Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
Sign in- Marketplace
Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
Sign in
CME is Conjure Minor Elementals.
And by 12th you've got most of the invocations you're ever going to get (8 of 10), almost all the real class features you're ever going to get. (Mystic Arcana is kind of a joke). You've got 3 of 4 spell slots (and it'll be another 5 levels before you get the 4th one), and they capped at level 5 already. Multiclassing for actual class features makes a ton of sense. There's typically nothing worth sticking around for. (A couple of the subclasses might make 14 worthwhile, but not all of them).
Not to be effective. But EB is just kind of boring without it.
EB is not why people play warlock. EB is what non-melee warlocks do when they don't have something better to do, or as an accessory to their other spells. It's boring like fighters taking the attack action is boring.
CME should not exist as a spell it is game breakingly good. And I'll somewhat agree on the invocations side, you should continue to get one every other level once it slows down at 5 and they should have more high level invocations.
But the mystic arcanum are solid high level spells once a day which is how most full casters work. Now warlocks have a terrible spell list including the mystic arcanum but their 9th level options are solid. Now I think WOTC should errata in a few more like bestow curse, steel wind strike, fabricate, reverse gravity, mass suggestion maybe wish as I think reality altering powers makes more sense when its backed by a powerful entity or bring back the clerics miracle version and give them that etc. They along with sorcerers, bards etc should get a unique spell every spell level that they don't hand out like candy to subclasses and feats. Some of their unique spells need some love hunger of hadar is just bad despite being really cool.
So while I think warlocks need some love instead of being ignored after a sort of half ass treatment in the PH. They are still a fun class to play throughout all their levels.
The Mystic Arcanum list is really limited. More importantly, you don't actually get level 6+ slots, so you can't up-cast into them, and you can't prepare more than one per spell level to have options (and that short list is full of situational things like Demiplane, Glibness, or Planeshift, or that really want to be up-cast like Etherealness); warlock higher level casting is no more than half as valuable as regular spellcasting at higher levels. Picking up metamagic, for example, is almost certainly stronger than a couple high level spells. And the biggest upside of Mystic Arcanum - that they are cast without a spell slot - is hard to make the best use of without metamagic. (And one 9th level spell in 5 levels is not a great value proposition if that's the only real reason to stick around).
I will agree that it is a major flavor fail that Bestow Curse isn't a Warlock spell, but that wouldn't keep me in Warlock longer.
The 8th level options are a huge wiff in the mystic arcanum, the 6th and 7th could be better but are not terrible, the 9th level options are good. It does look like in the arcana unleashed book warlocks are getting a lot of spell options. including a couple good 8th level arcanum. And sure 18-20 are kind of pointless for a warlock, 1 invocation and the 2nd half of your 2nd level recovery. So a 3 level dip at least would be more valuable. The lack of the ability to upcast arcanum is a limitation but very few spells are worth upcasting. There are a couple really good options that they lose out on though. But I would not say its worth giving up 7th-9th level arcana options for metamagic.
There aren't many 6+ spells worth upcasting (although Etherealness is far more useful when you can bring your party with you, and Create Undead is basically useless without upcasting - scratch that, Create Undead is useless at any spell slot level).
But there are definitely lower level spells worth upcasting into high spell slots, starting with Planar Binding and (if using backwards compatibility) Infernal Calling, especially in combination with each other. Indeed, Planar Binding is almost useless in a 5th level slot. It's only when you can start upcasting it that it has real value. (And those are hardly the only ones).
And it's not just metamagic. You get a bunch of spell slots that you can use for your spells which you don't care if they're up-cast.
They could have added 1 or 2 invocations that work with Subclasses features/theme.
Just allowing more Origin Feats is not a solution.
Arcana Unleashed would have been the perfect time to release an invocation or two boost Pact of the Tome. It definitely could do with some.
Crap just redo the existing ones that did not make it into 2024 so people can use them on beyond. Most of them are fairly balanced, some need some slight boosts. Just reprint most of them as is, the handful that need some work sure wait on those as it might take work(work that should be done by now since its year 2.) So many easy wins like getting the 2014 invocations into the game are not happening, it makes me think they are just working on 6e and knocking out a few things here and there to keep the lights on.
Instead of reprinting so we can use them we need to wait till the builder is rebuilt.
Ravenloft and AU aren't even third party release, they are official WoTC books. You think they would update some of the old ones at least if not come up with some new.
The only new ones I seen where with the UA Paramedial Warlock and it had two to go with the class.
The issue I have with the 2024 is there is little to choose from when you hit higher level, so you end up taking lower level ones instead.
Any Level:
Armor of Shadows
Eldritch Mind
Pact of the Blade
Pact of the Chain
Pact of the Tomb
Level 2+:
Agonizing Blast (repeatable)
Devil Sight
Eldritch Spear (repeatable)
Fiendish Vigor\Lessons of the First Ones (Repeatable)
Mask of Many Faces
Misty Visions
Otherworldly Leap
Repelling Blast (repeatable)
Level 5+:
Ascendant Step
Eldritch Smite
Gaze of Two Minds
Gift of the Depths
Investment of the Chain Master
Masters of Myriad Forms
One With Shadows
Thirsting Blade
Level 7+:
Whispers of the Grave
Level 9+:
Gift of the Protectors
Lifedrinker
Visions of Distant Realms
Level 12+:
Devouring Blade
Level 15+:
Witch Sight
Now this wouldn't be to bad if DNDBeyound allowed us to use the ones from Tasha too, but it won't let you put any non 2024/5.5e on a char made for 2024/5.5e. They should at least add them to the list. As you can see other than level 9 the other levels (7, 12 and 15) only have one high level option or you take a lower level.
They need to update them as some or not used cause they are updated (like the Pact stuff). This though would solve a lot of the issues with not having new ones. I still think when they update or bring in a new subclass they should of brought in some new or revised invocations to go with them.
Hell there better be one to let me use the Villain feats as Invocation choices for me to make a warlock lich......lol
Not sure if someone mentioned this already, but in a way they did. With the new origin feats and lessons of the first one, you have several really good feats you can stack on one character.
To be honest, I was hoping someone could help me incorporate them into my OG 5.5 build with the new warlock subclass, but I can make my own forum post for that.
not sure if it was in this thread but i have seen the sentiment before. It is true as the origin feats expand you gain more options. And some of those options may fit your build perfectly or do something you want, like i used in on a character to take tavern brawler so i could use true strike with improvised weapons. effective no, entertaining yes.
But despite the versatility since you have access to all origin feats generally origin feats are not as good as the other invocations. is tough bad, no. is it as good as fiendish vigor in most cases also no. are origin feats as good as turning invisible at will, generally no. heck even the jump spell at will will outpace them generally. sure mask of many faces unless your build fits it is worse than a lot of origin feats. But there are enough better ones and you only have so many invocations I do not think its as good as people think.
I think people get wrapped up in the options without actually buckling down and looking at what they would choose and if other invocations are actually better. But hey maybe you are in a party with multiple sources of temp hit points so tough looks better. or between the wizard and the cleric all level 1 rituals that are worth a dang are already covered so pact of the tome loses its wonder. Or you have a specific build where this 1 origin feat is perfect for you. So its not bad, but i think people overrate it a bit. But there is a reason its a level 2 invocation, do you really want that at level 9 in most cases if its not core to your build like agonizing blast, pact of the blade or whatever other low level invocation can claim.
Yeah, fair enough. I would probably only replace agonizing/repelling blast on my build for the lessons of the first ones… ones… since they are level 2 options anyway. Then again, I’m kind of OCD like that, but your statement does support such planning. What’s the point of taking all level 2s when you can get higher leveled ones designed to be tougher. Thus, it would be nice to have more options (or at least revised old options) of higher level to do so.
These are the eldritch invocations I was thinking of taking:
Pact of the Blade
Familiar Friend
Pact of the Chain
Portal Jumper
Thirsting Blade
Eldritch Mind
Arcane Omens
Devouring Blade
Witch’s Sight
Arcane Eloquence
i think its funny that all 4 you want are from arcana unleashed, so much power creep in that book.
And if it fits your build great, but i don't think arcane omens or eloquence are that great compared to other invocations. portal jumper is a good enough get out of jail free card it probably is, but unless i wanted a teleport focused build id take something else, and familiar friend is alright if you plan on taking connecting feats with it. otherwise there are better options.
I figure if I’m going to purchase the content I should want to use as much of it as I can. I had feats like agonizing blast, repelling blast, lifedrinker and visions of distant realms, but to me they aren’t as good. Probably lifedrinker is, but you get my point.
I agree with portal hopper and possibly familliar friend depending on how my build turns out. I’m still deciding on which cha+ feat I want to replace Warcaster (hence Eldritch Mind). I have it narrowed down between Evocation Adept and Otherworldly Familiar.