I am a little confused with how Warlock learn spells in the 2024 rules.
The have an amount of prepared spells as normal ie. 5th level Warlock has(6) prepared spells a day.
They also have a specific amount of spell slots in this case a 5th level warlock has( 2) with a maximum level of level (3) spells.
Now unlike druids and other " fluid" spell casters they cannot simply take a long rest to swap out prepared spells each day but have to maintain that original list of 6 prepared spells until they level up. They can only cast 2 spells a day ( not counting can trips) as long as those spells are not higher than level (3)
It 2 spells per short rest, not per day. Warlocks want lots of short rests.
And both of those spells will be cast at 3rd level — either because it’s a 3rd level spell, or a lower level spell that is automatically upcast. So, it’s really good for warlocks to choose spells that benefit from using higher-level slots.
And, yes the choice of spells can only change at level up. And even then, they can only change out one old spell, plus adding any new spells they might get.
It’s probably worth noting there are ways for them to be able to cast more spells. Some invocations allows them to cast spells without using a slot, some feats allow a free cast of a spell once a day, and at higher levels, mystic arcanum also gives access to more, higher level spells.
The have an amount of prepared spells as normal ie. 5th level Warlock has(6) prepared spells a day.
They also have a specific amount of spell slots in this case a 5th level warlock has( 2) with a maximum level of level (3) spells.
Now unlike druids and other " fluid" spell casters they cannot simply take a long rest to swap out prepared spells each day but have to maintain that original list of 6 prepared spells until they level up. They can only cast 2 spells a day ( not counting can trips) as long as those spells are not higher than level (3)
This is all based on a level 5 Warlock.
A 5th level warlock prepares 6 spells and also has patron spells prepared on top of that so it's normal for a 5th level warlock to have 12+ spells prepared. 6 are chosen from the warlock spell list, at least 6 are available from the patron, and additional spells might be available through invocations, feats, or species.
The warlock has 2 pact magic slots per short rest and spells cast with these slots are cast as 3rd level spells. The more opportunities for short rests the more spells per day get cast.
Magical Cunning allows the recovery of one slot once per day.
When the character levels up, that character can prepare a different spell in place of one of the currently prepared spells. In the 5th level example that would mean 1 of the 6 selected spells from the warlock list could be dropped in exchange for a different spell when the warlock levels up to 6th level in addition to adding a 7th prepared spell.
Here's what an example at 5th level might look like.
Feats: tough, lucky, +2 CHA based on a human species; there are many feats that can add spells
Invocations: Agonizing Blast, Devil's Sight, Master of Myriad Forms, Misty Visions, Pact of the Tome; casting alter self or silent image at will adds a lot of magic actions,, and tome adds a couple of spells prepared that are rituals
Spells: eldritch blast, minor illusion, mage hand, guidance, friends, shocking grasp; hex, armor of agathys, speak with animals, unseen servant; darkness, suggestion; hypnotic pattern, major image
When it comes to choosing which spells my warlock character knows, I look at my patron and I consider whether the patron would approve of the spell choice. An Archfey or Celestial patron would probably disagree with a spell that summons devils, demons, undead or things from the Far Realm. A fiend patron, on the other hand, would probably be overjoyed with spells that summon undead, devils, demons and abominations from the Far Realm.
Also, since a warlock in the 2024 PHB, can change ONLY ONE (1) spell when the warlock gains a level, this tends to imply that the warlock's patron determines which spells the warlock has and which spells the warlock does not have.
Counterspell and Dispel Magic, you get to negate higher level effects with no check.
Summon greater demon, even tho it is just 1 CR higher you can now summon some durable flying options with crowd control effects.
While there are other spells that can be upcast there are better spells to cast in that scenario instead of upcasting them, e.g. why cast a 4th level summon aberration when i can just cast summon greater demon.
Counterspell and Dispel Magic, you get to negate higher level effects with no check.
Summon greater demon, even tho it is just 1 CR higher you can now summon some durable flying options with crowd control effects.
While there are other spells that can be upcast there are better spells to cast in that scenario instead of upcasting them, e.g. why cast a 4th level summon aberration when i can just cast summon greater demon.
Note: While this still applies to Dispel Magic, the 2024 version of Counterspell doesn't care what level you use for casting.
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I am a little confused with how Warlock learn spells in the 2024 rules.
The have an amount of prepared spells as normal ie. 5th level Warlock has(6) prepared spells a day.
They also have a specific amount of spell slots in this case a 5th level warlock has( 2) with a maximum level of level (3) spells.
Now unlike druids and other " fluid" spell casters they cannot simply take a long rest to swap out prepared spells each day but have to maintain that original list of 6 prepared spells until they level up. They can only cast 2 spells a day ( not counting can trips) as long as those spells are not higher than level (3)
This is all based on a level 5 Warlock.
Am I correct in how I am understanding this?
It 2 spells per short rest, not per day. Warlocks want lots of short rests.
And both of those spells will be cast at 3rd level — either because it’s a 3rd level spell, or a lower level spell that is automatically upcast. So, it’s really good for warlocks to choose spells that benefit from using higher-level slots.
And, yes the choice of spells can only change at level up. And even then, they can only change out one old spell, plus adding any new spells they might get.
It’s probably worth noting there are ways for them to be able to cast more spells. Some invocations allows them to cast spells without using a slot, some feats allow a free cast of a spell once a day, and at higher levels, mystic arcanum also gives access to more, higher level spells.
Thanks! Yeah I knew that they had other abilities to cast spells but I was just confused on the Pact magic portion ie. prepared and slots etc...
You answered that perfectly!
A 5th level warlock prepares 6 spells and also has patron spells prepared on top of that so it's normal for a 5th level warlock to have 12+ spells prepared. 6 are chosen from the warlock spell list, at least 6 are available from the patron, and additional spells might be available through invocations, feats, or species.
The warlock has 2 pact magic slots per short rest and spells cast with these slots are cast as 3rd level spells. The more opportunities for short rests the more spells per day get cast.
Magical Cunning allows the recovery of one slot once per day.
When the character levels up, that character can prepare a different spell in place of one of the currently prepared spells. In the 5th level example that would mean 1 of the 6 selected spells from the warlock list could be dropped in exchange for a different spell when the warlock levels up to 6th level in addition to adding a 7th prepared spell.
Here's what an example at 5th level might look like.
Feats: tough, lucky, +2 CHA based on a human species; there are many feats that can add spells
Invocations: Agonizing Blast, Devil's Sight, Master of Myriad Forms, Misty Visions, Pact of the Tome; casting alter self or silent image at will adds a lot of magic actions,, and tome adds a couple of spells prepared that are rituals
Spells: eldritch blast, minor illusion, mage hand, guidance, friends, shocking grasp; hex, armor of agathys, speak with animals, unseen servant; darkness, suggestion; hypnotic pattern, major image
Pact spells: dissonant whispers, Tasha's hideous laughter; detect thoughts, phantasmal force; clairvoyance, hunger of hadar
It's easy to have many spells from which to select for those few pact slots, which is why it's important to make use of short rests.
When it comes to choosing which spells my warlock character knows, I look at my patron and I consider whether the patron would approve of the spell choice. An Archfey or Celestial patron would probably disagree with a spell that summons devils, demons, undead or things from the Far Realm. A fiend patron, on the other hand, would probably be overjoyed with spells that summon undead, devils, demons and abominations from the Far Realm.
Hope this helps
Also, since a warlock in the 2024 PHB, can change ONLY ONE (1) spell when the warlock gains a level, this tends to imply that the warlock's patron determines which spells the warlock has and which spells the warlock does not have.
Counterspell and Dispel Magic, you get to negate higher level effects with no check.
Summon greater demon, even tho it is just 1 CR higher you can now summon some durable flying options with crowd control effects.
While there are other spells that can be upcast there are better spells to cast in that scenario instead of upcasting them, e.g. why cast a 4th level summon aberration when i can just cast summon greater demon.
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Note: While this still applies to Dispel Magic, the 2024 version of Counterspell doesn't care what level you use for casting.