Warlock FAQ
What is a Warlock in D&D?
A Warlock is a Charisma-based pact caster whose magic comes through a relationship with an Otherworldly Patron. Warlocks use a d8 Hit Die, gain Pact Magic and a Patron at 1st level, Eldritch Invocations at 2nd level, and a Pact Boon at 3rd level. Their spell slots are few but recover on a short or long rest in the 2014 rules, while Invocations and Mystic Arcanum provide additional magical abilities.
A Warlock is an occult spellcaster whose power is tied to a pact, bargain, bond, stolen secret, apprenticeship, or another relationship with an Otherworldly Patron. Mechanically, the 2014 Warlock is unlike ordinary full casters. It has very few Pact Magic spell slots. Those slots return after a short or long rest and automatically increase in slot level as the Warlock advances, up to 5th-level Pact Magic slots. Eldritch Invocations then add persistent or repeatable abilities.
Core class profile
The 2014 Warlock uses a d8 Hit Die.
Charisma is the spellcasting ability.
Saving throw proficiencies are Wisdom and Charisma.
The base class is proficient with light armor and simple weapons.
This gives the Warlock somewhat better baseline durability than a Wizard or Sorcerer while remaining primarily a spellcaster.
Otherworldly Patron
The Warlock chooses an Otherworldly Patron at 1st level.
The Patron is the subclass.
Patron features arrive at:
1st 6th 10th 14th
The Patron also expands the spells associated with the Warlock, subject to the 2014 patron rules.
The Archfey emphasises charm, fear, and fey magic.
The Fiend emphasises destruction and infernal resilience.
The Great Old One emphasises telepathy and alien influence.
Later books add patrons such as the Celestial, Hexblade, Fathomless, Genie, and Undead.
Pact Magic
Pact Magic is the Warlock's spellcasting system.
It uses Charisma.
The Warlock knows a limited number of spells.
Pact Magic slots are always the same level at a given Warlock level.
For example, once the class's Pact Magic slot level becomes 3rd, all current Pact Magic slots are 3rd-level slots.
Those slots return after a short or long rest.
This creates a very different resource rhythm from normal Spellcasting.
Eldritch Invocations
At 2nd level, the Warlock gains Eldritch Invocations.
Invocations are modular magical abilities.
Some improve cantrips such as eldritch blast.
Some grant at-will spell effects.
Some improve Pact Boons.
Some add defenses, senses, skills, or other supernatural abilities.
Many Invocations have prerequisites based on level, Pact Boon, or another condition.
The Warlock can replace selected Invocations when gaining levels according to the 2014 class rules.
Pact Boon
At 3rd level, the Warlock chooses a Pact Boon.
The original Player's Handbook choices are:
- Pact of the Chain;
- Pact of the Blade;
- Pact of the Tome.
Later pre-2024 rules add Pact of the Talisman.
A Pact Boon is not the Warlock's subclass.
The Patron is the subclass.
The Pact Boon is a second major customization layer.
Eldritch Blast and repeatable offense
Eldritch blast is not a mandatory class feature, but it is a famously strong Warlock cantrip because its number of beams scales with character level.
Invocations such as Agonizing Blast can make it a reliable repeatable damage option.
A Warlock that does not use eldritch blast can still be effective, but the build should have another repeatable plan when Pact Magic slots are unavailable.
Mystic Arcanum
At 11th level, Pact Magic stops progressing into ordinary 6th-level slots.
Instead, the Warlock gains Mystic Arcanum.
The class gains:
6th-level Arcanum at 11th 7th-level Arcanum at 13th 8th-level Arcanum at 15th 9th-level Arcanum at 17th
Each Arcanum provides a selected high-level Warlock spell that can be cast once without a spell slot, returning after a long rest.
These do not function like additional short-rest Pact Magic slots.
Party role
A Warlock can fill several roles depending on Patron, Pact Boon, and Invocations:
- ranged damage dealer;
- controller;
- face;
- occult investigator;
- melee combatant;
- familiar user;
- ritual-focused utility caster;
- support or healer with certain Patrons.
The class is highly customizable because these choices layer on top of one another.
In short
A Warlock is a Charisma-based pact caster built around a Patron, short-rest Pact Magic, Eldritch Invocations, and a Pact Boon.
It has fewer spell slots than most casters but recovers them more frequently.
Its sustained contribution usually comes from cantrips, Invocations, Pact Boon features, and Patron abilities while Pact Magic provides powerful short-rest bursts.