We used to be similar to wizards.
Wizards have no intrinsic power by themselves: they must earn it.
We studied. For years. There was effort in the transaction, and as a reward you got a valuable skill. And because of this, you were able to find a lord to work for. You got to the lord's court to work as a wizard full time.
Thanks to the wizard academy, I started at Lvl. 1. Knowing 3x cantrips and having 2x level 1 spell slots.
I got a job at the fortress of a powerful lord. They paid for my wizard services and gave me daily tasks to solve.
When stuck, I would turn to the other wizards employed in the castle, the books I used at the academy, or the well-known oracle of knowledge called "the Overflowing Stack": a shrine of the Fae where answers were found (but it was extremely difficult for them to accept a new question).
This is how things used to be.
Then the Warlocks appeared.
The new order of the "Vibe Coders".
And their power was astonishing. All the lords of the land were impressed by their gifts.
In Dungeons & Dragons, mechanically speaking, one of the main differences between wizards and warlocks is how their spells level. Wizards have this "mana" resource (called spell slots) and they need to manage it carefully; let's say a wizard has mana to cast the "good refactor" transmutation spell at max level once, then they won't be able to cast this spell at the same power for a (long) time.
Warlocks have all their "mana" (spell slots) at max level. All the time. Meaning: they only cast spells at max level. And they need almost no rest! they're ready to cast "astonishing new project" illusion spell riiiight away.
That's why the lords are looking to these brand new spell casters with wide-opened eyes.
So they started asking all their employed wizards: "Hey, this guy over there is able to cast 'full REST API' at max level with no effort" ... "Go multi-class to Warlock, you puny wizard."
What is the trick here?
Wizards studied magic, they earned it.
Warlocks borrow their magic. They don't wield it, they borrowed it from an external, powerful entity: The Patron.
They made a pact with their Patron.
Once a pact is made, a
Warlock’sVibeCoder thirst forpowertokens can’t be slaked with mere study.
MostWarlock’sVibeCoders spend their days pursuing greaterpowertools anddeeper knowledgenew models
– Dungeons&Dragons Player Handbook (2024)
The Player Handbook continues:
On level 3, You gain a
WarlockVibeCoder subclass of your choice:
theArchfey PatronOpenAI Patron,
theFiend PatronAnthropic Patron
andGreat Old One PatronPerplexity Patron are the most notable subclasses.
Their Patron grants them otherworldly powers.
And sometimes we forget who's the Subject and what's the verb in this sentence.
Let's do second grade syntax here, shall we?
- Subject: their Patron → who performs the action
- Verb: grants → to grant: to give something to someone.
-
Complements:
- them → Indirect Object (the person who receives something)
- otherworldly powers → Direct Object (the thing that is given)
I, myself, have multiclassed to Lvl. 1 Warlock. (I guess.... Level 3 Wizard + Level 1 Warlock?).
Not because I wanted to? but rather because I want to remain employable by a lord.
The pact is tempting: forget all my Wizard levels and just use the Patron's source of power. It's soooo easy.
Still...
The thing about borrowed power, it's still borrowed. Patrons can change the terms of the pact. Anytime.
The Patron giveth, and the Patron can taketh away.
And when that day comes, I mean...
Don't give up those wizard levels just yet.
--
Thanks for reading
Top comments (16)
I loved this analogy - it beautifully captures the contrast between deep craft and the new patterns emerging in our industry. The wizard/warlock metaphor is such a great way to frame earned skill vs. borrowed power, and I think it resonates because both paths are real and meaningful in their own contexts.
What I really appreciate about your piece is that it acknowledges both the allure and the cost of “borrowed power.” It’s a reminder that fundamentals and deep understanding still matter - even as we explore new paradigms. Thanks for the thoughtful, creative framing!
thanks for the kind comment :)
Honestly It’s a fun post with a sharp metaphor and it lands emotionally for a lot of devs right now. You can tell it’s written by someone who actually codes and plays D&D, which already gives it nerd-cred.
The real power move is being a Wizard who knows when to multiclass into Warlock and remembers where their spellbook is when the Patron’s API rate-limits 😅🧙♂️
Wizards who refuse to multiclass will struggle.
Warlocks who never studied will panic.
The scary ones are the Wizard/Warlock hybrids.
Thing is , Wizards use INT while Warlocks uses CHA *_ shakes their fist in the air_
thanks for the kind AI-words ;)
Nice way of comparing things! Even though I haven't played DnD before, I still understood the analogy + the images are also very relevant & beautiful!
Keep up the good work! ✌🏻
Beautifully written, couldn't done better myself.
Here's my small piece of advice: when it comes to multiclassing into warlock, I recommend you also look into patrons with which connections can't be severed (such as Local LLMs, LM Studio + OpenCode is a good way to ensure you still have access to your powers even offline), and never ever forget your wizard spellbooks (Dash on Mac, Zeal on Linux/Windows for offline docs), they've yet to fail me.
Wise advise here!!!!
This analogy hits uncomfortably close to home.
Borrowed power feels incredible when everything works — instant results, max-level spells, zero prep.
But the part that really stuck with me is this: the subject of the sentence matters.
If the Patron is the subject, then the Warlock is never really in control.
I don’t think the answer is “never multiclass into Warlock”, but forgetting Wizard levels entirely feels risky.
When the pact terms change, only fundamentals remain.
Great write-up. This perfectly captures the tension a lot of developers feel right now.
Ha this is quite funny and well written. And a bit sad.
Yep… I feel there is some “loose” here 🥲
This is such a beautifully written article and this wizard appreciates it.
Thanks for the kind words :)
I must be a cleric, cause I keep praying my code works
Hahahaha 💪
Also there are bards that seem to not work at all but are always on a stage going talks and showing “how to”
This metaphor lands because it’s not anti-Warlock — it’s anti-amnesia.
What I really like here is the grammar bit. It sounds playful, but it’s doing real work. “The Patron grants them otherworldly powers” flips quietly in people’s heads to “they have otherworldly powers.” And that’s the moment the danger starts. When you forget who the subject is, you also forget who can revoke the verb.
The Wizard vs Warlock framing maps painfully well to what’s happening in practice. Wizards earned intuition. They know why a spell works, when it fails, and what it costs to cast it. Warlocks can ship miracles on cooldown — but only while the pact holds. Rate limits change. Models drift. APIs disappear. The spellbook lives somewhere else.
I think the part that resonated most is “not because I wanted to, but because I want to remain employable.” That’s the quiet truth for a lot of people right now. Multiclassing isn’t a choice, it’s a survival tactic. But abandoning wizard levels entirely is a long-term bet that the Patron will always be benevolent — and history doesn’t really support that optimism.
Borrowed power is fine. Refusing to understand it is not.
The strongest builders I see today aren’t rejecting the pact — they’re keeping their wizard foundations sharp while using the patron’s gifts. They know how to cast without the patron if they have to. And that’s the difference between leverage and dependency.
Great post. Funny, sharp, and uncomfortably accurate.
Feels like a quiet eulogy for the old wizard’s bargain 🪄
Study → mastery → patron → purpose.
Now the spellbooks are shorter, the magic is cheaper, and the court feels… crowded.
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