I agree that the warlock needs a tweak. As it is, a player has to sink all their invocations in Mystic Aracana, losing the opportunity for much of what makes the class special. Your tweak is a good suggestion. Another would be to simply make the patron spells show up when spells of the appropriate level would be available to a regular caster. That way a warlock wouldn’t have to waste invocations at 5th and 7th level to get a 3rd or 4th level spell. Instead they could cast a patron spell once a day.
The latest test profile of Bard just dropped with them gaining probably the most broken suite of abilities I've ever seen (and I thought Divine Soul Sorcerer would be a bit of a player).
The choice of Arcane, Primal, and Divine at level 1, then all of them at level 10. Jack of All Trades. Expertise. A full caster. Valor Bard if you really need decent AC.
However they also made a significant change in the opposite direction for Bards: they don’t get to change prepared spells every rest as they did in the last proposal. They can change one spell prepared per level and max out at twenty some spells. Yes, they’ll be able to cast any spell, but they will have to stick with a repertoire and not have the flexibility of a cleric or wizard.
Good choice if you ask me, giving lots of interesting options in creating a bard, but not making them over powered.
Their first stab at warlocks had some good ideas but fell short. Let’s see how they do with the next one.
I agree that the warlock needs a tweak. As it is, a player has to sink all their invocations in Mystic Aracana, losing the opportunity for much of what makes the class special. Your tweak is a good suggestion. Another would be to simply make the patron spells show up when spells of the appropriate level would be available to a regular caster. That way a warlock wouldn’t have to waste invocations at 5th and 7th level to get a 3rd or 4th level spell. Instead they could cast a patron spell once a day.
uhm why shouldn't they? They get to use invocations to get higher level magical spells that other half caster don't get. Warlock is fine.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Because Warlocks aren’t half casters. Rangers and Paladins are half casters and they also have strong melee functions. You can make a warlock a half caster by using invocations to simulate the same thing. But most warlocks are casters. They drop a couple big nukes like a wizard or sorcerer and then instead of using utility lower level spells they use eldritch blast.
What makes them unique (aside from the short rest mechanic, which I agree is good to get rid of because it breaks up adventures in an odd way) is invocations. My 5th level warlock can’t do the variety of things my party’s sorcerer and wizard can, but he can drop two third level spells. He’s a full caster. Instead of a handful of 1st and 2nd level utility, he can change his appearance at will and speak to animals at will (archfey patron).
The problem with the previous new mechanic is that it pressures warlocks to take Mystic Arcana at 5th and 7th just to remain viable…causing them to give up the more interesting invocations.
But given the changes to other classes during the play test, I suspect they’ll fine tune this.
Is it only me who wonders why Warlock had to suffer so that the Short Rest could be done away with? Meanwhile the new UA Monk is more short rest dependent than ever.
Oh wait, my bad! I get it. They made Monk so horrifically terrible that nobody will ever play a monk. So there will still be no player characters in your party that are dependent on short rests. So I guess we should all be happy that they "saved" the Warlock by making them not dependent on the short rest.
-an invocation that allows you to change your familiar’s size/shape. Polymorphing the familiar into a bigger threat or a mount or something.
-renaming Patron Spells into Pact Magic and allowing one more cast, maybe at 10th lvl.
-Tweaking Book of Shadows to allow rituals of whatever level you are able to cast.
-adding back the language allowing you to grant resistance to your familiar, delivering spells, and buffing its HP. Also adding casting modifier to its damage with Favor of the Chain Master
- Change the capstone to allow you to summon a creature based on your patron.
Otherwise I actually really enjoy this iteration of the Warlock. It bakes in the flavor of an occultist from the get go and leans into the modular nature the class as a whole.
UA 5 Warlock too similar to other casters now. They are other ways of increasing caster potency without making Warlock more like Wizard. It's sad that homogenization is likely to hit Warlock class, too.
I agree that the warlock needs a tweak. As it is, a player has to sink all their invocations in Mystic Aracana, losing the opportunity for much of what makes the class special. Your tweak is a good suggestion. Another would be to simply make the patron spells show up when spells of the appropriate level would be available to a regular caster. That way a warlock wouldn’t have to waste invocations at 5th and 7th level to get a 3rd or 4th level spell. Instead they could cast a patron spell once a day.
The latest test profile of Bard just dropped with them gaining probably the most broken suite of abilities I've ever seen (and I thought Divine Soul Sorcerer would be a bit of a player).
The choice of Arcane, Primal, and Divine at level 1, then all of them at level 10. Jack of All Trades. Expertise. A full caster. Valor Bard if you really need decent AC.
Warlocks be over here just like... "WTF?"
Also Monks looking at College of Dance.
However they also made a significant change in the opposite direction for Bards: they don’t get to change prepared spells every rest as they did in the last proposal. They can change one spell prepared per level and max out at twenty some spells. Yes, they’ll be able to cast any spell, but they will have to stick with a repertoire and not have the flexibility of a cleric or wizard.
Good choice if you ask me, giving lots of interesting options in creating a bard, but not making them over powered.
Their first stab at warlocks had some good ideas but fell short. Let’s see how they do with the next one.
uhm why shouldn't they? They get to use invocations to get higher level magical spells that other half caster don't get. Warlock is fine.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Because Warlocks aren’t half casters. Rangers and Paladins are half casters and they also have strong melee functions. You can make a warlock a half caster by using invocations to simulate the same thing. But most warlocks are casters. They drop a couple big nukes like a wizard or sorcerer and then instead of using utility lower level spells they use eldritch blast.
What makes them unique (aside from the short rest mechanic, which I agree is good to get rid of because it breaks up adventures in an odd way) is invocations. My 5th level warlock can’t do the variety of things my party’s sorcerer and wizard can, but he can drop two third level spells. He’s a full caster. Instead of a handful of 1st and 2nd level utility, he can change his appearance at will and speak to animals at will (archfey patron).
The problem with the previous new mechanic is that it pressures warlocks to take Mystic Arcana at 5th and 7th just to remain viable…causing them to give up the more interesting invocations.
But given the changes to other classes during the play test, I suspect they’ll fine tune this.
Is it only me who wonders why Warlock had to suffer so that the Short Rest could be done away with? Meanwhile the new UA Monk is more short rest dependent than ever.
Oh wait, my bad! I get it. They made Monk so horrifically terrible that nobody will ever play a monk. So there will still be no player characters in your party that are dependent on short rests. So I guess we should all be happy that they "saved" the Warlock by making them not dependent on the short rest.
Nathair Sgiathach is my co-pilot
No, all they did was turn the most unique caster into a watered-down wizard.
My only items on the wishlist
-an invocation that allows you to change your familiar’s size/shape. Polymorphing the familiar into a bigger threat or a mount or something.
-renaming Patron Spells into Pact Magic and allowing one more cast, maybe at 10th lvl.
-Tweaking Book of Shadows to allow rituals of whatever level you are able to cast.
-adding back the language allowing you to grant resistance to your familiar, delivering spells, and buffing its HP. Also adding casting modifier to its damage with Favor of the Chain Master
- Change the capstone to allow you to summon a creature based on your patron.
Otherwise I actually really enjoy this iteration of the Warlock. It bakes in the flavor of an occultist from the get go and leans into the modular nature the class as a whole.
UA 5 Warlock too similar to other casters now. They are other ways of increasing caster potency without making Warlock more like Wizard. It's sad that homogenization is likely to hit Warlock class, too.
You’re behind the times. We’re up to UA 8 and they corrected the Warlock in UA 7.