This page is the canonical character sheet for Zareth Kael’s active level 3 build. It is meant to be the table-facing version of the character, while the fuller reasoning behind the build stays in the main article.
Build article: Zareth Kael: My Darkness-Inspired D&D 5E Warlock.
Character role: active solo protagonist for the Tomb of Annihilation run.
Zareth Kael
Tiefling Warlock 3 · Great Old One · Haunted One
A solo-first shadow warlock built around official 2014 rules, reliable ranged pressure, defensive magic, and a familiar reflavoured as a living shard of the Darkness.
Character Profile
Zareth Kael
Tiefling Warlock 3 · Great Old One · Haunted One
Ability scores
Core combat stats
Saving throws and skills
Quick combat plan
Use it when the fight looks long and Zareth can stay at range.
Primary damage plan with Agonizing Blast doing the heavy lifting.
Best when enemies are likely to reach him and trade hits.
Emergency repositioning when solo pressure gets too close.
Spell Reference
Shadow-Casting Loadout
Summary-first casting reference for Zareth's current spells, spell-like abilities, and familiar options at level 3.
Spells known: Zareth knows 4 levelled Warlock spells.
Pact Magic slots: Zareth has 2 spell slots. He may cast any combination of his 4 known Warlock spells, but only twice before resting.
Slot level: Both slots are 2nd level.
Recovery: Both expended slots return after a short or long rest.
In practice:
- Known: Armor of Agathys, Hex, Invisibility, Misty Step
- Available before resting: 2 Pact Magic casts
- After a short or long rest: both casts return
- Warlock cantrips: at will.
- Pact Magic spells: each cast consumes one Pact slot.
- Armor of Shadows: at will and uses no slot.
- Tiefling racial spell: separate once-per-long-rest use.
- Find Familiar: ritual casting uses no Pact slot.
- Separate rules: Cantrips, Armor of Shadows, Hellish Rebuke, and ritual-cast Find Familiar do not consume Pact Magic slots unless explicitly stated.
Spell Summary
At will
Eldritch Blast
Warlock cantrip
- Cast
- Action
- Range
- 120 ft.
- Duration
- Instant
Current effect: +5 spell attack; one beam; 1d10 + 3 force.
Mage Hand
Warlock cantrip
- Cast
- Action
- Range
- 30 ft.
- Duration
- 1 minute
Current effect: Manipulate an unattended object weighing up to 10 lb.; cannot attack or activate magic items.
Thaumaturgy
Tiefling cantrip
- Cast
- Action
- Range
- 30 ft.
- Duration
- Up to 1 minute
Current effect: Create a minor supernatural sensory or environmental effect.
Mage Armor
Armor of Shadows
- Cast
- Action
- Range
- Self
- Duration
- 8 hours
Current effect: AC 15 while Zareth is not wearing armour.
Pact Magic
Armor of Agathys
1st-level Warlock spell cast with a 2nd-level Pact slot
- Cast
- Action
- Range
- Self
- Duration
- 1 hour
Current effect: 10 temporary HP; a melee attacker takes 10 cold damage while those temporary HP remain.
Hex
1st-level Warlock spell cast with a 2nd-level Pact slot
- Cast
- Bonus action
- Range
- 90 ft.
- Duration
- Concentration, up to 1 hour
Current effect: Add 1d6 necrotic damage when Zareth hits the target; choose one ability for disadvantaged checks.
Invisibility
2nd-level Warlock spell
- Cast
- Action
- Range
- Touch
- Duration
- Concentration, up to 1 hour
Current effect: One creature becomes invisible until it attacks, casts a spell, or the spell ends.
Misty Step
2nd-level Warlock spell
- Cast
- Bonus action
- Range
- Self
- Duration
- Instant
Current effect: Teleport up to 30 ft. to a visible unoccupied space.
Other casting options
Hellish Rebuke
Tiefling racial spell cast at 2nd level
- Cast
- Reaction when damaged by a visible creature within 60 ft.
- Range
- 60 ft.
- Duration
- Instant
Current effect: Dexterity save DC 13; 3d10 fire damage, half on success.
Find Familiar
Pact of the Chain
- Cast
- 1 hour 10 minutes as a ritual
- Range
- 10 ft.
- Duration
- Until dismissed or reduced to 0 HP
Current effect: Summon the Darkling using the official imp familiar statistics.
Future ability
Darkness
Tiefling racial spell
- Cast
- Action when unlocked
- Range
- Self
- Duration
- Concentration
Current effect: Not currently usable; becomes available at character level 5.
Detailed Spell Reference
At will
Eldritch Blast
Ranged spell attack at +5. On a hit, one beam deals 1d10 + 3 force; Agonizing Blast adds Zareth's +3 Charisma modifier to the damage.
- Source
- Warlock cantrip
- Casting time
- 1 action
- Range
- 120 feet
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Components
- V, S
- Resolution
- Ranged spell attack (+5)
- Current scaling
- One beam at level 3
- Usage
- At will; does not consume a Pact Magic slot
Mage Hand
Create a spectral hand that manipulates unattended objects, opens containers, stows or retrieves items, or pours contents. It cannot attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds.
- Source
- Warlock cantrip
- Casting time
- 1 action
- Range
- 30 feet
- Duration
- 1 minute
- Components
- V, S
- Resolution
- Automatic utility effect
- Limits
- Manipulates only; no attacks, no magic-item activation, 10-pound carry cap
- Usage
- At will; does not consume a Pact Magic slot
Thaumaturgy
Minor supernatural effects such as booming voice, flickering flames, harmless tremors, brief sounds, or instant sensory marks. Use it for small eerie flourishes, not direct damage or control.
- Source
- Tiefling racial cantrip
- Casting time
- 1 action
- Range
- 30 feet
- Duration
- Up to 1 minute
- Components
- V
- Resolution
- Automatic minor supernatural effect
- Usage
- At will; does not consume a Pact Magic slot
Mage Armor
Cast on Zareth only through Armor of Shadows. While he is not wearing armour, his AC becomes 13 + Dexterity modifier, which is 15 for this build.
- Source
- Armor of Shadows invocation
- Casting time
- 1 action
- Range
- Self
- Duration
- 8 hours
- Components
- V, S; the invocation removes the normal material component and slot use
- Resolution
- Automatic AC calculation change
- Restriction
- Only on Zareth; only applies while he is not wearing armour
- Usage
- At will; does not consume a Pact Magic slot
Pact Magic
All Pact Magic spells below use one of Zareth's two Pact Magic slots and are currently cast using 2nd-level slots.
Armor of Agathys
Armor of the Darkness can stay as the narrative look, but this is still Armor of Agathys. At Zareth's current slot level it grants 10 temporary hit points, and a creature that hits him with a melee attack while those hit points remain takes 10 cold damage.
- Source
- 1st-level Warlock spell cast with a 2nd-level Pact slot
- Casting time
- 1 action
- Range
- Self
- Duration
- 1 hour
- Components
- V, S, M
- Resolution
- Automatic defense and retaliation effect
- Current scaling
- 10 temporary hit points and 10 cold damage at Zareth's current slot level
- Usage
- Uses 1 Pact Magic slot; recovers on a short or long rest
Hex
Bonus action to curse one target. Zareth deals an extra 1d6 necrotic whenever he hits it with an attack, and the target has disadvantage on checks using one chosen ability. If the target drops to 0 hit points, Zareth can move the hex to a new creature with a bonus action.
- Source
- 1st-level Warlock spell cast with a 2nd-level Pact slot
- Casting time
- 1 bonus action
- Range
- 90 feet
- Duration
- Concentration, up to 1 hour
- Components
- V, S, M
- Resolution
- Automatic curse effect after the target is chosen
- Current scaling
- At Zareth's 2nd-level slot, duration is up to 1 hour
- Conflict
- Cannot run at the same time as Invisibility because both require concentration
- Usage
- Uses 1 Pact Magic slot; recovers on a short or long rest
Invisibility
Touch one creature to turn it invisible for up to 1 hour. At Zareth's current slot level it affects one creature, and the spell ends for that target when it attacks or casts a spell.
- Source
- 2nd-level Warlock spell
- Casting time
- 1 action
- Range
- Touch
- Duration
- Concentration, up to 1 hour
- Components
- V, S, M
- Resolution
- Automatic effect on the touched target
- Current scaling
- One creature at the current 2nd-level slot
- Conflict
- Cannot run at the same time as Hex because both require concentration
- Usage
- Uses 1 Pact Magic slot; recovers on a short or long rest
Misty Step
Teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space Zareth can see. If he casts this bonus-action spell, the only other spell he can cast on the same turn is a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action.
- Source
- 2nd-level Warlock spell
- Casting time
- 1 bonus action
- Range
- Self
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Components
- V
- Resolution
- Automatic teleport
- Usage
- Uses 1 Pact Magic slot; recovers on a short or long rest
Tiefling racial magic
Hellish Rebuke
When a creature Zareth can see within 60 feet damages him, he can answer with infernal flame. The target makes a Dexterity save (DC 13), taking 3d10 fire damage on a failure or half as much on a success.
- Source
- Tiefling racial spell cast at 2nd level
- Casting time
- 1 reaction
- Trigger
- Zareth is damaged by a creature he can see within 60 feet
- Range
- 60 feet
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Components
- V, S
- Resolution
- Dexterity save (DC 13); 3d10 fire damage, half on success
- Usage
- Once per long rest; does not consume a Pact Magic slot
Pact of the Chain
Find Familiar
Pact of the Chain teaches Find Familiar without counting against spells known. Zareth usually ritual-casts it to summon his familiar using the imp stat block; "Darkling" is only the narrative reskin, not a separate creature profile.
- Source
- Pact of the Chain boon
- Casting time
- 1 hour; 1 hour 10 minutes when ritual-cast
- Range
- 10 feet
- Duration
- Instantaneous; the familiar remains until dismissed or reduced to 0 hit points
- Components
- 10 gp of charcoal, incense, and herbs, consumed by fire in a brass brazier
- Component note
- The costly consumed component is not replaced by the Mirror of the Void
- Touch delivery
- While within 100 feet, the familiar can use its reaction to deliver a spell Zareth casts with a range of touch; Zareth makes any required attack roll
- Usage
- Does not count against Warlock spells known; ritual casting does not consume a Pact Magic slot
Available at level 5
Darkness is part of Zareth's Tiefling racial magic, but it is not currently usable. When unlocked, it is once per long rest, uses no Pact slot, and requires concentration.
Eldritch invocations
Traits and Proficiencies
Official Rules Baseline
Species traits
- Darkvision
- Hellish Resistance
- Thaumaturgy
- Hellish Rebuke at level 3
- Darkness at level 5
Languages
Warlock features
Awakened Mind: Zareth can send telepathic messages to a creature he can see within 30 feet. They do not need to share a language, but the creature must understand at least one language. Treat this as one-way communication from Zareth.
Equipment
Play notes
- Normal combat approach: open with Hex when the fight looks long, then rely on eldritch blast.
- Defensive tools: Armor of Agathys, AC 15 from Mage Armor, and Misty Step.
- Utility tools: telepathy, Invisibility, and scouting through the familiar.
Chain Familiar
Darkling
Official baseline: imp stat block, reflavoured visually
Key traits
Usage note
The familiar acts on its own initiative. When Zareth takes the Attack action, he may forgo one of his attacks to allow the familiar to make one attack using its reaction. Casting eldritch blast is the Cast a Spell action, not the Attack action, so its spell attack cannot be exchanged for the familiar's attack.