Rules edition: 2014 Warlock class and 2014 Player’s Handbook Dragonborn race. This legacy article focuses on spell components and table procedure; the revised current-rules build is in our 2024 Black Dragonborn Warlock guide.
A 2014 Black Dragonborn Warlock follows the original class and race features. Black ancestry gives the character Acid resistance and an Acid Breath Weapon; the Warlock’s patron, Pact Magic, and invocations follow the 2014 progression. Component rules are easy to overlook when the character mixes spells, weapons, and breath attacks, so keep those options distinct.
What a spell focus replaces
The 2014 Warlock can use an Arcane Focus as a spellcasting focus for Warlock spells. A focus can replace material components that have no listed cost and are not consumed by the spell. It does not replace a component with a listed gold-piece cost, and it cannot replace a material component that the spell consumes. A component pouch can supply ordinary materials when the character does not use a focus.
Check each spell’s component line. If a spell requires a material component with a cost or one that is consumed, obtain that item before casting. Do not assume a pact, patron, or Dragonborn ancestry waives a component requirement unless a feature explicitly says so.
Somatic components and hands
A spell with a Somatic component requires a free hand for its gestures. If the spell also has a Material component, the same hand used for the material component or focus can perform the somatic gesture. If the spell has a Somatic component but no Material component, a hand holding a weapon or other object may prevent the gesture unless a feature provides an exception. Plan whether the Warlock carries a focus, a component pouch, or a weapon before a tense fight.
Concentration is a separate rule from components. A spell that requires Concentration ends when the caster begins Concentrating on another spell or fails a required Constitution saving throw. A focus does not protect Concentration, and the Dragonborn’s Acid resistance does not apply to every kind of damage.
Black Dragonborn breath under 2014 rules
The 2014 Black Dragonborn’s Breath Weapon is a 5-by-30-foot line of Acid. It takes an action, calls for a Dexterity saving throw against 8 + Constitution modifier + Proficiency Bonus, and deals 2d6 damage at level 1, scaling at character levels 6, 11, and 16. You can use it once and regain that use after a Short or Long Rest. This is a racial feature, not a spell: it has no Arcane Focus or spell-component requirement.
Because it uses your action, the breath competes with casting a spell on that turn. It does not use a Warlock spell slot or count as casting a spell, but the Dragonborn feature’s own action and saving-throw rules still apply. Ask your DM how a feature interacts if it specifically changes spellcasting or actions; do not assume general spell-component rules alter a breath attack.
Legacy progression reminder
The 2014 Warlock chooses an Otherworldly Patron at level 1, gains Eldritch Invocations at level 2, and selects a Pact Boon at level 3. That is different from the 2024 class, which grants its subclass at level 3 and structures Pact Boons through invocations. If a table uses a mixture of class books, agree on the exact class version before choosing invocations or pact features.
Official Rules Sources
- D&D Beyond Basic Rules (2014): Warlock class — Pact Magic, invocations, and class progression.
- D&D Beyond Basic Rules (2014): Races — Dragonborn ancestry and Breath Weapon.
- D&D Beyond Basic Rules (2014): Spellcasting — components, foci, and concentration.
