Pact of the Mask | On warlock Pact Boons and an elephant in the room

Something of an addendum to last week's Temples & Triforces, the Pact of the Mask is an idea that came to me thanks to a friend. He saw the document and then asked if I had any ideas for Link's masks in Majora's Mask. The question intrigued me; at first, I suggested a Mask Salesman subclass, or a series of magic items. But then as I continued thinking about it, I had another idea that I wanted to explore: a warlock Pact Boon.

Pact Boons occupy an extremely unusual space in Fifth Edition design. A Pact Boon is a lot like an archetype. In theory, it has the potential to define a warlock as much as their Otherworldly Patron. In online settings, folks use terms like "Bladelock," referring to a warlock with the Pact of the Blade, just as often as terms like "Fiendlock," referring to a warlock that has chosen the Fiend patron. Each Pact can make the warlock play very differently, and they each grant access to exclusive invocations that really build up the pseudo-subclass feeling

At the same time, a Pact Boon is not a subclass or archetype. A warlock's only intersection with the Pact Boon might well be choosing it at 3rd level, and if a player isn't especially interested in any Boon, they could ignore it completely. I've even heard anecdotes from a friend about fellow players whose warlocks with Pact of the Blade never so much as lifted a weapon.

So, designing a Pact Boon is a strange task. It seems to ask for definition as well as ambiguity, for unique identity as well as universal application. I've actually thought of making homebrew Pacts before, but none of my ideas ever really bore out. There has to be enough of a mechanical hook for players to want it, but not more than would outshine gaining weapon proficiency or learning two cantrips. Now that's a difficult balance!

I think I've managed to achieve that with the Pact of the Mask, though even this is imperfect. What I like about this is that the effect is minor in terms of combat application, but what a warlock can do with it is still undeniably useful. Ideas for relevant invocations came to mind without too much issue, and being able to incorporate the "Elegy of Emptiness" was fun.

On the other hand, there is a bit of an elephant in the room. The main problem with the Pact of the Mask is that between the two invocations Mask of Many Faces and Master of Myriad Forms, a warlock can already do virtually everything the basic Pact of the Mask can! There are only two differences: with the pact, a warlock can change their traits and doesn't need concentration (as one would with alter self via Master of Myriad Forms).

With those invocations in mind, justifying the Pact of the Mask is difficult. I have decided to simply live with the problem and still share the homebrew. Perhaps some overlap isn't the end of the world, though I will admit I am a little disappointed in my own inelegance. But if someone can have fun playing it, and it doesn't disrupt the rest of the table or game, then I can be happy with the Pact of the Mask.