Warlock Spell Analysis: D&D

[@SmugLookingBarrel]

For these warlock videos, I think it's funny that you begin them by talking about your patrons. Great video as always.

[@TreantmonksTemple]

Why had I not thought about that? I guess I'm a warlock.

[@applecrow8]

Pact of the Optimancer

[@M0ebius]

@@applecrow8 More like the Pact of Monthly Payments.

[@OceanVista76]

@@applecrow82 years late but I’m about to HB it

[@Rodshark75]

Hex can be used out of combat since it does no damage without damage being done first, and there is no saving throw. So sneak to an area, cast Hex at almost max range and put disadvantage on the target and hex their charisma, then pretty much all their social skill checks afterwards are at disadvantage, so you can get the beaurocrat or lord to cooperate, get the best deals from merchants, etc.

[@dashua1735]

Bureaucrat

[@DuctTapedDuke]

Hexing their charisma wouldn’t make them more cooperative, it would just make them less successful when they try to be sociable with others. So, that would be helpful if you and another customer are trying to purchase the last item and you hex their charisma so the shop keeper doesn’t want to sell to them. Maybe you mean hex their wisdom so they fail their insight rolls vs your deceptions?

[@jsamue12]

@@DuctTapedDuke i love hexing their wisdom so further sneak checks have a lower dc

[@EDgarAltar]

I’m definitely incorporating these tricks into my Baldur’s gate 3 gameplay!

[@xelgodis80085]

All characters know something is affecting them unless the spell states otherwise, that's why there's specific verbiage for certain spells, such as "if the target succeeds on its saving throw it has no idea you tried to charm it", etc.

[@adamrowell1588]

True Polymorph + Demiplane + Finger of Death for an "ethical" zombie horde. Every day you turn a rock into a bandit into a zombie, then put it into your extraplanar box,

[@dustinsmith2021]

@@sharkforce8147 real girl dolls?

[@ericsnyder4592]

Giving something sentience just to kill it isn't ethical. Not to mention the effect that undead has on surrounding landscapes once you let them loose, or random people they might kill.

[@AIRGEDOK]

@@ericsnyder4592 That doesn't happen. As soon as the combat is over you tell them to walk back through the door. So not really a combo that unleashes undead upon the landscape. But killing sentient rocks might very well be unethical... but would people in a magical world think so? Sentience is something we value but in a more primitive society the soul would be viewed as more important than sentience. Do intelligent rocks killed 10 seconds after their creation have a soul? most belief structures might not believe mortal magic could create a being with a sou,l as a soul is the domain of the Divine. So you just created soulless intelligent rocks to turn them into soulless zombies. How unethical would that be to most fantasy cultures?

[@ericsnyder4592]

@@AIRGEDOK It may be soulless but it's an individual with wants, desires, feelings, and more. You made it an entity and it has all the same protections against murder as anyone else. Honestly using volunteered bodies is the best ethical method, (keep in mind you can't use charm effects to subvert free will) that leaves the issue of losing control which Finger of Death seems to solve but Zombies lacking a task might do as Zombies do. The last thing is the influx of negative energy wilting crops and bringing other nasties, gotta keep those guys in a Demi Plane or Portable Hole. Just make sure you deal with the dead undead bodies to avoid contamination and the like. Undead battles are bad for the environment.

[@AIRGEDOK]

@@ericsnyder4592 Is it an individual? What fantasy culture and religion would view it as such? Remember i am not arguing 21st century ethics here. i am arguing ethics from the perspective of a fantasy setting. Can you murder a rock? Can you murder the undead? Can you murder a Golem? Many/most fantasy cultures would say nope. Is a Golem an individual? The soul is what makes something have innate value in these hyper religious cultures, if it is soulless it wont be viewed as an individual by people in a fantasy setting. Apple's Siri on a phone will appear to be intelligent. Is it intelligent? What makes something intelligent? Most people today would understand instantly that Siri isn't sentient and thus destroying the servers that run the Siri program isn't murder. Well people in a fantasy setting view soulless creatures the same way. It obviously isn't "alive" because it has no soul and if it isn't "alive" it isn't murder. Their frame of reference about soulless creatures is near identical to ours about current machine intelligence. I don't see a single Fantasy religion viewing a rock turned into a bandit turned into a zombie as the murder of a soul/individual. You are more likely to have prohibitions on creating a zombie than killing the rock come bandit. mortals can't create a soul so how is it murder? Using 21st century arguments isn't going to wash, because they lack the knowledge and perspective that such knowledge gives us, to view sentience as something more important than a soul. To them it imitates life but it isn't really life, it may act like it has a soul but it doesn't really have one, just like we know Siri imitates consciousness but it isn't conscious.

[@sneedfest3399]

Synaptic static is criminally underrated 8d6, aoe, psychic damage, int save and it cripples enemies who fight with attack rolls

[@jiiaga5017]

35:30 One of my Warlock characters really miffed a DM once by taking remove curse. He'd Geas'd myself and 2 other party members into taking on a long term task, and on a level up I took remove curse, ate the 5d10 Geas damage and removed curse on myself and my companions.

[@thomaspeters8023]

Geas should rank high on any list of spells that don't actually accomplish their intended purpose.

[@g80gzt]

@Manek Iridius doesn't exist.

[@migthulhu]

DM using Geas to railroad party is bad storytelling.

[@ZeroKitsune]

@@migthulhu Agreed. I don't have an issue with the DM having a character Geas the party, it's more the issue where the DM is implied to be upset that their story was derailed because the party broke out of it...I would have been applauding them for being willing to do that. That just means whoever cast the spell is coming after them now, it's not like the story just STOPS.

[@apocrypha5363]

I love Foresight. I've never played high enough level to use it, but it seems like what a 9th level spell, what an ULTIMATE spell should be: Become amazing at everything all day.

[@diegobologni3724]

Keep always a counterspell ready!

[@maesterx4d]

For Hex, I just want to add that sometimes it’s also worth as a debuff even at higher level. Combining a hex with your friend’s Maze or even something as low level as Web is DEVASTATING. So never ignore that secondary effect outside of the damage!

[@jorgh5255]

Wanted to say this as well. It can also be used for a lot of rollplaying scenario's. Making someone (an npc) have disadvantage on insight checks is a nice bonus if hex is already up anyway since its duration is lengtened if you cast it at higher levels. You can also just completly ruin someones day, and influence political situations. The emissary of your enemy suddenly has disadv on all its Cha checks. People often underestimate the secondairy effect of hex.

[@WexMajor82]

@@jorgh5255 If you take them by surprise and as your first action you cast Hex, you can curse their Dex, giving them disadvantage on initiative rolls.

[@jorgh5255]

@@WexMajor82 thats brilliant!

[@johndevlin9225]

@@WexMajor82 sadly initiative is rolled at the very beginning of the encounter, with surprise acting like a condition on their first turn.

[@WexMajor82]

@@johndevlin9225 Well, you can OPEN an encounter, escalating by casting Hex.

[@DuctTapedDuke]

Booming blade is amazing when paired with war caster so you can cast it as an opportunity attack when an enemy moves past you

[@jiiaga5017]

I still think sleep is useful later in your warlock life, especially as you mentioned keeping warlock spells on the list for niche uses. Sleep is really, really good against enemy spellcasters, escaping foes, roleplay/infiltration situations, and high hp/save enemies that are still dangerous at lowered hp levels.

[@alanschaub147]

Definitely!

[@gmorf33]

Really good in social/town encounters where they are usually commoners. Can sleep a whole pile of commoners and not shed any blood

[@MonStarGuy]

What I appreciate about your videos, that other people don't do when they make spell tier lists, is that you take into consideration limited spell slots, limited spells known, and spell scaling.

[@andrewpeli9019]

Armor Agathys being something you can precast is a big reason why I like it. The one hour duration means you can apply it as you are walking into the dungeon and you almost certainly are going to get value out of it. The fathomless warlock can get more mileage out of the temp hp by blocking damage with the tentacle also. My fathomless lock uses this as well as the talisman pushback reaction invocation. By using pushbacks and slows I generally keep things out of melee and precombat casting armor means I can absorb any ranged damage and survive ambushes more easily. Precombat casting is huge value with a lock since your baseline turn of using a cantrip is so strong

[@HaloFTW2408]

29:00 Unfortunately, a Pact of the Blade Warlock can't attack twice with a shadow blade. The Thirsting Blade invocation (which allows you to attack twice instead of once when you take the attack action) applies ONLY to your pact weapon. I don't believe this has been Errate'd either, but if it has please let me know. This is one of the things I hate the most about Warlocks. Every other class that gets extra attack has no restrictions (the new Blade Singer even has a better version of the normal extra attack), but Warlocks are limited to 1 weapon at a time. Additionally, if you have a sentient weapon or artefact, then you can never attack twice with them since you can never make them your pact weapon.

[@TreantmonksTemple]

I missed that. Good catch.

[@jelte3754]

Came here to say this. Can't use charisma as Hexblade either x( I allow it in my game, and I allow the use of 2x Vampiric Touch too, just because it's more fun. It hasn't felt overpowered at all yet

[@Grorl]

Hm, thoughts on a hexblade/lore bard?

[@Primalthirst]

@@Grorl Hex 2 / Bard X is a very powerful build

[@chrisframe2227]

Shadow blade makes an excellent off hand weapon for a dual wielding Hexblade. 2 attacks with the pact weapon then one with the off hand shadow blade.

[@ATMOSK1234]

Scorching ray has amazing scaling and since it rolls to hit you can apply hex damage. With a 5th level slot on a hexed creature you are doing 18d6 damage, which is more then just about any other spell option. Each of the six beams can also potentially crit so the damage is very significant. There are good arguments against it, but for fiendlocks it seems like a very good option for them at the middle levels between getting level 5 slots but before they get 4 beams of EB.

[@elliotbryant3459]

if you can get it on a hexblade [via sorcerer 3+] you get to add proficiency mod damage to each as well -in addition to the increased crit range. Throw in the Flames of Phlegethos half feat to reroll the 1's on fire damage dice.

[@JaxonBurn]

How about a 5th level spirit shroud to go with those scorching rays? An extra 2d8 damage on each of the beams. You have to be within 10ft, but that’s still far enough to not have disadvantage on the attack rolls (assuming enemy has 5ft reach) Potentially 12d8+12d6 damage with a 5th level scorching ray.

[@nathanfivecoate5848]

​@@JaxonBurn Spirit shroud is bad because it's on average only 1 point more damage, takes an action to cast, and most importantly, only has 10' range

[@struanroberts]

@@nathanfivecoate5848it would deal 2d8 not 1d6 if cast at 5th level, not that it’s worth it to get that close but an average damage of 9 vs 3.5 in this situation, 5.5 damage difference which can add up.

[@ghosteeniesmith6219]

I got called "problem player" for debating the 5e handbook rules for the warlock spell Mystic Arcanum (page 108). At 17th level, the spell's text describes one gets four total spells: one at each 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th level per long rest. The dungeon master was debating that I get only one total spell up to 9th level. It's frustrating when I know I'm reading the players' handbook one as written.

[@sirsimon6562]

I think more cleric spells should be on the warlock spelllist. The connection to higher poweres is given. I made a homebrew spellist for warlocks with more cleric spells and i also included the patron spells in spells known.

[@justinschmelzel8806]

I love archfey too much and because of this. I love Seeming. It is such a good social spell to disguise your entire party. Or disguise your party AND an entire town square when you are running from something. I just love the seeming spell.

[@tvellalott]

I really think Glibness gets slept on. For a Warlock, Counterspell and Dispel Magic are Charisma ability checks. That means, if you have Glibness cast on yourself, you can automatically Counter and Dispel any magic in the game, as (assuming you have +5 by this stage) you can't roll below 20, which would mean the spell would have to be level 11 to withstand you. Oh and with a little Expertise, +30 Persuasion is fun as hell.

[@theshadowbadger]

I know you don’t typically bring up magic items because those are DM dependant, but it’s really worth mentioning that the rod of the pact keeper exists. This makes your game changing hypnotic patterns and dominate monsters way more likely to stick. And for multiclassing, you get the benefits of your rod of the pact keeper even when casting with another classes slots.

[@theshadowbadger]

@@sharkforce8147 yes, and hypnotic pattern with a DC of 23 is a completely different spell than hypnotic pattern with a DC of 19.

[@aaronmiller4658]

I really love the warlock spells when casted by a wizard that dipped for the spells. Hellish Rebuke is particularly efficient to me. Someone attacks you, so you use your reaction for shield (if you know it will work or you need to improve your chances) or if you know you're going to be hit you can cast Hellish Rebuke! Aside from that, the combo of arcane ward for abjurers and armor of agathys is too tempting for me not to try some day.

[@troyterry5759]

I like your plan. Only issue I see is that fiend and fey patrons tend to be clingy and possessive. They might take a dim view of you "renting out" your soul instead of selling it... ;D

[@corylohanlon]

Hex disadvantage on ability checks deserves a shoutout. Much easier to use this well with a grappler in the group, but it also can come into play in Counterspell battles and a few other niches.

[@PyrotechNick77]

Regarding Hex and it's often overlooked secondary effect, it is great for defbuffing an enemy specllcaster as hex's disadvantage applies to counterspells and dispels. It's also useful if you have a grappler in the party as you can also apply that disadvantage against strength and dexterity checks when contesting a grapple

[@yanbrodeur3193]

Or on somebody to pick pocket

[@Domina7ion]

Been waiting for this one all week

[@destruction42k]

It's good to hear you're covering Warlock patrons not too many vids cover those in detail.

[@grimwolf9988]

Oh, I hadn't considered that about Synaptic Static; By level 9 you could reasonably have a spell DC of 19 from 20 Charisma and a +2 focus. And since many enemies have 7 or less intelligence, even a natural 20 would be guaranteed to fail the saves against it.

[@simonlamarche6972]

Shield does scale in a way as you level up. It should always be used to avoid an attck and the damage of the attacks you receive scale with level. If you're level 9 and the spell lets you avoid a roc's talon attack (+ grapple) or a giant's hit while you're low on health, I feel like shield remains a good but circumstancial spell even as you level up.

[@tirionpendragon]

Shadow blade is terrible if you are Pact of the Blade! The eldritch invocation "thirsting blade" only works on your Pact Weapon, so you don't benefit by the extra attack from that. You could do better taking it if you are a non-pact of the blade Warlock, in case you are fighting in dimlight/darkness or you end up in melee; you can do pretty well combining this spell with Booming Blade or greenflame blade. Edit: the only way I can see this works is if you have as a Pact Weapon a "light weapon", this way you can two weapon fight and attack with the Shadow blade as a bonus action dealing a really decent amount of damage and still gaining benefits from your Pact Weapon's invocations... Seeing it on this light (or dim light 😜😁) makes it look a powerful choice.

[@JohnW-yv6yp]

I’m sad Hunger of Hadar doesn’t even get a mention it’s such a cool spell. I wouldn’t keep it at higher levels but for level 5 and 6 I think it’s good. Aside from that, great breakdown of the spells, glad to see the Warlock getting some love. I would love to see a video specifically discussing the pact boons, there really aren’t any videos that go in depth comparing pact of the chain, blade and tome.

[@killcat1971]

It also combos well with Devils Sight, you can see in, they can't see out.

[@SilvrSavior]

@@killcat1971 Unfortunately you can't actually use Devil's sight to see through HoH. "...No light, magical or otherwise, can illuminate the area, and creatures fully within the area are blinded. ..." Pretty sure that line right there stops you from seeing through it with any sight other than blindsight.

[@killcat1971]

@@SilvrSavior Not on that basis, you aren't using light, so that's fine, and "creatures in the area" well if your not standing in it that's not you either.

[@ben5056]

53:44 Nice dunk on monks there

[@corylohanlon]

On Tongues (and comprehend languages): the moments you tend to use them tend to be moments it is easy to get a short rest. So balancing it with the tough decisions of battle spells & limited pact slots becomes less of an issue.

[@plissken2245]

My warlock has expertise in deception so I thought Glibness would be a good pick for lev 8. It's not just combat in our games and our Dm is great with RP'ing situations.

[@alanschaub147]

Quickened Mind Sliver followed by Synaptic Static sounds effective and vicious! 🧠 💥

[@xthebumpx]

Technically you have to quicken the Synaptic Static since you can cast only a cantrip with your action if you also cast a spell with a bonus action, but you can still do it in the right order.

[@minikawildflower]

Treantmonk releases a video about warlocks Treantmonk thanks patrons Is Treantmonk a warlock?

[@TreantmonksTemple]

Yes, my power comes from my Patrons.

[@simondiamond9628]

@@TreantmonksTemple would most likely be a GOO Warlock, given his preference to Mass Suggest certain strategies over others. :)~ Which reminds me: they need to make Pact of "The Patron" (referring to social media) an official thing in DND (not necessarily UA either).

[@stranger6822]

Eyebite has special use on a particular kind of warlock. If you have a party member who can cast Invisibility, you can concentrate on it and use it over the course of that minute without breaking invisibility, as long as invisibility is cast on you after you cast the spell. That should usually allow the warlock to get the full duration out of eyebite without too much fear of losing concentration. This would be ideal on a scout warlock, perhaps with two levels in rogue for BA stealth.

[@jaredpuwalski8545]

Sounds like a juicy combo.

[@parheliaa]

Sickening Radiance+Repeling Blast looks quite nice 55:00 Belive this guy. This will make your martial characters (or you if you are Blade Pact) into literal Terminators (add warforged and you have real T-800). Almost unkillable, dealing massive damage for the whole day.

[@hfix307]

Shadow of Moil is easily the best warlock only spell and is very overturned for fourth lvl. It’s the spirit guardian for locks. It’s enormously better than greater invisibility. It works against true sight and devil sight so is appropriate for high lvls. Only tremorsense sees through it. It will be your bread and butter spell for most of your career.

[@SilvrSavior]

True, but here's the problem with Shadow of Moil (sometimes). Occasionally when you reach 7th level you will be so far from civilization that you will not be able to get the costly component and G. Invisibility will be there to fill in until you get to a town and gain a level.

[@Jp138233]

Trenorsense and blindsight as well. One of those couple times when blindsight is better than true sight.

[@davidreelis4387]

how about Gift of the Metallic Dragon feat instead of shield , maybe not as good at lower levels but doesn't use spell slot, gives one free use of cure wounds. I know video about spells but just wanted to mention

[@LibertyMonk]

I assume Wish would be chosen instead of forsight for Genie patron warlocks?

[@anathema1828]

So much excellent analysis- thanks for posting this thoughtful video!

[@thebackrow4247]

Thank god, after seeing Davvy Chappy say darkness is a bad warlock spell I was starting to lose faith in humanity. Not only are you a god wizard you're also a god warlock

[@jacobjensen7704]

Davvy also says that Guidance is a bad cantrip when most people agree that it's one of the best cantrips in the game.

[@falken8642]

@@rafaelbordoni516 I think you misunderstood the Beastmaster Ranger video. It didn't deal "the most damage", Treantmonk just wanted to show that it wasn't as bad as people said it was if you tried to optimize it, keeping its damage over the baseline (he has a video explaining his baseline for damage) in line with other damage dealers. This is very impressive, but keep in mind that the way he managed to do this was very specific. Using the magic initiate feat to get a familiar, then assuming it would grant him advantage on most attacks, and while the build would function without it, he used the snake, which is, in my experience, a very rare choice for a ranger companion. Still, I agree that the community has a pretty different idea of what is good and what isn't. I like to follow Treantmonk's advice. He usually has some great tips while explaining certain options to great extents. I find that he has the best judgment when it comes to balance and optimization. This is however just my opinion, just like the other content creators of the community has their own opinions. I respect the fact that all of us have different experiences with the game. It actually makes me happy that we have different opinions on what the "best" or "strongest" class, spell, magic item etc. is. It's more fun that way. Edit: I don't think I made my point clear in this rant. I think that it doesn't do these people justice to call them "crazy" for heaving different experiences with the game than you.

[@normal6483]

Davvy's cute, but he's no optimizer.

[@TheCoolerDrilis]

@@rafaelbordoni516 Which video ranked Rogue and Paladin as the best classes?

[@falken8642]

@@rafaelbordoni516 In that case it seems I misunderstood what it was that you meant. I apologize

[@GoldenDragon007]

Hey Chris! Great video as always. Something I thought might be worth considering for the 8th level Arcanum is Glibness. The obvious benefit for a social based character like a Warlock is good, but what I think is really neat about it is how it works with Counterspell. Since counterspelling with a Warlock is a charisma check, assuming you've maxed out your charisma stat, you'll automatically roll a 20. This means you could theocratically counter up 10th level spells which is insane. This can make a Warlock (as well as a Bard) a huge problem for other spellcasters to deal with. Still a bit of a niche spell, but a you said, 8th level spells for Warlock are kind of lacking to begin with so I think it's a decent option. What do you think?

[@TreantmonksTemple]

I think it's OK. An 8th level slot to ensure counterspell working is definitely circumstantial and pretty expensive IMO.

[@thomaspeters8023]

There are only six choices at 8th level and a good argument can be made for any of them. Which is another way to say that all the choices are unconvincing. Counterspell is extremely important in very high level combat. Never failing a check is situational but it is also really good. Glibness has many properties you want in a Mystic Arcanum. We talk to people every day. It will always do something for you. It does not require concentration. Unlike some of the alternatives there are no saving throws, hit point thresholds, friendly fire problems, etc. You can just use it without worrying about complications. It can be used in advance of an encounter allowing you to get value from it without impacting your action economy.

[@wassentme1891]

@@thomaspeters8023 It also should be mentioned Bards can get Glibness + add half their proficiency to the check + get a lot more spell slots to cast Counterspell.

[@markfrellips5633]

Curious, that the spell Feeblemind didn't make the list for 8th-level spells. It pretty much hobbles a creature reducing Int and Cha abilities, neutralizes a spell caster, and for all intents and purposes is permanent (1/30day Int save at extreme disadvantage). Mixed with Mask of Many Faces, Illusion magic, or the like it has fantastic applications against any foe. Fantastic video, very much enjoyed this and your others!

[@unfunny-penguin]

29:02 the Thirsting Blade invocation grants extra attack to your pact weapon - so unfortunately it’s not compatible with Shadow Blade

[@powpowpow93221]

We need a Hexadin build from this man! playing a paladin and for story reasons will be dipping into warlock.

[@crimfan]

A few spells I'd add: 6th Level Mystic Arcanum: Mental Prison. Some things are immune to it but the consolation prize damage is solid and it totally screws a target that fails. 3rd Level: Hunger of Hadar. This is a bit ambiguously worded but it turns out to be essentially a really horrifying Fog Cloud insofar as it's not able to be seen through. With forced movement, it can really shut down a group of foes. The damage isn't all that impressive but the debuff really hurts foes. I do wish the Warlock list was a bit better, though. Some of the spells are really not thematic for, say, a Celestial pact. In a home game, it's not too hard to fix, but it's irritating that that's necessary because WotC decided to cheap out on the Warlock list.

[@rnrgaming4579]

hex isnt a bad high level spell choice if you know a targets spell casting ability and suspect they might try a lot of consecutive counterspells or dispel magics either. A wizard tanked up on mage armor, foresight, flame shield, and potentially even invulnerability might have quite the incentive to knock down every dispel magic coming their way

[@TiasVsEverything]

Doing some serious mental arithmetic to figure out whether this was pre-TCE because imagine not taking Wish on a Genie Warlock. I’m guessing this was pre-TCE.

[@nicholascampbell1752]

I'm so hyped for genie warlock

[@Ahglock]

Hunger of hadar really needs some love. Its a almost good spell, its like it needs to work with a another caster slowing the enemy down further, difficult terrain doesn't stop people from leaving round 1 of being in it. Like if a druid casts plan growth and you follow up with it.

[@simonedalessio89]

I main Hunger of Hadar with each Warlock I play. I consider it very effective and lot of fun to play. To keep targets inside the area you just need a little bit of help by your mates, but the blinded effect Is very lovely, the area is good and the damage is rrally nothing to complain ti much about. I usually pick up the Repulsive Blast and/or Grasp of Hadar, so i can pull out some positioning myself onto the enemy!

[@CounterGriefZombies]

Paired against a hexblade with polearm master its kinda nasty. Cast it in a way that they can either run towards you and take an opportunity attack or spend 2 turns trapped in it.

[@diggotty]

I always appreciate your analytical approach

[@Ahglock]

For hex at higher levels one thing that may be possible but not allowed by a GM. When you wake up cast it on a bird and kill the bird, take a short rest over breakfast. You have your spells back and the spell potentially up all day. If something comes up that motivates you to cast a bigger spell, drop it, no real cost to you.

[@Ahglock]

@Lance Clemings I am unfamiliar with that, I assume its a similar idea using a multiclass sor/lock? I've seen some fairly obscene sor/lock builds. I generally just play a class.

[@TryingExtraHard]

I've been looking at playing a Barbarian/Warlock in a game a friend of mine is running centered around Armor of Agathys and Totem Bear resistances. He is designing the game to run from 1-20, and I've been flip flopping between going B3/W17 so I can make it up the arcanum tree and stopping before them and going B11/W9. I was wondering if you guys had any thoughts on the matter. Edit: I suppose it would make more sense to wait for the multiclassing video now that I think about it. Ah well, any opinions are still welcome.

[@Benjragon]

Im currently playing one and Theyre honestly a ton of fun, You dont end up using rage very much but the 5th level extra attack and reckless attack become really good

[@TryingExtraHard]

@@Benjragon Right now my plan is to spend the first round or two on using slotted spells and then following that up with a cast of AoA and entering rage. Not having concentration on it allows me to keep the temp hp while raging, doubling the effectiveness. Hopefully I'll be raging most combats.

[@Nurk0m0rath]

@@TryingExtraHard If you were interested in a different direction, Aid also isn't concentration. Just flat adds to the max HP of several creatures for hours. I do like the warlock/barbarian mix myself, from a theoretical point of view at least. The celestial's healing dice pool isn't a spell so it should be accessible during rage, and the Fiend's temporary HP after every kill could be useful as well. You can run the Tome for ritual casting and use that as an RP aspect out of combat, or you can run the Chain for a special invocation from Xanathar's: Gift of the Ever Living lets you maximize all dice rolled to restore your HP while your familiar is within 100ft of you (aka in range for telepathy). That means short-rest hit dice healing, healing spells, and even the Medic feat. To get this, you only need to reach level 3 in warlock, while a 5 in tome warlock will give you eventual access to about 90% of the ritual spells in the game ... including Water Breathing, Leomund's Tiny Hut, and Water Walk. Personally I wouldn't pick the blade pact when you're multiclassing with a melee class ... it just doesn't add much IMO (with the exception of the double-smite combo Hexadin). But maybe for flavor you want to be able to summon and reshape your weapon from time to time, and I don't believe Eldritch Smite gets disabled by rage. But that, like 3rd level ritual spells, requires 5 levels of warlock to unlock, and also requires the Hexblade Patron to use the big heavy weapons favored by most barbarians. As for level split, I for one am inclined to go heavy on the barbarian if you want to be a melee fighter. Warlock is basically a full caster developed around a different recharge mechanic, and a lot of the best warlock spells require concentration. While Barb gets great mechanical melee features like Fast Movement and Brutal Critical, the warlock mostly gets spells and a few more invocations, most of which at the high levels are just flavor anyway. When picking your split, I recommend looking at the features you really, really want and only going far enough into warlock to get them or make them reach a certain level. Consider that at barb 11 you gain a zombie's ability to make a con save to avoid death and at barb 15 you don't lose rage even if you get Held and nobody attacks you. And that's on top of being able to fly on your turn, knock people prone without a save, or make enemies attack nearby allies at disadvantage when you reach 14. In reality, mechanically there are better multiclass combos. Barbarians are a long-rest oriented class, and warlocks a short-rest oriented class. Which means your warlock side needs a break while the barbarian side can just keep going. But it's fun to try and make it work.

[@knowledgefox8857]

I have been pouring over the Warlock Hexblade build for a while, & I had pegged most of the arcanums to recommend & nearly all the spells you listed. Although, you helped with the Finger of Death zombie hoard (sadly I am not that evil), & you helped me realized Hex is not a must-keep. Also, with arcane proficiency, making scrolls of lower level spells keeps Mirror Image & Shield very helpful.

[@alanschaub147]

Misty Step is a Bonus Action. I would not give it up, unless I absolutely needed the spot for something else.

[@kittyfamily777]

I feel like the general assumptions don't work when we are playing CoS.... our warlock tried to frighten and deal necrotic damage on a ghast

[@minine6508]

ty for this!! Currently playing a lvl 5 warlock and I’m super stressed about spell selection

[@roberttschaefer]

Another great use for Hex at high levels has nothing to do with damage. Instead it’s a terrific combo with another party member, for example a Wizard. (1) Warlock pops their Hex onto a nasty monster, choosing Intelligence for the effect. (2) Wizard sends the monster into a Maze. To escape, the monster must make a DC 20 ability check for Intelligence, at disadvantage. Just one combo but there are plenty others to go with.

[@MsNathanv]

Definitely useful for the ability check, but at all levels: make it harder for enemy goblins to bonus action hide. Make it harder to get out of the net or web spell. Help out your grappler in a different way than they're accustomed. Or use it socially, hexing Wisdom to make it harder to see through your lies (only the first casting requires components; switching targets doesn't.)

[@pedroqueiroz1484]

With the release of the Fathomless (pretty strong IMO) and these guides i'll be playing a lock very soon

[@boumxyz]

I think you missed the level 2 Blindness spell from undying which scales really well, I admit it's a con save but still can prevent casters from casting , no line of sight.

[@g80gzt]

by 17th level any elven warlock character (half elf for charisma) can have Foresight and elven accuracy. just 3 chances to hit on two attacks. or 3 chances to hit with each of the 4 eldritch blasts. all with extra charisma mod btw.

[@ronabitz5156]

How abut a look at Cantrips from other classes you could take with pact of the tome.

[@Thalanox]

Like mending!

[@josiaharaki7310]

I'd argue that if you're taking force cage, you'll want to take sickening Radiance at some point so you can wait out the 10 minutes to basically insta-kill something (Unless it's bloody lucky with a teleportation spell or Legendary resistances although you'd clearly want to counterspell the former) 10 minutes=600 seconds=100 rounds. Law of averages says it's statistically nearly impossible to succeed at least 95 saving throws, especially as you'll have disadvantage on those saves after the third failure. Presumably as a warlock you'll focus on maxing that charisma first, so by the time you get 7th level spells you're looking at a DC 18 (8+5+5). so you need a straight roll of 18 or really good modifiers and still roll high. At baseline, the formula is 3/20(the odds of success on a straight roll)to the 100th power. The odds are 4.0656117754×10 to the negative 83 to 1 of making that check. That number looks like this. .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000040656117754 Once you get the Save DC to 19, it's 1/googl to one, or .000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 Even with a +5 to con saves, 8/20^100, it's 1.6069380443* 10^-40 which is .00000000000000000000000000000000000000016069380443

[@blueicer101]

No offence to my dm, but he doesn't really have enough intelligence to emulate how people would react. For example, I was being chased in an alleyway and decided to create an illusory wall to stall the chasers. He had them simply run through it instantly. He did the same thing with my darkness spell. I cast darkness in combat, and instead of the enemies being confused or lost, they just walked out of it and attacked my nearest ally. Like imagine if you're in combat and all of a sudden you can't see, anything. It's like he thinks the characters know everything, the dm knows which is not how lackeys should work.

[@chrisframe2227]

53:46 hardcore shade on the monk. I love it. Ha ha.

[@larstollefsen1236]

The shade is getting kind of grating at this point. Your just going to have to accept that there are people who enjoy the class.

[@mitchhaelann9215]

Important to remember at higher levels: At higher levels, you're going to appreciate having taken the Invocation that allows you to cast ritual spells (you don't automatically get that feature). So feel free to fill your list with ritual spells.

[@Cl0ne66]

Here is what you do with Summon GD; you open the door you know has enemies in it. You cast the spell and slam it shut then you have your Wizard cast magical lock on the door. You drop concentration and enjoy the screams.

[@coldfusion230]

What are your thoughts on Glibness for 8th level Mystic Arcanum? It lasts an hour and has decent out of combat uses since being a charisma class you're likely to be the face of the party. In combat it makes your counterspell/dispel magic basically guaranteed. Quite circumstantial but there really isn't much choice for 8th level spells.

[@THEdeadlynightshade1646]

@Lance Clemings but...how do you leave once the door ends?

[@_b3lv]

I do have a question. (My English might not be perfect.) Currently I am playing a hexblade, pact of the blade warlock (level 3) and choose shadow blade as one of my spells. I planned to change it out at fifth level, because I thaught, that it could only be used as my hex warrior weapon, and not my pact weapon, which would mean, that I could not use the invocation for an extra attack, since it is only for attacks made with the pact weapon. (I can make the shadow blade my hex warrior weapon per touch, but can not do the one hour ritual with it to make it my pact weapon) My question is wheather I am understanding this correctly. Is there a way around it? What ways are there besides devil sight/darkness or a familiar to gain advantage on attacks reliably? (I have the invocation improved pact weapon (ranged weapons and +1 akt. & dmg.) and planned to take elven accuracy at fourth level, because it would benefit the imcreased critrange from hexblades curse, but for that to work I would need advantage in the first place. I have been playing D&D for about two and a half years and really enjoy this channel. Greetings to all the viewers, optimancers and Treantmonk from Westgermany.

[@Quintal100kg]

FYI Shadow Blade is not that great for Pact of the Blade warlocks, due to the fact that you can only use your Extra Attack with your Pact Weapon and Shadow Blade can't become it. So unless you are multiclassing whole 5 levels into some martial Shadow Blade are going to be a waste as it would be probably worse than attack with your Pact weapon (with 2 attacks, +1 to attack and damage probably some feat support) Also why whould you ever take Greater Invisibility instead of Shadow of Moil if you have an option. Greater invisibility is a combat only spell as it lasts only for a minute, if you need out of combat utility the 2nd level invisibility is a much better option (and warlocks have it on their list). And as a pure combat spell Shadow of Moil giving you objectively more for the same spell slot. I guess you can cast greater invis on somebody else but Warlocks are usually the damage dealers themselves, so they will cast such buffs on themselves 95% of times anyway

[@antongrigoryev6381]

You still can use it as an offhand weapon and deal pretty good additional damage. I mean, 2d8 from one attack is more than 2d6 you would get from Hex. The problem is if you're playing Hexblade, Shadow Blade will have a much lower attack bonus.

[@manlykilt]

Came to comments just to post this, glad to see I was beat to it. I'm using Shadow Blade with a blade cantrip using Celestial warlock and this is quite effective even though it's just one swing. So effective our party's bard has taken to using Haste on me to delete tough, weapon immune enemies. I'd consider picking up a class with Extra Attack to further enhance this but this character is very, VERY much a rogue at heart so it isn't an option.

[@antongrigoryev6381]

@@manlykilt You won't be able to use Blade cantrip with Extra Attack. You also can't use it with the extra action Haste provides you. Just to point out.

[@manlykilt]

@@antongrigoryev6381 I'm aware in both cases, yes. You can however make an additional attack with the Haste action for another 3d8 + dex damage (character in this example is level 6), which is more than Haste will do for another character.

[@TainakaRicchan]

@@manlykilt Great Weapon Master Builds Swing für 2d6+ATT+10 with Haste though. A paladin could smite on the Haste Attack.

[@Asianladylover4l]

Was re watching this and caught this gem at 53:43 "the only way to make high level monks effective is to true polymorph them" lol

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

> Faerie Fire can deal with invisible enemies. If only the 4th Doctor* had this spell on his spell-list during Season 15, eh? *(yes, there are numbered Doctors, in sequence. Yes William Hartnel's Doctor was the 1st Doctor) (if the current showrunners can tell you we should rubbish previously established lore then the first thing I can do is reciprocate and bin theirs).

[@texteel]

booming blade/greenflame blade... I have heard builds of celestial warlock, taking tomepact, using it to grab shielele, and using that with greenflame blade. When talking about pacts and/or patrons, will you touch on specific combinations such as this?

[@TreantmonksTemple]

Why Celestial?

[@texteel]

@@TreantmonksTemple level 6 chamod to fire dmg on primary target with GFB

[@M0ebius]

There was a time when I thought Celestial 6 Draconic Sorcerer 6 GFB build was peak gish.

[@1985amitgr]

The eldritch blas invokations allows you awesome combos when combined with aoe spells. You push your enemies back into hunger of hadar, making them blind and take dis on attacks, take extra damage each turn, and it is difficult terrain, so especially with speed reduced, they will have hard time getting out of it. Wall of fire is also good option for pure damage of those you through back to it. Takes your concentration though, so no hex with this combo.

[@morganpetros9635]

Forcecage + Sickening Radiance is an encounter-ending combination, even against creatures with legendary resistances. Jus' sayin' ...

[@alanschaub147]

Wish is now available to Genie Warlocks! 🧞‍♂️

[@tieshaunntanner6846]

I have to ask, what about Plane Shift as a 7th level Mystic Arcanum? We're talking about a spell that can affect an entire group, plus extras, easily, teleport them across realities, get you out of serious trouble (or into serious trouble)... maybe it's more circumstantial than the others on the list, but it's a spell that, when the circumstance does come up, you WILL need it. Plus there is its utility in instantly getting rid of any enemy, as an emergency measure? It is especially good, in my opinion, in conjunction with Astral Projection as a 9th level spell: Astral Projection is already great for letting you and your group adventure with much reduced risk, and combine it with Plane Shift, and you can shift to the astral plane in fake bodies, then return via plane shift to the material plane, doing some nearly risk-free adventuring while your bodies are safe in your demiplane!

[@tieshaunntanner6846]

To be clear: If you shift into your demiplane with your group, and then use Astral Projection from there, you can then use Plane Shift to go from the astral plane to the material plane, and adventure with a perfect copy of your body and equipment, without actually risking them, as the material plane is not your plane of origin for casting the spell.

[@funkduck210]

My favourite use of hex has been in social encounters especially if i think itll go sour. Hex them they have disadv on either wisdom so i can lie better or charisma so they cant lie to us and if combat breaks out look at that i have my BA ready first round

[@imofage3947]

Update: Level 9 Arcanum for Genie Warlocks: Wish.

[@elliotbryant3459]

Now tell me, what's cooler than being cool? Agathys Cold! -cast Armor of Agathys [from point of relative safety] one round [preferably at 3rd level or higher] -then next round cast blade ward and provoke opportunity attacks. The THP basically goes twice as far for 2 rounds.

[@yanbrodeur3193]

I made a buid with 2 level warlock (hexblade) and divine sorcerer. One of the strategie is to use Spirit guardian Armor of agathys Blade ward on every turn Aid (cast with extend metamagic) Spiritual weapon Shield mirror image The hexblade have a decent AC with a armor and shield, but at close range. The enemy will do half damage. Armor of agatys + spirit guardians will provide the damage. Also if you have the time spiritual wespon (no concentration needed), so you can use your bonus action to deal damage. For exemple 5 sorcerer, 1 warlock - Armor of agatys (3rd level slot) = 15 hp & 15 dmg eache time - Spirit guardian will do 3d8 (but dex save) On stone giant (challenge rating 6) do 2 attack by round with 19 dmg. You will still get3 dmg (19/2 X2 = 18) but you will inflict 30 cold dmg + spirit gardian.

[@Throrface]

Hey Treantmonk, I wanted to ask. Have you thought of using Remove Curse offensively? If your enemy is attuned to a cursed magic item that grants him some sort of benefit, you can use it to basically strip him of the effect.

[@TreantmonksTemple]

How often does that come up where you know that is the situation though?

[@mduckernz]

@@TreantmonksTemple Ha, yeah. There's circumstantial... and then there's _circumstantial_

[@Throrface]

@@TreantmonksTemple It is extremely circumstantial, but I can also imagine campaigns where it would be a no brainer, such as when you are dealing with known cursed items. In my campaign the players are seeking out a couple of cursed amulets and both of them were sitting around some tough bosses' necks. A Remove Curse would actually disable some of their fairly powerful abilities. I'm not suggesting you should change the spell's rating based on this or anything like that. Just wanted to share a cool thing that the spell enables you to do.

[@alanschaub147]

I ran a campaign where almost all magic items were cursed, because magic warped reality and always had a cost. My players were so greedy that they attuned to the items, without knowing the advantages and disadvantages. Having an opponent cast Remove Curse to un-attune them would have been a great idea.

[@Blizz3112]

Warlock spells lingering on targets tend to be better for Warlocks overall, considering you don't have many spells in the early levels... so summon spells, defensive, manipulative and disruptive lingering illusions as well as lingering offense boosts are what work best for Warlocks imo...

[@kaemonbonet4931]

Get spell scrolls of hex/ misty step maybe even counter spell. A couple hundred gold is totally worth the spell slot for you.

[@RavenWolfStarcraft2]

What do you think of Cause Fear? With the push back, I think I'd rather use a 5th level slot on Cause Fear over Slow (not that they can really access slow, except with that bad invocation).

[@johnp1806]

When you brought up Greater Resto but said you should take it if you don't have a cleric-- if you're a celestial warlock in a campaign without a cleric, chances are good that you are the cleric, even if you're Cleric Lite. I guess you could contract it out to an NPC, but the Celestial is one of the few reliable cleric replacements with the patron spells it grants.

[@lord6617]

Worth noting, armor of agathys is not that great if you go fiend, as temporary hp doesn't interact well with each other. Similarly, if you take the false life invocation armor of agathys becomes much less appealing until you can dump 2-3 levels of scaling into it.

[@Iceblade269]

Holy shit, this vid makes me want to play a warlock…for the upteenth time lmao. I’ve never played a blaster one before and am considering making an EB blast build with the advice you’ve given me

[@JavierSanchez-mo2ef]

man that monk comment was harcore. 53:45

[@cp1cupcake]

Dewey Cheatum & Howe? I didn't know the lawfirm I have on retainer was a supporter of you but I like.

[@handlebarfox2366]

They were also the firm for Howard, Fine, and Howard.

[@sufferinsuccotash8981]

Crikey!!! 7 minutes up, 110 views. 11 pm here in Australia...no sleep for me yet :)

[@ethanlocke3604]

Does the damage from armor of agathys and shadow of Mobil stack? Could I be doing 2d8 necrotic + 20 cold damage if someone hits me?

[@TreantmonksTemple]

Yes, the only time effects don't stack is if they are from the same source.

[@ethanlocke3604]

@@TreantmonksTemple That’s what I figured. Great video btw! I’m recently started a campaign where I’m playing a warlock and I was struggling picking those second level spells

[@jiiaga5017]

If you were a fiend warlock, you could also stack on fire shield! :P :P

[@texteel]

questions: should patron spells extend beyond 5th level for additional selections in mystic arcanum?

[@TreantmonksTemple]

I would support that idea.

[@antongrigoryev6381]

No other subclass spell list do so, and I see no reason why warlocks (in general) should be exceptions. If something like this happens, it should be a semi-unique feature of a particular subclass. Genie warlocks get Wish, for example, but it isn't a reason to give every warlock some unique choices for high0level spells.

[@texteel]

@@antongrigoryev6381 no other class has pact magic either. Warlocks would need it precisely because how pact magic limits their daily spells. A 9th level cleric has slots to cast all domain spells. A 9th level land druid has slots to cast all teh circle spells. A 9th level warlock may not even know all of the patron spells. The class already has many unique mechanics, and I dare say it could use some favortism

[@antongrigoryev6381]

@@rafaelbordoni516 Arcane Clerics also, technically. Still, these are major subclass features that makes them unique, not something that happens often.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

How would one go about making a "Screw combat" Warlock? I'm curious.

[@alanschaub147]

I am making an Eladrin Dao Genie Pact of the Chain Warlock with a Sprite familiar who will specialize in infiltration. I plan to use my downtime attempting to make pranks and practical jokes an art form. 😊

[@GameVyse]

One thing i like to say for hex (and the shield spell) is that you may want to keep it for making spell scrolls, i not seen anyone talk about in any of the videos i watch about using spell scrolls to make for the limited spells a warlock can cast, like hex is great at it lasts for 2 hours and has no save, so it great for the low dc spell scrolls shield like this could be good for a hex blade, maybe a bit hard to read a scroll as you pull one out, (my warlock is a gem crafter so he uses gems as his spell scroll and that a lot less harder to pull out, i mean if you can have a bag of rocks for a spell book, why not spell scrolls?) but yeah, Spell scroll making or even buying is how i make up for a few of my spell casting and gets me a lot of things i can do or let me use spells like mirror image without needing to get it, i save my spell slots for when i need put on a big show Any spells you like to point out for making as spell scrolls or buying them if you can?

[@jasonbolding3481]

The problem is you have to get lucky a DM (unless in adventure league type games) allows scribing scrolls. I have seen many who don't

[@hopefulmayhem5744]

Another issue is the use a spell scroll is very specific in the players hand book.

[@GameVyse]

@@hopefulmayhem5744 i think there 2 types of scrolls, one that you need to be a spell caster with that spell on your list that uses the spell basic casting time or a classless scroll that have magic effects when you use it as a action.

[@hopefulmayhem5744]

@@GameVyse that isn't the issue. The rules in PHB and XGtE require the spell to be copied at a level you can cast. For a warlock that means 12000 gold for a 5th level spell and 5 days to copy it. Also must have a minimum intelligence of 10, with proficiency in arcane. The spell must be on the list of spell known for you to cast it, meaning if you get rid of the spell you can't use the scroll. (Doesn't apply to rituals in the tome)

[@GameVyse]

@@hopefulmayhem5744(going by XGtE here) 1 where does it say you have to make the spell at the same level as your spell slots? you can just make it at the basic spell level for that spell, so keep to 1st or 2nd level spells, maybe the odd 3nd level spell from time to time. 2: what page is the minimum intelligence of 10 to do it? i not seeing it (and if it is, you just not need to dump int), and so? if you want to do it then you need arcane other wise you have to buy them or pick it up later some how. 3: from the spell scroll "If the spell is on your class's spell list, you can read the scroll and cast its spell without providing any material components. " you don't need to know the spell to cast it, only to make the scroll

[@FlutesLoot]

I hadn't noticed that Wrathful Smite requires a wisdom CHECK after failing the initial wisdom saving throw. That's interesting! Not many spells give targets disadvantage to shake off that same spell. And lol you couldn't resist another dig at monks :P

[@markeyestone9980]

I feel like I would go with maddening darkness for the 8th level spell slot. Although I may just be blinded by how cool it is rather than how effective it is.

[@Ahglock]

That is one of those spells I want to like but the area is so large its almost impossible to use since there is friendly fire problems. At the least it should allow the caster to be immune, very thematically appropriate to certain warlocks.

[@TheAdmiralWTF]

About summon greater demon, you can push your spell dc high enough so that some of the demons cannot succeed on their save even on a 20, that includes a demon that can cast dispel magic at will

[@WinterPains]

How?

[@TheAdmiralWTF]

@@WinterPains Well, In Short with magic Items. So highly DM dependent Long Version: Lets look at the Barlgura and the Tanarukk, two beefy CR 5 Melee fighter Demons, their Charisma save is -1 so if you can reach a 20 Spell DC they are unable to escape. Assuming a maxed out casting stat a wizard or warlock would need a +1 Arcane Grimoire/+1 Rod of the Pact Keeper, or an item that pushes their casting stat to 22, like a tome of clear thought/tome of leadership, to reach that at lvl 17, with a +2 rod/grimoire or +1 rod/grimoire and a stat boost this becomes achievable at lvl 13

[@SpiderPriestess]

What’s your opinion on using booming blade and green flame blade on a reach weapon like a pole arm ?

[@kaemonbonet4931]

Sometimes a warlock might need a non force damage cantrip but it's a major edge case.

[@jaredpuwalski8545]

That’s what I really liked about playing a celestial warlock. Getting sacred flame for situations where either doing radiant damage is preferable or when I would have disadvantage on my attack rolls.

[@scire105]

I would mention in spells from patrons spiritual weapon from raven queen it's from ua but it's worth mentioning. It's a nice alternative to hex

[@ChristnThms]

I really disagree about True Polymorph, vs Foresight. I'll totally agree with your assessment, as far as it goes. But I think that misses a HUGE potential set of uses. I'm looking hard at the "object to creature" portion of the spell, and noting that the type of creature isn't limited except to CR 9 and comparable size. Looking through my monsters app, I'm noticing how many really strong casters are on this list, as well as things like Cloud Giant and Clay Golem. Conjure Fey is the next highest comparable, at CR6. But TP has far more potential, by becoming permanent. Not all creatures would be an advantage to keep permanently, but there's a long list of them that would. Now, think about downtime. Think about that week or month of downtime, where the wizard wants to research a new spell and the cleric is asking his god for a boon. The rogue is off stealing things, and the bard is being a prostitute. What did you do? You wandered around in the woods each day... oh yeah, and I'd like to introduce you to my army of golems. Y'know that action economy thing? What does 5x CR9 allies do to that? Utility, rather than combat, you say? How about walking into a Fire Giant fortress with a Cloud Giant escort? In the longterm, I just see a nearly infinite number of uses for TP. As a Mystic Arcanum, that seems to be the most significant feature.

[@Houster1000]

Love your content. Great video. Can I ask for a divine soul spells video, and metamagic picks? It's pretty unique also. But also niche. So if you find that interesting... I'd love it

[@TreantmonksTemple]

I have don't some builds with Divine Soul already!