Undead Warlock Melee - No multiclass

[Pegak]

Hi,
We are about to start a campaign Vecna: Eve of Ruin and I'd like to play Undead Warlock with melee. No multiclass allowed. Starting at level 10.

We have a group of Fighter (probably Rune Knight), Hexblade Warlock, Bard (not sure about class) and Necromancer Wizard.

I know that Undead Warlock is not optimal, but I like the theme of going against one Lich because my patron (also Lich) said so. And now I am thinking whether to go PAM Undead Warlock with Glaive or if Greataxe with Heavy Armor will be better.

What are your thoughts about this?

[DracoKnight]

I've played a melee Undead Warlock (from 1st to 9th level) and it was a lot of fun!

I used the Githyanki from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, when they still got Medium Armor proficiency, and I built a Knight pacted to Vlaakith. We used the Tasha's Customize Your Origin rules, so I started with:

STR 8
DEX 16 (15 + 1)
CON 14
INT 8
WIS 10
CHA 17 (15 + 2)

I invested as much as I did into DEX because I only started with the Warlock's leather armor. Pretty early on, I was able to loot some scale mail from an enemy, and then a few sessions later, some half-plate. Between 17AC and 1d10 + level temporary hit points twice a day, I was our party's tank, even though my weapons were a pair of daggers. My Invocations were Agonizing Blast and Beguiling Influence (this was getting swapped out). At 3rd level, I picked up Pact of the Blade, and swapped Beguiling Influence for Improved Pact Weapon, to make the rapier I summoned +1. And then pretty shortly after that I found some Gauntlets of Ogre Power, so I was able to go full Githyanki and make my pact weapon a great sword. At 4th level I took Great Weapon Master and never looked back. It was a FUN time. Between that and Spirit Shroud, I was kind of a chain saw. 2d6 (3d6 on my first hit, after 6th level if I was in my Form of Dread) + 2d8 + 15 on a hit was a lot of fun to roll.

By the time that game fizzled out I had 66 actual HP and then, across the day, an average of 58 Temp HP from Form of Dread. I had an 18 AC from a cloak of protection & half plate. So even to the “late” game, I was pretty tanky. Whenever the Cleric decided to Bless the group, I was a prime target, to counter balance the -5 from GWM. If we ever get back to playing that game, I’m excited because in the hoard after that last fight, we found a belt of hill giant strength.

If you get to start at 10th level, I think you'll have a good time. I wouldn't worry too much about comparing yourself to the Hexblade: they might do more damage and be SAD, but you'll bring more durability and control. My ASI at 8th level was spent on Shadow Touched so that I could Inflict Wounds as a dread knight of Vlaakith (and for that +1 CHA), but Heavy Armor would've also been a solid pick up. Or even War Caster. War Caster would've opened me up to using Booming Blade on my Reaction, which would have been tasty.

TL;DR: Melee Undead Lock is fun, it's got some build challenges, but there's enough there in the class to make it worth it.