Barblock

[Bnewby724@gmail]

Would a barb warlock be a good combo?

[willdaBEAST]

One obstacle that barbarian rage poses to all casters is that it prevents spell casting or maintaining concentration. I played a barbarian/wizard, but specifically took spells that didn't require concentration (mirror image, grease, etc). I had a slew of support or battlefield control spells to give me utility, then would rage and jump into the fight when necessary. With a warlock, you have fewer spell slots, hex requires concentration and is pretty much the bread and butter spell of the class. You might be able to find a way to make it work, but it seems like the 2 classes step on each other's toes in a lot of ways. For example Hexblade's armor proficiency is counter to the unarmored defense of barbarians.

[Bnewby724@gmail]

So Paladin would be smarter

[willdaBEAST]

Divine smite works with rage, so I think that's a much more compatible multi-class. The only downside is that combo produces a low amount of spell slots.

[bid]

Barblock is fine if you plan to use your slots on armor of agathy. It's closer to a totem shaman concept though.

[Rebonack]

Warlock with a one level dip in Barbarian is amazing.

Combat more or less goes as follows.

1) Cast Armor of Agathys on yourself at some point prior to the battle.

2) Rage on round one.

3) You're now taking half damage (making your temp HP last longer) and doing cold damage to everything that hits you.

If you've run out of Rages for the day, you're still a Warlock with medium armor prof and (ostensibly) a heavy weapon to whollop things that get into melee range.

[bid]

Even better.
Rage is BA, you can cast AoA and rage on the first round.

[Malifice]

Even better.
Rage is BA, you can cast AoA and rage on the first round.

AoA lasts an hour and you get it back on a short rest.

Fiendlock is solid with Barbarian. Most of Hexblade is redudundant (you'll want to be attacking with Strength instead of Cha due to rage, and you already get medium armor, shields and martial weapons with Barbarian - but the Curse is nice).

With Fiend you have a secondary source of regenerating Temp HP for when AoA drops.

Your slots are used for AoA (mirror image is also non concentration and decent).

Lock 9/ Barb 11 split is pretty good.

[adb82]

I'm going to play it soon. And not optimized as I'll play a drow bcs the AOA and the hit points gained killing fit too well with a drow bg. From other side the drow give really few benefits to the class and force me to put the first 2 asi's in STR for get GWM as 3 asi. Your best weapon is AOA (later fire shield also if u choose fiend patron, and u should also for the more temp hit points gain and bcs u won't attack with CHA while raging). 16 AC it's enought (even 15 I think), u want to be hitted more than other players. The damage output looks good, it's not the most hight in the game, but seem more than enough for enjoy. I would raccomend just 1 LV barbarian, u won't lose warlock spells and invocation, as the damage boost of AOA (that with few LV warlock or a too late levelling of the class it's pretty useless) or hellish rebuke (that put down big asses), even fireball for cast it before go malee and get temp hit points from the 10 goblin u reduced to few hp after the fireball lol and also, mostly go for other attack with both classes it's not worth it. In this way u have of course limited use of rage, but when u can't raging u still can darkness/devil sight (and with just 2 slot spell till LV 10 being a drow u can save one using this combo, that's the only great thing of being a drow with this build lol, except the bg that as i said can be much more than interesting) for auto advantage to hit and auto disadvantage to be hitted or hex for boost the damage that u lost for can't rage and eldricht blast from range. This is a build for do many things, for change style while u combat and for have utilities out combat, if u get too much lv of barbarian u lost many useful warlock boosts and spells. GWM except u roll really hight stats I would put at higher level.

Ps it is kinda MAD bcs u need good CON, hight STR and CHA (CHA even not optimised at 18/20 let u cast the most important spells u have and will boost your damage with lifedrinker from lv 13) and at least 12 or 14 (optimal) DEX, that with buy points system mean dump of course INT and can't get a good WIS that for a human it's kinda mandatory if he don't want be charmed, controlled, putted to sleep etc etc. From other side not being a drow as my character is let's u put a feat more as u can choose a race that give bonus to STR, or still better to STR and CHA, so u can easily put resilient (WIS) at lv 9 or 13.

[Laserlight]

The Optimizer's Multiclassing Guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?502248-Ultimate-Optimizer-s-Multiclassing-Guide) generally does a good job of answering "does it make sense to be A with a dip of B?"

[LudicSavant]

I wonder how Ancestral Guardian / Gift of the Ever-Living Ones would turn out.

All healing on you is maximized, on top of the usual reasons you don't want to hit a Barbarian. Enemies who want to attack someone else have to deal with Disadvantage and Resistance and Spirit Shield. Slots can be used for things like Armor of Agathys.

Basically aims to set up a "no-win" scenario for which party member to target.

[Talionis]

This is an amazing combo. You just should set your expectations. What I did was melee with Rages and then in some situations protect the back line and blast.

The relatively low number of spell slots on Warlock meshes very well with a buff then attack. A Warlock does not have the resources to cast round after round so Rage does not interfere with casting much. Nothing keeps you from opening up with fireball and then Raging to finish things off.

Since you get Extra Attacks with Barbarian I took Pact of the Tome and got all the Rituals so I felt like a caster out of combat but in combat I was mostly melee. When I ran out of Rage or when I thought it was better I hung back and blasted.

You have to manage resources mostly Rage since it doesn’t recover on short rest like your spells. It makes for versatile play but you cannot expect to be a frontline guy all the time you won’t have the resources for it.

[CheddarChampion]

Personally I'd go with Zealot 1/Fiend 5/Zealot +3/Fiend X.
Zariel tiefling 16/12/14/8/8/16.
Blade pact for thirsting blade and lifedrinker.
Fiend pact gives you THP on a kill.
Grab PAM, boost Str, then boost Cha.
Cast armor of agathys then rage.
Embrace the bloodshed.
Evil campaigns only.

[Spectrulus]

These are all good, and warlock can pair decently with barbarian. As previously mentioned a Pact of the Tome Warlock with the Invocation, Gift of the Everliving Ones gives you perfect heal receiving, and resistance to physical damage while raging.

My personal favorite of these would be a Zealot Barbarian / Celestial Warlock.

The bonus action Healing Light isn't a spell, and can be used as a bonus action while raging to heal yourself or others. If things move too far away you can always drop rage to use cantrips on them. Having up to four short Cure Wounds at 5d8+Cha is also great. The build plays like a paladin but of course, holy avenger is a popular flavor.

[Arial Black]

A character I have actually played from 1st to 14th levels:-

Bar 1

Bar 1/War (Pact of the Blade, Fiend Patron) 5

Bar (zealot) 3/War 5

Bar 3/War 11 (where I am now)

If the campaign goes on, at 20th I'll be Bar 3/War 17.

It's all based on Armour of Agathys. In battle, one pre-asskicking fireball then rage and melee. AofA already cast.

[Ventruenox]

Mödley Crüe: Return to the grave, oh undead thread. Your discussion has been had, no more to be said.