Dungeons and Dragons Classes

Warlocks are the magical caster in Dungeons and Dragons that has made a pact with an otherworldly creature or deity in exchange for magical aptitude and power now. There are many patrons (the magical power granters) that a Warlock could find themselves bound to. You could have sworn your soul away to a demon/devil, or had your mind awakened to the horror and power granted by Cthulu or a Kraken, or even magically awakened by the fleeting whim of an Archfey! An excellent example of a Warlock in modern media is Eleven from Stranger Things who is bonded to the Demogorgon from the Upside Down dimension. She was an unwilling host for magic as opposed to choosing to have it but regardless, the patron of magical power that was the Demogorgon did not have the best relationship with their warlock as she was constantly trying to thwart his plans with his own powers. She would have been a normal girl if it weren't for her gaining telekinetic powers and more from the Upside Down!

Warlocks tend to be magical casters that stay to the back of the group and deliver long-range targeted spells at opponents. With less ability to cast multiple powerful spells than the other caster classes in the game, the Warlock gains the upper hand with their go-to damage spell, Eldritch Blast. As you level up, you can gain specializations called eldritch invocations that can give you more spell-like abilities or make your Eldritch Blast more powerful.

The Warlock Caster needs to be the most charismatic person in the room, whether that means the center of attention or so brooding and intimidating that no one wants to talk to them, this is because their spellcasting is based on that character attribute. The force of their personality is the source of their magical capabilities as it represents the bond connecting them to their patron.

Races that are good choices would be Aasimar, Changeling, Dragonborn, Elf (Drow and Eladrin), Half-Elf, Halfling, Human, Satyr, Simic Hybrid, Tabaxi, Tiefling, Triton and Yuan-ti Pureblood. These are great choices because they confer Charisma bonuses to your character at creation!

The class overall is termed as a blaster caster, someone who strikes with magic from afar and deals consistent damage. Most of the variations on the Warlock are going to come from which patron you have and what style of Pact you create with them as you level up. For example, you could have made a pact with a Fiend and use their magical might to bind a weapon of your choice as part of your pact allowing you to use the weapon as your magical focus, sending spells through it and letting you attack with it if enemies get too close. Or you may have made a pact with an ancient Kraken from the deeps and through their haunting visions came upon a Book of Shadows that you keep increasing your magical repertoire. Or lastly, an Archfey that has bound a sprite to you through a magical chain that only you two can see or feel as they cannot be bothered to watch you gallivant around the material plane and need the sprite to be their eyes and ears watching your every move with anticipation.

This isn't even taking into account the many Eldritch Invocations that help customize your character and your signature eldritch blast! The Warlock class has roots in many old fairy tales such as the witch archetype but know that every time you see a Warlock in your game, they can be many other assorted varieties! With new patrons in additional books such as the Celestial, the Undying, the Genie and many others, there is an abundance of options for people/creatures to sign your soul off to! Making pacts and deals like this class inherently does, is an excellent way to dip your toes into the ocean of Role-Playing as it immediately gives the person running your game an NPC that your character has to know somewhat, as you signed the deal with them or your parents did.. and playing out scenes where you discuss the contract or lack thereof is excellent gaming time to flesh out a character for a newer player!

This was the quick dive into what a Warlock does and can be, hope that it was of some help to you on your discovery of the classes of Dungeons and Dragons! Warlocks are fun Charisma-based casters that define the idea of a "Face" character through their force of personality. The next class in the series will take a look at something more divine and part of the natural order than the Warlock class generally is, the Druid. See ya then!