Warlock

Warlocks value power and knowledge above all else. It is for this reason that they have sought a pact with a powerful being to enhance their goals. The pacts, however, are two way affair. Some pacts require that the warlock remove obstacles from the path of their patron. Some require work in the public relations department, spreading the good name of the patron, even if that name isn't particularly good. And some require the warlock to hunt for a way to bring their patron permenantly to the mortal plane.  

C r e a t i n g a W a r l o c k

As you make your warlock character, spend some time thinking about your patron and the obligations that your pact imposes upon you. What led you to make the pact, and how did you make contact with your patron? Were you seduced into summoning a devil, or did you seek out the ritual that w ould allow you to make contact with an alien elder god? Did you search for your patron, or did your patron find and choose you? Do you chafe under the obligations o f your pact or serve joyfully in anticipation o f the rewards promised to you? Work with your DM to determine how big a part your pact w ill play in your character’s adventuring career. Your patron’s demands might drive you into adventures, or they might consist entirely o f small favors you can do between adventures. What kind o f relationship do you have with your patron? Is it friendly, antagonistic, uneasy, or romantic? How important does your patron consider you to be? What part do you play in your patron’s plans? Do you know other servants o f your patron? How does your patron communicate with you? If you have a familiar, it might occasionally speak with your patron’s voice. Some warlocks find messages from their patrons etched on trees, mingled among tea leaves, or adrift in the clouds—messages that only the warlock can see. Other w arlocks converse with their patrons in dreams r waking visions, or deal only with intermediaries.  

Starting Equipment

• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
• (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) a dungeoneer’s pack
• Leather armor, any simple w eapon, and two daggers
 

Class Features

O t h e r w o r l d l y Pa t r o n

At 1st level, you have struck a bargain with an otherworldly being o f your choice: the Archfey, the Fiend, or the Great Old One, each o f which is detailed at the end o f the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Pa c t M a g i c

Your arcane research and the magic bestowed on you by your patron have given you facility with spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules o f spellcasting and chapter 11 for the w arlock spell list.

C a n t r i p s

You know two cantrips o f your choice from the w arlock spell list. You learn additional warlock cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column o f the Warlock table.

Sp e l l Sl o t s

The Warlock table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all o f your spell slots are the same level. To cast one o f your warlock spells o f 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest. For example, when you are 5th level, you have two 3rd-level spell slots. To cast the 1st-level spell thunderwave, you must spend one o f those slots, and you cast it as a 3rd-level spell.

Sp e l l s K n o w n o f 1s t L e v e l a n d H ig h e r

At 1st level, you know two 1st-level spells o f your choice from the w arlock spell list. The Spells Known column o f the W arlock table shows when you learn more w arlock spells o f your choice o f 1st level and higher. A spell you choose must be o f a level no higher than what’s shown in the table's Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 6th level, for example, you learn a new warlock spell, which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one o f the warlock spells you know and replace it with another spell from the warlock spell list, which also must be o f a level for which you have spell slots.

Sp e l l c a s t in g A b i l i t y

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your w arlock spells, so you use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a w arlock spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Sp e l l c a s t in g Fo c u s

You can use an arcane focus (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your w arlock spells.

E l d r i t c h I n v o c a t i o n s

In your study o f occult lore, you have unearthed eldritch invocations, fragments o f forbidden knowledge that imbue you with an abiding magical ability. At 2nd level, you gain two eldritch invocations of your choice. Your invocation options are detailed at the end o f the class description. When you gain certain w arlock levels, you gain additional invocations of your choice, as shown in the Invocations Known column o f the Warlock table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one o f the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation that you could learn at that level.

Pa c t B o o n

At 3rd level, your otherworldly patron bestows a gift upon you for your loyal service. You gain one o f the following features o f your choice.

Pa c t o f t h e C h a in

You learn the find familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual. The spell doesn’t count against your number of spells known. When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or one o f the following special forms: imp, pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite. Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one o f your own attacks to allow your familiar to make one attack o f its own.

Pa c t o f t h e B l a d e

You can use your action to create a pact w eapon in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it (see chapter 5 for weapon options). You are proficient with it while you wield it. This w eapon counts as magical for the purpose o f overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Ab i l i t y S c o r e I m p r o v e m e n t

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score o f your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability s cores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

M y s t i c A r c a n u m

At 11th level, your patron bestows upon you a magical secret called an arcanum. Choose one 6th-level spell from the w arlock spell list as this arcanum. You can cast your arcanum spell once without expending a spell slot. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again. At higher levels, you gain more warlock spells o f your choice that can be cast in this way: one 7th-level spell at 13th level, one 8th-level spell at 15th level, and one 9th-level spell at 17th level. You regain all uses of your Mystic A rcanum when you finish a long rest.

E l d r i t c h M a s t e r

At 20th level, you can draw on your inner reserve of mystical power while entreating your patron to regain expended spell slots. You can spend 1 minute entreating your patron for aid to regain all your expended spell slots from your Pact Magic feature. Once you regain spell slots with this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again. Your pact weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the w eapon (no action required), or if you die. You can transform one magic w eapon into your pact weapon by performing a special ritual while you hold the weapon. You perform the ritual over the course o f 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. You can then dismiss the weapon, shunting it into an extradimensional space, and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter. You can’t affect an artifact or a sentient w eapon in this way. The weapon ceases being your pact weapon if you die, if you perform the 1-hour ritual on a different w eapon, or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it. The weapon appears at your feet if it is in the extradimensional space when the bond breaks.

Pa c t o f t h e T o m e

Your patron gives you a grimoire called a Book of Shadows. When you gain this feature, choose three cantrips from any class’s spell list. While the book is on your person, you can cast those cantrips at will. They don’t count against your number of cantrips known. If you lose your Book o f Shadows, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous book. The book turns to ash when you die.

O t h e rw o r ld ly P a tron s

Th e A r c h f e y

Your patron is a lord or lady o f the fey, a creature of legend who holds secrets that w ere forgotten before the mortal races w ere born. This being’s motivations are often inscrutable, and sometimes whimsical, and might involve a striving for greater magical power or the settling o f age-old grudges. Beings of this sort include the Prince o f Frost; the Queen o f Air and Darkness, ruler o f the Gloaming Court; Titania of the Summer Court; her consort Oberon, the Green Lord; Hyrsam, the Prince o f Fools; and ancient hags.

E x p a n d e d Sp e l l L is t

The Archfey lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the w arlock spell list for you.

A r c h f e y E x p a n d e d S p e l l s

Spell Level Spells 1st faerie fire, sleep
2nd calm emotions, phantasmal force
3rd blink, plant growth
4th dominate beast, greater invisibility
5th dominate person, seeming

F e y P r e s e n c e

Starting at 1st level, your patron bestows upon you the ability to project the beguiling and fearsome presence o f 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 w arlock 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.

M i s t y E s c a p e

Starting at 6th level, you can vanish in a puff o f 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 o f 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.

B e g u i l in g D e f e n s e s

Beginning at 10th level, your patron teaches you how to turn the mind-affecting magic o f 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.

D a r k D e l ir iu m

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 o f 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 o f 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.

T h e F i e n d

You have made a pact with a fiend from the lower planes o f existence, a being w hose aims are evil, even if you strive against those aims. Such beings desire the corruption or destruction of all things, ultimately including you. Fiends powerful enough to forge a pact include demon lords such as Demogorgon, Orcus, Fraz’Urb-luu, and Baphomet; archdevils such as A smodeus, Dispater, Mephistopheles, and Belial; pit fiends and balors that are especially mighty; and ultroloths and other lords of the yugoloths.

E x p a n d e d Sp e l l L is t

The Fiend lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a w arlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

F i e n d E x p a n d e d S p e l l s

Spell Level Spells 1st burning hands, command
2nd blindness/deafness, scorching ray
3rd fireball, stinking cloud
4th fire shield, wall o f fire
5th flame strike, hallow

D a r k O n e ’s B l e s s in g

Starting at 1st level, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your warlock level (minimum o f 1).

D a r k O n e ’s O w n L u c k

Starting at 6th level, you can call on your patron to alter fate in your favor. When you make an ability check or a saving throw, you can use this feature to add a d 10 to your roll. You can do so after seeing the initial roll but before any o f the roll’s effects occur. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

F ie n d i s h R e s il ie n c e

Starting at 10th level, you can choose one damage type when you finish a short or long rest. You gain resistance to that damage type until you choose a different one with this feature. Damage from magical w eapons or silver weapons ignores this resistance.

H u r l T h r o u g h H e l l

Starting at 14th level, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can use this feature to instantly transport the target through the lower planes. The creature disappears and hurtles through a nightmare landscape. At the end o f your next turn, the target returns to the space it previously occupied, or the nearest unoccupied space. If the target is not a fiend, it takes 10d 10 psychic damage as it reels from its horrific experience. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

The Fallen Gods

Your patron is one of the fallen gods that has been trapped in the infernal plane. Their main motivation is the escape from their prison and a return to power. Orthas and Bogon are the prime movers of this group but Keltor, Emin, Kor, Asmodeus, and Temon are also possible patrons, or one of their great followers. Some of these patrons might be aware of their power being used by the warlock, others might not as their wells of power are immense, and the amount even an arch warlock could siphon off would amount to nothing to them.

E x p a n d e d Sp e l l L is t

The Fallen Gods lets you choose from an expanded list o f spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the w arlock spell list for you.

The Fallen Gods E x p a n d e d S p e l l s

Spell Level Spells
1st dissonant whispers, Tasha's hideous laughter
2nd detect thoughts, phantasmal force
3rd clairvoyance, sending
4th dominate beast, Evard’s black tentacles
5th dominate person, telekinesis

A w a k e n e d M in d

Starting at 1st level, your alien knowledge gives you the ability to touch the minds of other creatures. You can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see within 30 feet o f you. You don’t need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathic utterances, but the creature must be able to understand at least one language.

E n t r o p i c W a r d

At 6th level, you learn to magically ward yourself against attack and to turn an enemy’s failed strike into good luck for yourself. When a creature makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on that roll. If the attack misses you, your next attack roll against the creature has advantage if you make it before the end o f your next turn. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

T h o u g h t Sh i e l d

Starting at 10th level, your thoughts can’t be read by telepathy or other m eans unless you allow it. You also have resistance to psychic damage, and whenever a creature deals psychic damage to you, that creature takes the same amount o f damage that you do.

C r e a t e T h r a l l

At 14th level, you gain the ability to infect a humanoid’s mind with the alien magic of your patron. You can use your action to touch an incapacitated humanoid. That creature is then charmed by you until a remove curse spell is cast on it, the charmed condition is removed from it, or you use this feature again. You can communicate telepathically with the charmed creature as long as the two o f you are on the same plane o f existence.  

Eldritch Invoc a t io n s

If an eldritch invocation has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the invocation at the same time that you meet its prerequisites.

A g o n i z i n g B l a s t

Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip When you cast eldritch blast, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.

A r m o r o f Sh a d o w s

You can cast mage armor on yourself at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.

B e a s t Sp e e c h

You can cast speak with animals at will, without expending a spell slot.

B e g u i l in g In f l u e n c e

You gain proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills.

B o o k o f A n c i e n t Se c r e t s

Prerequisite: Pact o f the Tome feature You can now inscribe magical rituals in your Book o f Shadows. Choose two 1st-level spells that have the ritual tag from any class’s spell list. The spells appear in the book and don’t count against the number o f spells you know. With your Book o f Shadows in hand, you can cast the chosen spells as rituals. You can’t cast the spells except as rituals, unless you’ve learned them by some other means. You can also cast a warlock spell you know as a ritual if it has the ritual tag. On your adventures, you can add other ritual spells to your Book o f Shadows. When you find such a spell, you can add it to the book if the spell’s level is equal to or less than half your warlock level (rounded up) and if you can spare the time to transcribe the spell. For each level o f the spell, the transcription process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp for the rare inks needed to inscribe it. D e v i l ’s Si g h t You can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance o f 120 feet.

E l d r i t c h Sig h t

You can cast detect magic at will, without expending a spell slot.

E l d r i t c h S p e a r

Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip When you cast eldritch blast, its range is 300 feet.

E y e s o f t h e R u n e K e e p e r

You can read all writing.

F ie n d i s h V ig o r

You can cast false life on yourself at will as a 1st-level spell, without expending a spell slot or material components.

G a z e o f T w o M in d s

You can use your action to touch a willing humanoid and perceive through its senses until the end o f your next turn. As long as the creature is on the same plane o f existence as you, you can use your action on subsequent turns to maintain this connection, extending the duration until the end of your next turn. While perceiving through the other creature’s senses, you benefit from any special senses possessed by that creature, and you are blinded and deafened to your own surroundings.

M a s k o f M a n y Fa c e s

You can cast disguise self at will, without expending a spell slot.

M i s t y V i s io n s

You can cast silent image at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.

R e p e l l in g B l a s t

Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip When you hit a creature with eldritch blast, you can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.

T h ie f o f F iv e Fa t e s

You can cast bane once using a warlock spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

V o ic e o f t h e C h a in M a s t e r

Prerequisite: Pact o f the Chain feature You can communicate telepathically with your familiar and perceive through your familiar’s senses as long as you are on the same plane of existence. Additionally, while perceiving through your familiar’s senses, you can also speak through your familiar in your own voice, even if your familiar is normally incapable o f speech.

M ir e t h e M in d

Prerequisite: 5th level You can cast slow once using a warlock spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

O n e w i t h Sh a d o w s

Prerequisite: 5th level When you are in an area o f dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible until you move or take an action or a reaction.

Sig n o f I l l O m e n

Prerequisite: 5th level You can cast bestow curse once using a w arlock spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

T h i r s t in g B l a d e

Prerequisite: 5th level, Pact o f the Blade feature You can attack with your pact w eapon twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

S c u l p t o r o f F l e sh

Prerequisite: 7th level You can cast polymorph once using a warlock spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

B e w i t c h i n g W h i s p e r s

Prerequisite: 7th level You can cast compulsion once using a warlock spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

D r e a d f u l W o r d

Prerequisite: 7th level You can cast confusion once using a w arlock spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

O t h e r w o r l d l y L e a p

Prerequisite: 9th level You can cast jump on yourself at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.

W h is p e r s o f t h e G r a v e

Prerequisite: 9th level You can cast speak with dead at will, without expending a spell slot.

A s c e n d a n t St e p

Prerequisite: 9th level You can cast levitate on yourself at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.

M in io n s o f C h a o s

Prerequisite: 9th level You can cast conjure elemental once using a warlock spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

L i f e d r in k e r

Prerequisite: 12th level, Pact o f the Blade feature When you hit a creature with your pact w eapon, the creature takes extra necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

W i t c h Sig h t

Prerequisite: 15th level You can see the true form o f any shapechanger or creature concealed by illusion or transmutation magic while the creature is within 30 feet o f you and within line of sight.

C h a in s o f C a r c e r i

Prerequisite: 15th level, Pact o f the Chain feature You can cast hold monster at w ill—targeting a celestial, fiend, or elemental—without expending a spell slot or material components. You must finish a long rest before you can use this invocation on the same creature again.

V i s io n s o f D i s t a n t R e a l m s

Prerequisite: 15th level You can cast arcane eye at will, without expending a spell slot.

M a s t e r o f M y r i a d F o r m s

Prerequisite: 15th level You can cast alter self at will, without expending a spell slot.