Throwing out bolts of arcane power, Warlocks are the principal DPS spellcaster. Flexible, easy to build, and fun to play, Warlocks are a great addition to any party.
The Halfling race AND the Warlock class can be found in the Player’s Handbook. Click here to pick up your own copy of The Player’s Handbook!
How to make a Halfling Warlock
The general advice for making a Warlock is easy. Pump CHA as high as possible.
This means if you’re using the standard array, Lightfoot Halflings are the best choice, as it boosts your CHA. If you’re using point buy for stats then Stout Halflings are also an option that offers a nice defensive boost.
Stat Priority
You’re going to want to max out CHA. Everything a Warlock does relies on CHA, in and out of combat. Every Ability Score Improvement should also be put into CHA until it’s at 20 unless you have a very defined plan with your feats and statistics.
Secondary stats should be CON and DEX, for HP and AC. Warlocks aren’t very tanky characters, and you shouldn’t expect to be on the front lines, but you’re still going to take hits and need CON for that all-important concentration save.
Gearing
Realistically, a non-Hexblade Warlock (see below for those) needs no gear except for some light armor and maybe a backup melee weapon. You have the single-best ranged cantrip in the entire game (eldritch blast) and that only gets stronger as you level up.
The gear you get as part of your starting pack should be all you need to get started.
How to play a Halfling Warlock
Halflings make great warlocks. Most Warlocks are going to play as a backline blaster, keeping at ranged and smashing chunks of HPs off of monsters.
Eldritch blast is going to be your bread and butter. It deals more damage than any other ranged cantrip, scales incredibly well with levels and your abilities, has a huge range, and deals force damage, which almost nothing resists. Most Warlocks will rely on this spell as their main tool in every single combat they face.
Balancing this out are your spells. Warlocks don’t cast spells like any other spellcaster. Instead, they get a very limited number of casts per day, but your spell slots automatically scale with your level. That means that your spells will always cast at max level. On top of this, your spell slots refresh every time you take a short rest. Depending on your adventure day and GM, you could cast between 2 and 6 spells per in-game day.
Because their Eldritch Blast is so damage-focused, Warlocks can also build into a great utility character by using their skills and spells for out-of-combat abilities, and skill buffs. With high CHA, they make a naturally great Face, and can comfortably specialize in social skills.
Subclasses:
Warlocks currently have 8 published subclasses:
- The Archfey: Make a pact with the faeries, and use charm and mystery to confound your enemies.
- The Celestial: Make a pact with some sort of holy being, and turn into a Cleric-lite, with buff spells and a pool of healing dice every day.
- The Fathomless: Make a pact with an abyssal sea creature, and control the battlefield with your spells and a clinging, eldritch tentacle.
- The Fiend: Make a pact with a feind (you maniac) and burn your enemies with hellfire, while turning their souls into temporary HP.
- The Genie: Make a pact with a genie, and wield elemental spells, plus you also gain a vessel (like the traditional lamp) that you and your party can hide inside for rests and trickery.
- The Great Old One: Make a pact with Cthulhu’s brother, and reach inside the minds of your friends and foes.
- The Hexblade: Completely changes the character, and needs its own section, which you can find below.
- The Undying: Make a pact with a powerful undead, and take on some of their legendary resilience.
Hexblade Warlocks and you
The Hexblade is a fantastic subclass, and it’s incredibly strong, (maybe a little bit too strong) but it’s so fundamentally different to most other Warlocks that it’s worth talking about on its own.
At its heart, the Hexblade turns your Warlock from a long-range spellcaster into a frontline melee character. It adds proficiencies with more weapons and armor that you’ll need to scrap with enemies up close, and the fact that it lets you use your CHA for attack and damage rolls turns you into a class that’s reliant on a single statistic.
In terms of gear, you’re going to want light or medium armor and a shield. You’re also going to want a melee weapon for the first few levels, at least until you pick up your Blade Pact.
Invocations
At level 2, all Warlocks gain access to invocations. These fundamentally change your character and give Warlocks a huge amount of flexibility.
This guide is too short to go into every single invocation, but they offer cool perks like giving extra skill proficiencies, buffing your spellcasting, or boosting your pact boons.
Warlock Pact Boons
When you hit level 3 as a Warlock, there’s another big choice to make: Which Pact Boon you choose.
This is another powerful ability that can go a long way to defining your character’s role and how they operate. Currently, there are 4 pact boons in the published books:
- Pact of the blade gives you a weapon that is summonable as an action, so you’re never unarmed. Invocations can boost the power of the blade, let you smite like a Paladin, and even turn it into a bow.
- Pact of the chain gives you the most powerful familiar in the game. The 4 choices offer flexibility and RP potential, they’re intelligent, can turn invisible, and even attack. Invocations let you speak to them no matter where they are, and keep them alive when they should be dead.
- Pact of the tome lets you choose 3 cantrips from any class and add them to your spell list, giving your Warlock a huge amount of extra utility or damage options. Invocations let you add rituals and more spellcasting to your daily usage.
- Pact of the talisman is pure utility, offering boosts on failed skills, plus the ability to give your talisman to someone else and let them use some of your abilities, teleport, and more.
The pact you choose will be a big part of your character. Blade pacts are suited for melee and naturally mesh well with the Hexblade. All of the others are strong and useful, so should be chosen based on your party and what you want your character to do.
How to roleplay a Halfling Warlock
The defining roleplay aspect of a Warlock is their pact. Your character has made a contract with an impossibly powerful and unknowable entity. Whether that’s a capricious fey, an infernal demon, or a slumbering old one living outside of this plane of reality.
Ask yourself:
- Why your character would make this pact with such a powerful entity?
- What event in their life would cause them to make a pact of this magnitude?
- What your patron wants from them, and how it affects their life?
It’s also worth thinking about how your Warlock powers manifest. Being a Warlock gives you a lot of creativity in how you present yourself. Are you berobed and tattooed with arcane sigils? A charismatic cult leader? Maybe you hide your powers, afraid of what people might think if they witnessed them?
Backgrounds
When it comes to backgrounds, a Warlock can choose whatever they like. The advantage of your powers coming from a pact with a more powerful entity is that you could have been anyone before the key event where you signed your soul away.
The general advice always stands:
- Pick backgrounds with skills that are focused around your main stats, in this case, CHA, so persuasion or intimidation are great choices. (You already have deception.)
- Choose skills that make sense from an RP perspective.
- Finally, select skills that your party doesn’t otherwise have. If you’re the only CHA character, definitely grab the social skills, as they’re essential in any game that’s not a straight dungeon crawl.
FAQs
How do you get the most op Warlock in 5E? ›
- 8 Beef Up Your Eldritch Blast.
- 9 Make A Deal With The Devil. ...
- 10 Be Born A Half-Elf. ...
- 11 Choose Pact of the Chain. ...
- 12 Polearm Mastery. ...
- 13 Don't Neglect Your Dex. ...
- 14 Be a Tiefling. ...
- 15 Make Charisma Your Highest Stat. ...
Rogue. The obvious choice for the Halfling, any halfling subrace works great for a rogue depending on your build. Lotusden may be the least-suited to the Rogue, but even then the Dexterity increase is enough for you to be functional.
Can a Halfling be a Warlock? ›As a Halfling Warlock, your character would be a small, agile being with a natural inclination towards magic and the arcane. They may have a mischievous or cunning personality, drawn to the power and manipulation offered by their Warlock abilities.
What ability scores should a Warlock have? ›- Charisma, 16+. Just like Bards and Sorcerers, Warlocks are Charisma-based arcane spellcasters, which makes Charisma a no-brainer to assign as the Warlock's primary and highest stat. ...
- Dexterity, 14-16. ...
- Constitution, 14-16. ...
- Intelligence. ...
- Wisdom. ...
- Strength.
The Voidwalker is the ultimate solo class in PvE and a great PvP subclass for aggressive play. Most Voidwalker builds spec heavily toward their grenade, using Verity's Brow or Contraverse Hold to increase their grenade uptime and damage output.
What race is best for Warlock? ›- Dark Iron Dwarf.
- Void Elf.
- Human.
Yes you can, initiative is an ability check and thus can be rerolled on a 1.
Who is the God of halflings? ›Members. Yondalla's Children was the collective name for the halfling pantheon, which was led by the greater deity Yondalla, known as the Protector and Provider, the Nurturing Matriarch, and the Blessed One.
At what age do halflings mature? ›Halfling Traits
Age: A halfling reaches Adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the Middle of his or her second century. Alignment: Most Halflings are lawful good. As a rule, they are good-hearted and kind, hate to see Others in pain, and have no tolerance for oppression.
What are the best warlock races in D&D 5E? Any race that gets charisma bonuses, such as half-elves, tieflings (half-demon folks) and aasimar (angel folks). Also, humans are, as per usual, a fantastic choice - just because they're so versatile.
Can a Warlock have two familiars? ›
You can't have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list.
Can halflings have children with other races? ›...
INTER-SPECIES FERTILITY.
| Relationship | Example |
|---|---|
| Related | human/horse vs. centaur, human/elf vs. half-elf |
| Different | human vs. eagle, human vs. horse |
Warlocks don't have a special weakness but they just have limited powers. So if you make them run out of them, they can't fight you anymore. Vampires are always strong, except for when they walk into the sunlight of course. Werewolfs can control their transformation when they're trained.
What stats should I prioritize for Warlock? ›- Intellect;
- Haste ≥ Mastery;
- Critical Strike;
- Versatility.
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells, so you use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability.
What is the most popular warlock subclass? ›1. Voidwalker (Void 3.0) With all of its buffs, debuffs, and ad clear potential, Voidwalker is one of the most well-rounded subclasses in the entire game. It has a good mix of options for both boss and ad clear scenarios and even has one of the coolest aspects in the game (in Child of the Old Gods).
Which pact is best for warlock? ›I recommend allowing Pact of the Talisman on all warlocks. It's neat and offers some new play options for the Warlock, but it's not more powerful than anything else available. Eldritch Versatility (Addition): Like other spellcasters, the Warlock gains the ability to retrain a cantrip.
Which warlock super does most damage? ›Void 3.0 Abilities, Aspects & Fragments
Warlocks have three Void Supers to choose from, but for most hardcore PVE, the Nova Bomb: Cataclysm is the best choice for its slowness and high damage output.
Gnomes are hands down the best race in the game for Warlock PvE due to to their ability, Expansive Mind. Although this passive racial ability is not game-breaking, it will affect the warlock at all times in PvE as opposed to other races that have abilities that are situational.
Are Warlocks winning Guardian games? ›Congratulations to all Warlocks for winning Guardian Games 2022. https://t.co/w6BkExhNPE" / Twitter.
What is the main stat for Warlock? ›
Intellect is your primary stat. You should look for this stat in all of your upgrades. It provides you with Spell Power, which increases the damage of your spells.
Is halfling luck unlimited? ›There is no limit to the number of Halfling Luck cards a player can hold, which is a very good thing considering the situation the Halflings are in.
Why won t Sam use halfling Luck? ›Why the staunch refusal to use Halfling Luck? Sam: “I don't like Luck! I just don't like Luck. I think it's cheap, I think it's a cheat, I think it's stupid.
Does halfling luck work with advantage? ›The Halfling Lucky trait:
"When you have advantage or disadvantage and something in the game, such as the halfling's Lucky trait, lets you reroll or replace the d20, you can reroll or replace only one of the dice.
The halflings call themselves “folk,” a word which has been borrowed into the Common tongue for people in general. “Halflings” is a name given by other races: first the elves, who called them leathaine (“half-people”), and later by humans.
What races do halflings get along with? ›Lightfoot and strongheart halflings were friendly, outgoing, and uncommonly adept at fitting into communities of humans, dwarves, elves, or gnomes. Most halflings, in fact, didn't live in communities of their own but instead regions dominated by other races.
Why are halflings called halflings? ›Etymology. Originally, halfling comes from the Scots word hauflin, meaning an awkward rustic teenager, who is neither man nor boy, and so half of both. Another word for halfling is hobbledehoy or hobby.
What is a ghostwise halfling? ›Ghostwise halflings were very elusive and were generally isolated from the outside world. They often lived a nomadic life in clans. Those who left the clan often carried a token of some important natural feature in their clan's territory, such as a stone or a vial of water from a stream.
What do halflings do for fun? ›Despite being homebodies, some Halflings are known to enjoy adventures. Their amiable, pleasant natures allow them to get along with just about anything. Although, they do try to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves when in cities populated by much larger races.
What's the tallest a halfling can be? ›Halflings typically range from 2'4" to 3' tall and 35-45 lbs. (men a little taller and heavier than women). They are humanoid, with pointed ears, and in fact look much like miniature half- or quarter-elves.
Are Warlocks underpowered 5E? ›
Yes and No. Technically Warlock is a full caster as they get access to 9th level spells however if you play them like a typical full caster, they can appear under powered especially if your table games tend to lack short rests on a regular basis.
What is the strongest race 5E? ›Yuan-ti. Yuan-ti are often considered one of the most powerful races in 5e, starting the game off with a host of great abilities. They get Abyssal and Draconic as their additional languages, as well as natural Darkvision, all of which can be useful in exploration or role-playing.
Are Warlocks weak 5E? ›Generally, a Warlock is less outright powerful, but significantly more versatile than a full caster, like a Wizard. They have the best damage cantrip in the game, and Eldritch Invocations allow for a lot of utility in game, but they get less 6–9th level slots than a full caster, and only ever get 5 spell slots.
Why does my warlock only have 2 spell slots? ›As for why Warlock has fewer spell slots, one of the reasons is because no other caster can deal that kind damage with a Cantrips spell. Because of eldritch blast and it's invocations. Even when you have no spell slots remaining, warlocks are quite good.
Can a warlock breaks their pact? ›Story wise, Breaking your Pact usually comes with a consequence stipulated in the original contract. It could be the loss of access to powers, if that is what you agreed on. Most pacts have far steeper consequences though: For infernal pacts it is usually the immediate forfeit of your soul/life to the fiend.
What are the 53 familiars? ›The Familiars
What is this? The list is as follows: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, quipper, rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel.
Halflings age at half the rate of the average Human, and can live for about 140 years.
What God do halflings worship? ›The halfling god of death and earth, Urogalan (urr-roh-gah-lan), is lawful neutral. His titles include He Who Must Be and the Lord in the Earth. He is honored by halflings as the incarnation of the fertile earth and as the protector of the souls and the bodies of the dead.
Why is a hobbit a halfling? ›Halflings was a name for Hobbits used by Men; it was originally given to them by the tall Dúnedain who had stood two rangar tall, making the average Hobbit about half their height. The term first applied to the Harfoots who became known in Arnor around T.A. 1050 and later to the Fallohides and the Stoors.
What is warlock immune to? ›Warlocks are resistant to magic, fire, nature, electric, ice and toxic damage, vulnerable to mind damage and slightly vulnerable to the Fragfire Gun's primary fire. Warlocks can stay underwater indefinitely. Warlocks are immune to the Time Shard's effect.
What kills warlocks? ›
Despite being immortal, warlocks are not invulnerable. While they are impervious to most mundane diseases, there are some illnesses that can still afflict them. They can also be killed by mortal wounds and the like if they are unable to be healed. Additionally, their powers are not infallible.
What is a female warlock? ›Etymology and terminology
In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch (which can be male or female, but has historically been used predominantly for females).
...
6 ways to increase your warlock's DPS
- Know your spec. ...
- Perfect practice makes perfect. ...
- Reforge for optimal performance. ...
- Spruce up your UI. ...
- Learn the encounters. ...
- Relearn your ABCs.
Haste: Increases attack speed and spell casting speed. Mastery: Your spells deal 8% additional damage, up to X%. Damage you take is reduced by 4%, up to X%. Versatility: Versatility: Increases damage and reduces damage taken by half.
Does a Warlock Need Intelligence? ›Ability Scores
Dexterity: Not generally needed. Intelligence: Generally your secondary stat. Important for AC and Reflex defense. Minimum of 13 needed to pick up Ritual Caster.
Basicly 1 level of warlock would be enough. Most people take a second level for the agonizing blast option that make eldritch blast much better, but you could also spend a feat to get it (eldritch adept).
How do I get the Warlock advantage? ›...
If any of these apply to your target then you will have advantage:
- Blinded.
- Paralyzed.
- Petrified.
- Prone (and attacker within 5')
- Restrained.
- Stunned.
- Unconscious.
The first quest that Warlocks get is for your Imp, which you can pick up at level 1. The quest will be a single step, and will involve you killing a few of a specific type of enemy, sometimes to bring items back from them.
How do you maximize Warlock damage? ›- Know your spec. Unlike those wretched creatures that shall not be named, warlocks are blessed with multiple viable specs that they can use for raiding. ...
- Perfect practice makes perfect. ...
- Reforge for optimal performance. ...
- Spruce up your UI. ...
- Learn the encounters. ...
- Relearn your ABCs.
What are the best warlock races in D&D 5E? Any race that gets charisma bonuses, such as half-elves, tieflings (half-demon folks) and aasimar (angel folks). Also, humans are, as per usual, a fantastic choice - just because they're so versatile.
What is the most op subclass 5E? ›
- School Of Divination (Wizard) ...
- Arcane Trickster (Rogue) ...
- Horizon Walker (Ranger) ...
- Oath Of Vengeance (Paladin) ...
- Twilight Domain (Cleric) ...
- The Totem Warrior (Barbarian) ...
- Way of Mercy (Monk) ...
- Aberrant Mind (Sorcerer)
Tier one - Kil'Jaeden and Archimonde. Tier two - Gul'dan and Cho'gall. Tier three - Other notible Eredar Warlocks (e.g Talkiel)
What is the best low level Warlock 5e? ›Hex is a classic warlock spell and one of the best low-level spells in the game. As a bonus action, a player can cast Hex on a creature to deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage on each of their successful attacks. Additionally, the player gives the creature disadvantage to any ability checks made of a certain ability.
Are Warlocks underpowered 5e? ›Yes and No. Technically Warlock is a full caster as they get access to 9th level spells however if you play them like a typical full caster, they can appear under powered especially if your table games tend to lack short rests on a regular basis.
What is the best talent for Warlock? ›- Resolute Barrier.
- Grimoire of Synergy.
- Profane Bargain.
- Soul Conduit.
- Demonic Resilience.
- Grim Feast.
- Inquisitor's Gaze / Summon Soulkeeper.
- Soulburn.
The most infamous broken build by far is the Coffeelock. An egregious combination of both Sorcerer and Warlock, the Coffeelock grants players unlimited spells. In addition, this build also eliminates the need for long rests, hence the name Coffeelock.
What is the hardest class to play in 5e? ›- Wizard. Wizard is in my opinion the most difficult class in DnD, especially for new players.
- Bard. ...
- Druid. ...
- Monk. ...
- Sorcerer. ...
- Cleric. ...
- Warlock. ...
- Rogue. ...
Druids on the other hand are the least popular class to play in DnD. Druids are fairly complicated to play with all the different shapeshifting abilities, and this complexity doesn't necessarily reward you with a very strong class.
Can warlocks get pregnant? ›Warlocks from the same demonic bloodline may have similar demonic features on their bodies. Additionally, warlocks are unable to have children. Warlock pregnancy always results in stillbirth as they are crossbreeds and are thus sterile.
Who is the warlock King? ›Jason Alberich, the Warlock King, is a familiar character for readers of the Big Bad Wolf and The Kings series. Earlier in the series Jason was a character that was easy to dislike. He brought a really horrible werewolf back to life and tried to take Danny away from Lucas among other despicable things.
Are warlocks male or female? ›
A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft.