yet another build advice thread (human undying light bladelock)

[Yagyujubei]

so while some choices here might not be optimal I made them as part of the RP of my character, obviously he's going to focus mainly on fire and light magic, but everything else is going to be mind-controlly type stuff. In the game were playing as the special inquisition squad of a corrupt religion that is controlling a theocratic dystopia. We think we're lawful good, but in reality are evil. Just as a note, my DM ruled that I could summon two weapons with my bladepact ability.

Human Warlock (5)

Story for those interested: He born to a common familiy in the city and as a child was burned alive by his parents at the first sign of arcane magical talent which is the law of the church. Instead of dying though the child laughed gleefully as his flesh melted an peeled away and seemed to enjoy it. Not sure of whether this was a miracle or a work of demons the parents brought the child to the church where they attempted to burn him alive again to the same result. The high council who caught wind of this decided that it was a sign from Solaros that the child should be spare so that they may use him as a weapon of their holy will so he was taken from his parents and taken to a facility where he was tested upon, tortured and conditioned to obey his handler and the members of the Order of Absolution.

The indoctrination worked but his mental state is now tentative at best due to his isolation and the conditioning he underwent. Though he has his lucid moments he spends most of the time talking to a strange mote of light that seems to follow him around wherever he goes that he claims he can communicate with and allows him to speak to "him", and entity that he first saw as a child inside the flames and claims to catch glimpses of every now and then to this day.

Stats:
12
17+1 Racial for 18
15+1 from resilient CON for 16
10
15
17+1 racial for 18

Feats:
racial feat: Resilient CON
lvl 4 feat: dual wielder

Blade Pact

Undying light patron:
Radiant Soul

Invocations:
Devils sight
Agonizing blast
Thief of the five fates (since I didn't need thirsting blade yet and nothing else seemed super standout, I thought this was kinda on theme with the campaign/character)

Spells:

0- Sacred Flame, Light, GFB, EB, Friends
1- Burning Hands, Hex, Charm Person, Armor of Agathys or Protection from evil and good (which i think fits the character better but obviously is inferior)
2- Flame Sphere, Suggestion, Hold Person
3- Daylight, Fear (not ideal i know, but again i think it fit the character)

-Why no fighter level? I know this would be ideal, but my character was just a normal kid before his arcane power manifest and after that he was taken to be studied and brianwashed so I didn't think it appropriate.

a couple questions:

-so I need to get war caster and would like to get dex and cha up to 20, but the question is what order to take? do I go war caster first or try to cap out CHA and DEX for maximum lifedrinker potency?

-are there any UA/EE/SCAG/etc. spells that I didn't list because I'm not aware of them that would be good for the build (i pretty much only know about GFB because ppl talk about it alot)

-anything better than just two longswords as my weapons? I dunno if there are any new weapon options aside from whats in the PM

[Sicarius Victis]

Since Spellcasting (Sacred Flame, Eldritch Blast, Green-Flame Blade) and Attacking (Thirsting Blade, Dual Wielder) are mutually exclusive, I'd suggest sticking with one or the other. Specifically, I'd suggest sticking with your cantrips. At the level you're at, GFB is almost always going to be much better than attacking, and your other cantrips are a lot more useful at range than an extra longsword would be. Also, with your character's backstory, why would he even be able to dual-wield longswords in the first place?

Now that I think about it, why is he even using longswords? He'd only be proficient with one of the two, and that's still only if he's using it as his Pact Weapon.

And really, if you want DEX as your main stat, you're better off using rapiers anyways.

[Yagyujubei]

i get both weapons as pact weapons so I don't have to worry about proficiency...but you're right about longswords, I forgot they're STR weapons since i always use rapiers. was just trying to try something new for a change lol. and yeah, I'm gonna go primarily GFB for now, but once you get lifedrinker it becomes more optimal with TWF (esp, when both blades count as pact weapons) so I wan't to have that ready for later. I guess I could hang back on taking dual wielder for now...but the +1AC is pretty important too.

as for why he would be able to use swords/dual wield in the first place, it would have been part of his training and conditioning to become a member of this inquisition order.

[Sicarius Victis]

i get both weapons as pact weapons so I don't have to worry about proficiency.

Warlocks only get one Pact Weapon, and having a Pact Weapon rapier doesn't give you proficiency with rapiers in general...

Unless you're using homebrew, then things get weird.

[Yagyujubei]

no seriously, in my first post i mentioned the my DM ruled that I could summon both main and offhand weapons as my pact weapons, so both will get the full benefits of Pact of the blade. that means I get proficiency with both weapons, theyre both magic, they can both be summoned, they both get lifedrinker etc. etc.

[Sicarius Victis]

Alright, then. Still, though, that doesn't change the fact that for you, casting GFB is inherently better than attacking with two weapons.

[Yagyujubei]

yeah it def. is until I get lifedrinker, so maybe taking warcaster as my 4th level feat is the way to go, and then just get dual wielder once TWF actually becomes the optimal choice in a few levels.

EDIT: Damnit though, i just realized without the 1 level dip in fighter i dont get access to the fighting style so I'll never get to add DEX to my offhand attack...

[Citan]

so while some choices here might not be optimal I made them as part of the RP of my character, obviously he's going to focus mainly on fire and light magic, but everything else is going to be mind-controlly type stuff. In the game were playing as the special inquisition squad of a corrupt religion that is controlling a theocratic dystopia. We think we're lawful good, but in reality are evil. Just as a note, my DM ruled that I could summon two weapons with my bladepact ability.

Human Warlock (5)

Stats:
12
17+1 Racial for 18
15+1 from resilient CON for 16
10
15
17+1 racial for 18

Feats:
racial feat: Resilient CON
lvl 4 feat: dual wielder

Blade Pact

Undying light patron:
Radiant Soul

Invocations:
Devils sight
Agonizing blast
Thief of the five fates (since I didn't need thirsting blade yet and nothing else seemed super standout, I thought this was kinda on theme with the campaign/character)

Spells:

0- Sacred Flame, Light, GFB, EB, Friends
1- Burning Hands, Hex, Charm Person, Armor of Agathys or Protection from evil and good (which i think fits the character better but obviously is inferior)
2- Flame Sphere, Suggestion, Hold Person
3- Daylight, Fear (not ideal i know, but again i think it fit the character)

a couple questions:

1-so I need to get war caster and would like to get dex and cha up to 20, but the question is what order to take? do I go war caster first or try to cap out CHA and DEX for maximum lifedrinker potency?

2-are there any UA/EE/SCAG/etc. spells that I didn't list because I'm not aware of them that would be good for the build (i pretty much only know about GFB because ppl talk about it alot)

3-anything better than just two longswords as my weapons? I dunno if there are any new weapon options aside from whats in the PM
Hi mate! Interesting story, freaking good stats!

1. Actually I'd say you don't NEED to max DEX and CHA. It's nice, sure, it's definitely better having 20 than 18, but you are not so in a hurry.
Since you are gearing towards, melee, I'd be biaised into maxing DEX first, since it ups AC, initiative, and weapon to-hit.

In comparison, CHA improves the DC of your spells by 1, and it's basically it: it doesn't affect spell known as others, it doesn't affect your weapon damage (not until lvl 12), and it's "only" a +1 improvement on DC, for spells you cast with only 2 slots per short rest.

Warcaster is a mixed bag: the better concentration would be very nice if you use concentration spells often, and Booming Blade on OA would make a nice improvement. But you would still have to rely on a hit.

My opinion would be...
- If you feel you are reliable enough already with weapon attacks...
- Or you are smart enough to often get OA...
- Or if you use spells such as Hold Person regularly...
Take Warcaster first.

If you rather would improve your martial efficiency overall, and tend to use slots for defense, boost DEX first.

Only if you really use save or suck spells in every fight should you improve CHA. Otherwise, stick with that 18 at least until you get Lifedrinker (but even then, I'd say some feats are more worthy than a +3 damage per turn, seriously).

2. Away from SCAG but to my knowledge, only the cantrips were added, so no loss. Away from UA so couldn't say. As for EE, I'd say Elemental Bane is a pretty obvious choice for you if you tend to be rather the blaster type. Can be pretty nasty with a good concentration (Warcaster) combined with Green Flame Blade.
For cantrips, Create Bonfire is the other obvious choice for when you don't have anything else for your concentration, because of CHA bonus (if you manage to create a blockade, you could easily tank here: make the fire in front of you. XD).

3. Can't help you on that point, sorry.

Side note: bumping DEX and CHA is always great. But if you gear towards melee, as long as you have someone in your party that can help a bit with to-hit (Bless, Help, shoving enemies prone etc), I'd say don't hesitate one bit if you'd prefer feasting on feats rather that bumping stats: Warcaster, Mobile, Mage Slayer, Spell Sniper, Moderately Armored or Ritual Caster (Wizard) would all be great choices and will bring arguably more than a bump, although obviously in a slightly lesser array of situations.

[Sicarius Victis]

Hi mate! Interesting story, freaking good stats!

1. Actually I'd say you don't NEED to max DEX and CHA. It's nice, sure, it's definitely better having 20 than 18, but you are not so in a hurry.
Since you are gearing towards, melee, I'd be biaised into maxing DEX first, since it ups AC, initiative, and weapon to-hit.

In comparison, CHA improves the DC of your spells by 1, and it's basically it: it doesn't affect spell known as others, it doesn't affect your weapon damage (not until lvl 12), and it's "only" a +1 improvement on DC, for spells you cast with only 2 slots per short rest.

Also increases to-hit with spell attacks, as well as damage for EB and all spells that he casts that do fire/radiant damage.

[Citan]

Also increases to-hit with spell attacks, as well as damage for EB and all spells that he casts that do fire/radiant damage.
Very true, but for a character that tries to be in melee, it didn't seem that important to me. ;)

ESPECIALLY on such a "lowish" level: it would add 1 extra damage on Burning Hands roll, 1-3 on Scorching Ray (depending on DM), 1 on Sacred Flare, 1 on Flaming Sphere (unless DM houserules then it's 10 ;) and here it's worth it).

Sure, in a whole career, it will amount to a much larger dealt damage overall. But in a single fight, this will rarely make the difference because enemies have already too much HP to be dispatched in one-two turns by a single character.

Compare to that...
Warcaster: Booming Blade (or Eldricht Blast) as OA: extra damage (for a melee character, obviously) equal to the "hurt if you move" effect. AFB but I'm pretty certain it's much more than 1. Plus better concentration for Hold Person, Hex or Flaming Sphere. And freedom to cast or hit without micro-managing second weapon sheathing. ;)

+DEX: +3 per turn (Extra Attack + bonus action), and another +1 if OA. Not including better to-hit, AC and Initiative.

Mage Slayer: interrupts spell as OA. Possibly preventing a dangerous spell before it's even cast. Also increases chance to break concentration, and improve defense against casters.

Mobile: free disengage + more movement, meaning more margin to just avoid attacks by putting yourself in a better position.

Ritual Caster: Find Familiar (Help Action) + a large bunch of great spells (including Leomund's Tiny Hut from which you could Sacred Flame away XD).

Spell Sniper: perfect with Fire Bolt (especially in combination with Elemental Bane) or Eldricht Blast, makes ranged a great option in many more situations thanks to double range and (except full) cover nullifying. ;)

Whether you look at improving overall melee offense, overall ranged offense, overall defense, or situationally great abilities, feats can bring much more to the table than a +1/+2 per turn. Not when enemies already have HPs by the dozens.
Especially true for a caster with significant melee biais and limited spellcasting.

I would have given different opinions for level 2 character (where +1 can make a difference) or level >11 character (where you get a 3rd spell slot and Lifedrinker comes into play very soon).
Or for a Draconic Sorcerer which would obviously rely essentially on fire related cantrips and AOE spells (where +1 on roll can mean +5<x<+10 in total), with better resource management since you can cast just the right spell level for the right group of enemies.

[Sicarius Victis]

You aren't wrong, and I wasn't trying to say you were. I just thought that I ought to add in the few things that you had missed.

[Yagyujubei]

oh man i just realized the synergy between AoA and Radiant resilience at 10th lvl too, thats a possible 40 temp hp and 25 dmg per hit against me, and if i add fire shield to that oh boy. that's a good point about capping dex first, I think I might go with that. also I decided after explaining that my character would have gotten training to become part of the unit, it wouldnt but out of place to start with a level of fighter so I dont need to take resilient CON anymore.

[Sicarius Victis]

THP from multiple sources, such as AoA and Radiant Resilience, don't stack.

[Yagyujubei]

meh, even in that case i can still take a hit for free with the RR thp and then cast AoA for another couple free hits. I'm totally gonna try and squeak it past my DM though and see if he allows it or not.