Bard/Warlock Multi-class?

[ElderDarren]

Hello Playground! I am a long time-lurker, recent-ish joiner and I have a request to toss into your collective minds maw.

I am preparing a character for a campaign and I'm a little torn. I wanted to play a sorcerer, but the more I read the more I was drawn to Warlock for the All-Day glory that is Eldritch Blast and Invocations. Throw in a level or two of bard for flavor and spells I'm thinking. I have the following stats to play with before racial bonuses:

Str:11, Dex:15, Con:18, Int:16, Wis:14, Cha:18

I am leaning at present towards a Changeling with the Half-Fey template bolted on which brings my stats to:

Str:11, Dex:17, Con:16, Int:16, Wis:16, Cha:22

So, any advice on this course is welcome playground. I thank you all for you input in advance!

[Nifft]

Don't throw on a level or two of Bard for flavor.

Instead, throw on two levels of Chameleon for flavor and power.

Start out as a Warlock 6; you'd want some way to get Disguise on your class list, perhaps the City Slicker feat (and also Able Learner at level 1, probably from a Flaw).

You might even want to go Warlock 6 / Chameleon 10 -- all day teleporation, and then all the Chameleon's spells on top of the basic Warlock chassis. Finish with Telflammar Shadow-Pouncer 4.

[Malroth]

A bard is a much stronger class than a Warlock unless the warlock is a melee guy or an artificer, If you just want all day magic as a bard, then you could Grab Arcane Disciple to learn a couple cleric domains then grab a Reserve Feat or two.

[weckar]

Warlock/Bard would make for an interesting entry in Eldritch Theurge. Not the most powerful by any means, but with the right combinations of feats you could be strutting around in Heavy Armor doing all that.

[Telonius]

Warlock Bard - now there's a theme that really needs its own prestige class. I'm thinking "Cross Road Blues" as the inspiration.

Without getting into homebrew, would your DM allow Changeling to be "human enough" for Able Learner? Melodic Casting is going to be even more required than usual, since it lets you use Perform for Concentration on SLAs (such as Invocations). Technically it doesn't allow you to use Bardic Music and Eldritch Blast at the same time, but that seems like something a DM might be persuaded to allow.

The stats are very nice, particularly since Warlock doesn't *really* need any stat to function. Between skill points, Charisma, and Beguiling Influence, you're well-positioned to be the party Face (edging into Diplomancy territory).

[ATHATH]

Why not take levels in the Heartfire Fanner PrC instead of in Bard? HF gives you the Bardic Music abilities of a 5th level Bard right out of the gate, then continues to progress that Bardic Music AND your (Warlock) spellcasting.

You'll need a way to pick up a 1st level spell to get into Heartfire Fanner, though... Metamagic shenanigans and the Magical Training feat should do the trick.

[Hiro Quester]

Doubleplus on that Heartfire Fanner recommendation, for adding a bardic flavor to a warlock (or any character that can cast 1st level arcane spells).

It gives all the bardic musics of a 5th level bard, and those of higher-level bards as long as you meet the perform skill requirements. Plus it has its own bardic music abilities that grant free fighter feats (pick any at 1st level; pick any two at 3rd level) and free metamagic to your allies.

It also progresses casting. Progress warlock invocations is debatable, since they are SLAs. But there is room for DM interpretation there. I'd allow it, based on the rule of cool. I'd also allow your warlock invocations to count as casting 1st level spells for entry purposes, based on that same rule.

It's not unbalanced, and would give you the bardic flavored warlock you want to play.

It has a feat tax to get in (skill focus (perform) and negotiator). And you'd need to get perform and diplomacy as class skills (apprentice entertainer feat does that). It's worth considering if your can use Dragon mag material.

Plus it also has some fun fluff to role-play; seeing fire as a manifestation and symbol of creative passion, that can have a warlock-bard synergy to it.

Add little heavy metal flavor and attitude, and your warlock bard could really rock!

[ATHATH]

Doubleplus on that Heartfire Fanner recommendation, for adding a bardic flavor to a warlock (or any character that can cast 1st level arcane spells).

It gives all the bardic musics of a 5th level bard, and those of higher-level bards as long as you meet the perform skill requirements. Plus it has its own bardic music abilities that grant free fighter feats (pick any at 1st level; pick any two at 3rd level) and free metamagic to your allies.

It also progresses casting. Progress warlock invocations is debatable, since they are SLAs. But there is room for DM interpretation there. I'd allow it, based on the rule of cool. I'd also allow your warlock invocations to count as casting 1st level spells for entry purposes, based on that same rule.

It's not unbalanced, and would give you the bardic flavored warlock you want to play.

It has a feat tax to get in (skill focus (perform) and negotiator). And you'd need to get perform and diplomacy as class skills (apprentice entertainer feat does that). It's worth considering if your can use Dragon mag material.

Plus it also has some fun fluff to role-play; seeing fire as a manifestation and symbol of creative passion, that can have a warlock-bard synergy to it.

Add little heavy metal flavor and attitude, and your warlock bard could really rock!
No houseruling for Warlock-stuff advancement is necessary:


WARLOCKS AND PRESTIGE CLASSES

Warlocks benefit in a specific way from prestige classes that have "+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class" or "+1 level of existing spellcasting class" as a level advancement benefit. A warlock taking levels in such a prestige class does not gain any of his class abilities, but he does gain an increased caster level when using his invocations and increased damage with his eldritch blast. Levels of prestige classes that provide +1 level of spellcasting effectively stack with the warlock's level to determine his eldritch blast damage (treat his combined caster level as his warlock class level when looking at Table: The Warlock to determine eldritch blast damage) and his eldritch blast caster level (half his total caster level from his warlock levels and his levels in the prestige class that grant him an increased spellcasting level). A warlock also gains new invocations known at these prestige class levels as though he had gained a level in the warlock class.

A warlock cannot qualify for prestige classes with spellcasting level requirements, as he never actually learns to cast spells. However, prestige classes with caster level requirements, such as the acolyte of the skin, are well suited to the warlock. A warlock's caster level for his invocations fulfills this requirement.

[weckar]

EDIT: Gah misread misread misread

[Gruftzwerg]

No houseruling for Warlock-stuff advancement is necessary:

Nope, you would need to houserule it.

The problem comes from the "Ability to cast 1st-level spells" requirement, which warlocks by the rules don't qualify for. They can only access prc with "arcane caster lvl requirement" or those who only require your "ability to cast XXX spell" where you may emulate em with invocation. Read up Complete Arcane p18 the last paragraph.
Imho you twisted it with the fact that on the other hand, once a warlock entered a prc, he can profit from "+1 lvl of spellcasting".

[Psyren]

Nope, you would need to houserule it.

The problem comes from the "Ability to cast 1st-level spells" requirement, which warlocks by the rules don't qualify for. They can only access prc with "arcane caster lvl requirement" or those who only require your "ability to cast XXX spell" where you may emulate em with invocation. Read up Complete Arcane p18 the last paragraph.
Imho you twisted it with the fact that on the other hand, once a warlock entered a prc, he can profit from "+1 lvl of spellcasting".

Well yeah, but all you need to beat that is a dip.

[ATHATH]

Well yeah, but all you need to beat that is a dip.
Or, as I've repeatedly mentioned, you could qualify by spending a few feats. For example, Magical Training+Heighten Spell+Easy Metamagic (Heighten Spell) should do the trick.

[Malroth]

90% of builds would be better off going Sorcerer/wizard/beguiler for 1 level than spending 3 feats