Optimizing A Female Human Warlock

[Bartmanhomer]

Hello everybody. I want to optimize a female human warlock. Her name is Darlene Demons. This is her character sheet: https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1797138 I want to focus on her invocation because her Eldritch blast barely cause any damage at all and also there's no critical for Eldritch blast. So any advice and tips anyone?

[Troacctid]

1. Eldritch blast totally has criticals, what are you talking about
2. Why would you take eldritch spear if you're not optimizing for blasts
3. See the guide in my sig

[Bartmanhomer]

1. Eldritch blast totally has criticals, what are you talking about
2. Why would you take eldritch spear if you're not optimizing for blasts
3. See the guide in my sig

Really? What's the critical of the Eidritch blast? I can't find it in your guide. :confused:

[DeTess]

Really? What's the critical of the Eidritch blast? I can't find it in your guide. :confused:

Anything you have to roll to-hit for can crit (which includes most orb- and ray-spells). if something reqyuires a to-hit roll but doesn't give a crit range it only crits on a 20 and crits for double damage.

From the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm):



Critical Hits
When you make an attack roll and get a natural 20 (the d20 shows 20), you hit regardless of your target’s Armor Class, and you have scored a threat. The hit might be a critical hit (or "crit"). To find out if it’s a critical hit, you immediately make a critical roll—another attack roll with all the same modifiers as the attack roll you just made. If the critical roll also results in a hit against the target’s AC, your original hit is a critical hit. (The critical roll just needs to hit to give you a crit. It doesn’t need to come up 20 again.) If the critical roll is a miss, then your hit is just a regular hit.

A critical hit means that you roll your damage more than once, with all your usual bonuses, and add the rolls together. Unless otherwise specified, the threat range for a critical hit on an attack roll is 20, and the multiplier is ×2.

Exception: Extra damage dice over and above a weapon’s normal damage is not multiplied when you score a critical hit.

Increased Threat Range
Sometimes your threat range is greater than 20. That is, you can score a threat on a lower number. In such cases, a roll of lower than 20 is not an automatic hit. Any attack roll that doesn’t result in a hit is not a threat.

Increased Critical Multiplier
Some weapons deal better than double damage on a critical hit.

Spells and Critical Hits
A spell that requires an attack roll can score a critical hit. A spell attack that requires no attack roll cannot score a critical hit.


Edit: also, something I've been curious about. Whenever you make one of these threads you always specify the gender of your character, even though I don't think there's any mechanic in the game that cares about gender from an optimization standpoint. Why is this?

[Bartmanhomer]

Anything you have to roll to-hit for can crit (which includes most orb- and ray-spells). if something reqyuires a to-hit roll but doesn't give a crit range it only crits on a 20 and crits for double damage.

From the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm):



Edit: also, something I've been curious about. Whenever you make one of these threads you always specify the gender of your character, even though I don't think there's any mechanic in the game that cares about gender from an optimization standpoint. Why is this?
I'm just explaining the character that I'm using in a game that why.

[tadkins]

Edit: also, something I've been curious about. Whenever you make one of these threads you always specify the gender of your character, even though I don't think there's any mechanic in the game that cares about gender from an optimization standpoint. Why is this?

Maybe he wants to be a Thrall of Malcanthet? xD

[Bartmanhomer]

Maybe he wants to be a Thrall of Malcanthet? xD

She doesn't worship Malcanthet. She worship Erythnul.

[tadkins]

She doesn't worship Malcanthet. She worship Erythnul.

I know, I kid. I was just thinking of probably the one instance in the game I know of where gender actually matters from a mechanical standpoint.
(There are probably more but I can't think of 'em atm.)

[Bartmanhomer]

I know, I kid. I was just thinking of probably the one instance in the game I know of where gender actually matters from a mechanical standpoint.
(There are probably more but I can't think of 'em atm.)
Gender doesn't even matter. I play both genders. I don't know why you think genders actually matters in a mechanical standpoint. :confused:

[Recherché]

So if gender does not matter then why mention it? We don't need to know about the character's gender for optimization. Heck we need to know more about their alignment than gender and alignment isn't going to come up soon.

On another note there isn't very much optimization to be done on level 1 characters. The best you can do is try and set up for something else later.

[Bartmanhomer]

So if gender does not matter then why mention it? We don't need to know about the character's gender for optimization. Heck we need to know more about their alignment than gender and alignment isn't going to come up soon.

On another note there isn't very much optimization to be done on level 1 characters. The best you can do is try and set up for something else later.

As I said before I want to be very specific for the character that I'm playing.

[DeTess]

As I said before I want to be very specific for the character that I'm playing.

Right, but then why not provide us some background? Basically, stuff like gender and a name doesn't help with optimization if power is the only goal, but it can be very useful if you're trying to create a specific idea and provide us with a bite more descriptive text. Basically, I asked about it because it looks really odd to share random info like that in a thread in which you're asking for pure power optimization.

In other words, your question is of the type 'how can I make a powerful warlock?' which doesn't require us to know either the characters name or gender. The fact that you included it made me wonder whether you ascribed some mechanical or optimization significance to gender, which is why I asked. You clearly don't, so that's that tangent closed now, as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, to get back to your actual question, one very common path of optimization for warlock is to take a single level in the Binder class from Tome of Magic and make sure you qualify to bind Naberius. Then take levels in the Hellfire warlock prestige class for lots of damage on your eldritch blasts. The way this works is that hellfire warlock allows you to significantly increase damage on your eldritch blasts, but it inflicts a point of CON damage on you whenever you use it. The Naberius vestige allows you to heal a point of ability damage every round for free.

[Bartmanhomer]

Right, but then why not provide us some background? Basically, stuff like gender and a name doesn't help with optimization if power is the only goal, but it can be very useful if you're trying to create a specific idea and provide us with a bite more descriptive text. Basically, I asked about it because it looks really odd to share random info like that in a thread in which you're asking for pure power optimization.

In other words, your question is of the type 'how can I make a powerful warlock?' which doesn't require us to know either the characters name or gender. The fact that you included it made me wonder whether you ascribed some mechanical or optimization significance to gender, which is why I asked. You clearly don't, so that's that tangent closed now, as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, to get back to your actual question, one very common path of optimization for warlock is to take a single level in the Binder class from Tome of Magic and make sure you qualify to bind Naberius. Then take levels in the Hellfire warlock prestige class for lots of damage on your eldritch blasts. The way this works is that hellfire warlock allows you to significantly increase damage on your eldritch blasts, but it inflicts a point of CON damage on you whenever you use it. The Naberius vestige allows you to heal a point of ability damage every round for free.
I should have provided the backstory before posting this.

Darlene's backstory: She have a very difficult childhood fitting in. Kids teases Darlene because she was different than everyone else. Her family didn't love her. When she reached adulthood she become a warlock. She start killing everybody who wrong her for years and she start her adventuring.

[liquidformat]

Gender doesn't even matter. I play both genders. I don't know why you think genders actually matters in a mechanical standpoint. :confused:

There are a few female only prcs such as the swanmay BoED (I don't think there are any male only ones) but they are far and between for the vast majority of situations though no gender has no mechanical advantage or disadvantage. Unless you consider height and weight a mechanical advantage or disadvantage, it is at least one of the few mechanical differentiations for gender.

[DeTess]

I should have provided the backstory before posting this.

Darlene's backstory: She have a very difficult childhood fitting in. Kids teases Darlene because she was different than everyone else. Her family didn't love her. When she reached adulthood she become a warlock. She start killing everybody who wrong her for years and she start her adventuring.

Right, if you're looking for maximum killiness Hellfire warlock is a good way to go. Do note that this only comes online starting level 10 though, so maybe check with your DM that you'll get this high. That's not to say you'll be bad before that, as it only requires a single level investment and some skillpoints in stuff you'll probably want anyway (intimidate, spellcraft, knowledge (the planes)), but it'd be a shame to start working towards this if you'll only go up to level 7.

[Bartmanhomer]

There are a few female only prcs such as the swanmay BoED (I don't think there are any male only ones) but they are far and between for the vast majority of situations though no gender has no mechanical advantage or disadvantage. Unless you consider height and weight a mechanical advantage or disadvantage, it is at least one of the few mechanical differentiations for gender.

Ok. That's good to know. Thank you. :smile:

[Kaje]

There are a few female only prcs such as the swanmay BoED (I don't think there are any male only ones)

Eunuch warlock from Oriental Adventures.

[Bartmanhomer]

Right, if you're looking for maximum killiness Hellfire warlock is a good way to go. Do note that this only comes online starting level 10 though, so maybe check with your DM that you'll get this high. That's not to say you'll be bad before that, as it only requires a single level investment and some skillpoints in stuff you'll probably want anyway (intimidate, spellcraft, knowledge (the planes)), but it'd be a shame to start working towards this if you'll only go up to level 7.

Ok. Thank you for telling me this information. :smile:

[liquidformat]

Eunuch warlock from Oriental Adventures.

touché, and ouch he isn't even getting anything good out of that exchange....

[Kaje]

A level of Binder or the Shape Soulmeld (strongheart vest) feat will help mitigate the cost of hellfire blast.

[DeTess]

the Shape Soulmeld (strongheart vest) feat will help mitigate the cost of hellfire blast.

Do note that this is a slightly controversial tactic ruleswise. Hellfire warlocks ability states that if the damage is prevented,you can't benefit from its abilities, and strongheart vest essentially prevents the damage (as opposed to binding Naberius, which merely heals it back again). I don't want to start this discussion here, but it's something you might want to check with your DM.

[ShurikVch]

There are a few female only prcs such as the swanmay BoED (I don't think there are any male only ones)Check this post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22080752&postcount=50) - it have most (if not all) of the M/F-specific-related stuff

[Recherché]

Unless you consider height and weight a mechanical advantage or disadvantage, it is at least one of the few mechanical differentiations for gender.

On that note it's a minor quibble but 6 feet tall and 130 pounds is seriously underweight and malnourished. At 140 pounds she'd still be skin and bones but at least she might be healthier.

[Falontani]

You can optimize your eldritch blast damage fairly easily, even without Hellfire Warlock. Mortalbane is a feat that you can use 5 times per day on eldritch blast, but also 5 times per day per different invocation you use. It adds 2d6 untyped damage to any creature that is considered a mortal (not an outsider, construct, or undead). Empower/maximize/quicken SLA all can help with eldritch blast when you can take them.

There are several items in the Magic Item Compendium that boosts a warlock's damage a few times a day.

Finally since eldritch blast is a ray ability (usually) you can take weapon focus ray, Ray specialization, point blank shot, precise shot, fell shot, etc for it, as well as add sneak attack to the ray (meaning that if you can enter into arcane trickster or spellwarp sniper you can boost your damage fairly quickly)

Wizard 1(grab one of the immediate magics from PHB2)/Warlock 3/Binder 1/Eldritch Theurge 4/Hellfire Warlock 3/Spellthief 1/Arcane Trickster 7
1: Precocious Apprentice
3: Mortalbane
6: Practiced Spellcaster: Warlock
9: Martial Study: Shadow Jaunt
12: Martial Stance: Assassin's Stance
15: Master Spellthief
18: Maximize Spell Like Ability: Eldritch Blast

Final Damage:
Eldritch Blast +9d6
Hellfire Blast +6d6
Sneak Attack +6d6
Mortalbane +2d6
Maximized brings this all to 138 damage per creature hit (you can still eldritch chain this) You can use your wizard spell slots to throw fireballs with your eldritch blast, or burning hands, or any other AOE spell you know.
You have spells as a 5th level wizard, however your casting them at CL 19
You have warlock invocations as a warlock of level 17.

[Particle_Man]

On that note it's a minor quibble but 6 feet tall and 130 pounds is seriously underweight and malnourished. At 140 pounds she'd still be skin and bones but at least she might be healthier.

Maybe the magic and hatred keeps her gaunt. :smallbiggrin:

Anyhow, for flavour you could get the fiendish heritage feats. For positioning look to flee the scene or fell flight.

Is this character solo or part of a group?

[liquidformat]

Do note that this is a slightly controversial tactic ruleswise. Hellfire warlocks ability states that if the damage is prevented,you can't benefit from its abilities, and strongheart vest essentially prevents the damage (as opposed to binding Naberius, which merely heals it back again). I don't want to start this discussion here, but it's something you might want to check with your DM.

I am not super proficient with MoI classes but isn't there also some controversy over Shape Soulmeld actually letting you use said meld that you now possess in and of itself?


On that note it's a minor quibble but 6 feet tall and 130 pounds is seriously underweight and malnourished. At 140 pounds she'd still be skin and bones but at least she might be healthier.

Like so many other things in dnd it might not be a good or reasonable mechanic but it is there. I seem to remember if you start looking at the density of some of the monsters like the frost worm you start finding things that don't seem to make sense based on physics.

Strangely I think the base lines of the chart are reasonable at 5' 124-136 lb seems like a very reasonable weight for a male. Granted at 4'7" 89-101 lb actually seems slightly heavy for a woman who is clinically 'healthy'. I believe that range is actually closer to what you would expect a 4'10"-5' woman in shape and would be considered clinically 'over weight' for a 4'7" woman.

With that said our clinical definitions, at least here in the US are a complete load anyways. Growing up I swam, wrestled, and played soccer from grade school through high school and I never had above 10% body fat and yet every year at my physical I was told I was clinically 'over weight' and later in high school I started drifting close to 'obese' based on the height and weight charts.

[Dusk Raven]

With that said our clinical definitions, at least here in the US are a complete load anyways. Growing up I swam, wrestled, and played soccer from grade school through high school and I never had above 10% body fat and yet every year at my physical I was told I was clinically 'over weight' and later in high school I started drifting close to 'obese' based on the height and weight charts.

That's why you have to take into account a character's muscle mass, as muscle weighs more than fat. A character with higher STR will likely be heavier than other characters of the same height, for instance.

[Troacctid]

FWIW the most lethal invocation at 1st level is summon swarm.

[PrismCat21]

Hellfire warlocks ability states that if the damage is prevented,you can't benefit from its abilities, and strongheart vest essentially prevents the damage (as opposed to binding Naberius, which merely heals it back again).

Not quite. Hellfire Warlock's Hellfire Blast states: "if you do not have a Constitution score or are somehow immune to Constitution damage, you cannot use this ability."
Nothing about the damage being prevented, just if you have no Con score or are Immune.
Having DR:1 to Con damage makes you effectively immune to 1 Con damage, but not technically. It's RAW legal cheese.

[Kelb_Panthera]

touché, and ouch he isn't even getting anything good out of that exchange....

It was improved in the 3.5 update in Dragon 318 to be a 9/10 casting class.

[Florian]

@Bartmanhomer:

How about you learn a little bit from the last "plz optimize my character" threads you started?

Like, first coming to the forum an talk about you character idea, optimization level of your group, what it is you actually want to achieve with the character, what settings, which books available and so on. You know, the small stuff. Instead of posting a crappy level 1 build and information no-one really cares about.

Try it, you'll see, you will get way more help then.

[Crake]

@Bartmanhomer:

How about you learn a little bit from the last "plz optimize my character" threads you started?

Like, first coming to the forum an talk about you character idea, optimization level of your group, what it is you actually want to achieve with the character, what settings, which books available and so on. You know, the small stuff. Instead of posting a crappy level 1 build and information no-one really cares about.

Try it, you'll see, you will get way more help then.

Or alternatively, reading about and gaining some system mastery for yourself, so you don't have to come to the boards for advice for every single character

[The Insanity]

Or alternatively, reading about and gaining some system mastery for yourself, so you don't have to come to the boards for advice for every single character
Don't think that's an option. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23541696&postcount=12)

[Crake]

Don't think that's an option. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23541696&postcount=12)

neither of those things stops him from doing his own research, I have 2 friends with both of those disorders, and both are quite capable of doing their own research and learning about the characters and encounters they build.