Full BAB PRC that will Advance Warlock Casting/Build Advice

[Yogibear41]

Hey I'm working on a build for a Primarily Melee Warlock who just uses invocations/EB as back up weapons/support, when smacking something with a sword doesn't work. What I really need to finish it out is a full BAB class that can advance the Warlock's Invocations. I'm looking at something like Warlock 8/Paladin of Tyranny 2, but will also go Warlock 6/Paladin of Tyranny 4 if having 1st level divine spells will help me qualify for a class. Basically I am trying to maximize my BAB, and get at least 1 Dark level Invocation (effective level 16) by level 20/21 so I could qualify for the Epic Warlock feats. (primarily the one that lets me teleport/plane shift at will)

I've looked at going Warlock 8/Blackguard 3/Eldritch Disciple 8/Exotic Weapon Master 1
(I get exotic: bastard sword prof free with the race I am using)

But figured that burning 3 feats to qualify for blackguard probably wasn't worth the minor spell casting ability it would give me, but I could be wrong.

The lost Tradition feat, to make blackguard casting, Charisma based is available to me as well. To reduce MAD. (I guess technically I could make it STR based with that feat, but that seems cheesy to me)

[zergling.exe]

Eldritch Knight (loses 1 CL), Spellsword (CW, loses 5 CLs), and Abjurant Champion (CM, only 5 levels) work if you can get your DM to allow warlock to qualify for them. Otherwise, classes that warlocks qualify for are 3/4 BAB max normally.

[Troacctid]

Abjurant Champion, Cyran Avenger, Dragonslayer, Doomlord, Gray Hand Enforcer, Impure Prince, Platinum Knight, Skylord, and Scion of Tem-Et-Nu are all accessible to Warlocks. However, there aren't any that won't drop caster levels, unless you're a kobold.

[Yogibear41]

Abjurant Champion, Cyran Avenger, Dragonslayer, Doomlord, Gray Hand Enforcer, Impure Prince, Platinum Knight, Skylord, and Scion of Tem-Et-Nu are all accessible to Warlocks. However, there aren't any that won't drop caster levels, unless you're a kobold.

Probably should have mentioned im LE, so that excludes about half of those, how do you qualify for Abjurant Champion, other than taking a class that gives you 1st level arcane spells?

[Grim Reader]

Probably should have mentioned im LE, so that excludes about half of those, how do you qualify for Abjurant Champion, other than taking a class that gives you 1st level arcane spells?

Warlocks qualify for Precocious Apprentice. Or Nosomatic Chirurgeon, but that is halfling-only I think.

[Yogibear41]

"Choose one 2nd-level spell from a school of magic you have access to"

Warlocks don't have access to a school of magic though.

[nedz]

Human, Magical Training and Precocious Apprentice can be argued to qualify for Abjurant Champion - however you can cast 0 and 2nd level spels, AC requires a 1st.

Illuminium with Magical Training and Improved Sigil (Krau) should work though.

[Troacctid]

Probably should have mentioned im LE, so that excludes about half of those, how do you qualify for Abjurant Champion, other than taking a class that gives you 1st level arcane spells?

You multiclass into a class that gives you 1st level arcane spells. (Duskblade, if you want full BAB.) That's why I said you can't do it without dropping a caster level (unless you're a kobold).

You can get in without dropping a caster level if you're a kobold, via the Greater Draconic Rite of Passage (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a).

[Yogibear41]

I'll probably just go back to the Warlock/Blackguard plan then, and just take the those feats. Having 8/10 levels in the Eldritch Disciple Prestige class will help me get more epic bonus feats once I continue it into epic levels. Based on other classes it would probably get a bonus feat every 3 levels higher than 10th, and I could even pick up epic spellcasting eventually, although I doubt I would ever actually get to such a level.

[MisterKaws]

You're a Warlock; just cheese Deceive Item to spam Divine Power and get some decent classes. If you're planning to go epics, you should prepare in advance and leave some empty feat slots for extra invocations, since those epic Warlock feats get REALLY cheesy.

You could also go Eldritch Disciple and just use epic PrC advancement to get more feats too, though Eldritch Theurge could get cheesier(Spellblast/Greatreach Blast+Lord of All Essences? yup, screw the action economy).

On the epic feats:

Dark Transient: Well, you can't win against epic Wizards at this point, might as well just outmaneuver them.

Master of the Elements: Summoning armies of elementals is always cheesy, although it won't help on stronger opponents.

Morpheme Savant: Diplomancy at its finest.

Paragon Visionary: I think it's kinda ridiculous, though getting some 3-4 non-epic feats could partially replicate the effects.

Shadowmaster: Trivializing Shadowcraft Mage since 2007.

Verminlord: Devastation Beetle?

[Psyren]

Ur-Lock gets full BAB from Divine Power, Dark Invocations and 9th-level divine casting.

[Yogibear41]

You're a Warlock; just cheese Deceive Item to spam Divine Power and get some decent classes. If you're planning to go epics, you should prepare in advance and leave some empty feat slots for extra invocations, since those epic Warlock feats get REALLY cheesy.

You could also go Eldritch Disciple and just use epic PrC advancement to get more feats too, though Eldritch Theurge could get cheesier(Spellblast/Greatreach Blast+Lord of All Essences? yup, screw the action economy).

On the epic feats:

Dark Transient: Well, you can't win against epic Wizards at this point, might as well just outmaneuver them.

Master of the Elements: Summoning armies of elementals is always cheesy, although it won't help on stronger opponents.

Morpheme Savant: Diplomancy at its finest.

Paragon Visionary: I think it's kinda ridiculous, though getting some 3-4 non-epic feats could partially replicate the effects.

Shadowmaster: Trivializing Shadowcraft Mage since 2007.

Verminlord: Devastation Beetle?

The only ones I'm really interested in are Dark Transient, Shadowmaster, and maybe Eldritch Sculptor if I can use it to get two hideous blow attacks, although by that level if I can make a full attack I will probably be better of just taking 4 standard attacks, depending on my stats and those of the monster in question. The others don't really fit my character concept. This character would start at level 1. I just plan out all my builds to go into epic levels, have never actually gotten to them before.

[nedz]

Hexblade with Precocious Apprentice

Hexblade / Warlock / Abjurant Champion

[ExLibrisMortis]

The only ones I'm really interested in are Dark Transient, Shadowmaster, and maybe Eldritch Sculptor if I can use it to get two hideous blow attacks, although by that level if I can make a full attack I will probably be better of just taking 4 standard attacks, depending on my stats and those of the monster in question. The others don't really fit my character concept. This character would start at level 1. I just plan out all my builds to go into epic levels, have never actually gotten to them before.
Hideous Blow is pretty bad in general, Eldritch Glaive (Dragon Magic) or Eldritch Claws (Dragon 358) is where it's at.

[Inevitability]

Knight Phantom is another full BAB PRC that grants 9/10 arcane casting progression, but its entry requirements are very difficult to qualify for as a warlock.

You may be able to convince your DM to let a Sanctum Spell'ed Phantom Steed gained through Precocious Apprentice qualify, or perhaps combine Magical Training, Arcane Disciple (Spider) and a Fiendish Pact for a 3rd-level slot.

[Troacctid]

Knight Phantom is another full BAB PRC that grants 9/10 arcane casting progression, but its entry requirements are very difficult to qualify for as a warlock.

You may be able to convince your DM to let a Sanctum Spell'ed Phantom Steed gained through Precocious Apprentice qualify, or perhaps combine Magical Training, Arcane Disciple (Spider) and a Fiendish Pact for a 3rd-level slot.

It's actually not that hard. You can qualify with a dragonmark. The bigger problem is that you have to throw away a feat for Still Spell, which does stone nothing for a warlock. Ask your DM if you can replace it with Sudden Still.

[Yogibear41]

Hideous Blow is pretty bad in general, Eldritch Glaive (Dragon Magic) or Eldritch Claws (Dragon 358) is where it's at.

I know, I only plan to use it when I can't full attack. Extra damage on a standard action attack is just what I am going to use it for. Eldritch Claws doesn't really fit the character concept, and I don't have enough feats to make it do the high amounts of damage it can anyway.

[Yogibear41]

It's actually not that hard. You can qualify with a dragonmark. The bigger problem is that you have to throw away a feat for Still Spell, which does stone nothing for a warlock. Ask your DM if you can replace it with Sudden Still.

This could actually work, but I am not playing a human. However I remember that bit about the reincarnation rules getting by that, but then again we aren't playing in Eberron anyway, so I might be able to grab those dragonmarks all the same.

[ShurikVch]

how do you qualify for Abjurant Champion, other than taking a class that gives you 1st level arcane spells?By hiring somebody who is able to cast Imbue with Spell Ability (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/imbueWithSpellAbility.htm) as arcane spell

[Taveena]

To be entirely honest my standard operating procedure here is to use Sanctum Spell alongside Magical Training to count as being able to cast a first level spell. Precocious Apprentice with either the Mother Cyst feat or the weird non-list spells from BoED/VD is a slightly more ambiguous option - ask your DM.