Warlock FAQ
What subclasses can a Warlock choose?
A Warlock's subclass is the Otherworldly Patron chosen at 1st level. Major official pre-2024 Fifth Edition Patrons include Archfey, Fiend, Great Old One, Undying, Celestial, Hexblade, Fathomless, Genie, and Undead. The Pact Boon chosen at 3rd level is a separate customization choice and should not be listed as a Warlock subclass.
The Warlock's subclass is the Otherworldly Patron. The Patron is chosen at 1st level. Further Patron features arrive at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
Archfey
The Archfey Patron focuses on charm, fear, illusion, and fey magic.
Its early feature can charm or frighten nearby creatures.
Later abilities add evasive movement and defenses against charm.
It suits a Warlock tied to powerful beings of the Feywild.
Fiend
The Fiend Patron represents a pact with a powerful fiend.
Its features reward defeating enemies with temporary hit points and later improve luck, resistance, and offensive power.
It is one of the most direct offensive/durability Patrons.
Great Old One
The Great Old One represents contact with an alien or incomprehensible entity.
Its signature early feature grants telepathic communication.
Later features reinforce mental influence, psychic resilience, and control.
It suits cosmic horror, forbidden knowledge, and alien-mind themes.
Undying
The Undying Patron is tied to a being that has transcended or resisted death.
Its features improve interaction with undead, resistance to death and disease, and long-term survival.
Do not confuse Undying with the later Undead Patron.
Celestial
The Celestial Patron connects the Warlock to a powerful upper-planar being.
It adds healing, radiant and fire themes, and several protective abilities.
It allows a Warlock to provide much more direct party support without becoming a Cleric.
Hexblade
Hexblade is associated with mysterious powers connected to sentient weapons and the Shadowfell.
Hexblade's Curse adds strong single-target pressure.
Hex Warrior makes Charisma-supported weapon combat much easier.
This strongly supports Pact of the Blade, although Hexblade and Pact of the Blade remain separate choices.
Fathomless
The Fathomless Patron is connected to supernatural depths.
Its features summon and improve a spectral tentacle, add aquatic adaptation, and later provide movement and defensive abilities associated with the sea.
Genie
The Genie Patron represents a pact with a powerful genie.
The subclass chooses a genie kind, gains associated magical themes, and receives Genie's Vessel.
Later features include flight, resistance, and Limited Wish.
The genie type gives the subclass additional internal variation.
Undead
The Undead Patron represents a pact with a powerful undead entity.
Form of Dread is the defining early feature, providing fear-based offense and temporary durability.
Later features reinforce necrotic power, survival, and an increasingly undead-like state.
How do you choose a Patron?
A simplified comparison is:
Archfey → charm, fear, fey trickery Fiend → offense, durability, infernal power Great Old One → telepathy, psychic and cosmic themes Undying → resisting death and undead interaction Celestial → healing and radiant power Hexblade → Charisma-supported weapon combat and curse Fathomless → tentacles, sea, aquatic power Genie → elemental genie power and flexible utility Undead → fear, necrotic power, undead transformation
Patron versus Pact Boon
The Patron is selected at 1st level and is the subclass.
The Pact Boon is selected at 3rd level.
A Fiend Warlock can choose Pact of the Tome.
A Celestial Warlock can choose Pact of the Blade.
A Great Old One Warlock can choose Pact of the Chain.
Do not organise Pact Boons as Warlock subclasses.