Warlocks don't study magic?

[meow]

Dialogue with Gale seems to imply that warlocks don't know/study magic but just sort of... have it, because of their "patron."

So Warlocks aren't actually intelligent, just... they have a big brother who is? Am I understanding this correctly?

[alex010300]

Seems like it, their patron just magically gives them Magic.

[Jaggid Edje]

Correct, Warlocks are a lot like Clerics, except instead of getting their magical abilities from a god, they get them from another powerful entity.

Sorcerers are very similar as well. They also do not study magic. But in the case of sorcerer, they get it from no external being at all, and instead are just inherently able to tap into magic. Either because of their bloodline, or some other experience or event in their lives.

[Ronin Gamer]

Well you aren't putting points into the int stat for them, so that kinda checks out.
Yes, Warlocks are gifted powers by a powerful being. Many times this can be an evil being tempting them at the right moment, other times it's a less evil one, but it's how warlocks are designed yes.

[Snake_In_The_Eye]

Warlocks have a pimp that own their guts and orders them around.

[Insanity Factor]

It's more like having a sugar (magic) daddy or mommy than a big bro, but yeah, that's the gist of it.

[Amateur Nitpicker]

They're main stat is charisma. I think is for spouting more crap to make them more likeable to their patrons

https://youtu.be/9mvTgXPHlvo

[Selphares]

There is a reason why their mainskill is Charisma and not Intelligence, they literaly work on lend powers. It is more of a buisness relation, I do X for you and in exchange you let me cast fireball.

[Dragon Master]

Originally posted by Honk: Showclown:

Dialogue with Gale seems to imply that warlocks don't know/study magic but just sort of... have it, because of their "patron."

So Warlocks aren't actually intelligent, just... they have a big brother who is? Am I understanding this correctly?

Kind of, yes.

Warlocks don't study magic to gain it. It's a gift to them from a patron. The patron could be a devil (like Wyll), an arch fey, or a Great Old One (Cthulu).

The patron grants the warlock powers and can take those powers away as they see fit, so long as the warlock does not honor the pact made.

Sorcerers don't study magic either. It comes natural to them. Innately in their bloodline.

Bards kind of study magic but they focus it in their own unique way, completely separate from everyone else as well.

[The Hopping Chaos]

It depends on the player/character. In general, that is Warlock in a nutshell, though less a big brother and more a power entity, their Patron, who's happy to make a pawn in their plans.
Often times at the gaming table, a lot of the Patron stuff gets handwaved, unless the DM really wants to do something with it.

In the Player's Hand Book, it's highly implied that Worlocks do a lot of studying the occult. Though, that contradicts how the class tends to discourage putting points into Int.

Actually clerics have the same issue. They are expected to know their Religion, but those are Int checks, which is a stat Clerics usually need to dump.

[teksuo]

weird line lol.
that makes it sound like they cant learn spells from scrolls but google told me they could /shrug

[AzureTheGamerKobold]

Originally posted by Honk: Showclown:

Dialogue with Gale seems to imply that warlocks don't know/study magic but just sort of... have it, because of their "patron."

So Warlocks aren't actually intelligent, just... they have a big brother who is? Am I understanding this correctly?

Wizards study magic, its an art to them it takes years to master, but anyone with the INTELLIGENCE can do it.

A Sorcerer is BORN with magic, its part of who they are. They don't really understand how they know magic it just comes to them.

A Cleric, prays to there god to gain power through devotion.

A Warlock makes a DARK deal with otherworldly beings usually involving a contract. In exchange that being grants them power to do magic. Like a Sorcerer they can kind of DO magic without study but unlike a Sorcerer a Warlock is being told how by someone else via a magically connection.

[KingOfFriedChicken]

They make a deal for power and the power they get is entirely up to their patron. Doing deeds in their name are often how they gain more powers, if you prove useful they grant you more. If you fail to though.... don't fail to lol

[Jaggid Edje]

Originally posted by teksuo:

weird line lol.
that makes it sound like they cant learn spells from scrolls but google told me they could /shrug

Google is mistaken. Warlocks do not 'learn' spells from scrolls. They can use them to cast the spell from a scroll, but when they do that the scroll is consumed and they won't be able to cast the spell again (without getting another scroll).

There is one exception, but it requires them to have chosen a specific "invocation" (chosen when leveling) and the spell in question has to meet specific criteria which most spells do not meet.

[meow]

Is this something that comes up in the story at all, or is it just a little extra flavor? I guess there'd be no way for it to show up since you don't even select a patron, and there's probably no way at all to ever violate conduct or the contract with them since it's just a vague nebulous thing for the sake of making the game open ended.

Still leaves me with a bit of a sour taste. I wanted to make a big brain character that used all the mind stats, but not if they're cthulu's succboi.

[Jaggid Edje]

Originally posted by Honk: Showclown:

Is this something that comes up in the story at all, or is it just a little extra flavor? I guess there'd be no way for it to show up since you don't even select a patron, and there's probably no way at all to ever violate conduct or the contract with them since it's just a vague nebulous thing for the sake of making the game open ended.

It comes up in the story for Wyll. I'm unsure if it ever comes up in the story if you make a custom character warlock, but probably not.