The Warlock is likely the easiest of any spellcaster to play. You get only a handful of spell slots at a time, and never have to juggle multiple spell slot levels. 

Warlocks have a list of spells known, so you don’t need to worry about changing your spells daily. They also get the most powerful damage cantrip in the game, the beloved eldritch blast, giving them a solid and reliable option for damage output in between your big spells.

The Dwarf 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 Dwarf Warlock

Dwarves don’t have a lot of racial features that synergize with the Warlock class, but not all is lost. 

Rolling a Mountain dwarf gives access to Medium armor and extra CON, and Hill dwarves get extra hit points – both traits are great to help increase your survivability.

First things first, put your highest stats in CHA and CON. The rest, frankly, depends on your preferences. At 1st level, a Warlock will make two choices: their Pact Magic and their Otherworldly Patron.

Pact Magic determines the spells a Warlock will use during their adventures, and at level one, refers to a pair of cantrips and a pair of 1st level spells. A good starting point for Cantrips would be Eldritch Blast/Booming Blade for a consistent source of damage, and Mage Hand or Prestidigitation for versatile and creative magic.

Your other choice—the Otherworldly Patron—is comparable to a Barbarian’s Path, a Paladin’s Oath, or a Cleric’s Domain. It’s your subclass, your specific flavor of spellcasting. You have lots of options, but a few stand out as especially powerful.

The Fiend offers potent offensive and defensive options that are mostly combat-focused – it’s one of the most straightforward subclasses that provide a lot of fire-based damage options. 

The Hexblade is an interesting option for Warlocks who want to be on the front line of battle, gaining access to medium armor and shields alongside synergies that augment your melee ability with magic.

How to Play a Dwarf Warlock

With most types of warlock having limited armor or weapon abilities, you’ll want to sit near the back and blast spells from afar.

Warlocks can do a lot of strange things. First off, they have a range of social, destructive, and area-of-effect spells as part of their pact magic. Among these, are a series of curses like hex, that can screw with your opponents. You’ll be able to select from the general warlock spell list, and also some particular spells based on your patron choice.

Also unique to the class, warlocks are granted invocations at level 2.

There are many to select from, and plenty will freak your fellow party members out just as much as your enemies.

How to Roleplay as a Dwarf Warlock

A warlock is the most natural class to roleplay. While clerics have a god that grants them spells, you made a pact with your patron. That means that you have and will continue to communicate with them, and they want something from you.

Making your pact as a warlock is everything. You need to consider every aspect of making a pact. 

Start with what caused you to create the pact. Were you a child who encountered a forbidden text and didn’t know what you were doing? Did your patron save you? Was it a bargain where you would do something for your patron in exchange for power?

You might want to consider working with your DM because the types of patrons vary widely depending on your subclass and your game’s setting. Work on finding the right patron to pledge yourself to, and let the creative juices flow.