hexblade warlock multi-class

[Rentirith]

tl:dr; i need mental attention for trying to attempt this build.


okay people, time to get down to business.

i want to make a human hexblade-warlock multiclass character, with a possible eldritch theurge or acolyte of the skin prestige class thrown in there. (i know, i know, AoS! AHH! but it works thematically with my character.)

I want him to be a ranged controller (queue chilling tentacles and wall of flame) but also able to hold my own in a 1v1 melee fight. Yeah, its crazy, but a guy can dream, right?

I also want to have a major devil bloodline and all of the fiend heritage feats.

I can feel the pure, seething rage coming off of some of you right now, but dont worry, it gets better.

I want him to be a melee-lock, and the dm wont let me get eldritch glaive.:smallfurious: He says he doesnt want to draw from anything other than:
PHB 1 & 2
DMG
MM
Complete adventurer, arcane, mage, scoundrel, and warrior
Tome of Magic and Battle

so no hellfire warlock either. dang he's picky.

Yep. i just killed some of you with un-adulterated loathing for the human race.

since most of you haven't guessed, he is based off of Daimon Hellstrom from Marvel, an extremely bad-ass magic man.

I am going to keep the levels about the same between hexblade-warlock, since the campaign will be fairly long, the character reusable, and no level cap (no 12 hexblade/8 warlock stuff.)

I am going to be using a trident, if that matters, but its one handed, so i can still cast invocations and crap. ive got all of the spell-like abilities planned out, plus some of the feats as before mentioned (heritage).

What i need from you, noble forumers of giantitp, if you have not already doomed me in your minds to the very pits which have spawned my character, is the in between stuff. It doesnt have to be starting a the very beginning, but just something to aim for.

For example: i know that i wont be able to obtain the chasuble of fell power near the beginning, but i will still need it for my character at some point.

i am starting on the hexblade path to get the weapon focus: Trident.

I am going to get the quasait familiar from DMG around character level 8 or 9.

and there you have it peoples. one prospective player perilously possessed with the possibilities presented to him.

EDIT: i saw that i said ranged controller and melee-lock, so to clarify: a little bit of both, i guess. Ranged controlling powers, but also melee ability (which is where the hexblade theoretically comes in.)

[Troacctid]

Hexblade, Warlock, and Acolyte of the Skin? And you want Chilling Tentacles and Wall of Fire to be the keystones of your combat strategy? Even a straight Warlock 5/Acolyte of the Skin 10 doesn't get greater invocations until 16th level (AKA when the other casters are casting 8th level spells). Tack 4 levels of Hexblade on there and your primary combat strategy isn't coming online until level 20 (AKA well after most campaigns are already over). And that's without spending extra xp on three bloodline levels.

What are you looking to get out of Hexblade? Because if it's just for a little extra melee combat ability, I notice your DM is allowing Tome of Battle, which would get you a lot more mileage with a lot less investment.

[Rentirith]

i see your point, and am now trying to think up ways to circumcise the hexblade for other melee-ness.

I am drawn to the duskblade, but it seems to have even more limited spells than the hexblade, plus no familiar, so i would have to spend feats for that.

Im not to excited with the tome of battle combat-system, as it seems extremely confusing.

i guess im looking for a way to utilize my trident (im going to be the demon/devil hunter kind of guy, so ive got the specs on my weapon configured to that) along with warlock powers.

Is there a way to do that without using hideous blow, as it blows hideously? perhaps just feats would supplement my unhealthy melee obsession. I dont know.

[nedz]

i see your point, and am now trying to think up ways to circumcise the hexblade for other melee-ness. :smalleek:


I am drawn to the duskblade, but it seems to have even more limited spells than the hexblade, plus no familiar, so i would have to spend feats for that. Duskblade gets many more spells than Hexblade — the trick is to use Arcane Strike to power your attacks, and the remaining spells for utility. Duskblade 20 is probably a better build than any you have looked at.


i guess im looking for a way to utilize my trident (im going to be the demon/devil hunter kind of guy, so ive got the specs on my weapon configured to that) along with warlock powers.

Is there a way to do that without using hideous blow, as it blows hideously? perhaps just feats would supplement my unhealthy melee obsession. I dont know.

The three two melle Warlock tricks are Eldritch Glaive and Eldritch Claws — both of which are denied to you. I'm not sure how you build a melle warlock without them. Here's (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?159708-Shinken-s-Guide-to-Melee-Warlocks) a guide to melle Warlocks — I think you are out of luck using this concept in this game.

[Troacctid]

There are not a lot of good ways to blend Warlocks and melee combat in the books you have available. Not if greater invocations are important to your build, anyway. Pretty much any multiclassing you do is going to mean delaying greater invocations for multiple levels, so you're going to spend most of your career without them, unless you're starting at a pretty high level.

If your goal is to have a character who can fight competently in melee with a trident while also having access to longer-range battlefield control like wall of fire and black tentacles, you're probably better off with someone who can cast those spells as spells rather than as invocations. How about Warmage? They can cast in armor, they get so many spell slots that the stuff you want is basically at-will, they have a fine selection of ranged BFC spells (including wall of fire and black tentacles), and they can actually qualify for all the melee/caster hybrid prestige classes that Warlocks can't.

You could go something like Devil Bloodline 3/Warmage 4/Warblade 1/Jade Phoenix Mage 10. Warblade and Jade Phoenix Mage let you rumble in melee with the best of them, and you have a crapton of artillery and control spells to harass your enemies from a distance, plus even a few like Fist of Stone, Blades of Fire, Ring of Blades, and Fire Shield that can help in close combat.

[Kane0]

You're really shooting yourself in the foot with this one :smallamused:

I'd recommend begging your dm for some homebrew, even if its just a feat like whats found here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=14851032&postcount=2)

[Taveena]

There's also Hideous Blow, but as it doesn't let you full attack... well, as people've said before me, Hideous Blow blows hideously.

[Optimator]

Hexblade dips have their place, for what it's worth. There's that great cookie-cutter antipaladin build that uses Paladin of Tyranny and the ACF Dark Companion Hexblade to great effect. The first three levels have great synergy with Charisma. I have a Rogue3(? might be 4) Hexblade 3 Avenging Executioner X Ghost-Faced Killer Y that's tons of fun to play.

[Ellowryn]

To put things rather bluntly, you cannot do anything you want with your build with how you have currently built it.

There is no way you are going to be any better in melee than you are at range without Eldritch Glaive or Eldritch Claws and even then your ranged ability is going to be much weaker than many other classes, and multi-classing (as previously pointed out) is only going to delay your ability to get access to what few control abilities warlocks have. And your feat selection is pretty much only thematic. And unfortunately the only real way to fix would be to grab Eldritch Disciple or Theruge from Complete Mage, but at that point you are playing a cleric or wizard with some warlock stuck in there for things to do with your actions when you don't need to cast spells.

[nedz]

You're really shooting yourself in the foot with this one :smallamused:

I'd recommend begging your dm for some homebrew, even if its just a feat like whats found here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=14851032&postcount=2)

If Homebrew is on the table, then this (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?110567-Invoking-Hexblades) is exactly what you are looking for.

[Rentirith]

thanks guys, and as you can see from me trying to *circumsize* the hexblade, i meant circumvent.

i am not smart with words.

now, i have considered all of this, and am now going to make just a regular warlock, to get a feel for the class, and then maybe dip into a class from Tome of Magic. im thinking that the truenamer would work well with the warlock, as each have unlimited spell like abilities, and getting truename magic is a good way to gain the ability to buff my party members. i asked my dm about it, and he said that it sounds interesting, though i should also consider shadow magic.
keep in mind that this tome of magic dipping would probably be around level 16. Also, i just saw this: you can only have one dark invocation, correct?

[Rentirith]

holy crap, never mind. i was looking at the truenamer class, then looked on google for info on how to optimize, and my eyes bled.

This class...why WotC? Why? it could have been equal to the wizard or sorcerer!

[nedz]

thanks guys, and as you can see from me trying to *circumsize* the hexblade, i meant circumvent.

i am not smart with words.

now, i have considered all of this, and am now going to make just a regular warlock, to get a feel for the class, and then maybe dip into a class from Tome of Magic. im thinking that the truenamer would work well with the warlock, as each have unlimited spell like abilities, and getting truename magic is a good way to gain the ability to buff my party members. i asked my dm about it, and he said that it sounds interesting, though i should also consider shadow magic.
keep in mind that this tome of magic dipping would probably be around level 16. Also, i just saw this: you can only have one dark invocation, correct?

Warlock 20 will have 3 Least, 3 Lesser, 3 Greater and 3 Dark Invocations — before any acquired from the Extra Invocation feat. Though I'm not really sure that there are 3 good Darks.

You probably ought to look at Dragon Fire Adept, which gets 2-2-2-2 invocations (from a slightly different list), plus Dragon Breath weapons instead of Eldritch Blast.

[LentilNinja]

Right so the achievement list goes:

Warlock Hexblade
Acolyte of the Skin
Devil Bloodline
Fiendish Heritage
Battlefield Controller
Good in 1v1 combat


Thats.. uh.. I mean, this is Gestalt right? But seriously.

Talk to your DM about Practiced Spellcaster on Warlock, where it'll boost your EB damage (a co-creator of cArc talked about it I believe). As mentioned, Hexblade 2 or 3 would work out well. Going up to Acolyte 4 may be the best bet without losing too many CLs.
If this is definitely the kind of character you want, I think Eldritch Theurge needs to be achieved ASAP so you don't fall behind in power. As for melee, the most I can think is to get a reach weapon that allows maybe trip attacks and do battlefield controller shenanigans. Don't win through strength, win through deceit. (As for the somantic components of an invocation, you could rest your weapon on your shoulders with one arm as you cast.)

As a quick and maybe flawed build, this is what I'd pick:
Warlock 2 (1st feat: Practiced Spellcaster if you can use it to progress EB)
Hexblade 2 (3rd: Pick Precious Apprentice for entry tricks, assuming you're allowed to)
Eldritch Theurge until you can get into Acolyte of the Skin for 4 levels (pick whatever feats after that)

[Rentirith]

Right so the achievement list goes:

Warlock Hexblade
Acolyte of the Skin
Devil Bloodline
Fiendish Heritage
Battlefield Controller
Good in 1v1 combat



Lol! now that i saw it in writing, i realize even more how ridiculous it is. Unfortunately, the DM is not allowing gestalt characters. I am, however, moving toward a purely warlock character, who will later multiclass to another magic class; currently i am mostly considering the binder class, as it has some fairly good 'passives' and at-will spell abilities, which should go nicely with my unlimited invocations. i have decided to give up on heritage and bloodline. I now want to make a more powerful character than to theme him after anything.

if i were to go into the binder class after level 16, what vestiges would i be most interested in? ive skimmed the ones found in tome of magic, and other than some such as karsus, i dont see any that jump out at me as imperitave to get.

[LentilNinja]

Lol! now that i saw it in writing, i realize even more how ridiculous it is. Unfortunately, the DM is not allowing gestalt characters. I am, however, moving toward a purely warlock character, who will later multiclass to another magic class; currently i am mostly considering the binder class, as it has some fairly good 'passives' and at-will spell abilities, which should go nicely with my unlimited invocations. i have decided to give up on heritage and bloodline. I now want to make a more powerful character than to theme him after anything.

if i were to go into the binder class after level 16, what vestiges would i be most interested in? ive skimmed the ones found in tome of magic, and other than some such as karsus, i dont see any that jump out at me as imperitave to get.

Just as a note, the build I showed is not gestalt and may be useful if you like it :P