Welcome esteemed patrons to my meandering thoughts on the usefulness of different Warlock spells. Within the realm of spell level and it's usefulness for the bewitched caster. My primary thesis is that a warlock is a sturdy adventurer with a litany of tools at their disposal such as Patron granted spells and abilities, a useful pact, and of course invocations. Spells therefore need to be quite utilitarian - can the spell outright miss or fizzle and still cost the warlock it's precious spell slot? Do effects linger onward during long extensive battles? Or do the flashes bring quick demise to a single target? I myself seek area effects / peculiar save types / or enhancements that find their use without fail. Or so I hope.. I'll offer a premium choice and a few follow ups per spell level and hopefully share why I'd make such a choice. I welcome proper argument to the contrary if you so do not agree and will entertain questions as long as they're asked nicely.
So then... Let us proceed in our lessons.
Level 1 Level 1 has a host of great spells that no only meet my previously poorly explained criteria, but they also scale along with the increase of the Warlock's spell slots. My first example is Armor of Agathys. 5 temporary health points doesn't sound like much at first, but upon being hit by a melee strike you automatically (no reaction required) deal 5 cold damage to a creature. The 5 temporary hp and 5 cold damage is increased by 5 each when cast with a higher level spell slot. So a 5th level casting of this armor is 25 temporary hp and 25 cold damage each time you're hit for a duration of 1 hour. No concentration required. Pretty handy. In this first circle of magic there's other great choices. Dissonant Whispers does psychic damage and lets you hinder ability checks of creatures, and still does half damage even on a save. Burning hands of course places a 15' cone worth of creatures aflame and scales nicely as well. Other spells have their utility, but having a Witch Bolt miss is a pretty sad way to see a spell slot spent. Your cantrips will keep your ranged attack dangerous for quite awhile.
Level 2 Invisibility of course. Call it a cliche if you must, but I call it a staple. Being able to move without being seen and it scaling to allow you to add others as the levels fly by.. Easy choice. You can't really go wrong with Shatter, Mirror Image, or Darkness as well. Misty Step is tempting, and a solid spell, but I feel the Warlock gets other tools elsewhere for that dramatic escape if the need arises.
Level 3 Counterspell is tempting.. If not required. Allow me to suggest Hunger of Hadar as an interesting interloper. It gives you control over space, while it seems meager, when there's hordes of enemies coming at you it can make a difference. Of course level 3 hosts Fly, Fear, Gaseous Form, and a host of great spells. Is selling one's soul to a devil worth Fireball? Usually.
Level 4 There's some great patron specific spells here.. Notably Greater Invisibility & Wall of Fire. That said I'd like to focus on the readily and freely available to those warlocks who can cast 4th level spells. Hallucinatory Terrain fits the bill of a lot of previous spells I've offered. Letting the poor creatures waste turns trying to discern if they're in a fantasy game or not is a lot of fun. I feel that the usefulness of Dimension Door supersedes that for this instance. A 500' + a friend teleport jump is one of those ultra utilities that can be a valuable use of a spell slot.
Level 5 Simply Hold Monster. All of the other spells are nice. Hold monster scales and is a Wisdom saving throw for your intended monstery target. By the time you're casting this spell your Spell DC should be impressive and your target probably isn't the most perceptive critter in the realms. Not exactly being able to scale it seeing as "spell slots" as we know it ends here for the Warlock it still is more often useful than not.
Mystic Arcanum Break! Maybe you're looking at this list because you've never played a warlock before? Perhaps you're playing a warlock and you've not planned ahead. Perhaps you're one of the millions of Twitter users who've looked at the Warlock Class Table and saw spell slots ending at the 5th Circle, but then you've seen 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th level spells available!? Two words fiends & friends... Mystic Arcanum. Your patron loves you so much they bestow upon you the ability to learn spells of a higher level.. But 1 of them. That you can cast once until you finish a LONG rest. Kind of a swerve ball, but wait until you see my suggestions.
Level 6 There aren't any bad choices. I will strongly suggest a classic that's saved me a few times. Eyebite! It sounds more painful than it actually is. See only your eyes get bitten, and turn black. Then for 1 minute on each of your turns you can use an action to use those sick eyes to put targets asleep, into a state of panic, or sickened. I'm not a fan of the Wisdom saving throw here and the relative short duration.. But it's a pretty great way to shake things up and disrupt the best laid plans of your enemies. If that doesn't suit you.. Raise undead.
Level 7 Not a lot of choices here. Plane Shift & Force Cage if you're DM is nice and you have a lot of gold. Otherwise good ol' fashioned Finger of Death is my suggestion. It's a pretty standard damage spell with the added bonus of possibly giving you a friend if you down a humanoid target with it. I feel like Constitution saves are pretty tough to pull off on critters.. But still. Damage and a Zombie? Who wouldn't binge watch that show on Ye Olde Netflix?
Level 8 Feeblemind - 4d6 psychic damage isn't why you're here. It's the fact that you can completely make perfectly scary monsters... Blubbering punching bags. Sure you get 1 shot. Sure it's an Intelligence Save vs a creature with possibly fantastic intelligence. It's wroth the cast of the die. Of course once again, there's no bad choices here.
Level 9 True Polymorph? Power Word Kill? True Polymorph? Or Power Word Kill? Polymorph, Power Word Kill?.... Keep them guessing. Or be a just fine lad or lass and choose Imprisonment. If you're that kind of Warlock... Then the Great Old Ones have something truly to fear.
While I agree with the majority of your post, especially you assessment of Armor of Agathys, I do think that there are a few spells that also deserve mention both from the PHB and Xanathar's (is XGE an accepted acronym?).
Level 2
Mind Spike - Unfortunately this spell requires concentration, but warlocks do not get See Invisibility and this spell strips the benefit of Invisibility from a creature. Plus it does psychic damage that scales with spell level.
Level 3
Dispel Magic and/or Remove Curse - While maybe not as handy as Counterspell, both of these spells are handy to have in your back pocket for when your Counterspell fails or your opponent casts from too far away. Thunder Step, on the other hand, is a must have. Not only does it get you and an ally out of a bad situation, but it does scaling thunder damage on your way out.
Level 4
Shadow of Moil - This spell heavily obscures you which means that unless you are fighting someone with blindsight or truesight, they are blinded when targeting you, and you might get advantage when attacking as well. The rules are a little unclear there. The spell also does damage to your opponent if they do land a melee attack on you. Now, this spell does require concentration, but I would like to point out that Armor of Agathys, Mirror Image, and/or (if you play a Archfey or Hexblade warlock) Blink are not concentration so if want to enter melee at level 11+ and never get hit.
Level 5
Far Step, Far Step, Far Step, and Far Step - If you want to be the teleporting fighter, you want, no need, this spell. Danse Macabre is another worthy mention for when facing that irritating second wave, and if you have that spell (or are a Hexblade), then you will want Negative Energy Wave. That spell is useful not because of its damage but because of its ability to make an undead ally of yours last longer by laying a nice buffer of temp HP on them.
Level 6
Circle of Death - It may not be as powerful as a 6th-level Fireball, but it has a 60-foot radius. If you are engaging is ship to ship combat, then this spell makes a boarding action a whole lot easier. Plus, it is a Constitution save. Soul Cage is another useful non-concentration spell that will always work once you meet its requirements and gives you healing, knowledge, and/or advantage. Lastly, please remember Mass Suggestion. "Lay down your weapons and surrender peacefully" is a perfectly reasonable one sentence.
I agree and disagree with both of your spell lists. I agree, I hate the "save for no effect" spells for warlocks. They don't get enough spell slots to use one of them in combat that the target is able to completely bypass.
Level 1
Unless you're playing a bladelock, there's no reason to ever be in melee. I ended up dropping Armor of Agathys because I never used it. Hex on the other hand stacks with Eldritch Blast and as Eldritch Blast scales up so does Hex. Plus you can maintain concentration on Hex for 8 hours when you use a 3rd or 4th level spell slot and 24 hours when you use a 5th level spell slot. Since you can transfer it to another opponent after the current target is dropped to 0 HP it uses one spell slot through multiple short rests and spell slots are something that warlocks never have enough of.
Level 2
Misty Step is a life saver! Because it uses a bonus action instead of an action, you can use it and also attack with a light crossbow or a thrown dagger, both of which stack with Hex. Or you can drink a potion or take any other action that isn't casting a spell.
Level 3
I agree, Thunder Step is a great bug out spell for two "squishy" characters in a party who the DM ends up forcing into melee. Not only do you get to escape melee and take someone else with you but you do damage to your opponent, or to several opponents, at the same time.
Level 4
Sickening Radiance looks useful to me. Not only does it do excellent battlefield control but it also bypasses invisibility and debuffs opponents. It's a great multi-purpose spell. It is a "save for no effect" spell, but it affects multiple opponents, if you push an opponent into it a second time that opponent has to save again, and unlike most spells an opponent who is impacted by it doesn't get a new save every round. I agree with Dimension Door, it's a great spell.
Level 5
Far Step replaces Misty Step when you have access to 5th level spells. It's a bonus action, it has a greater range, and it let's you teleport 60' every round for a minute which will let you stay out of melee for the duration of almost every combat that I've been in. I dislike Hold Monster because the target get's a save every round even if it takes effect the first round. I like Wall of Light, it combines the battlefield control and stationary damage of Wall of Fire with blinding opponents and an attack action. Enervation is another nice spell that does ongoing damage if the target fails it's save.
Level 6
I agree, there aren't any bad choices here. The Investiture of X spells are all 4 great and so is Mass Suggestion. The challenge here is having too much to pick from.
Level 7
Nothing here really appeals to me that much, although Crown of Stars is nice.
Level 8
Maddening Darkness is appealing, especially since nothing other than a Warlock's Devil's Sight can see through it.
Level 9
Foresight is the ultimate buff. Advantage on every d20 roll and your opponents have disadvantage on every d20 roll against you for 8 hours? Yes, please!
Far Step replaces Misty Step when you have access to 5th level spells. It's a bonus action, it has a greater range, and it let's you teleport 60' every round for a minute which will let you stay out of melee for the duration of almost every combat that I've been in.
This is something I asked myself: Does Far Step replace Misty Step? As a Warlock you like concentration effects (Darkness, Hex, Shadow of Moil, ...). Misty Step is an escape that allows you to keep concentrating on any other spell. Is this possible with Far Step too? Can a Warlock choose not to concentrate on Far Step and only use the first Bonus Action effect to teleport? If so, Misty Step becomes redundant for a Warlock. If not you might want to keep it.
According to what I've read, when you start casting another concentration spell you lose your concentration on the existing spell immediately. You're right about losing concentration on other spells when you cast Far Step. Good point.
While I agree with the majority of your post, especially you assessment of Armor of Agathys, I do think that there are a few spells that also deserve mention both from the PHB and Xanathar's (is XGE an accepted acronym?).
XGtE.
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
If you are concentrating on another spell and want to teleport out of a less than desirable situation, then the spell you want is Thunder Step. It is an action instead of a bonus action like Misty Step or Far Step, but since it allows you to concentrate on another spell, take an ally with you, and damage all of the creatures around you, it is totally worth it. So by the time you have 3rd-level spells, you will only be casting Misty Step for its mobility, and by the time you have 5th-level spells, Far Step replaces that aspect of the spell as well.
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Bark side up, bark side down, it really, truly does not matter.
I'm fond of Banishment as a spell. Its like a poor woman's Hold Monster, in that it temporarily takes monsters off the field, and its against a traditionally low save (charisma). It only scales up to two monsters, but still, that's a big advantage, imho.
I also like Infernal Calling, but its GM dependent. Get the talisman for a succubus or cambion, and start Charming your enemies. No restriction on per day, and its a good way to turn enemies into allies temporarily. If you have a deal with them beforehand, then they're unlikely to attack or harm your party, which removes some of the drawbacks.
meeeeh 9t level imprisonment all those that recommended that forgot that for each health dice the target have total you must pay a 500 gold fee and you must prepare those items in advance it is a bad spell that allow you to insta kill a target but at what cost? ALSO let me remind you that the creatures on wich you would use that kind of power got 3 imunity per day
true polymorph is better because you can technically make yourself live eternally or switch the lower spells you got and the arcaneum are not spells wich mean that even if you turn yourself into a creature that should not have access to those spells you still have them
forsight is awesome sounding but let me remind you... you are a warlock with eldritch blast are you sure you want to roll 8 dice per round just for eldritch blast? and if you have attained that level of power you most definetly have magical items that allready give you advantage on what you need unless you are butt naked and even with advantage some spell can insta kill you if you fail the saving trow
or even make opportunity for your ennemies like you fail the saving trow of hold person and there is multiple ennemies if you fail on your next turn you are probably gonna die you wear light armor after all
Caveats: I'm playing a 7th level Archfey Tomelock, so I'll stay in those bounds. Also, in my melee heavy group, I'm the lone caster of any sort, other than the bard, who's only there about 50% of the time. I tend to be the party's arcane researcher, and most frequent user of magic items. I'll only mention the spells here that I use the most.
1st level: armor of Agathys, for reasons above. Saved my bacon at least three times now.
Faerie Fire is hugely useful. It gives advantage to other combatants while you stay out of the fray and Eldritch blast. It also counters invisibility.
Charm person is always useful, especially for Feylocks who are more interested in board control and manipulation than damage dealing.
2nd level: invisibility. Nuff said.
I also love Misty step because it's an extra action and gets you out of a face pounding quickly. Bonus: if you take it with Fey ancestry, you can either have it twice (my character does for RP reasons) or have it without a spell slot.
3rd level: fly. Just the most useful spell in the game.
4th level: greater invisibility. Be the Romulan warbird that can fire when cloaked. Dimension door also useful.
What I plan on getting:
5th: Hold monster or dream. The former is useful, the latter definitely fits the character.
My character is a planar traveler (occasionally unintentionally - a story for a different day) so I'll likely take arcanum related to those.
In a few days I'll begin playing a Tiefling (Winged variant) Hexblade Warlock with Pact of the Tome; I planned my spell list towards the 20th level, and I'll pick my spells from that along the way.
Cantrips (4 + 3 from the Pact of the Tome): Eldritch Blast, Minor Illusion, Thaumaturgy (Tome), Guidance (Tome, C), Mage Hand, Toll the Dead, Message (Tome) / Friends (depending on the other casters' selection).
1st level: Hex (C), Shield (from the Hexblade list), Armor of Agathys, Command. 2nd level: Hold Person (C) (until level 9), Mirror Image, Misty Step, Invisibility (C) (dropped at level 15 thanks to the Shroud of Shadows invocation), Suggestion (C). 3rd level: Hunger of Hadar (C), Counterspell, Dispel Magic (depending on the other casters' selection), Hypnotic Pattern (C). 4th level: Shadow of Moil (C), Sickening Radiance (C) / Banishment (C). 5th level: Hold Monster (C) (replaces Hold Person (C)), Synaptic Static.
That should do it. That character has both wings and darkvision, so she doesn't need either Fly or Light. She'll grab the invocations that let her cast Disguise Self, Alter Self and Silent Image at will, and she'll also have Book of Ancient Secrets to add some utility ritual casting.
I too am fond of Armor of Agathys. It is easy to say a Warlock shouldn't be in melee, but it is going to happen so why not enjoy it...lol. It is good defensively as well. If you happen to find yourself in melee, use your action to cast it and then move away, it will be the worst Attack of Opportunity that creature ever took. It is also a signature Warlock spell that has a visible effect so using Mask of Many Faces to make it look like you have it up can be interesting depending on your DM.
I am fond of Darkness, with Devil's Sight you can operate just fine and very few creatures can see through it. I tend to cast it on something my Imp is wearing so it can be re-positioned as needed
At 6th level I picked up Soul Cage, with Gift of the Ever-Living Ones it effectively increases my HP for the day by 96.
Warlocks have a good deal of fun interactions that go beyond just the spell's stat line, especially when combined with Evocations.
Speaking of spells granted through invocations, everyone seems to overlook sign of ill omen, but it is a concentration free curse as a 5th level spell.
Soul cage is fantastic utility, plane shift is an auto kill that could be administered by a familiar.
Welcome esteemed patrons to my meandering thoughts on the usefulness of different Warlock spells. Within the realm of spell level and it's usefulness for the bewitched caster. My primary thesis is that a warlock is a sturdy adventurer with a litany of tools at their disposal such as Patron granted spells and abilities, a useful pact, and of course invocations. Spells therefore need to be quite utilitarian - can the spell outright miss or fizzle and still cost the warlock it's precious spell slot? Do effects linger onward during long extensive battles? Or do the flashes bring quick demise to a single target? I myself seek area effects / peculiar save types / or enhancements that find their use without fail. Or so I hope.. I'll offer a premium choice and a few follow ups per spell level and hopefully share why I'd make such a choice. I welcome proper argument to the contrary if you so do not agree and will entertain questions as long as they're asked nicely.
So then... Let us proceed in our lessons.
Level 1
Level 1 has a host of great spells that no only meet my previously poorly explained criteria, but they also scale along with the increase of the Warlock's spell slots. My first example is Armor of Agathys. 5 temporary health points doesn't sound like much at first, but upon being hit by a melee strike you automatically (no reaction required) deal 5 cold damage to a creature. The 5 temporary hp and 5 cold damage is increased by 5 each when cast with a higher level spell slot. So a 5th level casting of this armor is 25 temporary hp and 25 cold damage each time you're hit for a duration of 1 hour. No concentration required. Pretty handy.
In this first circle of magic there's other great choices. Dissonant Whispers does psychic damage and lets you hinder ability checks of creatures, and still does half damage even on a save. Burning hands of course places a 15' cone worth of creatures aflame and scales nicely as well. Other spells have their utility, but having a Witch Bolt miss is a pretty sad way to see a spell slot spent. Your cantrips will keep your ranged attack dangerous for quite awhile.
Level 2
Invisibility of course. Call it a cliche if you must, but I call it a staple. Being able to move without being seen and it scaling to allow you to add others as the levels fly by.. Easy choice. You can't really go wrong with Shatter, Mirror Image, or Darkness as well. Misty Step is tempting, and a solid spell, but I feel the Warlock gets other tools elsewhere for that dramatic escape if the need arises.
Level 3
Counterspell is tempting.. If not required. Allow me to suggest Hunger of Hadar as an interesting interloper. It gives you control over space, while it seems meager, when there's hordes of enemies coming at you it can make a difference. Of course level 3 hosts Fly, Fear, Gaseous Form, and a host of great spells. Is selling one's soul to a devil worth Fireball? Usually.
Level 4
There's some great patron specific spells here.. Notably Greater Invisibility & Wall of Fire. That said I'd like to focus on the readily and freely available to those warlocks who can cast 4th level spells. Hallucinatory Terrain fits the bill of a lot of previous spells I've offered. Letting the poor creatures waste turns trying to discern if they're in a fantasy game or not is a lot of fun. I feel that the usefulness of Dimension Door supersedes that for this instance. A 500' + a friend teleport jump is one of those ultra utilities that can be a valuable use of a spell slot.
Level 5
Simply Hold Monster. All of the other spells are nice. Hold monster scales and is a Wisdom saving throw for your intended monstery target. By the time you're casting this spell your Spell DC should be impressive and your target probably isn't the most perceptive critter in the realms. Not exactly being able to scale it seeing as "spell slots" as we know it ends here for the Warlock it still is more often useful than not.
Mystic Arcanum Break!
Maybe you're looking at this list because you've never played a warlock before? Perhaps you're playing a warlock and you've not planned ahead. Perhaps you're one of the millions of Twitter users who've looked at the Warlock Class Table and saw spell slots ending at the 5th Circle, but then you've seen 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th level spells available!? Two words fiends & friends... Mystic Arcanum. Your patron loves you so much they bestow upon you the ability to learn spells of a higher level.. But 1 of them. That you can cast once until you finish a LONG rest. Kind of a swerve ball, but wait until you see my suggestions.
Level 6
There aren't any bad choices. I will strongly suggest a classic that's saved me a few times. Eyebite! It sounds more painful than it actually is. See only your eyes get bitten, and turn black. Then for 1 minute on each of your turns you can use an action to use those sick eyes to put targets asleep, into a state of panic, or sickened. I'm not a fan of the Wisdom saving throw here and the relative short duration.. But it's a pretty great way to shake things up and disrupt the best laid plans of your enemies. If that doesn't suit you.. Raise undead.
Level 7
Not a lot of choices here. Plane Shift & Force Cage if you're DM is nice and you have a lot of gold. Otherwise good ol' fashioned Finger of Death is my suggestion. It's a pretty standard damage spell with the added bonus of possibly giving you a friend if you down a humanoid target with it. I feel like Constitution saves are pretty tough to pull off on critters.. But still. Damage and a Zombie? Who wouldn't binge watch that show on Ye Olde Netflix?
Level 8
Feeblemind - 4d6 psychic damage isn't why you're here. It's the fact that you can completely make perfectly scary monsters... Blubbering punching bags. Sure you get 1 shot. Sure it's an Intelligence Save vs a creature with possibly fantastic intelligence. It's wroth the cast of the die. Of course once again, there's no bad choices here.
Level 9
True Polymorph? Power Word Kill? True Polymorph? Or Power Word Kill? Polymorph, Power Word Kill?.... Keep them guessing. Or be a just fine lad or lass and choose Imprisonment. If you're that kind of Warlock... Then the Great Old Ones have something truly to fear.
While I agree with the majority of your post, especially you assessment of Armor of Agathys, I do think that there are a few spells that also deserve mention both from the PHB and Xanathar's (is XGE an accepted acronym?).
Level 2
Mind Spike - Unfortunately this spell requires concentration, but warlocks do not get See Invisibility and this spell strips the benefit of Invisibility from a creature. Plus it does psychic damage that scales with spell level.
Level 3
Dispel Magic and/or Remove Curse - While maybe not as handy as Counterspell, both of these spells are handy to have in your back pocket for when your Counterspell fails or your opponent casts from too far away. Thunder Step, on the other hand, is a must have. Not only does it get you and an ally out of a bad situation, but it does scaling thunder damage on your way out.
Level 4
Shadow of Moil - This spell heavily obscures you which means that unless you are fighting someone with blindsight or truesight, they are blinded when targeting you, and you might get advantage when attacking as well. The rules are a little unclear there. The spell also does damage to your opponent if they do land a melee attack on you. Now, this spell does require concentration, but I would like to point out that Armor of Agathys, Mirror Image, and/or (if you play a Archfey or Hexblade warlock) Blink are not concentration so if want to enter melee at level 11+ and never get hit.
Level 5
Far Step, Far Step, Far Step, and Far Step - If you want to be the teleporting fighter, you want, no need, this spell. Danse Macabre is another worthy mention for when facing that irritating second wave, and if you have that spell (or are a Hexblade), then you will want Negative Energy Wave. That spell is useful not because of its damage but because of its ability to make an undead ally of yours last longer by laying a nice buffer of temp HP on them.
Level 6
Circle of Death - It may not be as powerful as a 6th-level Fireball, but it has a 60-foot radius. If you are engaging is ship to ship combat, then this spell makes a boarding action a whole lot easier. Plus, it is a Constitution save. Soul Cage is another useful non-concentration spell that will always work once you meet its requirements and gives you healing, knowledge, and/or advantage. Lastly, please remember Mass Suggestion. "Lay down your weapons and surrender peacefully" is a perfectly reasonable one sentence.
Bark side up, bark side down, it really, truly does not matter.
I agree and disagree with both of your spell lists. I agree, I hate the "save for no effect" spells for warlocks. They don't get enough spell slots to use one of them in combat that the target is able to completely bypass.
Level 1
Unless you're playing a bladelock, there's no reason to ever be in melee. I ended up dropping Armor of Agathys because I never used it. Hex on the other hand stacks with Eldritch Blast and as Eldritch Blast scales up so does Hex. Plus you can maintain concentration on Hex for 8 hours when you use a 3rd or 4th level spell slot and 24 hours when you use a 5th level spell slot. Since you can transfer it to another opponent after the current target is dropped to 0 HP it uses one spell slot through multiple short rests and spell slots are something that warlocks never have enough of.
Level 2
Misty Step is a life saver! Because it uses a bonus action instead of an action, you can use it and also attack with a light crossbow or a thrown dagger, both of which stack with Hex. Or you can drink a potion or take any other action that isn't casting a spell.
Level 3
I agree, Thunder Step is a great bug out spell for two "squishy" characters in a party who the DM ends up forcing into melee. Not only do you get to escape melee and take someone else with you but you do damage to your opponent, or to several opponents, at the same time.
Level 4
Sickening Radiance looks useful to me. Not only does it do excellent battlefield control but it also bypasses invisibility and debuffs opponents. It's a great multi-purpose spell. It is a "save for no effect" spell, but it affects multiple opponents, if you push an opponent into it a second time that opponent has to save again, and unlike most spells an opponent who is impacted by it doesn't get a new save every round. I agree with Dimension Door, it's a great spell.
Level 5
Far Step replaces Misty Step when you have access to 5th level spells. It's a bonus action, it has a greater range, and it let's you teleport 60' every round for a minute which will let you stay out of melee for the duration of almost every combat that I've been in. I dislike Hold Monster because the target get's a save every round even if it takes effect the first round. I like Wall of Light, it combines the battlefield control and stationary damage of Wall of Fire with blinding opponents and an attack action. Enervation is another nice spell that does ongoing damage if the target fails it's save.
Level 6
I agree, there aren't any bad choices here. The Investiture of X spells are all 4 great and so is Mass Suggestion. The challenge here is having too much to pick from.
Level 7
Nothing here really appeals to me that much, although Crown of Stars is nice.
Level 8
Maddening Darkness is appealing, especially since nothing other than a Warlock's Devil's Sight can see through it.
Level 9
Foresight is the ultimate buff. Advantage on every d20 roll and your opponents have disadvantage on every d20 roll against you for 8 hours? Yes, please!
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According to what I've read, when you start casting another concentration spell you lose your concentration on the existing spell immediately. You're right about losing concentration on other spells when you cast Far Step. Good point.
Professional computer geek
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
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If you are concentrating on another spell and want to teleport out of a less than desirable situation, then the spell you want is Thunder Step. It is an action instead of a bonus action like Misty Step or Far Step, but since it allows you to concentrate on another spell, take an ally with you, and damage all of the creatures around you, it is totally worth it. So by the time you have 3rd-level spells, you will only be casting Misty Step for its mobility, and by the time you have 5th-level spells, Far Step replaces that aspect of the spell as well.
Bark side up, bark side down, it really, truly does not matter.
I'm fond of Banishment as a spell. Its like a poor woman's Hold Monster, in that it temporarily takes monsters off the field, and its against a traditionally low save (charisma). It only scales up to two monsters, but still, that's a big advantage, imho.
I also like Infernal Calling, but its GM dependent. Get the talisman for a succubus or cambion, and start Charming your enemies. No restriction on per day, and its a good way to turn enemies into allies temporarily. If you have a deal with them beforehand, then they're unlikely to attack or harm your party, which removes some of the drawbacks.
meeeeh 9t level imprisonment all those that recommended that forgot that for each health dice the target have total you must pay a 500 gold fee and you must prepare those items in advance it is a bad spell that allow you to insta kill a target but at what cost? ALSO let me remind you that the creatures on wich you would use that kind of power got 3 imunity per day
true polymorph is better because you can technically make yourself live eternally or switch the lower spells you got and the arcaneum are not spells wich mean that even if you turn yourself into a creature that should not have access to those spells you still have them
forsight is awesome sounding but let me remind you... you are a warlock with eldritch blast are you sure you want to roll 8 dice per round just for eldritch blast? and if you have attained that level of power you most definetly have magical items that allready give you advantage on what you need unless you are butt naked and even with advantage some spell can insta kill you if you fail the saving trow
or even make opportunity for your ennemies like you fail the saving trow of hold person and there is multiple ennemies if you fail on your next turn you are probably gonna die you wear light armor after all
Caveats: I'm playing a 7th level Archfey Tomelock, so I'll stay in those bounds. Also, in my melee heavy group, I'm the lone caster of any sort, other than the bard, who's only there about 50% of the time. I tend to be the party's arcane researcher, and most frequent user of magic items. I'll only mention the spells here that I use the most.
1st level: armor of Agathys, for reasons above. Saved my bacon at least three times now.
Faerie Fire is hugely useful. It gives advantage to other combatants while you stay out of the fray and Eldritch blast. It also counters invisibility.
Charm person is always useful, especially for Feylocks who are more interested in board control and manipulation than damage dealing.
2nd level: invisibility. Nuff said.
I also love Misty step because it's an extra action and gets you out of a face pounding quickly. Bonus: if you take it with Fey ancestry, you can either have it twice (my character does for RP reasons) or have it without a spell slot.
3rd level: fly. Just the most useful spell in the game.
4th level: greater invisibility. Be the Romulan warbird that can fire when cloaked. Dimension door also useful.
What I plan on getting:
5th: Hold monster or dream. The former is useful, the latter definitely fits the character.
My character is a planar traveler (occasionally unintentionally - a story for a different day) so I'll likely take arcanum related to those.
Happy holidays!
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
In a few days I'll begin playing a Tiefling (Winged variant) Hexblade Warlock with Pact of the Tome; I planned my spell list towards the 20th level, and I'll pick my spells from that along the way.
Cantrips (4 + 3 from the Pact of the Tome): Eldritch Blast, Minor Illusion, Thaumaturgy (Tome), Guidance (Tome, C), Mage Hand, Toll the Dead, Message (Tome) / Friends (depending on the other casters' selection).
1st level: Hex (C), Shield (from the Hexblade list), Armor of Agathys, Command.
2nd level: Hold Person (C) (until level 9), Mirror Image, Misty Step, Invisibility (C) (dropped at level 15 thanks to the Shroud of Shadows invocation), Suggestion (C).
3rd level: Hunger of Hadar (C), Counterspell, Dispel Magic (depending on the other casters' selection), Hypnotic Pattern (C).
4th level: Shadow of Moil (C), Sickening Radiance (C) / Banishment (C).
5th level: Hold Monster (C) (replaces Hold Person (C)), Synaptic Static.
Mystic Arcanum - 6th level: Eyebite (C) / Circle of Death / Mental Prison (C) / Mass Suggestion.
Mystic Arcanum - 7th level: Forcecage / Plane Shift.
Mystic Arcanum - 8th level: Maddening Darkness (C) / Demiplane.
Mystic Arcanum - 9th level: Foresight / Psychic Scream / Imprisonment.
That should do it. That character has both wings and darkvision, so she doesn't need either Fly or Light. She'll grab the invocations that let her cast Disguise Self, Alter Self and Silent Image at will, and she'll also have Book of Ancient Secrets to add some utility ritual casting.
I too am fond of Armor of Agathys. It is easy to say a Warlock shouldn't be in melee, but it is going to happen so why not enjoy it...lol. It is good defensively as well. If you happen to find yourself in melee, use your action to cast it and then move away, it will be the worst Attack of Opportunity that creature ever took. It is also a signature Warlock spell that has a visible effect so using Mask of Many Faces to make it look like you have it up can be interesting depending on your DM.
I am fond of Darkness, with Devil's Sight you can operate just fine and very few creatures can see through it. I tend to cast it on something my Imp is wearing so it can be re-positioned as needed
At 6th level I picked up Soul Cage, with Gift of the Ever-Living Ones it effectively increases my HP for the day by 96.
Warlocks have a good deal of fun interactions that go beyond just the spell's stat line, especially when combined with Evocations.
Abide.
Speaking of spells granted through invocations, everyone seems to overlook sign of ill omen, but it is a concentration free curse as a 5th level spell.
Soul cage is fantastic utility, plane shift is an auto kill that could be administered by a familiar.
Sadly, Sign of Ill Omen uses a Warlock spell slot.