Dungeons & Dragons is soon expanding with a new role-playing game, Warlock. MyMMO editor and D&D nerd Benedict Grothaus was able to see gameplay at gamescom 2026 and speak with Creative Director Jeff Hattem. The main topic: magic and what makes it so special in Warlock.
After Warlock was announced at the end of 2025, we finally got to see some real gameplay at the Opening Night Live 2026. Invoke, the studio behind Warlock, was present at gamescom along with Wizards of the Coast to showcase the new game.
Just shortly before, it was revealed that the famous Tasha is supposed to be the patron of the warlock Kaatri – which caused quite a few cheers in the editorial office here. Nerds …
For me personally, Warlock is one of the highlights of gamescom and one of the games I am most looking forward to. Therefore, I had to take a closer look and even had the opportunity to speak with the head.
Jeff Hattem revealed in our conversation that he primarily worked on the spell system of the game and gave me more insights. It seems that Kaatri will be significantly more powerful than you are typically used to from warlocks in Dungeons & Dragons.
Kaatri knows spells that no other warlock does – and that don’t actually exist
Already in the trailer, we identified eight spells that Kaatri apparently masters, but we were mistaken about at least one: telekinesis is not in her repertoire. Instead, the warlock uses “Tasha’s Grasp,” a spell that does not exist in the rulebook.
Invoke specifically created this new spell for Warlock that has various applications, such as:
- moving objects, like a piece of rubble
- activating levers behind bars
- or shaping and throwing things like water or oil into spheres – or improvised fireballs
Spells like “Create Water” do exist, but they are not on the warlock’s spell list. Hattem explained my question about why Kaatri still knows the spell:
From a gameplay perspective, we want spells that players can use to play across all the facets of the game — whether it’s exploration, combat, puzzle-solving, or solving challenges. So, that’s part of it.
But also, in D&D, there comes a high-level, broad, sweeping direction from the books, but then there’s also specificity. We’re in the Domain of Dread. We’re in Darkon. Tasha is your patron. She brings something to the table that’s particular. So, the way that Tasha is your patron can be tweaked in a certain way.
To continue the answer, Tasha teaches you the ability to see raw magic in the world. And raw magic is a new concept that we’re introducing for Tasha as a patron. So, that’s one way that we’re innovating within the framework of D&D. But to do that, we worked with the TTRPG folks at Wizards of the Coast and came up with this idea, and I think it really fits our game well.
Jeff Hattem, Creative Director of Warlock
Not a real skill tree, but better spells … fitting to Tasha
To explain a bit: raw magic essentially represents your upgrade points. I couldn’t see exactly how the system works yet, but Jeff Hattem explained to me that spells can be upgraded through raw magic, as far as I understood.
Rather than assigning skill points to various abilities when leveling up, spells are improved. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see any examples for this yet, and Invoke wants to discuss it later, but the idea sounds so good that I definitely have to tell my DM about it.
Lore-wise, this fits perfectly into the world, as Tasha is known for creating new spells and experimenting with magic. “Tasha’s Hideous Laughter” and “Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything” are important content of D&D for good reason.
Warlock takes many liberties but also follows D&D rules
With elements like raw magic and “Tasha’s Grasp,” Warlock is going down paths that are not standard in D&D. Still, Invoke doesn’t want to go too far, as Hattem explained to me:
I don’t necessarily have a desire to create new spells because there’s so much to pull from, whether it’s the Monster Manual or the Player’s Handbook. […]
But on those rare occasions where there’s a gameplay potential that we discover playing with players and developing the game that is not tapped in existing spells, that’s where we’re like, “Oh, maybe Tasha has an idea on how she could grant you the ability to do this.” So, mostly we pull from what exists, but sometimes we create more.
Jeff Hattem, Creative Director of Warlock
By the way, Kaatri will also have spell slots, meaning she can only cast a limited number of spells in combat – aside from cantrips like the iconic “Eldritch Blast” of course. As is typical for warlocks, however, a “short rest” is enough to recharge the slots. Specifically, this means: as soon as the combat is over and you are back in exploration mode, you can cast spells unlimitedly.
The same applies to rules that are often ignored in D&D: rituals and components. You will be able to cast certain spells in Warlock that require material components and you will have to find them in the world. No shortcuts with bags or a focus:
So, we thought that was interesting. Same thing with components, verbal, somatic, all of that. We’re trying to take the spellcasting system from Dungeons & Dragons and really fully realize it.
So, that’s why you see like she can conjure her ritual table and then she’s using the components, and these components you’ll find in the world. Some of them are easier to find, others are more challenging to acquire, and that can unlock different spells that you can cast with the ritual table.
Jeff Hattem, Creative Director of Warlock
Magic plays an important role, but Kaatri is still just getting started
Even though casting spells is (obviously) an important ability for a warlock, the main character Kaatri still has a lot to learn in this regard. Because when asked how many levels she had actually invested, Hattem said, “We’re not specific with the levels, but she’s a seasoned weapons master and she’s a ‘big level one’ Warlock when she starts.”
How well that fits, I’ll leave open to interpretation; after all, Kaatri has already forged the pact of the blade, which only occurs at level 3. However, I’d rather not openly contradict someone who creates new spells.
Where I initially thought Warlock would just be a short-term RPG with an open world, I’m now really excited about the spell system, which sounds like a complete innovation to me. Throwing fireballs can be done by anyone, but first inventing and understanding the spell is not something many games offer.
What do you think of the spell system and Tasha as a patron? Do you find the idea of upgradeable spells cool, or would you prefer more fidelity to the rules? Leave a comment!
By the way, gamescom 2026 surprised me quite a bit. Actually, I expected that all studios would either offer nothing or only half-baked stuff out of fear of GTA 6. A German studio from Frankfurt, however, seems to have no interest in that at all and boldly stands up to Rockstar: Enshrouded is getting so many new features for the release that I can’t fit them all in one title.
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!