#spell spotlight

Cantrip Evocation

A beam of crackling energy streaks toward a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 force damage.

At Higher Levels. The spell creates more than one beam when you reach higher levels: two beams at 5th level, three beams at 11th level, and four beams at 17th level. You can direct the beams at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each beam.

Eldritch Blast is one of the few spells afforded only to Warlocks. It has quite the reputation with it, affording some of the highest damage per turn of many spells, and the highest damage per turn of any cantrip in 5e. This all makes it a prize for anyone to take. It is also highly adaptable given its connections to Eldritch Invocations, which I will discuss in a moment.

Given the hinderance of the warlock class at all levels of play, that being too few spell slots, cantrips are an incredibly important choice for these casters to make. Due to this, you would be hard pressed to find a warlock at high levels that doesn’t know this spell better than any other.

Eldritch Blast deals 1d10 force damage per blast, and the caster can send more blasts down range as they level up. Force damage is a great investment for damage as in all of officially released 5e, there are only 9 creatures that resist it and 5 that have immunity to it. This is rare, as fire immunity is incredibly common at later stages of play, much like poison, acid, and cold. Force damage hits hard more often than higher damage spells.

The use of Eldritch Blast coming in multiple attacks as opposed to one attack that gets more powerful comes from the math of Dungeons and Dragons. Without advantage or the Hexblade’s Curse feature, the odds of a critical hit using spells like Firebolt at max level is 1/20. For Eldritch Blast, that probability goes up to roughly 1/5. More attacks means a better chance for a hit. This means that a caster will hit more often each turn and dependably do more damage than a spell that either hits or doesn’t.

Now, let’s talk about the system that makes Eldritch Blast very powerful in the hands of a warlock, as opposed to say a wizard that took the spell with a feat: Eldritch Invocations! There are 5 invocations that can adapt Eldritch Blast at a moment’s notice if need be: Agonizing Blast, Eldritch Spear, Grasp of Hadar, Lance of Lethargy, and Repelling Blast.

Agonizing Blast allows the caster to add their Charisma modifier to the damage of each and every hit with eldritch blast. With a maxed charisma, this can mean up to 20 additional damage every turn. Compare this to abilities like Empowered Evocation or Elemental Affinity which allow the modifier to be added to one damage roll for a spell. This means that with one evocation, this spell can now compete with the fighter’s longsword or the ranger’s longbow. This is the invocation that I would recommend most highly.

Eldritch Spear takes the normal range of the spell, 120ft, and more than doubles it to 300ft. With one simple addition, this cantrip can now compete with martial ranged weapons like the longbow or the heavy crossbow; weapons that require proficiency for other classes to get this kind of range for engagement. When going up against fast opponents like a monk or the fey Quickling, this ensures that the target can’t simply get out of range every round. If your warlock is a bit ruthless, this invocations is also a great boon.

Grasp of Hadar acts like a lasso, pulling the target up to 10ft closer to the caster. This is particularly useful if the player is a Hexblade tank for the party, or if the warlock uses the Pact of the Blade and wants their victim to be constantly within range of their pact weapon. This invocation is reminiscent of the monk’s Open Hand Technique that also allows the player to keep the opponent where they want them. However, a monk must use Ki points to use this feature, whereas a warlock doesn’t use any resources.

Lance of Lethargy is used as a debuff, knocking the target’s speed down by 10ft until the end of your next turn. In the same light as Grasp of Hadar or Eldritch Spear, this is best used to keep the enemy in range and maintaining constant damage going down range. Once again, this is best used on quick opponents or in tandem with the Sentinel Feat.

Repelling Blast is the opposite of Grasp of Hadar. Instead of pulling the target closer, it pushes them back. This is useful for an inverse reason, keeping targets away from the squishy, d8 hit die warlock. If your warlock is more of an intellectual caster, it is best to keep say the half dragon warlord away and using spells like fireball to do damage from a good distance.

I can’t recommend taking all five of these invocations as even at Level 20, there is a maximum of eight or nine with a feat. Given the fact that you can only use each of the final three once per turn, it isn’t useful for pushing or pulling something more than ten feet, or knocking a target’s speed to 0. It simply comes down to the logistics of the game.

5th Level Illusion (Bard, Druid, Warlock, Wizard)

This spell shapes a creature’s dreams. Choose a creature known to you as the target of this spell. The target must be on the same plane of existence as you. Creatures that don’t sleep, such as elves, can’t be contacted by this spell. You, or a willing creature you touch, enters a trance state, acting as a messenger. While in the trance, the messenger is aware of his or her surroundings, but can’t take actions or move.

If the target is asleep, the messenger appears in the target’s dreams and can converse with the target as long as it remains asleep, through the duration of the spell. The messenger can also shape the environment of the dream, creating landscapes, objects, and other images. The messenger can emerge from the trance at any time, ending the effect of the spell early. The target recalls the dream perfectly upon waking. If the target is awake when you cast the spell, the messenger knows it, and can either end the trance (and the spell) or wait for the target to fall asleep, at which point the messenger appears in the target’s dreams.

You can make the messenger appear monstrous and terrifying to the target. If you do, the messenger can deliver a message of no more than ten words and then the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, echoes of the phantasmal monstrosity spawn a nightmare that lasts the duration of the target’s sleep and prevents the target from gaining any benefit from that rest. In addition, when the target wakes up, it takes 3d6 psychic damage.

If you have a body part, lock of hair, clipping from a nail, or similar portion of the target’s body, the target makes its saving throw with disadvantage.

Dream is another one of my favorite spells for use outside of combat. A great use for 5th level spells to act as a bridge between groups. Say, for instance, a warlock is part of a group that is actively aiding in a revolution, but they have been separated from their group and the revolutionaries. With a single name, the warlock can communicate with anyone on the same plane of existence.

Or, for more malicious purposes, if a witch gets their hands on a lock of a victim’s hair, they can become a living Freddy Krueger, haunting their dreams until they keel over. A victim, should the caster use this spell for violent ends, can not gain the benefits of a long rest, growing more and more exhausted as the spell is used. In the hands of a warlock who only needs half an hour to regain use of the spell, this could mean never ending torment. Inside of a week, the victim will die.

Maybe your patron is in a static place at the moment and can only communicate in dreams, like Cthulu or Tharizdun. A spell like dream is a wonderful opportunity to communicate with your patron, even if they don’t want to speak with you.

The very nature of the spell is reminiscent of the origins for the term ‘nightmare.’ It refers to a creature, typically a witch, that sucks out positive dreams at night and leaves a person terrified. It’s where night hags get a good chunk of their lore and power in 5e.