Have you ever found it frustrating to lose concentration on one of your precious Pact Magic slots? Never again! May I present to you my latest character concept: Backpack Warlock!
This build takes advantage of the Warlock being a small character inside a medium character’s backpack (in this case, a small Plasmoid to avoid quibbles and a Skeleton Familiar), in order to benefit from Total Cover and gain advantage as an unseen attacker. This is achieved using Gaze of Two Minds, which can be reestablished by opening a modified internal flap for a 1” hole in the backpack, to touch the Skeleton.
The main benefit is that the flying Skeleton serves as a decoy to draws fire away from the Warlock/party and enables concentration to continue unchecked – even after the Skeleton dies, as what enemy would think to check a backpack in the middle of combat. Originally, I was going to just use True Strike but I realised that I was missing lots of damage from also using Magic Stone (using a second 1” hole flap to refill the stock of magic stones in a side pouch).
#2 Agonizing Blast: Magic Stone (up for some debate)
#3 Agonizing Blast: True Strike (up for some debate)
#4 Gaze of Two Minds
#5 Investment of the Chain Master
Skeleton Statblock(revived at will, for the cost of 10gp and an Action)
17ac (Studded Leather and Shield)
30hp (Regularly rest-casting Aid and/or Invisibility, this resting also grants Inspiring Leader)
40ft. Flying Speed (Investment of the Chain Master)
Skeleton Actions
Dodge, Disengage, Dash or Hide (as appropriate)
Magic Stone: 1d6+12 Radiant damage (Magic Stone with Agonizing Blast, plus the Bludgeoning damage becomes Radiant due to Investment of the Chain Master: Extra damage from Celestial Warlock’s Radiant Soul feature.) Not using when Invisibility has been cast on the Skeleton.
Warlock Actions
Actions
True Strike. 2d6+20 Radiant damage (5x Charisma modifier due to Magic Stone and True Strike, each with Agonizing Blast and then also Radiant Soul. The Attack Roll is with advantage as it is cast through Gaze of Two Minds and the Warlock is unseen) If Invisibility has been cast on the Skeleton, this wouldn’t break that invisibility.
Magic Stone. Every minute out of combat, when used in combat the Warlock will be blind until the start of the next turn.
Gaze of Two Minds. Every turn that restocking Magic Stone is not needed
Spell List:Magic Stone, Lesser Restoration and Misty Step,
Persona (Custom Pirate background)
First-mate Timber sent ahead by Captain Shiver to find a new refuge for the crew. Secretly Shiver’s is actually just hiding in Timber’s backpack, and Timber is not the bold adventurer 'he' appears to be but rather just a washed up/out corpse... The 'crew' is a colony of slimes looking for a new home, so they voted and sent their bravest member out into the world (Shiver is terrified by this).
Note: This build could do extra damage by using a hireling as the backpack holder for an additional Magic Stone use, but this would mess up the action economy and be morally dubious.
The big problem is for us that only have the 2024 PHB. There is no Pirate background and the sailor gets tavern brawl. Add to the no 2024PHB is what is a Plasmoid ?
The plasmoid is a player species from Spelljammer. They have the following features:
Amorphous
You can squeeze through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide, provided you are wearing and carrying nothing. You have advantage on ability checks you make to initiate or escape a grapple.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of yourself as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Hold Breath
You can hold your breath for 1 hour.
Natural Resilience
You have resistance to acid and poison damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.
Shape Self
As an action, you can reshape your body to give yourself a head, one or two arms, one or two legs, and makeshift hands and feet, or you can revert to a limbless blob. While you have a humanlike shape, you can wear clothing and armor made for a Humanoid of your size.
As a bonus action, you can extrude a pseudopod that is up to 6 inches wide and 10 feet long or reabsorb it into your body. As part of the same bonus action, you can use this pseudopod to manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, or pick up or set down a Tiny object. The pseudopod contains no sensory organs and can’t attack, activate magic items, or lift more than 10 pounds.
As for the "no pirate background" problem, you can use the rules in the DMG for creating custom backgrounds to create a custom Pirate background.
The big problem is for us that only have the 2024 PHB. There is no Pirate background and the sailor gets tavern brawl. Add to the no 2024PHB is what is a Plasmoid ?
Thank you Sequilonis for addressing both of these questions - super helpful!
I suppose the thing that I should add is that I chose Plasmoid because it is the easiest species to justifying being actually ABLE to fit in a Backpack. At medium size they normally weigh around 200-300lb. and so following the general rule for most things moving up or down a size category a small Plasmoid would normally weigh around 50-75lb.
A thirty pound Plasmoid is perfectly understandable though because that just means shedding more mass, they are able to do that as that is how they become Small. Normally a character’s weight is just a choice by the player anyway, and the rules are guidlines to help understand the norm: For example look at humans’ recommended size and weight and you can see how much real life examples we have of deviations from that ’norm.’
Another option is Fairy which can also weigh around 30lb. and so could possibly fit in a backpack but may get a bit cramped after a while!
Backpack Warlock
This build takes advantage of the Warlock being a small character inside a medium character’s backpack (in this case, a small Plasmoid to avoid quibbles and a Skeleton Familiar), in order to benefit from Total Cover and gain advantage as an unseen attacker. This is achieved using Gaze of Two Minds, which can be reestablished by opening a modified internal flap for a 1” hole in the backpack, to touch the Skeleton.
The main benefit is that the flying Skeleton serves as a decoy to draws fire away from the Warlock/party and enables concentration to continue unchecked – even after the Skeleton dies, as what enemy would think to check a backpack in the middle of combat. Originally, I was going to just use True Strike but I realised that I was missing lots of damage from also using Magic Stone (using a second 1” hole flap to refill the stock of magic stones in a side pouch).
Lv6 Plasmoid Celestial Warlock
8 Strength | 14 Dexterity | 16 Constitution | 8 Intelligence | 10 Wisdom | 18 Charisma
Background feat: Alert, lv4 Feat: Inspiring Leader (charisma)
Invocations:
#1 Pact of the Chain
#2 Agonizing Blast: Magic Stone (up for some debate)
#3 Agonizing Blast: True Strike (up for some debate)
#4 Gaze of Two Minds
#5 Investment of the Chain Master
Skeleton Statblock (revived at will, for the cost of 10gp and an Action)
17ac (Studded Leather and Shield)
30hp (Regularly rest-casting Aid and/or Invisibility, this resting also grants Inspiring Leader)
40ft. Flying Speed (Investment of the Chain Master)
Skeleton Actions
Dodge, Disengage, Dash or Hide (as appropriate)
Magic Stone: 1d6+12 Radiant damage (Magic Stone with Agonizing Blast, plus the Bludgeoning damage becomes Radiant due to Investment of the Chain Master: Extra damage from Celestial Warlock’s Radiant Soul feature.) Not using when Invisibility has been cast on the Skeleton.
Warlock Actions
Actions
True Strike. 2d6+20 Radiant damage (5x Charisma modifier due to Magic Stone and True Strike, each with Agonizing Blast and then also Radiant Soul. The Attack Roll is with advantage as it is cast through Gaze of Two Minds and the Warlock is unseen) If Invisibility has been cast on the Skeleton, this wouldn’t break that invisibility.
Spell List: Friends, Light, Sacred Flame, True Strike, Find Familiar (at will), Aid, Bane, Counterspell (reaction), Cure Wounds, Daylight, Fly, Guiding Bolt, Hypnotic Pattern, Invisibility, Revivify and Summon Undead.
Bonus Action
Magic Stone. Every minute out of combat, when used in combat the Warlock will be blind until the start of the next turn.
Gaze of Two Minds. Every turn that restocking Magic Stone is not needed
Spell List: Magic Stone, Lesser Restoration and Misty Step,
Persona (Custom Pirate background)
First-mate Timber sent ahead by Captain Shiver to find a new refuge for the crew. Secretly Shiver’s is actually just hiding in Timber’s backpack, and Timber is not the bold adventurer 'he' appears to be but rather just a washed up/out corpse... The 'crew' is a colony of slimes looking for a new home, so they voted and sent their bravest member out into the world (Shiver is terrified by this).
Note: This build could do extra damage by using a hireling as the backpack holder for an additional Magic Stone use, but this would mess up the action economy and be morally dubious.
The big problem is for us that only have the 2024 PHB. There is no Pirate background and the sailor gets tavern brawl. Add to the no 2024PHB is what is a Plasmoid ?
The plasmoid is a player species from Spelljammer. They have the following features:
Amorphous
You can squeeze through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide, provided you are wearing and carrying nothing. You have advantage on ability checks you make to initiate or escape a grapple.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of yourself as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Hold Breath
You can hold your breath for 1 hour.
Natural Resilience
You have resistance to acid and poison damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.
Shape Self
As an action, you can reshape your body to give yourself a head, one or two arms, one or two legs, and makeshift hands and feet, or you can revert to a limbless blob. While you have a humanlike shape, you can wear clothing and armor made for a Humanoid of your size.
As a bonus action, you can extrude a pseudopod that is up to 6 inches wide and 10 feet long or reabsorb it into your body. As part of the same bonus action, you can use this pseudopod to manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, or pick up or set down a Tiny object. The pseudopod contains no sensory organs and can’t attack, activate magic items, or lift more than 10 pounds.
As for the "no pirate background" problem, you can use the rules in the DMG for creating custom backgrounds to create a custom Pirate background.
Thank you Sequilonis for addressing both of these questions - super helpful!
I suppose the thing that I should add is that I chose Plasmoid because it is the easiest species to justifying being actually ABLE to fit in a Backpack. At medium size they normally weigh around 200-300lb. and so following the general rule for most things moving up or down a size category a small Plasmoid would normally weigh around 50-75lb.
A thirty pound Plasmoid is perfectly understandable though because that just means shedding more mass, they are able to do that as that is how they become Small. Normally a character’s weight is just a choice by the player anyway, and the rules are guidlines to help understand the norm: For example look at humans’ recommended size and weight and you can see how much real life examples we have of deviations from that ’norm.’
Another option is Fairy which can also weigh around 30lb. and so could possibly fit in a backpack but may get a bit cramped after a while!
I’ve also just considered Magic Stone and so edited my original post to include Magic Stone rather than just using a Crossbow, Heavy and True Strike.