E6 Warlock Build Optimization

[NeverSleep]

I'm mostly looking for feats and equipment, as I'm pretty sure I'll be taking Warlock all the way to 6.

My google-fu(which is pretty weak) was unable to come up with a thread that addressed this so...

Help me optimize the E6 WARLOCK!!!

Are there invocations in other books besides complete adventurer? Which are worth getting?

Which feats/invocations should I take while building up to 6? Which should I save for the extra feats that will come in the "end game"?

I'm going 32 point buy, so stat blocks would be helpful.

Others in party are a wizard going into weapons-crafting, and a war-blade.

Lastly, what do you guys think of the warlock's power level in E6? Would it be good to splash a level of rogue(for SA) or something? But then to lose the one lesser invocation would be tough... Thoughts?

Thanks guys.

[Zonugal]

What type of warlock do you want to be?

[gorfnab]

A read through the Warlock Information Compilation (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=2915.0) might help a bit.

[Zaq]

Is your GM going to let you get extra Lesser Invocations with your epic feats, or are you stuck with just the one?

[NeverSleep]

I'll be able to take more lesser invocations, one every 5 "extra" feats.

I would like to be the ranged kind, so no glaive-lock.

[NecroRick]

Welp... the Warlock in E6 is interesting, because you're a one trick pony, e.g. you get to pick basically one thing to be good at. Here's some ideas:

A better summoner than the summoners...
(1) Summon Swarm
(2) Devil's Sight
(4) X
(6) Hungry Darkness

A blaster, but you have to choose between mega-damage (e.g. Brimstone - if they fail their reflex save to catch fire they'll take a minimum of 7d6 damage (5d6 now, 2d6 next round)) and Eldritch Chain. Prior to level 6 you just get debuffs added to your blast. If you like debuffs, then Chain might be better.

NB: for a mere 16,000gp, you _can_ have your cake and eat it too. See p127 of Complete Mage

A better necromancer than the necromancer...
(1) X
(2) Y
(4) Z
(6) The Dead Walk

A better charmer/friend of animals than the Enchanter/Druid
(1) X
(2) Beguiling Influence
(4) Call of the Beast
(6) Charm

Note that Charm is language dependent.

Call of the Beast (Complete Mage)
Least; 2nd
You gain a rapport with the beasts of the world. You gain the wild empathy ability as a druid of your warlock level and can communicate with animals as if under the effect of speak with animals. This invocation lasts for 24 hours.

Do diplomancer stuff to get your diplomacy check up high. It's kind of cheesy, but the diplomacy skill is probably more balanced with characters 10 levels higher than you in mind (e.g. at low amounts of pluses it is basically impossible to convince anyone to do anything)

Other options are at will invisibility, at will 40 ft dimension door + distracting illusion (yay! You too can be a blink dog)

Now for a step up in crunch/abusiveness

Depending on the number of people in the party there is an even stronger option - Icky Thump, aka Stony Grasp. It lasts 1 round/level, so you can have 6 of them out at a time. I say depending on the party... they make great tanks/battlefield control if you don't have any in the party. I'd say be careful you don't overly abuse this one. If you do have fighters or rogues, then use it to help them (ie give them flanking, channel the monsters _to_ certain places or _away_ from certain places (ie so the Wizard can cast spells from the back of the party in peace))

Lastly, for sheer game breaking OMG-ness, you don't have to look past Voracious Dispelling. Better dispelling than the abjurer.

-----

For items and feats... feats are kind of cheap in your case, but the combo of Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot should come with a warning: "may contain Admiral Ackbar". Aka "ITS A TRAP!".

The problem is this:
Rod of Magical Precision (p128 Complete Mage)
Effect: While you are holding a rod of magical precision, any ranged attack you make with a spell or spell-like ability at an opponent engaged in melee does not take the standard –4 penalty on your attack roll.
Cost: 12,000gp

Here's the catch - unless you take those feats, you might as well not fire off an Eldritch Blast until you get the Rod, because your odds of hitting anything are going to suck, and suck hard. Once you do get the Rod, you wasted two feats. So you have a choice of suck now, or suck later.

[BIGMamaSloth]

Necrorick, you kept saying 1,2,4,6. where those feats? Because unless I don't know something about E6 you get feats at 1,3,6.

never mind those are invocations.

[Abemad]

You could go for a rogue/warlock stealth build with the darkness spell-like ability invocation and the darkness feats from drow of the underdark (blend into shadow for hide in plain sight, fade into darkness for +5 competence bonus to hide checks, instinctive darkness to cast darkness as an immediate action and intensify darkness to cast deeper darkness.)
Couple that with the invocation that lets you see in magical darkness :smallwink:

[Roak Star]

If you're going to be taking from drow of the underdark, you might as well take at home in the deep, the feat that lets you see through magical darkness. And while you're at it, the sudden swarm invocation.

[Thiyr]

If you want to focus on blasting, here's what I'd say would work out really well.

Frightful Blast: Those penalties are quite nice, and the potential for stacking if anyone else in the party gets any kind of fear effect is nifty as well.

Baleful Utterance: This is just plain useful. Shatter at will means that if you run into mundane stuff you don't plan to keep but need to be rid of, you can probably get rid of it. A great utility knife of destruction.

Entropic Warding: If you're going for the blasting, worry about ranged attacks, and focus on staying out of range (to at least do something with your move). That means the 20% miss chance is a good thing to have around. Leaving no scent or trail is nifty as well.

See the Unseen: Potentially less useful, but enemies can start using invisibility in e6, so being the guy who knows where people are and can point it out/toss some flour in their face to show where they are is potentially useful. If you think the DM is gonna toss you that kind of stuff, not a bad choice.

Spiderwalk: Mobility is just plain useful. If they can't follow you, they can't hit you with melee stuff, putting you at the advantage. Think of it as a lesser version of Fell Flight (below)

As for your lesser invocations, I'd say you have two or three big choices if you want to go a-blasting.

Eldritch Chain: Good choice if you plan to use frightful blast. Admittedly, you only hit two things with it, but at that point, you're damaging and debuffing two enemies potentially, making it still worth it imo.

Fell Flight: If you take this, I'd also suggest picking up Eldritch Spear. Then just soar above everyone's heads, playing aerial bombardment. Then you have very, very little reason to worry about the swordguys. Also useful for providing recon and scouting.

If you plan on doubling up as the party's sneak-y guy, Walk Unseen. I'd suggest this one less than the other two personally, because while good, invisibility will break on attack, and you won't get as much out of it unless you have sneak attack or are using it in conjunction with other lesser invocations (like Fell Flight or Flee the Scene).

I'd suggest against earthen/stony grasp, personally. It's not that great, and for the one big thing you get, it's not a big enough game changer. Same with brimstone or hellrimbe blast. Beshadowed Blast might be useful, but personally I'd prefer frightful in e6.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

First of all, in E6 you can have a level adjustment without losing levels, the cost is a reduced point buy (Source (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?352719-necro-goodness-E6-The-Game-Inside-D-amp-D&p=7764860#post7764860), first spoiler). That means using Pixie (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/sprite.htm#pixie) will give you flight, permanent invisibility, DR, SR 21, bonus feats, spell-like abilities, and ability scores of Str 4, Dex 16, Con 8, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 14.

Get Flyby Attack so you can move out from behind total cover, use Eldritch Blast or an invocation, and then move back behind total cover in the same round. Opponents will have to either move around to you, ready an action to hit you during your turn, or target an area effect to hit you, none of which should be very worrisome considering your DR, SR, and invisibility.

Consider the feats Deceptive Illumination and Fascinating Illumination in Drow of the Underdark. Each grants you an extra use of your Dancing Lights spell-like ability, and you can spend a use of that to instead use Silent Image or Hypnotic Pattern as a spell-like ability.

For your invocations I'd get Eldritch Spear, Baleful Utterance, Summon Swarm, and Eldritch Chain. Work toward getting Gloves of Eldritch Admixture (MIC, 2,500 gp), Bracers of the Entangling Blast (MIC, 2,000 gp, makes your EB deal half damage but Entangles opponents for 1d3 rounds), a Warlock's Scepter (MIC, 8,305 gp), a Chasuble of Fell Power (MIC, 8,000 gp lesser, 18,000 gp greater), and a Hat of Anonymity (MIC, 12,500 gp, continuous DC 22 Nondetection)

Maximize and Empower Spell-Like Ability: EB could be extremely useful. You wouldn't be able to use any blast shape or eldritch essence with them, but when you spend charges from the Warlock's Scepter or the Gloves of Eldritch Admixture your damage would be considerably higher.