Warlock

With a Pseudodragon curled on his shoulder, a young elf in golden robes smiles warmly, weaving a magical charm into his honeyed words and bending the palace sentinel⁠ to his will. As flames spring to life in her hands, a wizened human whispers the Secret name of her demonic patron, infusing her spell with Fiendish Magic.
Shifting his gaze between a battered tome and the odd Alignment of the stars overhead, a wild-eyed Tiefling chants The Mystic ritual that will open a doorway to a distant world.
Warlocks are seekers of the knowledge that lies hidden in the fabric of the multiverse. Through pacts made with mysterious beings of supernatural power, warlocks unlock magical Effects both subtle and spectacular. Drawing on the ancient knowledge of beings such as fey nobles, Demons, devils, hags, and alien entities of The Far Realm, warlocks piece together arcane Secrets to bolster their own power.

Sworn and Beholden

A Warlock is defined by a pact with an otherworldly being. Sometimes the relationship between Warlock and patron is like that of a cleric⁠ and a deity, though the beings that serve as Patrons for warlocks are not gods. A Warlock might lead a cult dedicated to a demon prince, an archdevil, or an utterly alien entity—beings not typically served by clerics. More often, though, the arrangement is similar to that between a Master and an apprentice. The Warlock learns and grows in power, at the cost of occasional Services performed on the patron’s behalf.
The magic bestowed on a Warlock ranges from minor but lasting alterations to the warlock’s being (such as the ability to see in darkness⁠ or to read any language) to access to powerful spells⁠. Unlike bookish wizards, warlocks supplement their magic with some facility at hand-to-hand combat⁠. They are comfortable in Light Armor and know how to use Simple Weapons.

Delvers into Secrets

Warlocks are driven by an insatiable need for knowledge and power, which compels them into their pacts and shapes their lives. This thirst drives warlocks into their pacts and shapes their later careers as well.
Stories of warlocks binding themselves to fiends⁠ are widely known. But many warlocks serve Patrons that are not fiendish. Sometimes a traveler in the wilds comes to a strangely beautiful tower, meets its fey lord or lady, and stumbles into a pact without being fully aware of it. And sometimes, while poring over tomes of forbidden lore, a brilliant but crazed student’s mind is opened to realities Beyond the Material world and to the alien beings that dwell in the outer void.
Once a pact is made, a warlock’s thirst for knowledge and power can’t be slaked with mere study and Research. No one makes a pact with such a mighty patron if he or she doesn’t intend to use the power thus gained. Rather, the vast majority of warlocks spend their days in active pursuit of their goals, which typically means some kind of Adventuring. Furthermore, the demands of their Patrons drive warlocks toward adventure.

Creating a Warlock

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

Quick Build

You can make a Warlock quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the Charlatan Background. Third, choose the Eldritch Blast and Chill Touch Cantrips, along with the 1st-level Spells Charm Person and Witch Bolt.
The Warlock

Level	Prof. Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	Spell Slots	Slot Level	Invocations Known
1	+2	Otherworldly Patron, Pact Magic	2	2	1	1st
2	+2	Eldritch Invocations	2	3	2	1st	2
3	+2	Pact Boon	2	4	2	2nd	2
4	+2	Ability Score Improvement	3	5	2	2nd	2
5	+3		3	6	2	3rd	3
6	+3	Otherworldly Patron feature	3	7	2	3rd	3
7	+3		3	8	2	4th	4
8	+3	Ability Score Improvement	3	9	2	4th	4
9	+4		3	10	2	5th	5
10	+4	Otherworldly Patron feature	4	10	2	5th	5
11	+4	Mystic Arcanum (6th level)	4	11	3	5th	5
12	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4	11	3	5th	6
13	+5	Mystic Arcanum (7th level)	4	12	3	5th	6
14	+5	Otherworldly Patron feature	4	12	3	5th	6
15	+5	Mystic Arcanum (8th level)	4	13	3	5th	7
16	+5	Ability Score Improvement	4	13	3	5th	7
17	+6	Mystic Arcanum (9th level)	4	14	4	5th	7
18	+6		4	14	4	5th	8
19	+6	Ability Score Improvement	4	15	4	5th	8
20	+6	Eldritch Master	4	15	4	5th	8

Class Features

As a Warlock, you gain the following Class Features.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per Warlock level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per Warlock level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light⁠ armor
• Weapons: Simple Weapons
• Tools: None
• Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
• Skills: Choose two Skills from Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following Equipment, in addition to the equipmen⁠t granted by your background:

• (a) a Light Crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a Component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
• (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) a dungeoneer’s pack
• Leather Armor, any simple weapon, and two daggers

Otherworldly Patron

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

Pact Magic

Your arcane Research and the magic bestowed on you by your patron have given you facility with Spells. See the general rules of Spellcasting and the Warlock spell list.

Cantrip⁠s

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

Spell Slots

The Warlock table shows how many spe⁠ll slots you have to cast your Warlock Spells of 1st through 5th Level. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your Spell Slots are the same level. To cast one of your Warlock Spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended Spell Slots when you finish a short or Long Rest.
For example, when you are 5th Level, you have two 3rd-level Spell Slots. To cast the 1st-level spell Witch Bolt, you must spend one of those slots, and you cast it as a 3rd-level spell.
Spells Known of 1st level and Higher At 1st level, you know two 1st-level Spells of your choice from the Warlock spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Warlock table shows when you learn more Warlock spells⁠ of your choice of 1st level and higher. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what’s shown in the table’s Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 6th level, for example, you learn a new Warlock spell, which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Warlock Spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Warlock spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have Spell Slots.

Spellcasting⁠ Ability

Charisma is your Spellcasting Ability for your Warlock Spells, so you use your Cha⁠risma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting⁠ ability. In addition, you use your Char⁠isma modifier when setting⁠ the saving throw DC for a Warlock spell you cast and when Making an Attack roll with one.

• Spell save DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Charisma modifier
• Spell Attack modifier = your Proficiency Bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as a Spellcasting Focus for your Warlock Spells.

Eldritch Invocations

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

Pact Boon

At 3rd Level, your otherworldly patron bestows a gift upon you for your loyal service. You gain one of the following features of your choice.
Pact of the Chain: You learn the Find Familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual. The spell doesn’t count against your number of Spells known.
When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or one of the following special⁠ forms: imp, Pseudodragon, Quasit, or Sprite.
Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to allow your familiar to make one Attack with its Reaction.
Pact of the Blade: You can use your action to create a pact weapon in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it (see Weapons for weapon options). You are proficient with it while you wield it. This weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming Resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Your pact weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die.
You can transform one Magic Weapon into your pact weapon by performing a special⁠ ritual while you hold the weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a Short Rest. You can then dismiss the weapon, shunting it into an extradimensional space, and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter. You can’t affect an artifact or a sentient weapon in this way. The weapon ceases being your pact weapon if you die, if you perform the 1-hour ritual on a different weapon, or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it. The weapon appears at your feet if it is in the extradimensional space when the bond breaks.
Pact of the Tome: Your patron gives you a grimoire called a Book⁠ of Shadows. When you gain this feature, choose three Cantrips from any class’s spell list (the three needn’t be from the same list). While the book is on your person, you can cast those cant⁠rips at will. They don’t count against your number of cant⁠rips known. If they don’t appear on the Warlock spell list, they are nonetheless Warlock Spells for you.
If you lose your Book⁠ of Shadows, you can perform a 1-hour Ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This Ceremony can be performed during a short or Long Rest, and it destroys the previous book. The book turns to ash when you die.

Your Pact Boon

Each Pact Boon Option produces a special⁠ creature or an object that reflects your patron’s Nature.
Pact of the Chain⁠: Your familiar is more cunning than a typical familiar. Its default form can be a reflection of your patron, with sprites and pseudodragons tied to The Archfey and imps and quasits tied to The Fiend. Because the Great Old One’s Nature is Inscrutable, any familiar form is suitable for it.
Pact of the Blade: If your patron is The Archfey, your weapon might be a slender blade wrapped in leafy vines. If you serve The Fiend, your weapon could be an axe made of black metal and adorned with decorative flames. If your patron is the Great Old One, your weapon might be an ancient-looking spear, with a gemstone embedded in its head, carved to look like a terrible unblinking eye.
Pact of the Tome: Your Book⁠ of Shadows might be a fine, gilt-edged tome with Spells of Enchantment and Illusion, gifted to you by the lordly Archfey. It could be a weighty tome bound in demon hide studded with iron, holding spells⁠ of Conjuration and a Wealth of forbidden lore about the sinister regions of the cosmos, a gift of The Fiend. Or it could be the tattered diary of a lunatic driven mad by contact with the Great Old One, holding scraps of Spells that only your own burgeoning insanity allows you to understand and cast.

Ability Score Improvement

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

Mystic Arcanum

At 11th level, your patron bestows upon you a magical Secret called an arcanum. Choose one 6th-level spell from the Warlock spell list as this arcanum.
You can cast your arcanum spell once without expending a spell slot. You must finish a Long Rest before you can do so again.
At higher levels, you gain more Warlock Spells of your choice that can be cast in this way: one 7th-level spell at 13th level, one 8th-level spell at 15th level, and one 9th-level spell at 17th level. You regain all uses of your Mystic Arcanum when you finish a Long Rest.

Eldritch Master

At 20th level, you can draw on your inner reserve of mystical power while entreating your patron to regain expended Spell Slots. You can spend 1 minute entreating your patron for aid to regain all your expended spe⁠ll slots from your Pact Magic feature. Once you regain spe⁠ll slots with this feature, you must finish a Long Rest before you can do so again.

Otherworldly Patrons

The beings that serve as Patrons for warlocks are mighty inhabitants of Other Planes of existence—not gods, but almost godlike in their power. Various Patrons give their warlocks access to different powers and invocations, and expect significant favors in return.
Some Patrons collect warlocks, doling out mystic knowledge relatively freely or boasting of their ability to bind mortals to their will. Other Patrons bestow their power only grudgingly, and might make a pact with only one Warlock. Warlocks who serve the same patron might view each other as allies, Siblings, or Rivals.