I think the hesitation some people feel is due to how DM dependant it is . They might believe that their actions are not contradicting their vow , but if the DM disagrees then suddenly they have no powers . This comes up less with regard to Warlocks , but for Clerics Paladins it ' s a relatively common occurrence for the DM to decide hm , that didn ' t seem good to me ! and punish the player accordingly . Some players are open to that sort of thing and enjoy the RP that comes with it , the issue arises when you disagree with the DM about whether or not your actions were evil . It can be frustrating to have the DM revoke your class abilities for reasons that seem unreasonable to you , especially as most other classes do not have this drawback . 5 e is better at this since the Oaths are a bit more specific than trying to maintain your status as a good or lawful character , but it can still lead to some disagreements . So while I think that it ' s true that some are only interested in the toys that come with the class , there are certainly good reasons for players to be concerned about the DM being able to turn off their powers whenever they feel like it .