Warlock
Warlocks are seekers of forbidden knowledge, individuals who have struck bargains with powerful entities from beyond the mortal world. Through pacts with beings of immense power — archfey, fiends, great old ones, and others — warlocks gain magical abilities that blur the line between arcane study and dark devotion.
Unlike wizards who laboriously study tomes or sorcerers who channel innate power, warlocks owe their magic to a patron: a being who chose them, approached them, or was approached by them in a moment of desperation or ambition. The nature of that relationship shapes everything about the warlock's craft — the spells they can cast, the boons they receive, and the obligations they may be called upon to fulfill.
These pact-keepers occupy a unique place among spellcasters. Their magic comes in concentrated, potent bursts — a small number of spell slots that recharge with every short rest, always cast at the highest level available to them. Warlocks supplement this with eldritch invocations, each one a fragment of power granted by their patron, shaping their abilities in ways no other caster can replicate.
Building a Warlock
Hit Dice. \(1d8\) per warlock level.
Proficiencies
Armor. You gain proficiency with light armor.
Weapons. You gain proficiency with simple weapons.
Tools. None.
Skills. Choose two from Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, and Religion.
Saving Throws. Wisdom and Charisma are your saving throw proficiencies.
Equipment
You start with the following equipment:
- A light crossbow and 20 bolts, or any simple weapon,
- a component pouch or arcane focus,
- a scholar's pack or dungeoneer's pack,
- leather armor, any simple weapon, and two daggers.
Warlock Table:
| Level | Class Features Gained | Cantrips | Spells Known | Spell Slots | Slot Level | Invocations Known | Proficiency Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Otherworldly Patron, Pact Magic | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1st | — | +2 |
| 2nd | Eldritch Invocations | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1st | 2 | +2 |
| 3rd | Pact Boon | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2nd | 2 | +2 |
| 4th | Obtain Feat | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2nd | 2 | +2 |
| 5th | 3 | 6 | 2 | 3rd | 3 | +3 | |
| 6th | Subclass Feature | 3 | 7 | 2 | 3rd | 3 | +3 |
| 7th | 3 | 8 | 2 | 4th | 4 | +3 | |
| 8th | Obtain Feat | 3 | 9 | 2 | 4th | 4 | +3 |
| 9th | 3 | 10 | 2 | 5th | 5 | +4 | |
| 10th | Subclass Feature | 4 | 10 | 2 | 5th | 5 | +4 |
| 11th | Mystic Arcanum (6th level) | 4 | 11 | 3 | 5th | 5 | +4 |
| 12th | Obtain Feat | 4 | 11 | 3 | 5th | 6 | +4 |
| 13th | Mystic Arcanum (7th level) | 4 | 12 | 3 | 5th | 6 | +5 |
| 14th | Subclass Feature | 4 | 12 | 3 | 5th | 6 | +5 |
| 15th | Mystic Arcanum (8th level) | 4 | 13 | 3 | 5th | 7 | +5 |
| 16th | Obtain Feat | 4 | 13 | 3 | 5th | 7 | +5 |
| 17th | Mystic Arcanum (9th level) | 4 | 14 | 4 | 5th | 7 | +6 |
| 18th | 4 | 14 | 4 | 5th | 8 | +6 | |
| 19th | Obtain Feat | 4 | 15 | 4 | 5th | 8 | +6 |
| 20th | Eldritch Master | 4 | 15 | 4 | 5th | 8 | +6 |
Subclasses
At 1st level, you choose the otherworldly patron with whom you have made your pact: Pact of the Ancients, Pact of the Archfey, Pact of the Celestial, Pact of the Fathomless, Pact of the Fiend, Pact of the Genie, Pact of the Great Old One, Pact of the Hexblade, Pact of the Shadows, Pact of the Undead, and Pact of the Undying. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.
Class Features
Otherworldly Patron
At 1st level, you have struck a bargain with an otherworldly being of your choice. Your patron grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.
Pact Magic
Your arcane research and the magic bestowed on you by your patron have given you facility with spells.
Cantrips. You know two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. You learn additional warlock cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column.
Spell Slots. The Warlock Table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your warlock spells of 1st through 5th level. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level. To cast one of your warlock spells of 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 of those slots, and you cast it as a 3rd-level spell.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher. At 1st level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the warlock spell list. The Spells Known column shows when you learn more warlock spells of your choice of 1st level and higher. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than the current slot level in your Spell Slots column. When you reach a new warlock level, you can also replace one warlock spell you know with another spell from the warlock spell list.
Spellcasting Ability. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells. 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 warlock 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
Spellcasting Focus. You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells.
Eldritch Invocations
In your study of occult lore, you have unearthed eldritch invocations, fragments of forbidden knowledge that imbue you with an abiding magical ability.
At 2nd level, you gain two eldritch invocations of your choice. When you gain certain warlock levels, you gain additional invocations of your choice, as shown in the Invocations Known column. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation that you could learn at that level.
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 level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.
Example Invocations:
Agonizing Blast. Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip. When you cast eldritch blast, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.
Armor of Shadows. You can cast mage armor on yourself at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.
Devil's Sight. You can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.
Eldritch Mind. You have advantage on Constitution saving throws that you make to maintain your concentration on a spell.
Fiendish Vigor. You can cast false life on yourself at will as a 1st-level spell, without expending a spell slot or material components.
Mask of Many Faces. You can cast disguise self at will, without expending a spell slot.
Misty Visions. You can cast silent image at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.
One with Shadows. Prerequisite: 5th level. When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible until you move or take an action or a reaction.
Repelling Blast. 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.
Witch Sight. Prerequisite: 15th level. You can see the true form of any shapechanger or creature concealed by illusion or transmutation magic while the creature is within 30 feet of you and within line of sight.
Pact Boon
At 3rd level, your otherworldly patron bestows a gift upon you for your loyal service. You gain one of the following features of your choice.
Pact of the Blade. You can use your action to create a pact weapon in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it. You are proficient with it while you wield it. This weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Your pact weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. You can dismiss the weapon, shunting it into an extradimensional space, and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter.
Pact of the Chain. 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 of the following special forms: imp, pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite. Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to allow your familiar to use its reaction to make one attack with its weapon.
Pact of the Talisman. Your patron gives you an amulet, a talisman that can aid the wearer when the need is great. When the wearer fails an ability check, they can add a \(1d4\) to the roll, potentially turning the roll into a success. This benefit can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and all expended uses are restored when you finish a long rest.
Pact of the Tome. 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 (the three needn't be from the same 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 they don't appear on the warlock spell list, they are nonetheless warlock spells for you.
Mystic Arcanum
At 11th level, your patron bestows upon you a magical secret called an arcanum. Choose one 6th-level spell from the warlock 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 another warlock spell of 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 Arcanum when you finish a long rest.
Eldritch Master
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 Pact Magic spell slots. Once you regain spell slots with this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.