Warlock Build

[Falling Icicle]

The strongheart halfling is a great race choice for warlocks. They get a bonus feat (which you could use on Luck of Heroes, to get not only the normal halfling +1 luck bonus to all saves, but a +1 to AC as well), and their small size and low strength do little to inhibit the class. Just beware of grapples. The only real big drawback is the 20 ft. base speed, but that can be made up for with boots of striding and springing. But really, almost any race can make a good warlock, even those with a Cha penalty (many warlocks don't get any invocations that have saving throws).

For invocations, some of my personal favorites are See the Unseen (who doesn't want darkvision and see invisibility all the time), Fell Flight (it lets you fly, 'nuf said) and Vitriolic Blast (the ultimate eldritch essence invocation). Other great ones are Eldritch Spear, Walk Unseen, Devour Magic and so on. But really, it just depends on what you want your warlock to be good at. If you plan to socialize, Beguiling Influence and Charm are great. If you want to be a battlefield controller, invocations like darkness and chilling tentacles might be for you. The Dead Walk is great for providing both temporary and permanent undead minions. Just make sure to get a wand of inflict light wounds so that you can heal them.

You will absolutely want to put the maximum number of ranks in Use Magic Device. This skill is essential for warlocks, who are otherwise starved for versatility. The most difficult choice you will have to make is what feats to take. Warlocks can make good use of many feats, but get very few. Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot are decent choices, but they're not necessary. Since you are making touch attacks, you can usually afford to take the -4 penalty for shooting into melee, and you can get a Rod of Magical Precision instead of the feats for 12,000 gold. The heritage feats in Complete Mage are a cool way to give flavor and some extra versatility to your character, but they will consume most of your feats. Scribe Scroll is a great choice at later levels as it lets you have access to any spell in the game, thanks to Imbue Item.

 

[javcs]

If you go Hellfire Warlock, consider a dip into Binder for the vestige that grants ability score healing. Cheesy, yes, but you'll learn to love it, and your DM will learn to hate it.
If you go Hellfire Warlock, but don't do the Binder dip, make sure you have wands of (lesser) restoration.

 

[Krafen]

I'll second Falling Icicle in recommending you skip Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot. Ranged touch attacks make up the difference and then some.

Horizon Goggles from Complete Mage are a great item. +50% range on Eldritch Blast.

A Psionic Shot build takes a lot of feats, but delivers good damage.

You need:
Wild Talent
Precise Shot
Psionic Shot
Psionic Meditation
Greater Psionic Shot

The end result is you use a move action each round and get +4d6 damage on Eldritch Blast.

If you play a psionic race, you don't need the Wild Talent feat, but you lose the bonus feat from halfling or human, so it's a wash.

 

[Drowbane]

I'll second Falling Icicle in recommending you skip Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot. Ranged touch attacks make up the difference and then some.

Horizon Goggles from Complete Mage are a great item. +50% range on Eldritch Blast.

A Psionic Shot build takes a lot of feats, but delivers good damage.

You need:
Wild Talent
Precise Shot
Psionic Shot
Psionic Meditation
Greater Psionic Shot

The end result is you use a move action each round and get +4d6 damage on Eldritch Blast.

If you play a psionic race, you don't need the Wild Talent feat, but you lose the bonus feat from halfling or human, so it's a wash.

Psionic Shot (greater) works great for a Warlock, but it does require alot of feats. I have a lvl 6 Warlock (that campaign currently in hiatus :/) who has Greater Psi Shot and Mortal x2 (my group gives more feats than standard) and its good times.

The party wizard still does alot more dmg (AoE) on a regular basis, but my "Psi'lock" is good for single target kills.

 

[Ed Gentry]

I don't have any materials with me so forgive me for asking but what is "Hellfire Warlock"?

I definitely want to check out Mortalbane...adding +2d6 to a blast 5 times/day is fantastic.

Thanks for all this input, folks.

 

[Henry]

I don't have any materials with me so forgive me for asking but what is "Hellfire Warlock"?

I definitely want to check out Mortalbane...adding +2d6 to a blast 5 times/day is fantastic.

Thanks for all this input, folks.

Fiendish Codex 2 -- it's a 3-level Prestige Class, which lets you imbue your blast with "Hellfire", which can't be negated with Fire Resistance. +2d6 per Prestige Class level, and its cost is 1 CON damage. The Binder ability to bind with Naberius ("The Grinning Hound") would heal 1 ability damage per round. There are quite a few things you can do with Hellfire in that Prestige Class.

 

[blargney the second]

Henry, that's just brutal.

 

[brehobit]

As others have noted, you all are going to be light on a front-line fighter. I'd go with crusader myself for that party. But if you really want a warlock, I'd go with a warlock with the fey feats that uses eldrich glaive. DR and solid, if not great, attacks. At higher levels (BAB 6+) it becomes really really powerful.

Mark

 

[Raspen]

warlocs can attack without much help or addition when you build a caster i would focus on defence.

get invocations such as Devils own luck, Ignor the prye *higher lvls*, Ret invis, fell flight, flee the seen. Getting the Acid blast is a must but what you desided to do with offence other then that dont much matter as long as you focus on one thing be it glaive or spear.
look at the epic warloc feats on the WoTC web page and make sure if you are getting higher lvls you set yourself to be able to get one.

feats i would do Defence with, get Force of personality *with devils own luck you would have two saves chr base* this is good if you have a high Chr, extra invocations and quicken spell like abilitys are nice too. *you can quicken flee the seen at higher lvls of a quicken repeling blast comes in handy too* since your evil well you can get boost spell-like ability and that is just VERY broken so take advantage of it

as for gear. if you buy stuff.

mith breast plate
cloak of resit
cromatic dragon bracers (NA)
Crusable of fell power greater
boots of high steeping (a must to get out of trouble)
ring of protection
thier are lots of other items to get later that will hlep you out but if you get money to blow i would get a Guntlet of spell strike (waterdeep book) its very nice.

agin you will do fine with damage make sure you live to do it.

 

[Patlin]

I like a Xeph warlock with Psionic Shot, personally.