Maximum Damage-Dealing Warlock Build?

[neovenator250]

Looking to make a pure (no multi-classing) Warlock with the Great Old One patron who deals as much damage as possible. Or can I be much more effective with a Fiend-pact?

[Daishain]

Going for straight damage, yeah fiend pact would be better

As for the rest, blasting or smacking?

[neovenator250]

Going for straight damage, yeah fiend pact would be better

As for the rest, blasting or smacking?

Either, but I was thinking blasting

[neovenator250]

also, is Pact of the Tome or Pact of the Blade a better option when concerned with damage?

[Daishain]

If blasting, tome. If smacking, blade.

I would suggest the former. The latter can be effective, but you are vulnerable as all heck.

As for the build:
-Make sure to get Charisma up to 20 as quickly as feasible
-As should be fairly obvious, Eldritch Blast is your go to source of damage. Make sure to get all three of its invocation upgrades.
-Other invocations to snag: ancient secrets(because those rituals are too damn useful, and you can't always be blasting), Witch Sight(so your targets can't hide from you using spells), Ascendant Step(so your targets can't retaliate), Devil's sight(so your targets can't hide from you using darkness)
-Common tactic when facing a few targets is to Cast Hex on him, and just keep smacking with EB. He dies, direct the Hex to his buddy and repeat.
-How often you use your standard spells depends heavily on how often you get to rest. If you don't get a short rest between every combat, you will be relying almost exclusively on cantrips.
-Feats, roughly in order of suggested usefulness: Spell Sniper, extra damage causing cantrip, also greatly improves all ranged attack spells. Mage Slayer, great for when someone with a bigger spell list tries to take you on. War Caster, Not quite as useful for you as if you had gone bladelock, but helpful nonetheless. Moderately armored, can't go wrong with a little more protection, also needed for... Shield Mastery, very useful for avoiding those hostile spells.

[Edge of Dreams]

also, is Pact of the Tome or Pact of the Blade a better option when concerned with damage?

None of the pacts have any real effect on your damage output, because your best damage will almost always be from Eldritch Blast with the invocation to add Charisma mod to the damage of each hit, or casting an AoE damage spell when there's enough targets to justify it.

[Aramis Rhett]

If you are going for blaster, blade pact would be ruled out. As for your patron, Hurl Through Hell is pretty nasty with an easy prerequisite (anyone who says 10d10 damage is "okay" is a moron imo). On the other hand, Enthrall can be IINCREDIBLE. Merchants, Generals, Nobility, Royalty, all are susceptible to the effects. And it isn't Enthrall like the 2nd level spell, the target simply takes the charmed condition, to which you have advantage on any social interaction rolls (puppet master). The aspect of this that seems like 'bait' is the telepathy aspect. Imagine being asleep, wake up, and boom there is a voice in your head. I would run to clerics and be screaming "I gots voices in muh head!"

Edit: As far as "max damage goes" spring True Polymorph, turn the target into a worm, maintain concentration for the full duration so the effect is permanent, then take it fishing. Now, if you just want to nuke, Witch Bolt as a 5th level spell will do 5d12 damage, which is very respectable.

[Daishain]

On the other hand, Enthrall can be IINCREDIBLE.
I don't know about incredible. Its just an indefinite duration version of Charm Person, a level 1 enchantment that's already on the Warlock spell list if you really want it.

You get advantage on diplomacy rolls. Ok, that's nice. But almost anyone worth charming is going to have decent sense motive skills. One failed roll while talking to him and boom, he's off to the cleric to get you out of his head. Not quite worth that's the risk of sneaking into their bedchambers. and beating someone up in order to use this ability would seem to just shorten the time before he goes to the cleric

I'd rather have it be a weak version of domination. IE. they will actually directly follow instructions, but get wisdom saves to break free under certain circumstances.

[Aramis Rhett]

I don't know about incredible. Its just an indefinite duration version of Charm Person, a level 1 enchantment that's already on the Warlock spell list if you really want it.

You get advantage on diplomacy rolls. Ok, that's nice. But almost anyone worth charming is going to have decent sense motive skills. One failed roll while talking to him and boom, he's off to the cleric to get you out of his head. Not quite worth that's the risk of sneaking into their bedchambers. and beating someone up in order to use this ability would seem to just shorten the time before he goes to the cleric

I'd rather have it be a weak version of domination. IE. they will actually directly follow instructions, but get wisdom saves to break free under certain circumstances.

Sense motive got blanketed under Insight. Just letting you know (still catch myself using the old skill names too). But it will play out AMAZINGLY at my table. Our DM bases a charmed person "wanting" to make an Insight roll based on the plausability of what they are being told, if they have reason to suspect it is something bad they are being led to believe/do, and on how well the conversation is RP'd. And technically, just sleeping into their bedchambers would suffice. Sleep is already a condition that makes a creature incapacitated. A weak version of Dominate Person would indeed be absolutely disgusting. Even if you only get one good use out of that casting, it would be worth it.

[neovenator250]

How viable would a Fiend pact Bladelock be if you're taking the attitude of skirmishing, but not worrying about getting hit? Go with a Strength-based skill array using Blade Ward, Armor of Agathys, Flame Shield, Hellish Rebuke, and your Patron Boons, every time you get hit, you deal your attacker damage and you buffer yourself via Temporary Hit Points. Use a Glaive as your Pact Weapon and take the Polearm Mastery feat with Lifedrinker and Hex running, as well as using Eldritch Blast with War Caster