This has a lot to do with the versatility of the class when it comes to game mechanics, party roles, and role-playing options, all of which come from your 5e Warlock build. Extra supplemental materials have widened the possibilities of playing a Warlock even more. RPGs are all about character customization, so we've added a few more ways to create the best Warlock build possible.
Every class is defined by their ability scores, and in the case of a Warlock, certain ones are essential when building the ideal character. The following are listed in order of importance for starting any basic Warlock build, and the first three are the most important.
Warlock subclasses are characterized by pacts and the beings that power them, so each subclass reflects the characteristics and will of a different otherworldly being. The Warlock can make a deal with this being to obtain their powers, and that being's nature determines the benefits and risks of the subclass.
There are several otherworldly patrons to choose from, with some choices being more popular than others. You can also create a new one if the old one is lost or destroyed using a special 1-hour ritual, which will make losing spellbook a mere inconvenience rather than a crisis. These are almost more like a patch rule than proper features, but because the warlock never gets higher than 5th-level spells, their higher-level spells aren't proper slots, and each one is instead a special "arcanum spell".
Each time you gain an arcanum spell, you pick an incrementally higher spell starting at 6th level and up to 9th level and you can simply cast that spell once per long rest. This is rather awkward since they aren't properly using spell slots, which means you'll only ever have that selected spell at each of these higher levels.
You gain your first mystic arcanum at 11th level 6th-level spell , then at 13th level 7th-level spell , 15th level 8th-level spell , and 17th level 9th-level spell. Finally, the warlock capstone at 20th level is powerful but bland. You can spend 1 minute to perform a special ritual and consult your patron to regain all your expended spell slots once per long rest. This effectively means you can use a whopping 8 spell slots before taking a short rest These features are technically optional, but assuming your DM allows them make sure to include these class features with your warlock character:.
You also gain a slew of new invocations to play around with. Most of them are linked to the new pact boon, but some of them work for the existing pacts as well. I particularly like the Investment of the Chain Master that can turn your pact of the chain familiar into a serious threat.
You also have the option to trade out a spell from your Mystic Arcanum once you hit 12th level. Warlocks can really fill most roles if you build them carefully. The simplest builds tend to form around a lot of eldritch blasts and easily fill the ranged DPS role for the party.
With just a few selections you could also create a decent melee tank, a healer, a face of the party, a stealthy scout, a utility caster, and practically anything else. Warlocks have a lot of potential directions and builds, but all of that still starts with your ability scores.
You'll have your starting scores, and then you'll need to choose what to do with your ability score improvements at 4th level, 8th level, 12th level, 16th level, and 19th level. Charisma is your spellcasting ability and other than some particularly strange builds you'll be needing to prioritize it. Charisma is also conveniently the ability score responsible for all the social skills, making it easy for your warlock to become the party face.
As a d8 hit die class, you're a bit beefier than most arcane spellcasters and have solid armor and weapon proficiencies, which means you can build yourself up for melee combat or stick to ranged play styles. For melee builds you'll need to worry about making melee attacks, which usually means making Dexterity your second highest score to make hitting with finesse weapons feasible and establish a decent AC.
For ranged builds I recommend making Constitution your second highest score to keep you alive after you've taken a few hits, and to help you concentrate on some key spells. Strength, Intelligence, and Wisdom are all far less important for a warlock, though there are some Strength based warlock builds out there that are worth consideration. Unless you're doing one of those odd builds, these three abilities should all be dump stats for you.
Which means you need Charisma, then either Constitution or Dexterity. I find this works particularly well with the celestial patron which can heal back the damage you take from your own abilities using their Healing Light. Changelings are technically setting locked into Eberron, so it may take some convincing for your DM to allow them elsewhere. Much like they do for any class, picking changeling goes a long way for making your character sneaky. Technically setting locked as a playable race to the world of Theros, satyrs are still prevalent in the forgotten realms and a lot of DMs will allow them elsewhere.
The big-ticket item here is Magic Resistance, a foot movement speed, and some proficiencies that feel like dipping your hooves into bard. Tieflings warlocks are a generally strong flavor win, and mechanically I really appreciate getting those extra spells in such a low spell slot class.
Take a look through the tiefling variants if you're looking for some bonus utility spells for your build. You also get fire damage resistance, and resistance against such a common damage type is always helpful. Many DMs will also take the opportunity and turn your patron into a tangible roleplaying force in your campaign, so consider how your patron choice may impact your story and behavior.
Take your time and consider carefully what kind of warlock you want to be. The warlock subclasses 5e provides will grant you special features at 1st level, 6th level, 10th level, and 14th level.
Rather than prayer like a divine spellcaster, you directly made a pact with some celestial being for healing spells and powers, most importantly you gain the cure wounds spell. A celestial warlock also sneakily gains some nice damage boosts to radiant damage and fire spells, give it a go if your party needs a healer but you really wanted to play a warlock.
Your patron is either literal Cthulhu, some similarly betentacled horror from the deep, or potentially just a big water elemental with magical secrets. Mechanically your big feature is Tentacle of the Deeps, which works like a really good spiritual weapon spell, except it can even block hits like a parry.
You also gain the retinue of aquatic features like water breathing and cold resistance. I really like this patron for damage dealing and battlefield control, between you and your tentacle you can really dish out some damage and keep your enemies where you want them. Your patron is a literal devil or some other power from the lower planes.
Your patron is a literal genie and you get a magic lamp and everything. Your patron is basically just Cthulhu or something similarly mad and you're one of their mad followers. At 1st level you gain the ability to speak telepathically with people or at them at least , and you pick up some rather strong defensive abilities. At 6th level you can impose disadvantage on an attack against you once per short rest, and at 10th level you gain resistance to psychic damage and the ability to reflect it back when hit with it.
And at 14th level you gain the ability to control a person and make them your unwitting servant, so out of all the otherworldly patrons, this one may be the hardest to justify as a good character. Still though, you get a lot of good mental utility spells that aren't normally part of the warlock spell list and some strong defenses, this is a solid otherworldly patrons choice.
Your patron is a shadow entity with a propensity for sentient weapons. The Hexblade warlock is nasty. Your patron is somebody very dark, powerful, and down with zombies. Mechanically its built around your Form of Dread ability that transforms you into something strong and terrifying for a while.
You also eventually get full immunity to necrotic damage which can just make you invulnerable in some fights. I find it actually works best for ranged attack warlocks as it inflicts the frightened condition and can keep aggressors away from you and the necrotic damage immunity can be easily abused. Your patron is likely a lich or somebody else who has cheated death. Mechanically this patron is all about, well, not dying. You gain a bunch of ways to keep yourself and take less damage from effects.
Each invocation is an opportunity to make your warlock more unique, to power up a specific strategy, or to open up an entirely new ability. With this invocation you get to add your Charisma mod to the damage of each of that most awesome cantrip eldritch blast.
This invocation lets you cast the spell mage armor for free, and without spending a slot so you can basically always have it cast. This invocation lets you cast the spell levitate for free, without spending a spell slot.
This is a pact of the tome specific invocation that lets you stay awake and active during your rests. This invocation lets you cast the spell speak with animals for free, without spending a spell slot. Gives you proficiency in Deception and Persuasion.
And if you plan on taking this invocation early that can free up your other proficiency selections for other stuff. This invocation lets you cast the spell compulsion for free, without spending a spell slot. This pact of the talisman invocation is strange but incredibly useful.
You get to do this a number of times equal to your proficiency, which is plenty of opportunity to get up to shenanigans. Have your buddy check out the next room and instantly bamf back to you if there's trouble in there, or travel halfway across the world and be back in a flash. This pact of the tome invocation essentially turns you into a ritual caster. You get to learn 2 1st level ritual spells, and you get all the bells and whistles a normal ritual caster gets like the ability to learn more of them if you find them.
Ritual casting is decent for warlocks, and will let you fill more of a utility caster role without sacrificing precious warlock spells known on utility spells.
Chains of Carceri lets you cast the spell hold monster for free so long as it targets a celestial, fiend, or elemental. It also essentially limits you to 1 casting per creature. Cloak of flies lets you create an aura of poison damage that grants advantage to your Charisma Intimidate checks, but disadvantage on every other type of Charisma check.
The intimidate boost has a lot of potential value to spooky themed party face warlocks, and the damage aura is good at early levels. This means you can do nasty stuff like cast the darkness spell and fight against essentially blind opponents while seeing clearly yourself. This minimum 7th level invocation lets you cast the spell confusion once per long rest without using a spell slot. This invocation gives you advantage on concentration checks for maintaining your spells.
However, serving dark and infernal powers has its benefits, at least the character knows exactly where they're going in the afterlife when the paladins done smiting them. The fiendish warlock is a blaster with its ability to throw around some ranged firepower. Definitely thematic and fantastic for evil characters. If the fiendish warlock survives long enough it can even get the power to throw creatures through the hell and do massive damage. The great old one warlock is for the player who likes to incoherently shriek and howl at the table while role-playing.
If the goal was to make a patron whos simple patronage would drive a creature insane, this is it. The great old ones are unknowable Lovecraftian monsters whos names are forgotten to time, but they still find, the time, to make sure their followers are sufficiently insane.
This is a great class if a player wants to be convincing as AF, granting the ability to read minds and persuade others, this patron is fantastic for role-playing. An old one warlock will definitely contend with the party bard regularly on who does the talking for the party. Essentially a character rubs a lamp hoping for a wish and gets internally indentured to a near god-level powerful being.
This patron is not messing around, it like things, in general, anything, it just wants it. The character is now tasked with collecting wealth, art, rare creatures, and general objects of interest for a genie. Its unique focus is the attachment and production of things stored in the genies menagerie. At the end of the day, the warlock functionally attaches itself to others. Through this attachment, it can cast spells through other players.
It's an interesting mechanic and possibly very abusable. When a character wants to role-play a Japanese tentacle monster aficionado, this warlock works pretty well. It boggles the mind that a Kraken could be a patron for an individual, but it does make sense lore-wise. They are evil dark creatures that wish to spread their influence so they can control everything.
Because evil , that's why. The warlock can summon astral tentacles and touch people with them, grappling them and holding them in place, not joking. A lot of the spells and flavor for this class are water and storm oriented. So thunder lightning and saltwater are what a player can expect besides tentacles here. When a player realizes just how squishy a warlock can be they can tend to panic. This patron is all about mitigating that squishiness.
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