You can certainly play a warlock this way. There are many ways of defining a patron/warlock relationship, and siphoning forbidden and ancient arcana from a Great Old One or similar entity who barely registers your appearance is certainly one such way of doing it. Especially if you're cleared to play an intelligence-scaling warlock.
If you're willing to entertain some homebrew, Laserllama's Alternate Warlock works wonderfully within this aesthetic. Naturally intelligence-scaling, a more diverse array of invocation options, a more robust system of spells associated with your patron, a Pact of the Tome variation that emphasizes study and preparation, etc. I'm currently playing an Occultist/Exorcist using the class, and it works wonderfully. Here's a link: [https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-NRARRHW6KjsBfrQIzTs](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-NRARRHW6KjsBfrQIzTs)
Goo-locks don't have to have a pact as such. The description even mentions that it might not even be aware of your existence (or maybe even capable if you're drawing power from a hunk of dead god).
Plus making a "pact" requires research and training, finding or making the rituals to draw power from this other place and channel it into spells. Int based warlock is perfect for this.
I mean, is it *not* just Wizard? Enchantment/Illusion schools are pretty much spot on for a Wizard GOOlock and you have access to pretty much any spell that a GOOlock would have (*except for Hex*).
That's just a warlock.
Warlocks gain their power through study, not from the pact. Their patron is teacher, and might not even teach them directly but through items such as books. The casters that by default get powers directly from other beings are clerics.
Just read the PHB's flavor text for warlock and you'll see over and over terms like "occult lore", "your studies", "eldritch knowledge", etc.
Int GOOlock sounds perfect for what you're proposing.
Some Forgotten Realms settings have used the "warlocks -do- get the power from their patrons", notably Wyll from BG3, but Forgotten Realms also has all casters technically be sorcerers, so no need to follow those rules.
Flavor is free. Play a wizard and describe your spells as some otherworldly effects. For example, Hold Person could have shadowy tendrils erupt from the ground to wrap around the enemy, or something like that.
You can certainly play a warlock this way. There are many ways of defining a patron/warlock relationship, and siphoning forbidden and ancient arcana from a Great Old One or similar entity who barely registers your appearance is certainly one such way of doing it. Especially if you're cleared to play an intelligence-scaling warlock. If you're willing to entertain some homebrew, Laserllama's Alternate Warlock works wonderfully within this aesthetic. Naturally intelligence-scaling, a more diverse array of invocation options, a more robust system of spells associated with your patron, a Pact of the Tome variation that emphasizes study and preparation, etc. I'm currently playing an Occultist/Exorcist using the class, and it works wonderfully. Here's a link: [https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-NRARRHW6KjsBfrQIzTs](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-NRARRHW6KjsBfrQIzTs)
Goo-locks don't have to have a pact as such. The description even mentions that it might not even be aware of your existence (or maybe even capable if you're drawing power from a hunk of dead god). Plus making a "pact" requires research and training, finding or making the rituals to draw power from this other place and channel it into spells. Int based warlock is perfect for this.
I mean, is it *not* just Wizard? Enchantment/Illusion schools are pretty much spot on for a Wizard GOOlock and you have access to pretty much any spell that a GOOlock would have (*except for Hex*).
An Artificer with the Rune Carver Background makes a really good occultist with only a little Flavor tweaking.
That's just a warlock. Warlocks gain their power through study, not from the pact. Their patron is teacher, and might not even teach them directly but through items such as books. The casters that by default get powers directly from other beings are clerics. Just read the PHB's flavor text for warlock and you'll see over and over terms like "occult lore", "your studies", "eldritch knowledge", etc. Int GOOlock sounds perfect for what you're proposing. Some Forgotten Realms settings have used the "warlocks -do- get the power from their patrons", notably Wyll from BG3, but Forgotten Realms also has all casters technically be sorcerers, so no need to follow those rules.
Flavor is free. Play a wizard and describe your spells as some otherworldly effects. For example, Hold Person could have shadowy tendrils erupt from the ground to wrap around the enemy, or something like that.