Warlock Minions

[RoboEmperor]

what are some minions Warlocks have access to?

I want to try something different, one that isn't restricted by resources, but of course, I will never change my playstyle, which revolves around summoning and creating both temporary and permanent minions XD.

PrCs are welcome. I'll glady sacrifice any number of class levels for very powerful minions, just not something like 1 warlock/19 wizard.

Some examples of minions that I'm looking for are:
1. Competitive Summon Monster spells (as in you can use it to deal damage, so not Bard progression of SM)
2. Construct Crafting (Effigy, Golem) without a manual
3. Simulacrum
4. Shadowcraft mage/spells
5. Planar Binding (Not ally)
6. Animate dead (skeletal dragons, and a way to get corpses reliably)

On a side note, if you know of a better class than warlock (no resource usage and weaponless combat) I'm all ears.

Edit: No Leadership.

edit2: Current Methods
The Dead Walk - Animate Dead
Charm - Charm Monster
Craft Construct + Imbue Item - All golem crafting

edit3: Epic Level
Shadowmaster - Shades
Master of the Elements - Elemental Summon Monster

[Inevitability]

(Undead) Leadership and the The Dead Walk Invocation come to mind.

[RoboEmperor]

(Undead) Leadership and the The Dead Walk Invocation come to mind.

YES! The Dead Walk are exactly the type of things i'm looking for :D

It's even better than animate dead because you have an option to make a temporary one.

Charm also qualifies.

[Troacctid]

At epic levels, you can get Shades, Summon Monster IX (single elemental only), Dominate Elemental, Dominate Vermin, and/or Demand as invocations.

Devil's Whispers is also a greater invocation.

An imp or quasit familiar might not be fancy, but it shares all your ranks in Use Magic Device.

[Mr Adventurer]

There's one Invocation that is Geas.

[Gildedragon]

If you allow anima Mage to work with warlock there's the pseudonatural beasties

[Gruftzwerg]

there are some swarm invocations. A often missed one is Sudden Swarm from DotU (1st enemy killed by your invocations, incl Eldritch Blast, spawns a spider swarm = free action).

and as said the are epic feat options (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ei/20061027a): 2 noteable ones. One lets you use Summon Monster IX for elementals only, the other gives you access to Summon Monster I-VIII as partially real shades.

and not to forget, with warlock 3 you can take the Obtain familiar feat.

[RoboEmperor]

There's one Invocation that is Geas.

Which one?


If you allow anima Mage to work with warlock there's the pseudonatural beasties

Anime Mage can't work because of its requirements. Have to houserule warlocks in.

Honestly speaking, I don't like familiars because I play loner characters XD. That and I don't like un-expendable minions.

So... there are no prestige class shenanigans that would give me access to more minions? :(

How about corpses? For animate dead.

[Zaq]

Anyone in the deep end of the alignment pool can get a fairly nice zombie (no GP cost and replaceable if it dies) by taking Shape Soulmeld (Necrocarnum Circlet) and Open Least Chakra (Crown). You'll have a lower HD limit than an actual meldshaper would have (the max HD of the zombie is limited by your meldshaper level, which is 1/2 your character level if you just use Shape Soulmeld instead of taking levels in a meldshaping class), but necrocarnum zombies are pretty darn nice zombies even without essentia (if for no other reason than that they're smart, meaning not mindless). Not unique to Warlocks, and Warlocks aren't even uniquely well-suited to use it, but it can come fully online by ECL 6, which isn't bad.

[Mr Adventurer]

Apologies, I was thinking of Baleful Geas, which is a Dragonfire Adept Invocation.