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Originally published in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, the Rod of the Pact Keeper is so beloved of a magic item that it inspired the creation of a slew of similar class-specific magic items in future sourcebooks. The warlock is one of the most highly favored classes in all ofDungeons & Dragons.
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Unfortunately, an extremely limited number of spell slots hold them back. Warlocks only have two spell slots, quite a disparity from other full spellcasters' ability to cast nine spells before resting as early as 5th level. Thankfully, this is where the Rod of the Pact Keeper comes in.
What Is The Rod Of The Pact Keeper?
The rod is a magic item of varying rarity with an uncommon, rare, and very rare form. It requires attunement andsupplies an increase to your spellcasting save DC (Difficulty Class) and spell attack rolls,depending on its rarity.
Warlocks get especially good use out of this bonusdue to their reliance on the cantrip Eldritch Blast, which often makes spell attacks the warlock’s bread and butter.
Equally as important though, the rod alsogives you the ability to regain a spell slot as an actionwhich, funnily enough,almost doubles your available spellcasting slotsper every short rest.
If you happen to pick up a Pearl of Power in addition to the Rod of the Pact Keeper,you’ll end up doubling your available spellcasting.
Needless to say, these two features combined make the Rod of the Pact Keeperone of the most sought-after magic itemsfor warlocks everywhere.
Why Seek Out The Rod Of The Pact Keeper?
One of the core design principles of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition is a mechanic referred to as bounded accuracy. The idea behind this principle is thata character’s numeric bonuses to their d20 rolls should be limited to certain character levels.
The Rod of the Pact Keeper somewhat overwrites this principleby giving you an additional bonus to your d20 rolls,on top of your proficiency and ability scores. In other words, it’s not inaccurate to say thatthe Rod of the Pact Keeper and other +1, +2, and +3 bonus items are game-breaking.
Nonetheless, these items are among the most desired by players, which leads dungeon masters to often place them in their games. The additional spell slot that the rod offersalso allows you to access your spellcasting much more judiciously.
While it might seem like the action required to regain a spell slot here would be prohibitive, you’ll find thatyou can usually regain the spell slot outside of combat, completely overriding this additional cost. This goes doubly so for blaster warlocks that want to maintain concentration on Hex.
A 3rd level Hex has a duration of 8 hours, so you can easily cast the spell at the beginning of an adventuring day and thenimmediately use your rod to regain the spent spell slot.
What Should The Rod Of The Pact Keeper Cost?
In case it hasn’t been made clear already, the Rod of the Pact Keeperis an essential item for any warlock who wants to attain as much power as possible.Considering the nature of warlock pacts, that’spretty much every warlock ever made.
However, with such a high demand also comes a high cost. The Rod of the Pact Keepershould cost the maximum amount charged for its rarity, which puts the uncommon rarity rod at 500 gold pieces, the rare version at 5,000 gold pieces, and the very rare form at 50,000 gold pieces.
Alternatively, anddrawing inspiration from the item’s name, your dungeon master might deem it necessaryto perform certain tasks your patron asks of you in exchange for an upgraded rod.No doubt there are endless dark deeds that your warlock’s mischievous patron would like to see accomplished, and your DM is likely going to have a field day with this one.
