Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Schatten9 08-24-06, 11:34 PM	My old thread was deleted, so hopefully I'll still get a few posts on this one. My warlock 11/hexblade 2 is almost finished in design, but I have a few areas I'd still appreciate comments on from more experienced warlock players. Feats: I have 2 left to use. I received confirmation from my DM that he will not let me use the Mortal Bane feat some of you referred me to (but now he says he likes the feat and will apply it to his own monstrous creations...me and my big mouth!). So, that's out. I am leaning towards Maximize Spell-Like Ability or Quicken SLA for my eldritch blast, though I'm disappointed I won't be able to use either with the vitriolic blast yet. Any other suggestions towards raising my damage output? Invocation quandry: I also heard back from my DM that he will no longer allow me my previous familiar (I'm rebuilding this character from a former 13th level hexblade), so touch attacks with my raven are no longer an option. Therefore, I got rid of Curse of Despair and I'm considering one of these two invocations: Walk Unseen or Eldritch Chain. There are great benefits to both. What experiences have you all had with chaining blasts? I can see that with Virtiolic Blast attached, that could have some serious damage potential and a little crowd control, with the 2 jumps my current class level would allow. As much as I want Walk Unseen, I also have Flee the Scene and Fell Flight, neither which I am willing to give up. I still would really like the invisibility, but it would take a standard action to activate and would be gone as soon as I attacked. Does someone have a reason I'm missing to suggest I take this over Chain? So, all advice and relevant warlock experiences would be greatly appreciated. I'm really looking forward to playing this character, and thanks to everyone that helped with their advice in the old thread. -Schatten
cre100382 08-25-06, 07:52 AM	The invisibilty may only last until you attack, but the next round, you can start it again.
Kamikaze_Choo_Choo_Train 08-25-06, 09:59 AM	Well unfortunately I have had no experience with the Hexblade so I can't really help you there in regards to what would work well with the levels you already have. however as far as the Warlock part is concerned I have a lvl 11 warlock that I've been playing since 3rd level so I definitely can give some advice in that regard. As far as what innvocation to choose I think it really depends on your teamates and what is needed. Cause if you have rogues or ninjas in your group I would suggest beshadowed blast instead. Not only does it keep said enemy from going after you, sneak attackers in your party will have a field day. My personal favorite combo is having a maximized beshadowed chain (which can be done at 12th level). Three people are dealt 36/18/18 damage respectively and have to make saves to keep from being blinded (although just a chained vitrolic blast would be icky in its own right). I really do not suggest getting walk the unseen especially at the level you are at. From my limited experience after 10th level every monster and their mother seems to have see invisibility, scent, blindsight, blindsense tremorsense, ect. Between Chain and Invisibility I would suggest Chain because of the fact that it wreaks havoc against minion swarms and debilitating effects like acid burn, blindness, or whatever nasty essense innvocation you couple it with equally hurts all the secondary targets. Plus if used correctly and if you don't have eldritch spear, chain can increase your range to up to 120 feet as long as you hit two targets along the way(since each target can be up to 30 feet from the previous one) As for what feat to choose I definitely like maximized SPA but Quicken can be very nasty as well. Another possibility would to be to get the feat that moves your flying mode one step higher so that you could have perfect maneuverability when flying. This would allow you to hover around above raining down eldritch blasts like crazy without a minimum movement requirment or maneuverability restriction.(I'm not quite sure where the feat is located though. I think it is in one of the complete books like complete arcane or complete adventurer) Anyways this is just my two cents worth. I don't really have any of my material infront of me so I'm just going from memory. Hope this helps in some way.
ORC_Tao 08-25-06, 10:29 AM	I'd recommend taking a look at the PHBII's alternate class features for the Hexblade. If you're going to take Hexblade up to 4th, definately take the Dark Companion feature. If you can't use your familiar to deliver touch attacks anyways, you're not losing much. You'd be surprised to learn how often a -2 to AC and Saves can make all the difference. Wish I could help you with the Warlock, but I've never played as one, nor have any of my players, so I am not entirely familiar with their feats and combos. I would suggest taking a peek at the Character Optimization boards though. Even if youre not going to use one of their nigh-invincible character builds, its a great place to scrounge up ideas.
Puca 08-25-06, 10:34 AM	Just for the benefit of those who werent on the previous thread, could you give us a list of the feats/invocations youve got already?
Schatten9 08-25-06, 10:56 AM	Thanks for the ideas so far! Here are my current feats, invocations: Least: Eldritch Spear, Baleful Utterance, Dark One's Own Luck, See the Unseen * Lesser: Fell Flight, Flee the Scene, Voracious Dispelling, Chain or Walk Unseen** Greater: Vitriolic Blast Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Extra Invocation (least)*, Extra Invocation (lesser)**
Puca 08-25-06, 02:09 PM	The Arcane Mastery feat from CA lets you take 10 on caster checks. That can work well with your ability to dispel with Voracious Dispelling. Take Chain. Youve got feats like PBS and Precise Shot to make your blasts hit better and Vitriolic blast to make them awesome, so going the next level and chaining them seems to fit better. Besides, at your level, lots of stuff wont care that youre invisible. Your UMD should be high enough that a wand of Invisibility will suit your purposes better than the invocation. Your last feat: Craft Wondrous Item. It isnt until level 12 that you get Imbue Item, but you could still make a Chasuble of Fell Power now. You want a solid item-creation feat like that anyway, so take it now.
Kichaa 08-25-06, 07:05 PM	I've got a Warlock I've been playing since 7th level, which is where our party started. As far as feats go, Arcane Mastery (as suggested by another poster) or Mobile Spellcasting might be useful. I don't think I've actually used the latter yet, but it looked useful for stepping around a corner to shoot then moving back around the corner again. That could help to keep you out of the way of line and cone spells/effects. It's really only worth it if you have a high Concentration score, though. As for Invocations, I'm partial to Brimstone Blast, but that might have something to do with it playing a significant role in saving my character's arse when she faced off against an adult white dragon...alone -- the joys of the Deck of Many Things. Thanks to that encounter, she jumped from 12th to 17th level. :D Beyond that, the Vitriolic Blast won't do you any good against something with acid resistance or immunity, so having something else that has the potential to do extra damage for a couple rounds is useful. It may not automatically overcome SR, but Arcane Mastery (if you choose to get it) will go a long way to making that less of a problem.
Oliver D'Argent 08-26-06, 12:18 PM	Thanks for the ideas so far! Here are my current feats, invocations: Least: Eldritch Spear, Baleful Utterance, Dark One's Own Luck, See the Unseen * Lesser: Fell Flight, Flee the Scene, Voracious Dispelling, Chain or Walk Unseen** Greater: Vitriolic Blast Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Extra Invocation (least)*, Extra Invocation (lesser)** Are you taking the Hexblade levels at the end of the level progression? If so, the feats and invocations for each level might look something like this: FEATS Level 1 War 1 Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot 2 War 2 3 War 3 [open feat] 4 War 4 5 War 5 6 War 6 Extra Invocation (least)* 7 War 7 8 War 8 9 War 9 [open feat] 10 War 10 11 War 11 12 Hex 1 Extra Invocation (lesser)** 13 Hex 2 INVOCATIONS Level 1 War 1 Eldritch Spear 2 War 2 Baleful Utterance 3 War 3 4 War 4 Dark One's Own Luck 5 War 5 6 War 6 Fell Flight, See the Unseen* 7 War 7 8 War 8 Flee the Scene 9 War 9 10 War 10 Voracious Dispelling 11 War 11 Vitriolic Blast 12 Hex 1 Eldritch Chain or Walk Unseen** 13 Hex 2 You could also have one Hexblade level earlier in the progression, but you have to get your Greater invocation at or before your 12th character level in order to get your extra Lesser invocation. I am still partial to Walk Unseen, but I personally dislike having to rely on a charged item that could run out at an inopportune moment. After going through the Monster Manual, only 27 of the listed creatures automatically get an ability that allows them to see invisible creatures - and most of those are either Dragons or Outsiders. With my Warlock, I plan to take Retributive Invisibility at 16th and trade out the Walk Unseen for another Lesser invocation. Although I like Eldritch Chain, because of the way that range works for spells (and spell-like abilities) it won't affect targets past the normal 60-foot range of your Eldritch Blast. RANGE A spell’s range indicates how far from you it can reach, as defined in the Range entry of the spell description. A spell’s range is the maximum distance from you that the spell’s effect can occur, as well as the maximum distance at which you can designate the spell’s point of origin. If any portion of the spell’s area would extend beyond this range, that area is wasted. Arcane Mastery could be useful to you, but only against spells cast by a 9th level caster (or less) or Spell Resistance of 21 or less (since Hexblades don't get a caster level until 4th). Other feats that could be useful to you: PHB Improved Critical (with EB) Great Fortitude, Iron Will, or Lightning Reflexes (depending on which Save is the weakest) Improved Initiative (there are times that going first can make a big difference) Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration (if you are going to be fighting a lot of Black and Green Dragons - Vitriolic Blast will work fine against all other types) Craft Wondrous Item (the most versatile crafting feat for a Warlock, IMO) Weapon Focus (with EB) Compete Warrior Dash (should add to your Fell Flight speed) Greater Resiliency (boosts your DR by 1 to 4/Cold Iron) Improved Toughness (13 extra HP at your current level) Sharp Shooting (halves the cover bonus to a target's AC) Complete Arcane Extra Invocation (having more options is a good thing) Maximize Spell-Like Ability (with EB - it may only be 3/day, but that is 108 pts of damage/day if you hit with all of them) Ranged Spell Specialization (if you have Weapon Focus and are within 30 feet of your target) Complete Adventurer Improved Flight (boosts your maneuverability with Fell Flight from Good to Perfect) Open Minded (extra skill points)
Schatten9 08-26-06, 03:54 PM	Thanks again for the ideas so far! Oliver, that was quite a comprehensive list, thanks! That definitely makes it easier on feat selection (plus it helps me in finding a few of them, too!) I may take the Craft Wonderous Item feat, because I can see that becoming very useful if our DM allows us downtime once in a while. The Walk Unseen is still an invocation I'm torn about, because if I put QSLA on it, I could attack, quickly turn invisible, then relocate. However, only being able to do that three times a day is a deterrent, and I'm probably going to wait on QSLA until I can apply it to Flee the Scene--that would be great for getting out of grapples if I had it quickened! Maximize is great, but knowing the high AC's (even touch AC) of the things our DM often throws at us, I'd be lucky to hit once out of the three times a day I could use it. A feat that would become useful so sparingly is not entirely worth the slot. Resiliency is great, and I am really thinking about that one, because 1 extra hit point DR is always a good thing.
Oliver D'Argent 08-26-06, 10:12 PM	Glad to be of help. Out of curiosity, what are the stats of this character?
Schatten9 08-26-06, 11:35 PM	My character's current stats, with magical enhancements, are as follows: Str. 18, Dex. 16, Con. 17, Int. 13, Wis. 13, Cha. 22 without item enhancements: 16, 16, 15, 13, 13, 18
Xavon_Wrentaile 08-27-06, 12:36 AM	Weapon Focus (Range Spell) is a must for Warlocks.
Oliver D'Argent 08-27-06, 01:59 PM	My character's current stats, with magical enhancements, are as follows: Str. 18, Dex. 16, Con. 17, Int. 13, Wis. 13, Cha. 22 without item enhancements: 16, 16, 15, 13, 13, 18 An excellent set of stats. With the +13 to hit with ranged attacks that your Dex gives you, your EB will hit everything with a Touch AC of 14 or less as long as you don't roll a "1". Of the creatures listed in the MM, the Will-O'-Wisp (Touch AC 29 - hit on a 16 or better) and the Dread Wraith (Touch AC 25 - hit on a 12 or better, although with a miss chance for being incorporeal) will probably be the most difficult to hit. A Monk of your level with a Dex and Wis of 22 (unlikely, but certainly not impossible)would have a Touch AC of 24 (11 or better), but invisibility would reduce that to 18 (5 or better) as long as the Monk did not have some way to see invisible creatures or have the Blind-Fight feat. I think that very few other monsters and classes will be as difficult for you to hit as these unless some of the other monster books have creatures with higher Touch ACs than these (don't have those books handy right now). Your +6 Cha mod will boost your Fort or Ref save to +12, or your Will save to +17 with Dark One's Own Luck. If your DM allows them to stack, the Arcane Resistance from your Hexblade levels will add another +6 against spells and spell-like abilities. Impressive.
Schatten9 08-27-06, 11:30 PM	Thanks for the analysis, Oliver. It's quite encouraging to have it broken down like that, because it does look like I might not have too much trouble hitting enemy touch AC's. I didn't realize that so many creatures in the MM would be easy to hit! However, I think my DM (from my experience with him so far) will probably get frustrated that I'm always hitting and give everything a ton of levels in monk or something to foul up the ease of hitting touch AC. I'm going to enjoy it while I can, though, until he decides to start creating more of his uber-monstrosities with insane AC. It's going to be a relief for me, at least, to be able to hit more often because most of the time the DM puts us up against things that require a roll of 18 to 20 to even hit, not to mention bypassing conceal, DR, and SR. Regarding Dark One's Own Luck, why wouldn't that stack with Arcane Resistance? Do the stacking rules prevent that from happening normally? I figured that since Arcane Resistance is essentially an innate ability for the hexblade and DOOL is a spell-like ability, they should stack.
Oliver D'Argent 08-28-06, 07:09 AM	Regarding Dark One's Own Luck, why wouldn't that stack with Arcane Resistance? Do the stacking rules prevent that from happening normally? I figured that since Arcane Resistance is essentially an innate ability for the hexblade and DOOL is a spell-like ability, they should stack. I agree that they should stack, but we are talking about a potential for a +18 to your Fort or Ref save, or a +23 to your Will save (providing that you are saving against a spell or spell-like ability and that you have your bonus from Dark One's Own Luck in the right place) - some DMs would get twitchy about that. ;) By the way, it's nice to see somone else pick the Dark One's Own Luck invocation. I like it a lot, but haven't seen it often in the Warlock builds around here.
Seeker of Undeath 08-28-06, 08:48 AM	I see no reason Arcane Resistance and DOOL wouldn't stack. If I remember right they are unnamed bonuses that come from two different sources (their respective classes). That should mean they do stack.