Related: Dungeons & Dragons: Every Official Monk Subclass, Ranked Resistance to psychic damage and reflecting it back is nice, but it is rare enough that its usefulness is limited by the kind of monsters the DM likes to use. Its patronage starts out underwhelmingly, giving what is essentially a better version of the Message cantrip. Seriously, though, we all know this is a Lovecraft reference, and it's Cthulu. The Great Old One is a mysterious being beyond comprehension.

If you're looking for roleplay, it's a great choice for a patron that doesn't fear death but knows it intimately.Ī nice mix of debuff, control, and utility spells and lots of damage. You also have some spells that make you more durable in case you need extra hits points or an AC buff during a fight, and there are Feats you can take for ranged and melee weapons if you'd like to build a Warlock that does some weapon damage. The Undead is ideal for building a powerful spellcaster with focused abilities. This comes complete with temporary hit points and a new appearance. You get to transform into a new form of dread, similar to a druid's Wild Shape. Naturally, it's sourced from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, the infamous 'vampire' D&D module. The 'occult' version of the Warlock is for players looking to connect with a darker power from beyond the grave. Great for sprints, not marathons.Īccess to handy spells like False Life, which grants some extra temporary hit points. The Accursed Specter lasts for a while, but the Hexblade’s Curse only lets the Warlock be useful for one fight per day. These are pretty useful, but can only be used once per day. The Accursed Specter allows the Warlock to enslave the soul of a slain enemy until the next long rest. The Hexblade’s Curse, which improves at higher levels, gives a lot of bonuses to attack and defense against a single enemy. The other abilities are less broadly useful. Related: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Warlock Patrons Warlocks can also use the Charisma modifier for weapon attacks, making them about as effective as weapon attacks by a class that focuses on strength or dexterity. The best general abilities that this subclass gives are the bonus proficiencies: medium armor, martial weapons, and shields. The Hexblade Patron is a mysterious force from the Shadowfell that manifests in sentient magical weapons. Any Warlocks who follow the Undying should invest in a good Perception skill since the fact that they don’t sleep means the party will almost definitely put them on watch duty. Other abilities, such as not needing to eat or drink, aging more slowly, and being able to reattach limbs are interesting but not often mechanically useful. Those Spare the Dying cantrips will come in handy since many attacks by undead enemies will be redirected toward party members. The healing on death-saving throws is more useful since it allows the warlock to get back up in the middle of a fight without wasting party healing spells, but self-healing after casting Spare the Dying is less than useful because it still heals the warlock, not the unconscious creature the spell was cast on.

Warlocks that follow Undying patrons gain the 'Spare the Dying' cantrip and, at 6th level, can regain hit points whenever they use it to stabilize another creature (or succeed on a death-saving throw). Liches and powerful gods of the undead fit the bill. The Undying patron is a powerful undead being. Improves the Warlock's durability and survivability.

The undying warlock