Eldritch Diciple vs Hellfire Warlock

[aeauseth]

I'm playing Eldon Spellfire, a Cloistered Cleric 3/ Warlock 1 / Binder 1 / Eldritch Disciple 5. I have 4th level spells for DMM Divine Power.

So for my next few levels should I stick with Eldritch Disciple, then tack Hellfire Warlock on at the end? The Cleric is a higher tier and would probably provide more felxibility than HW.

Or should I take the 3 levels of Hellfire Warlock now (11-13) and finish of Eldritch Disciple after HW? Gives more damage.

Eventually I'll end up in the same spot CC3/Wlk1/Bin1/ED10/HW3 with 2 levels left over (probaby a cleric prestiege class).

I know that I qualified for HW earlier, but I really wanted Persistent Divine Power!

Other party members are a tripping fighter, druid, wizard/druid/hierophant, monk/cleric/sacredfist, rogue/fighter/whisperknife. I currently already deal the most damage of our party. My AC is about 3 points less than fighter.

My current tactics is to fly 15' above ground and attack with glaive using reach (I'm large). Effective reach is 10' when flying 15' above ground. Most of my Cleric spells are persisted buffs and a few utilitarian spells.

A few DM rules for our campaign. No Evil players (so no UrPriest). Can't double dip with Turn Undead variants . Also please don't try to rebuild my character, I'm not changing my level 1-10 selections, just looking for advice on levels 11-20.

[Optimystik]

I assume you meant Arcane Hierophant for the Wiz/Druid, as regular Hierophant wouldn't do much for his build.

Since you're using your Cleric side primarily to buff, taking HFW first to boost your glaive's damage will probably give greater benefits. Most of your buffs are lower-level spells (so you already have them) and you have two other divine casters who can cover for you in a pinch.

The fact that you're even considering HFW over more Cleric means the spells aren't as important to you, so go for it.

[Fouredged Sword]

Go HFW. It is a great class. Just make sure you have the right visage bound each day. You have already lost enough spells that it will never be the main focus of your character. Take the HFW to boost your damage through the roof and slay stuff with your stange mix of holy and hellfire.

double points if you can somehow tag the good discriptor on your eldrich blast despite the fact that it is hellfire.

[Optimystik]

double points if you can somehow tag the good discriptor on your eldrich blast despite the fact that it is hellfire.

Perhaps oddly, Hellfire Blast isn't actually evil, and HFW has no alignment restrictions.

As far as making his blast good - the closest I've seen to doing that is the Enlightened Spirit PrC from CM. A rather bad idea.

[Natael]

consecrate spell-like ability from BoED

[Optimystik]

consecrate spell-like ability from BoED

Feh, only 3/day.

[aeauseth]

double points if you can somehow tag the good discriptor on your eldrich blast despite the fact that it is hellfire.

I was trying to figure out why you would want a good descriptor on eldritch damage. Eldritch damage is unclassed spell damage and bypasses most (all I think) damage reduction. Typically Spell Resistance is the problem, not overcomming DR.

I was actually thinking about taking Arcane Mastrey Feat which allows you to take10 on your caster level checks. Combined with a homebrew Practiced Invoker it makes my SR check 10+HD, which should overcome the SR of most monsters I run across.

[Draken]

I was trying to figure out why you would want a good descriptor on eldritch damage. Eldritch damage is unclassed spell damage and bypasses most (all I think) damage reduction. Typically Spell Resistance is the problem, not overcomming DR.

I was actually thinking about taking Arcane Mastrey Feat which allows you to take10 on your caster level checks. Combined with a homebrew Practiced Invoker it makes my SR check 10+HD, which should overcome the SR of most monsters I run across.

Some creatures have regeneration that is only defeated by good damage (the Pit Fiend is one, I think, the Hecatoncheires is the only other I can think of right now).

[thompur]

I was trying to figure out why you would want a good descriptor on eldritch damage. Eldritch damage is unclassed spell damage and bypasses most (all I think) damage reduction. Typically Spell Resistance is the problem, not overcomming DR.

I was actually thinking about taking Arcane Mastrey Feat which allows you to take10 on your caster level checks. Combined with a homebrew Practiced Invoker it makes my SR check 10+HD, which should overcome the SR of most monsters I run across.

Yeah, I always get Arcane Mastery asap for my Warlocks. I usually get Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration in case of something a little tougher. I hate missing because of SR. That's why I always get Gauntlets of Ghost Fighting(MIC). I also hate missing due to incorporeality!

[CubeB]

Purify Spell Like Ability helps with damage as well.

In fact, Meta-SLA Feats in general are fun.

A Purified Maximized Empowered Mortalbane Eldritch Blast, for example.

The Purified SLA advances the dice once for evil creatures and twice for evil outsiders. (1d6 becomes 1d8 becomes 2d6 and so on.) Maximize and Empower ensure the spell is at more than maximum effectiveness. Mortalbane adds 2d6 against evil mortals (The extra damage from Purify makes up for the loss of Mortalbane when it comes to facing evil outsiders through). Consecrate is optional, but allows half the damage to bypass all resistances. (It's questionable if this applies to Spell Resistance though. EB doesn't normally have an energy type unless you give it one, so...)

Personally, I use a modified variant of Consecrate Spell my DM made for me that only works on Undead, Shapechangers, Fey, and Plants, but has a special side effect for each. (Fey lose Spell Resistance, Shapechangers are forced into their base form on a failed will save. Plants and Undead are subject to critical hits.)

Of course "Being the bitch of a shadow elemental who wants to achieve godhood and may or may not be using you to do so", "Watching your sister, cousin, and childhood best friend die at the hands of a Kobold Necromancer's Minons", "Binding the souls of the entire party of said shadow elemental" and "inadvertently bringing about the destruction of an entire country just by being in the same party as one of it's citizens" are admittedly kind of hefty prerequisites.

...Sorry, tangent.

Anyway, I would go into Hellfire Warlock. You don't need to be evil. You can change the language requirement to Celestial, the Energy Resistance to Negative Energy, and the Intimidate prerequisite to Diplomacy and say the Warlock is directly channeling the power of her deity, and her mortal form cannot take the strain. If you want the good descriptor, go with Purify.