help optimizing hellfire warlock

[Kaos wolf]

so ive got a level 5 warlock currently and am looking to go hellfire. my character is going to be focused on range casting. Any help on maximizing damage output would be appreciated. all books are allowed in my current campaign

[Snowbluff]

Legacy Champion (Champions of Legacy) can be used to increase the Hellfire Warlock's Hellfire Blast Dice/Invocation Progression.

Shape Soulmeld Strongheart Vest or Bind Vestige Naberius will offset the Constitution damage.

Eldritch Claws + Beast Strike from the Dragon Magazines turn a Warlock into a good damage dealer with a Monk or Unarmed Swordsage dip.

If your DM allows Hombrew, I am making a warlock fix that let's them qualify for a wider variety of PrCs and feats, as well as bakes in the Hellfire Warlock. It's mostly done for the parts you'll be using, I'll only be adding more abilities to the Pay with Madness and Pay with Flesh lists.

[Kaos wolf]

what book is the legacy champion in?

I was planning on using the vest to offset the con damage, and I was trying to keep my warlock as far away from combat as possible seeing as i have rolled utter crap for health every level.

I like your idea for the warlock changes and will try to convince the dm to let me use it.

[JBento]

Mind you, there's hot debating on the forums on whether Legacy Champion can increase your class features to levels that do not exist (i.e., Hellfire Warlock 4).

I haven't read it (LC), so I have no take on the matter.

Strongheart Vest is another hot topic; since it makes you immune to the Con damage you'd take from the HFW ability, some argue that you can't use it. I haven't double checked the RAW, but the RAI and written fluff are pretty clear that it doesn't work. Check with your DM. Naberius is a clear cut, workable way, though.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Get a level of Binder from Tome of Magic to bind Naberius, which makes you heal 1 point of ability damage per round per ability score. Since Hellfire Blast deals a point of Con damage to you whenever you use it, you can do a Hellfire Blast every round and heal that back on your next turn. Just be sure your Con score is an odd number, since you'll almost always be down one point, so your HP won't be moving up and down with a changing Con modifier.

Legacy Champion is in Weapons of Legacy, the pertinent sections of the class abilities are as follows:
Class Features: At each level except 1st and 7th,
you gain class features and an increase in effective
level as if you had also gained a level in a class to which
you belonged before adding the prestige class level.

And then:
A hellfire blast deals your normal eldritch blast damage
plus an extra 2d6 points of damage per class level.

It would really be up to your DM whether or not it would progress beyond Hellfire Warlock 3.

[Kaos wolf]

thanks for the ideas. does anyone have any ideas on how to maximise damage further and also increase my survivability?

[Snowbluff]

Strongheart Vest is another hot topic; since it makes you immune to the Con damage you'd take from the HFW ability, some argue that you can't use it. I haven't double checked the RAW, but the RAI and written fluff are pretty clear that it doesn't work. Check with your DM. Naberius is a clear cut, workable way, though.

It works by RAW, since Strongheart Vest can't hand out immunities. Naberius works for fluff and no one can really argue with it for RAW.


thanks for the ideas. does anyone have any ideas on how to maximise damage further and also increase my survivability?

Take Precocious Apprentice, dip Monk/Swordsage and then get Ascetic Mage for Cha to AC. Or just take a level in Battledancer for the Cha to AC.

At higher levels, the second level of Swordsage can give the +2d6 sneak attack Assassin's Stance. Also, some Meta-Spell-like-ability feats would help.

[Kaos wolf]

so lets say my dm won't give me a legacy item what should i do then to maximize the warlocks damage and survivablility.

[Morcleon]

It works by RAW, since Strongheart Vest can't hand out immunities. Naberius works for fluff and no one can really argue with it for RAW.

Strongheart Vest actually works decently well for fluff, as it can be seen as "channeling tiny bits of your soul to the devils, rather than bodily health".


so lets say my dm won't give me a legacy item what should i do then to maximize the warlocks damage and survivablility.

Eldritch Claws, as stated before. If you can be an elan, or other race that qualifies for Rapidstrike/Imp. Rapidstrike, get it. :smallbiggrin:

[Erik Vale]

Psionic Shot and its 2nd both bost damage quite a bit, however you will need psionic meditation if you want it every turn, and Wild Tallent or a level in a psionic class if not a psionic race. (But your already dipping for binder, so dipping for Psion/Psionic Warrior (Name Forgotton, but do that one for extra feats to get it faster) shouldn't be to bad, and it adds some minor spells to your list)

As for defenses, how open is your GM with homebrew? And how Available is Mitheral Breastplate?

[Snowbluff]

so lets say my dm won't give me a legacy item what should i do then to maximize the warlocks damage and survivablility.

Complete Scoundrel for Uncanny Trickster. It's a miniature Legacy Champ.


Strongheart Vest actually works decently well for fluff, as it can be seen as "channeling tiny bits of your soul to the devils, rather than bodily health".

Meh. I think demons would find Incarnum too over-processed to be palatable. It's kinda like the chicken nuggets of soulstuff.


Eldritch Claws, as stated before. If you can be an elan, or other race that qualifies for Rapidstrike/Imp. Rapidstrike, get it. :smallbiggrin:

Beast Strike! Hit with an Unarmed for your Unarmed X2 + Eldritch Blast damage! Dip Monk for FoB and an a start to the Unarmed progression, take Ascetic Monk, and ask if you can use Enlightened Fist to progress Warlock (IDR if you can)


Psionic Shot and its 2nd both bost damage quite a bit, however you will need psionic meditation if you want it every turn, and Wild Tallent or a level in a psionic class if not a psionic race. (But your already dipping for binder, so dipping for Psion/Psionic Warrior (Name Forgotton, but do that one for extra feats to get it faster) shouldn't be to bad, and it adds some minor spells to your list)

As for defenses, how open is your GM with homebrew? And how Available is Mitheral Breastplate?

Eh, I find Psishot too costly and inefficient to make worth it.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

so lets say my dm won't give me a legacy item what should i do then to maximize the warlocks damage and survivablility.

Uncanny Trickster in Complete Scoundrel and Bloodline levels (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm) are probably the easiest way to increase your effective class level.

Something to note about Bloodline levels, they very specifically don't increase your character level. That means a Warlock 1 who gains 1,000 xp can go Warlock 1/ Bloodline 1, and he's still a 1st level character. He only needs to gain 1,000 xp more to gain his next level, so at 2,000 xp he can be Warlock 1/ Bloodline 2. Basically every Bloodline level you take only costs you 1,000 xp, rather than an entire level's worth of xp. At 6,000 xp, the party will be 4th level and you'll have three Warlock levels and three Bloodline levels. You'll have a caster level of 6, max skill ranks of a 6th level character, etc. but still gain xp as a 3rd level character. There's no limit to how many bloodlines you can get, you could pick two major bloodlines and get six bloodline levels before taking Warlock 2.

The Major Fey Bloodline gives you Charm Person 1/day, which will qualify you for Mindbender without spending an invocation, and you can take it much sooner than normal due to the caster level bonus of the bloodline levels. The Major Devil Bloodline is probably the next best choice, especially if you're going with two bloodlines.

The wording of how Bloodline levels interact with per-class-level abilities like Hellfire Blast is a bit more solid in RAW than Legacy Champion or Uncanny Trickster anyway.