[3.5] Extending the range on an Eldritch Blast

[Tetsubo 57]

Is there any official method for extending the range of an Eldritch Blast beyond 250'?

Or is this a house rule situation? Maybe an Extend Spell-like Ability feat?

I'm looking to make the the EB useful for ship to ship combat.

[Cyclocone]

Well, the Epic Warlock, can take Eldritch Sculptor to increase the range on eldritch spear to 500 ft.
Probably not what you're looking for though.

[Tetsubo 57]

Well, the Epic Warlock, can take Eldritch Sculptor to increase the range on eldritch spear to 500 ft.
Probably not what you're looking for though.

Still helpful though, thanks.

[Duke of URL]

Nothing official.

I've personally been toying with the idea of changing EB from a flat 60' range to a range of "Close" with a maximum of 2 range increments.

Eldritch Spear would then be ranged "Medium" with a maximum of 2 range increments.

It's a little shorter reach in each case at 1st level, but allows longer ranges at higher levels.

[Tetsubo 57]

Nothing official.

I've personally been toying with the idea of changing EB from a flat 60' range to a range of "Close" with a maximum of 2 range increments.

Eldritch Spear would then be ranged "Medium" with a maximum of 2 range increments.

It's a little shorter reach in each case at 1st level, but allows longer ranges at higher levels.

Wouldn't you have range increment penalties than? I'm not sure if I want those.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Horizon Goggles, extend range by 50%

[Duke of URL]

-2 to hit on a ranged touch attack? Not enough of a penalty to actually worry about, in my book.

[Tetsubo 57]

Horizon Goggles, extend range by 50%

What's the source book?

And that's useful but item dependence can be a problem.

[Person_Man]

Eldritch Blast already has a huge range, why waste any investment to make it longer? How often is your party fighting from more then 50 squares away?

[arthious]

Eldritch Blast already has a huge range, why waste any investment to make it longer? How often is your party fighting from more then 50 squares away?

As he wrote in the first post:

I'm looking to make the the EB useful for ship to ship combat.

[Tetsubo 57]

-2 to hit on a ranged touch attack? Not enough of a penalty to actually worry about, in my book.

That's true. A touch attack is pretty easy to achieve.

[Tetsubo 57]

Eldritch Blast already has a huge range, why waste any investment to make it longer? How often is your party fighting from more then 50 squares away?

This is an idea I'm playing with as a GM for a new campaign idea. The world will have sky ships. I want the Warlock and Soulbow to be the 'artillery' for these ships.

[Duke of URL]

And, of course, if you're going with Close (standard) and Medium ("spear" shape), you could always add another shape ("greater spear", lesser?) for Long range.

[Tetsubo 57]

And, of course, if you're going with Close (standard) and Medium ("spear" shape), you could always add another shape ("greater spear", lesser?) for Long range.

So long as you can swap out the Spear invocation for it.

[Jack Zander]

Are you the DM? If so homebrew some "cannons" for the ship that enhance the character's abilities. They don't have to waste a feat/money and you can still have the encounters without them always having the ability.

[Tetsubo 57]

Are you the DM? If so homebrew some "cannons" for the ship that enhance the character's abilities. They don't have to waste a feat/money and you can still have the encounters without them always having the ability.

Yes I am. Now that you mention it, didn't Spelljammer have something like that?

[Curmudgeon]

What's the source book?

Horizon Goggles are in Complete Mage on page 133.

[Burley]

This is an idea I'm playing with as a GM for a new campaign idea. The world will have sky ships. I want the Warlock and Soulbow to be the 'artillery' for these ships.

I was excited to read this, until I saw "sky ships." Warlocks, in my personal experience, are freakin' powerhouses when it comes to naval combat.
Their Least and Lesser invocations alone are amazing for underwater travel, and the only thing you'd have to worry about when attacking other ships is their ranged attackers. And, there's a miss chance when firing weapons into/underwater. (That might be a supplemental rule, though...)


Anyways, some invocations will still apply!
Pick up Hammer Blast. Not as good as Baleful Utterance, usually, but at long range, it is. Instead of shooting at people, blow a hole through their ship!
Disembodied Hand. Though I don't recall the exact wording, I do know that it says something about sending your hand out and attacking for you. This means you could send out your hand to EB for you! And, it flies!
Relentless Dispelling would be nice, too. Not long range, but it is crippling to a magical airship.
Sudden Swarm. Shoot a guy with Eldritch Spear, and you've got a nice Spider Swarm on the other ship. Oh yeah.
Weighty Utterance is good if the other folks have flying creatures that they're sending over.

I'll leave it at just Least and Lesser for now.

[Cyclocone]

This is an idea I'm playing with as a GM for a new campaign idea. The world will have sky ships. I want the Warlock and Soulbow to be the 'artillery' for these ships.

How 'bout wizards? There are some spells with weeery good ranges. Vitriolic Sphere has a crazy range of something like 400 ft. + 20 ft. per CL. Acid also ignores hardness, which could come in handy when you're fighting ships.

[Duke of URL]

So long as you can swap out the Spear invocation for it.

You could do that by RAW, assuming you used your first lesser invocation for the "greater spear", since you can swap out a lower-grade invocation for one of the same grade when you gain access to a new grade of invocation.

[woodenbandman]

I don't see how effective Eldritch Blast could be at Ship-to-ship. At 250 feet, it has no AoE (I think, I could be wrong), and it does half damage to objects, so forget destroying their hull.

[AstralFire]

ELDRITCH CANNON
This cannon has an identical shape to any basic cannon, but is forged of pale gold, lacks a fuse and is decorated with engraved runes at its rear and mouth. It bears a small focusing chamber where there would be a fuse, comprised of deep crystal. As a one-round action (which completes immediately before the character's next round begins), a warlock may focus their Eldritch Spear into this crystal and fire the spear at exceptionally long distances as a cannonball, gaining a maximum range of 2 miles with a range increment of 1 miles. Additionally, it deals full damage to objects, and creatures adjacent to the primary target take half damage unless they make a Reflex DC as set by the Warlock's Eldritch Blast. However, due to the slow rate at which it fires, he must target squares rather than creatures or objects.

Other wands or dorjes which also require a ranged attack roll or a ranged touch attack roll may be loaded in place of the focusing chamber; replacing the focusing chamber is a move action. They have their ranges and effects similarly improved (the splash effect only occurs if the power or spell's only effect is damage), and also require a one-round action to complete (if the power or spell being manifested has a casting time longer than a one-round action, however, it takes that long to manifest the power or spell.)

The Quicken Spell-like Ability feat and similar effects overrides the usual casting time for firing from the cannonball.

Moderate evocation and transmutation; CL 8th; Craft Wondrous Item; price 5,000 gp; Weight 3,000 lbs.

[Wabbajack]

Vitriolic blast is the way to go here. The acid will eat the enemy ship to pieces^^

[AstralFire]

Brimstone and Vitriolic both.

[mabriss lethe]

There's also the fact that the average warlock with a handful of levels on him is the x-wing to your deathstar. If the standard package for a warlock marine included Eldritch Spear, Fell Flight, and Entropic Warding, they'd be some pretty nasty customers. (fill in the other invocations to taste)

They can easily scramble to take flight, and nail the enemy vessel from skirmish distances. After they've softened things up they can land and attempt to take the vessel. Because if there's one thing better than sinking a ship, it's taking a ship for yourself.

[Burley]

As I said in my previous post, get Hammer Blast to tear apart the ship. It would be much, much more likely to run into a ship with elemental resistances than spell resistance.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Don't forget Swimming the Styx, which allows you to go underwater.

[Burley]

He's talking about Airships. Swimming = Not good for aiships...