Making a warlock...

[luthais]

This will be my second campaign, and first spellcaster. Just wondering what you guys think would be a good build. DM says this will be heavy in mass combat, and lots of info gathering in cities and such. Ideas on feats which invocations are the most useful?

[Pickford]

Advice wise, since you can apply at most 1 shaping and 1 essence, I'd suggest picking up one of each for each level (least, lesser, greater, dark) and then 1 other invocation. (i.e. at will spell like ability) (this also works since you'll know 3 invocation of each level before getting the next level of them)

You could go with just finding the shaping invocation and the essence invocations you always want active and then pour the rest into the others...guess it's a style choice really.

[Harrow]

Get Fell Flight as soon as you can. Flying is just so much better than not flying. Other than that, I personally don't have a lot of experience with warlocks. If you have some combination in mind, bring it up here, if something's wrong with it you'll get all sorts of reasons why...

[Malroth]

If you want to be a blaster pick Elan for your race so you can qualify for psionic feats. Grab Psionic shot, psionic meditation, and Greater psionic shot.

If you want some other dirty warlock tricks, Take the Blend into shadows and instinctual darkness feats from drow of the underdark and the darkness least invocation or the hungry darkness lesser invocation. Works best as a strongheart Halfling.

[Cerlis]

sickening blast at low level if you choose an essence, this will be very usefull when you are able to blast several people. The main thing will be that you provide sustained damage even though a power attacker or spellcaster can give more. So keep blasting, especially key targets. You can also pretty much guarentee forcing a concentration check on enemy spellcasters by using a readied action to blast them when they cast.

But of course, with cone blast or even your area blasts you will hit more people. Thats why you do want to do shaped invocations because its the same damage you'd do to one person....but multiple instead. basic math lol. Line for dungeon hallways, and cone for groups of enemies (fight next to someone who can be a meat shield or flie over and you can blast for your full size on a whole group)

I'd also take Dark utterance (shatter) so through the campaign you can shatter glass, items, ropes and any mundane items without bothering with an attack roll. Why get the fighter to waste his shot shooting the ropes of a bridge when you can just shatter it automatically?

I personally advised a friend to take deeper darkness and the eye enchantment. That way he could fill a room with darkness and still see (it works on magical darkness). It would be great if you ever get singled out or if half your party has to close their eyes anyways (medusas), but i'm not sure how optimal that is.

Quickened spell like ability. Two eldritch blasts in one turn (i think the second is weaker damage though)

[Socratov]

A ranged blasterlock is not so great, but in the warlock handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=265455&page=1) enough information and tips and tricks are present

[ShneekeyTheLost]

If you are wanting to play a 'blastolock', then your best bet is probably Battlefield Control/Nerf Bat + Damage.

With this in mind, here are some invocations you might like:

Least:

Eldritch Spear or Eldritch Glaive. The former lets you hit things from further away, the latter lets you get iterative attacks with your eldritch blast at practically melee range Don't do both.

Entropic Warding. Pass Without Trace + No Scent + 20% miss chance from ranged attacks. Pretty solid defensive invocation

See The Unseen. Because you can't hit what you can't see.

Lesser:

Eldritch Chain. Your first multi-target opportunity. If you want to blast, this is how you do it.

Beshadowed Blast. Save or Blind. And you can spam it every round. And if an opponent is blind, he's generally denied dex bonus to AC, in addition to 50% miss chance, so your rogue will have a lot of fun.

Fell Flight. Because if they can't reach you, they can't hit you. Pairs well with Entropic Warding, as you just about guarantee that any attack coming in will be ranged.

Flee The Scene. One of the most powerful invocations available at this level. Dim-Door at will PLUS leaving a fake behind?

Greater:

Chilling Tentacles. It's like Evard's Black Tentacles, with additional Cold damage! Great battlefield control, the damage is a bonus.

Hindering Blast. Save or Slowed. Slowed is NOT something you want to be.

Noxious Blast. Save or Nauseated. Which is tantamount to 'dead'.

Vitriolic Blast. Spell Resistance? No problem.

Eldritch Cone. A bit late to the area-effect blastomancy, but hey... as long as you can avoid Friendly Fire, it's pretty nifty.

Dark:

Any of the previous you haven't already picked up. The only Dark invocation really worth it is Dark Foresight, mostly for the immunity to surprise factor. But if you are going to be focusing on blasting with save or lose effects, you're going to want a repertoire of them. And most of them are Greater.

[Grayson01]

These are the invocations I would take Least: beguiling influence, eldritch Spear, (devil's sight or Dark One's Own Luck) other good leasts leaps and bounds Entropic Warding. Beguiling Influence to help gather info through Diplomacy, Spear (come on do you want 30ft of Blasting or 250ft) Dark One's Own Luck a nice save bonus for a week save or to buff a save if you know what your heading into. Devil's sight lets you see in darkness magical of other wise. So tough choice.
For lesser Hungry Darkness lets you control and shape the battle field. Fell Flight hands down fly above the battle field shape it with globes of hungry darkness. As for your last one if you will fight many spell casters voracious Dispelling if you will be fighting hordes Eldritch Chain or (if combined with Knowledge Devotion feat complete champion, Other Worldly Whispers). Knowledge Devotion gives you bonuses to damage for a knowledge checks and whispers gives you bonuses to the checks.
Greater Invocations: Hell Spawn Grace!!!! Lets you turn into a Hellcat (monster manual 1) chilling Tentacles again let's you control the battle field. Vitriolic Blast lets you hit creatures with SR. Others just to think of wall of perilous Flame and Devour Magic.
Dark Invocations: Retributive Invisibility, Word of Changing and Eldritch Doom.
Feats: Knowledge devotion (see above) extra invocation for a few extra invocations. Mobile Spell-Casting (Complete Adventure). I would also look at the complete Mage and Arcane. Most of the Warlocks I played I used the feats for more invocations. I would also take the Skill Tricks (complete scoundrel) if you take knowledge devotion Collector of Stories. I hope that is a small help