Warlock A warlock is an arcane spellcaster who gains power through pacts with powerful entities , most commonly devil s , elder evil s of the Far Realm , fey , or demon s . These pacts allow warlocks to channel powerful abilities of arcane might that would otherwise be closed to them . Davoren Hellsheart and Ammon Jerro are some of Faerûn ' s best known warlocks . Culture . Warlocks have an overall poor reputation , a result of their dealings with otherworldly and often malevolent outsider s . However , not all warlocks are evil by nature and may use such deadly gifts for more benign purposes . How far the warlock goes to fulfilling their pact is entirely up to them , though corruption is an ever - present danger for warlocks of all stripes . Likewise , many warlocks make pacts with several creatures , rather than just one , in order to access even more power , though all warlocks must eventually favor one pact over all the others . Like sorcerer s , many warlocks come from a supernatural bloodline , and it has been said that warlocks are " born , not made . " This is not true for all warlocks , though many do indeed come from fiend ish bloodlines . Those that aren ' t are still often touched by destiny in some special way , sought out by powerful extraplanar forces as tools and minions , altering their souls and giving them supernatural abilities beyond the ken of most mortals . These forces behold warlocks to their power , though some break away from the chains of their servitude to forge their own destiny . More often , warlocks , by choice or by circumstance , become much like the cruel and capricious beings they serve . Regardless of how they treat their patrons , most warlocks have a healthy respect for the divine , particularly patrons of magical power such as Corellon or Selûne , though many evil warlocks are drawn to Asmodeus and Cyric as well . There are exceptions , however . Some warlocks seek out good gods deliberately to counter the powerful temptations they deal with regularly . Other warlocks feel no ties to the gods , perhaps due to their frequent dealings with other supernatural powers . Tiefling s and others of fiendish blood are powerfully drawn to the ways of the warlock and are among the most common to take the path . Human s , thanks in large part to their capacity for ambition , also breed many warlocks , hoping to find a path to power that does not take them a significant portion of their short lifespans . Half - orc s are also commonly warlocks , in part because the powers that choose to give patronage to warlocks do not discriminate between them and other , more " purebred " , races . Other planetouched , particularly fey ' ri , genasi , and worghest s , but celadrin , as well as shadar - kai and star elves , are also often drawn to forge warlock pacts , the latter due in part to the chaotic and troubled energies which fill Sildëyuir . Warlocks from other races are far more rare , though halfling s and half - elves , when given the incentive , make excellent practitioners of the dark arts . Warlocks have varying views of those who differ from them , in part because of their outsider place in society . Generally , warlocks view other arcanists through a lens of bitter rivalry but many have a healthy respect for fighter s ' strength or rogue s ' cleverness . Few warlocks get along well with practitioners of divine magic , in part due to their dealings with unholy powers , but warlocks rarely try to deliberately upset allies who could prove useful , which includes healing cleric s . Abilities . Warlock spells are also called invocations , which are released through sheer force of will rather than by trained practice or innate ability . Invocations tend to be more powerful and deadly than those of a wizard or sorcerer , though with limited range or area of effect . Some invocations are less inherently deadly but instill terror or confusion in an enemy , and warlocks are adept in cursing those with whom they fight . The most basic of all invocations is called an " eldritch blast " and is essentially a charged blast of pure arcane energy . When forced into combat , experienced warlocks often elude enemy blows through spells of flying , teleportation , or invisibility . As a result of their pacts , warlocks channel arcane power with more ease than most other arcanists , though this power is most particularly focused around a warlock ' s pact . Prior to the Spellplague , this difference in the acquisition of magical power made warlocks intrinsically different than their fellow casters . Unlike other arcanists , warlocks were not limited to a number of spells per day , but instead could unleash each of their powers as often as they wanted , though at the cost of versatility . This changed with the Spellplague , after which warlocks became more similar to other arcanists in their casting methods . Warlocks have some degree of training in the use of basic weapons and leather armor , which gives them a slight edge over both wizards and sorcerers in non - magical battle , though still leaving them vulnerable to the attacks of more specialized combatants . For the most part , warlocks , like other arcanists , rely on their magic as both a shield and a weapon , and the tools a warlock is most likely to use are his or her implement s . For this purpose most warlocks use rod s or wand s , though specialized weapons , pact blade s being the most common , can sometimes be used by highly experienced warlocks to enhance their invocations . Several warlocks learn additional abilities to help them . From their ties to dark powers , some warlocks gain a resistance to cold iron over time . Others learn to make their bodies more resilient , healing more quickly through their fiendish power , sometimes at extraordinary rates . Similarly , many warlocks acquire resistance to various energy types , particularly attacks that use acid , cold , electricity , fire , or psionic energy as a major component . Lastly , some warlocks become so full of arcane power that they are able to literally imbue mundane items with their power at a whim , creating magical item s of great value , even if they do not possess the knowledge typically necessary to create such an item . Warlock pacts . The attributes and qualities of a warlock are largely determined by the kind of being with whom they have made their primary pact . The following are the known examples of warlock pacts . Dark pact ( " The Fiend " , in 4th Edition ) . Dark pact warlocks forge some of the most dangerous pacts of all , both morally and physically , through foul alliances with demon s - such as those who serve Lolth . It is this latter connection from which the dark pact gains its name and much of its tradition , since most male drow who did not choose the path of the wizard or the fighter took on the role of the warlock . In spite of its roots amongst the xenophobic drow , this tradition of dealing with demonic forces within drow society has slowly moved towards the surface , and many such inclined warlocks now live above the Underdark . For instance , during the Era of Upheaval , a number of fey ' ri warlocks were sponsored by the outcast balor Wendonai , who promised them vengeance against their enemies in exchange for helping him in his feud with the Mulhorandi pantheon . Interestingly , it was Wendonai who first drew the Tel - quessir who would become the drow into the worship of Lolth , a process aided in part by similar dealings . These warlocks gain powers reflecting the pain , poison , and madness inherent in the forces of the Abyss . Dark pact warlocks also gain an ability known as a " darkspiral aura " , which enables them to feed off death in battle to create more and more powerful eldritch spells . Invocations of the dark pact are almost always fueled by the strong willpower required of such warlocks . The most basic spell of the dark pact warlock is " spiteful glamor " , which allows the warlock to strike into the mind of his or her foe , wracking them with terrible pain . Truly powerful dark pact warlocks might become darkwalker s , who immerse themselves so fully in the dark forces with whom they bargain that they become ghostlike and insubstantial . Fey pact ( " The Archfey , " in 5th Edition ) . Fey pact warlocks , which are among the fewest in number of all warlocks , forgo the obvious dangers of dealing with devil s or the forbidding mystery that surrounds the star pact but instead deal with powerful , supernatural forces of the Feywild . Such spirits of the natural world may be menacing or simply capricious in their dealings with mortals of the Prime Material Plane . Some might be faerie - like dryad s or sylphs while others are less easily defined , more like incarnations of nature than anything else . Many of the sponsors of warlocks seeking the fey pact are dangerous archfey , such as the Queen of Air and Darkness or other such Unseelie fey , although a few receive their powers from the more benevolent Seelie fey . The magic bestowed upon fey pact warlocks can be enchanting , while retaining the savage lethality common to the Feywild . Typical spells may charm a foe or burn them alive , reflecting the often fickle nature of the fey . Often such invocations require the wielder to have a high level of natural presence and charm , with which they can hold their own in negotiations with the wily and often deceptive beings . The most basic of these , known to all of the fey pact , is " eyebite " , which causes its victim to lose sight of their attacker under the weight of staggering psychic pain . Additionally , fey pact warlocks with a measure of fey blood may also demonstrate a natural affinity for flora and fauna , allowing them to locate hidden wildlife with relative ease . Warlocks who focus all their attention on dealing with fey spirits might become one of the feytouched , half - mad arcanists who slip between the Feywild and the Prime Material Plane as they wish . Some of the best - known organizations of fey pact warlock include the Lakh - Myr Thorns , who , during the Era of Upheaval , were headed by a shadar - kai named Gaen Ral , as well as the Tairemgira of Kryptgarden Forest . While most fey pact warlocks side with the Unseelie , a few have come under the patronage of more benevolent beings , such as the archfey Titania . Infernal pact ( " The Fiend , " in 5th Edition ) . Warlocks of the infernal pact , the most commonly sworn of all the pacts , are those arcanists who forge dealings with the devils of the Nine Hells , often exchanging their souls to a powerful devil in exchange for temporal power . Other warlocks of the infernal pact seek forbidden knowledge given to the mortal world by devils but since forgotten over time . Infernal pact warlocks may lose much from their literal bargain with the devil , but what they gain is vast . Warlocks who successfully learn how to wield the powers of the Nine Hells can turn the life force of enemies against them , and can master the fires of Baator for their own purposes . These powers require warlocks to possess a strong constitution , since they often deal damage to the wielder as well as the target . One of these known to all warlocks who behold themselves to the Hells is " hellish rebuke " , which scours the warlock ’ s foe in flames , growing worse should the victim foolishly retaliate . Additionally , infernal warlocks with fiendish heritage may find their spells may be unusually effective against celestial s or other truly good creatures . High - powered warlocks focused on their infernal pact might become life - stealer s , vampiric warlocks for whom souls become weapons of war and tools to use . Of all the archdevil s , Asmodeus , who frequently sponsors tieflings , half - fiend s , or hobgoblin s , and Mephistopheles are the most likely to sponsor a warlock ' s pact , although Asmodeus ' daughter Glasya also holds a number of warlocks bound to her minions ' service , through the organization known as the Black Star , and virtually all archdevils take part in such dealings to some degree . More than a few do this by actually siring mortal children , whom they hope will spread their influence . Another prominent archdevil to sponsor warlocks was Malkizid , both during and after his alliance with the daemonfey against Evereska . Mephistopheles at once point attempted to extend his reach into other planes , in particular the home of the star elves in Sildëyuir , once a demiplane and now a part of the Feywild . After the realm ' s devastation by nilshai invaders centuries before the Spellplague , Mephistopheles took an interest in ten star elf children altered by the nilshai ' s attacks , giving them supernatural abilities and an affinity for slaying the undead . These individuals were led by Pherix Traeleth , who was unknowingly bound to the service of Mephistopheles before he succeeded in breaking away with the help of old friends . Since then , Mephistopheles influence among the star elves as waned somewhat , though from Pherix ' s example new warlocks have arisen . Star pact ( " The Great Old One " , in 5th Edition ) . So - called star pact warlocks forge their arcane alliances with the unknowable and alien forces of the Far Realm . Star pact warlocks often form these deals without a direct connection , interacting with the elder evil s through the intermediary of ancient stars of the void , learning the secret names of those celestial objects that act as doorways into the Far Realm . In some cases , star pact warlocks are unaware of how strongly these stars are connected to the dark powers of the Far Realm and are guided to their pact through haunting nightmares . Such warlocks might view the source of their powers as innocent or at the very least under their control . Others are fully aware of the connection and exploit it anyway , either due to insanity or sheer ambition . Still others view these pacts , if they ' re even aware of them , with an even higher degree of suspicion than normal warlocks warrant , since the aberrant powers of the Far Realm are more horrific than any devil or fey spirit . Regardless of their motivations or even awareness about the nature of their powers , star pact warlocks gain much from such dalliances , including degrees of prescience and powerful spells infused with radiant energy that inspire fear in the arcanist ' s enemies . The most basic of these invocations is " dire radiance " , which causes a piercing ray of life to burn a warlock ’ s enemy with pain and fear . Experienced warlocks of the star pact can become doomsayer s , who spread fear through their powerful magic , or students of Caiphon , apostles of the powerful elder evil that speaks through the ancient star . Star warlocks who continue this path may become a radiant one , beings who master the power of the Far Realm and become aberration s . Other pacts . Details of other pacts are sparse but it is known that some warlocks have been found in the service of other lords . For instance , during the Era of Upheaval , a number of genasi warlocks found their way into the service of a fire elemental known as Sthes ' kthes . Although unlikely to be bound of Hanali Celanil by pact , some celadrin warlocks have also been known to serve the goddess as cleric s and eldritch theurge s . Additionally , a number of worghest warlocks were at one time bound to the barghest Tarkomang as his servants . Warlock traditions . While many warlocks choose to embrace their pact , developing their invocations and abilities along that line , others are more versatile . These warlocks use a variety of invocations , drawing on the power of a variety of pacts rather than just one though , like all warlocks , these individuals have a primary pact to which they are beholden . Most warlocks who do not specialize in their pact belong to one of the following traditions . Deceptive warlock . Deceptive warlocks prefer guile to sheer power and typically train themselves in spells that may be less immediately lethal , but which can cause any number of unpleasant side effects . For this reason , deceptive warlocks are less likely to be found in the thick of the fighting , using long range invocations instead . These warlocks often have a very strong force of personality , which they channel into their spells for additional power . Many are also highly intelligent , a cunning which allows them to often use their invocations in more effective ways . Deceptive warlocks are most likely to hold themselves to powerful archfey or aberrations . Scourge warlock . Preferring raw power to subtlety , scourge warlocks are tougher than the average warlock , possessing a powerful constitution , which often supercedes their intellect and charisma . Scourge warlocks foster this capacity for endurance purposefully , channeling their vitality into the deadly invocations they wield . This comes at the cost of often endangering oneself , either in close combat or through the sheer lethality of their powers , but scourge warlocks are typically more than capable of wielding their dangerous spells safely . Most scourge warlocks are beholden to devils or horrors of the Far Realm , though exceptions exist .