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I have a question regarding my Roguelock that I am currently playing, he is about to hit character level 6 and will get his Pact Boon.

He is going to pick Pact of the Blade. According to the description on PHB p. 107-108:

You can use your action to create a pact weapon in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it. You are proficient with it while you wield it. This weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Your pact weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die.

You can transform one magic weapon into your pact weapon by performing a special ritual while you hold the weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. You can then dismiss the weapon, shunting it into an extradimensional space, and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter. You can’t affect an artifact or a sentient weapon in this way. The weapon ceases being your pact weapon if you die, if you perform the 1-hour ritual on a different weapon, or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it. The weapon appears at your feet if it is in the extradimensional space when the bond breaks.

If, for example, that he makes his standard weapon - a Sabre - his pact weapon, as it is on his person most of the time, he would not need to summon it, correct? And it would still gain the magical property?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Are you asking if you need to summon it out of the plane it is on? \$\endgroup\$
    – Salty Dog
    Commented Aug 3, 2017 at 14:54

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Yes you could do this.

There is no need to put it into the extra dimensional plane. You can keep it on your person if you want and never have to summon it. Unless one of the things that would put your sabre into the magical dimension happens.

Your pact weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I read "disappears" as actually disappearing, not like "dismiss into an extradimensional space" which would require a conscious decision and not just dying. \$\endgroup\$
    – nwp
    Commented Aug 3, 2017 at 15:06
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    \$\begingroup\$ @nwp It states in the same sentence that it will also "disappear" if you dismiss it. "Your pact weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die." \$\endgroup\$
    – Salty Dog
    Commented Aug 3, 2017 at 15:17
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    \$\begingroup\$ @nwp It is so for "basic" pact weapons, but with a transformed real weapon: "You can then dismiss the weapon, shunting it into an extradimensional space, and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter." \$\endgroup\$
    – Szega
    Commented Aug 3, 2017 at 15:39
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You cannot bind a mundane sabre as your pact weapon (RAW).

You can transform one magic weapon into your pact weapon

There would be no reason to, either. You can summon a standard pact weapon in sabre form any time, and keep it on your person like a standard sabre. That way, you still have the option to reform the weapon at any time some other way if you need it.

If you could bind your mundane sabre, you would lose this ability and need to break the bond to the sabre before you could summon something else. Binding a physical weapon as pact weapon only makes sense if you gain something from it, usually the bonus of a +1 / +2 / ... Then you trade the versatility of the summoned pact weapons against the power of the bound physical weapon.

The only other advantage I can think of would be to hide the nature of your pact, because the summoned weapons, just like the tomes, seem to reflect your patron a great deal. But you'd still need a non-artifact, non-sentient magic weapon to bind it.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I am confused about your first part of the statement saying that the weapon has to be Magic. From the description it states you 'can' which also implies that it does not have to be a magic weapon as well. The reason why I have asked this at present I do not have a magic weapon and would liek to keep a weapon as my pact weapon so I am never disaremd. \$\endgroup\$
    – Matthew Perryman
    Commented Aug 4, 2017 at 7:49
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    \$\begingroup\$ @MatthewPerryman It doesn't imply that it can be a non-magic weapon. The “can” there indicates that binding a Magic Weapon is an available option, as opposed to the normal Pact Weapon (which is created from nothing when summoned). It explicitly says “can transform one Magic Weapon”, meaning it must be magic. \$\endgroup\$
    – SevenSidedDie
    Commented Aug 4, 2017 at 9:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ Hmm so essentially it is a redundant feature unless you have a magic weapon? \$\endgroup\$
    – Matthew Perryman
    Commented Aug 4, 2017 at 9:31
  • \$\begingroup\$ Yes, by default you create a weapon out of nothing. You can keep this created weapon, wear it in a sheath, use it as normal etc. It will not just vanish, unless you will it to or it get's separated from you for a minute. If it does, you can just summon it again. You will never be really disarmed. Binding a physical weapon without any bonuses will be no different, except you can't summon other types anymore. \$\endgroup\$
    – TBP
    Commented Aug 4, 2017 at 12:28
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    \$\begingroup\$ Also, if you're not proficient with a saber, you (RAW) won't be unless you've created that saber as a pact weapon, vs picking one up from the blacksmith. \$\endgroup\$
    – JPicasso
    Commented Aug 4, 2017 at 12:33
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Transforming a weapon into your pact weapon has no downsides, just opportunity cost (that you can have only one at a time).

The feature clearly states what makes the weapon disappear:

if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die.

Unless one of those happens, it will remain on the plane you are on, and you can use it the same way you use any other weapon you have access to.

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