The Warlock is near and dear to my heart. My first ever D&D character was a Warlock, and I continue to think that no other class brings with it such a powerful and interesting plot-hook.
I also think that the Warlock's deeply unconventional approach to spellcasting (in fact, they don't even have the "spellcasting" feature that so many other classes have, instead having Pact Magic) actually works pretty well for the most part - as long as you go into it understanding what you're there to do.
Warlocks are a really cool class, but I think a lot of problems arise when players have a different conception of what they're going to be able to do with their patron-granted powers. In fantasy, the terms Wizard, Sorcerer, and Warlock are often interchangeable, though Warlock tends to bring with it a somewhat darker, sinister vibe to it. I think that that vibe is reflected in the class, broadly speaking. Many patron-based subclasses are built around dark magic - Fiends, Great Old Ones, Hexblades, Undying and Undead, and to an extent the Fathomless (and even the Archfey if you go for something like a coven of hags) all lean heavily into the "bad guy" aesthetic, even if the character itself is not a bad person.
But I think where the disconnect arises is that Warlocks in a lot of media are depicted as scholars of forbidden knowledge - they use magic that is typically forbidden by the world's general conventions regarding magical disciplines. But they are ultimately seekers of knowledge - it's just that the books in their library are more dangerous.
The thing is, mechanically, that describes a Wizard in D&D. Essentially, that's a morally ambiguous wizard.
The distinct mechanics of the D&D Warlock inherently limit their ability to act as "big toolbox" spellcasters like a Wizard. Indeed, the Warlock's design is focused around acting in many ways more like a martial class. You can build one to be a weapon-fighter, or you can take Eldritch Blast, which acts less like a typical cantrip and more like a weapon attack for a Fighter. In fact, you get the same number of attacks as a Fighter (and even beat them to their capstone ability by getting four attacks at level 17 rather than 20).
In editions that predate Cantrips as a mechanic, the Warlock's Eldritch Blast was actually a class feature. This was back when a Wizard who ran out of spell slots would have to rely on something like a light crossbow to deal damage on their turn. That idea of having an inexhaustible capacity for magic is something that once defined the Warlock, but has been diluted.
Now, does that mean I think they should get rid of cantrips? Hell no.
But I do think that Warlocks should all, automatically get Eldritch Blast.
Now, regarding spell slots: The tiny number of Warlock spell slots is, of course, a limitation. The expectation for a Warlock is that, in contrast with other pure casters, they aren't going to be casting a leveled spell on each turn. This is part of the reason it's important to make Eldritch Blast so good.
I've seen some speculation on how to improve the class by perhaps increasing the number of spell slots - one suggestion was to mirror the growth in Proficiency Bonus, meaning you start with two, get three at 5th level, and by the time you're level 17, you have 6 spell slots.
This would certainly be a buff, but feels modest enough to not be overpowered. I think that there's a question of what the designers envision as the ideal combat encounter for a Warlock. Different campaigns vary a lot in terms of how much combat you see per day. I think in the homebrew campaigns I've tended to play or run, you usually have only one or two between short rests. And a combat encounter tends to last three to four rounds. As it stands, then, a Warlock at level 7 would be able to use a leveled spell in roughly 33% of their turns. If they had 3 spell slots, that'd jump to 50%.
I don't really have a strong opinion on whether this is an improvement or a degradation.
But I do think that one of the things that makes the class feel really unique is the way that a spell like Eldritch Blast can become crazy powerful with the right invocations. Agonizing Blast is perhaps so fundamental that I almost feel like it should be baked into the spell itself (though requiring an invocation does put a cost on it) but then I think that stuff like Repelling Blast - a pushback that only requires a successful hit and has no save against it - actually does evoke that feeling of tapping into something far more powerful than yourself.
Indeed, I like the idea that a Warlock is channeling a power that is far greater than anything a player character could wield, but that this is balanced by the Warlock needing to serve as the conduit for that power.
So, I realize that the conclusion I'm coming to is a fairly conservative view on the 5E Warlock. One thing I think would be very helpful for the PHB, though, is to introduce the Tasha's "Summon X" spells. Warlocks get almost as much access to these spells as Wizards do, and they actually all serve as pretty efficient uses of their spell slots - In fact, I think an Eldritch Blast-focused Warlock who takes Summon Fiend as their 6th level Mystic Arcanum typically does significantly more damage than most martial classes (of course at the risk of losing concentration on the spell).
Now, regarding Mystic Arcanum: I don't love the way that this system works. Especially when you consider the way those summoning spells work with upcasting, I'd love to see this system work a little more flexibly. Obviously, I see the reason for limiting these higher-level spells from being cast multiple times a day - which is why Warlocks' spell slots cap out at 5th level - but I think that the inability to swap out these spells or to upcast things to these levels feels like, perhaps, a too-burdensome limitation. I don't really know how to redesign it, but there you have it.
In terms of subclasses, I think that the concepts of Fiend, Archfey, and Great Old One are all fantastic options for the PHB. But I think that some of these (especially the GOO) need to have a mechanical overhaul, as they really fall behind in terms of power and applicability compared to more recently designed subclasses (in what world is Entropic Ward even remotely tied to the theme of a Great Old One?) I'd say that other candidates to be included in the PHB include the Genie, Undead, or Celestial, but there's only so much room in the book.
Let's also just take a moment to address the Expanded Spell Lists. Every Warlock subclass gets an expanded spell list, but this list works differently than any other subclass-derived spell list in that you don't automatically get the spells. Easy fix. Just make it so that you do.
Next, I want to address something that I've definitely written about here before: Pact of the Blade and the Hexblade.
Pact of the Blade is one of the three Pact Boons you can pick at 3rd level (well, four as of Tasha's, though I don't know if the Talisman is remotely appealing to me). Despite being a full caster, Warlocks are built to be able to function as melee fighters as well. The problem, as I see it, is that I think a Bladelock is going to fundamentally suffer a bit from stat-spreading. A Bladelock needs high Strength or Dexterity (though I'd definitely recommend Dexterity given that you only get light armor) on top of their high Charisma for their spellcasting.
The thing is, the Hexblade solves two problems with its Hex Warrior feature. Here, you not only get access to medium armor and shields (and thus need at most a 14 in Dexterity for the sake of AC) but you also get to use Charisma as your attack ability for your Hex Weapon.
These aren't bad things, but they're so good that I think going with any other subclass for a Bladelock becomes a mistake. Ironically, it's far easier to do a one-level dip into this class as a Bard, Paladin, or Sorcerer than it is for a different kind of Warlock to get this kind of bonus.
I think the easy solution to this is to just roll at least the Charisma-for-weapon-attacks into Pact of the Blade. Now, any flavor of Bladelock will be able to excel at both magic and melee. I might even make the medium armor and shield proficiency into an invocation available only to Pact of the Blade Warlocks, which will help them do better if they need to wade into melee combat.
Still, as odd as it is, I actually like the idiosyncrasies of the Warlock as it is. A few tweaks, and I think the class is ready for its next form.
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