Hellfire Warlock Paragon Path

[Falling Icicle]

I made a 4th edition paragon path based upon the Hellfire Warlock prestige class, found here: Fiendish Codex II Excerpts
Feedback appreciated, as always.

Hellfire Warlock
“It is not the weapon that is evil, but the wielder.” – Galena Todrik, hellfire warlock

Prerequisite: Warlock class, infernal pact

Hellfire Blast (11th level): Whenever you use eldritch blast, you can change it into a hellfire blast. A hellfire blast deals fire damage plus an additional 2d6 fire damage. Since hellfire burns hotter than any fire, this fire damage ignores any resistance or immunity a target has to fire, but vulnerability to fire still applies.

Invoking hellfire comes with a price. The diabolical forces behind the power of hellfire demand part of your own essence in exchange for this granted power. Each time you use this effect, you suffer 1d6 backlash damage, which can’t be reduced or avoided in any way (other than Hellfire Action, below), but can be healed normally. At 21st level, the bonus damage increases to 4d6 and the backlash damage you suffer increases to 2d6 damage.

Hellfire Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you do not suffer the backlash damage from using hellfire blast, hellfire infusion or hellfire shield until the start of your next turn.

Hellfire Infusion (16th level): You can imbue any of your arcane attack powers with hellfire, including arcane powers invoked from magic items such as wands. A hellfire-infused power deals an extra 2d6 fire damage to all targets, and all of the spell’s damage is fire damage (in addition to any other damage type the spell has, if any). This fire damage ignores any resistance or immunity a target has to fire, but vulnerability to fire still applies. This effect applies only to the initial attack, not to ongoing damage or other effects. If a power allows you to repeat the attack in later turns, you can use this effect again, but must pay the backlash cost each time you use it. This ability can’t be used with hellfire blast.

Like hellfire blast, invoking this effect comes with a price in your own life essence. Each time you use this effect, you suffer 1d6 backlash damage, which can’t be reduced or avoided in any way (other than Hellfire Action, above), but can be healed normally. At 21st level, the bonus damage increases to 4d6 and the backlash damage you suffer increases to 2d6 damage.

Brimstone Blast – Hellfire Warlock Attack 11
You hurl a jet of fiery embers at your foe, igniting him in flames.
Encounter * Arcane, Fire, Implement
Standard Action – Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: Constitution vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d8 + Constitution modifier fire damage and the target takes ongoing 10 fire damage (save ends).

Hellfire Shield – Hellfire Warlock Utility 12
You call upon hellfire to surround yourself in a protective barrier.
At-Will * Arcane, Fire, Implement
Immediate Interrupt – Personal
Trigger: You are hit by a melee attack
Effect: Whenever someone hits you with a melee attack, you can, as an immediate interrupt, retaliate against that enemy with a hellfire blast (see above). You suffer the backlash damage for invoking that ability, as normal.

Fury of the Nine Hells – Hellfire Warlock Attack 20
You open a conduit through yourself directly to the source of hellfire, consuming your enemies in a terrible conflagration – and maybe yourself with them.
Daily * Arcane, Fire, Implement
Standard Action – Close burst 1
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Constitution vs. Reflex
Hit: 4d8 + Constitution modifier fire damage.
Miss: Half damage.
Sustain Standard: Each time you sustain this power, the size of the burst increases by 1 square in all directions and you repeat the attack. You suffer 2d6 backlash damage each time you sustain this power. This damage can’t be reduced or avoided in any way (other than Hellfire Action, above), but can be healed normally.

 

[chando]

Good work, as warlocks really need more variety of paragon paths. Lots of good stuff, but a lot of broken stuff too.

First, the hellfire blast(and infusion). It as no reason to upgrade in epic. Its comparable damage to other paragon path features (shadow assassin, kensai, pit fighter) only better because you get earlier with your at-will, and at the level that the other Paths get this, you get to apply to everything, including lots of AoE powers, making this a really great damage boost. The 1d6 damage backlash is only a minor inconvenience, especially with temporary HPs and dealing extra 2d6 to 3-4 targets. No reason at all to upgrade the damage at epic.
The whole "ignore all fire resistence" thing, however, is a little too much. ignore 10 points of fire resistance seems more on the lines togth. Remember, the big draw of the feature its the damage boos, ignore all fire resistance should be another feature altoghther. Maybe make it so it be equal to double your Int modifier. This way it would start at 8-10 at low paragon, and go up to 16 at the end. remember that at epic you have the irresistible flame feat adding 20 to this result, for a total of 36. thats as good as it gets, its almost as much as invulnerable except that really high resistances(like a RED DRAGON lvl) still have a little defense against your attacks (even if its just 4-10 resistance).


The encounter power should not have ongoing damage, as no encounter power does that, and it could become WAY to powerfull. Remove that, keep the rest and add:
Special: You attacked the target with a hellfire blast or hellfire infusion since the [FONT=&quot]beginning[/FONT] of your last turn, this power deals additional 2d8 of damage.

The utility would be ok on power scale, if was an ENCOUNTER ability. And utilitys are not suposed to give you attacks. It could also be better worded (something like: Effect: You can make an hellfire blast attack against the attacker. Just that, no need for a lot of words.) and please, make it an encounter.

Fury of the Nine Hells
No. Just no. Seriosly, you have lots of Hit points already, and is pretty easy to get some minor regeneration to cover the damage. You could go up to Brust 145 with no problem. excepet, maybe, the lack of enemies. seriosly, 4d8+Con, miss:half damage!, everyround, vs every enemy in increasing brust, forever? WTF!? I just have a heart attack.
I have a sugestion to make this playable. Remove the miss:half damage altogether. then, try something like this:

Sustain Standard: Each time you sustain this power, the size of the burst increases by 1 square, and you take 1d6 backlash damage that cannot be reduced or avoided in any way. Make a Constitution vs. Reflex attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 2d8 + Constitution modifier fire damage. If you miss all targets within the burst, the power ends. You can only sustain this power a maximum of 3 rounds.


This would make it still more powerfull then many other warlock daylies. Its a multiple target Fireswarm basically, deals a lot of damage, but you do have to be taticall to acheive its full potential.


Hellfire Action is ok, toght a bit lackluster. Just not interting. You need to fix the rest, badly.
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Edit: Ok, so I keep thinking about the hellfire warlock, and I really didn't want to make it broken, so a put together a version implementing some of my suggested changes. Will try to put then in red.

Hellfire Warlock
“It is not the weapon that is evil, but the wielder.” – Galena Todrik, hellfire warlock

Prerequisite: Warlock class, infernal pact

Hellfire Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, all enemies adjacent to you take fire damage equal to one-half your level + your Constitution modifier. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with the fire keyword until the end of your current turn.


Hellfire Initiate (11th level): By studying the principles of the infernal fire, and since hellfire burns hotter then any other fire, you learned ways to make your fire powers better penetrate the defenses of your foes.
When determining the damage you deals with a fire power, treat any fire resistance that your target might have as if it were lower then normal by an amount equal to 5 + your Intelligence modifier.

Hellfire Infusion (16th level): You can imbue any of your arcane attack powers with hellfire, including arcane powers invoked from magic items such as wands. A hellfire-infused power gains the fire keyword if does not already have, deals an extra 2d6 fire damage to all targets it hits, and all of the spell’s damage is fire damage (in addition to any other damage type the spell has, if any). This effect applies only to the initial attack, not to ongoing damage or other effects, and you must choose to use this power before making the attack roll. If a power allows you to repeat the attack in later turns, you can use this effect again, but must pay the backlash cost each time you use it.
Invoking hellfire comes with a price. The diabolical forces behind the power of hellfire demand part of your own essence in exchange for this granted power. Each time you use this effect, you suffer 1d6 backlash damage, which can’t be reduced or avoided in any way.

Brimstone Blast – Hellfire Warlock Attack 11
You hurl a jet of fiery embers at your foe, igniting him in flames.
Encounter * Arcane, Fire, Implement
Standard Action – Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: Constitution vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d8 + Constitution modifier fire damage.
Special: If you have hit the target with a fire keyword power since the beginning of your last turn, this power deals additional 2d8 of damage.

Hellfire Shield – Hellfire Warlock Utility 12
You call upon hellfire to surround yourself in a protective barrier.
Daily * Arcane, Fire, Implement
Minor – Personal
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever someone hits you with a melee attack, you can, as an immediate interrupt, deal 2d6 fire damage to the attacker. This damage ignores any fire resistance.



All Must Burn – Hellfire Warlock Attack 20
You open a conduit through yourself directly to the source of hellfire, consuming your enemies in a terrible conflagration – and maybe yourself with them.
Daily * Arcane, Fire, Implement
Standard Action – Close burst 5
Target: Each enemy in burst
Special: You must spend a healing surge without regaining any hit points.
Attack: Constitution vs. Reflex
Hit: 4d8 + Constitution modifier fire damage.
Sustain Minor: Each time you sustain this power you take 1d6 backlash damage that cannot be reduced or avoided in any way, and you can chose an enemy within 5 squares of you to burn with hellfire. You deal fire damage to this enemy equal to 2d6 + your Intelligence modifier.

(Could call it Fury of the nine hells, but i think all must burn sounds better)
Now, I think this changes make the Path better balanced with other ones out there, but it might still be too strong. The sustain of the daily is based off the wandering swordmage power. The hellfire action is almost identical to the Wildifire Genasi paragon path. And you will be able to ignore anthing from 10 to 14 fire resistance with the 11th level feature, that alone is major selling point. Any one?

 

[eleventh]

If you want a power to increase in size each time you sustain it (which is awesome), you'd probably have to cap it off somehow - such as by saying this increase can only occur a number of times equal to some modifier.

 

[Kisanji Arael]

Ooh, I have an idea for the name for the level 20 power.

"Conflagration." Eh, eh?