Empowering Warlocks: Alternatives to Eldritch Blast

This article could be considered a response to (but not a rebuke of!) Brandes Stoddard’s recent post New Invocations for Warlocks, so you might consider going to read that first. I’m in full agreement that eldritch blast ought to be a class feature, not a cantrip. Right now it’s an unnecessary tax.

Actually, I think all full spellcaster classes have at least one cantrip on their list that should be given freely: druidcraft for druids; prestidigitation for bards, wizards, and sorcerers; and thaumaturgy for clerics. Clerics, and perhaps paladins, should also get the 1st level spell ceremony (from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything). But I’m digressing, bonus spells and how I might choose to implement that is a discussion for another article! T

To get back on track, if we assume that eldritch blast is the core of warlock gameplay, then invocations designed to make eldritch blast even more intrinsic to warlock play are a perfectly valid way to build on the class. But there’s another way, which is to try and elevate other options and make eldritch blast less essential for an effective warlock build. In theory, and perhaps ideally, you could even work on both ideas in concert.

So why is eldritch blast so attractive, and why does that devalue other warlock options? This article presents two issues with eldritch blast, as well as new invocations and one new cantrip which try to ameliorate these issues.

Other cantrips can’t compete

Eldritch blast makes spending actions on others cantrips from the warlock’s spell list a comparatively unattractive choice. When it comes to other damaging cantrips, for instance, only one other cantrip in the game (fire bolt) deals d10 damage at 120 ft. range, and that cantrip deals the most commonly resisted damage type (compared to eldritch blast’s never resisted damage) and can’t be split between multiple targets at higher levels. Add the customisation invocations available for eldritch blast, such as agonizing blast and repelling blast, and it’s hard to see many situations where a warlock would end up casting other damaging cantrips.

In New Invocations for Warlocks, Brandes provides ways to deal other damage types and add themed rider effects onto eldritch blast. There’s some great design there, but a side effect would be the further devaluation of other damaging cantrips. We could accept them as casualties. Maybe the warlock doesn’t need them in the first place! But since they are on its class spell list, we can also try to make them more useful and attractive choices.

The list of new invocations below aims to provide at least one way of improving each cantrip currently on the warlock spell list, giving warlock players more reasons to choose them, and to use them.

Invocations for enhancing Warlock cantrips

Boulders of Kostchtchie

Prerequisite: magic stone cantrip

The magic stones you create expand in size when thrown or hurled with a sling, dealing bludgeoning damage equal to 2d6 + your Charisma modifier.

Cacophonous Bells

Prerequisite: toll the dead cantrip

In addition to taking damage, a creature that fails its saving throw against your toll the dead cantrip is deafened until the end of your next turn.

Canian Chill

Prerequisite: frostbite, or another cantrip that deals cold damage

When you cast a cantrip that deals cold damage, the size of the cantrip’s damage dice is increased to the next highest die size (from d8 to d10, for instance). In addition, the cantrip deals bonus cold damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Clinging Flames

Prerequisite: 9th level, at least one cantrip or spell that deals fire damage.

When you hit a creature with a spell attack or a creature fails its spell saving throw against a spell you cast and the creature takes fire damage as a result, it is burning and takes an additional 1d4 fire damage at the beginning of each of its turns. A burning creature may make a Dexterity saving throw at the end of each of its turns to put out the flames, or it or another creature may spend an action which automatically puts the flames out.

Cursed Blades

Prerequisite: 5th level, hex spell, sword burst cantrip

If the target of your hex spell fails a saving throw against your sword burst, they take 1d8 additional necrotic damage. Furthermore, you can immediately move your hex‘s curse from its current target to any other creature damaged by the sword burst.

Death Knell

Prerequisite: 9th level, toll the dead cantrip

If you reduce a creature to 0 hit points within a minute of dealing damage to them using toll the dead, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level. Additionally, all hostile creatures that see your kill have disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws they make before the end of your next turn.

Once you have gained the benefits of this feature, you cannot do so again until you have completed a short or long rest.

Diabolical Deceptions

Prerequisite: minor illusion cantrip

When a creature uses its action to examine your minor illusion, you can spend your reaction to immediately create a secondary illusion in an attempt to distract them from discovering the first is false. The distracting illusion can be anything that you can create using minor illusion, but only lasts until the end of your next turn. If the creature can see or hear the distracting illusion, the distraction causes them disadvantage on their Intelligence (Investigation) check to identify your minor illusion as false.

Disian Roar

Prerequisite: booming blade, thunderclap, or anther cantrip that deals thunder damage

When you cast a cantrip that deals thunder damage, the size of the cantrip’s damage dice is increased to the next highest die size (from d8 to d10, for instance). In addition, the cantrip deals bonus thunder damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Eyes of a Killer

Prerequisite: true strike cantrip

You may cast true strike as a bonus action, though if you do so it lasts only until the end of your current turn.

Additionally, when you cast true strike you continue to roll your attacks with advantage until either an attack hits, in which case the spell immediately ends, or until the spell’s duration expires.

Forceful Thunderclap

Prerequisite: thunderclap cantrip

When you cast thunderclap, each creature that fails its saving throw is also pushed 5 feet away from you and has disadvantage on attacks of opportunity it makes until the end of your current turn.

Forked Tongue

Prerequisite: friends cantrip

A creature you influence with friends doesn’t realise you did so until a full minute after the spell’s duration ends, even if you also possess the whispers of Malcanthet invocation and it succeeds on its Charisma saving throw.

Furious Thunderclap

Prerequisite: 9th level, thunderclap cantrip

When cast by you, thunderclap has a range of 10 feet.

Fraz-Urb’luu’s False Sight

Prerequisite: 5th level, mind sliver cantrip

When you damage a creature with mind sliver you can choose not to impose the usual penalty to their next saving throw. Instead, you become invisible to the target until the beginning of your next turn.

Grasp of Agathys

Prerequisite: armor of agathys spell, canian chill invocation

While you still have at least 1 temporary hit point from armor of agathys, your current temporary hit points increase by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier every time you deal cold damage to one or more creatures with a cantrip.

Greedy Flames

Prerequisite: 5th level, green-flame blade cantrip

When you hit a target with green-flame blade, you can choose to have the flames leap to all creatures of your choice which are within 5 feet of the original target, rather than just one. All such creatures take fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Haagenti’s Helpful Hand

Prerequisite: 9th level, mage hand cantrip

You can control your mage hand as a bonus action. In addition, you can use your mage hand to deliver spells with a range of “touch”.

Hand of Glory

Prerequisite: mage hand cantrip

For the duration of your mage hand, you can spend a bonus action to make it shed light as though it were the target of the light cantrip. You can use another bonus action to snuff the light.

Hellfire Venom

Prerequisite: 9th level, at least one cantrip or spell that deals poison damage.

When you cast a spell that deals poison damage, all targets auffer an additional 1d8 fire damage.

Horror of the Grave

Prerequisite: cause fear spell, chill touch cantrip

If you target a creature frightened by your cause fear, you can cast chill touch as a bonus action.

Icy Grip

Prerequisite: 5th level, frostbite cantrip

In addition to the other consequences of a failed saving throw, the target of your frostbite also suffers disadvantage on the next Dexterity saving throw it makes before the end of its next turn.

Insight of Lynkhab

Prerequisite: mind sliver, or anther cantrip that deals psychic damage

When you cast a cantrip that deals psychic damage, the size of the cantrip’s damage dice is increased to the next highest die size (from d6 to d8, for instance). In addition, the cantrip deals bonus psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Leaping Lightning

Prerequisite: witch bolt spell, lightning lure cantrip

When you deal lightning damage to the target of your witch bolt, you can cast lightning lure as a bonus action, treating the target of your witch bolt as the cantrip’s source instead of yourself. Your lightning lure originates from that creature’s space, not your own, and any reference to “you” within lightning lure’s description means that creature.

Lightning Lash

Prerequisite: 5th level, lightning lure cantrip

When cast by you, lightning lure has a range of 30 feet and pulls its target up to 20 feet.

Liquid Fire of Phlegethos

Prerequisite: 5th level, create bonfire cantrip

When you cast create bonfire, the flames created fill four 5-foot by 5-foot cubes. You may place the cubes in any configuration that meets the following conditions: each cube must be at ground level, and at least one face of each cube must be in contact with another cube.

Malbolgian Corruption

Prerequisite: infestation, poison spray, or anther cantrip that deals poison damage

When you cast a cantrip that deals poison damage, the size of the cantrip’s damage dice is increased to the next highest die size (from d8 to d10, for instance). In addition, the cantrip deals bonus poison damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Phlegethosian Flame

Prerequisite: create bonfire, green-flame blade, or anther cantrip that deals fire damage

When you cast a cantrip that deals fire damage, the size of the cantrip’s damage dice is increased to the next highest die size (from d8 to d10, for instance). In addition, the cantrip deals bonus fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Potent Pestilence

Prerequisite: 5th level, infestation cantrip

When you cast infestation, you can target up to four creatures in a 10-foot diameter sphere within range.

Poison Splash

Prerequisite: 5th level, poison spray cantrip

When you cast poison spray, you can choose to have poison splash onto all creatures within 5 feet of the original target. These secondary targets take poison damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Shackles of Sword-Turning

You may cast blade ward on a creature other than yourself you can see who is within 30 feet of you. That creature must be willing to make the bargain required by this pact, otherwise the spell automatically fails. If the target agrees to the bargain, they gain the effects of blade ward as though they were you, including any additional effects you normally receive from other invocations. In exchange they are magically shackled, reducing their speed is reduced to 0 feet for the duration.

Shield of Sessinek

Prerequisite: blade ward cantrip

For the duration of your blade ward spell, any attack roll made against you has disadvantage and you make Dexterity saving throws with advantage.

Siphon Life

Prerequisite: 5th level, chill touch cantrip

When you cast chill touch, you gain temporary hit points equal to half the necrotic damage you deal to the target.

Shocking Link

Prerequisite: 5th level, lightning lure cantrip

When cast by you, lightning lure targets up to two creatures within range. A target suffer the spell’s lightning damage if the movement caused by lightning lure ends with them within 5 feet of you, or within 5 feet of the other target.

Soul Slash

Prerequisite: sword burst cantrip

When you deal damage to one or more creatures with your sword burst, you can choose to deal additional psychic damage to one of those creatures equal to your Charisma bonus.

Stygian Lightning

Prerequisite: lightning lure, or anther cantrip that deals lightning damage

When you cast a cantrip that deals lightning damage, the size of the cantrip’s damage dice is increased to the next highest die size (from d8 to d10, for instance). In addition, the cantrip deals bonus lightning damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Thunder Trap

Prerequisite: booming blade cantrip

The thunder damage of your booming blade cantrip is triggered when the target takes an action, as well as when they willingly move.

Touch of the Dead

Prerequisite: chill touch, toll the dead, or anther cantrip that deals necrotic damage

When you cast a cantrip that deals necrotic damage, the size of the cantrip’s damage dice is increased to the next highest die size (from d8 to d10, for instance. In the case of toll the dead, 1d12 becomes 2d6. In addition, the cantrip deals bonus necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Whispers of Malcanthet

Prerequisite: friends cantrip

When your friends cantrip ends, the target must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell saving throw DC. On a failed save, the target doesn’t realize you used magic to influence its mood.

Additionally, you’re able to concentrate on friends at the same time as you concentrate on another spell.

Too tempting for melee warlocks

Secondly, eldritch blast is so tempting that even warlocks ostensibly built for melee will still probably spend a lot of their time blasting at range. It’s interesting to note that even the weapon-oriented Hexblade warlock archetype, ostensibly good for melee builds, ends up being as good or better for ranged blasters. Note that the majority of features belonging to the Hexblade, ostensibly the weapon-oriented warlock archetype, work just as well when you cast eldritch blast. Because Hexblade’s Curse doesn’t specify weapon attacks, you can add your curse damage and even critical hit on a 19-20 with eldritch blast. At higher levels, improved crit chances against up to 4 different enemies within 120 feet, and the chance of temporary hit points if even one of them dies, is clutch.

The solution here is, I think, to introduce an alternative cantrip that is of similar power to eldritch blast but aimed at melee builds. In practice it probably needs to have slightly higher damage potential in order to compete with eldritch blast‘s range and ability to split targets. It also needs to respect the caster’s gish build, allowing them to make use of their weapons. Putting all this together is a tricky line to walk in cantrip design, since eldritch blast is already sitting right at the top end of the power curve. As a result, the cantrip created will need to be a warlock exclusive, just like eldritch blast.

My attempt at this is the wrathful aegis cantrip, below.

Wrathful Aegis

evocation cantrip

Spell Lists: Warlock
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: 1 Round

A weave of magical energy known as a wrathful aegis coalesces around you, and reacts when you’re threatened. Until the beginning of your next turn, when a hostile creature enters your reach or makes an attack against you while within your reach, your wrathful aegis deals 1d6 force damage to that creature. The wrathful aegis ends after dealing damage once.

On the turn you cast this cantrip, you may spend a bonus action to make an attack with a melee or pact weapon. If you have the thirsting blade invocation, you may make two attacks with your pact weapon during this bonus action.

The damage of your wrathful aegis increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).

Additional Invocations for Melee Warlocks

Absorbing Aegis

Prerequisite: wrathful aegis cantrip

When your wrathful aegis triggers in response to an attack, the attack’s damage is reduced by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

Bewitched Blade

Prerequisite: 7th level, pact of the blade feature

When you make an attack with your pact weapon, you can spend a bonus action to target the same creature with a cantrip that normally requires an action to cast and can target a single creature. When cast in this way the cantrip has a range of touch instead of its usual range, and is delivered through your pact weapon.

Distant Aegis

Prerequisite: 5th level, wrathful aegis cantrip

Your wrathful aegis triggers when you are hit by a ranged attack originating from a creature within 30 feet of you.

Ensnaring Aegis

Prerequisite: wrathful aegis cantrip

Your wrathful aegis triggers when a hostile creature leaves your reach.

Forceful Aegis

Prerequisite: wrathful aegis cantrip

When a creature triggers your wrathful aegis you may choose to have it make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is pushed 10 feet away from you in a straight line.

Grasping Aegis

Prerequisite: 5th level, wrathful aegis cantrip

When a creature triggers your wrathful aegis you may choose to have it make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s speed is reduced to 0 feet until the end of its next turn.

Miring Aegis

Prerequisite: 5th level, wrathful aegis cantrip

When a creature triggers your wrathful aegis, its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.

Repelling Aegis

Prerequisite: wrathful aegis cantrip, forceful aegis invocation

When a creature triggers your wrathful aegis you can forego the usual damage of the aegis to instead force each creature within 5 feet of you to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is pushed 10 feet away from you in a straight line.

More about warlocks

Want more warlock content? Check out the wilderheart patron, our version of the noble genie patron, and The Why and How of a Celestial Warlock.

If you’re playing in the Forgotten Realms you might also like our Patron Primer! The Patron Primer is a listing of powerful creatures, gods, and other entities that might make good warlock patrons!