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aivanther
2010-07-11, 12:56 PM
I'm making a Duskblade//Glaivelock (thought it might be fun to see how it works) gestalt for a game on this board and was playing with ideas for how to overcome Con penalties with Hellfire Warlock. There is of course Binder: Naborious, or there's the idea of using the Incarnum Strongheart Vest.

However, seeing as how Obtain Familiar is like the #3 feat in the cookie cutter Duskblade build it made me think. Would it work out pretty well to do: Improved Familiar (Imp or Coure Eldarin) and then grab a few wands of Lesser Restoration for it to use on you every round after you take the con damage? I suppose you could do this with a normal Warlock anyway, since they are considered casters. What's the potential pitfalls, benefits, etc. that I am not seeing.

Oh, and would the familair be able to use deceive item?

I am quite aware of the questionable nature, the debate, etc. around Strongheart Vest, I know it's questionable. I'm not even advocating it, I'm just mentioning it as one of the standard options people mention. If you really want to argue about it go get another thread to debate that.

Optimystik
2010-07-11, 01:02 PM
The main one I can see is that if your familiar is doing that, then he's not in your Familiar Pocket and thus you are at risk of losing a fair amount of XP when he gets targeted. An Imp can get around this somewhat by staying invisible, while a Coure can become incorporeal.

Ernir
2010-07-11, 01:07 PM
An annoying thing about making your familiar use UMD is that even though it shares your skill ranks, it doesn't share your charisma modifier. Less of a problem when you're using something like an Imp, though.

And no, there is nothing that allows your familiar to use your class features, like Deceive Item.

You might want to look at the Rod of Bodily Restoration in the Magic Item Compendium instead of UMD-ing a wand. It's cheaper and lasts forever (but is less flexible).

aivanther
2010-07-11, 02:05 PM
Rod of Bodily Restoration strikes me as rather risky, as you are limited to 3 uses a day. That would mean you would have only 12 uses of hellfire blast before you were out of charges to restore yourself.

thompur
2010-07-11, 05:50 PM
'Only' 12 times per day? That's a lot, unless you have an abnormal number of encounters per day.
Also be sure to have a Con that's odd, so the first use of Hellfire doesn't really hurt.

Critical
2010-07-11, 05:55 PM
Be a Necropolitan, duh?

Ernir
2010-07-11, 05:59 PM
So, buy a combination of

1 wand, no rod
no wand, 1 rod
1 wand, 1 rod
2 rods

Which fits how steady your hellfire usage ends up being.


Be a Necropolitan, duh?

Hellfire doesn't work if you're immune to constitution damage.

Optimystik
2010-07-11, 06:02 PM
I would just go with the Binder dip. Naberius has pretty neat abilities besides the ability damage healing, especially for a Cha-focused party face 'lock. Take 10 on Diplomacy and no penalty for rushing the check is pretty badass.


Be a Necropolitan, duh?

Mmm, tasty foot.

Keld Denar
2010-07-11, 06:18 PM
Do note that a spell trigger item has the same casting time of the spell in the spell trigger item. So a Wand of Lesser Restoration would have your familiar swishing and flicking for 2 full rounds before the effect finally goes off in the 3rd. That keeps you from really moving evasively while hes chargin up the lazers.

If you do go with the wand, see if you can get one made by a Paladin. Paladins get Lesser Restoration as a 1st level spell, so you could get a wand of it for only 750g instead of 6 times that.

Quirinus_Obsidian
2010-07-11, 06:43 PM
Be a Necropolitan, duh?

In order for the Hellfire abilities to work, you need a CON score, and have the ability to take CON damage. That is why the Binder dip for Naberius works. Plus: being a Binder.

added:
If you have a flexible DM, allowing a greater bloodline from Unearthed arcana would be sweet. It definitely smells of rotten feta, but it works. 12d6 hellfire damage? yes please.

Tokiko Mima
2010-07-11, 07:18 PM
Rod of Bodily Restoration strikes me as rather risky, as you are limited to 3 uses a day. That would mean you would have only 12 uses of hellfire blast before you were out of charges to restore yourself.

Which is why you'd have more than one rod if you plan on blowing that many points of constitution. You can afford 8 Rods of Bodily Restoration for the cost of a single Wand of Restoration. It's even slightly less expensive than a Wand of Lesser Restoration. They're seriously cheap! :smallwink:

Darrin
2010-07-11, 10:13 PM
If you do go with the wand, see if you can get one made by a Paladin. Paladins get Lesser Restoration as a 1st level spell, so you could get a wand of it for only 750g instead of 6 times that.

Not quite. Paladin's caster level can't go below 2, so the cost is actually 1500 GP for a wand of lesser restoration (1 x 2 x 750). Still, a lot cheaper than 4500 GP for a 2nd level spell.

dextercorvia
2010-07-11, 10:21 PM
Not quite. Paladin's caster level can't go below 2, so the cost is actually 1500 GP for a wand of lesser restoration (1 x 2 x 750). Still, a lot cheaper than 4500 GP for a 2nd level spell.

But an Archivist can can cast 1st level paladin spells at 1st level.

taltamir
2010-07-12, 06:42 AM
I see no reason in the rules why you couldn't do that... but the problem with doing it via wand is the ridiculously expensive cost.

And BTW, an eldarin coure is much harder to harm then an imp... and both of them are perfectly capable of casting at you from withing your pocket...

Anyways, I would suggest simply getting a familiar that can cast restoration at will as a racial ability. Considering all the at will abilities creatures get, there has to be one that has that.
Heck, can't you bind a living spell as a familiar? get a living restoration spell as a familiar :P