Most spellcasters do not have permanent effects up. The warlock is the answer to someone that wants magical affects that work 100% of the time. They made several options for the person that wants to be the DPR mage-type. But they lets us down when it comes to defense. No always on defenses, despite some nice limited times ones (Tome of Levistus, Dread Form, Guardian Coil, etc.)
Here is my attempt at doing that. I created a new Pact and a whole bunch of Invocations to let you turn yourself into a Warlock Tank, Please tell me what you think - both of the concept as a whole and any individual abilities.
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Pact of Defense
Your Patron has granted you some powerful defenses to keep you alive. You can use your action to create a Pact Defense. All are made of Force and surround you at all times.
You can choose any one of three forms each time you create it. If you choose one while one is in effect, the older one vanishes. Pact Defense lasts until dismissed as a bonus action, until you summon another, until you fall unconscious, or until you die.
Force Field: You are completely surrounded by a weak field of Force. This absorbs some damage whenever you take damage. It grants your Charisma bonus in Temp HP every round. As usual, they do not stack, with the single exception: If your patron is the Undead, it stacks with the Form of Dread.
Floating Buckler: Your defense is concentrated in a single, small shield made of Force. It gives you +5 AC vs any one attacker, whom you can designate as a free action. Unfortunately this floating buckler interferes with the spell Shield, and does not stack. But it does stack with physical shields.
Wall of Shields: Your defense is spread out into many small shields. They fly around you randomly, disrupting all attacks. It gives both you and anyone attempting to attack you disadvantage. Unfortunately the Wall of Shields makes it too difficult to also use a physical shield, but it does leave enough room for the spell Shield
Invocations:
All of these Invocations have a requirement of taking the Pact of Defense
Any level: These three do not have any level requirement.
Proficient Force Field: Your force field improves, now adds your proficiency bonus x2 to what it did previously (Again stacking with The Form of Dread.)
Improved Buckler: Lets your Shield defend against all attackers, and now blocks Magic Missile, just like the spell Shield.
Crenelations: On your turn, your Defensive Wall opens up and longer gives you disadvantage, but still grants disadvantage to others UNLESS they are attacking when you are (i.e. readied action to hit you on your turn).
Level 5. These three have a level requirement of 5 in addition to the Pact of Defense:
Airy Force Field: If you are using a Force Field, it provides a desperate air supply, allowing you to breath regardless of where you are and granting immunity against any poison or thunder based attacks that have a save. It does not grant immunity if an attack required a to hit as they penetrate the force field.
Spiked Buckler: Anyone within 10 ft of you that hits with a melee weapon while you have a Floating Buckler must make a Dex save equal to your spell DC or take your Charisma Bonus in Force damage as it strikes back. No action of any kind is necessary.
Wall at your Back: While you have a Wall of Shields up, you have advantage against any Strength or Dex based Saves.
Quick Defense (Pre req of 7th level in addition to Pact of Defense): Lets you change your Defense as a free action rather than an action.
Level 9: These three have a level requirement of 9 in addition the Pact of Defense:
Softening Field: Your Force Field grants you resistance to non-magical bludgeoning damage, including falling damage.
Arrow Catching Buckler: Any non-magical ranged attack that is more than 50 ft away from you automatically hits your Floating Buckler, not you. This will even block siege weapons and boulders.
Shadowy Wall: Except during your turn, your Wall of Shields is so thick and shadowy that it blocks Line of Sight to you, you can not be targeted by any spell that requires seeing you.
Double Defense (Pre-req of 15th level in addition to Pact of Defense): Lets you use an action to create a second defense without removing your first. The second defense lasts for upto 1 minute.
These abilities are all over the place in terms of balance, so I am going to do my best here
Force Field: You are completely surrounded by a weak field of Force. This absorbs some damage whenever you take damage. It grants your Charisma bonus in Temp HP every round. As usual, they do not stack, with the single exception: If your patron is the Undead, it stacks with the Form of Dread.
Seems balanced enough, nots not that much temp hp. It should not stack with Form of Dread, however. keep in mind it should not stack with Form of Dread because people playing this will be confused as temporary hp does not stack.
Floating Buckler: Your defense is concentrated in a single, small shield made of Force. It gives you +5 AC vs any one attacker, whom you can designate as a free action. Unfortunately this floating buckler interferes with the spell Shield, and does not stack. But it does stack with physical shields.
WHOA THIS IS REALLY STRONG, like comically strong. Lemme put into perspective how much ac my paladin has---> 20 ( 17 from split, 2 from shield, 1 from fighting style)
I would sugguest lowering it to a +2
Wall of Shields: Your defense is spread out into many small shields. They fly around you randomly, disrupting all attacks. It gives both you and anyone attempting to attack you disadvantage. Unfortunately the Wall of Shields makes it too difficult to also use a physical shield, but it does leave enough room for the spell Shield
Kind of cool concept, opposite of the Barbarians Reckless attack
Proficient Force Field: Your force field improves, now adds your proficiency bonus x2 to what it did previously (Again stacking with The Form of Dread.)
This is comically OP. At max level your getting 17 temporary hit-points per round for no action, or even bonus action. Maybe make it scale "you gain temporary hitpoints equal to half your warlock level at the start of your turn INSTEAD of charisma modifier" To avoid multiclassing shenanigans
Improved Buckler: Lets your Shield defend against all attackers, and now blocks Magic Missile, just like the spell Shield.
So +5 AC against everyone. This ability needs a complete re-design. The base was already comically OP. I like the idea of giving blocks against certain spells. Maybe a +2 to AC against one enemy and a +2 to saving throws against that one enemy?
Crenelations: On your turn, your Defensive Wall opens up and longer gives you disadvantage, but still grants disadvantage to others UNLESS they are attacking when you are (i.e. readied action to hit you on your turn).
I don't understand what this ability is saying
This grouping below seems balanced
Airy Force Field: If you are using a Force Field, it provides a desperate air supply, allowing you to breath regardless of where you are and granting immunity against any poison or thunder based attacks that have a save. It does not grant immunity if an attack required a to hit as they penetrate the force field.
Spiked Buckler: Anyone within 10 ft of you that hits with a melee weapon while you have a Floating Buckler must make a Dex save equal to your spell DC or take your Charisma Bonus in Force damage as it strikes back. No action of any kind is necessary.
Wall at your Back: While you have a Wall of Shields up, you have advantage against any Strength or Dex based Saves.
Softening Field: Your Force Field grants you resistance to non-magical bludgeoning damage, including falling damage.
Yay now I am getting ( at level 9) 13 temporary hit-points a turn and resistance to the most common damage types and its up 100% of the time, at the cost of no action.
I would suggest for this ability to maybe "activate" or "empower" the force field for a minute or so once per short or long rest with these resistances
Arrow Catching Buckler: Any non-magical ranged attack that is more than 50 ft away from you automatically hits your Floating Buckler, not you. This will even block siege weapons and boulders.
Specific enough that it does not seem too powerful
Shadowy Wall: Except during your turn, your Wall of Shields is so thick and shadowy that it blocks Line of Sight to you, you can not be targeted by any spell that requires seeing you.
Well that covers about 95% of the spells in the game that require sight of the target, except for area of effect abilities I suppose. If you wanna keep the same make is "empower" x times per rest.
Anyways, just my thoughts
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Most spellcasters do not have permanent effects up. The warlock is the answer to someone that wants magical affects that work 100% of the time. They made several options for the person that wants to be the DPR mage-type. But they lets us down when it comes to defense. No always on defenses, despite some nice limited times ones (Tome of Levistus, Dread Form, Guardian Coil, etc.)
Here is my attempt at doing that. I created a new Pact and a whole bunch of Invocations to let you turn yourself into a Warlock Tank, Please tell me what you think - both of the concept as a whole and any individual abilities.
------
Pact of Defense
Your Patron has granted you some powerful defenses to keep you alive. You can use your action to create a Pact Defense. All are made of Force and surround you at all times.
You can choose any one of three forms each time you create it. If you choose one while one is in effect, the older one vanishes. Pact Defense lasts until dismissed as a bonus action, until you summon another, until you fall unconscious, or until you die.
Invocations:
All of these Invocations have a requirement of taking the Pact of Defense
Any level: These three do not have any level requirement.
Level 5. These three have a level requirement of 5 in addition to the Pact of Defense:
Quick Defense (Pre req of 7th level in addition to Pact of Defense): Lets you change your Defense as a free action rather than an action.
Level 9: These three have a level requirement of 9 in addition the Pact of Defense:
Double Defense (Pre-req of 15th level in addition to Pact of Defense): Lets you use an action to create a second defense without removing your first. The second defense lasts for upto 1 minute.
These abilities are all over the place in terms of balance, so I am going to do my best here
Seems balanced enough, nots not that much temp hp. It should not stack with Form of Dread, however. keep in mind it should not stack with Form of Dread because people playing this will be confused as temporary hp does not stack.
WHOA THIS IS REALLY STRONG, like comically strong. Lemme put into perspective how much ac my paladin has---> 20 ( 17 from split, 2 from shield, 1 from fighting style)
I would sugguest lowering it to a +2
Kind of cool concept, opposite of the Barbarians Reckless attack
This is comically OP. At max level your getting 17 temporary hit-points per round for no action, or even bonus action. Maybe make it scale "you gain temporary hitpoints equal to half your warlock level at the start of your turn INSTEAD of charisma modifier" To avoid multiclassing shenanigans
So +5 AC against everyone. This ability needs a complete re-design. The base was already comically OP. I like the idea of giving blocks against certain spells. Maybe a +2 to AC against one enemy and a +2 to saving throws against that one enemy?
I don't understand what this ability is saying
This grouping below seems balanced
Yay now I am getting ( at level 9) 13 temporary hit-points a turn and resistance to the most common damage types and its up 100% of the time, at the cost of no action.
I would suggest for this ability to maybe "activate" or "empower" the force field for a minute or so once per short or long rest with these resistances
Specific enough that it does not seem too powerful
Well that covers about 95% of the spells in the game that require sight of the target, except for area of effect abilities I suppose. If you wanna keep the same make is "empower" x times per rest.
Anyways, just my thoughts