WARLOCK - Great Old One 2024 Players Handbook Preview + Advice for DMs

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

So yeah, I really wanted to try and get some other videos out (yes, multiple! I even finished scripts for them!) before this so that it wasn't such a stark jump from years ago to now. I really enjoyed making this video though, and glad I got to do more with it than just "here's the subclass preview". I'm hoping to finish those other videos to publish and make some more soon, please let me know any topics or stuff you'd like me to talk about here! (also, I will make the lights much brighter in the future. Haha)

[@trynda1701]

Glad to see you back. Plus, the lighting looked fine, no glaring reflection on your glasses! 👍👍👍👍😎😎😎😎😃😃😃😃

[@Lolman2171]

Having seen the battle maps you use evolve over the years, I personally would love to hear how you've improved with descriptive combat when a battle map isn't used? My own game is done via discord and I'm really not good with things like foundry/roll20 so would love to hear any possible hints/tips for descriptive combat dming (and dming in general) you've picked up over the years? Love the content as always!

[@DenizensRPG]

Nice to see you doing a vid Mark - hullo from the Denizens 🤯

[@gabsinventions9135]

Can't wait for the future vids!! ❤

[@Grady_UK]

Hi Mark. I’ve followed you since the beginning of high rollers it’s great to see your success. One thing I would love a full video on is how to calculate a full dungeon crawl encounter. You always rave about the encounter builder but I find it really challenging to gage the power level for multiple encounters. I’m sure there is a mathematically sound way of doing it but I tend to just cop out and throw lethal single encounters at my party because I don’t want it to be over and done quickly. But I feel there’s some magic lost there in the economical conservation of resources for the party. And the real sense of achievement in making it to the end and fighting the boss once they have taken a few licks and there’s a real sense of danger. I find myself constantly balancing a lethal encounter either by nerfing the boss or giving them twice the HP they should have (naturally because the players are at full resource every time) and this makes me less and less inclined to utilise the challenge rating (even though I know it’s just a guide)

[@axebearer]

New great old one warlock is amazing. Illusion and Enchantment without vocal or somatic components is wild. Get yourself a familiar and have it go invisible inside someone's house, then look through it's eyes and cast minor illusion and use telepathy. The familiar can only cast touch spells, but telepathy just requires sight and being within 30 feet, it doesn't say you have to see the target through your own eyes. Minor illusion meanwhile only has a 30 feet limit, doesn't even require line of sight so you don't have to cast it through the familiar, you're just using it for scouting. Sounds of children running through dark hallways, floorboards creaking in the attic, whispers in the darkness, you can sit outside someone's house and drive them mad just for the hell of it.

[@RobearRich]

I’m so glad that Wizards are letting you guys do these videos. A big win-win strategy that I hope they continue doing.

[@FogOfFrost]

I will say removing the components for enchantment and illusion spells is insanely useful outside combat, as well as when avoiding counter spells. Subtle spell sorcerer has always been super underrated and, lo and behold, always been best with enchantment and illusion spells.

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

yeah, I don't think I said much in the video but I do think it's great flavour and in-keeping with the fluff of the subclass and a very underrated feature.

[@BlackShardStudio]

RIP Transmutation. You were amazing in 3rd. Now you're a joke.

[@hugofernandez5977]

Aberrant mind sorceror has a similar feature. Cool to see all these psionic subclasses. Gonna need to put together an all-deurgar psychic party lol

[@daithi1966]

Mind Sliver just killing everyone around you with brain aneurysms and you have no idea why. Heck, maybe you act like you're being effected too.

[@tylerh2548]

I look forward to the Voice From Beyond warlock build being updated with the Revised Warlock

[@tylerh2548]

For a GOO patron: the Revelations of Melech. The digital free Dragon Magazine issue about Starpact warlocks is I THINK still available online with an article "Wish Upon a Star" which is where the Star Pact (which evolved into Great Old One in 5th edition) was introduced. Fun ideas for flavor of spells and abilities, but the main reason for my comment is the Revelations of Melech. It is a lost/ forbidden scroll penned by a madman that lists a number of stars by name and claims they are actually sentient beings of cosmic insanity. Hadar is one of these stars, the only reference carried over from 4th to 5th editions. Anyways, the idea I never had until now, with mention of a "psionic crystal" being the patron....is for the scroll The Revelations of Melech to actually BE the patron, rather than the entities it records. To compare to the Lovecraft Mythos, it's having the Necronomicon as the "patron" rather than Azathoth or Cthulhu. It is in delving the forbidden tome that the magical secrets of the Great Old Ones are gleaned, as well as the madness from the hints of unveiled truth that stain the warlock's psyche. In the Revelations of Melech, new spells are discovered - not by reading a formula, but by discovering a new fundamental truth of reality that, when assimilated, alters the warlock's perception of reality thus that now, they hear whispers from those-not-there and can open the ears of the worthy victims to hear the truth as well, though it drive them to flee. Let them, too, see the Red Worms of Nihal that writhe in the sockets of their allies; squirming as they feast on the futures of the yet-to-be meat of this singular dimension. In reading of the carniverous sky, the warlock might discover the cycle of life anew, and realize that the attacks against their own mind are meager attempts of moments in time to harness the infinite mass of eternity; simply inconceivable to a temporal mind, and simply damaging to those minds that touch your own and realize they have plunged their hand into the pit of burning ice, numbed and scalded by the nature of what they have touched - reality physically encountering unreality, and discovering you do not know now, if what you encountered was the reality and you, your very concept of being you, is the true unreal.... As for the warlock, they simply read the Revelations, and try not to peek at the night sky, when the multitude of stars seem to wink back in countless, inscrutible harmony, the magnitude of which fractures the mind to try and grasp. This warlock takes short rests to scan the passages of Melech and recall the sense of Self to work a spellcasting by will, because long rests tend to be spent in restless paranpoia or manic hyper-focus.

[@Hey-Its-Dingo]

My favorite Warlock idea is a Genasi Warlock whose Patron is their overprotective Genie parent who insists on chaperoning them on their adventure with their friends. "I won't get in your way, but I'll be right here in my demiplane if you need me, sweetie."

[@Mealbot2000]

A new Mark Hulmes video! The last one was… the OGL. Wild

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Tell me about it. I had really hoped to make another one before this, just so it didn't go: OGL > Sponsored 2024 D&D Video. But, hey, life's like that.

[@Mealbot2000]

@@SherlockHulmesDM I would not worry about it. You definitely don’t come off as a shill, you were very direct with your criticism of the subclass.

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

@@Mealbot2000 That's a relief! Appreciate it!

[@DCVM93]

​@SherlockHulmesDM and I'm just happy to see more videos! I've always enjoyed the way you express your opinions, and the way you present information. Mark Hulmes is my GM aspirational goals! 😁

[@spectra20000]

Wasn’t expecting a new video here. So happy that you and HighRollers are still partnering with WOTC for official D&D stuff. I haven’t seen them sponsor the stream in a long time, but I’m glad your role in the community hasn’t been forgotten. You guys deserve all the recognition!

[@aidanthornton173]

I like the idea that you can cast certain spells like a subtle sorcerer. Now you can Use detect thoughts and no one knows you're doing it, makes the subclass great for information gathering.

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Agreed! It's a great flavour feature!

[@DefaultSeaTurtle]

Small correction - detect thoughts is a divination spell, so it's not covered by the level 3 feature.

[@aidanthornton173]

@@DefaultSeaTurtle Awww, nevermind then...

[@unholyxeras8182]

​@@DefaultSeaTurtleyou can use Suggestion, create illusions and Charm people with noone knowing your doing it though. Seems like detect thoughts really ought to be included though, with the heavy psychic nature of the subclass

[@timeforsuchaword]

One of the problems with this feature is that it doesn't remove material components and almost all illusion/enchantment spells have material components. xgte and the playtest version of counterspell make it clear that spellcasting can be identified by material components, but maybe that rule or the components of the spells themselves changed in the final version.

[@gakulon]

Tsundere warlock patron is not something I knew I needed until now

[@XSacredX27]

Glad to see another video from you ! For the subclass at level 3 thing, i agree it's a bit odd. Given the state of the game, you could make a player take their subclass at level 1 but only get the abilities at level 3 (flavour wise, they'd be part of their order but only after level 3 would they be strong or experienced enough to gain the benefits from it) or, as they themselves recommended, just start your adventures at level 3, which is something i'll be doing when i start dming after these new books are published!

[@5hadow5talker]

Great details here, unsure how I was with Mark being serious Mark, but the format works! The ancestor-grandchild warlock pact is adorable! Great for rp and flavouring for cultures that do ancestral worship too

[@shadedknightt3160]

Mark Hulmes. New D&D. Happiness.

[@Sylfaemo]

Yess, Daddy Hulmes back with some vids, count me in! I am always up for your takes, you are not 1-to-1 my DMing style, but always bring something new to my perspective on running games and storytelling. Thanks once more!

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Nobody should ever by anyone's 1-to-1 DMing style honestly. You know your table and your game better than anyone else, and can tailor it to fit your needs and your player needs. Glad I can help give some ideas or new perspectives though!

[@BDTMack]

Super awesome to see Mark get in on the preview action!

[@ericpeterson8732]

That was a great video, Mark. Very informative. The tips on running a warlock and why would I want to play a warlock were especially helpful. I had a celestial warlock whose background was as a criminal who robbed the wrong temple. The solar who was sent to punish me had a better idea. Parole. The pact was to recover the artifacts I stole and generally do good until such time as I earned back my freedom. My pact of the chain sprite familiar was reflavored to be my shoulder angel and my portable conscience. Sadly, he didn't make it through the Forge of Fury and was sniped by archers. I would have liked to develop him more, but low-level Adventurers' League didn't have a good way to restore him. DM Steve was old school that way. I'm interested in the genie warlock in a similar fashion. The way I see it, the genie warlock is a reverse genie relationship. The usual genie relationship is a mortal having a vessel that summons a genie servant to cater to their wishes (literally). But with a genie warlock, you are the servant, and the lamp is your home, not theirs. So what if your warlock finds a ring or lamp and rubs it, hoping for a wish-granting servant and instead is whisked away to an Elemental plane to the home of a Noble Genie who once was enslaved for a thousand years and is looking for some payback. Now he is the master and we mortals are their servants. But it's not all that bad. Being the servant of an Elemental Lord has some benefits. Etc, etc.

[@Lumpyrox1412]

Thank goodness they stuck with 3rd level subclasses (seemingly?) across the board! I appreciate it from a consistency perspective and also ease of teaching new players sort of way!

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

It's definitely a change that some folks love and some folks hate. I think it's fine, as long as your DM/Players are cool to set things up even if the class feature isn't there.

[@Teapk_Adventures]

Great video mark, loved the added context at the end from your own experience!

[@wesleyvl8572]

Wow look who is back

[@InaKreka]

Great Old One Warlock is my fav subclass in dnd. Im glad I found this video so soon.

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Glad you liked it! Cheers.

[@Telar-The-III]

Great seeing the feedback Mark also lovely seeing all the things I've picked up from seeing you play with warlocks at your table

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Glad you like it, cheers!

[@StarRightStarTight]

My favorite class and subclass!!! YEEE HAW!!!! 🤠

[@prestonknudsen3111]

When it comes to unconventional patrons, a good example is Sullivan from “Welcome to Demon School”. Iruma is a human who was sold by his parents to a demon named Sullivan, but Sullivan just wants to treat Iruma like a grandson. Iruma gets spoiled by Sullivan, but is also gifted magical abilities to blend in while in the Netherworld. He’s essentially a pact of the chain fiend warlock, but is the most lovable softy ever, with an enthusiastic, doting demon “grandfather” for a patron

[@Enderl4ne]

Im making a character with something similar. Elysia had to move to a new village since the one she was growing up in was destroyed. But as she got older she started to grow draconic features like scales, so she set out on a journey to find out whoever her draconic ancestor was and why she inherited these traits but her parents and those before them did not. She eventually finds her dragon great great great great great grandpa and he takes her in. And after a small family reunion is held he takes her in, to both parent her and help nuture and grow her draconic power. This is by no means finished or whatever, so sorry if it looks rushed

[@fallingupwards7974]

so glad this video popped up. GOO Warlocks have always been my favorite

[@deathfury4039]

I just noticed the Mistborn books in the back. I love that series!!!

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Hell yeah, got Stormlight as well (including some signed/rare copies of stuff)

[@arcticwiz2249]

​If ever, any videos relating to Stormlight or Mistborn would be cool.

[@Ghost_in_the_Rain]

These are some insane buffs, I'm excited to give this subclass a try!

[@Entariiljc]

Awh heck yeah! Great to see you uploading here again 😁 looking forwards to the videos to come. Not super aware of how vast the changes are in the new PHB but I’d love to see something like this video for druid or Paladin. Hope you’re well Mark ❤️

[@Rubycule]

I am currently in a campaign where I get to play this subclass (it only got one minor tweak from the last playtest UA as far as I can tell). And it's such a blast. The subclass is very combat focused, yes, but the telepathy has the range and duration to make an impact in exploration and social encounters. Most of your Utility will come from Spells and your Eldritch Invocation anyways.

[@adalvarthepeaceful]

Plus spells of Enchantment and Illusion without verbal or sommatic components can make for some heavy mindfuckery at parties.

[@Firesmith]

hoping to see the other classes and subclasses from you mark. love the way you did the video and do the explaining

[@Foretelling]

Oh fuck yeah. This is the Warlock subclass that interests me most thematically. Looking forward to this.

[@Hoppa_Joel]

a long ways from my old 1980's D&D campaigns hehe :) Cool, thanks Mark :)

[@CivilWarMan]

I think this is basically the same as the UA changes, which I'm good with. Great Old One definitely got a big glow up with this new edition. Assuming the changes to the Pact boons came through, as well, Great Old One is going to be amazing for a Pact of the Blade Warlock. As a side note, Hex is an Enchantment spell, so it benefits from the Subtle Spell effect of the Psychic Spells ability. So you can theoretically Hex someone you intend to attack, and they have no way of being able to detect that you did it until you are ready to unleash the pain. Or you can combine it with another Enchantment or Illusion save-or-suck to hit them with something devastating. Like, imagine using Psychic Spells to subtly cast Hex, debuff someone's Intelligence, then, assuming Mystic Arcana are still a thing, follow it up with using Psychic Spells to subtly cast Feeblemind on them. As far as any outside observers would be able to tell, your target's mind just randomly melted with no immediately apparent cause.

[@daithi1966]

Mind Sliver is also an enchantment spell. Pair that with Hex and they keep taking 2d6 damage for no reason if they can't make their INT save.

[@arthurpprado]

One example of an unusual patron-warlock relationship I like to use is from Bayonetta. Umbra witches are kind of a mix between Archfey and Fiend warlocks while Lumen Sages are definitely Celestial Warlocks. Most of the time, the witch/sage must sacrifice creatures of the opposing side to their patrons (angels for witches, demons for sages), but part of the pact is that not only can the witch/sage summon demons/angels respectively, but they can also summon their own patron in battle if need be. Bayonetta's Wicked Weaves are nothing more than her summoning the arms and legs of her patron to strike enemies. Their relationships with their patrons may also vary quite a bit. Bayo herself has a friendly but respectful relationship with her patron demon, Madama Butterfly, while Balder, Bayo's father, has a bit of a crooked relationship with the angels he works with, as they had their own agenda in the first game

[@BlazeLycan]

I'm playing a Great Old One Warlock in one of my D&D games, and it's actually my first character that I got to opportunity to remake a bit as my understanding of the game got better. A lot of the subclass features I am stoked about: Patron Spells being spells you always know; Psychic Spells is awesome and just fits great with my character since my character can ONLY speak with Awakened Mind, although I hope they aren't keeping the SP cost for Aberrant Mind for the same feature; Clairvoyant Combatant is really cool; Eldritch Hex is sick and makes the previous feature busted; and Thought Shield is the same and that is good. Some subclass features I do think are too great: Awakened Mind is a carbon copy of the current Aberrant Mind, which I feel is unnecessary unless that one's changed to be different too. Being able to speak with someone for free without a language barrier plays out really well especially if you have the right invocations like Mask of Many Faces in order to play out a social manipulator and corrupter style character. That feature could just have had it's ranged increased to be that mile thing or something or even 60 feet. Alternatively, make it able to communicate with everyone in range; because RAW it actually didn't do that as it only works with one humanoid at a time. Create Thrall is a good ability, but I feel like it looses out on a cool concept for the subclass of being able to turn any old humanoid and make them your servant. Yes, the ability wasn't well executed in practice, but that doesn't mean it could not be improved to do exactly that. I'd rather have a feature that can give me sway in nobleman's court than an extra mobile turret that's a bit more powerful. That's the flavor that The Great Old One should bring and leave the Artillerist to do their thing. The spells are overall better. Dissonant Whispers and Phantasmal Force stands out as the best for 3rd Level, while Detect Thoughts and Tasha's Hideous Laughter being good when they don't take up Spells Known/Prepared, with the latter working a lot better without components and thus have a different niche than Hypnotic Pattern. Clairvoyance being auto prepped means no wasted Spells Known slot taken or Arcane Eye Invocation needed to be replace it. And Hunger of Hadar I've heard to be a better Darkness in the right circumstances. Summon Aberration is cool, while Confusion is a bit.. well it will work well with being to cast without components. I'll miss Evard's Black Tentacle, but Hunger of Hadar may be able to fill a similar enough niche. Modify Memory is cool and can help fulfil the corrupter fantasy, and Telekinesis seems the same which makes sense since it is powerful.

[@SortKaffe]

I actually found the old Great Old One pretty great simply due to its access to Evard's Black Tentacles for pushing enemies into, which is a playstyle I prefer over Summon Aberration and Hex. I like the extended spell list is always prepared, but I had hoped they got to cast one spell from the list for free to compensate for how limiting Pact Magic is.

[@onyxbear9092]

There is the TINIEST sliver of hope in my heart that for some reason they buffed the amount of Pact Slots you get earlier... very small sliver

[@Phiro00]

@@onyxbear9092 you can refresh your pact slots once per long rest starting at level 2

[@lucasramey6427]

While they didn't change the amount of slots you get they definitely made it so you're getting a lot more out of spellcasting than 2014 warlock with the ability to regain some slots after spending a minute, to Invocations being vastly more readily available and almost all of the Invocations with level requirements being brought forward a couple of levels to even smaller stuff like ritual casting simply becoming apart of the spellcasting feature opens up way more for the warlock, sure a wizard is the king of utility but a wizard can't use gaze of two minds to have their invisible imp travel into a chimney and allow you to hypnotic Pattern a group of enemies before your party barges in to deal with the stragglers, 2014 warlock had good customization options, 2024 warlock has amazing customization options and can recoup some steam after a fight then keep going

[@adamtasker9896]

Great breakdown and analysis, Mark. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!

[@jesseehlman5101]

New Mark Hulmes vid, I’m watching it

[@nLinggod]

Im going to have my players find bodies that have all the marks of being burned to death but their clothes and the surrounding area is completely untouched. Psychic fireball

[@RhombusObstacle]

Unless something has changed (and it might have), Fireball isn't on the base Warlock spell list, nor is it one of Great Old One's pact spells. It's on the Fiend's pact spell list. So getting the specific combination of "Fireball" and "Psychic Damage" is gonna take a little extra work somehow. (Or else a revised spell list, which is certainly possible.)

[@nLinggod]

@@RhombusObstacle eh Im sure I can find a suitable replacement spell for a "mystery death" type scenario

[@lucasramey6427]

​@@RhombusObstaclethey said "have my players find" npc's aren't 1 to 1 pc builds they could simply take some of these features to create a psychic enemy who has access to those classic psychic abilities people correlate them with like Telepathy pyrokinesis or even telekinesis to name a small few

[@markfrellips5633]

One clarification? The new Hex imposes disadvantage on Saving Throws, not just Ability Checks. You dive into the most interesting aspects of "how does this all work" @11:00 minutes in, which is very very much appreciated, but I don't think this was explained in this video

[@mattbriddell9246]

Definitely looks like they improved quite a few things in this one. I played a GOO warlock several years ago and found it lacking overall as some of its abilities just felt a bit icky to use or didn't get many opportunities for using them in the scope of the campaign. Regarding the improved Hex ability you mentioned at 11:39, I would think that a Remove Curse spell or similar magic could get rid of that effect, as the Hex spell's language specifically lists it as a curse.

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Yeah agreed. Super glad Create Thrall got changed. Very ick. I guess not Raw, but I think it's a fair call! Down to your DM of course, but I'd allow it for sure (Same as Dispel Magic etc).

[@LeonZellsin]

Congratulations on being given some previews. I would love to be given previews to review as well because I'm trying to get into this as well. Congrats and I'm enjoying your video

[@joesgotmore]

One of my favorite subclass of Warlock just got better. Last one I played would use awakened mind on random people in attempts to drive them crazy/mad for my patron.

[@rowanatone]

Well put together video. I don't agree with all your points, but can definitely still see the video is good, subscribed. Thanks for the preview!

[@Benzux]

As a Warlock fan, I'm still not quite happy with all the changes (or lack thereof, in some cases) they're making to the class as a whole, but Great Old One getting updated from the arguably very bad 2014 version is a very welcome change. I absolutely love the subclass, and have adopted some of the new/updated features for my own homebrew Warlock subclasses that I run for my players.

[@bradytomlinson7034]

what changes were made to the base class? ive been looking but havent really been able to find the changes

[@Benzux]

@@bradytomlinson7034 If you look in the Unearthed Arcana section on D&DBeyond, you’ll be able to access all the playtest PDFs they released over the course of the last year. Warlock in particular went through multiple iterations, and a lot of people were dissatisfied with basically every one. Initially, WOTC made Warlock a half-caster with an absolutely laughable capstone feature of ”you can cast Hex at will” (plus some other stuff, some of which were actually good ideas and changes) and after the strong feedback they received, they backpedalled so hard in the next playtest that they basically reverted the class to the 2014 version and got rid of even the not-terrible changes they had made before (e.g. allowing a warlock to choose their spellcasting ability based on their pact). If the new warlock is anything similar to the last playtest one, it’s essentially the same as 2014 warlock (which already has issues), but it gets its capstone feature (spend 1 minute to recover warlock spell slots) as a weaker variant much earlier, which then eventually reaches the same potency it had before at level 20 (still making it one of, if not the worst, capstone feature), and the choice of pact boon/subclass is swapped around (boon at 1st level, subclass at 3rd), which feels super weird but ”muh balancing” I guess. Pretty much the only things I like are the updated subclasses (GOO in particular), and the fact that warlocks actually learn their Patron Spells, rather than them just being an expanded spell list. I am, of course, basing this purely on currently-outdated playtest material, but I don’t have high hopes for when I can actually have a looksie in the books themselves.

[@pdegan2814]

@@bradytomlinson7034 It's hard to say, the two drafts we got were very different, we'll have to wait and see what they settled on. I also have concerns about the new Warlock. The idea that you can pick a Pact Boon at Level 1(only two of the three options, one of them has a level requirement), but don't pick your Patron(subclass) until Level 3 is just stupid from a narrative sense. The Pact Boons have always been described as gifts from your Patron, how can you get one if you don't actually have a Patron yet? I like that your Patron spells are always prepared now, instead of just giving you additional choices to pick from for your Number Of Spells Known. I would have liked to see a limited number of free castings of your Patron spells though, to incentivize Warlocks being "on brand" with their spellcasting. And especially with the Great Old One, having a subclass feature that simply enhances one of your spells(Summon Aberration, Hex) without giving you any free uses of that spell just feels wrong. I'm waiting to see how many Invocation slots the 2024 Warlock gets, neither of the playtest drafts felt like they had enough.

[@Brntnugget]

What are you looking for in changes with warlock? Imo the current pact magic system is fine the only problem with the class is that some invocations are underpowered

[@Benzux]

Bruuuh KZbin apparently just up and deleted my previous reply from last night. That’s annoying, I spent like ten minutes writing it lol Edit: And my other reply seems to have gotten insta-deleted too. I must be tripping some obscure auto-mod, or they just really don’t want me discussing the new Warlock lmao.

[@arbitrary_thoughts]

Warlocks are seekers of forbidden knowledge and forgotten/ancient secrets. A wizard's understanding of magic and reality is a straight line while a warlock's is like two dashes, one at the start and the other popping up at the end. Their knowledge and/or pacts allow them to skip the journey. I personally like all classes getting their subclass at level 3, both for mechanical reasons and narrative ones. It feels like proper progression for both. I do wish they kept the full subclass level standardization they had in the earlier UAs as well. A warlock can work their way up through their own research into the occult, pacts with lesser entities, etc. If you wanted you could easily start off with having a patron, but you are just granted the basic set of warlock powers until you have proven yourself. A Goolock could also describe their start as stealing power from an entity, and their powers start to change to be more like the entity the more they take. There's a myriad of ways to explain subclasses at level three for classes like the warlock, sorcerer, and cleric. Overall I think that change is for the better.

[@chrisragner3882]

Though I like Lovecraft, I do like your take on the subclass not having to have such a connection. An egoed weapon as patron plays well with the packed of the blade as well as psychic aspects. You got me thinking…

[@lenam317]

The revamped subclass is great. And free spells give the warlock more flexibility too.

[@HienNguyenHMN]

Because the Warlock class is so thematically an RP-laden class, I think having the features mostly call out combat makes sense. (But also, probably other subclasses make use of the RP aspect more.)

[@MrSeals1000]

Not sure if they kept it, but in the UA, warlocks got Contact other Plane that they automatically succeed on. You were talking about how you'd like to see more natural RP with the patron, and if they kept it, then what you were looking for is hopefully in the base class

[@PsyrenXY]

Awakened Mind is definitely a noncombat ability! Establish a walkie talkie link with the rogue while they're scouting ahead and relay everything they see to the party. Who needs Sending Stones? 🙂 Go for Chain Pact Warlock and you can even send your familiar with them to spam the Help action while they're disarming traps etc

[@boangherrazvan3977]

My favorite was a lw 6 eloquence bad/ lw 7-14 fire genie warlock. Start with lw1 bard - then lw7 warlock - then lw6 bard - then rest warlock (Face/Infiltration) Have actor feat + mask of many faces + misty visions to be high class illusionist and manipulator + eloquence bard + expertise in Deception and perception ( Rank S) (Scouting ) Pact of the chain imp to scout situation + high perception from expertise (Rank A) (Utility)-Even you your skills are not in History or arcane or religion you do have useful skills (Comp Languages, Detect magic, Identify) And jack of all trades for a little boost (Rank B) (Dps) Fireball for low lw crowds(Slots from bard and Warlock) + Concentrated damage from Eldritch blast and summon aberration while flying (Rank A) (Control) Class has good combo ,Unsettling Words + Silvery barbs + Hold person/ Raulothim's Psychic Lance to almost guarantee a success on a boss. (Rank A) (Survivability) You are not a tank but you do have Armor of agahtis + fly from genie + Misty step to avoid damage (Rank B) (Support) Class does not have good support but you can give healing potions if if party has goodberry to imp for easy heals for dropped players and bardic inspiration (Rank C)

[@jenheil]

Yay, new video! I'm watching your Lightfall campaign, so all I could think of while watching this is squishy Trellimar and his awesome mask. I just watched the episode where the githyanki show up because he wore it for too long. Also, is Tharazdun an actual patron? I thought he was just a deranged beholder roaming the Underdark. On second thought, that would be awesome for a warlock patron... 😂 Seriously, great video! I love that you gave a balanced take on the subclass even though it's a sponsored video. I also really appreciated the DM tips for establishing patron relationships during session zero to ensure the player gets what they want out of the class. Hoping to see more videos soon!

[@stevdawizard392]

Played in a game for 3 years where i was playing a great old ones warlock and the DM only read half the page and just kept saying, "oh patrons dont really give a shit about their warlocks" and and it was like that for 3 years until the barbarian got the final blow on my players old patron and i left shoftly after, dont be that dm guys

[@AntonioGLORDCOYOTE2000]

For myself, that conversation would be very important. I would play my Old One patron as George Burns from the Oh God movies.

[@theswearcrow]

For awhile now I've wanted to create a "Scarecrow" (Batman) character - poison and psychic damage. Most options have not been particularly strong. This psychic warlock might be a great option!

[@Lucas-ns9hd]

I’m glad to hear they’re moving Warlock subclass features to level 3. Now there’s a chance we might see some actual diversity in multiclass builds. I do wonder what it means to be a level 1 or 2 Warlock without a patron, though.

[@The_Crimson_Witch]

10:47 I'm noticing these previews (from the others I've seen) almost exclusively feature subclasses we've already seen in the playtests with little to no wording changes. The only difference between this and the playtest is that it says pact slot instead of a spell of 2nd level or higher.

[@Trickstick77]

I noticed a couple more when I compared: - Awakened mind no longer ends when you are incapacitated or die. - Evard's black tentacles was changed to summon aberation in the spell list, although you used to get it automatically from Thrall and no longer do.

[@Lolman2171]

Mark Hulmes video?? Instant watch, cant wait to see what you take from the new stuff to use for Highrollers! Hopefully some of your own twists might end up in an Altheya campaign setting book....? 😉

[@LordOz3]

I wish they had given warlocks a small amount of low-level spell slots, equivalent to an eldritch knight or arcane trickster, to fuel lower level utility spells. I plan on using the Goolock to portray psionic warlocks - maybe with a "Great Overmind" patron.

[@viejosauce]

I do think that the Warlock level 3 works rather better role-wise, if it's now offically recomended to play since level 3, level 1-2 can give more of a prequel vibe, as you make the pact just at level 3, before it was just learning basic eldritch invocations and pact magic without knowing you were tempting a dark force or just enjoying the benefits as a gift that would be after, in the condition of a pact.

[@SkippyTheSkeptic]

Awakened mind has some weird parameters now. Must be within 30 feet of the target to establish the connection, only lasts for potential 20 minutes at max level, but potentially has a range of 5 MILES once established? That seems real mismatched.

[@mattg8262]

I didn't even know you had your own KZbin outside of High Rollers. Color me pleasantly surprised. I look forward to the other videos.

[@alcahuetasanonymous]

I made a GOO warlock in Dragonlance. A Silvanesti elf who has a piece of crystal which contains a shard of Cyan Bloodbane’s psyche (a green dragon that turned her country into a nightmare land). She later goes through the Test of High Sorcery (black robes duh) but is frustrated at her limited casting power.

[@daithi1966]

Mind Sliver is an enchantment spell and if you can cast it without somantic or verbal components then you can be just as shocked as everyone else when that guy you can't stand starts having a brain aneurysm.

[@EpicRandomness555]

I’m collecting the videos for subclasses like Infinity Stones. World Tree, Assassin and now Great Old One.

[@cthulhuiguess1735]

markus hulmus has returned! Excited to see how the new rules pan out. Will Highrollers be using rules from the new books or will you stick to the original stuff for the Altheya: The Dragon Empire story?

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

There's definitely some new stuff in the 2024 book that I think is done a lot better so will try and incorporate what I can and where. But I'll always tweak and homebrew my own stuff anyway.

[@unholyxeras8182]

Im not sure I agree that theres no out of combat utility here. Infinite tekepathic communication, and infinite subtle cast minor illusions is *wild* out of combat utility in the hands of a creative player, not to mention things like subtle cast Charm Person, Suggestion etc. Bearing in mind as well, this is a Warlock subclass, and warlocks can get a decent amount of out of combat utility from spells and invocations already. Yes, i know warlocks have limited spell slots, but it's generally much easier to take a short rest in non combat situations so thats often a non issue anyway. Then there is the ability for a warlock to get an invisible familiar through pact of the chain. Built correctly, this subclass can be an absolute god at exploration/scouting and social encounters, whilst also being very strong in combat at the same time, making them powerful in every pillar of play. Not many characters can claim that

[@paulrist6609]

Has Hex been changed to now affect Saving Throws? I thought it was only ability checks, and saving throws do not come under ability checks. (11:11 into the video)

[@SeanBoyce-gp]

I have been reflavoring the name.of the GOO lock Patron to "The Beyond" for some time. I like the existential nature of making a deal with something from beyond mortal ken as the main idea, and the "Beyond" for me implies creatures like Beholders and Aboleths and Quori and Dalkhyr that GOO doesn't. It also makes me think of the fathomless (heh) expanse of space. I ran a Space Fantasy campaign where I had a Fathomless Warlock whose Patron was the psychic n dimensional being whose tentacles made up the arms of the galaxy. Newer Warlock Pact names are more ambiguous and interpretable, which I personally prefer, and I wish they'd done something similar for Great Old One.

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Thats a cool approach, I like that a lot! Nice job.

[@advridge3722]

This gives me hope for the Celestial Warlock, especially the 3rd level Psychic Spells. Hopefully they did the same with radiant damage.

[@I_THE_ME]

The old beardo's back!

[@Tentacl]

Who the hell doesn't like Chtulhu and think the name would put someone off? This was the weirdest take I ever heard, I don't know a single person who do NOT love Chtulhu and Lovecraft :P

[@XanderHarris1023]

I hope the reigned in Pact of the Blade slightly in terms of extra 3rd attack and having mastery in every weapon they summon.

[@jurgen4466]

God fun, looking forward to see whats in store for new 5ed. Love your campaigns 😊 "Spoiler" In the Great father journey " I really liked the story" Here your critical variant house rules can make death happened a lot more often.Its a bit hard on the players I believe. Our group instead roll all crits as normal and then the critical damage always are minimum half rounded up. This way crits do have a good impact but most important it makes it less often people die of auto massive damage. Looking forward to more stories from High rollers! 🥰😃

[@liberalideas8224]

I have to respectfully disagree about the part of boosting the great old one's non combat utility further as I think it already has a significant amount of that already. The telepathy can always be useful whether scouting a location or messing with a NPCs mind. I have seen the orevious version come up in nearly every session of a campain myself. Then there is the silent casting of illusion and enchantment spells which is also an insanely powerful utility as well, likely to be pivotal to many things great old one's do in campains. I am not saying it should never get any more love or buffs, but there are still other classes much more in need of something like that. That said, I havent seen the whole 2024 yet, so maybe all that has been addressed, but I would be pleasantly surpised if it truly was. Either way, 2024 is dnd's chance to do some serious balancing and I dont think boosting an already good class like warlock more, especially with these good buffs already, is the best way to achieve a more balanced dnd experience for all players. I hope this was taken as just friendly talk and video engagement ;) Thanks for the video and info boss.

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Nothing wrong with polite disagreement! I think I would just like to see more non-combat abilities across *all* classes & subclasses.

[@WhiteOwl1061]

Very nice uplift to GOOlock. Still, without knowing what the invocations will look like it is hard to be too excited. I liked the UA Pact of the Blade but I had some concerns about the other Pacts. Followup invocations for those were not listed.

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Can't say much more right now sadly. Embargos and NDAs etc.

[@BearBear761]

ngl I really only watched you for your old empire stuff but this is interesting

[@heskelator3240]

Very piegeonholey imo for that higher level subclass feature. "You're more effective when you spend two of your 4 spell slots in these specific spells during combat". Like cool combo but it's really heavily encouraging doing the same thing combat after combat rather than spicing it up, but then I guess that's the case anyway with other classes. I mean when do fighters do something different?

[@MD-zi9if]

Chris Perkins mentioned they'd like it to be normal to start adventures at level 3

[@ibuildcharacters564]

Subclass at lvl 3 for "balancing and design purposes ". I.e. no more optimized 1 level dips.

[@TimothyMReynolds]

Great vid

[@TheCrimsonSteeler]

The good combo does require a round to set up, which is always a (no pun intended) headache

[@amyheath8261]

I’m pleased to see a new Mark Hulmes video up! Though now I’m curious what Kim thinks of the revised warlock. A guest? 🤔

[@lethalprophet]

I'm not super famililar with the current version of this subclass, but this reworked version reminds me a lot of an Aberrant Mind sorcerer, as far as the features go.

[@kaijukoopa1248]

I've always liked the warlock class, but I had been trying to figure out which would be best for a warlock who's patron is the fates or norns

[@akenaden]

Thanks mark

[@thornexrds]

well done

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Cheers!

[@JustOneEarth]

Is there a warlock base class overview anywhere?? Also, if the subclasses are now granted at level 3, I’m not sure how that’s supposed to be entirely backwards compatible. I’m currently playing an Undead patron warlock (level 10) and am using the playtest 7 version of the warlock base class and had to kind of bolt on the Undead patron subclass. I switched from PHB warlock to the playtest version around level 9 so it wasn’t too much conflict but it still took some discussion with my DM to figure out goes to make things fit.

[@jetboss2462]

Hey mark is there a place i can find your new homebrew for Ophelia and gruff from altheya

[@wafflesarelove5801]

I had a mouthful of cereal when he mentioned spoilers for High Rollers, and was moving to pause the video and when I heard said spoiler and nearly choked on my cereal 😭😭😭😭 I am so far behind on high rollers right now this is horrible

[@YamiYaiba]

Thankfully they were the best kind of spoilers: the kind that make you wonder who, where, how, and why.

[@RonquixoteDIII]

Wait so is the summon aberration provided at level 14 concentration? Because Hex is so I would assume for the Lv 14 feature to work as intended the aberration must not be concentration

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

So I believe it is normally concentration, but the Create Thrall feature lets you make it NOT concentration so the Hex bit works.

[@adammasters684]

At the cost of 59 minutes of duration assuming the spell hasn't changed

[@Vinewood8]

Yeey new mark video!!! Also is the audio a bit weird or is that just me?

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Weird how?

[@jurgen4466]

I also experienced the sound strange. It was like somewhat out of sync with you talking. Hardly detectable but still there.

[@Vinewood8]

@@SherlockHulmesDM It sounds a bit "tin can"-y , its more noticeable when using headphones

[@chrisadams5168]

I have to wonder if they increased the number of slots they get just a smidge

[@Zitaloc]

Good preview and hey eberron love!

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Best official D&D setting.

[@Zitaloc]

@@SherlockHulmesDM agree was the reason i started playing DDO

[@Alassandros]

Am I the only one who exclusively refers to Mark as Calianna?

[@CannibearYT]

So you can cast summon aberration without concentration? can i blow all my spell slots to summon a gang of interdimensional nightmare beasts??

[@vincentwinqvist4023]

I had a player who's Warlock Patron was the character's Archfey boyfriend. Not a very healthy power-balance in the relationship, but it got better over time. Bu I wrote a homebrew subclass because at least the old Archfey Patron was horribly underpowered.

[@purpleniumowlbear2952]

I agree great old one’s mechanics could work for other psychic patrons, but the examples of Jean Gray’s genetic powers or powers from an artifact are more examples of sorcerer origins than warlock patrons.

[@SherlockHulmesDM]

Well, the "Phoenix" could be an entity that grants powers to "chosen ones" in exchange for something (like a symbiotic relationship, or for some greater purposes). And the artifact is exactly the same as the Hexblade Warlock concept.

[@purpleniumowlbear2952]

@@SherlockHulmesDM True! There are certainly ways to make a patron relationship out of either of those concepts. I suppose it just entails a little more fleshing out to clarify the nature of the ongoing the relationship, as opposed to an instantaneous change, like a sorcerous origin. (Though to be fair, with the number of Charisma casters in the game, some concept overlap between them is inevitable.)

[@quixoticsavior]

AAHHH I FOUND THE HULMES

[@notsketchy605]

Nice!!