Dungeons & Dragons has provided new details about the redesigned Warlock class. Today, Wizards of the Coast continued its preview of the 2024 Player’s Handbook with a video on the new rules for the Warlock class. The Warlock, like Dungeons & Dragons’ other classes is getting a rework as part of the new rulebook, although most of the core abilities will remain unchanged. In the case of the Warlock, the class is being reworked with an eye on versatility and providing the class with more options. The four subclasses for the Warlock, which include the Great Old One Patron and Celestial Patron, have also gotten some significant upgrades.
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The Warlock operates in an interesting space compared to more traditional spellcasters like the Wizard or Sorcerer, as Warlocks have a limited number of spell slots that are cast at the highest possible level. This core spellcasting ability remains unchanged, but the Warlock now gets access to the Magical Cunning ability at Level 2 to allow them to refresh those spell slots once per long rest without actually taking a long rest. This gives the Warlock more access to spell slots while in between encounters without dragging a session to a stop. The Warlock, notably, also has a larger spell list before, although the list is still smaller than classes like the Wizard.
The Warlock’s Eldritch Invocations feature now comes in as a Level 1 feature, with the player gaining more Eldritch Invocations and also having access to more options. The Pact of the Blade, Pact of the Tome, and Pact of the Chain are all now Eldritch Invocations instead of separate features, meaning that players can potentially gain access to all three options with the same character. The Pact of the Chain now has additional familiars to choose from, including a skeleton, a slaad tadpole, and a sphinx.
The four Patrons in the new Player’s Handbook have also received upgrades. The Archfey Patron now grants Warlocks access to Misty Step with additional effects similar to an eladrin’s teleport ability. The Celestial Patron gains access to a Summon Celestial spell in their spell list. The Fiend grants their Warlock temporary HP (similar to that of the Warlock builds from Baldur’s Gate 3). Finally, the Great Old One received an extensive rework with a new version of Create Thrall, a Psychic Spells ability that removes verbal and somatic components, a Clairvoyant Combatant ability that allows players to target a foe and deal additional damage via a mind link, and finally a boosted Eldritch Hex ability.
Expect more details about the Warlock class to be revealed soon, as D&D Beyond will post an article clarifying additional details about the class not specified in the D&D video preview.
