The Warlock is one of the most versatile and complex classes in Dungeons & Dragons. Many players are now asking themselves: What exactly has been changed in the Player’s Handbook 5.5e (2024)? In this article, we highlight the most relevant changes between the classic 5e warlock and the new version in 5.5e.
As we can’t go into all the changes in detail, we recommend that you purchase the D&D Player’s Handbook 5.5e 🛒, especially for the new spells and familiars.
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Everything for a good story: Patron only from level 3
One of the most striking changes concerns the Patron, the entity from which the warlocks draw their power. In D&D 5e, you had your patron from level 1. In D&D 5.5e, this only happens at level 3. In the Player’s Handbook 5e, the patron could be a Fiend, Archfey, or Great Old One. In 5.5e, the Celestials, from “Xanathar’s Guide to Everything”, were added into the Player’s Handbook as possible patrons. However, covenants that now belong to the Eldritch Invocations may now be chosen from level 1. More on this in the following section.
Many refer to this change as “Story Flavor”. The warlock does not know his patron at the beginning and the gamemaster can let the warlock’s experiences subtly introduce the patron throughout gameplay. The moment of recognizing the patron can then be dramatically played out at the table.
Eldritch Invocations and the Abolition of the Pact Boons
The Level 3 Pact Boons have effectively been abolished. Before panic sets in: The pacts are still there. The pacts – Chain, Blade, and Book – remain, but are now Eldritch Invocations and therefore available from level 1. However, many of these Invocations now have level requirements that did not previously exist.
The selection of Eldritch Invocations has also been expanded. As before, however, you can exchange Invocations with each other when leveling up, as long as you don’t want to remove Invocations that are interdependent. Up to level 18, a Warlock in 2024 can have up to 10 Invocations, instead of the 8 in 5e.
Popular invocations such as Repelling Blast and Agonizing Blast are also no longer limited to the Eldritch Blast, but can now be applied to other cantrips. This means that the charisma modifier can now be added to the damage value of all cantrips. Note that Repelling Blast is still limited to cantrips that require an attack roll.
How do pacts work for the Warlock in D&D 5.5e?
Pacts now fall under Invocations and are available from level 1. You are also no longer limited to one pact when leveling up and can theoretically choose all of them, as they are Invocations. Like all Invocations, you can also change the pacts when leveling up.
From a gameplay perspective, this makes sense, as you can determine your playstyle right at the start. With a level 1 Pact of the Blade, the Warlock works better as a melee fighter in the early stages. But you also want a familiar at level 2? No problem: Choose the Pact of the Chain as an Invocation. If you need a little more magic trickery, consider taking the Pact of the Tome and have your patron hand you the Book of Shadows when you level up again. If you want all three pacts, you can have all three pacts.
Adjustments to the subclasses
In addition to the core changes, each subclass (patron) has undergone some adjustments:
- Archfey: Additional effects for teleportation, mixed forms of movement spells, etc.
- Celestial: Introduced in the new rulebooks (in 5e via “Xanathar’s Guide to Everything”) available or rebalanced. Celestial Warlocks have significantly more spells, including Summon Celestial.
- Fiend: Classic mechanics such as gaining temporary hit points (Dark One’s Blessing) have been reworked so that you gain bonus HP even if it’s not you who defeats the enemy, but someone nearby.
- Great Old One: These have been heavily reworked. Essentially, the Great Old One has been completely rebuilt as a patron. Small teaser: Summon Aberrations and more powerful Mind control. Consult the Player’s Handbook urgently!
Conclusion
The Warlock becomes more modular, more flexible, and in many cases more powerful. Some players criticize the late subclass selection (only from level 3) as a narrative break, while others celebrate this as a great story element. Many welcome the strengthened base class and the more deeply integrated options, especially with regard to the warlock in melee combat. It remains to be seen how the changes will affect gameplay at the table.
