Tips for good feats for Warlock level 1

[andhaira]

I am playing a level 1 human Warlock (Blast lock) and have the option of selecting extra feats. Sourcebooks allowed:

Core 3.5
PHBII
CArc

That's it. Feats I already have:

Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot

I wanted to take Weapon Focus: EB but need a +1 BaB for that so I will take it at level 3. Another feat I a considering is Necropolis Born, but seems a bit meh. I want something more useful or at least cooler

I can choose 2 more feats at level 1 due to house rules and I can't figure out which to take.

I have already read the Warlock Handbook thread here, it doesn't help. All the good feats need at least 4-6 levels.

Any ideas?

[Flickerdart]

"Weapon Focus: Eldritch Blast" is not a valid selection. However, "Weapon Focus: Rays" is.

[Extra Anchovies]

If you're planning to use Eldritch Essences, Ability Focus (Eldritch Blast) is nice. +2 to all EB-related saving throws.

Also, maybe just a +numbers feat? Improved Initiative, Great Fortitude, that sorta thing.

[nedz]

WF is not a very good feat, especially since you will be expecting to hit most of the time anyway — that said your sources are limited.

Looking at CArc
Sudden Still is useful for when you find yourself grappled.
Battle caster would allow you to upgrade to medium armour, but this is meh if you have any Dex.
One of the 3 SLAs a day feat would be fit with Warlock, but they're not awesome. Communicator and Night Haunt are probably the best FWIW.

Does Core include psionics here ? (They are in the SRD)
I so Wild Talent + Psionic Shot is an option, though there are probably better psi options.

[Troacctid]

I'm AFB, but Mortalbane can be taken at level 1, right? That's a pretty good feat for a blastlock. Nymph's Kiss is also pretty great--Warlocks are always hard up for skill points. You have to be Good, but hey, being Good also means you can get a Coure Eladrin familiar later, which is pretty awesome.

In the Exalted vein, you could also use your extra feats for free qualification as a Sentinel of Bharrai, which lets you polymorph into a bear at will, among other benefits. It's 10/10 casting so the only real drawback to it is the feat tax.

There's also the Darkness feats from Drow of the Underdark if you take Darkness as your level 1 invocation. The one that gives you Hide in Plain Sight is pretty nice on a stealthy Warlock, and the one that upgrades your Darkness to Deeper Darkness lets you qualify for early entry to Paragnostic Apostle, which is a nice prestige class for a blastlock if you don't mind investing in knowledge skills.

Edit: Bah, I guess none of those are in the allowed books. Well, you could pick up Toughness and Great Fortitude and snag some levels in Blood Magus down the line for free crafting feats and a caster level boost. Improved Initiative is always a reasonable choice. Sudden Still could also come in handy as a panic button in case you get grappled--it's best if you have Flee the Scene as a lesser invocation, but you can take the feat at level 1. Spell Penetration might come in handy if you run up against enemies with spell resistance--it falls off in usefulness once you get Vitriolic Blast, but that's a long way away.

[Chronos]

Hmm... At third level, you could take Obtain Familiar. A warlock's familiar won't be as good as a skillmonkey's or a gish's, but they're still pretty handy (certainly worth a lot more than a mere +1 to EB attack rolls).

[Malroth]

Mortalbane, Wild Talent (if working toward psionic shot tree), Martial Study (if working towards Assasians Stance), Shape Soulmeld Strongheart Vest (if Working towards Hellfire Warlock an your DM rules that DR vs con damage is not the same as being Immune to it)

[Mitchellnotes]

I dont remember which book it is in, but the fey heritage feats can be pretty good. Also, +1 on the obtain familiar and then improved familiar for something that can use magic items (with your skills in use magic device). Item crafting feats can also be pretty good eventually when you get the ability to mimic any spell for crafting purposes.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I dont remember which book it is in, but the fey heritage feats can be pretty good. Also, +1 on the obtain familiar and then improved familiar for something that can use magic items (with your skills in use magic device). Item crafting feats can also be pretty good eventually when you get the ability to mimic any spell for crafting purposes.

No, the fey heritage feats are a huge trap that requires several feats. Item Creation feats in general are a huge trap. Instead, dip two levels in Chameleon and you can have any given item creation feat you want, and still have that bonus floating feat doing something useful in combat.

Malrith has some good suggestions. Blend Into Shadows is the feat from DotUD that lets you HiPS with your Darkness invocation. It's mostly used for a more skillmonkey-gish type build.

[Extra Anchovies]

No, the fey heritage feats are a huge trap that requires several feats. Item Creation feats in general are a huge trap. Instead, dip two levels in Chameleon and you can have any given item creation feat you want, and still have that bonus floating feat doing something useful in combat.

Sometimes a feat is a more easily spared build resource than two levels, especially with a casting class.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Sometimes a feat is a more easily spared build resource than two levels, especially with a casting class.

Warlock isn't exactly a casting class, though. Typically, you're more worried about 9th level spells with casters... that's not really the case here. There really aren't many Dark Invocations, and most of them are traps. Once you have Dark Foresight, everything else is gravy. In this case, a floating feat is worth FAR more because not only can it be used to replicate ANY FEAT, including any item creation feat, it also can sub in as, for example, the feat Extra Invocation for a bonus invocation one tier lower than what you can currently use.

Want to make some magic armor? Craft Arms and Equipment. Want to make a ring? Forge Ring. Want to make a Vest of Resistance? Craft Wonderous Item. Want do to all that without burning every feat you earn? Two level dip in Chameleon.

Oh, if you pick up the Charm invocation, you can take a dip into Mindbender for Telepathy then pick up Mindsight and be the party Radar. Not a 1st level trick, but a handy one nontheless.

[Khedrac]

Good feat at level 1: Improved Initiative.

You are pretty squishy so being able to go before your opponents is very useful.

[Mitchellnotes]

No, the fey heritage feats are a huge trap that requires several feats. Item Creation feats in general are a huge trap. Instead, dip two levels in Chameleon and you can have any given item creation feat you want, and still have that bonus floating feat doing something useful in combat.

Malrith has some good suggestions. Blend Into Shadows is the feat from DotUD that lets you HiPS with your Darkness invocation. It's mostly used for a more skillmonkey-gish type build.

I agree with you but I dont think chameleon is in the OPs allowed book list. Hence the need to take some of the crafting feats in other ways. I also agree that the fey line isnt ideal, but again, given the limitations on books (it may not even be in those books, i dont remember its source), it isnt a bad route to go either.

Either way, familiar and esp improved familiar would be a pretty good way to go.

[nedz]

No, the fey heritage feats are a huge trap that requires several feats. Item Creation feats in general are a huge trap. Instead, dip two levels in Chameleon and you can have any given item creation feat you want, and still have that bonus floating feat doing something useful in combat.

Malrith has some good suggestions. Blend Into Shadows is the feat from DotUD that lets you HiPS with your Darkness invocation. It's mostly used for a more skillmonkey-gish type build.

None of these are on the OP's list of source books, which are very restrictive.

[Tarlek Flamehai]

Given your book limitations, I will vote for Improved Initiative as well.

[Blackhawk748]

Could you swing Monster Manual? Because it has a bunch of Metamagic Feats for SLAs, which is what you use.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Could you swing Monster Manual? Because it has a bunch of Metamagic Feats for SLAs, which is what you use.

Those require a CL greater than 1, however, so he wouldn't qualify.

I do concur that Improved initiative is a good feat period. Going first means everything, particularly when you are playing first level rocket tag.

[Blackhawk748]

Those require a CL greater than 1, however, so he wouldn't qualify.

I do concur that Improved initiative is a good feat period. Going first means everything, particularly when you are playing first level rocket tag.

Well thats what i get for recommending that from memory, so save that for 3rd lvl. So ill *insert number here* Improved Initiative.