With the introduction of Tasha's and Van Richten's guide to Ravenloft it seems - at least to me - that the Archfey in particular is lagging behind. As a community I want to formulate an update.
Currently we have the following:
Archfey Expanded Spells:
1st: Faerie fire, Sleep
2nd: Calm Emotions, Phantasmal Force
3rd: Blink, Plant Growth
4th: Dominate Beast, Greater Invisibility
5th: Dominate Person, Seeming
Level 1 - Fey Presence
Starting at 1st level, your patron bestows upon you the ability to project the beguiling and fearsome presence of the fey. As an action, you can cause each creature in a 10-foot cube originating from you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. The creatures that fail their saving throws are all charmed or frightened by you (your choice) until the end of your next turn.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Level 6 - Misty Escape
Starting at 6th level, you can vanish in a puff of mist in response to harm. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to turn invisible and teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. You remain invisible until the start of your next turn or until you attack or cast a spell.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Level 10 - Beguiling Defenses
Beginning at 10th level, your patron teaches you how to turn the mind-affecting magic of your enemies against them. You are immune to being charmed, and when another creature attempts to charm you, you can use your reaction to attempt to turn the charm back on that creature. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC or be charmed by you for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Level 14 - Dark Delirium
Starting at 14th level, you can plunge a creature into an illusory realm. As an action, choose a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. It must make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, it is charmed or frightened by you (your choice) for 1 minute or until your concentration is broken (as if you are concentrating on a spell). This effect ends early if the creature takes any damage.
Until this illusion ends, the creature thinks it is lost in a misty realm, the appearance of which you choose. The creature can see and hear only itself, you, and the illusion.
You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.
Lets look at Fey Presence:
-10ft cube is measly. Id argue to either increase the aoe size or turn it into a cone. As it stands in combat you rarely ever get to effect more than 1 or 2 enemies with it and if you are even in a situation with 4+ enemies in a 10ft or less cube around you then you are likely going to be dead very soon.
I have read that some people argue it is more of a social skill but it only last 6 seconds so it cannot really add any value.
The problem with Charm/frighten effects is that they effect so few enemies which further limits it capabilities.
Finally you can use it once per short rest which if your games are anything like the ones i play in we are often limited to 2 short rests per day. So to bring it more in line with Tasha's etc id suggest the following:
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
I personally think this might get more mileage as at level 5 you get 3 uses per rest, 4 at 9, 5 at 13, and 6 at 17. But tell me if I'm wrong/what you think.
Order Domain Clerics also have a similar ability: Order's Demand
As an action, you present your holy symbol, and each creature of your choice that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you until the end of your next turn or until the charmed creature takes any damage. You can also cause any of the charmed creatures to drop what they are holding when they fail the saving throw.
Which arguably is better.
Misty Escape:
Using your reaction in response to damage you turn invisible and teleport up to 60ft away. Remain invisible until your next turn or until you attack. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
This isn't bad but like as above I would adjust it to be usable a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
I would probably say as well that you can use your reaction to activate the ability even if you haven't received damage.
Beguiling Defenses
Charm immunity is fine. Basically redirecting any charm effects back at the caster who if they fail their save are charmed for 1 minute or unless they take damage. Obviously wont work if they are also immune.
Fey Wanderer Rangers seem to get a suped up version of this to a degree:
Whenever you or a creature you can see within 120 feet of you succeeds on a saving throw against being charmed or frightened, you can use your reaction to force a different creature you can see within 120 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. If the save fails, the target is charmed or frightened by you (your choice) for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a successful save.
So i would argue:
Keep Charm immunity but add the rest of Beguiling twist to the power as well.
Dark Delirium
Basically acts as concentration version of banishment in a sense just with the caveat the creature is either charmed or frightened of you for the duration. At higher levels this can be so redundant as so many creatures become immune to these effects.
I would change the following:
You can plunge a creature into an illusory realm. As an action, choose a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. It must make a Wisdom/Charisma? saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, it is trapped within the illusion for 1 minute or until your concentration is broken (as if you are concentrating on a spell). This effect ends early if the creature takes any damage.
Until this illusion ends, the creature thinks it is lost in a misty realm, the appearance of which you choose. The creature can see and hear only itself, you, and the illusion.
You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.
To be honest I want to do more with the subclass especially when comparing to the newer warlock subclasses:
Undead:
Transformation gives 1d10+warlock lvl temp HP, Fear Immunity, fear on hit, additional dmg. Spirit projection alone is amazinng!
Genie:
fast short rest for you and party, additional dmg equal to your prof bonus, damage resistance, flight, temp hp for party, Limited wish!
TLDR: Update to Archfey subclass, feed back and other thoughts requested!
First, it is beyond me, that Tasha´s didn´t give the Warlocks the optional class feature, that the pact spells are automatically added to their spells known! I as DM do that. Second, if you do what was introduced in Tasha´s, namely usages equal to the proficiency bonus, Fey Presence and Misty Escape are not half bad. In addition, you could extend the area of Fey Presence to 5ft x PB cube, or easier a number of creatures equal to PB, and respectively a number of creatures equal to the spell slot level used.
Absolutely. Nearly every game I have played as a Warlock the DM allows me to have the patron spells added as spells known. It gives you a lot more versatility but you are still limited with your spells slots. It just allows for uses of those niche spells that are only suited to a select few situations to really shine.
With fey presence I would probably extend it to a 30ft cube, effecting any creature of your choice within the area. The duration I think is difficult because if you were to make it concentration for 1 minute for example that would be too strong for a 1st level ability. Unless of course you kept the 10ft cube, 1 min concentration and changed it to a targetable aoe? Difficult choices!
With the introduction of Tasha's and Van Richten's guide to Ravenloft it seems - at least to me - that the Archfey in particular is lagging behind. As a community I want to formulate an update.
Currently we have the following:
Archfey Expanded Spells:
1st: Faerie fire, Sleep
2nd: Calm Emotions, Phantasmal Force
3rd: Blink, Plant Growth
4th: Dominate Beast, Greater Invisibility
5th: Dominate Person, Seeming
Starting at 1st level, your patron bestows upon you the ability to project the beguiling and fearsome presence of the fey. As an action, you can cause each creature in a 10-foot cube originating from you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. The creatures that fail their saving throws are all charmed or frightened by you (your choice) until the end of your next turn.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Starting at 6th level, you can vanish in a puff of mist in response to harm. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to turn invisible and teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. You remain invisible until the start of your next turn or until you attack or cast a spell.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Beginning at 10th level, your patron teaches you how to turn the mind-affecting magic of your enemies against them. You are immune to being charmed, and when another creature attempts to charm you, you can use your reaction to attempt to turn the charm back on that creature. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC or be charmed by you for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Starting at 14th level, you can plunge a creature into an illusory realm. As an action, choose a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. It must make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, it is charmed or frightened by you (your choice) for 1 minute or until your concentration is broken (as if you are concentrating on a spell). This effect ends early if the creature takes any damage.
Until this illusion ends, the creature thinks it is lost in a misty realm, the appearance of which you choose. The creature can see and hear only itself, you, and the illusion.
You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.
Lets look at Fey Presence:
-10ft cube is measly. Id argue to either increase the aoe size or turn it into a cone. As it stands in combat you rarely ever get to effect more than 1 or 2 enemies with it and if you are even in a situation with 4+ enemies in a 10ft or less cube around you then you are likely going to be dead very soon.
I have read that some people argue it is more of a social skill but it only last 6 seconds so it cannot really add any value.
The problem with Charm/frighten effects is that they effect so few enemies which further limits it capabilities.
Finally you can use it once per short rest which if your games are anything like the ones i play in we are often limited to 2 short rests per day. So to bring it more in line with Tasha's etc id suggest the following:
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
I personally think this might get more mileage as at level 5 you get 3 uses per rest, 4 at 9, 5 at 13, and 6 at 17. But tell me if I'm wrong/what you think.
Order Domain Clerics also have a similar ability: Order's Demand
As an action, you present your holy symbol, and each creature of your choice that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you until the end of your next turn or until the charmed creature takes any damage. You can also cause any of the charmed creatures to drop what they are holding when they fail the saving throw.
Which arguably is better.
Misty Escape:
Using your reaction in response to damage you turn invisible and teleport up to 60ft away. Remain invisible until your next turn or until you attack. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
This isn't bad but like as above I would adjust it to be usable a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
I would probably say as well that you can use your reaction to activate the ability even if you haven't received damage.
Beguiling Defenses
Charm immunity is fine. Basically redirecting any charm effects back at the caster who if they fail their save are charmed for 1 minute or unless they take damage. Obviously wont work if they are also immune.
Fey Wanderer Rangers seem to get a suped up version of this to a degree:
Whenever you or a creature you can see within 120 feet of you succeeds on a saving throw against being charmed or frightened, you can use your reaction to force a different creature you can see within 120 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. If the save fails, the target is charmed or frightened by you (your choice) for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a successful save.
So i would argue:
Keep Charm immunity but add the rest of Beguiling twist to the power as well.
Dark Delirium
Basically acts as concentration version of banishment in a sense just with the caveat the creature is either charmed or frightened of you for the duration. At higher levels this can be so redundant as so many creatures become immune to these effects.
I would change the following:
You can plunge a creature into an illusory realm. As an action, choose a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. It must make a Wisdom/Charisma? saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, it is trapped within the illusion for 1 minute or until your concentration is broken (as if you are concentrating on a spell). This effect ends early if the creature takes any damage.
Until this illusion ends, the creature thinks it is lost in a misty realm, the appearance of which you choose. The creature can see and hear only itself, you, and the illusion.
You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.
To be honest I want to do more with the subclass especially when comparing to the newer warlock subclasses:
Undead:
Transformation gives 1d10+warlock lvl temp HP, Fear Immunity, fear on hit, additional dmg. Spirit projection alone is amazinng!
Genie:
fast short rest for you and party, additional dmg equal to your prof bonus, damage resistance, flight, temp hp for party, Limited wish!
TLDR: Update to Archfey subclass, feed back and other thoughts requested!
First, it is beyond me, that Tasha´s didn´t give the Warlocks the optional class feature, that the pact spells are automatically added to their spells known! I as DM do that.
Second, if you do what was introduced in Tasha´s, namely usages equal to the proficiency bonus, Fey Presence and Misty Escape are not half bad. In addition, you could extend the area of Fey Presence to 5ft x PB cube, or easier a number of creatures equal to PB, and respectively a number of creatures equal to the spell slot level used.
Absolutely. Nearly every game I have played as a Warlock the DM allows me to have the patron spells added as spells known. It gives you a lot more versatility but you are still limited with your spells slots. It just allows for uses of those niche spells that are only suited to a select few situations to really shine.
With fey presence I would probably extend it to a 30ft cube, effecting any creature of your choice within the area. The duration I think is difficult because if you were to make it concentration for 1 minute for example that would be too strong for a 1st level ability. Unless of course you kept the 10ft cube, 1 min concentration and changed it to a targetable aoe? Difficult choices!
bump