Basic warlock build help

[Elves]

Making a generic ranged blaster lock, warlock 1/x7/uncanny trickster 1/hellfire warlock 3/uncanny trickster +2/legacy champion 6 with strongheart.

What should I put in for the x7 that would be better than straight warlock? I know zilch about warlock prestige classes.

This is for a game tomorrow. Not allowed to make a custom legacy wep, so which of the official ones should I use? It's a one or two shot starting at 15th so have to choose now. Thanks.

[Gruftzwerg]

Making a generic ranged blaster lock, warlock 1/x7/uncanny trickster 1/hellfire warlock 3/uncanny trickster +2/legacy champion 6 with strongheart.

What should I put in for the x7 that would be better than straight warlock? I know zilch about warlock prestige classes.

This is for a game tomorrow. Not allowed to make a custom legacy wep, so which of the official ones should I use? Scarab? Ghostfolly? It's a one or two shot starting at 15th so have to choose now. Thanks.

imho your best option is Escalation Mage 6 (and maybe dip Mindbender 1).
Have a look at my Escalation Glaivelock (see signature) if it is of interest.
The most important ability is the shadow hast ability to use Eldritch Blast as swift action.
If your game will go beyond lvl 20, make sure to have a look at warlock epic feats (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ei/20061027a), before setting your build.

[Darg]

I agree, escalation mage is a really good option for you.

Warlock 4/binder 1/escalation Mage 5/hellfire warlock 3/legacy champion 6/escalation mage +1

One level of binder to bind naberius for fast ability healing so you can blast all day.

Edit: if strongheart halfling get improved familiar and have it carry around a wand of restoration instead of the level of binder.

[Troacctid]

I have a warlock handbook in my signature that might help.

Advancing prestige classes past their maximum level doesn't reeeally work. The trick is more solid with major bloodlines, since they don't care if the class is maxed out. But I'm not your DM, so, whatever.

As far as early dips/prestiges, if your DM approved the legacy champion cheese and you're already losing 2 caster levels to support it, you should not be missing another caster level. It would put you down a greater invocation. No dip is going to be worth that, so it should be full casting or nothing.

For the legacy item, I don't know, they kind of all suck because of the penalties they give you.

[Elves]

Advancing prestige classes past their maximum level doesn't reeeally work.
In support of this, found this sentence in ELH:
"You cannot advance the class level of a class with fewer than ten levels beyond the maximum described for that class, regardless of yourcharacter level."
Now in context it's about advancing a class into epic levels, so supporters of legacy champion cheese still have grounds to argue.

Also an increase in effective level should still be enough to increase hellfire blast which is "per class level". But maybe not enough to advance invoking? That could come up as a reasonable compromise at least, if you can cheese blast damage with LC/UT but gimps your invoking.

Right now though I just want to throw around some cheesed hellfire blasts and damn the rules lawyering. It's a familiar group I usually DM so shouldn't be a problem.


you should not be missing another caster level. It would put you down a greater invocation.
Boils down to what fullcasting PRC(s) to take at 6 7 & 8. But since locks can take all arcane caster PRCs it's a lot to choose from.

Escalation mage 3 equates to a free Empower SLA feat, not bad but seems like there should be better.

[Darg]

Escalation mage 3 equates to a free Empower Spell-Like Ability feat, not bad but seems like there should be better.

It depends on what your DM will allow. There is a lot of evidence to point to SLAs benefiting to an extent from benefits that spells receive.


A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus or have an XP cost. The user activates it mentally. Armor never affects a spell-like ability’s use, even if the ability resembles an arcane spell with a somatic component. A spell-like ability has a casting time of 1 standard action unless noted otherwise in the ability or spell description. In all other ways, a spell-like ability functions just like a spell.

CArc explicitly mentions that SLAs can't benefit from spell focus and don't have spell levels. However, there is a lot of implications where WotC writes about SLAs when only mentioning "spells." It's the same kind of wording mess that leads certain people on these boards to believe psionic ability is the same as psionic-like ability. Or that grappling doesn't hinder SLA casting.

[Gruftzwerg]

It depends on what your DM will allow. There is a lot of evidence to point to SLAs benefiting to an extent from benefits that spells receive.



CArc explicitly mentions that SLAs can't benefit from spell focus and don't have spell levels. However, there is a lot of implications where WotC writes about SLAs when only mentioning "spells." It's the same kind of wording mess that leads certain people on these boards to believe psionic ability is the same as psionic-like ability. Or that grappling doesn't hinder SLA casting.

doesn't matter in the chase of Escalation Mage, since the ability also mentions SLAs:

Escalation effects can be applied to spell-like abilities just as if they were spells.

[Elves]

Yeah it applies, I'm saying that the benefits of escalation mage 3 equates to the Empower SLA feat (3/day empower) which isn't bad but seems like you should be able to get something better for 3 character levels.

PRC recommends still appr. as I don't have time to look through a bunch of PRCs right now.

[Gruftzwerg]

Yeah it applies, I'm saying that the benefits of escalation mage 3 equates to the Empower SLA feat (3/day empower) which isn't bad but seems like you should be able to get something better for 3 character levels.

PRC recommends still appr. as I don't have time to look through a bunch of PRCs right now.

There ain't that much prc which the warlock can enter and that have some kind of ability that works well with em. As said, Escalation Mage is one of the best options you have. If you find something better, let me know^^.

[Elves]

Looked at Troacctid's great spreadsheet -- turns out the need for no dead levels narrows things dramatically to the point that Escalation Mage is the only good choice.

Did find something funny though. Sentinel of Bharrai 3 allows you to polymorph into a polar bear at will, which would be cute for a glaive or claw lock and free them of the need to put points in Strength. Even has the odd Con score for Naberius hellfire blast.

Paragnostic apostle 1 - manifest ethos allows vitriolic blast to deal half divine damage, but if facing acid immunity still unlikely to be worth it -- so not that good.

Would this Tainted Scholar ability apply to eldritch blast (which counts as a 1st level spell)?

Bloodseeking spell:This secret grants you the ability to imbue your spells with the ability to draw blood from their targets [...] To use this ability, you must inflict a minor wound on yourself; this is a free action that deals 3 points of damage to you and becomes a normal part of casting the spell. A bloodseeking spell deals an extra 1d6 points of damage to each target that takes damage from the spell.
If so, I could see tainted scholar 2/mindbender 1

[Darg]

Tainted scholar requires corruption and depravity to be added to your campaign. Which might be possible, but unlikely as it changes a lot.

But it is an example of what I was saying earlier. Warlock qualifies, but nothing says it applies to warlock abilities. All the classes in CArc do the exact same thing. I would say that the class ability would work on warlock. The only features that wouldn't work is blooded metamagic and forbidden arcana.

Personally I think 0 slot cost metamagic would apply to SLAs, but there are many who disagree and 1 or higher slot cost increase the level of the spell in the difficulty to cast. As such can't apply to SLAs as they don't have spell levels.