The sugar babies of the d&d world. Unlike Sorcerers or Wizards, Warlocks receive their magic and power from patrons. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a dark entity either, there are many patrons to choose from. Warlock is a pretty good class for beginning players who want to take a stab as a spellcaster. 

The Half-Elf 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 Half-Elf Warlock

Being a half-elf warlock goes as with any race wanting to be a warlock. Pick a patron, write your backstory, and decide the pact and relationship you have with a magical sugar daddy. You do have an advantage, as Warlocks rely on Charisma for spellcasting, your sweet 2+ Charisma and extra plus for one to two abilities come in handy. Unfortunately, you have limited spell slots and need to rest to ‘recharge,’ but at least spells are at max level.

Compared to other Classes, there are various whozits and whatzits you have to deal with to build your warlock.

• Otherworldly Patron- Who is your source of power, magic, and features?
  • Fiend- The iconic pick for a patron. Demons or lower plane beings seek evil, corruption, and destruction. Even if your goal or alignment is the opposite of theirs, you can still make a pact with them.
    • Expanded Spell List- You get an extra pair of ammunition as you level

1. Burning hands & command
2. Blindness/deafness & scorching ray
3. Fireball & stinking cloud
4. Fire shield & wall of fire
5. Flame strike & hallow

• Dark one’s blessing 
• Dark one’s luck 
• Fiendish Resilience
• Hurl Through Hell
• THE UNDEAD/Undying- Immortality and servitude to Skeletor! This patron doesn’t just provide immortality but also resistance to hunger and thirst. Basically, your powers and very being is a middle finger to Death.
  • Undead Expanded Spells

1. False Life, Ray of Sickness
2. Blindness/Deafness, Silence
3. Feign Death, Speak with Dead
4. Aura of Life, Death Ward
5. Contagion, Legend Lore

• Form of Dread
• Grave Touched
• Mortal Husk
• Spirit Projection
• Archfey- Just because elves and fey get along doesn’t mean you’ll be exempted from this patron’s mischief. This patron grants you the power of a stern poker face, but if that doesn’t work, you can level up and banish your foes to the dark realm.
  • Expanded spell list- 

1. Faerie fire, sleep
2. Calm emotions, phantasmal force
3. Blink, plant growth
4. Dominate beast, greater invisibility
5. Dominate person, seeming

• Fey Presence
• Misty escape
• Beguiling Defenses
• Dark Delirium
• Great Old One- MYSTERIOUS ALMIGHTY SPACE BEINGS!!! Yes… Cthulhu is one of them. This patron is big on defense, knowledge, and psychological trauma for your foes.
  • Expanded spell list

1. dissonant whispers, Tasha’s hideous laughter
2. detect thoughts, phantasmal force
3. clairvoyance, sending
4. dominate beast, Evard’s black tentacles
5. dominate person, telekinesis

• Awakened Mind
• Entropic ward
• Thought Shield
• Create Thrall
• Hexblade- Any sentient magical weapon or object that you wield- dildos aren’t an option! This patron grants you the ability of weaponry and cursing and control over the souls of your fallen foe.
  • Expanded spell list:

1. Shield, Wrathful Smite
2. Blur, Branding Smite
3. Blink, Elemental Weapon
4. Phantasmal Killer, Staggering Smite
5. Banishing Smite, Cone of Cold

• Hexblade’s curse
• Hex warrior
• Accursed specter
• Armor of Hexes
• Celestial- Basically, celestial beings that give you heal powers with slight side effects. Might as well be a Cleric if you choose this patron. On the other hand, epic resistance to Death with a radiating comeback that damages your foes.
  • ANOTHER EXPANDED SPELL LIST-

1. Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt
2. Flaming Sphere, Lesser Restoration
3. Daylight, Revivify
4. Guardian of Faith, Wall of Fire
5. Flame Strike, Greater Restoration

• BONUS Cantrips
• Healing Light
• Radiant Soul
• Celestial Resistance
• Searing Vengeance

• Pact boon- As you reach the 3rd level, your patron decides to give you an early Christmas for being their favorite charlatan.

• Pact of the Chain- What’s the chain for? Your new familiar that’s what! A nice magical- slave- pet to fight alongside you.
• Pact of the Blade- If you’re into fantasy anime, then this is your chance to be the protagonist or -at least- one of the cool characters. This pact lets you summon a magical weapon in your empty hand or at your feet. 
• Pact of the Tome- When you think your spell list wasn’t OP enough, your patron decides to serve you with the Book of Shadows. This big yeet book allows you to cast spells that are available in other classes. That’s right! What would’ve taken years of study, sweat, and turmoil for a wizard just took you a moment with your sugar mommy.

• Pact subsidy- if you’re looking for this in the handbook, it isn’t. This is essential, though, for building your OC. As with any sugar- Warlock, your patron didn’t just hand you power for free. You need to provide something in exchange for the power. It doesn’t have to be your soul or sacrificing incels on a full moon either. It can be a valuable object, a service, a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly/circumstantial act, etc. Be creative. Drive your DM and party insane!

In building your Half-elf Warlocks stats, there’s two advised variations. If you’re going for the pact of the hexblade, make Charisma the highest next Constitution followed by Dexterity, then Wisdom, Strength, and Intelligence. If you’re opting for more sneak and dodge, go for Charisma, Strength/Dexterity, Constitution, Strength/Dexterity, Wisdom, then Intelligence. Additionally, you have dark vision and other extra advantages depending on your elf heritage.

How to Play a Half-elf Warlock

(https://dreionsden.wordpress.com/2019/12/15/warlock_level_up_dnd_5e/)

Hit Dice: 1d8 per warlock level

Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per warlock level after 1st

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

You have an advantage in speed, dark vision, and saving throws in being charmed and put to sleep- just like a college student. Additionally, attacks that rely on precision have a boost due to elven accuracy. Despite all this, you aren’t immune to having to take rests for your attacks so it’s best to coordinate with your team.

There is one thing a warlock is known for and that’s overusing Eldritch- friggin- blast. But after that and everything else, a warlock gets to learn Eldritch Invocations that pretty much make you question why you even need eldritch blast when you have a whole grocery list of spells.

Eldritch Invocation	Prerequisite	Eldritch Invocation	Prerequisite
Agonizing ZBlast	eldritch blast cantrip	Misty Visions	–
Armor of shadows	–	Mask of Many Faces	–
Ascendant Step	9th level	Master of Myriad Forms	15th level
Beast Speech	–	Minions of chaos	9th level
Beguiling Influence	–	Mire the Mind	5th level
Bewitching Whispers	7th level	One with Shadows	5th level
Book of Ancient Secrets	Pact of the Tome feature	Otherworldly Leap	9th level
Chains of Carceri	15th level, Pact of the Chain feature	Repelling Blast	eldritch blast cantrip
Devil’s Sight	–	Sculptor of Flesh	7th level
Dreadful Word	7th level	Signs Of Ill Omen	5th level
Eldritch Sight	–	Thief of Five Fates	–
Eldritch Spear	eldritch blast cantrip	Thirsting Blade	5th level, Pact of the Blade feature
Eye of the Rune Keeper	–	Vision of Distant Realms	15th level
Fiendish Vigor	–	Voice of the Chain Master	Pact of the Chain feature
Gaze of Two Minds	–	Whispers of the Grave	9th level
Lifedrinker	12th level, Pact o f the Blade feature	Witch Sight	15th level

Outside of Combat, half-elves have their distinct traits like humans, some unique to elves. It can significantly depend upon their upbringing. A common attribute is that they value personal freedom and self-expression, demonstrating neither love of leaders nor the desire for followers. They chafe at rules, resent others’ demands, and sometimes unreliable and unpredictable. Though this does not mean half-elves are devoid of emotions. Compared to their purebred counterparts, they are more open to forming bonds with other races regardless of hierarchy, status, and benefit.  

This is especially essential as a Warlock. Despite having OP spells and power, a warlock’s spell slot is a disadvantage. During long battles, your team can help, support, and defend you. You can be as edgy as you like but make sure you aren’t a jerk to your mates regardless if you are a warlock or not.

How to Roleplay as a Half-elf Warlock

A half-elf faces discrimination despite being welcomed in -most of the time- both worlds. It’s up to you if you’ll use this as a cause of vengeance or a cause of good; most of the time, half-elves become good diplomats or wanderers due to it. Half-Elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than Humans (exceeding 180 years), which can be fulfilling for younger half-elves but a restless existence for older adults, watching as those with shorter mortalities and loved ones come and go. Remember to follow your moral alignment.

As a Warlock, one must wonder why and how they became a warlock? Why that patron? What is the price they pay/paid for such power? What is their relationship with themselves and their patrons? Is it symbiotic? Parasitic? Since your race shares some chaotic bent from the elven side and is known to have no land of their own, why not throw that into the mixing pot for more flavor?  It doesn’t just give your character more life but also some material your DM can use to -torture you with- know your skill and proficiencies. 

Half-elves are able to speak elvish with an addition of one or two languages. As a warlock you get to learn your patron’s language. Abyssal for demonic patron, infernal for devil patron, sylvian for archfey, and deep speech for the great old one. When does that come in handy? Why, when you have a quest where you’ll need to talk to your patron or your patron’s kind, of course. Or y’know, you just want to trash talk someone but not right in their face.