glaivelock help

[Nosta]

can some one point me in the direction to a guide to building a glaivelock I like to play one

[martixy]

Where the heck do you guys find these games... :smalleek: I want a gestalt game too!

Anyway, how about a long-range Wizard/Factotum/Arcane Archer build?
Go for ultra-long range and pepper them from afar with all manner of battlefield control spells. You'd even get to shoot them with Forcecage arrows, later - even Disjunction - that one is my favourite.

It's a pretty unique combo, you don't need to pursue damage as the archer build, because your casting side more than makes up for it. And you get to be the skillmonkey too.

Whelp, nevermind... I didn't read that one row...

[MisterKaws]

can some one point me in the direction to a guide to building a glaivelock I like to play one

-Warlock
-Eldritch Glaive
-Hellfire Warlock
-Chasuble
-Warlock's Scepter
-Maximizing stuff
-Empowering stuff
-Killing stuff

[Darrin]

Shinken's Guide to Melee Warlocks (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?159708-Shinken-s-Guide-to-Melee-Warlocks).

New Warlock Handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?252715-The-New-Warlock-Handbook-3-5-WIP).

[Troacctid]

A traditional glaivelock build might look something like this.

CG Human Warlock 9/Hellfire Warlock 3/Warlock 10-17
32 point buy: 14/14/14/14/10/14

Feats: 1. Mortalbane, Nymph's Kiss, 3. Obtain Familiar, 6. Maximize Spell-Like Ability, 9. Celestial Familiar (Coure Eladrin), 12. Quicken Spell-Like Ability, 15. Empower Spell-Like Ability, 18. Craft Wondrous Item

Least invocations: 1. Summon Swarm, 2. Baleful Utterance, 3. Spider Climb/Darkness/See the Unseen/Beguiling Influence/Otherworldly Whispers (pick one), 6. Eldritch Glaive (swapping out Summon Swarm)
Lesser invocations: 6. Fell Flight, 8. Brimstone Blast, 10. Voracious Dispelling/Relentless Dispelling or Walk Unseen (pick one), 16. Whichever you didn't pick at 10 (swapping out Brimstone Blast)
Greater invocations: 11. Vitriolic Blast, 13. Chilling Tentacles, 15. Noxious Blast
Dark invocations: Dark Foresight, Path of Shadow, and Impenetrable Barrier (in any order)

Skills: Concentration (maxed), Spellcraft (maxed), Knowledge (The Planes) (12+ ranks), Intimidate (6 ranks), Use Magic Device (maxed), Knowledge (Arcana) (5+ ranks), and any left over go in Bluff, Sense Motive, Knowledge (Religion), and/or cross-class trained-only skills as you desire.
Basically, you make sure you pick up a familiar that can use wands (so something that has hands and can speak; I like the coure eladrin, but if you don't want to be Exalted, an imp or quasit will do), and you have it move you into glaiving position with Benign Transposition and cure your self-inflicted ability damage with Lesser Restoration as needed. You could theoretically do this build without a familiar, but it's much smoother with one and I strongly recommend using it.

Unless you're starting at a really high level, you need to rush to level 11 ASAP without losing caster levels, because Vitriolic Blast is extremely important to your strategy and you can't afford to delay it. So if you're thinking about dipping in anything that loses a caster level before that point, don't. Sometimes people talk about dipping Binder to heal your Con damage, or dipping Chameleon for a floating feat to help with crafting. These aren't totally unreasonable, but they won't be worth it until after level 15 or so, because the upside you get isn't really worth delaying your higher-level invocations.

Remember that there's plenty to a glaivelock besides the glaive. Make sure you're not a one-trick pony. Stock up on a wide variety of wands and scrolls to abuse your Deceive Item ability. Spend your skill points wisely. Use your other invocation slots to expand your options.

[MisterKaws]

A traditional glaivelock build might look something like this.

CG Human Warlock 9/Hellfire Warlock 3/Warlock 10-17
32 point buy: 14/14/14/14/10/14

Feats: 1. Mortalbane, Nymph's Kiss, 3. Obtain Familiar, 6. Maximize Spell-Like Ability, 9. Celestial Familiar (Coure Eladrin), 12. Quicken Spell-Like Ability, 15. Empower Spell-Like Ability, 18. Craft Wondrous Item

Least invocations: 1. Summon Swarm, 2. Baleful Utterance, 3. Spider Climb/Darkness/See the Unseen/Beguiling Influence/Otherworldly Whispers (pick one), 6. Eldritch Glaive (swapping out Summon Swarm)
Lesser invocations: 6. Fell Flight, 8. Brimstone Blast, 10. Voracious Dispelling/Relentless Dispelling or Walk Unseen (pick one), 16. Whichever you didn't pick at 10 (swapping out Brimstone Blast)
Greater invocations: 11. Vitriolic Blast, 13. Chilling Tentacles, 15. Noxious Blast
Dark invocations: Dark Foresight, Path of Shadow, and Impenetrable Barrier (in any order)

Skills: Concentration (maxed), Spellcraft (maxed), Knowledge (The Planes) (12+ ranks), Intimidate (6 ranks), Use Magic Device (maxed), Knowledge (Arcana) (5+ ranks), and any left over go in Bluff, Sense Motive, Knowledge (Religion), and/or cross-class trained-only skills as you desire.
Basically, you make sure you pick up a familiar that can use wands (so something that has hands and can speak; I like the coure eladrin, but if you don't want to be Exalted, an imp or quasit will do), and you have it move you into glaiving position with Benign Transposition and cure your self-inflicted ability damage with Lesser Restoration as needed. You could theoretically do this build without a familiar, but it's much smoother with one and I strongly recommend using it.

Unless you're starting at a really high level, you need to rush to level 11 ASAP without losing caster levels, because Vitriolic Blast is extremely important to your strategy and you can't afford to delay it. So if you're thinking about dipping in anything that loses a caster level before that point, don't. Sometimes people talk about dipping Binder to heal your Con damage, or dipping Chameleon for a floating feat to help with crafting. These aren't totally unreasonable, but they won't be worth it until after level 15 or so, because the upside you get isn't really worth delaying your higher-level invocations.

Remember that there's plenty to a glaivelock besides the glaive. Make sure you're not a one-trick pony. Stock up on a wide variety of wands and scrolls to abuse your Deceive Item ability. Spend your skill points wisely. Use your other invocation slots to expand your options.

You know there's that soulmeld for nullifying hellfire's con damage right?

[Darrin]

You know there's that soulmeld for nullifying hellfire's con damage right?

There is also a substantial (and unresolved) debate over whether it works and whether it should be allowed to work.

The Naberius bind is less controversial because it heals Con damage after its happened rather than preventing it from happening to begin with.

[Troacctid]

You know there's that soulmeld for nullifying hellfire's con damage right?

Of course. But it's a point of contention whether it'll work or not, so it seems prudent to exclude it from a generic build, especially when the Con damage is already so simple to work around. If your DM allows it, you can probably find room for it in the build—probably instead of Nymph's Kiss or one of the meta-SLA feats.