On Warlocks...?

[Amerason]

I have a question about warlocks in general... and that is one simple question.


-DO WARLOCKS HAVE TO BE EVIL!?-

Input on this good gents and ladies!

[FlyingSquirrel]

Well Warlocks have been known to be good, although they act evil, they can still fight for the greater good.
I.E. http://www.wowhead.com/npc=35458

[ChampionMouse]

I wouldn't think any person -has- to be anything, but they tend to be due to the corrupting nature of the magic. You could be a Warlock that uses the power to do good things, however. I have personally rped with warlocks that are not inherently evil and I didn't have a problem with it at all.

[Xigo]

ALL WARLOCKS ARE EVIL. IF YOU ARE NOT AN EVIL WARLOCK YOU ARE BREAKING THE LORE. HUBBADUBAJAH!

Does that sound like it makes sense? :P

I hope not.

Yeah, there are good Warlocks out there. I know I played one. (Well, not so much good, as much as it was 'I'm not doing this for evil, I'm doing it for science!'). Warlock magic -does- corrupt though, and the demons will constantly tempt you to 'turn to the dark side'. It takes strong willpower to not go evil, or be corrupted.

[Miah]

Honestly depends on your perspective of good. Some say alliance fights for good, but its clear that they don't always. In fact, they hardly ever do.

Generally, warlocks are gonna be tetchy, due to their mana addiction, but its perfectly rational for them to be good. if that means fighting the undead, or hugging orphans or whatever, then its possible as, unlike deathknights for example, you cant instantly see they are a warlock.

[Piroska]

The RPG doesn't require warlocks to be evil. It even explicitly states that while mages tend to be more good and necromancers or warlocks evil, this doesn't necessarily have to be true.

There are two basic "good" warlock concepts that tend to be fairly prevalent. The first epitomizes the belief that the slippery, sliding, most-traveled path to Hell is the one paved with good intentions. The individual has chosen to believe that actions done with good intent are okay. Each individual decision, each spell may seem logical and good, but overall the picture is very different. The second is the warlock who believes that any action can be justified for the final goal. It takes a very specific mindset to be willing to not only consort with demons, but also apply curses and wield magic capable of not just harming a man but also his soul.

In general, however, it's important to realize that while a warlock may intend to do good (honestly, how many people ever truthfully consider themselves or their actions as being evil?), others will generally outright consider him evil.

[Kaghuros]

Keep in mind as well that in the RPG, as a Warlock grows in skill and power, his alignment shifts down by one. Good to neutral to evil, then lawful to neutral to chaotic.

[Grakor456]

There is also the "uncorrupted warlock" class variant, same with necromancers. So no, even by the rules of the pen and paper they don't have to be evil.

Arcane corruption is still a concern though, but it's also a concern for mages. It's something that should be reflected in your roleplay, but it doesn't mean that the arcanist in question is always evil.

[Kaghuros]

I had thought Uncorrupted Warlocks took a hit to spells/day or spells/level in order to keep their alignment and social status. I'm probably mistaken. Anyway, it's part the theme of the class that Warlock magic is the slipperiest slope to power one can choose. As long as you recognize that risk of corruption and acknowledge the effects of it in your profile and when you play, the only barrier to you being good is how well you explain your story.

[Grakor456]

There are limitations imposed on them, I just don't happen to remember what they are (beyond the obvious restriction from casting spells with the "evil" descriptor.) I'm not as familiar with the pen and paper rules as I might otherwise like.

[BountyHunter]

While everyone has stated that a Warlock does not actually have to be evil there is a pretty good chance of them turning 'evil' due to the corrupting nature of Fel. While they may not fight for an evil cause their nature in general will turn less good over time as they continue to use the magic.

Here is a piece from WoWWiki on the Fel:

Unlike arcane magic the use of fel magic corrupts the user's body and soul. By contrast the chief danger of arcane magic is that using it inevitably leads to the desire to wield greater power: power that only fel magic can provide.

Thus, if your Warlock is willing to do good, you should find a reason for it. For an example, he believes that through working with the people who are causing good upon the world, he can use the power of their assistance to help him with finding more sources of Fel for himself.

[Bovel]

To quote Spencer Reid, 'statistics dictate that'... yes, most warlock will fall into the evil slot at one point or the other. Why?

Power corrupts, that is a well known fact. Magic is a form of power unchallenged by anything so of course it twists but it is also addictive. Fel not only corrupts the mind through the gift of power alone but also on a physical level, aswell as the rest of the body.

So question is really why your character steered down this path in the first place and how tolerant/disciplined he or she is. I would simplify it to the point that there are two reasons why one become a warlock. One is for personal gain and is probably the most common one. The second is for the sake of others, to gain a power all with the intetion to protect and serve, alot like the demon hunters.


An immortal warlock would one day go evil and twisted, that is the fate of any fel-dabbler.

[JackofBlades]

I guess what it means is

No warlock has to be -evil- but all warlocks, or at least ones that continue being all warlock-y, become corrupt.

Its the same with most shunned upon classes and powers and stuff like that. The reason its usually shunned upon is because it either hurts you or other people.

Like necromancers aren't evil (...well ok most are) but like a warlock they could have started good or became that for a good cause, but eventully (especially for a warlock) wouldn't you want to keep going if it was you?

[Grakor456]

This is one of those cases where you can't take WoW Wiki as gospel, because either it contradicts itself, or the lore itself is contradicting. Take the quote above about fel corrupting body and soul unlike arcane, then compare it to the quote on the entry of "Arcane" itself:

Magic corrupts the soul; if the humblest person in Azeroth became a practitioner of the arcane, by the time the practitioner reached the higher levels in their art, all traces of her humble roots would be lost. Magic breeds pride and arrogance. Magic corrupts the body; it ages the caster before their time and hastens the blight that the world inflicts on things fair and beautiful. Those who claim that only Necromancy and Fel Magic have a corrupting influence are fooling themselves.

There's also similar doubt as to whether all warlocks use inherently fel-based magic, at least in the sense that the WoW-Wiki entry is talking about. It's a way to fuel spells to make them more powerful, but warlocks are still by their nature arcanists and, presumably, can draw power in the exact same manner mages can, just casting different spells. Most of the entry simply refers to arcanists as a whole, not just warlocks (though they get a special note because of their ability to bind demons.)

If mages can be good, then warlocks can be good. It's easier for warlocks to slip up, but at their core both classes suffer the same problems.

[Beltharean]

Dark Inscribers can use use runes to cast demonic spells, without being corrupted in any way/shape/or form, since the power is going through the runes in their spell book. I know the Inscriber isn't a prestige class, but rather a variant (or was it an old core class) on the mage. Not sure if an inscriber is playable here, but meh. Just figured I'd toss that out there.