As the Raven Queen is an Unearthed Arcana subclass with it's own unique style, I thought it appropriate to talk about some of the tricks it's capable of pulling off, and perhaps certain Warlock spells or invocations that adds flavor to the subclass.
For instance...as The Raven Queen is described as living in a palace of cold and ice, and so her Patron spells include the cold spells "Ice Storm" and "Cone of Cold". Supplemental spells that the Warlock has available which fit this theme also include "Armor of Agathys", which gives you a layer of ice to serve as armor (fitting with the theme), or "Tomb of Levistus", an invocation that encases you in a solid block of ice to resist otherwise fatal damage (it's also hilarious). The invocation "Frost Lance" also adds additional utility to Eldritch Blast, slowing enemy movement speed by 10 feet with every hit.
Currently, I'm working on a way to encase myself in "Tomb of Levistus" while airborne, in order to drop myself on top of an enemy for pure bludgeoning damage...an unconventional use of an otherwise defensive invocation. And the Raven Queen subclass just happens to have the ability to become a raven...I might even re-name it to "Tomb of the Raven Queen"...
The ability to shift into your raven also provides amazing utility...depending on your interpretation of the rule, you don't take any damage while in your raven form, a perfect "Oh sh*t" panic button when a fight goes bad and you need to escape. The trade-off is that you cannot do much as a raven in battle, other than fly around or distract. It also makes for a masterful means of escaping during intrigue campaigns, where no one questions the presence of a bird (How did a raven get in here?!).
Of course, scouting with the raven is perfect.
The Raven Queen also has numerous themes of death, given her dominion, thought I lack the experience of necromantic spells to properly recommend any good ones, so if anyone has any juicy ideas, have at it!
Don't want to be a wet blanket, but the Raven your patron provides is only immune to damage/targeting while it is on your shoulder. It is not immune when flying about and you are not damage immune when you merge with it, at least, unless you persuade the DM to create a house rule or they don't read the rules closely enough (as it can be a bit confusing).
I went with Tome and took Find Familiar so I've got an owl familiar (mechanics-wise the owl's fly-by ability is awesome) and the raven, so I often have dueling scouts, and can give myself and another party member advantage with help actions.
Spiritual Weapon is on the Raven Queen spell list and combines really well with Hex and Eldritch Blast to lay out a ton of damage. I plan to pick up the invocations that allow me to push and pull enemies when EB hits in the future.
Spells-wise I went utility - between Warlock cantrips, Thiefling as race, and Tome, I have Eldritch Blast, Shape Water, Control Flames, Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, Message, and Thaumaturgy. I'll pick up minor illusion later. So I can generate nearly unlimited minor magical effects. Plus, ritual spells for more utility (alarm, detect magic, comprehend languages, etc).
For now I'm Hex focused so my other spells are situational - Shatter for an AOE, Spiritual Weapon for max damage output, Charm Person for utility, and Misty Step for escape and more utility.
At some point I may stop using hex so I can effectively use other concentration spells - which is most of the warlock spell list.
For flavor my spiritual weapon takes the form of a spectral raven and my EB is a blast of black energy laced with a crackling cold blue lightning.
Oh yes, the raven should only be immune to damage when safely on the shoulder, useful for the Perception bonuses.
The raven being more fragile when airborne actually makes more sense mechanically, as it allows you to gain advantage against whoever slays it.
I've been developing a backstory for the raven, as well...I have this concept that previous Warlocks that served the Raven Queen are rewarded for their service, allowed to remain in the Shadowfell as her stewards when they die...they are given some autonomy, and allowed to cross over into the material plane should they choose...however, since they are, in fact, dead, they cannot inhabit the body they died with. Thus, they manifest as a raven, and may guide other Warlocks in service to the Raven Queen. Sometimes, the Warlock simply died before fulfilling their Pact, and is actually forced to repay their debt to the Raven Queen by assisting other Warlocks where they failed, so it's either an honor or a punishment.
So the raven, at least in my interpretation, is the soul of a previous Warlock, passing along their knowledge and aid to the new one.
So here's a question for you: can the raven be used to help on nearly every attack and essentially give free advantage or are there limitations to that?
It's just like with familiars. First, the raven needs to leave your shoulder, so it can act. Then, it can take the help action every turn if you'd like, to give you advantage on your next attack roll. The raven is vulnerable to being targeted and killed while doing this.
There is a "cooldown" of sorts for the raven, once it has been killed by an enemy...I believe it returns to the warlock upon a short rest.
So that advantage you gain from it being slain by an enemy happens only once per encounter, roughly...if it gets routinely killed.
Since the raven is indestructible when it's perched on your shoulder, it becomes a matter of sending it against the "biggest bad" of the enemy force, so you can take them down when you need to.
The Raven Queen is Unearthed Arcana, and hasn't been officially added as a subclass here on D&D Beyond...yet.
However, the details of the subclass are available on Google if you search for "Pact of the Raven Queen", and you can copy the details and benefits into a Homebrew Subclass to use here on the website.
I'm currently playing a Raven Queen Warlock in a Curse Of Strahd campaign, and I'm quite enjoying it. The bird makes a great scout, and the boost to Perception when it's on your shoulder is really nice. Being able to merge with the raven at Level 6 is awesome, basically it's at-will utility flight. I was able to use it to get out of a tower that suppressed magic so I could join a fight down on the ground by leaping out the window and turning into the raven as soon as I was 5' away from the tower. :) Spiritual Weapon is a nice spell, but being limited to moving it 20' per turn rendered it less useful, so I traded it away. I might take it back soon since as a 4th level spell the damage output increases, but I've got other spells I really want to try. I'll probably take both Ice Storm and Cone Of Cold at some point. Warlocks have great single-target damage from Eldritch Blast, so I'm trying to take control/AoE spells when I can to use with my spell slots. Hex is a conundrum similar to Spiritual Weapon. Early on I don't actually think it's that useful, and it eats up your Concentration(when you're facing undead pretty regularly, being able to cast Protection From Evil on the squishy Monk really comes in handy). Even now with EB firing two bolts per casting, I'm not sure it's worth it. Xanathar's added some really cool 4th- and 5th-level spells, but several of them also require Concentration.
I'm currently playing a Raven Queen Warlock in a Curse Of Strahd campaign, and I'm quite enjoying it. The bird makes a great scout, and the boost to Perception when it's on your shoulder is really nice. Being able to merge with the raven at Level 6 is awesome, basically it's at-will utility flight. I was able to use it to get out of a tower that suppressed magic so I could join a fight down on the ground by leaping out the window and turning into the raven as soon as I was 5' away from the tower. :) Spiritual Weapon is a nice spell, but being limited to moving it 20' per turn rendered it less useful, so I traded it away. I might take it back soon since as a 4th level spell the damage output increases, but I've got other spells I really want to try. I'll probably take both Ice Storm and Cone Of Cold at some point. Warlocks have great single-target damage from Eldritch Blast, so I'm trying to take control/AoE spells when I can to use with my spell slots. Hex is a conundrum similar to Spiritual Weapon. Early on I don't actually think it's that useful, and it eats up your Concentration(when you're facing undead pretty regularly, being able to cast Protection From Evil on the squishy Monk really comes in handy). Even now with EB firing two bolts per casting, I'm not sure it's worth it. Xanathar's added some really cool 4th- and 5th-level spells, but several of them also require Concentration.
I guess it depends on how you look at it...
With Eldritch Blast w/ agonizing blast and two bolts you could be doing:
1d10 (5.5 average damage) + 1d6 from Hex (3.5 average damage) + CHA Mod (should be a +4 by 4th level if you are maxing) = 13 average damage per bolt or 26 for both at 5th level.
Factor in that you could be doing 22 average damage per bolt if you manage to critical on both you would be doing 44 average damage in one round. Granted this a small chance but it could happen and would be easier to do with the advantage the Raven gives you if it dies.
Factor in the Spiritual Weapon (1d8 (4.5 average) +4) damage you could be doing on top of that you are looking at 34.5 average damage per round without hitting a critical. If you use the Raven and the Help action you could be getting advantage as well.
SO while the Protection from Good and Evil is very good...if you can kill the threat instead of mitigating the damage it is doing you are really opening up more options for the Monk. They dont have to use their abilities to finish off the creature they are facing and can focus on a new one.
So you can see it from both sides as sometimes the best defense is a good offense or vice versa. It really depends on party comp and how many damage dealers you have. I focus on using Hex a lot and non-concentration buff/debuff/defensive spells.
Of course that is just my opinion and your playstyle will of course vary
For flavor my spiritual weapon takes the form of a spectral raven and my EB is a blast of black energy laced with a crackling cold blue lightning.
Its that a home brew rule or can my spiritual weapon takes the form of a spectral animals? I know the rules say something to the effect of it can take the form of something symbolic.
Or I think 5E said at the top a weapon but then at the bottom it could take any form
My Hexblade's EB is a pulse of darkforce, her Misty Step is more shadowy than the typical silvery, and when she calls her 2nd pact weapon (not her "special" weapon...) she carries a legbone, and swirls shadows around it until they harden into an obsidian Warhammer.
Are you melee - Bladelock / Hexblade, or are you a caster - Tomelock? Either way, War Caster might be nice, to get advantage on Con saves to keep concentration spells active (like Hex...)
Depends on your melee weapon if your weapon has "finesse" property like rapier you can choose to use your DEX or STR. Dex usually more handy because they also effect your AC on light/medium armor your iniative and more dex skill.
I have a melee-heavy Hexblade Warlock, with Raven Queen patron. She's got 18 CHA, 14 DEX, and uses a patron-given Katana. Don't need strength, if you use a finesse weapon. My DM gave her weapon both Finesse and Versatile properties, so that's a huge bonus. I would have chosen to have only Finesse, if I had to make the choice, but it sure was nice rolling 2 perfect 10s, along with +5 x2 for 30 total damage in one round.
I don't do a lot of casting, but if I took a feat, it would have been War Caster since she gets hit pretty often. Works great with the Hex spell, or Hexblade's Curse.
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Greetings!
As the Raven Queen is an Unearthed Arcana subclass with it's own unique style, I thought it appropriate to talk about some of the tricks it's capable of pulling off, and perhaps certain Warlock spells or invocations that adds flavor to the subclass.
For instance...as The Raven Queen is described as living in a palace of cold and ice, and so her Patron spells include the cold spells "Ice Storm" and "Cone of Cold". Supplemental spells that the Warlock has available which fit this theme also include "Armor of Agathys", which gives you a layer of ice to serve as armor (fitting with the theme), or "Tomb of Levistus", an invocation that encases you in a solid block of ice to resist otherwise fatal damage (it's also hilarious). The invocation "Frost Lance" also adds additional utility to Eldritch Blast, slowing enemy movement speed by 10 feet with every hit.
Currently, I'm working on a way to encase myself in "Tomb of Levistus" while airborne, in order to drop myself on top of an enemy for pure bludgeoning damage...an unconventional use of an otherwise defensive invocation. And the Raven Queen subclass just happens to have the ability to become a raven...I might even re-name it to "Tomb of the Raven Queen"...
The ability to shift into your raven also provides amazing utility...depending on your interpretation of the rule, you don't take any damage while in your raven form, a perfect "Oh sh*t" panic button when a fight goes bad and you need to escape. The trade-off is that you cannot do much as a raven in battle, other than fly around or distract. It also makes for a masterful means of escaping during intrigue campaigns, where no one questions the presence of a bird (How did a raven get in here?!).
Of course, scouting with the raven is perfect.
The Raven Queen also has numerous themes of death, given her dominion, thought I lack the experience of necromantic spells to properly recommend any good ones, so if anyone has any juicy ideas, have at it!
I've got a 4th level Raven Queen warlock.
Don't want to be a wet blanket, but the Raven your patron provides is only immune to damage/targeting while it is on your shoulder. It is not immune when flying about and you are not damage immune when you merge with it, at least, unless you persuade the DM to create a house rule or they don't read the rules closely enough (as it can be a bit confusing).
I went with Tome and took Find Familiar so I've got an owl familiar (mechanics-wise the owl's fly-by ability is awesome) and the raven, so I often have dueling scouts, and can give myself and another party member advantage with help actions.
Spiritual Weapon is on the Raven Queen spell list and combines really well with Hex and Eldritch Blast to lay out a ton of damage. I plan to pick up the invocations that allow me to push and pull enemies when EB hits in the future.
Spells-wise I went utility - between Warlock cantrips, Thiefling as race, and Tome, I have Eldritch Blast, Shape Water, Control Flames, Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, Message, and Thaumaturgy. I'll pick up minor illusion later. So I can generate nearly unlimited minor magical effects. Plus, ritual spells for more utility (alarm, detect magic, comprehend languages, etc).
For now I'm Hex focused so my other spells are situational - Shatter for an AOE, Spiritual Weapon for max damage output, Charm Person for utility, and Misty Step for escape and more utility.
At some point I may stop using hex so I can effectively use other concentration spells - which is most of the warlock spell list.
For flavor my spiritual weapon takes the form of a spectral raven and my EB is a blast of black energy laced with a crackling cold blue lightning.
Oh yes, the raven should only be immune to damage when safely on the shoulder, useful for the Perception bonuses.
The raven being more fragile when airborne actually makes more sense mechanically, as it allows you to gain advantage against whoever slays it.
I've been developing a backstory for the raven, as well...I have this concept that previous Warlocks that served the Raven Queen are rewarded for their service, allowed to remain in the Shadowfell as her stewards when they die...they are given some autonomy, and allowed to cross over into the material plane should they choose...however, since they are, in fact, dead, they cannot inhabit the body they died with. Thus, they manifest as a raven, and may guide other Warlocks in service to the Raven Queen. Sometimes, the Warlock simply died before fulfilling their Pact, and is actually forced to repay their debt to the Raven Queen by assisting other Warlocks where they failed, so it's either an honor or a punishment.
So the raven, at least in my interpretation, is the soul of a previous Warlock, passing along their knowledge and aid to the new one.
So here's a question for you: can the raven be used to help on nearly every attack and essentially give free advantage or are there limitations to that?
It's just like with familiars. First, the raven needs to leave your shoulder, so it can act. Then, it can take the help action every turn if you'd like, to give you advantage on your next attack roll. The raven is vulnerable to being targeted and killed while doing this.
There is a "cooldown" of sorts for the raven, once it has been killed by an enemy...I believe it returns to the warlock upon a short rest.
So that advantage you gain from it being slain by an enemy happens only once per encounter, roughly...if it gets routinely killed.
Since the raven is indestructible when it's perched on your shoulder, it becomes a matter of sending it against the "biggest bad" of the enemy force, so you can take them down when you need to.
Where can I get the Raven queen patron so I can make a warlock?
The Raven Queen is Unearthed Arcana, and hasn't been officially added as a subclass here on D&D Beyond...yet.
However, the details of the subclass are available on Google if you search for "Pact of the Raven Queen", and you can copy the details and benefits into a Homebrew Subclass to use here on the website.
I'm currently playing a Raven Queen Warlock in a Curse Of Strahd campaign, and I'm quite enjoying it. The bird makes a great scout, and the boost to Perception when it's on your shoulder is really nice. Being able to merge with the raven at Level 6 is awesome, basically it's at-will utility flight. I was able to use it to get out of a tower that suppressed magic so I could join a fight down on the ground by leaping out the window and turning into the raven as soon as I was 5' away from the tower. :) Spiritual Weapon is a nice spell, but being limited to moving it 20' per turn rendered it less useful, so I traded it away. I might take it back soon since as a 4th level spell the damage output increases, but I've got other spells I really want to try. I'll probably take both Ice Storm and Cone Of Cold at some point. Warlocks have great single-target damage from Eldritch Blast, so I'm trying to take control/AoE spells when I can to use with my spell slots. Hex is a conundrum similar to Spiritual Weapon. Early on I don't actually think it's that useful, and it eats up your Concentration(when you're facing undead pretty regularly, being able to cast Protection From Evil on the squishy Monk really comes in handy). Even now with EB firing two bolts per casting, I'm not sure it's worth it. Xanathar's added some really cool 4th- and 5th-level spells, but several of them also require Concentration.
This makes me wanna try to make a celtic Mórrígan style warlock
Its that a home brew rule or can my spiritual weapon takes the form of a spectral animals? I know the rules say something to the effect of it can take the form of something symbolic.
Or I think 5E said at the top a weapon but then at the bottom it could take any form
My Hexblade's EB is a pulse of darkforce, her Misty Step is more shadowy than the typical silvery, and when she calls her 2nd pact weapon (not her "special" weapon...) she carries a legbone, and swirls shadows around it until they harden into an obsidian Warhammer.
The critical bit is that it mainly just does force damage.
This means no fancy tricks or complex commands similar to "Find Familiar", just damage.
This allows it to be extremely flavorful.
Sometimes I switch it up and make it a massive tombstone.
Hey all,
at 6th level when you merge with the body of the raven, do you retain your skills?
Basically I want to know that if I take the observant feat - does that apply when I’m in raven form
I'm hoping to create a Raven Queen Warlock from a variant human.
What is a beneficial feat to take? I was thinking ritual caster or magical initiate or crossbow expert. I'm not sure as there are too many choices.
Are you melee - Bladelock / Hexblade, or are you a caster - Tomelock?
Either way, War Caster might be nice, to get advantage on Con saves to keep concentration spells active (like Hex...)
Mike, Thanks. I think I'm going with War Caster. If I go Bladelock I'll have to have significant strength? Tomelock Cha?
Depends on your melee weapon if your weapon has "finesse" property like rapier you can choose to use your DEX or STR. Dex usually more handy because they also effect your AC on light/medium armor your iniative and more dex skill.
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I have a melee-heavy Hexblade Warlock, with Raven Queen patron. She's got 18 CHA, 14 DEX, and uses a patron-given Katana. Don't need strength, if you use a finesse weapon. My DM gave her weapon both Finesse and Versatile properties, so that's a huge bonus. I would have chosen to have only Finesse, if I had to make the choice, but it sure was nice rolling 2 perfect 10s, along with +5 x2 for 30 total damage in one round.
I don't do a lot of casting, but if I took a feat, it would have been War Caster since she gets hit pretty often. Works great with the Hex spell, or Hexblade's Curse.
ddb.ac/characters/3696324/1C3iXh