CyberThread
2014-10-19, 01:41 PM
The Eldritch Archer: Warlock vs Fighter
What we are comparing, Fighter Eldritch Knight using a bow vs a Warlock using Eldritch Blast(Fluffed to be a bow and arrow). While we will judge a few things like stealth, mobility, and abilities that enhance conditions; we will be mainly focusing on ranged combat.
Equipment for comparison
Some sort of Magical Long Bow 1d8 piercing damage 150/600 range
Eldritch Blast 1d10 force damage 120 ft or 300ft with Evocation.
Gains of new attacks:
Warlock: 5th 2, 11th 3, 17th 4
Fighter: 5th 2, 11th 3, 20th 4
Class Benefits for specifically archery
Fighter: Archery +2 to attack rolls, Action Surge: Burst Damage, Eldritch Knight Spells, Magically bound and summonable two weapons. Cause Disadvantage after a weapon attack (Works with ranged attacks) for the next spell you cast. 30 ft teleport, when you use action surge. Can add DEX to your bow attacks.
Warlock: Superior Spells, Familiar or extra spells, Patron Choices, 10 feet spell push per hit, 300 ft range. Bit more complex will cover deeper below.
Spell Comparison:
Fighter: 4th level wizard spell selection evocation and abjuration. Several options that can provide useful tools and range blasting or buffing when needed.
Warlock : Crowd Control and Illusion Spells
Things to Consider for the Warlock:
Pacts: Archfey and Great Old one, the fiend while a few very nice spells like firewall and fireball, lacks class features that helps an archer all that much.
Archfey: This subclass offers one off features per rest.
Charm or frighten those around you in a 10ft radius.
If you get hurt, you can teleport 60ft away and gain invisibly.
Immunity to charm + when another tries to charm you as a recation you can throw it back at them for 1 minute or until they take damage. (Unlimited use)
1 min stun , charmed or frightened, it uses concentration.
Great Old One:
Gain Telepathy 30ft one way
Impose disadvantage on an attack against you, if they miss you gain advantage on your next attack roll which Eldritch Blast counts for.
Thoughts can’t be read, resistance to psychic damage, creature takes same amount of damage as you do.
Create a perment charmed creature that has no save. Can communicate telepathcily , use unlimited but can only have one.
Must have Invocations:
Agonizing Blast: Add CHA to Eldritch Blast Damage
Armor of Shadows : Gain Mage Armor if you chose not to wear armor
Devils Sight: See in Darkness
Eldritch Spear: 300 feet range for eldritch blast.
Repelling Blast: 10 ft push per blast.
Things to consider for the fighter:
This class relies a little more on gear then the warlock , as you can have to find a magical bow for your attacks to get past some damage resist types, also unlike a warlock, your bow an become enchanted. Granting possibilities that the warlock does not have.
The fighter gains a higher damage output, by default having the chance for both magical arrows and bows, and adding DEX to the bow damage. With action surge, you also gain a sort of volley effect, letting you attack all over again allowing a quick damage burst.
The fighter suffers in comparison with spell selections, not having access to as many varied spells, and if deciding to be stealthy lacking many stat bonuses to the stealth skills and needing to rely on the background selection to choose what skills you want, as the fighter naturally lacks the options.
Final Say:
The fighter makes a great brute source heavy hitter archer, with spells that complement in both defensive and offensive abilities to keep you alive and outputting strong damage against those around you in bursts.
While you could try to be stealthy with a fighter, the warlock has greater spell and skill choice selections that lend towards being sly and controlling others, not having the raw damage output of the fighter, you have spells to manipulate the world around you to a higher degree and can never run out of ammo.
So it comes down to this; Fighter Eldritch Knight, make a great pure archer, with various selection of spells to aid and get the job done, while Warlocks can still make the Fighters damage at about 75 to 80% capacity makes a much better sneak and rough control type.
Both are rather impressive filling in the roll of archer, but provide such a wide field of difference in how they play, that you can chose to match your own goals and desires.
What we are comparing, Fighter Eldritch Knight using a bow vs a Warlock using Eldritch Blast(Fluffed to be a bow and arrow). While we will judge a few things like stealth, mobility, and abilities that enhance conditions; we will be mainly focusing on ranged combat.
Equipment for comparison
Some sort of Magical Long Bow 1d8 piercing damage 150/600 range
Eldritch Blast 1d10 force damage 120 ft or 300ft with Evocation.
Gains of new attacks:
Warlock: 5th 2, 11th 3, 17th 4
Fighter: 5th 2, 11th 3, 20th 4
Class Benefits for specifically archery
Fighter: Archery +2 to attack rolls, Action Surge: Burst Damage, Eldritch Knight Spells, Magically bound and summonable two weapons. Cause Disadvantage after a weapon attack (Works with ranged attacks) for the next spell you cast. 30 ft teleport, when you use action surge. Can add DEX to your bow attacks.
Warlock: Superior Spells, Familiar or extra spells, Patron Choices, 10 feet spell push per hit, 300 ft range. Bit more complex will cover deeper below.
Spell Comparison:
Fighter: 4th level wizard spell selection evocation and abjuration. Several options that can provide useful tools and range blasting or buffing when needed.
Warlock : Crowd Control and Illusion Spells
Things to Consider for the Warlock:
Pacts: Archfey and Great Old one, the fiend while a few very nice spells like firewall and fireball, lacks class features that helps an archer all that much.
Archfey: This subclass offers one off features per rest.
Charm or frighten those around you in a 10ft radius.
If you get hurt, you can teleport 60ft away and gain invisibly.
Immunity to charm + when another tries to charm you as a recation you can throw it back at them for 1 minute or until they take damage. (Unlimited use)
1 min stun , charmed or frightened, it uses concentration.
Great Old One:
Gain Telepathy 30ft one way
Impose disadvantage on an attack against you, if they miss you gain advantage on your next attack roll which Eldritch Blast counts for.
Thoughts can’t be read, resistance to psychic damage, creature takes same amount of damage as you do.
Create a perment charmed creature that has no save. Can communicate telepathcily , use unlimited but can only have one.
Must have Invocations:
Agonizing Blast: Add CHA to Eldritch Blast Damage
Armor of Shadows : Gain Mage Armor if you chose not to wear armor
Devils Sight: See in Darkness
Eldritch Spear: 300 feet range for eldritch blast.
Repelling Blast: 10 ft push per blast.
Things to consider for the fighter:
This class relies a little more on gear then the warlock , as you can have to find a magical bow for your attacks to get past some damage resist types, also unlike a warlock, your bow an become enchanted. Granting possibilities that the warlock does not have.
The fighter gains a higher damage output, by default having the chance for both magical arrows and bows, and adding DEX to the bow damage. With action surge, you also gain a sort of volley effect, letting you attack all over again allowing a quick damage burst.
The fighter suffers in comparison with spell selections, not having access to as many varied spells, and if deciding to be stealthy lacking many stat bonuses to the stealth skills and needing to rely on the background selection to choose what skills you want, as the fighter naturally lacks the options.
Final Say:
The fighter makes a great brute source heavy hitter archer, with spells that complement in both defensive and offensive abilities to keep you alive and outputting strong damage against those around you in bursts.
While you could try to be stealthy with a fighter, the warlock has greater spell and skill choice selections that lend towards being sly and controlling others, not having the raw damage output of the fighter, you have spells to manipulate the world around you to a higher degree and can never run out of ammo.
So it comes down to this; Fighter Eldritch Knight, make a great pure archer, with various selection of spells to aid and get the job done, while Warlocks can still make the Fighters damage at about 75 to 80% capacity makes a much better sneak and rough control type.
Both are rather impressive filling in the roll of archer, but provide such a wide field of difference in how they play, that you can chose to match your own goals and desires.