If I use the ability with Pact of the Blade to bond to a specific magic weapon, does that restrict all future uses to always summon that particular magic weapon, rather than allowing me to create a different weapon if I require one?
In this particular case, I might want to bond to a good bow, but still be able to create melee weapons.
I think I would rule that no, you cannot create a new melee pact weapon because, as written,
You can transform one magic weapon into your pact weapon by performing a special ritual while you hold the weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. You can then dismiss the weapon, shunting it into an extradimensional space, and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter. You can’t affect an artifact or a sentient weapon in this way. The weapon ceases being your pact weapon if you die, if you perform the 1-hour ritual on a different weapon, or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it. The weapon appears at your feet if it is in the extradimensional space when the bond breaks.
You transform the magic weapon into your pact weapon, so your pact weapon IS the magic weapon.
When you summon something else:
You can use your action to create a pact weapon in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it (see the Weapons section for weapon options). You are proficient with it while you wield it. This weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Your pact weapon is already set as the magic item, so I would rule that no, you cannot create a new magical item.
The wording seems to imply that there is only ever a single pact weapon, which is either a magic weapon you've bonded through the 1 hour ritual, or the "default" pact weapon which can take any form you like when you summon it. I suspect you're not supposed to mix and match these abilities, so the only way you can regain the "default" weapon would be to spend an hour breaking the bond with your magic weapon so you can have them both separately.
But the wording is a bit vague, and I could totally see a DM ruling either way on it.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
"and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter" seems pretty clear to me. You can either have a focused weapon summon that is better at doing one thing (bonded magic weapon) or have access to many weapons which are decent, but nothing to get excited about (the default ability). Are you a expert in one field, or a jack of all trades?
IMO, the closest you can get to both is bonding to a weapon that fills multiple roles, like a spear or hoopak. But that requires your action to summon it back into your hand. Don't suppose your warlock is a dwarf?
It's the reason I prefer to take the Improved Pact Weapon feat rather than look for a magical weapon. +1 is good enough, and the flexibility of weapons to summon (using an action) compensates for the limitation.
I suppose, if I could get a +2 double-bladed scimitar, I might consider bonding to it.
Wow, I'm not reading that the same way as y'all. I think. The key phrase for the original question is this:
...or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it.
So if your warlock happens upon, say, a flame tongue sword, the warlock can spend an hour performing the ritual which bonds the weapon to the warlock as their pact weapon. The flame tongue is then the pact weapon of the warlock, and it's the only one they can summon or dismiss.
Should the warlock wish to summon a different weapon (a bow, an axe, whatever), the warlock can break that bond deliberately over the course of an hour and then they are free to summon a pact weapon as normal.
Wow, I'm not reading that the same way as y'all. I think. The key phrase for the original question is this:
...or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it.
So if your warlock happens upon, say, a flame tongue sword, the warlock can spend an hour performing the ritual which bonds the weapon to the warlock as their pact weapon. The flame tongue is then the pact weapon of the warlock, and it's the only one they can summon or dismiss.
Should the warlock wish to summon a different weapon (a bow, an axe, whatever), the warlock can break that bond deliberately over the course of an hour and then they are free to summon a pact weapon as normal.
Yes, and if you found a suitably powerful weapon, Staff of Power for example, it'd be worth making it your pact weapon. And if it's overkill for what you need, just tuck it back in your Bag of Holding and go back to your summoned weapon.
Wow, I'm not reading that the same way as y'all. I think. The key phrase for the original question is this:
...or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it.
So if your warlock happens upon, say, a flame tongue sword, the warlock can spend an hour performing the ritual which bonds the weapon to the warlock as their pact weapon. The flame tongue is then the pact weapon of the warlock, and it's the only one they can summon or dismiss.
Should the warlock wish to summon a different weapon (a bow, an axe, whatever), the warlock can break that bond deliberately over the course of an hour and then they are free to summon a pact weapon as normal.
Yes, and if you found a suitably powerful weapon, Staff of Power for example, it'd be worth making it your pact weapon. And if it's overkill for what you need, just tuck it back in your Bag of Holding and go back to your summoned weapon.
Why would a Bag of Holding change anything? "The weapon ceases being your pact weapon if you die, if you perform the 1-hour ritual on a different weapon, or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it. " Not only is there no mention of being in different dimensions a way to break the bond, but Bladelocks explicitly have the ability to put the bonded weapon into a extra-dimensional space & summon it from there.
I think they just mean it's somewhere handy to put a weapon you're only using sometimes (not your pact weapon), i.e- in that case the "default" choose-your-own pact weapon is the pact weapon, and the staff of power is held in reserve for a special occasion, like somebody's birthday (or funeral). 😉
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
You might be aware of this already, but for what it's worth as a Hexblade with Pact of the Blade you can effectively extend the benefits of Hex Warrior (using CHA for attack and damage) to up to two weapons. Your Pact Weapon automatically inherits the benefits of Hex Warrior, but you can still choose a secondary Hex Weapon at the end of each long rest (provided it doesn't have the two-handed property). However, only your Pact Weapon gains the benefits of invocations that specifically call out the Pact Weapon such as Improved Pact Weapon and Lifedrinker.
So if you really want the flexibility of being able to summon whatever kind of Pact Weapon you want, just make your primary weapon your Hex Weapon.
You might be aware of this already, but for what it's worth as a Hexblade with Pact of the Blade you can effectively extend the benefits of Hex Warrior (using CHA for attack and damage) to up to two weapons. Your Pact Weapon automatically inherits the benefits of Hex Warrior, but you can still choose a secondary Hex Weapon at the end of each long rest (provided it doesn't have the two-handed property). However, only your Pact Weapon gains the benefits of invocations that specifically call out the Pact Weapon such as Improved Pact Weapon and Lifedrinker.
So if you really want the flexibility of being able to summon whatever kind of Pact Weapon you want, just make your primary weapon your Hex Weapon.
I don't agree with this interpretation of the text.
It says:
The influence of your patron also allows you to mystically channel your will through a particular weapon. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch one weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks the two-handed property. When you attack with that weapon, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest. If you later gain the Pact of the Blade feature, this benefit extends to every pact weapon you conjure with that feature, no matter the weapon’s type.
My understanding of this is that the warlock can touch ONE weapon, and one weapon only, and mystically channel their will through. This ability is restricted to weapons that A) the warlock is proficient in and B) do NOT have the two-handed property. IF the warlock choose Pact of the Blade, this feature is expanded so that the warlock can choose ANY weapon...but they're still only able to do it to one weapon at a time.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
If I use the ability with Pact of the Blade to bond to a specific magic weapon, does that restrict all future uses to always summon that particular magic weapon, rather than allowing me to create a different weapon if I require one?
In this particular case, I might want to bond to a good bow, but still be able to create melee weapons.
I think I would rule that no, you cannot create a new melee pact weapon because, as written,
You can transform one magic weapon into your pact weapon by performing a special ritual while you hold the weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. You can then dismiss the weapon, shunting it into an extradimensional space, and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter. You can’t affect an artifact or a sentient weapon in this way. The weapon ceases being your pact weapon if you die, if you perform the 1-hour ritual on a different weapon, or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it. The weapon appears at your feet if it is in the extradimensional space when the bond breaks.
You transform the magic weapon into your pact weapon, so your pact weapon IS the magic weapon.
When you summon something else:
You can use your action to create a pact weapon in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it (see the Weapons section for weapon options). You are proficient with it while you wield it. This weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Your pact weapon is already set as the magic item, so I would rule that no, you cannot create a new magical item.
DMing:
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Playing:
None sadly.
Optimization Guides:
Literally Too Angry to Die - A Guide to Optimizing a Barbarian
The wording seems to imply that there is only ever a single pact weapon, which is either a magic weapon you've bonded through the 1 hour ritual, or the "default" pact weapon which can take any form you like when you summon it. I suspect you're not supposed to mix and match these abilities, so the only way you can regain the "default" weapon would be to spend an hour breaking the bond with your magic weapon so you can have them both separately.
But the wording is a bit vague, and I could totally see a DM ruling either way on it.Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
"and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter" seems pretty clear to me. You can either have a focused weapon summon that is better at doing one thing (bonded magic weapon) or have access to many weapons which are decent, but nothing to get excited about (the default ability). Are you a expert in one field, or a jack of all trades?
IMO, the closest you can get to both is bonding to a weapon that fills multiple roles, like a spear or hoopak. But that requires your action to summon it back into your hand. Don't suppose your warlock is a dwarf?
It's the reason I prefer to take the Improved Pact Weapon feat rather than look for a magical weapon. +1 is good enough, and the flexibility of weapons to summon (using an action) compensates for the limitation.
I suppose, if I could get a +2 double-bladed scimitar, I might consider bonding to it.
Thanks all, unfortunately you all agree with the less favourable (but accurate) interpretation of the wording.
Wow, I'm not reading that the same way as y'all. I think. The key phrase for the original question is this:
So if your warlock happens upon, say, a flame tongue sword, the warlock can spend an hour performing the ritual which bonds the weapon to the warlock as their pact weapon. The flame tongue is then the pact weapon of the warlock, and it's the only one they can summon or dismiss.
Should the warlock wish to summon a different weapon (a bow, an axe, whatever), the warlock can break that bond deliberately over the course of an hour and then they are free to summon a pact weapon as normal.
Yes, and if you found a suitably powerful weapon, Staff of Power for example, it'd be worth making it your pact weapon. And if it's overkill for what you need, just tuck it back in your Bag of Holding and go back to your summoned weapon.
Why would a Bag of Holding change anything? "The weapon ceases being your pact weapon if you die, if you perform the 1-hour ritual on a different weapon, or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it. " Not only is there no mention of being in different dimensions a way to break the bond, but Bladelocks explicitly have the ability to put the bonded weapon into a extra-dimensional space & summon it from there.
I think they just mean it's somewhere handy to put a weapon you're only using sometimes (not your pact weapon), i.e- in that case the "default" choose-your-own pact weapon is the pact weapon, and the staff of power is held in reserve for a special occasion, like somebody's birthday (or funeral). 😉
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
You might be aware of this already, but for what it's worth as a Hexblade with Pact of the Blade you can effectively extend the benefits of Hex Warrior (using CHA for attack and damage) to up to two weapons. Your Pact Weapon automatically inherits the benefits of Hex Warrior, but you can still choose a secondary Hex Weapon at the end of each long rest (provided it doesn't have the two-handed property). However, only your Pact Weapon gains the benefits of invocations that specifically call out the Pact Weapon such as Improved Pact Weapon and Lifedrinker.
So if you really want the flexibility of being able to summon whatever kind of Pact Weapon you want, just make your primary weapon your Hex Weapon.
I don't agree with this interpretation of the text.
It says:
My understanding of this is that the warlock can touch ONE weapon, and one weapon only, and mystically channel their will through. This ability is restricted to weapons that A) the warlock is proficient in and B) do NOT have the two-handed property. IF the warlock choose Pact of the Blade, this feature is expanded so that the warlock can choose ANY weapon...but they're still only able to do it to one weapon at a time.