I doubt they’ll make Hexblade a subclass. The primary reason they made it to begin with was to fix the Pact of the Blade, and that’s been done. If they do make a Hexblade, then it will probably be more of a Shadowfell Patron.
I don’t think Patrons shouldn’t favor one pact boon over another.
I waiting to see a Subclass that focus on melee builds as pact of the blade.
Fiend and Archfey both seem well-suited to gishing - Archfey due to unparalleled mobility and short-range control effects, Fiend due to significant durability and punishing attackers.
My hope is that they took weapon masteries out of Blade Pact so that that can be the new Hexblade's thing.
If I remember correctly archfey and fiend also have an expanded spell list that suites it well too. Spells like Blink and greater invisibility for the fey making them slippier and more survivable in melee and fireshield for the fiend.
With the exception of Eldritch Smite, which deals a significant amount of damage and gives an enemy the Prone condition, none of the 2024 Player’s Handbook Eldritch Invocations carry the "using a Warlock spell slot" description. You still have spell slots for your Pact Magic, but they largely no longer fuel the invocations you get from your patron. Instead, your Eldritch Invocations feel like a wholly separate power branch unique to the Warlock class.
The customization allowed via these changes to invocations makes the 2024 Warlock feel more like someone who has pored over contracts with their patron and selected the powers best suited to them."
YEAH, EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED!
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I mean, that most likely just means that the spells you used to get as use a slot invocations are now on the class list, so you have to spend a learned spell on them now. Repertoire is still broadened with the change to the patron list, but the move for the spells affected by this is most likely lateral, not upwards. You’ll still most likely need to spend a level up resource and a spell slot to use them.
I mean, that most likely just means that the spells you used to get as use a slot invocations are now on the class list, so you have to spend a learned spell on them now. Repertoire is still broadened with the change to the patron list, but the move for the spells affected by this is most likely lateral, not upwards. You’ll still most likely need to spend a level up resource and a spell slot to use them.
Any spell you get from your patron or invocations is automatically learned now and doesn't count against your spells known. The invocation ones just typically get used without a spell slot, so you can't upcast them, but most of them don't benefit from upcasting anyway.
I mean, that most likely just means that the spells you used to get as use a slot invocations are now on the class list, so you have to spend a learned spell on them now. Repertoire is still broadened with the change to the patron list, but the move for the spells affected by this is most likely lateral, not upwards. You’ll still most likely need to spend a level up resource and a spell slot to use them.
Any spell you get from your patron or invocations is automatically learned now and doesn't count against your spells known. The invocation ones just typically get used without a spell slot, so you can't upcast them, but most of them don't benefit from upcasting anyway.
What, they’re giving freebie casts of Bestow Curse, Slow, Confusion, and Conjure Elemental?
With the caveat that I still wish they'd gone for a broke and done a much more extensive overhaul of...well, everything (whole game, not just the warlock class), I'm liking what I see here, for the most part.
Do we think they're essentially doing away with the need for a Hexblade patron, portioning the capabilities into invocations, spells, and class features?
Without looking at the last warlock UA, what I can't recall is that if there are weapons restrictions for the pact of the blade in the new version (which were only overcome by choosing the Hexblade for the 2014 version).
My very first exposure to D&D was as an archfey warlock. I am very pleased to see the upgrade it received. The base class also seems to have gotten a really attractive polishing too.
Do we think they're essentially doing away with the need for a Hexblade patron, portioning the capabilities into invocations, spells, and class features?
My bet is that Hexblade, if it gets reprinted at all, will be the Weapon Mastery gish Warlock.
Has anyone seen anyway to be able to get the warlocks pact of the blade to have proficiency with ranged weapons? It’s one of my favourite ways to play them but I’m not seeing any options
Training in ranged weapons, medium armor, and shields remain the unplugged holes in being able to effectively replicate a hexblade warlock using 2024 roles.
If they decide to make the Improved Pact Weapon invocation available to 2024 warlocks, that solves part of the problem. But a melee-based warlock needs better armor than is afforded by the base class, and at present, that's essentially an impossibility.
Training in ranged weapons, medium armor, and shields remain the unplugged holes in being able to effectively replicate a hexblade warlock using 2024 roles.
If they decide to make the Improved Pact Weapon invocation available to 2024 warlocks, that solves part of the problem. But a melee-based warlock needs better armor than is afforded by the base class, and at present, that's essentially an impossibility.
It seems to work best if you just take your first level as Fighter to get armor, weapon masteries, and fighting styles, then go Warlock. It slows down progression, but you get so many tools to make a melee Warlock work. You are going to want Dexterity anyway, so getting that minimum 13 for multiclassing isn't a hardship. (Edit: Or hit that 13 strength for heavy weapons)
I just skimmed all 4 pages of posts to see if anyone discussed how a Warlock has Magic at levels 1 & 2. I got the new PHB yesterday when it came out and started reading the Classes to start to understand the changes.
The Warlock Class description does not state how the Warlock gained Magic BEFORE they make a pact with a Patron.
How does an average character that is not yet an adventurer OR warlock have the ability to use Warlock abilities?
I know a few people have suggested that a Patron 'maybe' gave the character some abilities before revealing themselves to the character at L3, but that lends to the thought that Patrons are searching out gullible, needy, or desperate people to just hand powers out to, hoping that they want to become a Warlock once they get a taste of power... that seems odd, and against what the descriptions of the class states. The description states that Warlock search out their "magical Power" and somehow meet a Patron.
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Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, forged out of chaos and painted with beauty. Sing of Bahamut, the Platinum, molding the shape of the mountains and rivers; Sing too of Chromatic Tiamat, painting all over the infinite canvas. Partnered, they woke in the darkness; partnered, they labored in acts of creation.
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I doubt they’ll make Hexblade a subclass. The primary reason they made it to begin with was to fix the Pact of the Blade, and that’s been done. If they do make a Hexblade, then it will probably be more of a Shadowfell Patron.
I don’t think Patrons shouldn’t favor one pact boon over another.
Also, I, too, await the Warlock Article.
If I remember correctly archfey and fiend also have an expanded spell list that suites it well too. Spells like Blink and greater invisibility for the fey making them slippier and more survivable in melee and fireshield for the fiend.
Even the Ranger article is already out...
Warlock Article, hot off the presses! 2024 Warlock vs. 2014 Warlock | What's New
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"Spell Slots? Who Needs ‘em?
With the exception of Eldritch Smite, which deals a significant amount of damage and gives an enemy the Prone condition, none of the 2024 Player’s Handbook Eldritch Invocations carry the "using a Warlock spell slot" description. You still have spell slots for your Pact Magic, but they largely no longer fuel the invocations you get from your patron. Instead, your Eldritch Invocations feel like a wholly separate power branch unique to the Warlock class.
The customization allowed via these changes to invocations makes the 2024 Warlock feel more like someone who has pored over contracts with their patron and selected the powers best suited to them."
YEAH, EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED!
DM for life by choice, biggest fan of D&D specifically.
I mean, that most likely just means that the spells you used to get as use a slot invocations are now on the class list, so you have to spend a learned spell on them now. Repertoire is still broadened with the change to the patron list, but the move for the spells affected by this is most likely lateral, not upwards. You’ll still most likely need to spend a level up resource and a spell slot to use them.
Any spell you get from your patron or invocations is automatically learned now and doesn't count against your spells known. The invocation ones just typically get used without a spell slot, so you can't upcast them, but most of them don't benefit from upcasting anyway.
What, they’re giving freebie casts of Bestow Curse, Slow, Confusion, and Conjure Elemental?
With the caveat that I still wish they'd gone for a broke and done a much more extensive overhaul of...well, everything (whole game, not just the warlock class), I'm liking what I see here, for the most part.
Do we think they're essentially doing away with the need for a Hexblade patron, portioning the capabilities into invocations, spells, and class features?
Without looking at the last warlock UA, what I can't recall is that if there are weapons restrictions for the pact of the blade in the new version (which were only overcome by choosing the Hexblade for the 2014 version).
My very first exposure to D&D was as an archfey warlock. I am very pleased to see the upgrade it received. The base class also seems to have gotten a really attractive polishing too.
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None of those invocations have been updated yet, so no idea. I'm going off the ones we saw in the UA like Ascendant Step, Fiendish Vigor, MoMF etc.
My bet is that Hexblade, if it gets reprinted at all, will be the Weapon Mastery gish Warlock.
Hexblade is roll into Pact of the Blade, so don't think we see it again
I was reading Contact Patron in the article and it reminded me of Elric of Melniboné speaking with Arioch xD
I like the flavour of that Contact Patron. Very thematic!
Even in the games we are playing, we are giving importance to the relationship between the Warlock and their patron.
do we know what the new invocations are?
no
Has anyone seen anyway to be able to get the warlocks pact of the blade to have proficiency with ranged weapons? It’s one of my favourite ways to play them but I’m not seeing any options
Training in ranged weapons, medium armor, and shields remain the unplugged holes in being able to effectively replicate a hexblade warlock using 2024 roles.
If they decide to make the Improved Pact Weapon invocation available to 2024 warlocks, that solves part of the problem. But a melee-based warlock needs better armor than is afforded by the base class, and at present, that's essentially an impossibility.
It seems to work best if you just take your first level as Fighter to get armor, weapon masteries, and fighting styles, then go Warlock. It slows down progression, but you get so many tools to make a melee Warlock work. You are going to want Dexterity anyway, so getting that minimum 13 for multiclassing isn't a hardship. (Edit: Or hit that 13 strength for heavy weapons)
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I just skimmed all 4 pages of posts to see if anyone discussed how a Warlock has Magic at levels 1 & 2.
I got the new PHB yesterday when it came out and started reading the Classes to start to understand the changes.
The Warlock Class description does not state how the Warlock gained Magic BEFORE they make a pact with a Patron.
How does an average character that is not yet an adventurer OR warlock have the ability to use Warlock abilities?
I know a few people have suggested that a Patron 'maybe' gave the character some abilities before revealing themselves to the character at L3, but that lends to the thought that Patrons are searching out gullible, needy, or desperate people to just hand powers out to, hoping that they want to become a Warlock once they get a taste of power... that seems odd, and against what the descriptions of the class states.
The description states that Warlock search out their "magical Power" and somehow meet a Patron.
Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, forged out of chaos and painted with beauty.
Sing of Bahamut, the Platinum, molding the shape of the mountains and rivers;
Sing too of Chromatic Tiamat, painting all over the infinite canvas.
Partnered, they woke in the darkness; partnered, they labored in acts of creation.