Best Races for Warlock 5e
by Prince Phantom
A personal favorite of mine, the Warlock is one of the most polarizing classes in the game. Some think they are underpowered, some believe they are overpowered, but I actually fall right in the middle. I think Warlocks are the most balanced class in the game, providing some incredibly strong options if you know what to pick, while not letting the power level go too terribly high. They’re also not as dependent on feats as some classes (except for Hexblades), meaning it’s easier to justify taking a race that doesn’t grant a feat at level one. Also, races that grant extra spells are a high priority for us, as it helps both our limited spell slots and our limited spells known. As always, I exclude flying races as they are frequently banned, and races that grant feats at level one as they are good for everyone, and you don’t need me to tell you that. I’ll divide this list into best races for defense, damage, and utility.
Best Races for Damage
Bugbear: Surprise Attack works with Eldritch Blast, so if you are in the market for an Eldritch Blast build that takes a couple of Sorcerer levels for Quicken Spell (or just goes primarily Sorcerer with a small Warlock dip), this is a great pick. Melee Hexblades might also appreciate our long limbs, allowing us to stay out of melee range of many enemies and disengage much more easily.
Grung: Ranged Hexblades will appreciate the extra poison damage whenever we hit, though we don’t really have a great method of dealing with our water dependency, so make sure you’ve got a plan for that before selecting this. Poison Immunity is fantastic, and our high jumps can let us get to safer positions in combat.
Best Races for Defense
Genasi (Earth): Getting Blade Ward as a bonus action is a really good boost to our durability, allowing us to tank big turns where we anticipate we’ll take a lot of hits. We also get Pass Without Trace, something Warlocks don’t usually get, and a fantastic option to let the whole party effectively stealth. This is also a fantastic flavor pick for a Dao Genie Warlock.
Githzerai: So this race gives the Shield spell, but it’s a bit awkward as we have very limited spell slots. This race shines most when we plan to take levels in a spellcaster class that doesn’t have Shield, like Paladin or Bard. We can use the low level slots provided by those classes to cast Shield, while using our Warlock slots to cast our big spells. That might sound niche, but with how many Warlocks decide and plan to multiclass, you’d be surprised at how often that situation comes up.
Shadar-Kai: There’s a lot to love here, from the always on necrotic damage resistance and all the many benefits of being an elf, to the bonus action teleport that grants resistance to all damage for the rest of the round. Misty Step is another awkward spell for Warlocks as it grants no benefits from upcasting, so getting an alternative for it is wonderful.
Tortle: For non-Hexblade Warlocks who refuse to take a multiclass dip for armor proficiencies, this is a great solution to our AC problem. Still, this isn’t as good as medium armor and a shield, but it’s close.
Vedalkin: Warlocks don’t have great saves, as their proficiencies are Charisma (rarely targeted) and Wisdom, which most Warlocks don’t bother to invest in. Vedalkin fixes these issues almost single-handedly with Vedalkin Dispassion, and grants a couple other small boosts.
Best Races for Utility
Eladrin: Same as the Shadar-Kai, just replace the defensive features with a choice of a few effects to modify our teleport. I think I like Shadar-Kai just a little bit more, but this is great too.
Aasimar/Gem Dragonborn: For melee Hexblades, flying enemies might be a problem. Both of these races fix that, granting limited flight along with some other small benefits like damage resistances, extra damage on hit, or a breath weapon. Normal Warlocks probably don’t need this though.
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