Nishruu and warlocks

[Asgurgolas]

So, we all know how Nishruus are able to frak up spellcasters.. but what of the actual interaction between them and warlocks? Warlocks have no spell slots to drain, yet they count as spellcasters.... I'm actually pretty confused at it... any help, please?

[DrMotives]

Looking at the description from Monsters of the Faerun, I see it looks like RAW for them is thus: Warlock invocations are not spells, and should be able to affect Nishruu normally. Also, there is no way for a Nishruu enveloping a warlock to drain spells from said warlock, unless the warlock is also a spellcaster.

However, the book was published very early in 3.0, before invocations, psionics, Incarnum, or ToM. In fact only psionics of those are 3.0 at all. You could argue that RAI invocations used against a Nishruu work as spells. Every invocation has an effective spell level, so mechanically speaking this is easy to do. Basically a warlock's best bet is to blast with fire-based EBs, as fire & cold specifically aren't absorbed by a Nishruu, and they have cold resist 10.

In the 2nd version, a warlock is still not vulnerable to having power drained like a caster would.

[KillianHawkeye]

Warlocks count as spellcasters for the purpose of advancement via prestige classes that add "+1 to existing spellcaster level", but that's all. They don't actually cast spells. Their invocations are all spell-like abilities.

[Gruftzwerg]

Basically a warlock's best bet is to blast with fire-based EBs, as fire & cold specifically aren't absorbed by a Nishruu, and they have cold resist 10.


Sure that a regular Eldritch Blast wouldn't be as effective as fire?

EB has an attack role and thus counts as physical attack (form not damage type) and has untyped damage. Imho it should be enough, but not sure on this cause my knowledge about Nishruu is very limited..^^

[torrasque666]

Sure that a regular Eldritch Blast wouldn't be as effective as fire?

EB has an attack role and thus counts as physical attack (form not damage type) and has untyped damage. Imho it should be enough, but not sure on this cause my knowledge about Nishruu is very limited..^^

Except that EB is an invocation, and thus an SLA (that's what the (SP) in its text means). Specifically, Eldritch Blast is an SLA and "the equivalent of a spell whose level is equal to one-half the warlock’s class level (round down), with a minimum spell level of 1st and a maximum of 9th when a warlock reaches 18th level or higher."

So it still has a spell level, its still an SLA, its still subject to SR.

However, Spell-Likes were a thing when the Nishruu was printed and it makes no mention of those. So anything wielding SLAs should be fine. But then again, SLAs are called out as functioning identical to the spells they imitate (barring some few uniques), minus being able to be counterspelled/counterspelling with them. So they would probably actually be subject to the same rules that a spell would be. (Fire and cold spells deal damage, all other forms of damage heal it)

[JoranShadeslayr]

Except that EB is an invocation, and thus an SLA (that's what the (SP) in its text means). Specifically, Eldritch Blast is an SLA and "the equivalent of a spell whose level is equal to one-half the warlock’s class level (round down), with a minimum spell level of 1st and a maximum of 9th when a warlock reaches 18th level or higher."

So it still has a spell level, its still an SLA, its still subject to SR.

However, Spell-Likes were a thing when the Nishruu was printed and it makes no mention of those. So anything wielding SLAs should be fine. But then again, SLAs are called out as functioning identical to the spells they imitate (barring some few uniques), minus being able to be counterspelled/counterspelling with them. So they would probably actually be subject to the same rules that a spell would be. (Fire and cold spells deal damage, all other forms of damage heal it)

The errata for CA made EB equivalent to a 1st level spell.

[Asgurgolas]

Thanks for your replies :p I kind of suspected that, but the main question would be "What would happen to a warlock engulfed inside a nishruu".
About treating SLA same as spells would work (a fiend's fireball SLA would actually be treated the same as a normal fireball), and EB actually has guides on how to treat is as spells.. I mean nishruus EAT magic, an eldritch blast wouldn't be different from any other magical ray on that account.

Anyway, altough they use SLA, they have an infinite amount of uses of EB, so I was thinking of "They wouldn't be able to use EB for 1d4 rounds, with a cumulative +1 rnd for every round in which the warlock stands inside the affected area". A warlock wouldn't go stupid as wizards would, for their magic is "different" and not tied to personality or intellect, but they would possibly go from fatigued to exhausted instead, depending on the severity of exposure. Any ideas? Also considering how to reverse it. Feeblemind (on normal casters) can only be removed by high-level magic (heal, limited wish, miracle, or wish). Fatigue and Exhaustion can be removed with low-level spells (one restoration, or two lesser restorations), and altough i don't want to utterly punish a warlock, I feel like they should suffer something comparable to other casters about the state of removal, yet it makes no sense to say" you're permanently fatigued/exhausted 'till somebody casts Heal or Wishes otherwise".
Being unable to use EB for longer time? A feebleminded wizard or sorcerer are both useless (magic-wise and role-playing wise) by having int and cha set to 1. A Warlock could still EB his or her way around, as warlock are the only single class in the whole system that actually depends on no stat.. you could play a warlock with all 3's and your EB would be mostly unchanged unless you use particular shape/Effect invocations that require a saving throw. Still, it still feels unfair somehow


Dunno, what do you say? (yeah I love twisted questions XD)

[Asgurgolas]

*Bump in case*