Undead Warlock Build Guide – Dread Manifest – 2024 Version
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For all D&D guides on Nat1gaming, they only use the main sourcebooks (2024 Player’s Handbook, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) as well as Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos (mostly for Silvery Barbs) as those tend to be the most commonly used books at tables. Always be sure that if you’re following a guide that you’re adhering to your tables rules about what sourcebooks you are allowed to follow. Furthermore, be sure that you’re using the most current edition of the rules, especially as some 2024 Player’s Handbook rules are updates on Tasha’s or Xanathar’s rulings.
Any spell, class, feature, or other game item that is linkable on this website is covered by the 5th edition Open Games License and will be in the Player’s Handbook, but not everything in the Player’s Handbook will be linked to. All other materials that aren’t linked to are from other sourcebooks or aren’t allowed to be linked to per the 5th Edition Open Games License, so please refer to the appropriate sourcebooks for that information.
For the purposes of this guide, it will be assumed that you would not be multiclassing. While multiclassing can be excellent for many of these, this is for those who want to play the build all the way through in the same class. Guides that use multiclassing will be separate from these.
For spellcasters, you may notice substantial overlap between the spell lists of builds with the same base class. This is due to each guide utilizing a generically good spell list and not considering extenuating factors that will influence how you particularly sculpt your spell list. When creating your own spell list, you should take into account the campaign setting, what spells any other party members are capable of casting, potential overlap (ritual spells tend to overlap so it’s rare you need multiple people capable of casting them), or potential shortcomings in the parties total spell list. While this guide can definitely help point you in the right direction for crafting a spell list, you should use your judgement and preferences to figure out what spells make the most sense for your character.
To that end, please refer to the Spell List and Spell Tier list for any substitutions you’d want to make to the build.
Warlock Spell List and Spell Tier List
Why Pact of the Undead Warlock?
Pact of the Undead Warlock is a neat and pretty middle of the road Warlock subclass. Personally, I don’t see many features that jump out as super interesting to me, and for the most part, the abiltiies here are all within the realm of fine. If you like the flavor of learning magic from a lich (which is definitely some pretty sick backstory), then this is a solid choice.
Undead Abilities Ranked
Form of Dread (Level 3) – A- Tier – A solid ability all around giving you some temporary health, a really good and consistent stream of CC in the form of frightened, and immunity to frightened. Considering you can use this multiple times per day, this is pretty strong.
1st Level Spells (Level 3) – D+ Tier – Not terrible, but definitely not excited about either. False Life in particular can be alright.
2nd Level Spells (Level 3) – B- Tier – Two reasonable CC options which Warlock didn’t naturally have access to. Phantasmal Force in particular can be really good.
3rd Level Spells (Level 5) – B+ Tier – A bit of a mixed bag as Speak with Dead is pretty bad while Phantom Steed is excellent, and outside of Wizard, this is the only class that can get this (not including Bard technically).
Grave Touched (Level 6) – C Tier – A sometimes relevant ribbon feature and an alright buff (mainly to Form of Dread) is fine, nothing super exciting.
4th Level Spells (Level 7) – B+ Tier – Two solid spells you’ll be happy to use and didn’t normally have access to. Furthermore, you can stack multiple layers of Death Ward on yourself or an ally which is a fun interaction that is totally RAW, or at worst, you can slap one on each party member.
5th Level Spells (Level 9) – C Tier – Antilife Shell is a unique one, but it is a bit niche in application. Cloudkill doesn’t do too much for you, but can be alright.
Necrotic Husk (Level 10) – B Tier – A free resistance/immunity is quite nice, even if it doesn’t come up often. Furthermore, stopping yourself from going down once per long rest is really strong, but this particular ability is a bit weaker than those like it. Still, this is overall a solid ability.
Spirit Projection (Level 14) – C+ Tier – While this form is strong with damage resistance, slightly better casting, flying, and even some healing, there is a lot of implicit risk that comes along with using it as you are leaving your body potentially undefended. With proper planning, though, this can be a pretty powerful ability.
Quick Level Up Guide
| Level | Class Features/Feat | Notes |
| 1 | Eldritch Invocations, Pact Magic Pact of the Chain | + Eldritch Blast + Light (Aasimar) + Prestidigitation + Armor of Agathys + Find Familiar (Chain) + Hex |
| 2 | Magical Cunning Agonizing Blast Pact of the Tome | + Guidance (Tome) + Shape Water (Tome) + Comprehend Languages (Tome) + Detect Magic (Tome) + Witch Bolt |
| 3 | Pact of the Undead Form of Dread Expanded Spell List | + Bane (Undead) + False Life (Undead) + Blindness/Deafness (Undead) + Phantasmal Force (Undead) + Suggestion |
| 4 | Feat: Inspiring Leader (CHA) | + Mage Hand + Invisibility |
| 5 | One with the Shadows Gaze of Two Minds | – Hex + Counterspell + Hypnotic Pattern + Phantom Steed (Undead) + Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 6 | Grave Touched | + Dispel Magic |
| 7 | Ascendant Step | – Witch Bolt + Levitate (Ascendant Step) + Death Ward (Undead) + Dimension Door + Greater Invisibility (Undead) + Sickening Radiance |
| 8 | Feat: Resilient (CON) | + Banishment |
| 9 | Contact Patron Visions of Distant Realms | – Suggestion + Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) + Antilife Shell (Undead) + Cloudkill (Undead) + Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) + Storm of Radiance + Teleportation Circle |
| 10 | Necrotic Husk | + Minor Illusion |
| 11 | Mystic Arcanum (6th level) | + Fly + Scatter (Mystic Arcanum) |
| 12 | Feat: Charisma to 20 Gift of the Protectors | None |
| 13 | Mystic Arcanum (7th level) | + Synaptic Static + Crown of Stars (Mystic Arcanum) |
| 14 | Spirit Projection | None |
| 15 | Mystic Arcanum (8th level) Lessons of the First Ones (Alarm) | + Hold Monster + Dominate Monster (Mystic Arcanum) |
| 16 | Feat: Constitution to 18 | None |
| 17 | Mystic Arcanum (9th level) | + Hold Person + True Polymorph (Mystic Arcanum) |
| 18 | Witch Sight | None |
| 19 | Epic Boon: Boon of Fate | + Scrying |
| 20 | Eldritch Master | None |
Level One Build
Species: Aasimar
Attributes:
| POINT BUY | |
| STRENGTH | 8 |
| DEXTERITY | 15 (+1 background) = 16 |
| CONSTITUTION | 15 |
| INTELLIGENCE | 8 |
| WISDOM | 8 |
| CHARISMA | 15 (+2 background) = 17 |
Class: Warlock
Class Features: Eldritch Invocations, Pact Magic
Skill Proficiencies: Deception and Intimidation
Background: Entertainer (Musician)
Starting Equipment: Leather Armor, Sickle, 2 Daggers, Arcane Focus, Book (occult lore), Scholar’s Pack, and 15 gp + 50 gp from background
Starting Spells:
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 1st Level Spell | Hex |
Species: Aasimar
The best race for your average build. Human is a consideration as well to grab Alert on top of Musician, but Aasimar just give a lot of value, and since you have a background you’re happy with, Aasimar is the next best choice.
Attributes
| POINT BUY | |
| STRENGTH | 8 |
| DEXTERITY | 15 (+1 background) = 16 |
| CONSTITUTION | 15 |
| INTELLIGENCE | 8 |
| WISDOM | 8 |
| CHARISMA | 15 (+2 background) = 17 |
Like many other casters, you want your spellcasting ability (Charisma in this case), Dexterity (as no medium armor proficiency), and Constitution all as buffed as possible. Charisma empowers your spells while Dexterity and Constitution help keep you alive.
Proficiencies: Deception and Intimidation
Being able to pick up Charisma based skills for Warlocks is definitely ideal to make you better in RPing scenarios.
Background: Entertainer
You need a background that gives you a bonus to Charisma at a minimum, but if you can get the best Origin feat to boot? This is an easy choice for Warlocks.
Starting Equipment – Leather Armor, Sickle, 2 Daggers, Arcane Focus, Book (occult lore), Scholar’s Pack, and 15 gp + 50 gp from background
Functionally the only choices you’d make with starting equipment beyond taking the optional starting gold instead, but considering the starting gold won’t get you nearly this much, I recommend just choosing the standard fare.
Class – Warlock
Picking Warlock gives you two abilities from the get go: Pact Magic and Eldritch invocations.
Pact Magic is the Warlock way of casting spells which differs greatly from how every other class does it. While all casters have a prepared spell list they can draw from, Warlocks lack spell slots and instead can only cast a few spells per short or long rest at their highest possible strength for your level. To that end, choosing spells that are both high impact and ideally can be upcast in order to get their full usefulness.
The second feature you get immediately is Eldritch Invocations, special powers you get as you go up in Warlock levels. There are definitely strong options at this point, but the best one right now is Pact of the Chain. Find Familiar is the best first level ritual spell in the game, and getting a substantially better version of it is obviously really potent. While you have a lot of options, the best choices for a familiar are easily the Imp, Quasit, or Sphinx of Wonder with their damage resistances, flight, and in combat capabilities.
Starting Spells
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 1st Level Spell | Hex |
For Warlocks, this is going to pretty much always be the starting spell list I would recommend.
For damage, you have to use Eldritch Blast. This is going to be your primary offensive spell not just now, but for your entire campaign as it gets better as you level up. You can’t do better than this (technically True Strike on your Light Crossbow is stronger until level 5, but since you want to take Agonizing Blast next level, you can’t afford to not have Eldritch Blast for it).
For your secondary cantrip choice, you can take any utility cantrip you like, I just believe that Prestidigitation is a bit better than the rest as its versatility is truly unmatched. If you prefer Mage Hand or Minor Illusion, then feel free to take those instead!
Of course, you have one more cantrip as you’re an Aasimar and it’s Light. While not the most needed for you as you have darkvision, it could be helpful to allies who don’t have it, or even as a distraction of sorts still making it a reasonable option to have.
For spells, you can simply take the best first level spells available to Warlocks with Armor of Agathys and Hex.
Armor of Agathys is an excellent defensive spell which will give you a bit of life to work with and punish enemies who attack you. Furthermore, it upcasts well which works perfectly with how Warlock spellcasting works.
Hex, on the other hand, is an offensive spell that lets you deal extra damage to the cursed target, and when that target goes down, you can move it onto someone else! This is really good to use in pretty much any fight that may be difficult as that damage can easily add up round after round.
On top of these spells, you also get the Find Familiar spell from your first Eldritch Invocation – Pact of the Chain. As mentioned one section ago, you get the option to pick from a lot of really excellent familiar choices like the Imp, Quasit, or Sphinx of Wonder making the already potent spell that much stronger.
The Build Level 2 Onward
Level 2-5
Level 2
Class Features: Magical Cunning, Eldritch Invocations (Agonizing Blast, Pact of the Tome)
Spell Change Log: + Guidance (Tome) + Shape Water (Tome) + Comprehend Languages (Tome) + Detect Magic (Tome) + Witch Bolt
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| 1st Level Spell | Witch Bolt |
Level two brings you Magical Cunning, two new Eldritch Invocations, and a litany of spells to work with.
Your first new ability is Magical Cunning, where once per day, you can conduct a short ritual to regain half you spell slots. This would normally be excellent, but with so few spell slots, this obviously won’t end up doing too much, but free spell slots are still free spell slots.
Your first Eldritch Invocation is arguably the most important one – Agonizing Blast. Adding your Charisma modifier to your cantrip damage is really important to have Eldritch Blast be effective, especially since you’ll be using it exclusively when you run out of spell slots in a fight.
The second Invocation is the main reason you get so many spells this level, Pact of the Tome. Pact of the Tome grants two cantrips and two first level ritual spells, and when you have so few ritual spells, you take as many as you can get. Since you already have an offensive cantrip, you should pick up the best utility ones you can get – Guidance and Shape Water. Guidance is an extremely potent cantrip, even with the small nerf given to it in the 2024 rules, and Shape Water has similar versatility to the very useful Prestidigitation making it a good option.
For your ritual spells, I like picking up Comprehend Languages and Detect Magic.
Not knowing what you’re reading or hearing can be a real pain, so nip that in the bud and take Comprehend Languages! Not every campaign will make use of other languages, but this will be extremely helpful in ones that do.
Detect Magic is simply an excellent ritual that can save you time and time again when you are about to walk into a trap, need to locate an object, need to surmise what’s causing a certain effect, and a thousand other applications.
Remember to coordinate with your party though, as if someone already has these ritual spells on their spell list, you don’t want to overlap. You can pick up other rituals that your party are missing instead so your team will be more well rounded.
With all that out of the way, your actual spell choice for this level is Witch Bolt. This is a nice damage spell ever since the 2024 rules update as you get some nice damage upfront, and even if you miss, you can trade your bonus action for additional damage on that missed target. This is a great option for those who need to bring down an enemy as quickly as possible.
Level 3
Subclass: Pact of the Undead
Class Features: Form of Dread
Spell Change Log: + Bane (Undead) + False Life (Undead) + Blindness/Deafness (Undead) + Phantasmal Force (Undead) + Suggestion
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| 1st Level Spell | Witch Bolt |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
This level brings a lot to the table including your subclass, a new subclass feature, an expanded spell list, and second level spells.
Your first ability from your subclass is Form of Dread! First you get some temporary health which doesn’t scale the best, but extra health is extra health. Next you can potentially frighten any target you hit each turn which can definitely be relevant once you start getting multiple beams with Eldritch Blast, so multiple chances to force a saving throw. Finally, being immune to the frightened condition is a bit situational, but will 100% be relevant at least a few times in your campaign. You only get a few charges of this a day, but it is a solid form, especially with just a bonus action activation.
You get a bunch of spells to work with as well with Bane, False Life, Blindness/Deafness, and Phantasmal Force.
Bane is an alright debuff if you have enough relevant enemies to use it on, but it’s definitely not that exciting for the most part.
False Life gives a bit of temporary health, and like mentioned with Form of Dread, works pretty well with Armor of Agathys.
Blindness/Deafness is a solid CC spell to potentially blind a problematic enemy which can really reduce their options.
Finally, Phantasmal Force is another solid CC spell that can effectively lock an enemy down which also dealing them damage which can be really potent when it works.
Finally, for your spell choice this level, you can pick up the excellent Suggestion. This spell is a powerhouse as it has excellent out of combat applications by forcing a course of action, but is similarly powerful in combat to make an enemy do something other than fight you! No matter what, you’re going to get mileage out of this spell. Unfortunately with few spell slots and no upcast potential, this isn’t sticking around forever, so be sure to enjoy it while it lasts.
Level 4
Feat: Inspiring Leader (CHA)
Class Features: None
Spell Change Log: + Mage Hand + Invisibility
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| 1st Level Spell | Witch Bolt |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
Level four brings a cantrip, spell, and a feat!
Since you want to get that coveted 18 Charisma, you should take the excellent half feat – Inspiring Leader. Inspiring Leader gives you and your team a good amount of temporary health at the end of every short or long rest which is really powerful. If you already have an ally with this feat, you can opt for War Caster instead as the temporary health won’t stack. If you do keep this feat, don’t forget about using Musician as well!
Your cantrip choice really comes down to Mage Hand or Minor Illusion at this point, so you can pick the one you prefer. I like Mage Hand the tiniest bit more, but it’s completely personal preference.
For your spell choice, you can pick up Invisibility! Invisibility is king for infiltrations, escapes, surprises, and upcasts really well making it an extremely strong choice for any Warlock. Unlike Suggestion, this is going to be on your spell list for the long haul.
Level 5
Class Features: Gaze of Two Minds, One with the Shadows
Spell Change Log: – Hex / + Counterspell + Hypnotic Pattern + Phantom Steed (Undead) + Speak with Dead (Undead)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 1st Level Spell | Witch Bolt |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
Level 5 means new Eldritch Invocations and new Pact spells!
Your first Eldritch Invocation choice is Gaze of Two Minds which is now extremely powerful with Pact of the Chain. Not only can you scout through your familiar (Imp and Quasit have natural invisibility), but you can even spellcast through your familiar. Imagine sending your invisible familiar into a room and having them cause mayhem with your spells without enemies being any the wiser!
Your second Eldritch Invocation choice with One with the Shadows. Being able to cast Invisibility when you’re in dim light or darkness for free is really strong and something you’ll be able to use really often.
For your subclass spells, you pick up a strong one and a fun one with Phantom Steed and Speak with Dead.
While Phantom Steed wasn’t that great of an option for Warlocks before, now that they can ritual cast, this is a really strong spell to pick up. Whether you’re using it or an ally is using it, Phantom Steed is excellent at making one of your allies extremely mobile in combat which can be excellent with some proper planning.
Speak with Dead, on the other hand, is a pretty situational but fun spell that lets you ask a dead creature a few questions which can be useful, assuming that individual is interested in helping you! While not great, it’s definitely flavorful.
Since you want two third level spells immediately, something has to go, and this time it’s Hex. Hex isn’t bad, it’s just you’ll have better uses for your spell slots at this point.
For your actual spell choices, you get to pick up the excellent Counterspell and Hypnotic Pattern.
The first spell you get access to is Counterspell, which is simply the best third level spell in the game. Using your reaction to rid an enemy of their action and trade spell slots is incredibly powerful and any ally who can learn Counterspell should.
For your second spell, this is a good time to pick up the excellent Hypnotic Pattern. This spell is such a potent CC spell that it’s in contention for best third level combat spell with Fireball as being able to potentially lock down multiple enemies with one spell slot is extremely powerful.
Level 6-10
Level 6
Class Features: Grave Touched
Spell Change Log: + Dispel Magic
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 1st Level Spell | Witch Bolt |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
You get your next subclass ability this level – Grave Touched!
Grave Touched has two distinct abilities that are both flavorful and quite strong. First, you don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe anymore. This may not come into play often, but not being affected by lack of food or water or being immune to suffocating can definitely come up. Next, you can turn the damage type of one of your attacks into necrotic, and once per turn, you can add an additional damage die to necrotic damage attacks. Extra damage is nice, and at worst, it’s making your cantrip a bit stronger.
For your spell choice, you can pick up Dispel Magic.
Dispel Magic is no Counterspell, but having access to both means you’ll never get caught flat footed by a spell.
Level 7
Class Features: Ascendant Step
Spell Change Log: – Witch Bolt / + Levitate (Ascendant Step) + Death Ward (Undead) + Dimension Door + Greater Invisibility (Undead) + Sickening Radiance
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
Level 7 brings fourth level spells, more Pact spells, and yet another Eldritch Invocation!
For your Eldritch invocation, I’m a big fan of Ascendant Step. Being able to Levitate for free, even at the cost of your concentration, is extremely good both for combat and exploration to reach areas that may have been tough to get to otherwise.
For your expanded spell list, you get to grab Death Ward and Greater Invisibility.
Death Ward prevents you or an ally from going down once in 8 hours, which may not seem that good, but it really good at preventing instant death effects if you know you may be facing enemies that can do that. At worst, if you have extra spell slots before a short rest, you can use them up by casting these which is a nice bonus.
Greater Invisibility is just a solid buff spell for you or an ally where they can almost always attack with advantage and attacks against them will have disadvantage. Simple, yet effective.
Once again, it’s time to swap out a spell to make room for others and Witch Bolt has to hit the bin as the damage is just not going to keep up at these levels.
Your first spell choice is one of the best teleportation spells in the game with Dimension Door. Teleporting without line of sight is really powerful, and being able to take an ally with you makes this even better. If you need to infiltrate a building or make a quick escape, it’s difficult to do better than this.
Your next spell choice is a great one with Sickening Radiance. This is a massive AOE damage spell that can absolutely shred enemies and debuff them all the while which is really powerful. If your allies can help keep the enemies inside the effect, you will likely win that fight quickly.
Level 8
Feat: Resilient (CON)
Spell Change Log: + Banishment
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
Level 8 brings your second feat and this is a good time to pick up Resilient (CON). Getting more health on top of proficiency in constitution saving throws is really good for casters, especially if you don’t pick up War Caster.
For your spell choice, this is a good time to pick up Banishment. Banishment is a potent single target CC spell that can take enemies out of a combat for a full minute, and if they’re from a different plane, you have a chance to keep them there after the spell ends if they fail the save which is a really sweet way to not have to worry about them for the foreseeable future!
Level 9
Class Features: Contact Patron, Visions of Distant Realms
Spell Change Log: – Suggestion / + Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) + Antilife Shell (Undead) + Cloudkill + Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) + Storm of Radiance + Teleportation Circle
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
Level 9 means yet another class ability, Eldritch Invocation, your final round of Pact spells, and the last spell level you’ll naturally get – 5th level spells.
Your class ability is Contact Patron which is simply the Contact Other Plane for free once per day which is nice and super flavorful that you actually have a way to talk to your patron now!
For your Eldritch Invocation, you can grab Visions of Distant Realms which is a really nice utility cantrip to have. While you do have a good scouting option with your familiar already, Arcane Eye is good for scoping out entire buildings, areas, or even dungeons so you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. Information is power!
For your final Pact spells, you get Antilife Shell and Cloudkill.
Antilife Shell is a really weird spell that makes it impossible for living creatures to enter/pass through which can definitely be helpful in the right circumstances. This should make you immune to most (if not all) melee attacks, and if you need to block a chokepoint, this is a really funny way to do it.
Cloudkill is a solid AOE damage spell that can even “chase” enemies if they’re running directly away, but realistically, this is going to be weaker than Sickening Radiance or Storm of Radiance most of the time.
For the final time, I recommend swapping out a spell to make room for more. While it’s definitely served you well up until this point, Suggestion hits the bin as it has no upcast feature and it’s getting harder and harder to justify using one of your few spell slots on it.
For your spell choices I recommend taking the best fifth level spells Warlocks naturally have access to – Storm of Radiance and Teleportation Circle.
Storm of Radiance is a nice AOE damage and CC spell that can be really brutal if your allies can help you out a bit. While the damage itself isn’t super special, blinding and deafening anyone in the spell area is powerful against melee attackers, but ridiculous against any casters in the area. If your allies can help keep your enemies in that area, they will be substantially nerfed which will make that fight much easier.
For your second spell choice at this level, you get the best teleportation spells Warlocks can get – Teleportation Circle. While this does cost you 50gp per use and you need to use an established circle, this is a really effective way to travel without needing to hire a carriage or go on foot. Some DMs may be stingy with what areas have a circle to teleport to which can be a pain, but in the average campaign (and per the spell description), most major areas should have one making this an effective way of getting around.
As an aside, there is also a good chance that you should pick up Synaptic Static at this point over Teleportation Circle so you have two excellent combat options, but I believe that’s pretty contingent on whether or not your campaign can facilitate the use of Teleportation Circle or if someone else can use it. If you don’t need this, I would definitely pick up Synaptic Static now.
Level 10
Class Features: Necrotic Husk
Spell Change Log: + Minor Illusion
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
You get your penultimate subclass feature here with Necrotic Husk!
Necrotic Husk first gives necrotic resistance normally and immunity in your Form of Dread which is a nice feature if you’re facing undead and just a ribbon feature otherwise. The second part is if you were to die, you can explode instead to deal damage to nearby enemies, drop to 1 health, and pick up a level of exhaustion. I normally like abilities that prevent you from going down, and while this isn’t bad, this is definitely on the weaker side for abilities like this.
Since you don’t get another known spell at this level, you have to settle with picking up another cantrip in Minor Illusion. This is the best cantrip Warlocks can learn that you don’t already have, so you may as well pick it up!
Level 11-15
Level 11
Class Features: Mystic Arcanum (6th level)
Spell Change Log: + Fly + Scatter (Mystic Arcanum)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
Unlike other full casters where you get unfettered access to sixth level spells, you get Mystic Arcanum instead which used to be a lot more restrictive, but now is just a single prepared spell for each spell level that can be swapped out.
For your Mystic Arcanum, I like picking up Scatter. This spell is extremely versatile as you can use this to move allies and enemies alike around on the battlefield. Whether you need to make an escape, get allies to safety, or move enemies into hazardous areas, Scatter will get the job done.
For your prepared spell, I like picking up Fly right now as, any time you cast this, will target three people which is a pretty effective use of your spell slot.
Level 12
Feat: Charisma to 20
Class Feature: Gift of the Protectors
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
Your next feat is here, and while you could opt for more feats at this point, I think maxing out Charisma for the best possible spells makes the most sense at this point.
Level 12 brings an additional Eldritch Invocation as well, and you get the powerful Gift of the Protectors. Once per day, you can save an ally from going down which won’t always be that high impact, but could be fight winning in the right circumstances. Not having the choice of when it happens isn’t ideal, but the ability is strong enough that it’s hard to complain.
Level 13
Class Features: Mystic Arcanum (7th level)
Spell Change Log: + Synaptic Static + Crown of Stars (Mystic Arcanum)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Synaptic Static |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
| 7th Level Spell | Crown of Stars |
Level 13 brings a new spell and your seventh level Mystic Arcanum.
For your Mystic Arcanum you should pick up the best seventh level spell available to Warlocks – Crown of Stars. This spell is easy to set up, only costs you a bonus action to use, and can even last through multiple combats if you’re lucky.
For your spell choice, I like picking up Synaptic Static. This is a nice blast spell that doesn’t deal the most damage, but makes up for it by tacking on a little bit of CC on top of it. Not a bad spell and a nice alternative if Storm of Radiance wouldn’t be as helpful in a particular encounter.
Level 14
Class Features: Spirit Projection
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Synaptic Static |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
| 7th Level Spell | Crown of Stars |
While no new spells this level, you get your final subclass ability with Spirit Projection.
This is a wacky ability, but you can use your action to functionally abandon your body for a spectral form that gives you resistance to non-magical damage for both this new form and your body, you can cast conjuration or necromancy spells without somatic or material components if they aren’t consumed/cost anything, you get a Flying speed, and you get a bit of healing in your Form of Dread. While this ability is cool, I don’t like it very much. Leaving your body somewhere can be extremely risky if you are in hostile territory, and if you store it somewhere safe, you get slingshotted back to it after the hour is up. Even worse, if you go down in your spirit form, your real body starts dying and your party may not be in a position to help you. There probably are ways to make really good use of this (this is solid for scouting as example), but this is a much riskier proposition than I like.
Level 15
Class Features: Mystic Arcanum (8th Level), Lessons of the First Ones (Alarm)
Spell Change Log: + Hold Monster + Dominate Monster (Mystic Arcanum)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Synaptic Static |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
| 7th Level Spell | Crown of Stars |
| 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster (Mystic Arcanum) |
Your next Eldritch Invocation, your next Mystic Arcanum, and another prepared spell is here!
For Eldritch Invocation, this is a great time to pick up Lessons of the First Ones. While grabbing an origin feat now may seem crazy, Alarm is really good at every level so getting access to that is very nice.
For your Mystic Arcanum, there isn’t as obvious of a pick, but I still think there’s a clear winner with Dominate Monster. As I mention frequently, save or suck spells are a scary proposition, especially when you only have one shot per day, but if this hits, this is devastating. Taking control of a tough monsters will not only trivialize this combat, but potentially the next ones as well as long as the spell is holding. You do have to be mindful of Legendary Resistances at this point in the campaign, but as long as you do, this has a good chance of being a powerhouse.
For your spell choice, I like picking up Hold Monster. While “save or suck” spells can be really risky as using one of your few spell slots to get nothing is brutal, the upside is extremely high. If the target fails their saving throw, your martial allies can absolutely feast on them which will likely end them very quickly.
Level 16-20
Level 16
Feat: Constitution to 18
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Synaptic Static |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
| 7th Level Spell | Crown of Stars |
| 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster (Mystic Arcanum) |
Since you already have maxed out Charisma, it’s time to bolster your Constitution more. Since this is your final feat, you may as well push up your Constitution with the +2 for better saving throws and a little more health.
Level 17
Class Features: Mystic Arcanum (9th level)
Spell Change Log: + Hold Person + True Polymorph (Mystic Arcanum)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Synaptic Static |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
| 7th Level Spell | Crown of Stars |
| 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster (Mystic Arcanum) |
| 9th Level Spell | True Polymorph (Mystic Arcanum) |
Your final Mystic Arcanum and known spell are here!
For your penultimate spell choice, I ironically like back-stepping a lot to pick up Hold Person. This spell can be absolutely brutal to upcast, and in a lot of campaigns, you might be dealing with some real legendary humanoids at this point that this could be helpful against. If you’re not in that type of campaign, obviously feel free to swap this out for something else (although it is pretty slim pickings at this point).
For your Mystic Arcanum, you get the powerful True Polymorph. Being able to transform into any creature with a CR your level or lower is extremely powerful and can help you or an ally get back into a combat when they’re low on health or other resources that would normally invalidate them in that combat. Even at this level, you have quite the array of powerful options to pick from.
Level 18
Class Features: Witch Sight
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Synaptic Static |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
| 7th Level Spell | Crown of Stars |
| 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster (Mystic Arcanum) |
| 9th Level Spell | True Polymorph (Mystic Arcanum) |
For your final Eldritch Invocation, you should definitely pick up Witch Sight. It’s hard to say how often Truesight will be relevant, but it’s such a nice insurance policy to have just in case you encounter convincing illusions or issues in the Ethereal Plane.
Level 19
Epic Boon: Boon of Fate
Spell Change Log: + Scrying
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster |
| 5th Level Spell | Scrying |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Synaptic Static |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
| 7th Level Spell | Crown of Stars |
| 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster (Mystic Arcanum) |
| 9th Level Spell | True Polymorph (Mystic Arcanum) |
Level 19 brings your final prepared spell as well as your Epic Boon!
For your Epic Boon, I like the universally good Boon of Fate. Being able to potentially turn a failure into a success and vice versa, even if it’s once per short or long rest, can be the difference between surviving an encounter and not.
For your spell choice, you’re honestly running low on good options so the best of the rest seems to be Scrying. While definitely not the best scouting spell, it’s the only option you have if you’re looking to keep tabs on someone who is extremely far away from you.
Level 20
Class Feature: Eldritch Master
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Cantrip | Guidance (Tome) |
| Cantrip | Light (Aasimar) |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Cantrip | Shape Water (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys |
| 1st Level Spell | Bane (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Comprehend Languages (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Tome) |
| 1st Level Spell | False Life (Undead) |
| 1st Level Spell | Find Familiar (Chain) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Blindness/Deafness (Undead) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person |
| 2nd Level Spell | Invisibility |
| 2nd Level Spell | Levitate (Ascendant Step) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Phantasmal Force (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| 3rd Level Spell | Hypnotic Pattern |
| 3rd Level Spell | Phantom Steed (Undead) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Speak with Dead (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Arcane Eye (Visions of Distant Realms) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| 4th Level Spell | Greater Invisibility (Undead) |
| 4th Level Spell | Sickening Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Antilife Shell (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Undead) |
| 5th Level Spell | Contact Other Plane (Contact Patron) |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster |
| 5th Level Spell | Scrying |
| 5th Level Spell | Storm of Radiance |
| 5th Level Spell | Synaptic Static |
| 5th Level Spell | Teleportation Circle |
| 6th Level Spell | Scatter |
| 7th Level Spell | Crown of Stars |
| 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster (Mystic Arcanum) |
| 9th Level Spell | True Polymorph (Mystic Arcanum) |
For your capstone ability, you get Eldritch Master! The power of this ability is pretty up in the air as this only refreshes your expended spell slots rather than your Mystic Arcanum, and since those already come back on short rest, it’s campaign dependent on how good this is. Does your DM allow you to short rest as often as you want without repercussions? Then this is useless. Do they highly limit short rests? Then this can be very powerful. I wish a Warlock’s capstone ability was a bit more interesting/better, but you could do worse.
