How Do Warlock Pact Weapons Work?
Warlock Pact weapons, a core feature of the Pact of the Blade subclass, are a versatile and powerful tool in the arsenal of any warlock. In essence, the Pact of the Blade allows a warlock to magically conjure a weapon from thin air, forming a spiritual bond with it. This isn’t just any weapon; it’s a conduit for the warlock’s magic and martial prowess. At its core, the Pact Weapon is a magically manifested melee weapon, chosen by the warlock each time it’s conjured. The warlock determines the weapon’s form from the melee weapon options in the Weapons table found in the Player’s Handbook. This means you can have a variety of melee weapons at your disposal. Importantly, the Pact Weapon is magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage. This magical nature allows a warlock to consistently engage with enemies who may otherwise be impervious to their physical attacks. The real power of the Pact Weapon, however, comes with the ability to enhance its attributes and synergize it with other warlock abilities, particularly for Hexblade warlocks. A warlock may also create a pact with a magical weapon, binding it to them instead.
Benefits of a Pact Weapon
The true power of the Pact Weapon lies in the potential for synergy and power spikes. Here’s a look at the main advantages:
- Magical Damage: As mentioned, the weapon bypasses resistance to non-magical damage. This is a crucial benefit, particularly in the mid-to-late game when encountering enemies with such defenses becomes common.
- Lifedrinker Invocation: This Eldritch Invocation allows you to add your Charisma modifier to the damage of your pact weapon. Considering Charisma is also your spellcasting ability score, this allows for excellent damage scaling, making you a formidable combatant.
- Polearm Master Feat: If you choose a polearm for your pact weapon, taking the Polearm Master feat grants you a bonus action attack, increasing your overall damage output.
- Improved Pact Weapon Invocation: This allows you to use your pact weapon as a spellcasting focus for warlock spells. Moreover, it provides a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls, unless the weapon is already a magical item. This bonus further amplifies your combat abilities.
- Hex Warrior Synergy (Hexblade): For Hexblade warlocks, the pact weapon becomes your “Hex Weapon.” This means you can use your Charisma modifier for attack and damage rolls instead of Strength or Dexterity, allowing you to rely on a single stat for both your spellcasting and weapon attacks. This single stat synergy is incredibly powerful for maximizing your effectiveness.
How a Pact Weapon is Conjured
Conjuring your pact weapon is usually a straightforward process. As an action, you can summon the weapon into your hand. If you have already bonded to a magical weapon, it appears instead. If the weapon is in an extradimensional space when the bond is broken, it appears at your feet.
Binding a Magic Weapon
You can also choose to bond with an existing magic weapon. This process takes a 1-hour ritual, during which you are effectively transforming the existing weapon into your pact weapon. Once a bond with a magic weapon is formed it must then be broken by a similar ritual. Once the bond is severed, it is lost forever. You cannot bond to any more weapons after it is broken. This allows the magical weapon to benefit from some pact weapon abilities. You cannot create a new magical item.
Weapon Limitations
While versatile, the pact weapon is not without limits. You must select a melee weapon option each time you summon your weapon. This prevents the conjuration of ranged weapons. The only way a Pact of the Blade Warlock may conjure a ranged weapon is through the use of the Improved Pact Weapon invocation, or by binding a magic weapon to themselves that is a ranged weapon. Furthermore, you cannot summon an item that is not classified as a weapon or use your pact weapon to summon other items.
Pact Weapon and Hexblade Interaction
The Pact of the Blade and Hexblade subclasses are incredibly synergistic. The Hex Warrior feature allows you to use your charisma modifier for attacks made with your pact weapon, ensuring that you are effective with your weapons. The pact weapon can also be your Hex weapon. This results in a powerful combination of abilities that makes the Hexblade warlock a formidable melee combatant.
FAQ: Warlock Pact Weapons
1. Can my pact weapon be any melee weapon?
Yes, you can choose any melee weapon option from the Weapons table in the Player’s Handbook each time you conjure it, or bond a magical weapon that is either ranged or melee.
2. Can my pact weapon be an improvised weapon?
While you can choose any melee weapon from the table, you can not choose a random item not specifically designed to be a weapon. Improvised weapons do not fit this requirement.
3. Is a pact weapon magical?
Yes, it counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
4. How does Improved Pact Weapon work?
It allows you to use your pact weapon as a spellcasting focus and grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls (unless the weapon is already magical).
5. Can my pact weapon be my Hex Weapon?
Yes, rules as intended allow a Pact Weapon and a weapon you touch after a long rest to be Hex Weapons, which works exceptionally well for Hexblade warlocks.
6. Can a warlock pact weapon be a gun?
The Improved Pact Weapon Eldritch Invocation allows an extended list of summoned pact weapons which extends to short and long bows, and both heavy and light crossbows. With certain interpretations, that include firearms as crossbows, a gun could be conjured.
7. Can a pact weapon be broken?
Yes, the bond to your pact weapon can be broken if you die, bind to a new weapon, or perform a 1-hour ritual to break your bond. The weapon appears at your feet if it is in an extradimensional space when the bond breaks.
8. How many pact weapons can a warlock have?
A warlock can only have one pact weapon active at a time.
9. Can a staff be a pact weapon?
Not typically, unless you alter a magic item to function as a weapon. A quarterstaff, however, can function as your pact weapon.
10. Can a Hexblade have two weapons?
Yes, a Hexblade can have a pact weapon and another weapon designated as their Hex Weapon. You may only use Charisma for one weapon however.
11. Can I use Shadow Blade as my pact weapon?
No, Shadow Blade does not count as a pact weapon or Hex Warrior weapon. As such, you cannot use Charisma with it as a hexblade.
12. Can a warlock use a greatsword as a pact weapon?
Yes, you can turn any melee weapon, including a greatsword, into your pact weapon with the Pact of the Blade feature.
13. Can my Hexblade be a bow?
Yes, your pact weapon can be a bow if you select it as such, but it will not be an Arcane Archer bow.
14. Do Warlock pact weapons use charisma?
Yes, for Hexblade warlocks, attacking with the designated pact weapon and Hex Weapon allows you to use your Charisma modifier for both attack and damage rolls. Other warlocks must still use strength or dexterity.
15. Which pact is best for Hexblade?
The Pact of the Blade is the natural fit for Hexblades, as it allows them to use Charisma for weapon attacks, enhancing their combat capabilities considerably.