The 5e Warlock Class Reawakened
Devoted servants, desperate heroes, and fools tricked into pacts. Warlocks draw magical power from their connection to supernatural entities. They have a versatile set of gifts from their patrons but have fewer spells than other spellcasters.
The following is a revision of the 5e warlock class, meant to give them a more typical form of spellcasting so they don't require short rests. This version also seeks to make each available pact boon powerful and versatile. Existing 5e subclasses will all work mechanically with this form of the warlock class. Click here for a summary of changes.
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Navigation
Class Features by Level*
19: Superior Ability
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*For abilities that appear at multiple levels, only the first case is listed.
eg. Ability Score Improvement is only listed at level 4.
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Spell Slots
Level 1 Warlocks
When you create a level 1 warlock, follow these steps to add the following to your character:
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Ability Scores
You can take one of these recommended ability score arrays, or you can roll or assign them yourself. You can switch any two ability scores, but you do not add any further bonuses (they're already included).
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Strength: 8 Dexterity:14 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 12 Charisma: 16
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Strength: 8 Dexterity:15 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 17
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Feat
You gain a level 1 feat of your choice. You can choose from the feats available to all classes or choose a level 1 class-specific feat, if there is one available.​
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Hit Points
At First Level: 8 + Constitution Modifier
At Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution Modifier
Hit Dice: 1d8 per warlock level
Items
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a light crossbow and 20 bolts -OR- any Simple Weapon
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any Simple Weapon -OR- a small shield
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two daggers
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a component pouch -OR- an arcane focus
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a dungeoneer's pack -OR- a scholar's pack
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Multiclass Characters
Instead of leveling up in your original class, you can take a warlock level when you level up. When you do, you gain only a portion of what first level warlocks gain.
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Multiclassing Ability Score Requirements
Taking levels in several classes requires exceptional ability. You must meet the multiclassing ability score requirements for both your original class and the class you are multiclassing into.
For warlocks you must have:​
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Charisma: 14
Hit Points
Per Level: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution Modifier
Hit Dice: 1d8 per warlock level
Class Features
Class features here are sorted by level. When you reach a level as indicated by the icons on the left, you gain all feature or feature improvements listed between the red lines. For example, at first level warlocks gain the Warlock Patron and Pact Magic features, as well as their choice of Pact Boon.
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Eldritch Blast
An eldritch blast mimics the power of the warlock's patron. Some appear as crackling bolts of purple magic, and some appear as infernal fire that can even damage creatures normally immune to fire. A warlock who draws power from the deeps might appear to skip stones across the air like it was a pond, causing devastating damage when the stone strikes.
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Action - 1 Creature* (120 ft.) - Magical
Spell Attack
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Hit: 1d10 + spellcasting ability modifier force damage.
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*At Higher Levels: This ability creates more than one blast when you reach higher level in the warlock class. These improvements are listed at the specified levels. You can direct the blasts at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each blast.
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Note: This ability does not count as a cantrip or a spell.
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Pact Magic
A combination of your patron's power and your own study have granted you the ability to cast spells. You use charisma as your spellcasting ability for warlock spells, since your magic draws upon your connection to your patron's power.
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Warlocks are known spellcasters. The Warlock Progression Table shows how many spell slots you have, as well as how many cantrips and spells you know. You can search the list of warlock spells here or see full spell descriptions here.​​​​​
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Spellcasting Focuses
You can use an arcane focus or component pouch as a spellcasting focus for casting warlock spells. To do so, you need a free hand to hold your focus or access your components.
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For Multiclass Characters
If you are a multiclass character, your pact magic spell slots are combined additively with spell slots from any other class you may have. When you gain spell slots from either class, they are added to your total number of spell slots for that level.​​​​ Note that Warlock is the only class that adds spell slots this way.
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Pact Boon
You use your Warlock Patron's power to gain one of the following features of your choice; choose one of the Pact of the Chain, Pact of the Tome, or Pact of the Warrior. Each pact has Eldritch Invocations that build on its powers, so pick the pact that fits your warlock's archetype most to get the most out of later invocations.
Pact of the Chain
You bind a familiar to your service. You gain the Find Familiar feat, with the following revisions. If you already had the feat, choose a different level 1 feat to replace it.​​
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Your familiar can use the stats of an imp, pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite. You can also use any of the default familiars. Imps, quasits, and sprites lose their invisibility abilities.
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Your familiar has an armour class equal to 10 + your proficiency bonus, and a hit point total equal to 3 times your level.
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Your familiar's attack now deals 1d4 + your charisma modifier damage. Choose whether bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage is most appropriate for your familiar.
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Your familiar gains magic resistance if it doesn't have it already, which gives it advantage on saves against spells and magical effects.
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As an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, your body is blind and deaf.
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As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. You can then use an action at any time to cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you.
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When you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it.
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Pact of the Chain: Restore Familiar
You learn this 1st level spell, which doesn't count against the number of warlock spells you know. You can use this spell without expending a spell slot at the end of a short rest.
1 Minute - 1st Level (Necromancy) - VS
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You revive your familiar if it was dead.
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Your familiar regains all hit points and teleports to you.
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This spell can also change the form your familiar takes, choosing again from the initial list.​
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Pact of the Tome
You create a Pact Tome to contain more spells.
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When you gain this feature, choose three cantrips from any class's spell list. The cantrips you choose can be from different classes. While the Pact Tome is on your person, you can cast those cantrips at will as if they were warlock spells. These cantrips don't count against your number of cantrips known.
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If you lose your Pact Tome, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to create a replacement. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous tome. The tome turns to ash when you die.
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Pact of the Tome: Eldritch Recovery
​During a Short Rest - Self - 1/Long Rest - Magical
You have learned to regain some of your magical energy using your pact tome. Choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your warlock level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.
For example, if you're a 4th-level warlock, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots.​
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Pact of the Warrior
You gain the ability to bind weapons with your patron's power. Your patron might send you one or two weapons when you gain this feature.
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You gain proficiency with all martial weapons and with medium armor.
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You can transform one or two weapons into your Pact Weapons by performing a special ritual while you hold the weapons. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. You can then dismiss the weapons (no action required), shunting them into an extradimensional space. You can then use an action to summon one or both of the weapons, which appear in your hands or on your person (your choice). A weapon ceases being your Pact Weapon if you die or if you use the 1-hour ritual again and don't include the previous weapon as one of your two Pact Weapons. The weapon appears at your feet if it is in the extradimensional space when the bond breaks.
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Whenever you deal damage with a Pact Weapon, it counts as magical damage.
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You can use a Pact Weapon as a Spellcasting Focus.
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Pact of the Warrior: Fighting Style
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
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Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged and thrown weapons.
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Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.​
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Protection
Reaction - 1 Ally (5 ft.)
When a creature hits one of your allies with an attack and that ally is within 5 ft. of you, you can force the attacker to reroll the attack, targeting you instead. You must be holding a shield or melee weapon to use this ability.
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Single Weapon Fighting
When you are wielding a single one or two-handed melee weapon and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.​
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Two-Weapon Fighting
When you make an attack with an off-hand weapon, you do not suffer disadvantage on the attack roll. As normal, your off-hand weapon must be Light​.
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Pact of the Warrior: Thirsting Weapon
You weapon drains the life force of its victim and gives their life force to you.
Once Per Turn - Self - 1/Short Rest - Magical
When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points with a Pact Weapon, you regain hit points equal to 5 plus your warlock level. ​​
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Warlock Patron
You form a pact with a powerful magical creature, who grants you your power. This creature usually has no direct control over you, but you likely performed a task or promised something to the creature in exchange. Some patrons are malicious, like demons who are interested in taking your soul. Some are benevolent, like powerful fey who want to protect the world. Your choice of patron represents where your warlock got their power.
Your patron gives you new features at levels 3, 6, 10, and 14.
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Warlock patrons available elsewhere are compatible with this version of the warlock class.
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Fiend Patron
A warlock that has a fiendish patron has entered into a pact with dark powers, most often with demons or their ilk. The patron typically requires that a warlock does some dark deed relating to the type of fiend they are before receiving their first powers.
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Fiend: Extra Spells Known
When you reach certain levels as a warlock, you gain the ability to cast higher level spells. When you do, you learn these additional spells. They do not count against the number of warlock spells you know.
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Other Patron: Extra Spells Prepared
Choose this option if you'd like to use a Warlock Patron that comes from a source that isn't Elkan 5e. At this level, you gain access to the first of your Patron's extra spells. We have given warlocks their patron's expanded spell list as extra prepared spells that don't count against the number of warlock spells known, and so you should grant warlocks using non-Elkan subclasses their expanded spell list for free as well.
Your patron likely lists features at level 1 other than new spells. You gain these features at level 3 instead.
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In your study of occult lore, you have unearthed eldritch invocations, fragments of forbidden knowledge that imbue you with an abiding magical ability. The above link will take you to a list, as will this link.
At 2nd level, you gain one eldritch invocation of your choice. If you want to be a warlock who uses weapons in combat, we recommend Eldritch Weapon for your first invocation. When you reach levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, and 18 you gain another invocation, as shown in the Warlock Table.
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When you gain a warlock level, you can choose one of the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation that you meet the requirements for. If you replace an invocation, you lose all benefits from that invocation. You cannot replace an invocation that is the prerequisite for another invocation or feat you possess.
A level prerequisite in an invocation refers to warlock level, not character level.
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Eldritch Invocation
You gain another Eldritch Invocation. Choose from the list here or from other 5e sources.
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Patron Feature
You gain an ability granted by your choice of Warlock Patron.
Fiend: Dark One's Blessing
Your patron's power overtakes you. You take on a fiendish appearance similar to your patron, and while they allow you to leach life from creatures you kill, the power threatens your life at the end of the transformation.
Bonus Action - Self - 1 Minute - 3/Long Rest - Magical
You gain the following effects for 1 minute:
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Your Eldritch Blasts and weapon attacks do an extra 1d4 fire damage.
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When you kill a hostile creature, you gain temporary hit points equal to 5 + your warlock level. If the creature's hit point maximum is lower than this total, you instead gain temporary hit points equal to the creature's hit point maximum.​
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Other Patron: Level 3 Feature
At this level, your Warlock Patron grants you new features. If using a patron not from Elkan 5e, your domain's features are likely listed as level 1 features.
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Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, and 16th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
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Feat
At this level and every level you gain an ability score improvement, you also gain a feat of your choice.
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Eldritch Blast Improvement (2 Blasts)
When you cast the Eldritch Blast cantrip, you shoot two blasts instead of one. You can direct the blasts at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each blast.
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Eldritch Invocation
You gain another Eldritch Invocation. Choose from the list here or from other 5e sources.
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Fiend: Dark One's Own Luck
No Action Cost - Self - 1/Short Rest - Magical
You call on your patron to alter fate in your favor. After you roll a skill check or a saving throw and see the result, you can use this feature to add a d10 to your roll.
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Other Patron: Level 6 Feature
Your chosen Warlock Patron grants you one or more features at this level.
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Eldritch Invocation
You gain another Eldritch Invocation. Choose from the list here or from other 5e sources.
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Ability Score Improvement
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
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Feat
You gain a feat​ of your choice.
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Eldritch Invocation
You gain another Eldritch Invocation. Choose from the list here or from other 5e sources.
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Fiend: Fiendish Resilience
During a Short or Long Rest - Self - Magical
Choose one of the following damage types: cold, fire, poison, bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing. You gain resistance to that damage type until you choose a different one with this feature. If you choose bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you still take full damage from magic or silver weapons.
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Other Patron: Level 10 Feature
Your chosen Warlock Patron grants you one or more features at this level.
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Eldritch Blast Improvement (3 Blasts)
When you cast the Eldritch Blast cantrip, you shoot three blasts instead of one. You can direct the blasts at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each blast.
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Ability Score Improvement
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
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Feat
You gain a feat​ of your choice.
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Eldritch Invocation
You gain another Eldritch Invocation. Choose from the list here or from other 5e sources.
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You gain no new class features at this level. As always, see the Warlock Table to see new spell slots and spells known.
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Fiend: Hurl Through Hell
No Action Cost - 1 Creature - 1/Long Rest - Magical
When you hit a creature with an attack, you can use this feature to instantly transport the target through a nightmare landscape. At the end of your next turn, the target returns to the space they previously occupied, or the nearest unoccupied space. If the target is not a fiend, they take 10d10 psychic damage as they reel from the horrific experience.
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Other Patron: Level 14 Feature
Your chosen Warlock Patron grants you one or more features at this level.
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Eldritch Invocation
You gain another Eldritch Invocation. Choose from the list here or from other 5e sources.
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Ability Score Improvement
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
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Feat
You gain a feat​ of your choice.
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Eldritch Blast Improvement (4 Blasts)
When you cast the Eldritch Blast cantrip, you shoot four blasts instead of one. You can direct the blasts at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each blast.
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Eldritch Invocation
You gain another Eldritch Invocation. Choose from the list here or from other 5e sources.
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Superior Ability
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2, to a maximum of 22.
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Eldritch Mastery
1 Minute - Self - 1/Long Rest - Magical
You draw on your inner reserve of mystical power granted by your patron to regain all your expended warlock spell slots of up to 5th level. You thus can regain up to 2 spell slots each of levels 1-5, provided you expended each of those spell slots before using this feature.
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