potentially circumstantial, depending on the campaign)
7: forcecage (control) or crown of stars (damage), maybe planeshift dep. on party composition
8: demiplane or glibness (utility, social)
9: foresight or true polymorph, wish for the new genie warlock (combat & utility, social)
That looks about right, depending on whether you’re the primary or secondary caster.
Insanely informative; I watched a WebDM vid recently (although the vid was from over a year ago) and they mentioned you. I was like “oh sh-!!” Literally one of the Great Masters right here
I personally love Conjure Fey as 6th level mystic arcanum because of the sheer versatility it gives them. You got stealth, healing, lower spells that might not be worth the 5th level slot, situational spells like scrying and legend lore, and, of course, pure damage selections.
List of good Cr0-cr6 beasts/fey: Alseid(lesser restoration and cure wounds), Dowhar(detect thoughts), Dryads(entangle, goodberry, *pass without trace*), dusk hags(*legend lore, scrying*, hypnotic pattern), and endelyn moon grave(*polymorph*), forlarren(interestingly has *heal* and heat metal), Enormous Tentacle(honestly hilarious - Cthulhu anyone?), Hag of the Fetid Gaze(*Otto’s dance*, slow, suggestion, dominate person), hobgoblin devastator(*fireball and lightning bolt*), Isolde(grants magic resistance to Allies in 10ft AoE and has 3x command), Naiad(phantasmal force/fly/hypnotic pattern), pixie(polymorph, fly), variant satyr, siren(*greater invisibility*, self polymorph),
Consistently TM offers the best and most thoughtful D&D content on UA-cam.
With the release of Tasha's I can see Warlocks fitting a summoner role decently well with gaining the addition of new summons and planar binding, they can stretch the impact their limited pact slots have on a battle. The Genie Warlock in particular seems well suited both thematically and mechanically for this. I would love to see a build on this.
A fun combo I’ve found with Locks is Shadows of Moil plus Armor of Agathys. When you’re a Hexblade, that’s the ‘Please hit me’ combo.
I don't know why it took me so long to think of it, but I have an idea for improving fighters. In 4E they had martial practices which were open to anyone given the time and gold, so I would essentially like to give fighters the equivalent of ritual casting, but for martial arts and special skills. I was thinking of reskinning some 4E powers to make special moves a bit like the warlocks invocations. What do you guys think?
Cool idea. How is your progress on that one?
Half-elf Hexblade 2/Bard 18 (College of Eloquence) is one of my favorite builds in 5th edition. More skills than you know what to do with (9), and hexblade solves two major deficiencies of the bard (light armor proficiency and lack of a sold ranged attack).
I don't like taking more than one level of anything for a character that's supposed to be a primary caster, especially if those levels don't even give me more spell slots. Being two levels behind on goodies like Fear or Polymorph or Animate Objects is just straight-up awful. Yes, it becomes less of a concern in T4, but no one plays T4.
@@maltheopia I know what you mean, but I like being more well-rounded and having a smooth ride in the early levels.
I just did a similar build in a house game, but if I redid it I would have been a drow and not classic half-elf. I did an elven accuracy X lore/3 hexblade, where I took a house rule pact (Pact of the Vexillum) and mostly used the pact slots for Eldritch Blast+darkness+devil's sight+ elven acc combo. Started at level 3 (2 lore/1 hex), we've been leveling pretty slowly and we are currently at level 7 (4 lore/3 hex), my character is really nice right now, I really wanted a more rounded character, medium armour with a shield casting shield under a magical darkness firing empowered eldritch blasts while waiting for times later to use cutting words. Allies even if they can't see through magical darkness can find it useful against enemies fighting with advantage or enemy spellcasters, luckily in my campaign out of a party of 7, 3 are ranged warlocks (different subclass or crossbow smite build). Just rambling now.
Two things, there are reasons to take additional attack cantrips other than EB, if they are Saving Throw based, such as Toll the Dead, helps for situations where the target has cover or very high AC. The other is Warlocks have real issues with big fights, as you pointed out they have at MOST 3 spells for a combat, it doesn't matter if they can get them back on a short rest, for that fight they have at most 3.
Toll the Dead also covers melee situations. It’s a nice complement to EB.
@@M0ebius True, it's a save so no disadvantage.
great video, i usually see them filling the ranger / paladin type role but yeah there primary spell casters
wizards with warlocks in your party, or vice verse, please know that catnap exists and they can be moved during it.
also bags you can breath in bags of holding allow you to breath in them for 10 minutes before beginning to suffocate, meaning that just a brief period of time outside of the bag before entering it will allow the warlock to wake up before they begin suffocating.
Also also, warforgeds don't need to breath.
For a video that didn't really say anything I didn't already know, you sure gave me a lot to think about lol. Some things just need to be said out loud to really hit home I guess. My current 14-2 sorlock is taking a break and probably returning for the end of the campaign at around level 18 or so, and I think I have a good story reason to ditch one or both of the warlock levels if I want to. Considering I don't expect the game to quite reach 20 either, it definitely seems like something to consider because of how expensive those dips feel in later levels when your friends are throwing 9th level spells. Food for thought definitely.
Warlocks need some lovin’
I think you should have touched on the Rod of the Pact Keeper. To me every warlock should have at least a +1 rod just for the spell slot, even if they don't carry it in battle as a melee, eldritch smite in combat, then use the rod to get your spell back out of combat. At the very least have one until you find/buy more useful to your build attument items. And as a caster warlock you have have a +3. For a EB sorlock with war caster I don't see not to have the Pact Rod and Wand of the War Mage as there bonus stacks on warlock spells.
1.40 lesser mistake (listing warlocks beeing different to.... warlocks)
Can be.
Clearly intended to say bard.
I'd love to see what kinds of things you would do in a gestalt game, it's the default way of play at my table and all the gms have gotten really good at running it; and gestalt builds might make for an interesting one off video
I'm playing an artificer who dips into warlock 2 levels right now for the evocations and the spell slots that replenish. It's more for roleplay reasons so I'm fine with that I care more about rp than I do about maximizing power.
Spot on analysis. Thanks much.
With the Tasha’s leaks I’m very exited to hear your thoughts on the “multiclass lite” feats coming soon! Since the UA I’ve been planning/playing a lot of sorc 2 dips using Metamagic Adept to twin spells and quicken a save/suck after mind sliver and it’s pretty choice. Feels like the buff/debuff version of the blaster’s 2 level warlock dip, but it can also be used on martial casters to push dpr with quickened melee cantrips. Wayy off topic but this is your most recent vid 😅
A three level dip, right?
Ramschat Metamagic Adept effectively replaces 3rd level sorc! You technically don’t need any sorc levels, but Sorc 2 gives you con saves, subclass abilities, 4 sorc points total, and font of magic to refresh them
@@JoseRodriguez-pi8cx Ah yes! I see it now
got a 20 level hexblade
15 hexblade 5 blade bard
And its amazing ... the shield spell with the bard spell slots. the bardic menuver great for raising the AC of the meisly warlock
Bards with their access to Aid "UA and soon tasha hopefully" casting aid with a pact slot and then casting Armor of agathys now that's 45 extra hp
and a homebrew spell that let me transfer spell slots
now my regret is waiting until level 15 to multi class ... and struggling between giving up level 8 spell and the witch sight invocation ad getting 6th level and getting extra attack making shadow blade actually compete with pact weapon
You are still the only UA-cam channel I watch where the audio doesn't line up with the video. I will watch everything you post because the content is so good but I still get this problem with your videos. The audio is about a quarter of a second off at best but sometimes it gets worse as it goes. I don't know why, but I always go watch some other videos to make sure it isn't on my side. EDIT: when I downloaded the video, the audio was fine, so I'm thinking that somehow my computer/UA-cam account just doesn't like your channel as much as I do. Hopefully I can figure it out.
I hope so, I always check my videos before I make them public, and the sync seems fine for me.
26:20 - well, warlock is all about terrible deals :D but my favorite class
Warlocks should be heavy ritual casters. If their spell list is already hyper situational and slot restricted, then it makes sense mechanically amd thematically for them to fill those slots with situational spells that don't use slots. Wizards and Druids being able to do it makes sense, because the nature of their careers. Sorcerers make less sense to me.
Are you going to make a video about specific spells for a warlock?
Yes, that's next.
@@TreantmonksTemple ... don’t bother. Level 6: Mass Suggestion, Level 7: Forcecage (maybe Crown of Stars), Level 8: sucks ... but I guess Demiplane or maybe Maddening Darkness (if you’ve got Devils Sight), Level 9: Foresight or True Polymorph. Boom, video done.
Only thing that needs to be considered: “is this a spell I can see myself casting once a day, everyday.” Imprisonment for example ... cool spell, but you might cast it once per year, not once per day.
Great video.
@27:38 "Because in the following weeks I'm going to be looking at Warlock spells..."
@@rossfryer3902 Level 8: Glibness. While the combat applications are kind of lost on a warlock due to limited spellslots (glibness works on counterspell and dispell magic rolls, yes this is awesome on a bard) you are still the biggest smooth talker on the planet for an hour, and in one hour you can talk your way out of a lot of situations.
Also Feeblemind. While this is way way more situational, lvl 8 Arcana are so weak that this might be worth it IF you have a wizard in the party that can folow that up with a maze.
@@TainakaRicchan ... you’re right, those are great choices, especially in a more social campaign. I was being a little facetious earlier.
In my current campaign, I’m playing a GOO-lock who took two levels of Rogue to get expertise in Persuasion and Deception ... meaning I would be adding a +15 modifier to that 15 charisma roll with Glibness (a guaranteed 30 roll). I can see that coming in handy, especially with the person I charmed with create thrall.
Want to super-charge this ... take the Actor feat and Mask of Many Faces Invocation. Now you can literally impersonate anyone while rolling 30s against their investigation checks.
I personally see warlocks as half casters who have a few high level spell tricks. Even gaining lvl 9 spells they still have half the "spell slots" as full casters at 6th and up, and they only get to select one spell of each level from 6th and up.
Please make a video about the Chronurgy Wizard!
This.
This is a good video
Hey Treantmonk I really enjoy your videos very informative and have helped me on my builds. I had a question could you make a (Control Freak) build like strictly Wizard preferably illusionist that would be awesome thanks man and keep up the good work
Love this expansion to warlock features! Are you planning to do any spell rankings for their list?
Oops. should have waited till the end of the video to ask!
Warlock is a Full Caster in regards to the Full/Half/Third Caster concept, but I don't think that answers the real question about how Warlocks play. I think the real divide to be discussing is the "Caster/Martial" divide, in which Warlocks fall much more into the Martial camp.
If you think about it, a "Caster" (Wizard/Cleric/Druid/Bard/Sorcerer) is a class that is expected to do something different every round. You get many different options of spells to use in any given encounter, and in the average 3-4 rounds of combat you will usually be casting 3-4 different spells.
A "Martial" (Fighter/Barbarian/Paladin/Ranger/Rogue/Monk), on the other hand, will probably do the same thing each round of combat: attack action every turn. Half/Third casters might throw in one spell per combat, and some of these can add in special effects like Smite and Stunning Fist, but it's still going to be the same basic action every turn of every combat.
Of these two groups, Warlock clearly fits into the second (at least until late levels). Your spells are as powerful as Full Casters, but you still are likely only casting one spell per combat before falling back on your primary action for the rest (Eldritch Blast or Pact Weapon Attack).
If you put armor on a warlock, then yes it plays much more closer to a half caster gish than a full caster, but with superior spells. As far as optimal party niche goes, I think secondary caster + secondary DPR suits warlocks best.
One thing you kind of touched on, but didn't make it a real bullet point, is chosing spells specifically for their ability to upcast effectively.
My favorite example is Charm Person... 1hr, no concentration, no friendly fire. Many good spells do not upcast at all, so I really like the ones that do so effectively.
I've thought this as well, but I wonder if this is really the way to look at it. Maybe instead of thinking of warlocks as getting free upcasting, we should think of warlocks as losing out on the ability to cast without upcasting (as TM implies here). When choosing spells known you still need to compare the upcasted spell to a higher level spell. I think upcasting may be a secondary concern for a warlock, only really relevant when better high level spell options are unavailable or you haven't had the chance to switch out a lower level spell yet. Maybe sorcerers are really the masters of upcasting since they can create spell slots higher than the spells they know.
@@pacman7654 if you look for a problem, you can always find one. The same is also true of solutions.
I choose the latter. Armor of Agatha, Charm Person, Hold Person, Fly, Banishment, Charm Monster, Summon Greater Demon all upcast very effectively.
I'm glad you found the problem you were wanting. I found a solution. We both got what we were looking for.
@@ChristnThms I looked over the spell list and indeed there are several spells that fall into the "no higher level option available" category. I like your list and would add Cloud of Daggers to it as well. Some might want to replace it with Hunger of Hadar and Sickening Radiance but CoD is unique in giving no saving throw for any of its effects.
Your list looks about right. Too bad most spells scale poorly. There seems to be so much design potential in upcasting.
@@M0ebius I've had the same thought, myself. Alas, it seems to be a consistent design decision. At least we have a few very good ones.
If aid could be casted as a warlock it would be pretty potent
As far as I can tell, the only way for a warlock to get that spell is with multiclassing.
What are your thoughts on a 2 warlock 18 bard build? Is the delay of magical secrets and spell slot progression worth the armor and shield of the hex blade + eldritch blast combined with agonizing blast?
Warlock and Bard make an obvious combo. I did a Hex/Swords PC and found it fantastic. As I mention in the video, if you get to level 11+, that's when it starts to hurt, and keeps hurting to 18. Levels 19-20 it's great again.
I think warlock bard is best played either as a secondary caster/gish, or in a party of all multiclassed characters. It really depends on the party niche you’re trying to fill.
Can any full casters use magic initiate to increase the number of cantrips that they can use?
If your class is in the list of those given by the feat then yes, you can.
The only full caster not on that list is Artificer, and they have another feat (Artificer Initiate) that is probably more appropriate for that class anyway.
Will there be spell recommendations in the near future?
You missed one little thing about Warlock Spells known and the Mystic Arcanum. For levels where you get a new Mystic Arcanum, the Warlock leveling table also shows that you get one more spell known, but that spell is seperate from you Mystic Arcanum. So you get your 6th level Mystic Arcanum at lvl 11 *AND* you get a lvl 1-5 Warlock spell known
So basically warlocks know more spells than sorcerers. Even more, if we consider Invocations. Poor sorcs.
@@antongrigoryev6381 Because spells known is suposed to be the weakness of sorcerers. They don't know know the spells they are inherent abilities and thus powerful but rather limited.
@@antongrigoryev6381 Until you consider metamagic.
@@adamkaris Metamagics aren't spells. I'm not saying like Sorcerers are weak, I'm just saying they know the least spells, and it's the fact. I mean, the only ones who know fewer spells are Rangers and half-casters.
Why isn't there a warlock subclasses where your patron is a Muse? They're not strictly good or evil they just want you at your most creative so they can bask in/feed off of your genius.
Omg, the first feature would let you cast using a musical instrument or certain artisans tools as a spell focus.
Warlocks are children of the Matrix, yea the movie. At certain levels their patron gifts them knowledge of incredible arcane power that takes wizards and other classes years to learn. In the Matrix, if Trinity needs to fly a helicopter, she gets the knowledge downloaded to her avatar in the Matrix. She knows and can operate a helicopter with proficiency! Warlocks get a similar deal with their Patron. Their limits are the disadvantage of their overpowering nature. I think if any class dips Warlock, that character loses a great deal of their freedom in exchange for gifts given at level up. It's not about alignment, forming a pact with a otherworldly being is servitude.
I think that you underestimate how good chill touch is. again trolls oh hey mister troll no Regen for you, oh hey mister any undead have disadvantage to hit, oh hey mister regenerating undead, get disadvantage to hit me and you can't regenerate.
Bardlock: bard 3rd level/warlock 17th level. Got kicked out of the bard college because I couldn't sing. 😏
@treantmonk; wil you be doing videos on tasha’s cauldron of everything?
Likely several.
@@TreantmonksTemple I can't wait!
I think of warlock as the only 3/4 caster that get neat invocations & aren't as mushy as wizards/sorcerers.
Warlocks want to be everything but at a price?
Power at a price is one of my favorite tropes.
@@SaraphDarklaw It's certainly an old trope & a classic character from antiquity to now.
Don't care much for it my self.
3/4 casters is about right. Although Bardlocks and Sorlocks are competing in the same niche if we factor in multiclassing.
@@M0ebius I suppose
As a DM would you allow your Warlock to change their Mystic Arcanum through Downtime or a Quest?
Not Chris, but I think I would allow to extend the normal "retrain" you get on level up to the Arcana (with the exception that you can not change the spell level of course)
I probably would, but I can be a softy as a DM.
If you are playing a warlock, always take counter spell
I find that the warlock needs something to balance out their spell casting. No other caster is so tied to GM or party whim. Every other class' CORE power level is tied to strict mechanics not subject to whim. The whim is short rests. How many short rest per long rests. how a DM and party adjudicate this, as it isn't completely party choice or DM choice, determines the very core of how powerful a warlock is and it needs some love to compensate for this. A DM that designs few but larger combats will often push players to burst combat, A GM that does many smaller encounters encourages sustained combat and a party can discuss among themselves about rests with many classes pushing for 1 short rest between long rests.
I feel that warlocks already being a weaker caster needs to be reevaluated in its core power level and i think the way to achieve this is to give the warlock more invocations, many more. The disparity between crap invocations and must have invocations is such that so many invocations will NEVER be picked because the warlock just can't afford to give up really great invocations because you are already extremely behind the curve in spell casting. Warlocks should have enough innovations that they can afford to take a cast once per long rest spell invocation. Give warlocks more at will spells that are utility based to help lengthen the weirdness of their magic to all other casters. I wouldn't think getting twice as many invocations would be out of order as there are so many minor abilities and spells that could be made into an invocation. And if you take a page from 3rd edition and scaled invocations to 3 to 4 different power levels you could control the power gain from that many invocations.
algorithm +1
And those together and you get +3
2 spell slots per short rest until 11th level? That's a loooong way.
3 spell slots until 17th level (plus 1-4 higher spell slots per day)? That's an even looooooonger time.
4 spell slots at level 17-20 (plus 4 higher spells per day)?
Nah, it's not a primary caster, I'm playing one right now, believe me.
I don't dislike the warlock I'm playing but it's definitely not a full spellcaster.
your audio is just a tad ahead of video, its slightly jarring once you notice it. Great video though, ty.
your intro sound is to loud compared to you voice.
Show dont tell