Player characters normally have an attunement limit of 3 items.
As a warlock, if I have a weapon that normally requires attunement, will it still take up one of my attunement slots after I make it my Pact Weapon?
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1Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the [tour] if you haven't already, and check out the [help] for more guidance. Is there a reason you think a weapon that requires attunement would lose that requirement if it becomes your pact weapon? – V2Blast Feb 14 '19 at 08:39
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Yes, it still takes up an attunement slot.
There are no rules in the Pact of the Blade Warlock section to suggest otherwise.
BradenA8
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2If it would free up the attunement slot, it would say so. – Mindwin Remember Monica Feb 14 '19 at 11:19
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8It takes up an attunement slot if the warlock remains attuned to it, right? There's no requirement that they attune to the weapon to use it as their pact weapon, although obviously they won't be able to use any of the weapon's features that require attunement in that case. – Marq Feb 14 '19 at 13:34
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@Marq I think it's very likely, but just to be certain I've asked that as a separate question. – Kamil Drakari Feb 14 '19 at 14:34
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Attunement is unaffected by making a weapon your pact weapon
If a weapon normally requires attunement in order to gain full use of its features this will not change when it is made a pact weapon.
The rules around transforming another weapon into your pact weapon are as follows:
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.
No mention is made of attunement changing in any way, when a weapon becomes a pact weapon, therefore it doesn't.
The eldritch invocation Improved Pact Weapon from XGTE, doesn't affect attunement either.
It is, however, always possible to wield a weapon that requires attunement without attuning to it, you just won't benefit from any of its features that require attunement. A sword you haven't attuned to in order to deal extra fire damage is still a sword you can wield like any other sword.
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How long has this spell been around? Because that description sounds very similar to a Shardblade bond from Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive books. – Mason Wheeler Feb 14 '19 at 13:55
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Mason, I think Warlocks were introduced in 3.5e as a variant class and 4e as an official class. Pact of the Blade (which is a class feature, not a spell) as named is new to 5e, although pact weapons have been part of the class since 4e. – Raj Feb 14 '19 at 14:20
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To provide a thought to clarify how this works: Your attunement is for the powers of the magic item itself. Making something your pact weapon applies the effects of a pact weapon to a weapon. Neither of these elements interacts with the other, so both function as written without modification.
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Your answer should stand alone as an answer to the question, so you might want to add a header or clarifying sentence to make it clear what your answer is (e.g. "Yes, it does still require an attunement slot."). – V2Blast Feb 14 '19 at 21:00