I've played a couple of warlocks and I've never multi-classed. Every level of Warlock gives something that I want enough to make sticking with Warlock instead of multi-classing worthwhile. My huge, huge issue with multi-classing is if you multi-class you either miss out on a level that's a big bump in power like getting access to a higher level of spell or you miss out on an ability score increase. Both of those are so powerful that I can't multi-class.
Im running a pure Feylock right now and she is currently level 11 almost 12. Thus far I haven't seen anything I want more than the next invocation or mystic arcanum etc etc. I will admit the level 20 capstone for Warlock is very lackluster but my DM and I are currently planning to implement patron specific capstones to make it more of an incentive for level 20. We are using the Paladin capstones for inspiration mechanically and thematically. For my Feylock it is going to be the following:
Wonder of the Fey- Once per long rest, you assume the majesty and raw magical power of the Archfey. Your patron features are recharged and for 1 minute you gain the following benefits & abilities
Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks. Immune to Fear & Restrained.
Normal Creatures roll at disadvantage against all magic you cast with a charm effect and creatures with charm immunity are subject to your charm effects but roll their saving throw with advantage.
Time Shift- You can draw on the time shifting nature of the Feywild for your benefit. While Wonder of the Fey is active, all cantrips can be cast as a bonus action.
Back when I was running a Fey/Bladelock based purely on PHB material, there wasn't much support for Bladelocks beyond 12th level (after you've got Lifedrinker you're done), so I multiclassed into Rogue. My GM allowed me to use the UA version of the Swashbuckler archetype at the time, because it fit the character well.
Now that Xanathar's Guide is out, I'm revisiting that character concept. XGtE offers more support for Bladelocks, so I'll likely advance my original class all the way to 20th this time around. I'm 9th level now and I'm really looking forward to playing the higher levels.
Edited to add: the Warlock's capstone feature may not be exciting, but I'd hardly call it "lackluster." Regaining 20 spell levels in one minute is an awesome power-up!
I am running a Full Warlock up to 12 so far. It has been fine. Part of the reason is that I really think multi-classing is bad for a game and results in some really stupid builds that people then justify as "fitting concept", no matter how silly that concept may be.
Warlocks are about resource management and their progression reflects that. It takes discipline and creativity to play well but when they are played well they are wonderful. People multi-classing are doing themselves a disservice by not undertaking the challenge. Every level you invest in another class slows your progression as a Warlock and really hurts as time goes on. Your are not just sacrificing your high end abilities you are slowing your advancement at every level.
I guess I call it "lackluster" in comparison to some of the other high level abilities/capstones of other classes and find it definitely lacking. And warlock is not alone in this, several of the classes have very underwhelming capstones vs others. Consider the following capstones-
Druid- Unlimited Wild Shape- Moon Druids and Spore Druids just became the tankiest SOB's on the planet. Moon Druid now has unlimited elemental form at will while still retaining the abilities of a powerful full spell caster. Spore Druids can give themselves a massive 80 temporary hitpoints as well as damage bonuses at will. For all other Druid Circles- this still represents on average an extra 30 HP at will along with various utility abilities such as flying or swim speed or enhanced senses of some kind.
Barbarian- +4 Strength & Constitution up to 24 for both. This is an permanent extra 40 HP, extra +2 to hit & damage and it is massively thematic.
Paladin- Become the avatar of your God and gain huge benefits for 1 minute without concentration...yes please. Some of the benefits include- Resistance to all damage. Full Extra Attack, 30 Ft Radius of no save radiant damage, Damage Reflection, Healing every round, all spells cast with a bonus action, Flight and Frighten anything within 30 ft of you.
Cleric- Guaranteed once a week Divine Intervention. That's basically a free Wish Spell once a week with a much lesser chance of adverse effects since it is your Deity coming to help you so they are invested in your success. Not sure what more to say than free once a week consequence free Wish Spell.
Fighter- 4th Extra Attack on Attack Action- not glamorous and flashy but it's permanent, relevant and useful to everything that a fighter is.
Wizard- 2 free 3rd level slots that don't have to be prepared and recharge on a short rest? Yes Please. This after already getting an at will 1st level and 2nd level spell. Infinite Shield and Misty Step? Yes please.
Contrast those capstones which either make signature abilities more permanent/relevant or adds new abilities to the following:
Warlock- Once per day you can recharge just your 4 5th level spells in 1 minute instead of 60 minutes. Congrats your awesome new ability is to save 59 minutes of in game time once per day...Contrast this vs Paladin, Cleric or Wizard for a moment...
Bard- You know that signature ability of your class-Bardic Inspiration? Normally you can do this max 5 times per day. Now you can do it like a few more times but ONLY if you are fighting people not if you are trying to do a good RP session. Contrast this vs Druid for a moment....
Ranger- Once per turn your attack either can hit easier or do a bit more damage but only against your favored enemies. Contrast this vs Barbarian....
Sorcerer- You now regain 20% of your primary unique resource on a short rest. I would argue this is marginally better than Bard but honestly it should be more like Monk where you regain these points on initiative rolls.
Monk- You regain 20% of your Ki when you roll initiative and have none. This one and Sorcerer are very middle of the road. Marginally useful but not terribly thematic and not game changing in any way.
Warlock- Once per day you can recharge just your 4 5th level spells in 1 minute instead of 60 minutes. Congrats your awesome new ability is to save 59 minutes of in game time once per day...Contrast this vs Paladin, Cleric or Wizard for a moment...
You are limited to the number of short rests between long rests. Warlocks have to be tight at resource management and this gives them a way to refresh their spells in addition to their allotted short rests. It allows them to break the rest/recharge economy. Some DM's will not allow a short rest between encounters but it is almost impossible to say the party cannot stop for a minute (literally).
Maybe not as strong as some other options but not trivial either.
I'm playing my first D&D session ever, using my first ever character a fiend tome lock. HIGHLY looking into taking 5 levels of sorcerer for a myriad of reasons (divine origin 2d4 dice feature, sorc & cleric spell lists, (9) more spell slots but the 2 biggest reasons -- quickened EB and (twinned) haste AND Slow (got a little peeved that slow costs an invocation AND spell slot)..
But as I'm [slowly] leveling up I don't know where I could even take a break from warlock progression.. ughh I've asked a few people, no solid advice.. especially since I have no clue how endgame works for a spellcaster
Warlock- Once per day you can recharge just your 4 5th level spells in 1 minute instead of 60 minutes. Congrats your awesome new ability is to save 59 minutes of in game time once per day...Contrast this vs Paladin, Cleric or Wizard for a moment...
You are limited to the number of short rests between long rests. Warlocks have to be tight at resource management and this gives them a way to refresh their spells in addition to their allotted short rests. It allows them to break the rest/recharge economy. Some DM's will not allow a short rest between encounters but it is almost impossible to say the party cannot stop for a minute (literally).
Maybe not as strong as some other options but not trivial either.
Technically you can have as many short rests as you like. The DM guide says a typical day will have 2 but there is no RAW saying you can't have more. Practically however, I agree with you. This is why I did not say it was useless but rather lackluster as in uninspired, dull, tame and lifeless. It just feels very much like they got to some of these classes and said "Dang, I've got a migraine and can't do any more creating today. Let's take their signature class ability and let them do it better once per day."
About to start play as a warlock. Multiclassing at some point is theoretically possible, but not planned for any time soon. Straight PHB for now. Level one. I haven't played a first level character in a while. Like, in a couple of editions. This should be interesting.
About to start play as a warlock. Multiclassing at some point is theoretically possible, but not planned for any time soon. Straight PHB for now. Level one. I haven't played a first level character in a while. Like, in a couple of editions. This should be interesting.
First level is different in 5E. The XP progression is set up so that you'll advance through 1st and 2nd level very quickly; one or two sessions per level is typical. After that it'll slow down a bit. Assuming you get there. It's still fairly easy for a 1st level character to die, although it's nothing like 1E. (Gawdallmightee that was awful!)
I'm playing my first D&D session ever, using my first ever character a fiend tome lock. HIGHLY looking into taking 5 levels of sorcerer for a myriad of reasons (divine origin 2d4 dice feature, sorc & cleric spell lists, (9) more spell slots but the 2 biggest reasons -- quickened EB and (twinned) haste AND Slow (got a little peeved that slow costs an invocation AND spell slot)..
But as I'm [slowly] leveling up I don't know where I could even take a break from warlock progression.. ughh I've asked a few people, no solid advice.. especially since I have no clue how endgame works for a spellcaster
For a Warlock, my take on the "endgame" is similar to the earlier levels. Look for good synergies between your Mystic Arcana and your later Invocation and Feat picks.
For example, I'm thinking of picking up Master of Myriad Forms (Invocation) and Glibness (MA) at 15th level, and Actor (feat) at 16th level. All of them complement each other quite well for a trickster Warlock.
Another possibility for synergy is Visions of Distant Realms (Invocation) and Observant (Feat).
Also, Warlocks should consider their Pact Boon. Flesh to Stone is excellent for Pact of the Blade; three rounds of attacks against a Restrained foe equals a dead foe. Pact of the Tome should look for high-level rituals to supplement their Mystic Arcana. No other Warlocks can do that. (Spoiler: there aren't many.) Pact of the Chain can cast touch spells via their familiars, like Plane Shift. Yes, your Imp can permanently send your enemy straight to Hell. TomeLocks can also do this if they have the Find Familiar ritual, with a familiar from the "normal" list.
I'm playing my first D&D session ever, using my first ever character a fiend tome lock. HIGHLY looking into taking 5 levels of sorcerer for a myriad of reasons (divine origin 2d4 dice feature, sorc & cleric spell lists, (9) more spell slots but the 2 biggest reasons -- quickened EB and (twinned) haste AND Slow (got a little peeved that slow costs an invocation AND spell slot)..
But as I'm [slowly] leveling up I don't know where I could even take a break from warlock progression.. ughh I've asked a few people, no solid advice.. especially since I have no clue how endgame works for a spellcaster
For a Warlock, my take on the "endgame" is similar to the earlier levels. Look for good synergies between your Mystic Arcana and your later Invocation and Feat picks.
For example, I'm thinking of picking up Master of Myriad Forms (Invocation) and Glibness (MA) at 15th level, and Actor (feat) at 16th level. All of them complement each other quite well for a trickster Warlock.
Another possibility for synergy is Visions of Distant Realms (Invocation) and Observant (Feat).
Also, Warlocks should consider their Pact Boon. Flesh to Stone is excellent for Pact of the Blade; three rounds of attacks against a Restrained foe equals a dead foe. Pact of the Tome should look for high-level rituals to supplement their Mystic Arcana. No other Warlocks can do that. (Spoiler: there aren't many.) Pact of the Chain can cast touch spells via their familiars, like Plane Shift. Yes, your Imp can permanently send your enemy straight to Hell. TomeLocks can also do this if they have the Find Familiar ritual, with a familiar from the "normal" list.
Yup. I'm currently the 'blaster caster' but also the utility ritualer. I'm fiend tomelock and I love me blasting EB, at lv 4 I have agonizing & book of secrets. My objective is to get as many rituals as I can. The 1st two was find familar and detect magic. I've acquired most of the beast & detect spells (animal sense, beast speach, detect poison, etc) - its good having a cleric and druid in the party.. every long rest I learn from them :)
I cant wait to get summon steed & tiny hut for the party.
That being said I love blasting. I plan on getting repelling blast for cc, thinking of devils sight for 120' & magical darkness (tiefling w/ dark vision & free darkness cast so not in a rush). Plan on getting myriad forms, & debating about slow/polymorph/silent image. I dont have XGtE but if I did I would get maddening & invis at will.
But going back to blaster lock, I would love to take sorcerer so I can cast a gatling gun of (quickened) eldritch blast. Additionally peeved that slow (mire the mind) 1) wastes a spell slot 2) doesnt upcast so wasting a lv5 spell slot on a lv3 spell so going 5 into sorc would give slow AND haste... AND I can twin it.. so I REALLY want to do but I really dont know 'when' to do it cuz spell & warlock feature progression is so strict..
Not to mention extra spell list (of sorc AND cleric, extra spell slots, divine soul 2d4 reroll on miss/fail, and flexible casting to convert unused spell slots.... all superb bonuses... but I'm so lost if its actually worth it and when to even do it
I'm playing my first D&D session ever, using my first ever character a fiend tome lock. HIGHLY looking into taking 5 levels of sorcerer for a myriad of reasons (divine origin 2d4 dice feature, sorc & cleric spell lists, (9) more spell slots but the 2 biggest reasons -- quickened EB and (twinned) haste AND Slow (got a little peeved that slow costs an invocation AND spell slot)..
But as I'm [slowly] leveling up I don't know where I could even take a break from warlock progression.. ughh I've asked a few people, no solid advice.. especially since I have no clue how endgame works for a spellcaster
For a Warlock, my take on the "endgame" is similar to the earlier levels. Look for good synergies between your Mystic Arcana and your later Invocation and Feat picks.
For example, I'm thinking of picking up Master of Myriad Forms (Invocation) and Glibness (MA) at 15th level, and Actor (feat) at 16th level. All of them complement each other quite well for a trickster Warlock.
Another possibility for synergy is Visions of Distant Realms (Invocation) and Observant (Feat).
Also, Warlocks should consider their Pact Boon. Flesh to Stone is excellent for Pact of the Blade; three rounds of attacks against a Restrained foe equals a dead foe. Pact of the Tome should look for high-level rituals to supplement their Mystic Arcana. No other Warlocks can do that. (Spoiler: there aren't many.) Pact of the Chain can cast touch spells via their familiars, like Plane Shift. Yes, your Imp can permanently send your enemy straight to Hell. TomeLocks can also do this if they have the Find Familiar ritual, with a familiar from the "normal" list.
Yup. I'm currently the 'blaster caster' but also the utility ritualer. I'm fiend tomelock and I love me blasting EB, at lv 4 I have agonizing & book of secrets. My objective is to get as many rituals as I can. The 1st two was find familar and detect magic. I've acquired most of the beast & detect spells (animal sense, beast speach, detect poison, etc) - its good having a cleric and druid in the party.. every long rest I learn from them :)
I cant wait to get summon steed & tiny hut for the party.
That being said I love blasting. I plan on getting repelling blast for cc, thinking of devils sight for 120' & magical darkness (tiefling w/ dark vision & free darkness cast so not in a rush). Plan on getting myriad forms, & debating about slow/polymorph/silent image. I dont have XGtE but if I did I would get maddening & invis at will.
But going back to blaster lock, I would love to take sorcerer so I can cast a gatling gun of (quickened) eldritch blast. Additionally peeved that slow (mire the mind) 1) wastes a spell slot 2) doesnt upcast so wasting a lv5 spell slot on a lv3 spell so going 5 into sorc would give slow AND haste... AND I can twin it.. so I REALLY want to do but I really dont know 'when' to do it cuz spell & warlock feature progression is so strict..
Not to mention extra spell list (of sorc AND cleric, extra spell slots, divine soul 2d4 reroll on miss/fail, and flexible casting to convert unused spell slots.... all superb bonuses... but I'm so lost if its actually worth it and when to even do it
The highest level rituals currently in the game are 6th level spells; there are only two of them, and one is on the Cleric list anyway. There are only four 5th level rituals, two of which are cleric spells. Only one 4th level spell, also on the cleric list. So if you're thinking of MC-ing into Divine Soul, I'd recommend doing so after 5th level. At that point you'll be able to add all those excellent 3rd level rituals to your Book of Shadows, and don't worry about the rest; you'll gain access to half of those via your second class.
Does anyone ever play a full and pure warlock? Or do you always multi-class with something else?
Why?
Anyone have any interesting tales of a pure and full class warlock?
If your going to multiclass, do it sooner rather than later, so that you can gain decent levels in both classes.
When I hit 12 level Barbarian, I multi classed in Wizard up to 3rd level.( the campaign ended at 15th) It proved to be a bit dissatisfying. Casting 1st and 2nd level spells at monsters meant to challenge 15th level characters was lame.
I find that to be a problem with multi-classing, always undercutting your levels by splitting them among 2 or more classes... hurts spellcasters the most probably.
If you had gone pure Barbarian you would of gotten another Brutal Critical at 13th, a Path feature at 14th, and Persistent Rage at 15th... or if you had been so inclined to play a pure Wizard, then 15th level gives you 8th level spells I believe... OHHH MAN THE POWER!!!
I find that to be a problem with multi-classing, always undercutting your levels by splitting them among 2 or more classes... hurts spellcasters the most probably.
If you had gone pure Barbarian you would of gotten another Brutal Critical at 13th, a Path feature at 14th, and Persistent Rage at 15th... or if you had been so inclined to play a pure Wizard, then 15th level gives you 8th level spells I believe... OHHH MAN THE POWER!!!
Yea, I agree multiclassing can really weaken your character. I had done it for RP purposes because the backstory I wrote up had him being jealous of wizards because he wasn't smart enough, and my DM included a headband of intellect in a monster's hoard, so I ran with it.
I plan on never multi classing again, unless I have an opportunity to do it earlier in the campaign.
I'm playing my first D&D session ever, using my first ever character a fiend tome lock. HIGHLY looking into taking 5 levels of sorcerer for a myriad of reasons (divine origin 2d4 dice feature, sorc & cleric spell lists, (9) more spell slots but the 2 biggest reasons -- quickened EB and (twinned) haste AND Slow (got a little peeved that slow costs an invocation AND spell slot)..
But as I'm [slowly] leveling up I don't know where I could even take a break from warlock progression.. ughh I've asked a few people, no solid advice.. especially since I have no clue how endgame works for a spellcaster
For a Warlock, my take on the "endgame" is similar to the earlier levels. Look for good synergies between your Mystic Arcana and your later Invocation and Feat picks.
For example, I'm thinking of picking up Master of Myriad Forms (Invocation) and Glibness (MA) at 15th level, and Actor (feat) at 16th level. All of them complement each other quite well for a trickster Warlock.
Another possibility for synergy is Visions of Distant Realms (Invocation) and Observant (Feat).
Also, Warlocks should consider their Pact Boon. Flesh to Stone is excellent for Pact of the Blade; three rounds of attacks against a Restrained foe equals a dead foe. Pact of the Tome should look for high-level rituals to supplement their Mystic Arcana. No other Warlocks can do that. (Spoiler: there aren't many.) Pact of the Chain can cast touch spells via their familiars, like Plane Shift. Yes, your Imp can permanently send your enemy straight to Hell. TomeLocks can also do this if they have the Find Familiar ritual, with a familiar from the "normal" list.
Yup. I'm currently the 'blaster caster' but also the utility ritualer. I'm fiend tomelock and I love me blasting EB, at lv 4 I have agonizing & book of secrets. My objective is to get as many rituals as I can. The 1st two was find familar and detect magic. I've acquired most of the beast & detect spells (animal sense, beast speach, detect poison, etc) - its good having a cleric and druid in the party.. every long rest I learn from them :)
I cant wait to get summon steed & tiny hut for the party.
That being said I love blasting. I plan on getting repelling blast for cc, thinking of devils sight for 120' & magical darkness (tiefling w/ dark vision & free darkness cast so not in a rush). Plan on getting myriad forms, & debating about slow/polymorph/silent image. I dont have XGtE but if I did I would get maddening & invis at will.
But going back to blaster lock, I would love to take sorcerer so I can cast a gatling gun of (quickened) eldritch blast. Additionally peeved that slow (mire the mind) 1) wastes a spell slot 2) doesnt upcast so wasting a lv5 spell slot on a lv3 spell so going 5 into sorc would give slow AND haste... AND I can twin it.. so I REALLY want to do but I really dont know 'when' to do it cuz spell & warlock feature progression is so strict..
Not to mention extra spell list (of sorc AND cleric, extra spell slots, divine soul 2d4 reroll on miss/fail, and flexible casting to convert unused spell slots.... all superb bonuses... but I'm so lost if its actually worth it and when to even do it
The highest level rituals currently in the game are 6th level spells; there are only two of them, and one is on the Cleric list anyway. There are only four 5th level rituals, two of which are cleric spells. Only one 4th level spell, also on the cleric list. So if you're thinking of MC-ing into Divine Soul, I'd recommend doing so after 5th level. At that point you'll be able to add all those excellent 3rd level rituals to your Book of Shadows, and don't worry about the rest; you'll gain access to half of those via your second class.
I'm not worried about rituals at all. I was just pointing out that even as a blaster dps, I still have utility with my rituals for the party and that having a cleric and druid in the party has immensely helped fill in the book, as the DM has only let me find 2 spell scrolls to copy off of so far (and they were both cleric spells too no less). (I really want to find wizard stuff like Identify, Steed, Tiny hut.. etc.. hopefully as the campaign progresses the DM will be a bit more generous, we've only encountered 2 wizards so far any way)
The divine soul would give me the favored feature (to reroll 2d4 on a attack or throw fail) & the cleric spell tree so I can off-heal cuz both the cleric and druid aren't great healers :p
Even so, those are secondary benefits and merely icing. the main 2 reasons I would want to go MC sorc would be to bonus action EB and secondly twin slow AND haste (using it's proper 3rd lvl spell slot, and not wasting a precious 5th lvl warlock slot).
the extra spell slots, expanded spell list, extra cantrips and favored feature are all just extras..
The issue is, even with all these awesome things, its hard to know when, and even if, its worth branching off at all due to the vital progression [any] spellcasting classes achieve on each level
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Does anyone ever play a full and pure warlock? Or do you always multi-class with something else?
Why?
Anyone have any interesting tales of a pure and full class warlock?
I've played a couple of warlocks and I've never multi-classed. Every level of Warlock gives something that I want enough to make sticking with Warlock instead of multi-classing worthwhile. My huge, huge issue with multi-classing is if you multi-class you either miss out on a level that's a big bump in power like getting access to a higher level of spell or you miss out on an ability score increase. Both of those are so powerful that I can't multi-class.
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Im running a pure Feylock right now and she is currently level 11 almost 12. Thus far I haven't seen anything I want more than the next invocation or mystic arcanum etc etc. I will admit the level 20 capstone for Warlock is very lackluster but my DM and I are currently planning to implement patron specific capstones to make it more of an incentive for level 20. We are using the Paladin capstones for inspiration mechanically and thematically. For my Feylock it is going to be the following:
Back when I was running a Fey/Bladelock based purely on PHB material, there wasn't much support for Bladelocks beyond 12th level (after you've got Lifedrinker you're done), so I multiclassed into Rogue. My GM allowed me to use the UA version of the Swashbuckler archetype at the time, because it fit the character well.
Now that Xanathar's Guide is out, I'm revisiting that character concept. XGtE offers more support for Bladelocks, so I'll likely advance my original class all the way to 20th this time around. I'm 9th level now and I'm really looking forward to playing the higher levels.
Edited to add: the Warlock's capstone feature may not be exciting, but I'd hardly call it "lackluster." Regaining 20 spell levels in one minute is an awesome power-up!
DICE FALL, EVERYONE ROCKS!
I am running a Full Warlock up to 12 so far. It has been fine. Part of the reason is that I really think multi-classing is bad for a game and results in some really stupid builds that people then justify as "fitting concept", no matter how silly that concept may be.
Warlocks are about resource management and their progression reflects that. It takes discipline and creativity to play well but when they are played well they are wonderful. People multi-classing are doing themselves a disservice by not undertaking the challenge. Every level you invest in another class slows your progression as a Warlock and really hurts as time goes on. Your are not just sacrificing your high end abilities you are slowing your advancement at every level.
Abide.
I guess I call it "lackluster" in comparison to some of the other high level abilities/capstones of other classes and find it definitely lacking. And warlock is not alone in this, several of the classes have very underwhelming capstones vs others. Consider the following capstones-
Druid- Unlimited Wild Shape- Moon Druids and Spore Druids just became the tankiest SOB's on the planet. Moon Druid now has unlimited elemental form at will while still retaining the abilities of a powerful full spell caster. Spore Druids can give themselves a massive 80 temporary hitpoints as well as damage bonuses at will. For all other Druid Circles- this still represents on average an extra 30 HP at will along with various utility abilities such as flying or swim speed or enhanced senses of some kind.
Barbarian- +4 Strength & Constitution up to 24 for both. This is an permanent extra 40 HP, extra +2 to hit & damage and it is massively thematic.
Paladin- Become the avatar of your God and gain huge benefits for 1 minute without concentration...yes please. Some of the benefits include- Resistance to all damage. Full Extra Attack, 30 Ft Radius of no save radiant damage, Damage Reflection, Healing every round, all spells cast with a bonus action, Flight and Frighten anything within 30 ft of you.
Cleric- Guaranteed once a week Divine Intervention. That's basically a free Wish Spell once a week with a much lesser chance of adverse effects since it is your Deity coming to help you so they are invested in your success. Not sure what more to say than free once a week consequence free Wish Spell.
Fighter- 4th Extra Attack on Attack Action- not glamorous and flashy but it's permanent, relevant and useful to everything that a fighter is.
Wizard- 2 free 3rd level slots that don't have to be prepared and recharge on a short rest? Yes Please. This after already getting an at will 1st level and 2nd level spell. Infinite Shield and Misty Step? Yes please.
Contrast those capstones which either make signature abilities more permanent/relevant or adds new abilities to the following:
Warlock- Once per day you can recharge just your 4 5th level spells in 1 minute instead of 60 minutes. Congrats your awesome new ability is to save 59 minutes of in game time once per day...Contrast this vs Paladin, Cleric or Wizard for a moment...
Bard- You know that signature ability of your class-Bardic Inspiration? Normally you can do this max 5 times per day. Now you can do it like a few more times but ONLY if you are fighting people not if you are trying to do a good RP session. Contrast this vs Druid for a moment....
Ranger- Once per turn your attack either can hit easier or do a bit more damage but only against your favored enemies. Contrast this vs Barbarian....
Sorcerer- You now regain 20% of your primary unique resource on a short rest. I would argue this is marginally better than Bard but honestly it should be more like Monk where you regain these points on initiative rolls.
Monk- You regain 20% of your Ki when you roll initiative and have none. This one and Sorcerer are very middle of the road. Marginally useful but not terribly thematic and not game changing in any way.
You are limited to the number of short rests between long rests. Warlocks have to be tight at resource management and this gives them a way to refresh their spells in addition to their allotted short rests. It allows them to break the rest/recharge economy. Some DM's will not allow a short rest between encounters but it is almost impossible to say the party cannot stop for a minute (literally).
Maybe not as strong as some other options but not trivial either.
Abide.
Ugh, I have this very question right now.
I'm playing my first D&D session ever, using my first ever character a fiend tome lock. HIGHLY looking into taking 5 levels of sorcerer for a myriad of reasons (divine origin 2d4 dice feature, sorc & cleric spell lists, (9) more spell slots but the 2 biggest reasons -- quickened EB and (twinned) haste AND Slow (got a little peeved that slow costs an invocation AND spell slot)..
But as I'm [slowly] leveling up I don't know where I could even take a break from warlock progression.. ughh I've asked a few people, no solid advice.. especially since I have no clue how endgame works for a spellcaster
going to 18th level doesn't get you much... only your 8th invocation
Technically you can have as many short rests as you like. The DM guide says a typical day will have 2 but there is no RAW saying you can't have more. Practically however, I agree with you. This is why I did not say it was useless but rather lackluster as in uninspired, dull, tame and lifeless. It just feels very much like they got to some of these classes and said "Dang, I've got a migraine and can't do any more creating today. Let's take their signature class ability and let them do it better once per day."
About to start play as a warlock. Multiclassing at some point is theoretically possible, but not planned for any time soon. Straight PHB for now. Level one. I haven't played a first level character in a while. Like, in a couple of editions. This should be interesting.
First level is different in 5E. The XP progression is set up so that you'll advance through 1st and 2nd level very quickly; one or two sessions per level is typical. After that it'll slow down a bit. Assuming you get there. It's still fairly easy for a 1st level character to die, although it's nothing like 1E. (Gawdallmightee that was awful!)
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For a Warlock, my take on the "endgame" is similar to the earlier levels. Look for good synergies between your Mystic Arcana and your later Invocation and Feat picks.
For example, I'm thinking of picking up Master of Myriad Forms (Invocation) and Glibness (MA) at 15th level, and Actor (feat) at 16th level. All of them complement each other quite well for a trickster Warlock.
Another possibility for synergy is Visions of Distant Realms (Invocation) and Observant (Feat).
Also, Warlocks should consider their Pact Boon. Flesh to Stone is excellent for Pact of the Blade; three rounds of attacks against a Restrained foe equals a dead foe. Pact of the Tome should look for high-level rituals to supplement their Mystic Arcana. No other Warlocks can do that. (Spoiler: there aren't many.) Pact of the Chain can cast touch spells via their familiars, like Plane Shift. Yes, your Imp can permanently send your enemy straight to Hell. TomeLocks can also do this if they have the Find Familiar ritual, with a familiar from the "normal" list.
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Yup. I'm currently the 'blaster caster' but also the utility ritualer. I'm fiend tomelock and I love me blasting EB, at lv 4 I have agonizing & book of secrets. My objective is to get as many rituals as I can. The 1st two was find familar and detect magic. I've acquired most of the beast & detect spells (animal sense, beast speach, detect poison, etc) - its good having a cleric and druid in the party.. every long rest I learn from them :)
I cant wait to get summon steed & tiny hut for the party.
That being said I love blasting. I plan on getting repelling blast for cc, thinking of devils sight for 120' & magical darkness (tiefling w/ dark vision & free darkness cast so not in a rush). Plan on getting myriad forms, & debating about slow/polymorph/silent image. I dont have XGtE but if I did I would get maddening & invis at will.
But going back to blaster lock, I would love to take sorcerer so I can cast a gatling gun of (quickened) eldritch blast. Additionally peeved that slow (mire the mind) 1) wastes a spell slot 2) doesnt upcast so wasting a lv5 spell slot on a lv3 spell so going 5 into sorc would give slow AND haste... AND I can twin it.. so I REALLY want to do but I really dont know 'when' to do it cuz spell & warlock feature progression is so strict..
Not to mention extra spell list (of sorc AND cleric, extra spell slots, divine soul 2d4 reroll on miss/fail, and flexible casting to convert unused spell slots.... all superb bonuses... but I'm so lost if its actually worth it and when to even do it
The highest level rituals currently in the game are 6th level spells; there are only two of them, and one is on the Cleric list anyway. There are only four 5th level rituals, two of which are cleric spells. Only one 4th level spell, also on the cleric list. So if you're thinking of MC-ing into Divine Soul, I'd recommend doing so after 5th level. At that point you'll be able to add all those excellent 3rd level rituals to your Book of Shadows, and don't worry about the rest; you'll gain access to half of those via your second class.
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It might not be full warlock, but I'm actually doing 2 fighter 9 warlock right now, which is mostly full but not quite.
The character is a crossbow expert sharpshooter with 17 Cha from racial
My next 3 levels are warlock, to get life drinker... But after 12, I'm never taking another warlock ever again
I'll get life drinker and then I'm out.
If your going to multiclass, do it sooner rather than later, so that you can gain decent levels in both classes.
When I hit 12 level Barbarian, I multi classed in Wizard up to 3rd level.( the campaign ended at 15th) It proved to be a bit dissatisfying. Casting 1st and 2nd level spells at monsters meant to challenge 15th level characters was lame.
I find that to be a problem with multi-classing, always undercutting your levels by splitting them among 2 or more classes... hurts spellcasters the most probably.
If you had gone pure Barbarian you would of gotten another Brutal Critical at 13th, a Path feature at 14th, and Persistent Rage at 15th... or if you had been so inclined to play a pure Wizard, then 15th level gives you 8th level spells I believe... OHHH MAN THE POWER!!!
Yea, I agree multiclassing can really weaken your character. I had done it for RP purposes because the backstory I wrote up had him being jealous of wizards because he wasn't smart enough, and my DM included a headband of intellect in a monster's hoard, so I ran with it.
I plan on never multi classing again, unless I have an opportunity to do it earlier in the campaign.
I'm not worried about rituals at all. I was just pointing out that even as a blaster dps, I still have utility with my rituals for the party and that having a cleric and druid in the party has immensely helped fill in the book, as the DM has only let me find 2 spell scrolls to copy off of so far (and they were both cleric spells too no less). (I really want to find wizard stuff like Identify, Steed, Tiny hut.. etc.. hopefully as the campaign progresses the DM will be a bit more generous, we've only encountered 2 wizards so far any way)
The divine soul would give me the favored feature (to reroll 2d4 on a attack or throw fail) & the cleric spell tree so I can off-heal cuz both the cleric and druid aren't great healers :p
Even so, those are secondary benefits and merely icing. the main 2 reasons I would want to go MC sorc would be to bonus action EB and secondly twin slow AND haste (using it's proper 3rd lvl spell slot, and not wasting a precious 5th lvl warlock slot).
the extra spell slots, expanded spell list, extra cantrips and favored feature are all just extras..
The issue is, even with all these awesome things, its hard to know when, and even if, its worth branching off at all due to the vital progression [any] spellcasting classes achieve on each level