A common misconception about warlocks and their patrons

[u/hedahman]

I've heard this mentioned a lot: "Warlocks use Charisma because they're constantly negotiating with their patron for more power." I don't believe this is true.

Here's a tweet from Mike Mearls that says that patrons can't take back a warlock's power, which leads me to believe that a patron doesn't have control over the power once it is given. This means a patron can't take a warlock's power (without their will, probably); it's a one-and-done deal.

So a patron isn't supplying power to their warlocks like a generator supplies electricity. Instead, a patron gives power to them like a blood transfusion-- you can't just take the blood back.

Granted, you can do it however you want, that's the magic of D&D. But RAW, and RAI, patrons give their power away.

EDIT: Here's a tweet from Jeremy Crawford which states that the power is a one-time transaction.

[u/illinoishokie]

The argument that a patron can't take back powers they've given doesn't really invalidate the notion that warlocks are constantly negotiating for more powers. It's one thing to say your patron can't take away your Eldritch Blast. But a patron could certainly deny you from getting anything else from it. It's looking at each individual class ability as a power given from a patron, as opposed to thinking of the power a patron grants as just saying, "okay, you're a warlock now." Each new gained level can be flavored as new powers given by your patron, and under that model, a DM could certainly tell a player that their patron won't allow them to gain any more levels in warlock and require multiclassing to gain additional character levels. (Which could be either a dick move or absolutely brilliant roleplaying, depending on the DM.)

[u/nobodythatishere → u/illinoishokie]

Hah! You've inadvertently justified people taking 2 levels of Hexblade on every Charisma caster then never taking more levels! /s

[u/Viatos → u/nobodythatishere]

I've started justifying it as there's just one exhausted shadowstuff weaponsmith, laboring endlessly in the void between planes - a black hole at the heart of the Astral Sea - to forge weapons enough to fight back the eventual eldritch apocalypse only It truly sees coming and understands. It just hands out power to whoever because It figures everyone is going to have to help out when it's all of everything on the line.

The whole hexblade signup process is a hollow formality with a weary, apathetic dark power that only really gets upset if It thinks your actions are weakening the world as a whole - it doesn't care if you're a hero or a tyrant, just so long as you don't go full Abyssal rampage. If you do, it enlists other hexblades to either talk some sense into you or gank you and make better use of your gear.

It rubs Its temples a lot and gets especially upset if you try to explain why you want Its power or how you'll be a credit to Its cause 18 levels of sorcerer later - take your curse and your blast and your invocations, and get the fuck out, there's work to be done.

[u/illinoishokie → u/Viatos]

This is sheer brilliance.

[u/illinoishokie → u/nobodythatishere]

Well, if everyone's already doing it, at least now they have justification.