Warlocks and Multi-classing

[Jeargroth]

Need help with a Ruling peoples... hope you folks can give me some feed back on how it should work. Warlocks and Mulit-classing. Certain Classes that increase Arcane casting levels increase Number of Invocations known and Eldrich Blast ability. However, I am trying to determine if it does or doesn't effect the Level of Invocations known. Ie Least, Greater, Dark. Dark is available at level 16. So if one Multi-classes do they have to post pone the taking of Dark Invocations till they hit level 16 Warlock or can they take them if the levels of Warlock and (Insert Prestige class here like Hellfire Warlock) equal 16?


In my opinion it is a game changing ruling. I personally think they should be counted like the Invocations. Like a caster gains spell levels and spells per day. I think the Warlock should gain his Invocation levels as well as his Invocations known.

However, I am looking for other opinions and would like some discussion. If my read is correct great... If you disagree please let me know as well. Politely if you can, for my ego is fragile and I bruise easily. ;)

Jeargroth

[Telonius]

Well, for Prestige Classes, they'd explicitly allow new invocation levels. I believe the direct quote is in the text at the start of the Prestige Class section of Complete Arcane.

For a multiclassed character, I don't believe there are any base classes that would do what you're saying. Warlock10/Wizard10 gets the same Eldritch Blast damage as Warlock 10, not Warlock 20.

[Jeargroth]

I pulled this from the New DnD tools:

Warlocks benefit in a specific way from prestige classes that have "+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class" or "+1 level of existing spellcasting class" as a level advancement benefit. A warlock taking levels in such a prestige class does not gain any of his class abilities, but he does gain an increased caster level when using his invocations and increased damage with his eldritch blast. Levels of prestige classes that provide +1 level of spellcasting effectively stack with the warlock's level to determine his eldritch blast damage (treat his combined caster level as his warlock class level when looking at the advancement table to determine eldritch blast damage) and his eldritch blast caster level (half his total caster level from his warlock levels and his levels in the prestige class that grant him an increased spellcasting level). A warlock also gains new invocations known at these prestige class levels as though he had gained a level in the warlock class.

Hence the way I am posing the question... I am not concerned about Blast damage at this point... things like Hellfire Warlock and the +1 arcane class levels clearly state they increase. What I am looking for further clarification on is the Level of Invocations. Again from Dnd tools:

The four grades of invocations, in order of their relative power, are least, lesser, greater, and dark. A warlock begins with knowledge of one invocation, which must be of the lowest grade (least). As a warlock gains levels, he learns new invocations, as summarized on the advancement table and described below. A list of available invocations can be found following this class description, and a complete description of each invocation can be found in Chapter 4 of this book.

So this is where I am looking for feed back on the interpretation of the wording. Are the levels considered one of the special abilities and there-by not subject to +1 caster level mechanics? Or do they count as part of his Invocations known and thus increase accordingly when Prestige classes are taken? Spell casters who gain this ability gain, spell levels as well as numbers of spells so this is why I am asking... Warlocks have spell levels too they are just not called such.

thanks in advance to everybody who chimes in and can help resolve this.

[torrasque666]

*sigh* shoulda just said what it was rather than where ya got it from...

[(Un)Inspired]

-snip that reveals too much-

(Sigh) this is why we can't have nice things.

[Telonius]

Prestige classes advance invocations as though he were a Warlock. If the Warlock had stayed a Warlock, he would have gotten Invocations at higher levels. So if he's Prestige Classing, he would also get Invocations at higher levels.

Let's put it this way:


When a new arcane trickster level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class.

This does not mean that an Arcane Trickster is stuck at 3rd level arcane spells forever. He gets new spell levels at the levels he would have gotten, if he'd taken levels in whatever spellcasting class he has.

[Jeargroth]

Thank-you posters... I wanted other opinions than my own. The Table lists the Abilities for Greater, Lesser, Dark, Least under Special not under Invocations. Its possibly because they were cutting corners, but I want backing before I take to a GM.

[Chronos]

The text puts them under the same heading, though. The table is just for convenience.